The young woman shifted uncomfortably on her bed. The nightmare that engulfed her mind shifted its form but was always the same in principle. Kill or be killed, and by a friend, no less.

The small furry form that tried to curl against her to keep warm found her constant shifting a hindrance. The rabite soon found it dangerous as well. With a squeal, the creature bit the hand that carelessly smacked against him in the darkness. It was just enough to wake the girl.

Bolting upright, the woman turned and pushed the blankets away with her feet as she pressed herself against the wall of her bed compartment. The old quilt, sheets, and rabite fell softly to the floor. The rabite chirped as he tried to free himself from the pile of cloth.

With an agonized cry, the woman dug her pet out and trilled to him, trying to calm him. It was more effective towards her nerves, as the rabite put up with it only for the warmth. His mistress’ distress was something he did not understand; they were warm in the winter with enough good food. Why distress?

In the darkness, the girl felt tears begin to trail down her face. She let them. No one else was around, but the rabite and her cactus. The cactus was not close enough to see her in the dark.

She had not meant to. A year ago she had sent a friend to the underworld. It had been a lucky strike, and probably saved her life. But he had died.

Since her visit to the Tree of Mana, dreams had begun to haunt her of many things. Memories of things she had wished different. Images of friends trapped in hell. They wanted revenge. No, just him. He wanted her dead.

No sleep tonight.

"Athena?"

Lisa crept down the stairs, followed by Bud. The twins were always awake with the sun, yet somehow they were always preceded by Athena.

"Yes?" the woman yawned.

"Good morning," Lisa said. She was never sure what to think about Athena’s recent habits. The little mage was worried.

"Geeze, man," Bud said, oblivious, "You look terrible, maybe you should get some sleep."

"Thanks," Athena smirked, placing the mages’ morning meal down on the table, "But I’ve got things to do."

"Like what?" Bud asked. He hoped whatever it was involved adventure, and that he would be able to somehow wheedle his way into it.

"I’ve got to go to town," Athena replied, finishing up the last of her various morning chores.

"Anything fun planned?" the little mage dropped all sense of concealment.

"No, just some shopping," The blonde woman lied. She began dressing in her casual clothes. She had already gathered her armor and her favorite weapons. She had them hidden just out of sight on the path to Domina. One weapon she could have gotten away with, two would have made her charges suspicious, and two with armor meant fun to the little mages.

She bid the children goodbye, and left with the rabite on her heels. She picked up the parcel containing her equipment and carried it on the way to town.

Where she used to be a stranger to Domina, she now was as well known as any of the inhabitants. She smiled a greeting here and nodded one there as she made her way towards the tavern. She had to force herself to walk through the doors; she was not in the mood to talk to anyone today.

She scanned the dark and dusty room for any sign of her friend. There were quite a few people in the tavern. She eventually found the man she was looking for on the loft.

"Hey, Athena," Elazul said, smiling every so slightly, "You’re late."

"Smiling? Elazul?" Athena sat down at the table and looked around suspiciously, "Goodness, soon we’ll have you saying, ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘excuse me.’"

"Not damn likely," the Lapis Knight’s smile turned into a slight grin, "You look hungry, or do you just like the sight of my lunch?"

"Sorry," Athena diverted her gaze away from the half-eaten meal, "I didn’t have time to eat this morning. Too busy trying to get here on time."

"Which you didn’t even do anyway,"

"I had a lot to do," Athena said defensively, getting up, "Excuse me a minute."

The Jumi watched as the woman left and dashed down the stairs. He stared in disbelief when she returned with a tray overflowing with various kinds of food.

"So," Athena placed the tray on the table and sat down, "What’s the news anyway?"

"News?" Elazul asked distractedly.

"Did you find me any jobs or not?" the woman asked, picking through the food. As hungry as she was, she did not really feel like eating.

"Oh, nothing so far," the Jumi replied, "Maybe if you had been here earlier we might have found you something. But there is little work for a mercenary these days."

"Goddess be damned," Athena sighed. She needed a job badly.

"Maybe if you weren’t so generous with your earnings," Elazul chided, "You wouldn’t be in this situation."

"Maybe," the woman looked over the balcony to the floor below, "But not much I can do about it now. There’s nothing? What about with the Jumi?"

"No, we’re efficient enough to handle our own business," Elazul said, "You might be able to find something farther out, but then there’s traveling expenses."

"Thanks anyway," Athena said. She would never ask her friends for money. If worst came to worst, she could always sell some of her things. Treant could grow fruit, at least enough to keep her and those living with her alive for a little while. She could invest the little she had in her blacksmithy...

When it came down to it, she did not want to. She was a warrior. That was what she wanted to be and do.

"You could always sell the rat," Elazul said, indicating the rabite curled up on Athena’s lap.

"No, I don’t think... Danae!" Athena called out, surprised to see the woman-cat on the floor below. She stood quickly, much to the rabite’s irritation, and leaned over the banister.

"Uh, Athena?" Elazul asked nervously as the woman leaned a bit far over the railing. "Athena!" He made a clumsy and unsuccessful grab for the girl’s legs as she fell over the edge and towards the floor below. And people called him reckless.
 
 

Athena slipped her fingers under the small ledge that projected beneath the railing. It was not much, but it was enough to hang onto until her feet fell below her. She only maintained the grip for a couple of seconds before there was nothing left to hold, but now at least she was right side up.

She landed on the hardwood floor heavily, and it took her a minute to remember which direction was up. Elazul’s landing shortly after jarred the boards beneath her feet, not helping the process. The rabite, being the sensible creature he was, took the stairs.

Daena watched amusedly as her friend regained her sense of balance. Humans were clumsy for the most part, but at one time Daena would have claimed Athena as an exception to the rule.

"Hello Athena, how are you?" she asked, giving Elazul a second glance. She remembered the man, but never had actually met him.

"Unemployed," Athena replied, brushing herself off, "How’re you?"

"Alright, I guess," Daena said, returning her gaze to Athena, "Unemployed?"

Athena knelt to pick up her pet before answering, "No work for mercenaries it seems." She glanced around the tavern, suddenly noticing that a lot of focus was on her. Those that knew her passed her behavior off as normal, but those who did not know her were staring.

"Hmm, I know the feeling. Kinda," Daena said softly, "The new priestess has new guardians, I’m not as needed as I once was."

"I’m sorry," Athena replied sullenly. She suddenly realized what the feline-woman had lost, and it hurt because it made her remember her own losses.

"It’s not to do with you," Daena smiled, "Introduce me, will you?" The tabby-marked feline turned an ear in Elazul’s direction.

"Huh? Oh," Athena startled, "Elazul, this is Daena. Daena, this is Elazul."

"Nice to meet you," the Jumi nodded politely, "I’ve never met a… One of your species before."

"You travel with her a lot?" Daena asked, indicating Athena.

"I owe her a debt of gratitude greater than I can repay," Elazul replied quietly.

"I see," the woman-cat purred, "Hey Athena, maybe we should go on a pilgrimage or something, what do you…" Daena trailed off, noticing her friend’s attention was elsewhere, "Are you alright?"

Athena was perplexed. She thought she had seen a familiar man amidst the patronage, but he was in plain sight and now she swore that never in her life did she know him. He was one of those gawking at her stunt. Quite suddenly, he stood and left. Athena was snared by curiosity. She pushed the rabite into Daena’s arms and dashed out the still open door.

When she got outside, she scanned the dusty road for the man. Seeing no one, she looked to the ground. Whoever the man was, he left a clear track behind him. A track that Athena followed without thought.

Her friends were not the least hesitant in following, but could not keep up as she raced towards the outskirts of the small town.

A sudden gust of wind tore dust and sand from the ground and whipped it about as Athena came upon the fountain of the Goddess in the small park. A figure wrapped in a dark blue cloak stood on the rim of the fountain. The young woman immediately recognized the figure, though seemingly different again, as the man she was after.

"Why were you watching me?" she demanded, ignoring the suddenly roaring wind and sandstorm.

"Why were you following me?" the man countered, his blue eyes sparkling with a light of their own.

"Because you were watching me!" Athena growled, "Why?"

"Many were watching you," the man grinned, "That was a stupid stunt, Athena, one that could have wound you up in the Underworld."

"It didn’t," Athena stated, ignoring the use of her name by a stranger.

"I wouldn’t want to go there if I were you, you know?" the man continued, "There are many there who want your soul ripped to shreds."

"I know," Athena said. The conversation suddenly seemed ludicrous. Why would she need a stranger to tell her such things? Then it hit her; he was a stranger, "Who are you?"

"I’m bothered that you don’t know me," the man said, stepping off the lip of the fountain and beginning to walk away.

"Don’t walk away from me!" Athena exclaimed, "You know my name, but do you know who I am?"

"Of course, dark one," the stranger said, not halting, "You are the Gemma that denied her existence."

"What?" the woman asked incredulously, "Come back here and explain yourself or I’ll take your heart from your chest."

"With what?" the man wondered, "Your bare hands? You left your heart-piercing spear at the tavern."

Angered beyond words, Athena leapt at the man from behind. She fell on the cloak, but there was nothing beneath it. She uttered a curse under her breath, untangled herself from the heavy cloth, and stood up.

"Now if I didn’t know you better," the taunting yet familiar voice sighed, "Don’t you want this?" A spear was offered from one side, and she turned to face her tormenter. It was then that she recognized the creature, no longer in human guise. And she fell to her knees in reverence and bowed her head.

"Master story-teller," Athena mumbled, more than a little shocked. The spear, her spear crafted by her own hands, fell before her eyes and she reached for it automatically.

"So I have the great warrior now humbled before me, do I?" Pokiehl asked, staring down at the woman.

"I didn’t realize it was you, or I wouldn’t have… wouldn’t…." Athena couldn’t think of a good way to finish that sentence.

"Now, now," Pokiehl chided, "Stand, I would have all as equals."

The woman did as bade, with the spear firmly in hand. The bird-man smiled in the strange way he did. Suddenly, he grabbed for her unprotected throat and lifted her from the ground with inhuman strength. Although his reach had been for her throat, his grip was on her jaw. While painful, the hold was not as threatening as a stranglehold. That fact did not alleviate Athena’s struggles, and she almost used the spear in hand before remembering whom she fought. When he saw her restraint, Pokiehl laughed.

"You stay your hand for me, what if I were a stranger?"

"You’d be dead," Athena growled, trying with one hand to free herself while keeping the spear in the other.

"And an enemy?"

"Same."

"And, my dear girl," the storyteller asked slowly, "if I were a friend?" The answering silence lasted long before Pokiehl smiled again and dropped Athena to the ground. "I know your dreams, dark child, don’t let them determine who’s side of the war your on."

"What do you mean?" Athena asked hazily, deciding to stay sitting in the dirt. When Pokiehl did not answer, she looked up to find him gone. So was the sandstorm and the wind, none of them had left a trace. There were no tracks. Athena was the only thing covered in dust.

"Where’ve you been?" the voice cut through the woman’s musing, and she suddenly noticed the knees that were on eye-level with her. She looked up at Elazul and Daena and smirked.

"I’ve been here, where have you two been?" she queried.

"Looking for you," Daena replied, cradling the rabite as Elazul helped Athena up.

"What happened?" the Jumi asked suddenly, inspecting Athena’s neck with sudden interest. She had no bruises that morning, and these that he now found looked strangely regular. Athena yelped at the man’s not so gentle inspection.

"Hey, leggo," she protested, pulling away, "I’m alright, nothing’s wrong, I swear."

"Alright, fine," Elazul sighed, "but you should get your stuff if you want to keep it."

"Hmm?" Athena strapped the spear to her back and accepted the rabite back from Daena.

"Your stuff at the tavern," Elazul said dully, "You don’t want it stolen."

"Err, right," Athena said, "Let’s go back then."

"You’re sure you’re okay?" Elazul asked, getting just that much more worried.

"I’m fine," Athena tried to assure him. At the very least she was shaken. Not even close to being at the most, she was terrified. She was not going to admit it then, and not for a good long time. She needed to know what Pokiehl was talking about first, and then she could be scared out of her wits.
 
 

Weather is a fickle thing. It changes with the seasons, during a single day, or within the hour. The day that Athena left Domina with Elazul and Daena, the sky was clear and the air was warm. Later the same day, along the Luon highway, rain clouds had gathered and a thunderstorm broke with all the ferocity of a dragon’s wrath.

Covered in mud, the three trudged though the gale for an hour before Daena suggested they might do better to find someplace to wait out the storm. Athena said a little rain could never hurt them, but relented soon after she got stuck in a pool of mud and had to ask for help to get free. With her pride slightly bruised, she led the way to an old cave.

"So where are we going?" Daena asked, resting near cave mouth and watching the lighting flash from time to time outside.

"I don’t know," Athena replied, staring off into space. Her misgivings about Pokiehl had her mind occupied. She kept trying to understand what he meant, and felt like she was trying to put together a puzzle without its pieces.

Daena waited for the echo of thunder to fade so that she would be heard before replying, "Well, I hear the waterfalls are beautiful after the floods, what do you think we go there?"

No answer came, and the tabby turned to look at her friend. Seeing only Elazul brooding against the wall, she looked around nervously, "Athena?" she called, and yelled the same when no answer came.

Elazul stirred and looked around at Daena’s exclamation. Understanding almost immediately, he added his voice to hers as they peered into the darkness beyond the entrance.

Elazul’s hand went to his sword’s hilt as a war cry sounded in the darkness around him, and something tackled him from behind. He hit the ground with a curse and struggled to free himself from his assailant.

"Athena!" he growled, worry replaced with annoyance, "What the hell?"

"Nothing," the woman purred, letting go of the knight, "Just havin’ a bit of fun is all."

"Be more careful next time," the Jumi grumbled, taking care in checking himself over. He did not want his core shattered over that woman’s pranks, however they seemed to help her mood.

Athena lay on the ground still, watching Elazul with a mix of admiration and envy in her eyes, "I wanna be a Jumi," she declared. Elazul looked down at her, and shook his head slowly. It was not a secret how Athena often wanted to be something other than what she was.

"A Jumi, huh?" Daena asked, sharing Athena’s amusement, "Wasn’t it a penguin last time? And a basilisk the time before?"

"You’ve saved three worlds," Elazul scoffed, "Why would you want to be someone else?"

Athena sat up and shrugged, "Anyone could do it," she stated, "I was just lucky."

The storm grew more brutal, and the three decided to spend the night in the cave. Athena’s rabite wouldn’t come out of his keeper’s bag for fear of thunder, and the night wore on dully without much conversation. When morning came, the sky was again clear, but the road seemed to be made of mud.

"Hey, Athena?" Daena asked, "Isn’t Gaeus near here?"

"I think somewhere," Athena answered, "You want to go visit him, don’t you?"

"If it wouldn’t be too much trouble," Daena said, "and since you don’t know where you want to go anyway, why not?"

Athena shrugged in response. It couldn’t really hurt, she supposed. Half an hour later, the three travelers were standing before the living rock formation that was Gaeus. The Wisdom greeted them with some apprehension.

"You come to me with your mind not knowing what your heart seeks," Gaeus said sleepily, "What you search for might as well be the sun inside an icicle."

"What?" Athena asked, "What do you mean?"

"History listens well to itself, and repeats time and time again," the Wisdom explained, "If you blindly seek the future, you’ll encounter only your past. I want you to watch yourself, young keeper."

"Stop talking in like that," the young woman demanded, "I haven’t even asked you a question yet aside from ‘How are you?’"

"Young one," Gaeus sighed, "You don’t know what you are getting yourself into."

"Tell me what it is, then!" Athena all but shouted, "If you know, then tell me!"

"I cannot,"

Athena was frustrated, and slid down from the granite hand that held her before the Wisdom’s face. She ran off before Elazul or Daena could follow. As they pursued, Gaeus called out behind them.

"Guard her well," he said, "For she may well be the last."

They had no time to rest when they caught up with Athena, as she had set a vigorous pace and would not slow down. Elazul and Daena followed devotedly. Eventually, the rigorousness of the travel began to wear on them, and Daena finally halted her friend.

"Hey, where are you going in such a rush?" she asked, "Slow down, you’re gonna kill yourself of exhaustion."

"Going to the snowfields," Athena replied, taking the few seconds to rest, "I’ve got this feeling, y’know? That something’s there."

"The snowfields are days away," Elazul said, "Hell, weeks or more if you get lost."

"So what? You wanna turn back, then go," Athena spat, "I’m going to Fieg." With that she turned to leave, but the Jumi blocked her path.

"You won’t get there tonight," he insisted, "So why not slow down, hmm?"

"Fine," Athena said sulkily, starting off again at a much slower pace, "If you can’t keep up I’ll just have to go slower."

