You want to know the most terrifying thing about dragons? I have personally slain all of them. The ancients, the adults, and all the wyrmlings, then crushed each one of their eggs to be sure. I cut down their servants, erased any records of their rule, and destroyed their cults with little regard for whom I may harm along the way. Then I prayed to the god of truth, and was told my duty was done, that dragonkind was extinct.

I have done this three times in my lifetime.

I will need to do it again.

- Baralen Dragonbane, eons ago

Upon actually looking around, it became clear that I was not actually standing atop any lake, but rather under it. Looking down, I could see through the clear surface and behold a twice moonlit sky. Looking up, my hair got in the way. It floated around in a way that reminded me of Maiathah’s hair but brown, somehow going down while my feet went up and failed to penetrate the surface, treating the air as they would normally the ground.

I could also breathe fine. So at least I had that. Everything else was incredibly disconcerting.

Honestly, it was like I was back home.

It soon became clear that I was not actually standing on an endless surface either. The water surrounding me was simply murky, making visibility vanish in a way that was similar to peering into a snowstorm, albeit more subtle. That, I figured by making out a familiar silhouette in the near distance, looming from within the dark.

The Busty Butler that I saw was a reflection of an upright version of the ship that I could see by peering through the surface floor. The reflection was not resting against the surface, but rather the keel of what I assumed was the original. That is, if anything was even real here.

Normally I didn’t walk on air or breathe underwater, so I wasn’t holding said breath.

Thankfully, I awoke wearing everything I went to sleep in. Less thankfully, I had neglected to wear either of my weapons on my belt when I fell asleep, and was therefore unarmed. Feeling somewhat naked, I started walking towards the Busty Butler.

Completely contrary to reasonable expectations, there were people aboard the upside down version of the ship. Also unexpectedly, there was a now familiar creature encircling the ship. It was massive, and incredibly long. Reflective, too.

I saw the massive snake head curl around the side of the ship and see me. It changed course and redirected its reflective face into a more broad orbit that made it encircle me as well, rather than crash into me. The underwater darkness that the creature emanated spreading in its wake. My hand twitched to where the comforting weight of my weapons was absent, wishing that I’d had the forethought to wear them to sleep.

“Greetings again, Name of Amber.” The words resounded through my mind as I remembered, rather than heard them in sequence. Or it felt that way. This thing’s ‘voice’ was as abstract as it was pretentious.

“You have me at a disadvantage.” I said, wary. It had rolled over and positioned its glowing eyes so I was looking at an upside down head, putting me between it and the Busty Butler at the same time. I doubted I could flee that way if it didn’t want me to, but by the Gods below I would try. It being upside down just meant I felt like we were right side up.

My voice wasn’t muffled by being underwater, I belatedly realised. Then again, this place wasn’t normal. A different dimension, illusion, or a dream, I still couldn’t tell. But it was one of the three, and such things were theoretically possible in all three.

“A shame. I introduced myself previously, and ignoring small violations, my words will not be spoken again. You will need to recall my name of your own accord.”

“What, you said you don’t repeat yourself?” I demanded. If it said that last time, then that would explain why it told me that in such a roundabout way.

Its eyes narrowed in what I pegged as amusement. “Precisely.”

“Fuck.” I looked around, but nothing new had revealed itself. What I had thought was murky water was not looking more like this thing’s darkness. Just how long was this snake? “So what do I call you then?”

“A question that you asked when first we spoke.” I frowned at its evasive answer. “How fortunate that I possess many titles.” It paused in consideration. “You may name me The Most Accomplished Killer in Time, That Which Brings Calamity, They Who Was Lost to History, or simply describe what you see before you. Do use your imagination, and do not hold back. I am difficult to offend.”

Well, if it was fine with that… “I’ll call you Serflection.” I decided. It’s eyes shifted up, as if taken aback. “You’re a serpent, and your scales reflect. Serpent reflection. Serflection.”

“How fortunate you are not The Namer.” It said with admonishment. “To Name one such as myself a Serf.”

Ah… Shit. Maybe I should try not offending the massive snake thing with glowing eyes. “I was thinking Serfle for short, actually. Or Flecki.”

A power rushed past me as the creature snorted, tugging my hair back as it went. “It will do. Though, as I have broached before, respect will extend your lifespan.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. “I’ll think about it. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t repeat yourself?” It simply stared at me. “You said the opposite, didn’t you?” No reaction. “Fine, whatever. What are you doing here?”

The head finally lifted to watch the ship behind me. “A great meeting is about to occur on the ship you and your compatriots have booked passage on. When I am not shepherding significant souls such as yourself, I enjoy listening in on such trivialities.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s going to the meeting? Some Envoy?”

“Such peasantry is beneath my notice. No, two characters are to meet here on this night. One of which you are already familiar with.”

