The unnerving hum that resonated through Anthony made his stomach squeamish as he sat in the hailing emeralds, watching what he assumed was a ‘cleaner’ that had encompassed her dying body; every gem that turned to green liquid on contact with his skin bypassed his clothes without resistance as if he were naked—and he might as well be in the alien environment.

Even with his Legendkin resistances and aptitudes keeping him calm in the unsettling environment, he heard a somber melody just outside of perception—he knew it was there, like eyes in the darkness—yet it came in more of a sixth sense than anything tangible.

It made him want to scan for the source, but he resisted, keeping his attention on the pulsating golden cocoon that had surrounded his guide, and in the tantalizing silence, he pondered his next move.

The veins pumping that ebbed and flowed on the outer casing darkened and brightened with his thoughts; surrounding, stone-like trees molting and spreading a light haze that settled over the gray soil. Not soon after, more cleaners made their appearance, bubbling into existence as the emerald rain created a thin layer before melting.

Pools of liquid green gravitated to one another to form into uneven spikes across the floor and down the trees; jellyfish-like golden entities sparked to life in the haze of pollen and gems, flitting in and out of existence.

Environment ever-shifting, Anthony refused to breathe, seemingly immune to the effects of suffocation in whatever place he’d entered; there was a method behind the madness—he knew by Jaenona’s explanations—and a purpose was hidden within that couldn’t be grasped by a brain like his.

So far as he was aware, everything he saw was simply a means for his fragile psyche to make sense of what happened around him; his faculties weren’t attuned to this type of existence, and it was that which most concerned Anthony—why he so desperately wanted his guide to remain—he was a guest here, and he wasn’t meant to stay.

Jaenona’s stone-like eye held firmly in his left hand, Nora wrapped in his shirt on his lap, Anthony couldn’t help but marvel at how bizarrely beautiful the chaotic scene was. It reminded him a bit of the eldritch entity that had forced its way into his spirit.

He didn’t understand her initially, but now he felt pity for the creature—she could destroy universes without end—yet that wasn’t her desire. She was beyond any concept of power he could imagine, moving through a nearly endless, tainted sea where one mistake could have cost her everything—what a horrifying existence to live for so many ages.

One lingering dream had kept Jaenona fighting—something so grand it couldn’t be put in song nor visual—returning home to the place she belonged. Here, Magthera, a place so foreign in abstraction, this was the best Anthony’s mind could conceptualize.

Lilac and rose rays shimmered from overhead, changing the gems to black petals, falling in a gentle rhythm that left outlines of the various creatures invisible to his naked eye, gathering around Jaenona and the cleaners as if in some kind of funeral.

It was strange; he couldn’t perceive the emotional atmosphere that ran through the area like electricity, stone trees crumbling around them to turn into sapphire dust that settled on the ground. He got the impression of a lost sister returning home and long distant memories shared of vast periods of time in mere moments between them.

Sadness wasn’t necessarily the thing he felt but a sense of purpose fulfilled—beautiful futility and fragility of the ebb and flow of life—and the serenity of acceptance in it.

Anthony couldn’t quite connect with them, and ultimately, it was curiosity that lit in his breast, uncertain how to even proceed; entities far beyond his mental capacities lingered all around them, and for the first time, his gaze drifted away from the cocoon as Nora stirred in his lap.

Unsurprised, Anthony moved the small Slime to his right side for Nora to take on her cheetah figure; hands clasped behind her back, neutral expression on the ever-changing cocoon below them, The Herald spoke through the girl he was supposed to have protected.

“Well done, Anthony… You have transcended.”

“Humph… What does that mean exactly?” he mumbled, his focus returning to the funeral while bringing the hand holding Jaenona’s eye into his lap; if he had to speak, breathing was a must, so he gave up that self-restriction.

“To move beyond one’s own Existence and experience another in its entirety; Jaenona changed your course to be more than you were.”

“Meaning?”

“You will affect Fate. How that is to be, the choice is yours…”

* * *

Silence took Anthony in the wake of The Herald’s declaration; he wasn’t the type to freak out and act without thinking.