"Is it me, or does she get more childish the older she gets?" Elazul asked Daena quietly when Athena had gotten out of hearing range.

"I don’t know," Daena replied teasingly, "I’ve seen her worse."

"You’re kidding," Elazul choked, "how much worse?"

"Oh, I’m sure you don’t want to know," the tabby chirped, "But not that much worse I suppose."

The cold could already be felt in the night air, although the Fieg Snowfields were a couple of days away at least. The forest was dark, but the leaves on the trees seemed to reflect the light of the small campfire that burned brightly.

"If she wants to get to the Snowfields so quickly," Elazul whispered, "Why did she insist we go around the woods?"

Daena shrugged and looked towards the sleeping woman. She glanced into the darkness surrounding the campsite and wondered.

"We’re being followed," she said under her breath, "I don’t like this forest. Give me the desert any day."

"I don’t like the desert," Elazul replied, "But I don’t like this forest either. And at least in the desert you can see what’s sneaking around."

"Yeah," Daena agreed.

"I’ll keep watch if you guys wanna sleep," Athena put in from her bedroll, startling both her companions. Daena recovered first.

"Well, if you want to," she said, looking around, "Just promise you’ll be careful."

"Of course," Athena replied, sitting up, "How about you, Elazul? Tired?"

The only response she got was a mumble. She smiled and started rearranging her backpack’s contents for the next morning. Only when she was sure both her friends were asleep did she stand up and walk away from the circle of fire.

"So why didn’t you cut straight through the forest," the familiar voice asked from the darkness, "It’s not like you to take the roundabout route."

"I thought they might not be welcome there," Athena replied, looking at her feet though she could not see them.

"They are your friends," Larc said flatly, "Aren’t they?"

"Yeah, but," Athena thought for a minute, not quite sure what to say, "Do you know what I’m looking for?"

"No," Larc wondered at this, "But I’m willing to bet it’s something strange. You always were an odd one."

"I’m not quite sure," Athena said, "Why don’t you come with us so that you can see what it is firsthand when we find it?"

"If ‘us’ includes them," Larc stated, "Count me out. I travel with you alone or Sierra, not with strangers."

Athena looked back at the campsite. She did not have to see the wolf man to remember him. She suddenly wondered if he could get her back to the underworld the way that he had before. Not that he would if he did not want to, but just maybe…. Maybe she could get these dreams to stop.

"If I took you with me," the woman asked, "Would they be okay here?"

"That depends," Larc answered, "They are your friends, what do you think?"

Athena grinned, and walked back to the campsite quietly as she could. She retrieved her lightened backpack and her sleeping bag before leaving again.

"What makes you think I want to go?" the dragoon asked when she returned.

"Why not? It’ll be fun," Athena replied, "Think of the snow."

"Wake up,"

Elazul groaned, and waved the tabby away irritably. He knew it was still too early for him, the sun was not even up yet. Why could she not just go away?

"Hey, Gem Boy," Daena hissed, "Wake up before I kick you out of that bed."

"Go away," the bullied Jumi mumbled, "I’m tired, and it’s cold out there."

"Yeah, well, Athena’s gone."

"Good for her," Elazul said from beneath blanket. It took a few minutes for the sentence to completely register, "Where?"

"I don’t know, but she’s gone real sneaky like," Daena hugged the rabite close to her, "And she left some stuff behind." She watched as the man crawled slowly from his makeshift bed and evaluated the situation.

"What the hell?" he asked, "Where’d she go?"

Daena shrugged, "We’d best find her, don’t you think?"

Elazul nodded, and within the hour they had Athena’s spare things packed and had set out after her. They had no knowledge of which direction she went in, but both guessed the way towards the snowfields would be quickest through the forest. They had gone about halfway through the forest when they found a stranger.

"Stop where you are," she demanded, appearing from nowhere. Daena’s fur stood on end, and Elazul sympathized with the feeling, "Explain yourself, why are you here?"
 
 

The sun was setting. That meant that the arctic forest would soon be a lot colder. Larc did not have to worry about the cold as much as Athena did. The woman envied not having the thick fur that the wolf-man did.

They had traveled half the day through the cold white wilderness. Athena probably would have stopped for the night when the sun went below the horizon, had a glimmer of pale light not caught her attention. Curious, she strained to see what the flicker was beyond the line of snow-covered trees.

"Do you see that?" she asked her companion, starting towards the green that seemed to seep forward slowly.

"I don’t see anything," Larc replied, "I can smell something though." He readied his axe and took a stance behind her. Whatever it was seemed to have a calming influence, which he did not trust.

"It’s like," Athena thought for a minute, and continued advancing slowly, "It’s the air has a light of its own."

The green glow in the moved with the wind, and Athena was soon following it without hesitation. Larc kept pace without trouble, all the while realizing that the smell was growing stronger. He could not see the light Athena saw, and she said nothing about the scent.

"Goddess be blessed," Athena gasped, stopping suddenly, "Do you see it now?"

A cliff, perhaps fifty feet high and that had been cloven in two by some earthquake or event, nestled a tree that stood taller than the cliff. Around the tree, and seemingly flowing from it, the green mist moved about in thick clumps.

"I don’t see what you do," Larc replied, hefting his axe over one shoulder. The smell was stronger than ever, "What is that, though?" he pointed to a cave-like opening in the tree.

"Only one way to find out," Athena said cheerily. She rushed towards the hole and peered within, "Oh wow."

Larc approached and glanced up into the tree’s interior. His eyes adjusted quickly to the green light that emanated from within and he laughed softly. A mana crystal was suspended inside the tree’s trunk.

"It’s beautiful," Athena said simply. Larc stepped back and examined the tree.

"Hmph," he grumbled, "I never knew."

"Never knew what?" Athena asked, joining the dragoon and looking up. The large tree was covered in snow and icicles, all of which reflected the green mist’s light. She blinked in surprise, "Those aren’t icicles are they?"

"No, they’re fruit," Larc snorted, "I searched for them once, thinking to end my curse."

"What do they do?" the woman stepped towards the tree and reached towards its lowest branches.

"They have powerful properties," the wolf-man replied, "When mixed with certain herbs or spells."

"What kind of properties?" Athena asked, her fingertips only brushing the bottom of the branch. She cursed a mentally and looked over her shoulder.

"It depends," Larc considered, "I searched for them to restore life. Though there are many other uses."

"Restore life, eh?" Athena’s focus cleared, "What would that entail?"

"Blood," the dragoon tried to remember. The old book had been falling apart by the time he had gotten to it, "The ghost, and holy water. I’m not sure if there was anything else."

"Blood?" Athena asked, "Hey, give me a lift here please?"

"Blood of the person you’re trying to revive," Larc said, crouching so that the smaller human could climb onto his shoulders easily. He stood and the woman grabbed her branch. She pulled herself up and, as an afterthought, dropped her backpack to the ground below.

"Does it have to be fresh?" Athena called down, reaching for the next branch.

"By the Goddess, no," Larc laughed, "You think I’d be looking for a way to revive myself years later if it required fresh blood? No, any blood will do. Dried, or fresh or whatnot, as long as it’s from the right person."

"Hey, you never know," Athena said, reaching for one of the icicle like fruit. Once in hand, she stared at it in disbelief. There was a small glowing sphere inside the transparent skin. ‘Like the sun in an icicle,’ Total wonder overtook her, and she lost herself within her thoughts until Larc called to her.

"Hey, are you alright up there?" the shout broke her trance, and she grinned.

"Never better," she called back, collecting a few more of the fruit and dropping them to the snow below, "Look out."

Three of the fruit survived the fall, and Athena climbed down with a smile. She wondered if there was any way that the dead could hear her. If they could, they might have heard the quiet, but determined, "I’m coming," that she swore as she jumped from the lowest branch and landed in the snow below.

"Larc, dearest?" Athena asked as she carefully bundled the fruit in a spare shirt, "Is there any way you could get me into the underworld?"

The dragoon snorted, "I could kill you here, or do you mean something else?"

"I mean alive if possible," the mercenary replied, "Or at the very least, not dead."

"There are ways," Larc said, "as you know."

Athena pulled her backpack over her shoulders and smiled, "Let’s go find a way then, I’ve got debts there."

"You’re insane, I’ll have you know," Larc stated, looking around cautiously, "But let’s go. I don’t like the smell of this place."

Athena nodded. She tucked the bundle close to her body and the two were soon swiftly on their way. Neither noticed the large white form that shifted in its sleep as they passed it by.

"I don’t care," Sierra growled slowly, "what your personal preferences to me as your traveling partner are. I am not leaving you alone until you answer my questions."

"We shouldn’t have stopped," Elazul considered, ignoring the dragoon, "we would have found them by now."

"Yeah, but at least their tracks are clear now," Daena said, looking over the snowlands. Two sets of tracks were deeply set into the snow. It was not hard to guess which were Athena’s.

"Why wasn’t she more cautious?" the Jumi asked, annoyed at the thought.

"It’s not as dangerous as it used to be," Daena shrugged, "Or maybe she’s in a hurry. It’s better for us anyway."

"Let’s go," Elazul ordered, starting forward. He stopped and looked back when he realized neither of the women-creatures was following.

"You could say ‘please’," Daena suggested.

"Please," the young knight sighed after a minute, "Can we please go?"

"Certainly," the feline replied, falling in behind him.

"Please, hmm?" Sierra wondered, "So if I were to ask, ‘please tell me what you were doing in my forest?’ you would answer?"

"Sure," Daena said, smiling at the dragoon.

"Please tell me what you were doing in my forest."

"We were traveling with a friend," Elazul supplied, following the path of disturbed snow, "But she took off without us. You found us, we were looking for her."

"I see," Sierra had little trust for the pair of wanderers, "Athena. What are you looking for–"

"Hey, do you hear that?" Daena suddenly asked.

"Hear –?" Sierra began, but stopped. She could smell a faint scent that was strangely familiar.

"I dunno," Daena replied, "but it’s like… music, very pretty. And very faint."

"What are you talking about?" Elazul wondered. To him, the air seemed strangely heavy.

"Whatever it is, it’s coming from the same way they went," Daena observed, "Let’s go."

Daena led the way, and the travelers found themselves at the large tree that Athena and Larc had discovered the night before. Daena claimed that the music had grown louder, but neither of her companions seemed able to hear it. Sierra kept the scent to herself, but would have agreed that it was stronger. Elazul might have said that the air had grown more oppressive had he thought about it.

"That," Daena stated, "Is a big tree."

"Yes, it’s very impressive," Elazul said impatiently, watching his companions move to examine the tree, "Do we really have time for this?"

Daena turned, and her expression immediately changed. She reached for her weapons. Sierra looked over her shoulder and did the same. Elazul’s paled at his companions’ reactions, and his hand went to his sword’s hilt.

"It’s big, furry, and has big claws," Elazul asked nervously, "And it’s standing right behind me isn’t it?"

"Three out of four ain’t bad," Daena replied shakily.

"Okay," the Jumi sighed, "Just making sure,"
 
 

Elazul did not bother with his sword at first; instead he leaped to one side as soon as he felt the movement of the snow behind him. His first glimpse of the creature alarmed him, but he did not allow it to hinder his actions. After all, had he not faced much worse in his war-torn world? Such as enemies that knew him, and his weaknesses? Although it looked dangerous, this beast certainly could not be as bad as some things he had faced.

The monster was perhaps thirty feet from head to tail, and bore a passing resemblance to an armadillo. Its body was covered in white scales, or bands, as was its long, whip-like tale. Two rows of razor teeth were hidden within a long mouth, and its piercing red eyes observed those that would disturb it. Ivory claws curved menacingly from its large paws.

It forgot Elazul momentarily as it noticed Sierra and Daena, both of whom dashed in opposite directions to avoid its charge towards them. It stopped and turned, again seeing the Jumi.

The lapis knight dodged the creature a second time and swung his sword at its neck. The weapon was deflected by the scales, which neither bent nor broke under the strength of the blow. Sierra struck its other side, with similar results. A second, stronger strike by the dragoon resulted in a dagger broken at the hilt and its blade glistening in the snow. Daena’s attempt was bolder, but still ineffective. She swung her weapon and hit the monster across its snout, only managing to anger the beast further.

The battle wore on the humanoids, while the animal seemed only to get angrier and impatient. No matter at what angle, the blades were unable to pierce the creature’s armor, and Daena’s attempts were even more fruitless.

As the monster was engaged with Sierra, Elazul lunged at it. It turned suddenly and snapped at him, catching his arm in its mouth and biting down hard. The Jumi cried out in surprise and pain. He cursed his stupidity, but smiled at the idea that occurred to him. He raised his sword, took careful aim, and summoned his energy into one strike. The creature screamed in pain as the weapon pierced its eye, and let go of Elazul.

Sierra, with swift understanding, plunged her dagger into the monster’s other eye. It blindly flailed at its adversaries, who had fled out of reach soon thereafter. They collected their things and ran the direction of the tracks in the snow, leaving the monster to live or die by the fate of its injuries.

"Don’t you think breaking into your own house is a little strange?"

"I needed new clothes," Athena said it as though it was the most important thing in the world. Not that she considered it to be so, but there were other things she needed to collect as well. She did not want to wake her charges, either.

The workshop was cluttered and barely organized. Everything that was needed for any of various started or abandoned projects was piled up on the floor or placed on barely stable shelves. Larc went over the shelves carefully, trying to remember what he needed. There were some things missing, but he thought that he had adequate substitutions.

Athena, for her part, hung back at the doorway, silhouetted by the light of the moons. She would be seeing enough underground areas if all went well, and possibly if it did not, she did not see the need to spend that much more time in confined spaces than necessary.

"I think I have everything I need," the dragoon announced. Not a moment too soon, in Athena’s mind. If either of the twins saw them leaving, there would be explanations asked for with none to be given. She could only lie so much, and she was already beginning to feel guilty about it.

"Good," she said, "Then let’s get going."

It took until the next evening before they had arrived at the most suitable location. The old ruins glowed a reddish hue in the light of the setting sun, and every step made Athena remember a time, good or bad, she had spent in the shadows of the ancient stone monoliths.

"You have to make sure they’re standing properly," the young warrior had explained to the dragoon as they traveled through the puzzle and maze that made up the ruins. She had led the flowerlings in an order and hoped it had been the one she needed. It was. The flowerlings had opened for them the path to the old tomb beneath one of the stone monuments.

Athena remembered, not so fondly, walking the underground path before to find herself confronted with the bloodsucking monster that dwelt there. She did not know what became of it after she injured it and it crawled off before she could kill it. And sometime afterwards, a battle had raged above in the sunlight….

"This may be good," Larc said suddenly, breaking his friend’s contemplation, "But I don’t think we’ll know for sure anywhere unless we try, so this is as good a place as any."

"So what do I do?" Athena asked, ensuring that the room was secure. There were no monsters about, and indeed not as many around anywhere. A little caution never hurt anyone, though.

"Let me set it up," Larc replied, already having begun drawing runes on the floor in specific patterns with the piece of chalk Athena used to mark her trails, "You can go do whatever you feel like for a while, or you can stay here." He smiled when he looked up and found she was gone, "You’re all too predictable at times, my friend."

Athena climbed the huge granite stairs. The sun had set, but the sky was still light. She paused as she reached the platform above.

Her fingers slipped down the shaft of her spear, and for a minute she thought she would lose it. If she lost her weapon, she knew her life would follow.

She froze at the thought. Could she smell the blood still? After a year?

But if she kept her grip, she would lose her fingers, maybe her hand. The spear was not meant to be used as a shield.

Crude letters drawn into one of the pillars drew her attention. Who had drawn them… for what purpose?

She dropped the spear and dove away from the sword’s strike.

They did not read anything; they were just scribbles.

It would be a minute before she could reach her weapon, but the chance was there. She took it.

Scribbles that told of a life. She looked over the green and tan place that had been a home to people ages ago.

Dive again. Her weapon was hers again, and his sword swung towards her head.

What had happened to them? Did they all kill each other?

Roll, and swing. The spear’s point met little resistance. It was over, and the sword fell from his hand. Just like Keahi.

Like she killed her friend?

"Had we been friends?" she wondered aloud. She treaded lightly across the platform. In the distance she could see the road home. She wondered if this was the right thing to do.

‘Wait a minute,’ she squinted in the twilight, straining to see the little figures on the paths below, ‘Oh boy, this might be bad.’

She almost fell down the stairs in her haste to return to the ceremony. She loved her friends dearly, but often they could be such… grandparents.

She ran down the corridors of the old stone tomb. When she arrived, she flashed a smile at Larc.

"Hey, are we ready yet?"

"Yes," the dragoon did not feel the need to double-check his measurements. Everything was in order.

She had explained to him what she needed to do. He was now giving her the means, but, in the end, it was her endeavor. She had to retrieve the soul, and he would keep her body safe while she did so.