“Is it Scajoce?” I asked.

The eyes turned to look at me with amusement once more. “How did you guess that?”

I shrugged. “All the people of significance I know who aren’t him are sitting on their butts back in Veliki. Of all the people I’ve met since leaving that place, he was the only one strange enough to be more interesting than some ‘insignificant Envoy’.” Then, after a moment. “And the other two I’m already travelling with, but they don’t seem the type to know something esoteric like you.”

A low mournful ‘sound’ graced the innermost regions of my mind. “Me, an esoteric? So it is, and so I am.” Thankfully, Serfle got over its sudden melancholia and continued. “The other character is no one special. Simply Kinli, Patron of Kreg’uune, and God of Conquest and Dominion.”

Suddenly I understood prejudice common in Veliki against higher creatures like the one I was speaking with, if that was even the correct term. That god over there? Nobody special. Conquered at least five countries, but who hasn’t, am I right? Of course, I didn’t say that. Merely going, “Huh.” Then, “So does Scajoce have any titles like that?”

“That thing is merely Godling of the Changing Times, a Purveyor of Pancakes, and an Antimagic Adept.” Serfle explained. My eyebrows raised with surprise, having been expecting something more impressive. I had assumed such an unassuming looking guy spewing prophecy about coming war would have a title like ‘Bloodlust’s Second Face’ or the like, and was pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong. “Of the two, he is much more interesting. His ascension was rather amusing to watch, but I will refrain from describing further until we have time enough for telling that story in its entirety.”

“Hm.” I thought over the implication. “So you expect us to meet again.”

The glowing eyes surveyed me briefly before drifting off towards the ship. I took its non-answer to mean that it had answered that question already. My teeth clenched. I barely remembered talking to this thing for five minutes and it was already irritating.

“Come.” It told me. “Observe an argument often held far above your attention. Only one other mortal has seen the like of what you shortly may.” At the very least, Serfle was moving at a pace that matched my walking speed, which treated the water as if it were air.

“So what brings a harbinger to this place?” I asked to fill the short silence as I followed. Wherever this place actually is.

“You have assumed incorrectly.” Serfle told me. “This is no place.”

“So it’s a dream. What’s a harbinger doing in a dream?”

It pondered for a moment, or I think it did. Serfle didn’t have any tells that I could use to figure what its mind was thinking, and it definitely had a strange mind compared to mine. After a moment a power similar to what blew my hair back fell over my shoulders, though it was different from putting a backpack on. This felt like the opposite, which I attributed to my upside downness.

When I tried to protest, no sound left my mouth. When I moved, I could feel the water acting like air, but heard no rustle from my clothes. It was silence. Clearly Serfle didn’t want to answer that question. He was obviously more intent on eavesdropping like the creepy snake he was, there were sounds drifting towards us from the deck of the ship. The upside down one, not the ‘real’ one.

I frowned and strained my ears.

“Like this.” Serfle made me flinch as it nipped the water next to my head, its gigantic mouth opening a mere fraction, but pulling and pushing the water around me a disproportionate amount. The power surrounding me fluctuated and I felt like throwing up for a moment. When it settled I found that the magic in my body had shifted somewhat. It made me feel faintly ill, and already whatever immaterial parts made me up were healing and shifting back to their original places.

But the magic on the sides of my head was different. It had fallen into a glyph, almost, and not one I recognised. Through it I realised the sounds from the ship were much clearer. The magic was already pulling itself back to how it used to be, so I quickly used what I had learned with rezan to grab the magic of the glyphs and strained to keep them as they were. It was mentally taxing, but it let me listen in on the conversation Serfle was so intent on eavesdropping.

“...-the third and final time, LEAVE. Do not interfere in this matter. It is not meant for your meddling, Godling.” Given that only one of the two was supposed to be a godling, I assumed the speaker was Kinli.

How strange, that I was spying on the god my mom and dad likely worshiped before leaving Kreg’uune.

Scajoce’s voice was as I remembered it, albeit clearly enjoying this and therefore insufferable. “You know that only makes me want to do more, right?”

“I am aware.” Kinli blustered. “And so it is that now when you meddle, heedless of my Warnings, I am fit to take your head.”

“Won’t work. Our heads are long since optional. My respect goes to you for not using a star for a face, mind. And thank me you aren’t going wholly immaterial. Hate those guys.”

“I am here to reclaim my Chosen!” Power cracked and pulsed out from the ship, blasting my hair back once more as it passed. I leered and grumbled silently. That was already old. “She has meandered far from where she is meant to be! Her path was essential for the continued Vitorian dynasty! She will only perish on the path she now treads!”