The forces he was dealing with transcended anything he could possibly comprehend, and there wasn’t a chance he could protect Nora from them, which meant he had to understand the game he was playing. If he couldn’t win by pushing against the pricks, he needed to learn what they wanted and shift things in a direction where all parties could be happy.

Watching the cleaners and invisible eldritch entities hover around their dying and corrupted sister, Anthony drew in a long breath and let it out, only for orange flames to exit instead of air. Not allowing himself to be distracted by it, he spoke the first question he needed answers to.

“Can Jaenona be revived… or do I need to give this to the cleaners?” he whispered, holding out her shimmering eye.

The Herald’s passive gaze drifted to his hand. “You would spend more time than is necessary here—where every moment leaves a lasting imprint on your soul—to see her resurrected?”

“Then it is possible?”

“Anything is possible, Anthony, but there is always a price for the things we seek, and you cannot choose the consequences.”

The only thing filling Anthony’s breast was the solemn nature of his circumstances; not a shred of amusement or anger but a determination to see Nora returned, among other duties he promised his girlfriend.

“What are my options?”

“In this… Allow Jaenona’s Intelligence to decompose and reconstitute, and take another guide that will lead you to the Edge of the Abyss… Or give her a place in some piece of you to act as your attendant, as she has sworn.”

“How long?” Anthony asked, staring at the cleaners shrink and disappear; the other entities soon vanished, golden liquid falling out of the sky to fill all that could be seen.

The pools rose swiftly to overtake him, yet Anthony allowed it to wash over him; the only effect it had was to deliver a sweet taste to his tongue that spread throughout his body, and various plant life rose out of the now emerald soil to deliver dazzling rays of light across the fields of blooming pink flowers.

“Jaenona spent all she had on your journey out of the Red Sea… She is a shell of her former self and requires another soul to bind with to reconstitute; if you wish to have her as your guide and for her to survive long enough to reach your destination, a symbiotic bond must be forged… for as long as your spirit remains intact.”

Breathing in the liquid, Anthony let it stream out in a swirl of tiny gray cyclones that fizzled away in the glistening water. “I would have someone I know will be on my side rather than taking the simple route of getting a new one I know nothing about… What will be the consequences of me overstaying in your world by making that decision?”

“A mutation to your soul and Seed.”

“Wonderful. Is that the best explanation I can get?”

“Not one entity with your unique soul essence has been changed by Magthera; circumstances being as they are, I can only say you will not progress as your Existence and Seed originally dictated.”

“What about Nora?”

“She is naturally attuned to Magthera by virtue of her adaptability, owing to those she consumed from a lower entity from our Existence.”

“Why do you need her? Also… Is Philip dead?” Anthony asked, his gut knotting at the thought he didn’t want to entertain.

“I am merely a spokesperson for the Mecroaf, listening to the shift in the dream and interpreting it to reality; to grasp such notions, you must communicate with them yourself. As to the entity you call Philip, he will remember none of this, as is the fate for those that do not cross the Wall of Sleep. Although, there will be lingering scars.”

Not happy with that answer but knowing there wasn’t much he could do about it, Anthony released a hissing breath. “What did Philip mean when he said we’re in the maw or epicenter?”

“Your answers will come from the one you care for as you explain to her your journey.”

“Ugh… So, Rachel will have the answers, or I can connect them with her?”

“Many truths will be unveiled upon reuniting.”

“Fine. What do I need to do to revive Jaenona?”

The Herald directed his attention to the ground. “Bury her last vestment in the soil of Magthera for her to bloom, and then you must choose how to form your union… It could be your base spirit itself or a fragment, such as one of your weapons.”

A bit more interested in this distinction, Anthony’s brow furrowed. “Would that… also mean she is connected to my Seed?”

“Your spirit is connected to the Seed, so she will be added to that in any manner you select; it could be minor in the beginning, but Jaenona will grow regardless, and if you do not outpace her, you will be consumed, whether she wishes it or not.”

“Dang it… So, you’re saying Jaenona will be a permanent part of my life that could be a cancer. Humph, and I have no doubt she would kill herself, much like what she did in bringing me here if it ever got to that point… and she said I was the stubborn one?”

Eyebrows drawing together, she looked up at him with a deep frown.