"Drink this," he instructed, handing her a flask of liquid. She inspected it carefully before sipping it slowly. She didn’t taste anything, but she found it was very viscous and stuck to her throat, "You’ll have an hour or two. You’ll be a ghost, but you’ll be pulled back as soon as you run out of time."

Athena nodded, feeling a little woozy. She lay down in the circle of runes that Larc showed her, and let the forgotten, yet familiar, tingly feeling run its course. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was no longer where she had been.
 
 

Athena opened her eyes to a wall. Not like the manmade stone bricks she had been staring at moments earlier, this wall was natural. She realized she was standing in a tunnel, one that sloped sharply downwards. A faint white glow emanated from orbs suspended from the ceiling, allowing her to see the path before her.

It was straightforward and empty. Unlike her previous visits to the Underworld, there were no twists or turns, nor were there doors or branching passages. For a moment, she was unsure if this was the place that she wanted to be. But the familiar smell of deep earth reminded her of similar, less pleasant and more involuntary experiences.

At least this time she knew how to keep her spiritual clothes on, and of that she was proud.

She remembered how on her first trips as a ghost it had taken many tries and some instruction by Larc to get that little detail figured out. She was not prepared to go gallivanting through the Land of the Dead naked, no matter how much of a rush anyone was in.

But that was not the problem at hand. She smiled and began humming to herself as she started down, deeper into the earth. She had already forgotten that she had a time limit.

The passage went on for a short time before opening into a small cavern. The cavern was enough to take the warrior’s breath away.

Gems and pale streaks of gold and silver were embedded in the walls of the cave. A trickling stream that flowed from a second passage filled a pool of water in the center of the room, and pinpoint holes in the roof provided an impressive show of light and shadow.

As much as Athena always loved beautiful sights, she knew better than to linger. She spent a few minutes admiring the work of nature, or wisdom, before following the water source. This passage slanted upwards, and downwards again where the water came from a natural spring in the wall. The longer she walked, the stronger and more confident she felt. By the time she entered the City of the Dead, she had burst out singing.

The city was large, with dwellings and burrows fixed into the walls, and passages leading to other, similar caverns. Athena’s voice faltered as she noticed the shadows of other spirits; sad, pitiful creatures that watched her with hopeless and sympathetic eyes.

She walked though the crowd, and felt some of them claw at the purple dress her soul wore. Some of the spirits drew back, and some of them rushed forward to meet this new arrival. The young woman tried her best to ignore it, and made her way through the crowded passages as best she could, seeking a friend or enemy that she hoped she could find.

Daena sighed, and flicked her tail irritably. The trail that had been so clear was now becoming confused. Elazul tried to explain the way in which Athena marked her trails with chalk, but the weary tabby had had enough.

"Yes, I know," she glared at the Jumi, crouching down on all fours, "I know how she travels, I know how she keeps from getting lost, and I know that there are little white marks everywhere!" The lines that could have led the travelers to their friend led every-which-way from the grove that they stood in. Hell, she thought, we might not even be able to get out of here.

"And I also know," Daena growled angrily, "That a wisdom told us to stay with her; something that we obviously haven't done because she’s not here!"

"Look," Elazul started, returning the feline’s sharp, angry look with one of his own, "If I wa–"

"Children please," Sierra cut off the impending argument as soon as she was in earshot, "Maybe it would be better if we found them, first, then we could start fights."

"I don’t see why she’d be here anyway," Daena grumbled, "She hates this place." And so do I, she added mentally.

"Since when?" Elazul asked. Sure, he did not remember Athena coming here in some time, but that was did not necessarily mean that she hated it.

"Since Escad died here," she spat the name, her eyes glowing with hatred.

The Jumi tilted his head back, looking up at the dimming sky, Why does that seem familiar? "Escad?"

"A son of a bitch that Athena had some deal with, but she broke it and killed him when he tried to kill me here." On second thought, "Over there." She pointed to the old monument, and twitched. What if….

"Maybe that’s where she is?" Sierra postulated, "I mean, it’s a long shot but it’s all we’ve got right now. At any rate, it looks like we can see pretty far from there."

Elazul shifted his weight. He was healing fast, but still hurt, and travel only served to make it worse. He did not want to miss anything, and if he let the others go ahead he could get lost. If they got to the monolith, maybe he could rest while the women explored, "Let’s go."

Athena might have screamed, had she swallowed her pride. It would not have done her any good, anyway. She struggled against the spiteful ghosts that tore at her, ignoring the freezing feeling that accompanied the touch. One, she could handle, two, maybe even a dozen if she were prepared. But these… they were as strong as she was, more numerous, and more used to the rules of the their world.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, strongly, and discouraged a couple of the creatures. She remembered then that this was the underworld. Strength lay not in physical form, but in the ability to manipulate her own life force.

Magic, something she needed assistance with in her body, bubbled up and burst into flame around her, destroying four of the spirits and frightening away many more. She would have cast another spell, had a shout not distracted her.

The rest of the ghosts abandoned their prize, and one, not fast enough in his retreat, was torn away from the cornered warrior. Athena looked up and swallowed hard.

"Athena," Escad stared, and an expression of disbelief crossed his face. "Oh well, too late to care anyway," he chuckled, holding out one hand to the woman sitting before him. She accepted the gesture timidly, letting him haul her to her feet.

"Escad," she started nervously, "You–"

"Don’t bother," the man snapped, imagining her grateful, "If I’d known it was you I’d have walked by."

Athena groaned something under her breath and met her friend/enemy’s eyes. He smiled spitefully, and turned to walk away.

"I’d like to hear your story," he called over his shoulder, "But if you’re busy, come find me later. We’ve got all eternity here."

Time!

"Wait," Athena cried, running after him. She slowed down as she caught up with him. He kept his pace even, not bothering to look at her, "Where’re you going?"

Escad snorted, "Someplace better than the hallways of hell." He finally cast a sidelong glance at the woman walking beside him, "Dresses don’t suit you."

He stopped at a door and opened it, peering cautiously inside before entering the room beyond. Athena followed without hesitation. The small room, furnished only with a bed, small table, and chair, looked confined.

Athena dropped down on the bed, falling daintily across its width.

"Why not just make yourself at home," Escad grumbled, pulling the chair across the room and sitting down, "I’m not sharing, so if you want a room you’ll have to go find your own."

Athena pushed herself up onto her elbows and grinned, "Why do the dead have beds? It’s not like they need sleep."

"I’d imagine because lying there for ten years would give anyone enough time to think about their meaningless life," Escad watched the mercenary curiously before asking, "So, what brought you down? I never expected to see you here."

Athena’s grin widened, and she sat up fully, "You’d never guess."

"You’re right, I wouldn’t," the knight said. Despite his hatred of the woman before him, he did not feel a need to actually take any of the aggravation out on her. That she was here was good enough for him, and if her death had been pointless it would be even better.

When he looked at her he felt something different, and unsettling. There was enthusiasm in her manner, definitely not something he would have expected from someone dead. Although he kept to himself, he had seen some of the newly dead act optimistic that they would someday live again. If this was the case, he would enjoy watching this one break down when despair overtook her. But, no… every dead he had seen had some bit of gloom in its features, and Athena had none. Then he realized.

"You’re not dead are you?" he smirked at her nod, "How… strange. What are you doing down here?"

"Coming to get you," Athena chirped, "I want to take you back with me."

Escad’s expression became more amused. The warrior that had bested him had become a lunatic, "What’s the point? If I’m dead in the living world, how much better’d that be?"

"Ahh ah," Athena purred, "But I can bring you back to life." She thought she saw a flicker of interest in the man’s eyes, and she inwardly praised herself.

"You’re joking," he stated. Yes, he heard what she said, but he could not believe it to be true.

"Not at all, come with me and I’ll show you."

"If you’re telling the truth," Escad asked, "Why would you do it?" Athena’s smile faltered, and she stared at her hands.

"You weren’t supposed to die," she said plainly after a pause, "I wasn’t trying to kill you."

"It didn’t look that way to me,"

"Look, it was an accident," the mercenary asserted, "Do you want to come back or not?"

Escad leaned against the chair’s backing and watched her with a blank expression. After a few minutes, he relented. If she knew what she was talking about, he would be alive again, and if she was lying, what did he have to lose?

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly, "What do I have to do?"

Athena smiled and stood up. She grabbed the knight’s hand and pulled him up, and began to explain while dragging him towards the door.

"I have to get you back to the ruins, where you died," she said, "I’ve got a friend who knows all about resurrection. But I’ve only got a little more time here, so we’ve gotta hurry."

"Right…."

They ran through the Underworld, Athena leading Escad back to where she had first appeared. When Athena heard running water, she became enthused and ran straight into the pair of demons that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

The creatures regarded the smaller beings with pity, and one of them spoke at length, "Where do you think you’re going?"

"Home," Athena answered confidently, making her way past the tall, winged monsters. They allowed her, but stopped Escad as he tried to follow.

"You cannot pass," the second demon said, gently baring the human ghost’s path.

"What? Why not?" Athena demanded, turning around to fully face the demons’… backs.

"You don’t belong here," the first demon said, turning to the young woman, "And he must stay here."

"Look, you," the mercenary began angrily, only to be cut off by the knight.

"It’s okay, Athena," he said, "I know the way." There was a meaning in his gaze that he hoped she could see, and she affirmed the idea with a curt nod.

"Okay," she replied quietly, watching as he began back the way they had come. She, too, started on her way….

And in a blur of motion, had turned around to charge the closest of the demons. Surprised, the monster fought to keep its balance, while its companion turned on the woman. Escad rushed past the struggle, running back towards the freedom so close at hand.

Athena was not so lucky; her spiritual form was battered by the sudden, enraged attack of the two demons. She braced herself, hoping that her time would run out and she would be returned to her body. But as sudden as her attack had been, the demons’ own assault stopped.

The young woman stood, shakily, and backed away from the creatures. A hand on her shoulder startled her, and she whirled to face Pokiehl.

The wisdom smiled his strange smile, and held one hand towards where Escad had fled.

"Brave girl," he lauded, "Go."

Athena nodded, and ran.

Escad stared at the strange room. He did not know how he had arrived, only knowing that he had been in the tunnels one moment and in a circle of chalk-lines the next. The strange wolf-man staring at him somehow reminded him of Daena, and it made him uncomfortable.

"You’re her friend, boy?" the creature asked, gesturing to the prone body nearby. He recognized Athena, in a circle of runes much like the one he stood on.

"Something like that," the knight replied.

"Good," the wolf-man suddenly overturned something over Escad’s head, pouring its liquid contents over him. He realized suddenly that he was soaked, and it never felt better.

The fluid evaporated, leaving a sweet smell in the air. Escad took a deep breath for the first time in a year.

Unable to believe what had happened, he simply stood there blinking.

Larc bit back on his amusement, "Look, boy, I need your help," he went through the ingredients he had brought with him, "I need you to watch her, as soon as she starts breathing, you tell me."

Escad looked down at the woman. He’d never imagined her so powerless. But even as she was, a sword was at her side, and her spear.

He approached her as to do what the other said, but instead silently picked up one of her weapons. He drew the sword carefully, and turned on the wolf-man that had his back turned to the young man. With all his strength, he smashed the pommel of the sword against the back of Larc’s skull. The lupine fell satisfactory, and the knight turned to the helpless young woman and raised the sword a second time.
 
 

Athena slipped, down towards the small pond. A small stumble, but she never reached the water. A sudden, strange pulling sensation struck and she was lying on her back. Strange that she did not remember falling in such a way….

A spark of light, enough to burn her strangely sensitive eyes, broke her thought. Blinking, she sat up slowly and watched the room transform from different intensities of shadow to one of dimness and pale colors. The darker, more prevalent shadows that remained, cast by candlelight, flickered ominously on the walls.

One shadow in particular loomed over the recovering girl. She vacantly traced the silhouette on the floor to stare up at its owner. She could have laughed, but settled for a dangerous half a smile instead. The indecisiveness that marked Escad’s features was strangely out of place, and it made Athena feel almost victorious.

"So you’re going to kill me or you’re going to give me my sword back?" the spear, her so cherished primary weapon, was gone. He either wanted me awake to die or he hasn’t got it in him, she reasoned, watching the knight’s reaction.

"Escad, tell me that you haven’t been brooding away, wishing for revenge only to stand there gawking?" oh, she knew it was dangerous ground. However, if she were going to move, she wanted him to move first. For an effect, maybe, or to be sure. Yes, she had to be sure.

When Escad still did not move, Athena’s impatience got the best of her. She stood slowly, cautiously watching the other warrior. Paralyzed…? She stepped back, out of reach and turned her head this way and that, seeking her lance.

She noticed Larc, who she found hunched over slightly, but, like Escad, was not moving. The frozen expression he wore was one of rage, and Athena fell to praying that, with any god of luck watching, he would never be so angry with her as he seemed in this motionless state.

The spear rested on the floor near the wall opposite the door. It took little time for Athena to spot it and she absentmindedly moved so to retrieve the weapon. As she stood from her quick swoop, she was startled by the presence of a child; a stranger that had somehow gotten between her and the wall.

The verdant little boy held up his hand to the woman. An ornament rested in his palm, and Athena delicately picked it up by its coppery chain. No sooner had the item been lifted did the child disappear, and the thundering roar of stone on stone resounded in her ears.

"-ena?"

"Athena?" Elazul watched in awe as she slowly turned towards him. She only looked through him as though he was not even there.

"Don’t move," he heard Daena growl, and tightened his grip on the one between them. He could only assume this was the man she had spoken of earlier, since the stranger had yet to speak a word to them. The fellow had tried to turn his head to see behind him, but seemed intimidated by the feline-woman.

"Hey! Athena?" Elazul tried again, and this time the woman met his eyes with a curious smile.

"Hello," she replied, flicking her gaze from one companion to another, "What’s so strange? What are you looking at me like that for?"

"You," Elazul loosened his hold ever so slightly as the man spoke, "You… blinked."

"Be quiet," Daena hissed, her eyes burning with hatred. Whatever reason Athena had to… do whatever it was she had for Escad, was the only reason she had not tried to kill him the moment she saw him. Even then it was difficult, and being only inches away from the man had no good effect on her mood.

"Blinked?" Athena asked, ignoring Daena’s outburst.

"You were over here," Elazul supplemented, "and then, just suddenly, you were over there."

"Oh," the woman shrugged, "It… happens."

"Really?" Elazul asked, somewhat skeptical. Of course, this was the person that, among other things, split dimensions; Wisdoms know what else she’s capable of, "How often?"

"Well, never before," Athena cracked a smiled as the Jumi snorted, and insisted "but I’m sure it happens sometimes!"

"You can let him go," she continued, noticing Escad pressed, probably quite uncomfortably, between Elazul, a stone slab, and a very upset Daena.

Elazul released his grip, and Escad shrugged away from Daena. He jumped for the sword he dropped when they had jumped him, and whirred to face them, as though he were to fight them all. Daena may have leaped for the opportunity, had Athena not spoken up first.

"Hey now!" the peculiar volume of the exclamation echoed within the chamber, and brought all eyes to her attention, particularly those she sought, "Your life for your life, there’s no debt here."

Although he looked none the more pleased, Escad seemed to relent, "I don’t owe you a damn thing." Athena only shook her head.

"Ah… never mind," she mumbled as he rushed out the door with her sword, "Keep it."

After a few minutes of oppressive silence Daena sharply asked, "You… just let him go? Him of all people!"

"He’ll be fine," Athena replied sincerely. She moved to leave, but the catlike creature cut her off at the door.

"I’m not worried about him," Daena spat, "I’m worried about what he’s gonna do out there. What if he…" she trailed off, only the more angry with the other woman’s amused expression.

"Ask yourself if he’s really interested in wreaking havoc," Athena said, "You know him better than I, has he ever done something he considers bad just because?" Daena grimaced, and Athena continued, her voice cracking slightly, "Besides, now you can think of him having to wander into a village and asking for help like that."

"Like what?" Athena raised an eyebrow. She looked at Elazul, who had removed himself from what he considered, ‘not his business,’ and back at Daena.

"You didn’t notice…" the woman trailed off, but picked up again as the vacant expression worked its way onto her friend’s face, "That he wasn’t wearing any clothes?"

The stars and moons could be seen through the thin, yet jungle-like foliage that encircled the Mindas Ruins. Athena consciously sought out the few constellations she knew, and put names to a few groupings that might not have had any.

"Go on ahead, I’ll catch up," the woman instructed. As she turned away, she heard Daena mumble something incoherent, but ignored it. They would talk again later, if need be. Such bloodlust was unhealthy.