A sharp, unsympathetic laugh rang out. “My Brother, you are God of Dominion. You intend to keep things the same by moving things around, but it won’t work.” There was a pause. I assumed Scajoce was using it to lean forward dramatically. “Your kingdom and dominion have been around for nearly four centuries now. That’s a long time, and times they are a changing.” Another pause. “Changin? I can’t remember how it went.”

“You target my foundation.” It was a statement and a question. Then, growled out. “This is Assassination.”

“Nah, I don’t kill the likes of you. I tend to restrain myself to merely decimating religious followings. Force a shift in power that way. Though, given how you forced every sapient in Kreg’uune to worship you…”

The silence continued and became oppressive.

“I will deliver a message to my Chosen.” Kinli growled.

“Perhaps.” Scajoce responded. He may have been the godling, but in this conversation it was clear who was in control. “But! You were late to this quest. You are not the second one here, but the fifth.” A beat. “I know, it surprised me too!”

I frowned, making a mental note to think on that later. If I even remembered this after waking up.

“You will.” Serfle told me. That just made my eyebrows furrow even more.

Scajoce continued, unable to hear our byplay. “So not only were you LAST. You, my dear friend, must WAIT your TURN.”

“You would reduce a devastating civil war to a secondary quest?” Kinli asked, his disgust clear.

“You’re understating it. Try… cataclysmic. And… minor quest. Maybe not even that. Background fits better. It means something now, for certain, but the story is already headed in a different direction.”

“YOU WILL EXPLAIN.”

“Well, I’ve been sowing the seeds of rebellion in your country for about half a century now, and-”

“EPOCH!” Two cracks of shining power rang out from the upside down deck of the Busty Butler. The first was tinged with steel and felt oppressive against my body, though Serfle wrapped its neck around me, shielding me from the worst of the blast. The second was abstract, but direct and in opposition to the first. The oppressive power was crippled after that instant.

“Kinli, Kinli, Kinli…” Scajoce was likely shaking his head with how he was saying that. “If you wanted to force me into submission, you would’ve come as more than a mere dream. Hells, even an angel might’ve gained you an upper hand here.”

“You are my enemy.”

The tension in the water grew cold. “I am the Changing Times.” Epoch said, his words ringing out clear throughout the dream. “I am Everyone’s enemy.”

My eyebrows went up. That was actually an impressive line.

“But what was I saying? ...Ah, yes. Something something, seeds of rebellion, and I happened upon a momentous event that almost seemed to call me. I weighed one path against the other, and you’ll be happy with what I decided.”

“And what is that?” Kinli spat.

“I’m ONLY going to be crippling your country.” I could feel the smug smile from here.

“Upstart!” Kinli bellowed. “You would destroy me in the process!”

“Nah, you’re Conquest and Dominion.” Scajoce said. “Removing one of the two will not end you. You are worshiped as a pagan god outside your precious country, after all.”

“I will not see myself lowered to your filthy level.”

“Should’ve come with an angel then. Now tell me, O’ God of Conquest and Dominion, Patron to Kreg’uune, what message might you have for your Chosen?”

The silence that followed was likely thanks to Kinli glaring at Scajoce. For gods they were surprisingly mundane in their interaction. They were just a whole lot more clear about which words they were stressing.

“She is to travel through the Northern Plains to the city of Scorn. There, she will find a message intended only for her that will lead to the next stage of her growth.”

“What’s that next stage?” Scajoce demanded instantly. “Come on, it’s not like I’m going to use that secret for myself. I don’t use Chosen Ones like you do.”

That made me frown. It was my understanding that having a Chosen One, while not a necessity, was natural for beings of that level of power. Something like how growing hair was normal for mortals. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was a Godling. Or he was lying.

“Most observant.” Serfle commented in my mind.

I glared at the glowing eyes, which was the only feature I could reliably look at. Stop reading my thoughts.

“Cease broadcasting them.”

I huffed, having no clue how to do that. Most of my willpower was taken up holding Serfle’s hearing glyphs in place, anyway. What little remained came to the conclusion that Scajoce did in fact have one or more Chosen Ones, who likely operated discretely since Kinli seemed taken by the deception.

“She is to find and use a Scroll of Soul Rending.” He said confidently, but after no small amount of hesitation.

“On herself!?”

“It is the next step for her growth.”

Scajoce burst out laughing. “Me’s, and I thought I was bad.” His mirth evaporated in an instant. “Denied.”

“I will not stand for this continued interference!” Kinli was quick to shout, followed by a resurgence of his oppressive power. It wasn’t as strong as the first time, however, and Scojece definitely wasn’t cowed by it.

“This will be the third time you have failed to inflict your influence here.” He said calmly. “You are aware of what that means.”

