The place used to be a maze, with walls as high as her shoulder. On every side, flowers blossomed in many different colors. Nefaaya found herself in the middle of the maze, sitting close to a dry fountain with a statue of a woman pouring water on the basin. How she knew everything about it, she didn't know. It was in her mind, as if it was part of her memory.

As soon as he scanned the Maze, Nefaaya realized its wrongness. But she couldn't figure out what it was. She felt being chased.

The wind picked up and somewhere she heard the leaves rustling and felt the eyes staring right at her. She looked around as everything started to dim as if night was approaching. Wait, or was it always dim before she could even notice it?

Above her she saw a black sun.

Nefaaya knew what an eclipse should look like, but this sun above her was different. It was as if the sun itself was made out of shadows. But despite it Nefaaya can't help but to stare right at it, all her inhibitions vanished as the black sun drew her closer and closer.

Beside her, a booming echoed in the nothingness. Nefaaya felt the dusty ground beneath her trembled. She turned to it and saw molten rocks erupting from the ground. But her eyes keep glancing upwards. Nefaaya shook her head and tried emptying her mind.

But her efforts were futile, from where the fire erupted. Another explosion took place, breaking the earth below her. Instead of magma, thick black fumes of smoke were pouring out of the hole in the ground. The air around her smells like rotten meat, she pulled back covering her nose.

Then the color of smoke changed into a reddish-black smoke. As it escaped to the maze, she heard a gritting and crackling sound. The smoke moved around in the air before it slowly dove towards her. Nefaaya took a step back and found herself falling into darkness.

But this time, the darkness was comforting at the very least. The moving fumes tried to reach her but there was something in the dark that was trying to stop it. As it hit the invisible wall protecting her from the smoke' touch, it exploded into small glowing black balls similar to the black sun.

She snapped back.

Nefaaya opened her eyes, panting from the dream that she had. She was facing the back of Nelrue, as he was fixing his flute and harp. Beside him Renaeril and Ettran were sleeping soundly like newborn cubs.

"Master Nelrue," she called, but the man didn't turn to her.

Nefaaya was about to stand when she noticed that her legs didn't move as she rose. She looked back, and felt herself trembling in what she had seen.

Beside her, her body was sleeping covered in her blanket. She felt the danger on every sides, she felt the terror and her fear trying to eat her. From where her head was, the juniper rustled as a dark-skinned arm tried to push his way out towards the camp.

Nefaaya was about to Pull something even though she wasn't sure if it was possible in this state.

The wind picked up, blowing the long shirt of the Eye. The god walked towards her and sat on the farthest log closed to where her body was.

"What's the meaning of this?" She hissed.

The Eye looked at her, there was something in his expressionless eyes that told her that there was something wrong.

"We have been found," it was all he said but its gravity was enough for Nefaaya to be taken by her fear.

Suddenly, she felt the hungry eyes once again staring right at her. She felt naked under the gaze, she felt sorrowful and angry. But all her raging emotion was naught because the strongest emotion was the feeling of resignation. It was as if she had given up on everything. Why would she give up was something Nefaaya couldn't figure out herself.

"Found by who?" She said and sat beside the Eye. Trying to feel the safety that she was so used to feeling beside him.

"By the Madness," he said. "You call them Rotseekers. People who swore their loyalty with Madness. These were the same servants who served the Prophet and his Wickeds for the reason that the Prophet was someone graced by Madness."

Confusion enveloped her, Nefaaya had so many questions that she wanted to ask but she didn't know where to start. Prophet? Why was he talking about him? Why was he in her dreams? Why is that labyrinth familiar to her... as if she had already seen it?

But she didn't dare to speak, Nefaaya just stared at the Eye while the Eye stared at the flames before them.

"I thought Madness was a force?" She said, "I'm not a religious person but the book says that it was a force who was trying to Taint the Great Flow."

He shook his head, "there were many things that had been forgotten. Madness was not just a force but he was also an entity, sealed by Them for eternity. But when..."

Rulesis turned to his left, whispering, "she betrayed us... the influence..."

"What?" She said as she can no longer hear the god's voice against the rustling leaves from above.

He shook his head, "those things of the past don't concern you. Nefaaya, Madness and his Rotseekers were right behind your-"

She felt the dread in her stomach, like a heavy stone that was trying to pull her down. She glanced behind her, paranoid of the wind.

"... heels. They had been waiting for this day, since the Prophet perished. They're waiting for an opportunity to Taint someone."

"What should I do? Should I seek the city you show me? But I also wanted to meet my father."

She put her hand on her chest. Learo, she has to meet him no matter what happens.

He shook his head, "follow the city, it was what the Flow showed to me. You would meet your father at the right time as all Flows are intertwined with one another and where bound to meet.

"Perhaps this would be the last time I would be able to visit you... the Black Sun tracks my movements... it was my fault that you have been found."

Despite what he said, Rulesis' eyes remained stoic. Emotionless and cold.

She was saying it for the sake of saying it.

As he raised his eyes from the ground, his eyes widened from something. An expression that she hadn't seen before from him. Then it hardened. Nefaaya looked to where he was looking—it was Nelrue's back. The musicteller was still fixing his things.

"He's also here," he said. "I hope he does not cause trouble."

As if Nelrue knew that he was being talked about, he turned. The juniper bushes rustled in the wind. Then his green eyes flickered in her direction, seeing. It stayed there before he turned his back to them.

"Do you know him?"

Rulesis looked at her, "those things are no concer-"

Nefaaya grunted. It had made the god stop. "What do you mean it's not my business? You're the one who dragged me in this scheme! How I could not concern myself with anything that was related to this."

"I do the bidding of the flow," he said calmly. "And it wasn't part of its bidding to tell you who's that musicteller."

The Eye raised his hand, reaching for her forehead just like the last time. She tried to dodge it but before she could even move she was taken back to her body.

It was not until the morning when Nefaaya woke up, her eyes ached and her back felt terrible as she had slept on a root that she hadn't noticed.

Nelrue looked at her and offered her bread, smiling. But it wasn't a normal smile, there was something knowing there. As if the two of them shared a secret that the boys didn't know. To be honest she felt disgusted in the way he looked at her. It was as if a maniac was looking at her because she had done something unspeakable with him.

Later when they started their journey through the forest, Nelrue slowed down beside her and whispered, "I know everything."