She walked along the side of the old temple and stopped to listen. Satisfied, she swiftly pulled herself up and over the edge of the first rise, and then over the second. She greeted the dragoons she found there with a smile, and turned to sit and hang her legs over the ledge.

"I would have sworn I made a mistake tonight," Larc’s tone seemed one of wonderment, but Athena knew better.

"How so?"

"That friend…" the lupine waited until Athena had settled down and turned her full attention to him before continuing, "Of yours; he was a bit more aggressive than I thought he would be."

"Oh, I suppose," the younger woman tapped the stone with a heel, "I should have warned you that he doesn’t like me," she bit her lip, lost in a memory, "And that was, well, I think that behavior was predictable for him."

"I see," the warrior-under-scrutiny flinched, and hoped it invisible in the moon and starlit sky, but the wolf-man took little notice. "Suppose," he emphasized the word and mimicked her tone, "you give me fair warning next time, so I don’t ‘accidentally’ injure the person we’re supposed to be helping." Those wolfish eyes narrowed visibly, despite the lack of light, and Athena smiled with him.

"And bring me with you, too," Sierra added, "Or tell me in advance you don’t want me to come, and I’ll…"

"Follow along anyway," Larc snorted; and Sierra hmphed, but did not argue.

"I will and I will; although I hope there isn’t a next time," at least not like this one.

Verbal silence fell, and the click of Athena’s boots became the dominant sound, complimented by the scuffling and scraping of nocturnal creatures below.

"I gotta go home," the woman sighed, as a reluctant but obedient child might, "You’re both welcome to stop by; on the way back and all."

"Where are they going?" Larc asked, growling reluctantly. A noise that was abruptly cut off as his sister elbowed him.

"I never said you had to socialize," Athena laughed, more so giggled, as she slid down and off the wall.

"Athena," Elazul glanced up at Daena, before turning his head to watch the called a few moments before turning his eyes back to the road, "I’m sorry."

"Don’t worry about it," the Jumi mouthed the words in synchronicity with the voice. It was her catch-all phrase. All around sore day, ‘don’t worry about it.’ Lost in the forest, ‘don’t worry about it.’ Locked in a chamber filling with sand, and probably going to be suffocated to death…. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ He shook his head absently as he fell in line behind the women.

"What the hell happened to your arm?"

The lapis knight could have jumped in surprise. "I, uh…" he looked at Athena suddenly beside him, and to Daena in front of them, and shrugged, "You know. Things…" he mumbled, tugging at the poorly done, loose bandage. He never quite got the full of the intended sentence out before Athena’s mind changed to a new subject.

"I don’t know about you two, but I’m tired," she prattled, "Haven’t been sleeping well. Who else’s for stopping here?"

Her companions stared at her in amazement as, before either had answered, she was setting up a campsite of sorts in the middle of the path. With a little effort, they managed to convince her to move it off the road a ways, for safety as well as the considerate ideals of other travelers.

Home was as inviting as ever. Another dusk set in shortly after the wanderers had arrived. Athena had hastily dropped her possessions at the door. Daena had taken the road’s left fork, instead of the right – intent on getting to Domina before it the inn closed its doors for the night; And before long, Elazul had usurped a chair from the small kitchen table to wait while the domicile’s resident finished her settling in. The Jumi glanced around the room, and the rest of the house he could see from there, trying to find the source of his sudden unease.

When Athena made her appearance, she looked around the rooms in a similar, if more mobile fashion. Something was amiss in her quiet tree-home, though she could not quite place what it was.

She opened the front door, so as to let her rabite make its scurrying retreat outside. She stared out over the road for a while, musing over her instinct while her eyes ventured towards the overcast night sky.

Suddenly, she dashed back through the house, turning the place into a veritable shambles as she ran from room to room, looking around, under, and in every nook, crevasse, and piece of furniture she owned.

"What are you looking for?" Elazul asked, eyes wide at the devastated mess she was currently making of the kitchen, "Hey!" he yelped as his chair was nearly overturned, and ducked under the table to meet the agitated woman as she examined its underside, "What’s wrong?"

"Kids," Athena snapped, removing herself from under the table and making her way towards the open door.

Once outside, she took a deep breath, carefully placed two fingers in her mouth, and let loose a shrill whistle until her breath was gone again.

She counted heartbeats; two before Elazul was beside her; seven for Sierra to come running from the surrounding forest, and eight for Larc to follow; and sixteen before the familiar little munchkins made their way around the corner and she could sigh in relief.

"Where were you?" Athena demanded, stifling the youngsters’ effervescent moods. The twins looked around at the congregation of visitors before meeting their caretaker’s angry glare.

"Where were you?" Bud countered, as Lisa spoke at the same time,

"In the workshops." Confused, the little sorceress blinked and pointed at the door, "We left a note."

"Oh," Athena took the paper the girl indicated; one stuck to the outside of the front door. While she read it, the blonde warrior walked back inside as though nothing had happened. Befuddled, but accustomed, the others followed, Elazul followed and almost trampled by the twins, and Sierra leading the slightly unwilling Larc by the hand.

"Whoa!" Bud’s jaw dropped when he saw the mess his home was in, "What happened here?"

"I thought you could have been hiding somewhere," Athena grumbled, pulling Elazul back towards the kitchen. "Sit," she commanded, and the suddenly sore knight did no less.

"We wouldn’t have been hiding in them drawers," the sorcerer stated plainly, "We aren’t helping you clean up."

"You’re cleaning the library," the woman replied, hauling a box from a cupboard and digging through it. She cut off the forthcoming protest, "It was messy when I got here, and it wasn’t like that before I left."

"I’ll help," Lisa offered, starting work on the disheveled kitchen.

"Good," Athena paid the girl little more notice as she set about to correcting the slapdash work on Elazul’s wound. None too gently, she removed the torn cloth that had been used to bind together severed flesh and sinews. The Jumi squeaked softly, but the woman did not acknowledge him as she tightly bound his arm together with fresh, clean bandages.

As she was finishing, Athena heard someone, she presumed Bud, rush to the outside door, and soon after a familiar voice calling her name between gasps for air.

She stood and let Elazul have his arm back – much to his relief. She rounded the corner to the entrance of her home, and saw Daena. The feline-woman was slumped against the doorjamb, and breathing heavily.

"Athena," Daena huffed, "You gotta come see this. Domina… You need to check this out."
 
 

The Onion Knight studied the mark for a time before mentally listing it with the others. The strange symbol had been appearing throughout the town, burned into wood or as melted indents on metal or glass. This one, the one that had appeared on door the Church of Mana, was about the size of his own body, and so far the largest.

The asymmetrical, left-aligned r of a symbol confused Duelle. While he was not really scared, it was a disturbance. And, in the middle of the night, disturbances could be unnerving. Even if so few of the population cared to stay out much longer than usual to find the cause of the disturbance. Here – Reverend Nouville did not care much, even as the symbol burned itself into his door.

Duelle shook a finger at the mark threateningly. Inspector Boyd had left him in charge while away on business, and he felt it an important job to keep the peace. No symbols were going to scare him or threaten the town while he was here.

Suddenly, the sky behind him began to swirl under the power of darkness.

"It wasn’t like this…" Daena gasped in horror. The odd goings on had been nothing compared to the state of Domina now, where silence ruled and the buildings were charring without fire. Athena stepped delicately, but not enough as her misplaced foot crumbled a charred bit of wood fallen from a cart. Neither woman dared to breathe as they listened for any sound of life, of which they sensed none.

Athena shivered suddenly, smiling nervously at the felinid by her side, "You never know… maybe we missed it."

She tickled the pommel of her sword strapped to her side, unhinging the guard in the process, and crept slowly towards the one house she was most familiar with. She calmly reached to knock gently on the door. It crunched under her fist, crumbling into soot on the wind, and her hand was blackened. Squelching the fear she felt, she pushed the door down. A similarly scorched inside greeted the seekers. Athena swallowed hard, taking a step inside and leaving Daena in the doorway.

"Poe?" she called strongly, as though anyone could survive this…

But they had to have, because this was home and she didn’t want to imagine another.

"Athena," Daena hissed, her fur ruffling in alarm, "Someone’s coming."

The mercenary retreated, and peered where her friend indicated. Squinting in the darkness, she sighed in aggravation, "It’s Bud."

The tiny figure crept in the shadow of the general store across the street; the way they had come. Athena growled, and strolled intently towards it through the moonlight.

"You!" she snapped, and the person jumped, "What are you doing…" the child approached, and Athena faltered, "…here?" Still, she was angry, tense, and she wasn’t about to let one slip up stop her from venting, "I told you to stay at home!"

Lisa blinked back tears under the force of the outburst, but pouted anyway, "I wanted to help."

Daena approached quietly, wondering at the scene. The girl was getting proud under Athena’s tutorage, and bolder. She smiled; it was a cute display of hero worship.

"I don’t think it’s dangerous anymore," she said, sticking up for the wizard. The other woman glared at her, but was well on her way to relenting anyway.

"Stay close," Athena ordered, and Lisa rushed to her side. The girl clung to the woman’s shirtsleeve as she returned to her inspection of the town.

The evening went slowly as they wound their way around the outskirts, eventually ending up in the marketplace. Here the damage didn’t seem as severe as the first houses and shops they had seen. In some places it appeared as though nothing at all had happened.

"What do you think?" Athena asked, turning to Daena, "Where is everyone?"

The feline-woman could only shake her head, "I don’t…"

They were interrupted, as Lisa tugged desperately at the sleeve she never had let go of. When she gained her mentor’s attention, she pointed to the thing that had appeared out of nowhere. Athena waved the child behind her, and drew her sword. Likewise did Daena ready her own weapons, and the three of them stood rigid in the expectation of an attack.

The thing, smoking as though made of hardened fire, smiled doubly at them. Demonic in appearance, and surprisingly symmetrical, its six legs supported a four-armed torso. Two necks slithered snakelike to their respective reptilian heads. As though an abundance of claws and teeth weren’t enough, in each hand it held a heavy weapon – two swords, and axe, and a lance. It didn’t disappoint.

The first blow landed where they stood, or had moments earlier; the earth exploded upwards under the force. Athena pushed Lisa away, and Daena sprang forwards. She did well on her own, and as Athena joined the fray they gained the upper hand, and even wounded a few select parts of its body.

But the monster never lost ground, even under the expertise assault of the two veteran warriors. They could only fight with faith in each other, and soon the battle turned for the worse.

Daena missed just barely the leg she aimed for, and rushed for it again. From behind her an arm came, and she noticed it in time to miss the lance’s sharp point. The demon twisted its arm, and the pole hit the feline-woman hard, sending her sprawling through the air. Ignoring the monster, Athena rushed to her fallen companion. She dropped her sword by their side, and tried desperately to get a response out of the other.

The air around them grew warmer. Remembering the peril, Athena pressed them as close to the ground as she could; only praying Lisa made it away safely as an afterthought. The expected pain never came, and she peered over her shoulder. The beast had been diverted, and she took the advantage to carry Daena to safety behind and under an overturned cart.

Retrieving her weapon and returning to the battle, she noticed the distraction. With a devious grin, she dashed into the fray. Between her and Escad, symmetry developed – together they ran and wove, confusing the heads and striking damage whenever in reach of the monster.

Athena cornered herself, using the burnt building as a ladder. She ran up the crumbling wall, and lunged at the nearest head. She brought it down with her even as Escad stabbed upwards, impaling the other head as it plunged towards him in aggression. The man skid slightly as the force pushed him back, but held his own as the sword slid easily through the creature’s skull.

"Aw, Escad," Athena gushed, climbing down from the convulsing monster, "You do care!"

"I didn’t do it for you, and you know it," he spat, coughing under the influence of the kicked up dirt. True, he was trying to help the town. Because she was there didn’t mean…

His thoughts were cut off, as the woman flung her arms around his neck. He scowled darkly, and darker yet, as the young wizard rushed up and hugged his leg in mimicry. He desperately endeavored to stay as still as possible, wishing they’d disappear in that instant.

They didn’t, but after a minute Athena let go and towed her foundling away.

"Hey… you’re decent," she remarked, taking in his clothed appearance and endeavoring not to laugh. The attire was far less knightly, and more… well, ruffled and plain. And green. Still, "Good for you." Not waiting for an answer, she dashed to the overturned wheelbarrow, and carefully drew her friend from beneath the charred thing.

"I need to go home," she announced, gently picking Daena from the ground and facing the man, "I know you probably don’t want to do me any favors, but if you could, please check for survivors…"

"They’re in the church," Escad mumbled, not having moved, but his gaze flicked to the unconscious woman for a second before he met the other’s eyes.

"In that case," Athena smiled, "Could you lead them to my tree? Or tell them, if you don’t want to come…"

A shallow nod, as much as she could expect.

"You remember where I live, right?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," She beamed, turning to walk home, with Lisa in close pursuit, "And thank you."

Escad turned, took in one long and aggravated breath, and wondered why he still listened to that woman.

"What happened?" Worry tinted Elazul’s voice as he took in the scene; Athena, covered in dust, soot, and blood, carrying the limp feline-woman. He knew something bad – Lisa had arrived first with that news – but not the details, "Here, let me…"

Athena pushed past him, shaking her head slightly. He sighed, and followed her through the door. The crowding allies, though meaning well, were getting in her way, all attempting to help, and thus posing a problem.

"Back off!" she ordered, "Lisa? I’m going to need you."

With that, she made her way upstairs. The others waited apprehensively, watching as Lisa did her task and making way for her as she thoughtfully carried the crate of medical supplies up after her mentor.

Athena placed her friend onto her bed gently. Similarly, she checked for injuries sustained, and felt the utmost relief that nothing seemed dangerously damaged. A few bruises and a nasty lump under Daena’s left ear were the extent of it, and those would easily be fixed. Soon, and with Lisa’s help, the head wound was bandaged and they left the felinid to rest.

Downstairs, no one said anything as Athena retreated to her study. Little headway had been made in the cleaning of the house, and that room had no improvement in its chaotic state. She imagined it didn’t matter as she pulled her desk’s chair from beneath the pile of papers rested on it, sat down, and tried desperately to collect her wits.

"Athena?"

It would have been easier had Elazul not made it his business. It forced her to think; to come up with an explanation…

"What happened?" He was curt, which might not have been the best comfort to some, but to Athena it was perfect.

"I think I know what this is about," the woman brooded, and smiled in an odd way. Oddities were a constant in her as far as her friends were concerned, but this odd, mystic smile was different – enough to make the lapis knight cringe.

"What is it about?" he asked, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

"Did I ever tell you about home?" Athena asked, "Where I came from?"

It was tempting to say, "no," and hear this story. Honesty prevailed, since, if it weren’t a trap, he would feel bad about it later. And, if it were, well… he’d be made to feel bad about it.

"You told me never to ask."

"Oh, that’s right, isn’t it?"

Elazul nodded, and Athena stood up shakily.

"Probably for the better, then."

She had to prepare for this. It scared her to think what might happen otherwise.

"Elazul, I have to ask you to do something for me…"

Everyone stared as the door to the study opened, but not one said a thing. Athena stepped out confidently, but her expression was grim. Elazul followed quietly, and expressionlessly. Her friends stayed their distance, and she smiled, prepared to make the speech she had been planning quietly and in the back of her mind for the hour prior.

"Look, guys…" Not the best start, but, in her opinion, it was not a very good speech, "I know it’s late, and because it is you all can stay here for tonight."

Sierra quirked an eyebrow at Larc, who kept focused on Athena. The twins stared out of respect, but did not believe this held sway over them. Elazul listened, as it had as much to do with him as with any of them.

"Tomorrow, I want everyone to go home. I’m not going t’ lie – Something big is going to break, and I want you all safe.

"Bud… and Lisa, you two are going to go with Elazul," Athena held up her hand as the much expected outburst came, and silence came again, "I’m sorry, but this is how it’s going to be.

"There’ll be a group from Domina; I’m sending them to Gato Grottoes…."

The woman trailed off, not quite knowing how to finish.

"Can’t we help?" Sierra asked, filling the gap of silence. The response was not encouraging.

"No, I’ll probably dead within the week," Athena shook her head, "Chances are anyone near me will be, too."

The second silence was broken by little feet as the twins rushed to Athena’s side. The dragoons followed two steps and at a slower pace, and Larc growled deep in his throat.

"Is there absolutely nothing we can do?"

Athena smiled wryly, belying the fear she thought she had once escaped; the authority whose mark was a left-aligned r shape, and who sought the keys of Mana and power absolute.

"You can stay far away from me."
 
 

The refugees trickled by, over and over the same expressions of fear and hopeless despair on hundreds of different faces. Over and over, Sierra gave directions to the Grottos; Daena had recovered well enough to lead the way, assuring safety with the help of the few warriors Domina had to offer. But the refugees kept coming in an impressive caravan. It was a miracle, Athena mused from her attic window, that no one seemed injured; and, though she didn’t know every creature that had lived in the little burgh, the numbers seemed right that no one was missing.