“You may have meddled here and now!” Kinli growled, his voice holding a clean volume that wasn’t possible with a human set of lungs. “But I will reclaim my-”

Kinli’s presence vanished in the blink of an eye. All that remained was a sense that was difficult to describe. The closest feeling I could ascribe was the way I felt after making my decision to leave my family, but was still spending time around them. It was bittersweet, but more the latter than the former, and also completely different.

But perhaps that was the difficulty of finding words apt for describing the changing times.

Whatever the feeling was, it slowly receded and was replaced by the feeling of cool night air, and the realisation that I was still standing upside down in the water, with a gargantuan reflective snake curled around me. An undercurrent of suspense remained.

“So that’s that, then.” I commented.

Serfle uncoiled from around me and placed its head a respectful distance away. “Grant me your impression of those that decide the fates of mortals.”

I scratched my head. “They seem like kids fighting over toys.”

A current ripped past me as Serfle snorted. “An accurate observation.”

“... So why did you show me that?” I demanded of the reflective snake.

It paused. “Explain your question.”

“You must have brought me here for a reason.” I said. “You’re my harbinger, or you were the first time I died. Whatever that connection is, it isn’t enough to justify you and me being here at the same time to listen in on whatever that was.”

“Once again, you are mistaken. We share a connection, which is unique amongst the rest that span throughout the great tapestry that you refer to as All. You have heard my name. You have given me another. I sheltered you when first you perished. Of those that are souls, None other can claim the same.”

“So you’re telling me you’re exclusive.”

“I am original.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“The appropriate explanations have already graced your ears, and will become clear with time. That is enough.”

I spluttered. “No, that doesn’t make any godsdamned sense! Just because I heard something when my memory wasn’t working doesn’t mean you can say things assuming I’ll remember them.”

“Another error.” Serfle’s eyes drifted away from me, looking somewhere that wasn’t me or the ship. “Deceased souls maintain their forms with great difficulty. Yours was not strong enough to do so. When you returned to mortality, parts were left behind.” The eyes returned to me. “But they will find a way back to you.”

So my memories were out there, somewhere in the ether, and would one day return. Great. I had flashbacks to look forward to. That didn’t help me understand here.

“Many have squandered lifetimes failing to reach the epiphanies granted to you here.” Serfle said, its eyes showing a glimpse of humour.

“Cool.” I said. “If you’re not going to be helpful, help me another way. Choose me. For something. Anything.”

Serfle’s eyes glowed with impassive light. I could tell it was taking a measure of me and all I was. The truth was, I wasn’t fully aware of what this thing represented, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But the facts I had available were that one, it could take the role of harbingers, which was no small feat, and two, that it eavesdropped on freaking gods.

Life doing this thing’s bidding when compared to life as a wife? I had little doubt as to which would have greater importance to All. Serfle had already claimed that I was the only one that had even heard its name, whatever it was. We already had a benign connection.

Getting a blessing here would be a great boon as I walked my mascevan path

“I cannot repeat the actions of the past.” Serfle said, bringing my aspirations down around me.

“Explain.” I demanded of the gigantic creature that could likely end me with a thought. “That means you already Chose me. For what? Why have I not realised for now? There has been nothing you might have wanted me to do.”

“You are already my partner in conversation.” Once more, humour flashed through its eyes.

At the same time, a memory of me telling Scajoce much the same thing surfaced in my mind. I pointed at the damn snake with a finger shaking in fury. “You son of a witch. You were watching that! And you know that’s not what I asked!”

“I do understand what you are doing, name of Amber.” Serfle said as its head started drifting off into the depths below, its neck descending down with it. “My true blessing would not fit for your aims. You wish to live your life. Being Chosen by me would remove your ability to do so.”

“But will it get me away from the Shepards?” I demanded. “That’s all I care about. Really! It is!”

“Self deception only suits you in moderation.” It told me. “We have spoken enough. It is time for you to be rescued.”

I was about to ask it what that meant when something hit the surface of the water not far from where I was standing. It was a rope, but it was also alive. Much like the snake that had just snubbed me, it wrapped around my body, and the fact that I was upside down in water suddenly became a problem. I started drifting, trying to right myself while fighting the rope.

The surface was far from calm when I finally broke past it to reach the pure air above. My lungs hurt even though I was only without breath for a few seconds, which stopped me from realising that the rope was my lifeline for a few precious moments. But once I had traced the rope back to the one holding it, a familiar half-elf, I found myself able to relax. Not that I relaxed much, given that the water was utterly freezing.

I thought over what I had learned as Jvina hoisted me aboard the Busty Butler, but didn’t come to any solid conclusions by the time I was back on the deck. My body was shivering and I felt cold and wet from my dip in the night time water.

“How did you fall into the water?” Jvina demanded with concern. “You should have been in your room.”

“Slept on the floor.” I said through my chattering teeth. “Don’t worry. I won’t be doing that again.”

\V/