“Fine. I understand… I only have one more question. Does Nora have a choice in how this ends?”

“There is always a choice to be made when dealing with the Mecroaf… Cause and effect; sacrifices and rewards. Only those who can hear their voice are chosen, Anthony, and you are no exception; the Mecroaf called, and you answered.”

“We may have different views on what consent and answering are, Herald; this was not by my choice.”

“You may find you do not know yourself as well as you would like, Anthony… This was a call accepted. Understanding will come in time.”

Nora gave a short start, blinking as her ears twitched and tail stiffened. “Eh—what in the… Anthony… Where in heck are we?” Her panicked hand went to her throat, glancing around the golden liquid she stood in. “I can—breathe underwater—is this water?

“Wait… That sound…” She paused, loosening up and closing her eyes to focus on whatever she was hearing. “It’s so… somber and beautiful…”

Anthony forced a chuckle, happy to have the girl actually conscious now, and if these creatures only spoke the truth, an unsettling pit pressed into his stomach at that implication. “Here, sit down, and I’ll explain everything.”

* * *

World shifting and reconstituting as Anthony discussed the path that led them here, they were forced to move with the changing environment. It would sound crazy had not both been through unbelievable circumstances over the past month, and being in this place of madness only strengthened the circumstances.

After answering what questions he could, Anthony sat on the glass floor, reflecting horrific monstrosities shifting in the blazing sky above them, acting as if they didn’t exist, much like ants or bacteria to humans.

“Insane… Literally insane,” she mumbled, more intrigued than frightened by the eldritch entities. “Fiona would be freaking out right now, hehe!”

“I’m kind of freaking out,” he muttered.

“So… Do you think Mr. Park will be okay?”

“I don’t know what The Herald meant by scars that will remain, but according to him—”

“Yeah, this is all voluntary,” she whispered, spinning in a circle to look at things Anthony figured he probably couldn’t see. “To be honest, yeah… I had this thing come into my dreams and ask me if I wanted to save my sister in the future. I guess this is a part of that.”

Anthony hummed. “I don’t remember anything like that, but my memories were locked at the start… I don’t know; it’s all so confusing. In any case, I would rather have someone like Jaenona help us than some new eldritch being I know nothing about.”

Plopping down on a big spike, Nora’s long tail weaved back and forth. “What if she lied to you about her past and everything?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. So far as I’m concerned, that’s a waste of thought because I can’t doubt it—literally, I know it as much as I know I’m lifting my arm right now—nothing will come of trying to question something that deep… I trust her.”

A half-smile lifted Nora’s lips, and Anthony couldn’t believe how nonchalant the girl could be about everything, but then again, considering her own Seed and change had adapted her to this type of reality had to play an effect.

“Okay, riddle me this—you’re dating Rachel, right?”

Anthony could instantly see where this was going and shut it down. “It’s not the same.”

“I’m just saying!” She snickered. “I don’t know Rachel that well, but I know if my boyfriend had some eldritch honey embracing my man’s spirit, heh, I’d be a bit jealous. You feel like she’s as much a part of you as your own arm, hmm?”

“Nora…”

“Haha! I’m just trying to have a bit of fun in all of this madness; I don’t know, the sounds of this place just make me happy—it’s hard to explain—like I’ve found a place I kind of belong after feeling so lonely the last few years.”

Anthony looked down at the eye in his hand, a rueful smile forming. “Rachel is pretty logical and practical—a bit of a realist, I suppose… I think she’ll understand, even if she’ll most definitely be uncomfortable with the circumstance itself. I know I’d be.”

Deciding he didn’t need to let this place leave any more of an imprint as it otherwise might have, he scooped out a chunk of the floral-laced amber grass to bury Jaenona’s eye inside and covered it.

“Now… we wait.”

“Aww… Hmm. I’m getting a little hungry,” Nora mumbled, making Anthony’s focus snap to the Slime; Rachel had warned him about her manic and uncontrollable feeding frenzy.

“It’s so weird,” she mused, a ravenous gaze wandering as if searching for pigs to slaughter. “I’m not really consuming more… It’s more like my stomach keeps growing as we’ve talked. Maybe, hehe, I’m leveling up a lot just by being here or something, but… my Satiation value seems to be dropping rather fast now.”