With one exception.

Poé… friend, confidant, and keeper of secrets. He was Poseidon to Domina, and most of this new land. Their secret was an old one.

"Athena?"

The woman’s thoughts scattered like the mice in the corner; frightened by the sudden, unexpected noise where they had been none. To Athena, it wasn’t so much unexpected, rather it had been forgotten. The attic became quiet again as the mouse footfalls fell farther and farther away through the hidden recesses of the crudely built tree home, and Elazul kept the silence out of respect.

"On the table, there," Athena finally stated, turning to lean back against the windowsill. The Jumi’s eyes were drawn to corner of the room, to the small table – it was more like a display stand for something – which upon rested a small nondescript box. After long moments of no further prompting towards, Elazul moved slowly from his place on the ladder to the mysteriously plain thing. The whole time, he was painfully aware of the woman studying him closely.

And the least he could have expected; as he lay his hand upon the lid, covering it unintentionally, he felt a reaction within his core. His interrogative glance at her found an expressionless wall of what was once a very lucid human face.

The lid slid up effortlessly, revealing the horror hidden beneath.

Elazul gasped; the pearly Jumi core, reverently set in the center of the silky velvet lining the box’s interior was misleading. It had been carved into a tear’s shape, bored through the top and strung as a pendant, and the living Jumi stared in horror at what may as well have been the remains of a gruesome murder.

The opalescence of the opal thing gave some relief, and its smell was of old death; although the white kept him mentally repeating the simple truth, Not Pearl.

Lifting it by the string from its cradle, Elazul tried to make out the faint letters carved into its surface.

"I’ve been a bad girl in my time," with his sickened gaze on her, Athena turned back to the window, "And I’m sorry."

By nightfall, everyone but Athena had taken to the road. Domina had been emptied entirely, and it was possible that the town would rejoin history as yet another set of ruins to mark the ancient world.

Of all those who considered themselves the mercenary’s friends, only Elazul had the privilege of speaking on that last day, and it was only to be dismissed from her life, an act she went though as though it were the most rudimentary of tasks.

The twins behind him kept silent, and for that he was grateful. As they trudged along the highway, he spent the silence in contemplation over the opal core stowed safely in his pocket it.

Who was she, this opal Jumi? The thoughts had quickly become old as they circled his mind, phrased each time in under a new guise. The core could have been ancient, from before he was born, from the wars… and Athena couldn’t have been that old. He hoped it was ancient, that she had simply found it, somehow, and been entranced the way she sometimes was by shiny objects. But the shadow in the back of his mind refused to leave, and grew every time he paid it any bit of attention. Was it guilt that made her cry, and not the tragedy of a fallen race?

Lost in thought as he was, Elazul neglected to check his pace; the twins were falling all the further behind him.

Three days after the revelation, Athena had returned to the domestic side of her life. Her past was now, all she had to do was wait for it to call on her.

Leaning against the fence, she watched quietly as the penned animals went about their grazing. Rolling a blade of grass over her tongue, she contemplated the way of things… or what little of the way she could comprehend.

"You life seems to have dried up; I may have to find a new epic,"

Athena tensed at the unexpected intrusion. Not in a mood to appreciate the amusement of Wisdoms, she examined the stringy, chewed-apart stalk sullenly.

"You know he was here?"

"I know for a fact he was not here. If by ‘he,’ you were referring to myself, of course. I’m slightly behind, I’m afraid, but the view was worth the fall."

The mercenary glanced sidelong at the Wisdom, who smiled in the way that only he did, "Would Master Storyteller unravel his riddles for his disciple, or does he enjoy leaving her in the dark?"

"I wouldn’t resort to riddles if I knew what she was speaking of."

"I thought I’d forgotten the past…" Athena mumbled, ducking her head under her folded arms.

"I suppose it’d be my job to remember it for you," Pokiehl announced, puffing up into a prideful, feathered bubble.

"Yeah, well… you didn’t have to pull up old ghosts, you know…"

"When did I do any such thing?"

The woman snapped upright, scowling at her unwelcome guest, "What do you mean, wh-?"

Words were cut short as the Wisdom gently took his ‘disciple’ by the arm and turned her towards the path leading back to the house, "My dear, I think you have a guest."

"And my, my, what similitude?" Athena stared at the stranger, and a rush of memory flooded past the point of perception.

"Atha!"

"Atha!"

Green hair, green eyes…

The young woman with the foreign clothes, dull desert colors; her brown eyes vindictive, and long blonde hair controlled only by a strategically placed series of bone tubing; approached confidently. Pokiehl chose that moment to disappear.

The young woman scowled. The plan had been so simple… How could the boy be so naïve? How could she have been..?

Athena stared past the girl, causing the stranger to become aggravated. Her eyes burned with rage, even as the older woman ignored her.

"Kraols told me a lot about you," Athena shook the clouds from her head, and took in the full appearance of the woman who, the mercenary imagined, was her replacement. Wait a minute, was I ever that..?

"Did he? What’s my shadow like?" The question was poised in sincere wonderment, but the stranger was not amused.

"He requests your presence…"

Athena laughed – the man she remembered as Kraols would never have ‘requested.’ Demand, probably, but never so… cordially. The stranger only got angrier.

"You can tell him I’m not coming," Athena smiled once she stilled, but continued choking on the occasional giggle.

"He will undo everything you’ve accomplished here," the threat didn’t do much, and Athena turned back to the pen.

"He will take your friends, one-by-one until you comply," but they could take care of themselves… couldn’t they?

"He already has one of them."

Athena’s mind stopped. That could not have been true… Looking over her shoulder, she found the girl appeared quite serious. Then again, it could have been an act. Then again…

"Where?" Not desperate, and who was not important; for that the girl seemed displeased.

"Leires," Athena wished the stranger to make up her mind – now she sounded a little meek.

"Wait on my doorstep. I want to feed my pets,"

A long moment passed before the stranger shuffled off, and Athena jumped the fence. The nearest creature was a young dragon sunning himself, and Athena sighed,

"I wish I were a dragon…"

The tower loomed over its land. Over the years, its uses had varied, but Athena had never known it to be hospitable. The monsters had better leave me alone… she had concealed a dagger for safety, but presumed unarmed and she hoped to keep it that way.

Pokiehl danced at the gate, much to her surprise. He stopped as she did and stared. The bird-features melted away, revealing another familiar shape, along with a smirk that would have done the young knight justice.

"True form," the mercenary accosted the shapeshifter, and Escad’s form disappeared into a youth she had never met. Whether it was true or not, she did not truly care – just that it was not one she knew.

"He’s waiting at the top of the tower," the girl’s instructions were cut short as Athena turned her wandering attention to the matter at hand.

"Is that to say you’re not coming with me?"

"I wasn’t supposed to."

Athena grinned an, oh really? of a grin. She grabbed the girl by the shirt and dragged her along as she pushed onward to face the past.
 
 

Silence in the glen would have been unnerving, but the obscure voices that trickled to straining ears still managed to strike a chord of unease. That the birds had decided not to sing, and whatever scampers had decided not to scamper, disregarding the mugginess of the day, only added to the deathly feeling of the usually spirited forest.

"Hopeless," was the first word that came to Elazul clearly. A huffed, angry word, its speaker fed up with time spent meaninglessly. The Jumi recognized the voice, if he couldn’t place it. The path ahead, around the corner, became clear as he walked, and the recollection sparked as the stranger came into sight.

Elazul rested his hand on his sword’s hilt as he waited, not about to underestimate any threat on this man’s part. Unnoticed at first, he watched as the other sought to make sense of the oddball of all Wisdom.
 

Escad turned away, frustration exploding in a burst of dust as he kicked the ground in fury. He noticed Elazul at last, but only looked over the Jumi’s shoulder as though seeking the answer to his problem. With a smirk, he shook his head and turned back to the nonsensical bird-man. It was never that simple.

"Where is she?" quiet, and simple. He had already tried threatening, and the Wisdom had eluded him easily.

"Oh, she’s gone; gone away," Pokiehl relied honestly, beak daintily balanced against a wingtip-like hand. He smiled his smile, and withdrew from the fallen tree he had balanced against.

"But she was here?" stubborn as he had been in the line of inquiry, Escad found himself unable to discern even that small truth which he suspected – that the damned bird knew too much and would not divulge.

"And then she went and gone," Pokiehl sighed, perceived as bored with the game. The sparkle of his delight persisted, however, contradicting the drawl of his voice.

"But where’d she go?" Elazul spoke up out of necessity, ignoring the startled glance of his peer before the Master Storyteller.

"That’s it!"

Refreshed by the difference, the bird shouted gleefully. One eye closed, the other glittering, he gazed eccentrically at the Jumi. Suddenly ignored, Escad narrowed his eyes and stepped up beside them, still incensed, but willing to be civil if it got what he wanted.

"What’s it?"

"That’s it!"

He held out, at arm’s length, a short length of chain dangling a small round mirror.

"If the man in the mirror remembers; clearly, so should you."

Even as the human reached for the trivial bauble, and even as the Wisdom suddenly vanished without leave, did something strike Elazul. Whether it was a trick of the supernatural or the strange refraction in the mirror as it spun upon its chain in his rival’s hand that ticked it off, a facsimile in the Jumi’s memory sprung to life and threatened to contend with reality to have him.

Moments later, they were standing there. The mirror was gone, along with most of their bearings. The rustles of life around them dulled as a secretive, though bearing the near side of innocuous, hiss.

"What are you doing here?"

The woman eased her step, reluctant to rush into certain doom. She would make it there, but only at her own pace.

Athena glanced to her side, as the younger girl reached the top of the staircase. She wondered, briefly, how long it had taken Kraols to replace her, or if it were a ploy – surely he knew how the system worked. She suddenly wondered why he took so long in trying to find her. Did he even care..?

Noticing, with certainty, that the girl was in no rush to get to her master made the mercenary double think her rationale. Either she feared his wrath at Athena’s insistence to disobey, or…

"You know he’s going to kill you, one way or the another."

The girl stopped, and Athena did the same. The cold, living stone around them silently listened, as only it could.

"He won’t. Stop dawdling," ahead by a few steps, the younger one did not turn to face her predecessor.

"You’re the one who stopped," Athena pointed out, her voice void of the chirp that it so often carried when she spoke among her friends, "What’s your name?"

"Why? What’s it matter?"

"That’s an unusual name," whether she truly mistook the answer or not was a question unto itself. ‘Why’ whirled around, pouting furiously, and the woman took no notice, "Look, Why, I don’t care what you do – but do you know what Kraols is after?"

"Didn’t think so," Athena might not have known the particulars, but she knew the result, along with two ways to put it to a stop.

Why stood fast, fear of this strange woman growing. She had been so proud of her task, so confident – now she just wanted to get the prize to Kraols so she did not have to listen to her anymore.

Athena smiled, as though she read the girl’s thoughts, "Don’t worry, we’ll get there eventually."

The mercenary went ahead, leaving the other to follow if she dared. There was still a ways to go, yet.

Running. Sierra had said that Athena was here, and a great deal of something else.

Up. Neither of the males knew how she found them, or this ungodly place, only that her quick-winded explanation had something to do with noses as they scaled the stairs in an exhausted daze.

Mirrors. The polished glass reflected the outermost shell, although these in particular had the ability to divulge a deeper complexity.

Stone tiles clicked beneath her boots; the mirrors reflected the light of numerous wall-mounted torches to a focal point in the center of the room, and she stepped into it without hesitation. Her shadow flickered pale below her feet, and the room came alive. Slowly, she walked past them, the ex-comrades and the new stock that stood before the mirrors. One stood out, flanked by two that did not.

Athena faced the Jumi female a she passed by. Pearl… or was it Lady Blackpearl? No fear and little recognition mingled with distrust, emotions as equally controlled as Athena’s were currently and mysteriously absent. Blackpearl then… or some amalgamation of the two as it often were.

She had passed by in mere moments, approaching the dias at the back of the room even as her old master stepped from the shadow. Athena’s lip twitched, as she held back a smile. He had aged not one day… and certainly not the years since they parted. Copper skin resulting the years under the sun wrinkled slightly, and deep enthralling green eyes that could mesmerize serpents twinkled as the man smiled his delighted. Although, Athena realized time had changed him slightly – he had lost a noticeable amount of weight, casting him shockingly thin; and raven-black hair had grown considerably longer, cleaned and straightened, and pulled back sharper than she recalled him having worn it before.

The woman knelt – one knee to the floor, the other to her chest – a custom of yesterdays long gone. The only insincerity that showed through gesture was the hand she rested her weight upon, which curled slightly at the knuckles. It felt wrong, but it had to be done.

"My dear child," a strong voice, bringing forth a wave of nostalgia… but with a dangerous edge she failed to notice, "You worried us, disappearing like that."

The ‘child’ he spoke to no longer existed. His tone might have been to relieve unease, speaking like she had not been gone for the lifespans of some of his youngest disciples. To put her at rest, and welcome her home.

It was something she would not accept. Her free hand rested her boot, and the dagger she had hidden there. Somehow, she thought she saw her only chance… it came and gone as she mulled over it – worried about both consequences of success and failure as Kraols charged her to account for her vanishing.

"I found the path to the Holy Land, my lord," Athena purred the sentence with a semblance of the pride she once felt for the man’s cause. The effect was instant, and the room resounded with the hushed voices of disbelief and wonder, excitement and cautious criticism, and a soft chime that was lost to the noise. Smiling, she lifted her head to meet Kraols’ eyes, lest he disbelieve her.
 

In the chamber outside, three fatigued reached the top of the stairs, barely having slowed from a run during the trip upwards. Breathing heavily, they stumbled towards the Room of Fate, and had to consciously quell their clamor as the murmur of the meeting drifted through the opened doors.

Only the small of common sense on the Sierra’s part kept them from jumping in on the assembly.

"What’s she doing?" Elazul’s whisper died in the hush. He might have wondered if he’d spoken at all, but by then he, himself, had already forgotten.

Escad felt the chill of uncertainty that radiated from Athena’s friends, as well as a similar reaction striking from his own fears.
 

In the heart of evil, the carefully hidden yearning was pushed aside; the need that could only be fulfilled if the vagrant was telling the truth. One needed certainties, after all.

"So, are you ready to cut all ties with this land?"

The dagger he offered was familiar to Athena; it was the same one used far off, in another land, to ceremonially take lives for various reasons. The woman blinked, choking down revulsion as Pearl was escorted closer to the dias.
 

Beyond the chamber, yet in plain sight to any who might have turned a head, the grip of dread froze Elazul to the cool stone beneath his feet. This isn’t real; this can’t be real…

The mix of betrayal, and hopeless grief threatened to overwhelm him, should he not wake up soon and end the nightmare. He leapt, only to find himself suspended. The world spun about as the others held him back, despite his flailing, and a fur-covered hand covered his mouth to keep his protests at bay. He struggled, but it did nothing, and he felt tears well as the event before him unfolded.

Tears. Athena’s gift to the Jumi, once all else had failed, which the knight held back as the woman, one of the few people he had poured all his young trust into, set cause for him to doubt years of built up hope.

If the small group had been noticed, they went unheeded as the congregation broke into shouts and screams.

Athena reasoned that if she chose to fight the numbers come to light and still hidden, she would not die alone.

It was a comfort, in a strange way. For all due sake, she would prefer the Jumi woman to live. Such a rare specimen of life, born of living mineral… of a pearl, an organic mineral. She would not destroy it; she could not let it be taken in one blink of her eye, and not without a fight.

Athena did aim perfectly – the man at Pearl’s side, the one closest to the door, fell from shock more than pain, but they soon mingled regardless. The mercenary chose him so that the Jumi could run, but it proved inconsequential as she spun and killed the other guard with graceful ease. Moments later, she had her own knife to compliment the dagger.

"We’re leaving," Athena said, speaking for herself more than for the benefit of the room. She had little hope of it; they were towards the back of the room, and there were plenty of individuals ready to protest the early departure.

Suddenly, the room burst into deafening screams. Sticking close together, the two women made the slow progress towards their escape. Athena had a harrowing time fending off every one creature that became too bold for its own good, and she kept expecting the rest to smarten and attack all at once. Any time, she mulled as they closed in at a painfully slow pace.

It was much a surprise when the front suddenly parted. Trusting luck, she urged Pearl forwards, and together they ran past their abrupt saviors. Athena stopped at the door, turning to urge the retreat. She would have to remember to yell at them later, but for now she simply smiled at her old mentor, an apology for not staying and being torn to pieces for his enjoyment.

The flight down the stairs was too fast to be terrifying. The memory imprinted itself and was forgotten as the unseemly group made it past the first gate and its guards. After stumbling over jumbled rocks and terrain, they paused at the vast field that lay just beyond.

It was Blackpearl’s idea to split up through the tall grass as a precaution, and the last words that were spoken before they fled into the cover of night.
 

At the gate of the tower, the startled sentries were in for another shock as their leader appeared under the ancient archway. Under his scrutiny, they arched their bows; one volley of arrows flew high into the sky before raining into the field.
 

Under the cover of darkness, something stumbled and gasped. A speckled black pattern spread over the dim hue of the wild grain, and disappeared on the dusk of the earth from which the plants grew.
 
 

Dawn came, bright and cheery, and very welcome.

Sierra may have been the first to brave the break beyond the grass. Muzzle fixed in a scowl, the dragoon peered above and below before fully emerging onto the dusty trail. Like the grass it ran parallel to, the path could have gone on forever in either direction. Three feet across, the world opened into a plain that stretched to foothills and mountains further on.

Disoriented, she tried to remember her direction. The tower was behind her, on the other side of the grass field. It was that direction whence she initially approached.

She took a few hesitant steps towards what had been her left, before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

The desert was burning. Its life was fading. The Mana Tree… so much pain.

Athena blinked in the light of the sun, broken and filtered by the tall stalks around her. She shuddered – the world had turned cold.

Mana was fading.

Elazul crept through the grass, wary of being caught in the open. He kept watch on the track, certain that any attacks would come from that side.

Surprise was his when Pearl appeared at his side, within the long grass. She had sensed him some distance off. She expected the sensitivity to be mutual, but he had been distracted. So, when he jumped at her unannounced presence, and threatened her ancestors, she felt the right to be indignant.

"Really, Elazul," she chided stiffly, "You don’t mean it, do you?"

However, she knew Elazul – knew how he could be, at times – and forgave him without a second thought.

"I’m sorry, I just…" his bravado wilted upon recognizing whom he had addressed and how. "No, I didn’t mean…."

"It’s okay," Pearl smiled, "But where is everyone else?"

"I don’t know," the knight admitted. He knew little of the others, and foremost on his mind had been those he bore true acquaintance with, namely Pearl and Athena.

Pearl was here, which left, "Athena…"

The woman shrieked. A short-winded, pained sound, it did little to discourage her assailant as he dragged her out of the hollow she had sheltered the night in.

Not about to have that, Athena kicked and flailed, and resorted to biting the hand that tried in vain to cover her mouth.

"Ow, Athena!"

She paused. Oops.

She took the moment to waltz out of his grasp, delicately rounding on him in the confidence that he shouldn’t have grabbed her in the first place.

"Escad," she acknowledged, albeit under the guise of blatant false courtesy. The man’s eyes narrowed in contempt.

"Sorry; I thought you were dead."

"Haven’t gotten rid of me, yet," Athena replied, cheerfully, "And glad of it."

Her smile faded, and she glanced around. The tall grass swayed in the wind in time with her sigh, "Although I’d give everything to be someone else right now."

"I don’t buy it," Escad said. The mercenary glared, spurring him to continue, "No; I don’t. You’ve got everything. You can pick and choose who you are… what you are, unlike some of us. From where I see, you’re either pining for attention or completely blind to the truth."

The glare softened somewhat, yet the woman lifted her head defiantly.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right – I forgot," she answered, "Thanks for the help, Escad, but, if you’ll excuse me, I have to save the world."

She walked past him, and only then did he notice her limping.

At first, he assumed to let her go, but… No, he could not let her go. Not like that.

With an aggravated sigh, the knight fell in line behind her. Her trail through the field was easy to follow, and even the blind could have tracked her by the redoubled rustling of the reeds.

All the while, he thought about it. He had not thought much of it, at first there had been too much pain, then he simply wallowed in revenge-lust, after which he had to relearn how to survive with an unbound mortal body as opposed to a confined immortal spirit… But, in a burst of inspiration while contemplating his new life, he wondered. It was that restlessness that brought him back to Domina that night, as he considered his choices, and eventually led him back to Athena’s doorstep. He needed to satisfy that one question; at the same time, he was worried that he would not like the answer.

Instead, he walked into Athena, who jumped and gave him little more than a glance before he realized that she had other things to worry about.

The first was a woman, a dressed warrior, but with such a cruel, hateful glee in her expression to make her most accomplished brethren shudder. The second was a demi-human – a lizard-man – wielding an impressive morning star… but, by the looks of him, he did not appear to need it.

The woman pressed her hands together, straightening the strips of metal around her knuckles. Escad would have drawn his sword in return, except Athena was still nestled quite uncomfortably against his body. Not with wicked intent, he shoved her to one side; she fell heavily to be obscured by the grass as he drew his sword.

Escad simply assumed that they would leave her be and go after him, the danger, first.

He was mistaken.

In the instant Athena fell, both warriors leapt at her.

He knew, as subconscious thought bleeding into awareness, there was no way to stop them both. He went for the nearest, the woman, and let Athena fare as she could. He had, as he desired, given her as much of a chance as he could.

His problem was now he held the attention of one mean warrioress.

A reprieve came, moments after he tackled her to the ground, where they both turned to the snarl of her reptilian companion. He was held in midair, thrashing in slow motion above Athena, who held him aloft and outside of time through sheer willpower… and help from a little wind elemental who went unnoticed.

Escad was brought back from his surprise at the sudden pain in his jaw. Momentarily blinded, he struggled to his feet from where he fell, aware of the punch only on retrospect. His sight cleared just in time to see the lizard torn in half, the bloody carcass falling out of its place and into the grass beyond. To the knight’s disgust, it still moved with a semblance of life. But it would die, and, as such, was no longer his concern.

He caught his breath when he saw what the woman did – what the reptile may have, just before it died. The dragoon growled deep in his throat, and suddenly the knight regretted ever having crossed him.

Larc descended on the stranger in full force – no care to her past or future, her ferocity or her fear. All that he cared about was she were to hurt one he cared for, and for that transgression he did not sway easily. Escad, rather than interfere in any way, rushed to Athena’s side, lifting her up to his side even as she stared at what she had done.

He mentally slapped himself over that, for a brief time, he had felt sorry for her plight. As he watched the ensuing battle, he admitted to himself, if he had friends such as these, saving the world would have been a small task to fulfil. In the same thought, he felt guilty that, here and now, he was all she had to lean on.

"You all right?" was all he asked, and the simple words led no further inkling to his mind.

She merely nodded, ashen, watching in condolence for dying woman’s struggle. She could have praised the bravery, or lauded Larc’s effort in dealing with the beast; instead, she watched, nonpartisan, as the woman was brutally ripped apart.

The dragoon stood, wholly enthralling in the legacy of his feral side. He growled, narrowing the gap between himself and the humans to near nothing. Athena smiled faintly, while Escad did his best to remain stoic under the knowledge that he was on this animal’s bad side.

"It’s okay," Athena asserted; Larc seemed slightly skeptical, so she emphasized, "Really!"

The deep growl faded to nothing, though a slight tension remained perceptible.

"You’re gonna hate me," the woman continued, "But I need you to find everyone… everyone out here who came after me; bring ‘em home, and I’ll meet you there."

She grinned at his hesitance, but it was an empty glee, "Please, Larc; he knows who they are – they won’t be safe with me, but they won’t be safe anywhere else either."

That growl returned, though lighter than before, as the dragoon turned to Escad.

"Get her home," before a complaint could be made, he threatened, "Every scratch she suffers in your care, I will return to you tenfold, is that clear?"

The only move the knight made was the most minimalistic necessary to answer, "Perfectly."

"Good."

The lupine disappeared into the field.

Escad considered himself courageous. Yet bravery was not correlated with stupidity, and so the knight did not think it cowardly to wish not meeting this brute on the far side of a battlefield any time soon.

It was hours later. The trip home was a nightmare.

"Just let me rest, just for a second," Athena demanded – though, it sounded more pleaful. Escad was all the less inclined to concede. Every time they stopped ‘just for a second,’ she fell asleep and he had a hard time getting her walking again.

She assured him it was only magic-sickness.

"Come on," he answered, resorting to half-dragging the mercenary along until she stumbled along in step, "We’re almost there."

They were already in Athena’s thicket. They just needed to get through the remaining distance of trees that populated her backyard. In due time, they rounded the tree. It was dark and ominous in the light of the setting sun, and Escad might have sworn they were being watched.

"Wake up," the woman had fallen asleep while he fussed with the front door; he got a blinky yawn for a response.

He situated her in the study and went to assure himself that the rest of the house was innocuous. Despite the situation, he took a minute to reflect on the interior. He never thought it would look so… cozy.

Coming back down the stairs, the knight made quite the unknightly sound upon being attacked by a little ball of fluff that leapt at him in the darkness.

The rabite.

Escad groaned, especially after he realized that it was not attacking – it was being affectionate. After today, he wanted to kick it across the room, especially now that it was trying to make friends with his foot. He nudged it out of the way, and went back to Athena.

No surprise, she had dozed off.

"Hey," he shook her, not comfortable with the sudden bout of slumberousness. She jerked awake, and mumbled something.

He realized then that he might never have a better chance to ask. Even so, the question was difficult and stuck in his throat… part of him wanted to leave it be and pretend it never happened.

"I need to ask you something," he finally managed, grimacing at the sound. Had his voice cracked, or was he just imagining things. If he ignored it, maybe Athena would fail to notice, although she was already looking up at him.

Suddenly, he was glad for the room’s low light.

But all the same, she was looking at him – waiting for him to continue. Escad decided it was now or never, and at once he found it easy to ask,

"Why did you betray me?"
 
 

The surprise lasted moments. Long enough for the elation to fade to confusion, then to despair, but not without a seed of hope.

Elazul hung his head.

"Isn’t that something," the gruff voice beside him was soft, in its way. The Jumi nodded his consent, a sense of morbid curiosity drawing his sight to the scene below.

She knew it would come to this. Perhaps she had forgotten, intentionally, so as to save herself the trouble.

"I, umm, had a bad dream," she answered warily. Yeah, that would work. She would not tell him of the dream – of how he mocked her, ridiculed her indecisiveness as a pawn of Irwin… but that was fortunate, as he failed to ask at first. Instead, Escad merely stared at her, incredulous.

"You killed somebody…" no use mentioning himself yet, "because of a bad dream?"

"Mhm!" as though glad he understood, Athena perked up, eyes shining brightly, "But see? I made it all better now."

There was an awkward pause. Athena fidgeted in her chair, swaying from side to side in some off beaten rhythm. Escad wished he could sit down in shock, but refused the only, rather undignified option of flopping on the floor amid a flurry of papers, parchments and books.

Auspiciously, he did not have to resort to such foolishness. There was a rapping at the door, and, in light of the situation, he allowed himself the luxury of being the one to answer it.

"Oh!"

"Uh."

An awkward moment, to say the least.

"Hi."

"Hey."

Daena’s ears had flattened, betraying a slight anxiety. Escad hasn’t missed the reflex, unaware that he, himself, was holding his breath.

"Athena home?"

"Yeah."

The knight moved just enough that they lady-cat could move around him comfortably. Even so, she kept her back to the wall, and he kept a cautious vigilance as he closed the door.

"She’s in the… um," Escad gestured towards the study door, and Daena inched in that direction, making deftly sure that not once did she turn away from this once-friend. She slipped through the door, hurrying to Athena’s side and the relative safety of the other side of the chair.

Athena startled awake at a touch. Had she been human, Daena might have paled at the condition her friend was in. The mercenary smelled of malady, faint but wrong. The clamminess that met her fingers, the fever-sheen over staring eyes...

Daena shot Escad a demanding glare, and it fairly screamed, "What did you do?"

The knight held out his hands, helplessly. The best thing he could do in his own defense was to send the look of, "What?"

The clumsy shift of communication was graciously interrupted. All three were diverted by yet another visitor knocking at the door. The heavy sound took one small pause before resounding in force.

"I’ll get it, shall I?" Escad asked, forcing the question into the realm of the rhetorical as he stepped off to do just that. Athena clambered up to follow, and was barely caught by Daena as her leg gave out.

At most times, coming nose-to-nose with one that might be seen as a rival to the affections of the occupant of the house that he were to be presently seeking sanctuary from might have been a discouraging turnabout. As it were, Elazul was simply too proud of himself to care. Catching sight of Athena, she lingering safely on Daena’s arm, well behind the stranger in the doorway, the jumi grinned brightly.

"Look what we caught," he insisted, stepping aside to reveal…

"Larc?" Athena quipped, sounding eerily distraught for such an act, "You caught Larc? How could you? He’s a sentient creature!"

"Behind Larc," the Jumi amended, his eyes narrowing slightly. And behind Larc was a girl, followed by Pearl… or, more accurate to the moment, Blackpearl.

"You caught Pearl?"

And it came to mind that there was no reasoning with some people.

Resigned, Elazul sighed, retreating to the darkest corner of the room and inviting himself for a sit-down on the stairs. His sulky stare caught Athena’s eyes a moment before she turned away. With a forlorn huff, the young Jumi flicked his gaze across the mottled gathering, lingering a moment on Escad until Larc’s thick voice drew his attention.

"We thought she was you… at first," the dragoon said, breaking the silence. "Although she does try, doesn’t she? I figured maybe she was supposed to serve as a distraction of some kind..."

"No," Athena corrected simply, "Replacement, not distraction. Where’s Sierra?"

"Outside, keeping watch," Larc answered. Silence fell over the question no one wanted to ask. It finally broke – a squeaky little voice, not of a brave and broken in warrior, but of a scared little child.

"Replacement?"

All eyes locked onto the girl. Bored and off to another mental topic already, Athena’s eyes locked onto something else entirely – the door still open; the newcomer blinking in the fading light; and the stare of absolute shock.

With a squeal of unearthly delight, she flung herself off Daena. The man in the door, possibly the only man who could ever sidestep the mercenary’s affectionate attacks with a record high of never failing, did as much with practiced ease. In her state, Athena barely managed to catch the doorframe. Even so, she grinned giddily and squealed again.

"Poe!"

The man, uneasy, crouched beside her as she slipped down the wall. Wide eyed and nervous to an art form, he stared at the various shapes and forms and asked Athena in hushed tones, "Who are all these people?"

"Friends," the woman chirped in response. Poseidon’s face grew dark as he scowled.

"You know better tha-…" He stopped as she blinked, and he shook his head with a sigh. "Never mind. Kraols is here. We gotta get moving."

"Some help you are," Athena sniffed daintily, "I already met him."

"You… what?"

"I went up and I met him and I thought I wasn’t going to win and I didn’t but neither did he and so it’s all worked out fine!" the mercenary managed in one breath before falling back into a coughing fit.

"You didn’t..." the imagery to his mind, though more embellished with combat and romantic ideals of fighting large battles, clicked on one key point.

"Atha," the use of her name muted, hissed to seriousness, "You know he uses poison."

Whispers for secrecy, but there was little use to it. In a room of held breath and strained ears, Poseidon may as well have been booming for the world to hear. Gasps, growls, and mews, all soft so as not to impede on any hint of word, real or imagined.

It was Elazul, in the brazen impudence of youth, that leapt to confront this stranger and his evasion. The Lapis Knight brushed past everyone standing in the straight line between himself and his best friend. Kneeling at her side, he glared at the man so currently threatening to come between them.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, ignoring Athena’s peep of, ‘Oh, hi Lazuli!’

The quiet, bug-eyed stare that met the Jumi’s own was openly candor, if nothing near pleased.

"Kraols uses a poison. Comes from a kind of trap flower... similar to lullabuds, if you must know."

"Death pollen," Athena offered helpfully.

"Yes… well," Poe groused, "You see why I’m concerned?"

"Well maybe we can help!" Not willing to take no for an answer, Elazul pressed on, "I can surely help."

"You can’t," Poseidon insisted, calmly and deliberately. He might have appreciated the offer, but all the same...

"No, he can’t. But I can."

Authoritative, quiet, solemn. The most Blackpearl of Pearl. And something strange...

You know me.

The quiet nod of agreement, and Poe nodded. "Let’s get her upstairs."

The healing was difficult. The venom had taken root, and was spreading swiftly. But even the darkest poisons of the world had strings to their undoing. At length, Pearl returned to those waiting anxiously at the bottom of the stairs. There she sat – not a word was spoken, but she protected the serenity of the bedroom. It was the peace that Athena now needed to fully heal.
 

Upstairs, old friends spoke softly of many things. The graveness of the matter was at once the genuine concern.

"We have to destroy him, once and for all."

Athena still insisted, and for a time Poseidon was willing to concede. But doubt lingered.

"Do you really think we can?"

"Of course!" Athena chirped, then settled down a moment, "Do me a favor?"

On guard, the man asked cautiously, "What favor?"