Anthony slowly got to his feet, seeing the look in her feline eyes like a cat on the hunt. “Would this place turn on us if you start eating things? I can’t even see what you’re looking at.”

“So much little stuff… I think we’re in a weaker area,” she hummed, more saying things on instinct than knowledge, Anthony assumed. “Everything is alive around us—growing, molding… It’s all so… fascinating. Haha! I think I do need to eat—sorry, Anthony, but I don’t want to try to eat you!”

“Right…”

* * *

Anthony’s lips tightened as Nora turned into her Slime form, transparent color dyeing black as she began to expand around the stones and plants of the field they were in, growing by the second.

Luckily, she moved away from him, finding hidden prey like she was born in this environment, and as she grew, shining red beads formed in her black body, white streaks occasionally flaring into life and fading.

Anthony couldn’t do anything but wait, and eventually, he saw a small bud—a new flower—that remained when the plain began to rise into a mountainous terrain filled with topaz light and crystals.

Nora was growing to the size of a twelve-story building in the distance by the time the flower reached Anthony’s full height, and it bloomed to reveal a sleeping snow white-haired child with elf ears that couldn’t be older than five.

Utterly shocked at the change from the woman he’d known previously, he had not expected her to be this different when she had warned him.

A black rose was placed into a bow on either side of her hair, keeping her long locks back and wearing a cute white blouse and skirt that fit her perfectly; Anthony didn’t know how to react—his mature, eldritch guide had turned into a little girl.

“Aww, she’s adorable!” Nora cried, Anthony not even noticing when she’d moved the hundreds of meters between them to sneak up behind him. “You didn’t tell me Jaenona was this deadly cute! Look at these,” she gasped, looking up at him with a small, knowing smirk, “no…”

“What?” he asked defensively after the teen had fallen to her knees, nightgown creasing under her legs while looking between them. “She wasn’t like this!”

“No, but I think she’s connecting to your psyche to take on this form, hehe—Rachel has white hair, so… Thinking about kids?”

Only in the context if Rachel and I can even have them—of course, I would be curious, but I’m not going to tell you that!

“I… am not going to dignify that with an—” he cut off as her resting expression furrowed in pain, curling tighter into a ball.

“Oh, no!” Nora cried out, hands not knowing what to do. “Her face is turning red, Anthony—she’s having a hard time breathing…”

“I can see that,” he returned, summoning his red spear—the strongest weapon he owned—and knelt beside her. “I have to let her bond with me, or she’ll just die again, but how—just put the spear to her…”

“Do something—oh, it worked! Yes! Victory!” Nora cheered, mirroring her elder sister more than Anthony thought she realized.

Unlike the black tar she’d taken on before, this time, black rose petals flowed around his weapon before the crimson shade turned obsidian and alabaster; the second the shaft touched Jaenona’s body, her struggles ceased, and Anthony glanced down at his hand as he felt small hands close around his for only a moment.

Jaenona?

“Anthony, she’s waking up!”

Big galaxy-like eyes peeking open, Jaenona blinked, cosmic gaze lifting to give him a smile much older than her appearance suggested. “I told you I would not be the same… Mmh… My mind is hazy…”

“Jaenona!” Nora cried as she fainted. “Anthony…”

“I think she’ll be fine,” he said with a sad chuckle. “We just need to wait for her to recover. How are you now?”

“Totally full! Oh, but I love her outfit—who knew you had a fashion sense?!” she laughed, slapping his arm. “She’s a doll!”

“Eh-hehe… A growing, eldritch doll.”

“Yes! I want! Oh, but I’ll settle with spending time with Jaenona, too—look at her face—I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cuter little girl; it’s like she came straight out of an anime!”

“Right…”

I go into an eldritch dimension with a tar-like entity that takes on the appearance of a woman, and now I’m going to leave with a little girl… No, maybe Jaenona taking on this form is even more insidious and terrifying than anything else… Luring her prey in.

A lump formed in Anthony’s throat as he glanced down at the snow-white-haired child; if she were weak and needed to rebuild her strength, there wasn’t a more deceptive form she could have taken to drop people’s guard.