"I never told them."

His first instinct was to iterate how they never told. Unfortunately, he knew her too well. He sighed deeply, "You always leave me with the easy tasks, don’t you?"

She beamed, "Thanks Poé."

"Yeah, yeah… just stay up here, okay? For just a little while..."

Poseidon got up to complete this favor, and was halted by the innocent query,

"He’ll come here you know?"

"Yeah, I know, thank you."

Some days you just didn’t want to get home from vacation...

Downstairs, he found himself the center of attention. And under such, it seemed, was perfect for storytime.
 
 

Many years ago, Athena’s tribe wandered the desert in. . . Never mind. You won’t have heard of it anyway. It’s across the sea, and it’s been a long time.

Anyway, so ou-... uh, her people traveled around a lot. Nomads, you know? Mostly wandered the oases. Greenest little watering holes you’ll. . . you’d have ever seen in that region. But. . . uh. . . well. . .

Okay, okay; it’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there! Sheesh.

All right, where was I? Oh, yeah, yeah... – the Nomads. The Nomads were ... I wonder if they’re still there. Eh, no matter. Sorry.

The Nomads were a secretive people. They cultivated Mana, and the society was broken down into a caste system. You do know what a caste sys-. . . right. Like the Jumi. The resemblance is more than a coincidence... the- . . . look, I’m getting to that! The hierarchy of the Nomads is unimportant. Just understand that the High Priestess was . . . Well, in addition to being the matriarch, she was the Tribe’s link to the Sanctuary and all its power. . . And. . . Mmm, how to say it. . . she. . . ah, to heck with it.

She was the embodiment of the Mana Tree.

Stop staring, it’s not polite.

But. . . yeah, the High Priestess of the Mana Tribe was directly linked to the Mana Tree. When she was healthy, it meant that the tree was healthy. When she died, the Tree died. . . and another stepped up to take her place. . . A seed, trained to become the Tree.

Not the clearest way to say it, really. It’s a bit more complicated, and a bit less literal. . .

So along came Kraols. Actually, as I understand it, he was already there. Grew up there, quite a master knight. Or. . . magician. Or something. I never. . . really asked him, tell you the truth. The few times we met, it wasn’t the best time to ask questions.

Regardless, there was only so far he could go in the Tribe. He could have gone farther in the outer world, but it was all the same to him. He could become the best, but never the most powerful – he could never have the power to rival the High Priestess. . . the power of the Goddess.

He didn’t like it, being the best he could and only winding up second. What he couldn’t have directly, he decided to manipulate to his own means. And this is where Athena comes in. And probably your little friend there, too. . .

Mmm. Anyway. Kraols needed a link, someone he could control serving as the High Priestess. As I understand it, he preened Athena for it from the beginning. But the current High Priestess was nowhere near death, so he decided to ‘fix’ things to his advantage. I could never tell, really, if Athena was just too young and too stupid to understand what was going on, or if she actually understood and went along because she wanted to. The way she tells it, you’d think she was doing it for the common good. But regardless of what was going on then, Kraols got her to poison the High Priestess and . . . heh, I always said that the scion selection was a flaw of nature. Instead of it being directly linked to anyone, it’s usually a case of the closest convenient daughter of the Mana Tribe. So instead of the power going to the Seed of Mana, it went to Athena.

As you might imagine, this whole ordeal caused quite a bit of a ruckus. Athena became the second person in the Tribe’s memory to kill a kinsman. And it wasn’t like the death of the Priestess and usurpation of power was to be forgiven with mere banishment. But by then, Kraols didn’t need the Tribe anymore. He had his link, he had his power. . . his only problem was that Athena wouldn’t leave without a friend of hers. . . I forget his name. Some boy she grew up with. So while they still lived within the prospect of losing everything, Kraols planted thoughts of betrayal and the like in Athena’s mind.

To be honest, this kid sounded clueless anyway. But whatever – when he got around to trying to talk some sense into her, and trying to get her to come home, she panicked and killed the kid. And without any reason to stay, and more than enough to leave, she went with Kraols.

The next several years, he spent gathering and centralizing his power. Athena, he built a fortress for, teaching her to truly fight, giving her gifts, helping her shape her abilities to what he wanted them to be. He taught her, and she gave him everything he wanted.

I can’t claim she lived in total ignorance. Hells, maybe the pretends, but. . . I don’t really know, it’s one of those things I consider best not to think about.

All I know for sure is that they had a falling out. Not sure what caused it, but I can only suspect that she couldn’t remain blind to what was going on around her. I doubt anyone with a pure heart could for too long. And. . . well, it always worried me that she held out for as long as she did. Maybe she was afraid, I couldn’t say.

But she left him. She just ran away. And, as can be imagined, he wasn’t too pleased.

I met her soon after. She wandered into Tans- Um, never mind. Time, place gone, you know. But, we met in a run down old tavern, like you do.

I knew what she was from the moment I saw her. I would suspect she knew who I was... but then it didn’t really seem to matter to her. That was refreshing. I don’t know how things came to be the way they did, but, I wound up helping her make her latest escape from Kraols’ henchmen and from then on we were stuck together.

So we traveled, keeping one step ahead of him. Athena is, unfortunately, hard to keep down, so we almost always left a trail. . .

Eventually, we got into a position where we were faced with a gamble, and one we could afford. We secured a deal with a dream witch. In return for an artifact – an old sword we’d picked up along the way – and a little trinket of Athena’s, she put us under an enchanted sleep. The spell was supposed to last a bit longer than it did. . . But we woke up anyway, eight hundred years after we’d gone to sleep, and we woke to something very different to what we were expecting.

Suffice to say, Athena was dreaming – and creating – the whole time. With the power of the Sanctuary, she dreamed up a whole new world.

Much to my chagrin, she never dreamed up anything – any heroes or anything – to bring down Kraols while we were under. Without Athena, he could only be so strong, which meant we were still on the run.

But now there was space between him and us. Eventually, we managed to make it here, and. . . well, like I said, Athena is hard to keep down. She played hero while I was off here and there, and in the end . . . Heh, look whose attention she attracted.

The story ended with a sigh. Poseidon sat dejected, a man detached near a thousand years from everything he knew and loved – or most everything, as he could not truthfully claim that he did not care for his comrade and ally. At length, he lifted his head, and the ghost of a smile crossed his face.

"So now you know."

There was a growl, and Sierra shook her head. "That doesn’t even begin to cover it. . ."

"I can’t cover centuries of history in a single night. I probably couldn’t do it, even if the thing I fear most wasn’t, as he likely is, lurking just as close as he can get. Anyway, those were the important parts."

"Coward," what was supposed to be a scathing remark met with cool disdain. Poé stared at the former knight.

"Is that supposed to hurt?"

"So will you run away again?" Pearl asked quietly. To this, the man did not look, answering instead,

"There is no running this time. Athena is determined to put an end to it."

"At least she has real friends to stand by her," Elazul growled.

"If you were her real friend, as you so put it, you would be up there trying to convince her out of this stupid fantasy," Poseidon pushed his chair back, and stood to stretch. "Although I suppose if you know her well enough to be her friends, then you know how unerringly stubborn she can be."

"And if fortune favors, I shall speak to you all tomorrow. …And I wouldn’t stray too far, if I were you."
 
 

Before, there was never anything to do but to cut and run. He was never a great warrior. And this was a fact that tied with fate to produce his banishment.

Poseidon stared at the selection of weapons before him – of Athena’s craft, and he worried that was all he had to trust to. Granted, he cared for her, but he never knew her to take to the forge before. So, instead of a lifetime, this art was likely mastered over a winter. And to trust his life, the inept Mana Warrior would have chosen the work of an adept blacksmith over that of a bored novice.

Picking a rusty old thing from a pile of swords, he studied it with an expression of skepticism.

Startled, the man whirled, awkwardly holding the weapon in a meager attempt at intimidating the offender. Or holding her off. Or... well... something that would let him flee with dignity.

Yep. I’m gonna last long, he thought weakly. Chances were, even if Pearl had been an enemy, the result would have been none of the above. The best he could have hoped for was a quick death, Tch. Who am I kidding? I couldn’t even hope for that.

And the result, instead of being relieved that he was, indeed, alive and not in for a painful lingering demise, was that he stuck himself overthinking… and stood in his awkward-rather-than-intimidating stance for several minutes longer than necessary.

"Are you all right?" Even the normally soft voice of the little princess held an edge. Even though Poseidon had not known enough to tell, he nevertheless felt it odd. The day had progressed the same way, as the sun dawned against his expectations and tension fell thick over Athena’s small grove. Relaxing as best he could, the man shrugged.

"Oh, you know, just…" he laughed weakly, ending it with a sigh. Clearing his throat, he clarified thusly, "I wasn’t expecting anyone."

"Perhaps," Pearl smiled, "But do you think it’s okay to be out here alone?"

"Probably not," Poé admitted, "Uh, thanks, I mean. Er..."

Nice work. Now she knows you’re an idiot instead of only suspecting.

"Sorry," he managed at length, "Can I... ask you something?"

"Yes."

Not expecting as simple an answer, he stumbled over his wording until he found something that worked well to his means, "How do you… did you, know about us?"

To this, Pearl shrugged. "You said it yourself, it’s difficult to hide what you are."

A spark of recollection ignited in the Mana Warrior’s mind, and he almost pushed it away, except for how it nagged so suddenly. Pearls, after all, were not gems.... But this girl, aside those freaky, ‘I’m older than the world,’ looks, could not possibly have been one of the first...

"How old are you?"

"Old enough," her smile turned enigmatic. Poseidon mmmed a high meep! and squeaked,

"Ah. Well then. Should we get back to the others?" he queried unnecessarily, dragging his newfound sword and stumbling over his own feet in an effort to get past the Jumi and up the stairs quickly as humanly possible.

Do you think it’s okay to be out here alone?

Daena skittered from the summit of the staircase. She had offered to accompany Pearl this far, and said as much that she was headed back to the house. Sticking to ensure seemed like a good idea, until the world seemed to turn cold at those words.

No, she thought, imagining things in the darkness of the workshop, None of us are safe.

Even the sun seemed dim in the hazy afternoon. She barely thought about it before she found herself on a path less traveled.

Skipping stones.

It was easy. Almost trite. And Escad had not done it in years.

And perhaps that was why every stone he flicked sunk into the shallows of the pond.

Or maybe it had something to do with the having been dead. Either way, it was frustrating.

Without a glance to the pile of rocks he had gathered beside him, he picked up the first one his hand met. It was a smooth chip of rock, and he paused his throw to get better acquainted. But there was nothing outstanding about it. Perhaps it was different than the rocks around, he was unsure. Rocks were not something he was an expert on.

Moments later, it joined those that came before it. It, too, sunk. Like a stone. Somehow, Escad’s felt his spirit sink with it.

It was stupid. All of this was stupid. Maltilda dead, and Irwin... No chance for revenge. Athena... far beyond comprehension. The entire situation was unfair.

And more, it made his heart ache thinking about it. Yet there was no way not to think about it.

Thankfully, before he began confessing his doubt and disbelief and pain to the algae, Daena startled him by appearing at his side. She stared for a moment, and watched as he sent another rock along its way.

"May I?"

"Be my guest," Escad held up a stone, and she took it without touching his hand.

The stone skipped clean across the still water.

Escad could only snort. Somehow, that was the first thing that felt right in a long time. Whether it was in disbelief or envy or maybe something to do with pride, he stood. The reason became obscure as he looked to Daena... because for the first time in a long time, her eyes held no disgust, no hate or anger or fear, merely simple acceptance.

And suddenly he could not think anything.

"It’s been rough," was all he could say, without thinking.

"Hey…" She almost smiled, "You think it’s easy for me?"

There was no answer. He could not comprehend one. Daena’s tail twitched of its own mind, coming to rest around his knee. He knew it was subconscious – an act of friendship and consolation, finding its way through history to when they were young, so long ago – but comfort was comfort, and he refused to reject what little he could have.

Heedless of her tail, she stared. On some unspoken rule, as the silence grew too thick, she asked quietly, "Gonna stick around?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"I should hope so. It’s what she died for."

With that she padded back the way she had come.

Escad wanted to do her one better. Instead he did all he could do: he scratched the back of his neck, shrugged to no one, and followed after.

"No. Not much around we could use for it, and we’re likely to be picked off trying."

That was the answer. What was the question again? Something about fortification...

Ugh!

Her attention wandered. Waiting for your former-guardian-turned-arch-nemesis was dull. Boring, in fact. Anything would have been better. In fact, she wished that Kraols or one of his lieutenants or maybe a straggler from his army would burst through the door...

Right...

About...

Now!

The door burst open, an exasperated shout of protest drawing more attention than hers to the door. The latecomers to the impromptu stratagem session immediately dropped the frivolous argument of I’m faster and took to more precautionary measures to appear nonchalant. In other words, Daena hid in the near corner while Escad did his damnest to stand by and look inauspicious.

"Aww." The vocal disappointed in the half-fulfilled result of her wishing went unnoticed; Athena turned back to the table and cradled her chin in her hands. It was not that she wanted her friends exposed to sudden danger, but it was not like they were leaving. And the ominous portent that hung low was affecting all of them, and she was no exception. Those more inclined to thought before action, those patient, were trying desperately to come up with something before things turned.

Wish I were patient.

And then there was herself... and Elazul...

Anxious like her, the Jumi knight had insisted it was best to set up a preemptive strike. Under the mood, his assertion was turned down, in such a way to leave him sulking in a near corner.

So when fate handed him the perfect target for which to vent his frustration, he took the blessing. His gaze flicked between the lady-cat and the former knight. He did not miss the slight smile that faded from Escad’s face – unbeknownst to him, an antiquity from a bygone day. Securing his spite on that alone, he snapped.

"Having fun?" he asked, prowling forward.

"Some," Escad answered flatly. He watched the move, impassive.

"Glad someone is," Elazul said, almost softly but for the volume, "Although it would be nice if you’d make yourself useful instead of-"

Pearl decided to cut the rant short before it started. Infighting was nothing to solve their problems.

"El-"

Athena beat her to it, and the words came as one.

"Lazuli!"

And Escad grinned, "I can imagine what it must be like to be whipped by one, but by two? You have my deepest sympathy, Lazuli."

"Don’t call me that," the Jumi hissed.

"She called you that."

"Well," his voice again rose in anger, "only she gets away with calling me that."

"My apologies," the smile returned, as more of a smirk.

If Elazul had thought about what he was doing, it might not have been a good idea. But he was tired of the waiting game. His pride bruised from the reprimands. His body burned, and the air nearly crackled with tension. Before Escad’s insincere, and further infuriating, apologies had fully been spoken, he was pulling back his arm for a well-aimed strike. When the hit failed to contact as he might have liked, he changed his tactic.

Escad had adjusted swiftly to avoid the punch, but had no room to dodge a full on tackle. The former knight had no qualms with the outcome of the quarrel. He even figured he could use a good fight. The force of Elazul’s attack sent both tumbling down the front steps, grappling all the way.

Shock kept the rest of the assembly in check. Besides the daft expressions in response to such immaturity, Pearl buried her face in her hands and swore to Mana. Athena took it all in stride, more interested in the desires in her own head.

And those standing started after the brawlers, and those seated rose to the occasion, Athena blurted out loudly,

"I’ve got it!"

As they fought, practice and know-how culminated into an edge. Escad had traded much of his life to swordplay, and Elazul merely fought to survive. But where Escad was more familiar with using experience to his advantage, Elazul had an easier time adapting to what was around him.

The fisticuffs was easy, as far as Escad was concerned. Navigating the terrain proved more difficult for he had less an idea of the land surrounding Athena’s house. He only knew one path for sure, and there from he got his cunning plan.

As soon as he knew what he was doing, he led the fight like an elaborate dance. If Elazul knew, he showed no sign of recognizing the guiding force Escad put behind the motions. Almost gently, the man pressed and foreran the Jumi through the thicket on the edge of the forest. By the time Elazul discovered the muddy slope below his feet, Escad had roughly shoved him, sending him in a somersault into the pond.

With a triumphant smirk, Escad pondered the difference between skipping a stone and skipping a Jumi. While his opponent was occupied, splashing a bit and trying to recover his footing – and dignity – the man gingerly touched the fresh pain on his jaw. Bringing his hand back to view, he could have laughed, surprised at the bit of blood drawn. Instead, his smirk turned to a grin, and he silently admitted that the kid had spirit. His sight came to rest on Elazul; he watched patiently as the mud-soaked Jumi glared.

But even as Elazul seemed recovered from the fall, and well ready to lunge up the bank to get him, Escad paused. There was something in the water...

After this, Elazul was startled as Escad moved first. In near desperation, the former knight slid down the bank, hauling the Jumi back that they both landed deep in the embankment. Looking first to Escad, then to that which had drawn his attention, Elazul’s eyes widened.

The beast that rose from the pond eyed them both at once, each of its several eyestalks prone to study one or the other. Annoyed that its prey had been so swiftly taken from it, the slimy reptilian creature bellowed a challenge.
 
 

"You... wouldn’t happen to have brought your sword, by any chance?" Escad asked, casting a sidelong glance towards Elazul.

"No, I was pretty distracted by wanting to strangle you."

"Ah."

"You?"

"Shrubbery," Escad mumbled, as though the one word would explain it all.

The hungry beast lumbered towards them, while its eyestalks swerved to observe both at once. Before they could run, it seemed to pause and stare between them – and past them.

And sure enough, behind them by a yard and two thirds, stood a very surprised Poseidon. Upon seeing him, the reptilian monster set to charge, shrinking as it oozed out of the pond, and squeezing past Elazul and Escad, lumbered after the now-fleeing, boyishly squealing Poé.

It took a couple of moments for those left behind to comprehend this, shake on the lucidity, and give chase.

By then, Poseidon was on the latest sprint for his life. He did not quite know where he was going, and as such twisted this way and turned that way as the opportunities arose – running a distance and going nowhere. The hunt ended at the edge of the brush, and the base of a steep incline that led to the bluffs overlooking the ocean.

Over the rocky terrain, there was a small niche formed by two toppled slabs of granite. It was a tight hiding hole, but the furthest in was mostly out of reach. Pinched between the rock, Poé chanced to peek, and immediately wished he had gambled otherwise. While the optimistic part of him hoped that the creature – now lolling around in the rough – was dissolving due to some divine precedence, the rational part of him knew his life was never that easy. He struggled to free the rusty sword from his side, hoping it would act as a deterrent, but the motion faltered as he watched thick scales melted into soft flesh, the grayish-green color changing to something tawnier.

The shadowzero shook its head, clearing its vision as it took on its newest form. Human for all appearances, it sighed, discontent. It prowled to the niche, leaning forward to smile gaudily.

"Now, I was hungry…" it purred, just loud enough for the would-be hero to hear, "But I think I’ve found something I would prefer instead."

"Back off!" Poseidon shouted, inching further into his rift. The attempt did little, overall, to dissuade the shapeshifter. It only tsked and smiled,

"Spare me."

When Elazul caught up, Poseidon was standing over... himself, at the bottom of a steep hill. The fallen man was merely stunned, perhaps concussed, and the victor stood, sword in hand and almost at a loss as the Jumi caught up to the fight.

When Escad showed up, moments later and armed with the first workable branch he had found, he took the scene in stride. Without a word, he advanced, threatening. What he hadn’t expected was for Poé to drop the sword and scuttle back in surprised fright, tripping over backwards in the process.

"How?" Escad demanded, stooping to pick up the blade.

"I was lucky; he just... I..."

"Forget it," Elazul growled. "What happened?"

Poseidon slumped, "Athena ran off shouting ‘Eureka.’"

"Where’d she-?"

"Wait," the Jumi pressed, "What about everyone else?"

"I don’t know," Poé admitted softly, "I was going after her. Just before she ran, she was yelling about how she had it, and sleep, and the ocean, and then I didn’t know where she was, and there was that thing, and..."

With every word, the downtrodden man emphasized just a bit more. With every emphasized word, Elazul paced just a little bit farther. In no time, the Jumi was trudging up the hill. Escad noticed, and started to follow, imparting sound wisdom, as he understood wisdom to be.

"Don’t just sit there moaning; come on."

Athena paced the length of precipice, trying to get the view just so. She left it here – or she thought she did – nearly a year ago. It was not something to move around, or, if it did, she would have to have a talk with it.

Aha! She found it; rather, maybe it found her; it was there and that was all that counted. Happy, she reached out to touch it, and was pulled back at the last moment by a determined pair of arms about her waist, "Hey!"

Squirming, she protested to the best that her limited leverage would allow. Once dropped a marginal distance away from where she was captured, she straightened her clothes in a manner befitting one rudely interrupted, "What was that for?"

For not all good intentions are rewarded, and Elazul knew this. The situation lent itself to a different mindset entirely, "The cliff, and the... Did you not see the cliff?"

Seeking support, he looked back to Escad. No support there - he merely watched as if he were setting a puzzle together, and absently toying with the rusted old sword. Poseidon, winded by the ascent, was alarmed but, to the Jumi, seemed too tired to do anything.

Elazul was wrong.

"This’s your big plan?" Poseidon cried, suddenly lurching forward, "You’re gonna jump off a cliff?"

"No," Athena scowled, "Of course not."

"No? Then what were you doing? A little swim, from a hundred-span above the water?"

"No," seething, she started to argue her point. But as Poé was not listening, she felt it better to show him. Spinning him about to face the cliff, she beckoned widely before them.

"If you look," she further insisted, "you’ll see it."

And he did. Before she finished the sentence, the air seemed to waver, whispering its secret to eyes that could see. Poseidon’s voice caught in his throat. His first impulse was to drop to his knees, in an emphatic gesture of I’m not worthy! Instead, he stood in paralyzed awe.

"Uh..." Elazul’s syllable was nothing more than a slight buzz. The questioning tone, however, was answered promptly.

"Yeah," Escad’s flat-tone was in complete harmony with the Jumi’s bewilderment.

Neither was prepared for the sight of Athena running off the edge of the world. As it happened, she grabbed onto Poseidon’s wrist and made a running jump. Treading air as she dragged him along, but only for a moment before gravity reached for them, and as they began to fall...

…they vanished. Before the shock set in, but after their awkward companions had bounded forward, skittering on the edge to peer to the ocean far below...

They were gone.

In the instant, Escad was judging the distance, and he startled at the hand on his shoulder.

"You aren’t going to jump, are you?" Elazul asked, disbelieving. Escad glanced back, pausing to stare at the Jumi, then over their shoulders and hissed, abruptly able to form neither a suitable word, nor curse.

"You?" he managed, tearing his eyes off the dark clouds fast staining the blue sky. Elazul made a little movement, half a shrug, half a nod, and neither at the same time.

He leapt first, and Escad followed on his heel. Everything in mind screamed that this was a bad idea, and then the world turned on its head.

Everything was green, and vibrant. It felt like the deepest forest, the darkest jungle, where the trees breathed and whispered nothings among themselves. The roots that made up the ground were covered in moss. This was the remnant of some forgotten dream, remembered as peace and nothing more.

Poseidon stepped softly upon the land, lest he wake to find it was all a dream. It was too surreal...

"Wait," he stopped, momentarily shaken, "Isn’t this what he’s after?"

"Yeah, but I have a plan," Athena replied, dreamily as her companion felt. He probably would not have been enthused if she mentioned it was more of a vague idea, but that was all right, considering he did not have to know, "Just don’t let Kraols past you before I’m ready."

"Oh, that’s all?" Poé asked, putting as much cynicism into his words as he dared while standing on the roots of the Mana Tree. Blinking, he looked to where Athena had disappeared between the massive roots and called, "How do I know when you’re ready?"

The reply was distant, muffled, and there was no making out the words. Typical, the man thought, but at least he would die somewhere and in a way far more heroic than he ever dreamed. The gruesome imagery was driven from his mind when something heavy landed behind him.

"Why did you do it?"

He answered, honestly as he could. Had to follow, had to save...

"Escad..."

Then the grip tightened on his shoulder, and he felt the pin-points of her claws through his shirt, "No more heroics."

"But... I’m a... Ow!" Escad wanted to remind her that he was a hero, but it seemed neither the time nor the place. Place... "Where are we?"

The Mana Tree. The Mana Tree, he had to laugh. It was a good joke. Except no one was laughing, and it was the honest truth. He wondered if he had hit his head when he landed, because he would have certainly known if he were dead in the surf. That only made him laugh harder.

Daena could only shrug. There was no way she could answer for Escad, and she was not one to cover for him. He would never have had it anyway, so if he wanted to be insane, that was his choice. Meanwhile, Elazul was staring, and she herself was close to being overwhelmed by standing in a place of legend. Larc blotted his eyes, Pearl had her hands covered in a solemn prayer, and Sierra was the first to find her voice,

"Now what?"

There was a moment. No one knew. Poseidon started to venture a guess, but his words were empty, as they had run out of time.

Kraols appeared, as uninvited as they had been, and infinitely more unwelcome. The roots beneath his feet, the ground turned sickly brown as he drank in his first sight of the Holy Land. He thirsted for its power; for all his years of warring, conquering, hating, everything his was a beggar’s penance... enough to barely live on in the desert of the world beyond the Sanctuary.

He strolled past, every step determined. Not a movement lapsed, only his grin twisted deeper as he flicked sand-fleas aside. Jumi; wolfman; human... He had seen them from afar, and could probably have remembered their names had he so desired. Her friends, all of them, and not one a match. He had little preference as to whether they lived or not, as they could not even touch him. So instead he walked past, gleaning some thin entertainment their shouts and oaths. He would destroy their havens, homes, and families, and come back for their insignificant lives when he felt like it, and not because they felt the need to claw at him so.

The only one to hold his attention, he knew well. And for Poseidon, he had only one cheerful word before he threw to the ground,

"Remember."

None of the sound drifted far enough to be heard in the cove of branches above. Athena skittered over the moss-covered bark easily, remembering the way after once or twice thinking it over. She had been here twice – once, nearly a year ago to confront a growing darkness; and once again, for curiosity’s sake. Afterwards, she meant to close the rift but she never got around to it. Which was good, on retrospect, seeing as she misplaced the Sword of Mana, and her plan would only work with the power of the Goddess.

What she expected to find, she was uncertain. She hoped that the Goddess had been restored to the glory as when Athena was young, before she herself had become the human incarnation on the world that would become Fa’Diel. And what she hoped had to be, seeing as there was no winning otherwise.

And instead, the cell was empty. The sky hovered low, darkening along with the situation. But it was not over, oh no; the Goddess had to be here somewhere. Were there any rocks? Goddesses could hide under rocks, right?

The frustration was enough to make the young woman howl in despair. It’s not fair!

"It rarely is, is it?"

His was a soft voice, yet she would have heard it through the fiercest storm. She turned to behold the boy – green hair, green eyes, an oversized brown tunic... he might have been one of the branches, at first glance, covered in leaves. But he was a child, not a tree, and he had a name. She knew his name.

"Keahi."

That he was a coward was possibly the only reason he was still on his feet. Kraols had passed by him, reminding him of another time, long ago...

Which he could not think of now, if he was going to get his job done. Retrieving the sword from where Elazul had lost it – and it had gotten around in the scuffle, he gave it that much – he faltered after the man that was his torment. At best, Athena had a dagger concealed. Chances were likely she had simply left without, forgetting on her way. She had not brought her spear, or he did not remember it. Still, the favored odds were Kraols’.

Poé did not know where she was, so he followed his enemy, who certainly seemed to know where he was going. After what seemed like hours of hiding in the shadows and climbing quietly – stealth, at least, was familiar – his mark stopped. From where he was, the younger man could see Kraols’ expression change to something triumphant, and his blood ran cold. It was now or never.

"Athena!" Poseidon screamed, daring to rush past. Kraols turned his head, and Poé knew this was his greatest mistake. The sword flew from his hand as he was lifted off his feet, his own momentum knocking the breath from him.

"How touching," fingernails digging into his throat, "Noble," he struggled to breathe, "I never expected it from you." His vision darkened dangerously, "I imagined you the first to fall at my feet." I remember, Poseidon wanted to scream, "Standing by in cowardice to watch the world burn." I remember, I remember! "But if you long for death, far be it from me to keep you from it." Anything. He wanted the pain to end.

In the end, he was uncertain as to whether he lived or had died. He hit the ground... branch, he hit something, and could not feel it. Before his mind slipped away from him, he saw Kraols’ heels, and, just past, Athena warily stooping to recover a rust-encrusted sword.

In touching the weapon, she had changed. Not Athena, not Atha, and not something of an in-between – she was the Mana Goddess incarnate. Not the self she had fought, subdued, the thing that had been created, warped and twisted, as Atha had withered the Mana Tree with malignancy, but the Goddess, whose children mimicked her in pale imitation. She alone was Priestess and Knight in one.

And Athena, little Athena, watching from beside herself and dreaming again, finally understood. She was no match, alone, and her Knight was little more than a coward with good intentions. But she loved him dearly, despite the torment she put him through, and he had always been there for her. Her friends, people she met and saved incidentally in this brave new world, and grew to care for far beyond mere passers by. All that she was... rather, the Goddess, was drawing upon.

Even now. Every spell cast fizzled before hitting the deity; every blow she brushed aside with her fingertips. Kraols was enraged, and that, too, fell as softly as snow. His assault ended in his astonishment. Perhaps he thought it would be easy, to capture the power of creation...

She held out her hand. After all of that, the woman held out her hand. Offering peace? Redemption? Something else...?

Kraols took it as fair opportunity. It was a foolish thing to do, perhaps, to take the hand of a Goddess under pretence. He thought he had her at long last. In all his long life, chasing what he saw to be fragile, and gossamer as a dragonfly.

There he felt it, as the first stirrings of emotion eons ago buried. It fractured his mind, with every drop of blood demanding an accounting for, an explanation or apology for his having ordered their death, or ordered them to their death.

Before him, even she fell away from him, blinking with no comprehension. His disciple, and greatest achievement. Before he could say a word, he was scattered on the wind, a piece of him gone with each and every one of a millenium’s worth of souls, free of the hatred and demanding nothing in revenge. But his guilt, and love, weighed on them all, and together they turned to ash.

It was done.

The power of the Goddess gone, Athena, herself again, fell backwards, through the leaves of the Mana Tree.

Those far below, barely recovered themselves, crawled, stumbled, and limped forward. There was tautness to their movements, as seen by the observer aloft, and he only relaxed and dared to breathe when they did. One looked up, Pearl, with all the innocence of one unknowing, and beckoned to him with a kind smile.

Far above, Poseidon desired to crawl forward with them, but there was something inherently wrong with a knight that could do nothing to protect his charge. For him, victory was bittersweet. No more running, at least.

Cradled in the protective branches of the Mana Tree, the sproutlings were staring.
 
 

It had been two weeks.

The day was warm, interspersed with fluffy clouds, and everything was vibrant. It was the perfect weather for rebuilding. Escad did his best to support the grossly uncooperative brace while Elazul secured it. Strength, weight, and determination were dwindling, and he was starting to let it slip, not to mention a certain irritation at the equally annoyed, "Keep it steady!" from up top, when the man caught sight of something blonde.

Stepping back and sidestepping the falling timber, he was joined in an instant, and forgiven or, more likely, forgotten, as Elazul saw it too.

"What are you doing up...?" the Jumi tried to demand upon sliding down from his perch. In equal time, Escad was commenting on something else altogether.

"You finally lost those stupid sticks."

"I like my sticks!" Athena pouted, running her fingers through her flattened hair at the perceived insult. "Hey Lazuli, give us a moment, would you? I have to explain something."

Elazul shrugged it off and stepped off to inspect the timber. Not that he wanted to, but what could he do? Athena was Athena, and his best friend. If he could do nothing else to support her, and he prided himself in his ability to do a lot to that effect, he could step back a moment.

"You’re leaving," even in guessing, Escad knew it was true. He wondered how many times she had run with a daypack lighter than what she had now, presumed at least once, and settled with how he did not care to know.

"Yeah." Athena said simply, "Poé took off this morning." She looked over his shoulder, to where Elazul was pacing about impatiently, trying to put all his attention on the reconstruction of the bar, but unable to go for a length without peeking back. "He won’t take it well."

"It’s okay. You run, I’ll distract him," Escad promised, "And after, we can console one another... or kill each other, or something that works."

"Thanks," she turned to walk away, but stopped at a small uncertain noise. It took a few moments, then the question came.

"Why did you come for me?"

She blinked. A couple of failed attempts to speak later, and she came up with:

"People with pure hearts go to a whole new world.... I couldn’t leave you behind, now could I?"

Escad tried a trifle too hard in making sense of that. The spritish giggle didn’t help the attempt, and in the end he merely shook his head.

"Whatever," he mumbled, then as quiet, but clearer, "Thank you."

She was gone an instant later, and he looked to see her collecting fuzzy hugs from the wolfish siblings. He stared a minute longer, as she laughed and smiled and bubbled; young, foolish Athena, who saved the world more times than he likely knew.

"What was that about?" Elazul asked, climbing back up to get back to work.

"I’ll tell you later," Escad promised. He hefted the support with a backward glance, and dropped it again in shock.

"Watch it!" Elazul snapped. His companion could not reply in kind; he was too furious in his disbelief.

"That cactus is walking!"