Flara felt the warm heat as the the sun rose over the valley. She slowly opened her eyes to see Tarot’s face sleeping peacefully . She felt his arm and tail wrapped around her. She closed her eyes again, thinking of the night before and the kiss they shared. Tarot yawned and pulled her closer towards him. She felt protected by him; a somehow indomitable wall that could shield her from anything they might encounter. Tarot caressed her face , “Are you ready for this journey?” Flara felt uneasy, she knew this is what she had to do. “I feel it too, Flara,” Tarot replied , sensing her thoughts . They replenished themselves and Tarot made a satchel and two bota bags out of large leaves. He put the orb in one and filled the others with water. They decided to use the orb where the worlds crossed over. Flara exhaled deeply ,”Ready?” Tarot nodded his head, pulling out the orb. He placed it in Flara’s paw and held on to her. She tapped the orb three times and a blue mist began to cover them. This crossover was different from the one Tarot had experienced, now they were in a moving warp. The atmosphere of the warp was blue in color, it pulled them with force. Flara shut her eyes tight. The pulling stopped and Flara opened her eyes.

Flara and Tarot were standing on a cliff face overlooking a destroyed village down below.

The wind whipped across the lands and carried with it sands that cut and bit at the skin. Flara caught her breath, The air smelled of a burning world. All things were found consumed in the scent. It stung her eyes and wretched her nose. The sky was full of boisterous and foreboding clouds that crackled and burst with lightning, snapping at the ground and sending shockwaves in all directions. The ground below was dry from years of rainfall never seen. Flara became light-headed and held on to Tarot's arm for balance . “Breathe slow, listen to my breath.” Tarot said,. He inhaled, then exhaled slow. Flara followed his breathing . This struggle gave her the first taste of this world. Tarot was concerned for her and really wished they had never come here. Tarot looked serious, as they approached the sorrowful example of what would be called a village. Tears fell from Flara’s eyes, seeing no refuge, no sanctuary to be found inside the crumbling walls that made up the structure and backbone of the village. With each wall that was built, another two crumbled to the ground. She searched for any sign of hope but there was none. They walked deeper into the village and started to see the inhabitants. Flara’s eyes widened with fear as they approached. The frames of these exhausted creatures could be summed up in a word. Hopeless.

Their bones protruded from their skin like a tightly-wrapped bundle of sticks. Knuckles bent and twisted with years of toil that came to no fruition. Knees and elbows wracked with pain. Distended and bloated stomachs with gaunt faces full of wretched teeth and bloody scars. The streets, when not lined with broken bricks and pitted roads were spattered with bodies, ones that could not be discerned between dead or living. Flara stayed close to Tarot. “No trust is found among these poor souls, Flara, no greeting smiles, no passing waves, too much fear. No love, only hate,” He whispered to her. As they exited from the village, Flara looked back at the corruption, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t believe that life lived here, that Tarot lived here. Then she stopped, dread and panic set in, as she heard the wailing cries of animals, close to death, but still somehow alive in this savage wilderness. “Where are those cries coming from ?” She gasped . “It’s coming from the Crags,” Tarot answered , pointing to a a huge rock structure. “It's the only place where the villagers can get any water.“ She watched as hoards of villagers climbed up the rocks with broken vessels, collecting the few small streams of tainted water. She watched in horror as fights broke out and creatures wailed. In one of the villager's hand, she saw something sharp and broken, white and thin, with blood dripping off of it. It had a knob at one end with the other end broken off for stabbing. It looked like a white stick, but something inside her told her it was much worse than that. She finally realized what it was and swirled her head away in terror. She grabbed Tarot's arm and began to sob. "They're using their own people as weapons" she said. Tarot covered her head with his hand and comforted her. What could he say? This was truly the world of devastation and sorrow. As they continued to walk, Flara saw people climbing the jagged rocks, piercing their feet and causing blood to trickle down. She turned her head away from the sight. Flara wondered why Nova had not allowed provisions for these creatures. Tarot felt her feelings. “These creatures are tainted, Flara. Nova could try to help them but it would get to the point where she couldn't control it.”

They both knew the fate of this world and had to endure it, as painful as it was. Flara was exhausted. Soon, they were far away from the village and the crags . She didn’t know if it was night in this world, it was an endless twilight . “We are almost there.” Tarot said, as they approached two structures . There were wooden walls with cracks flowing down the sides. Tarot walked around the side of the structure and noticed a grave with a small boulder on the top of it with Dilos’s name. Tarot went to his knees with exhaustion and placed his hand on the stone. Tears welled up in his eyes and he couldn't contain himself. Flara held on to him and rubbed his back. Then, they suddenly heard foot steps from behind. Flara turned to see a female wolf. She was holding a long stick weapon with a blade at the end. Her white hair was tied in a braid that hung to the side. Her fur was matted and her eyes were glaring , until Tarot turned to look at her. Her eyes softened , “Tarot?” She said, her voice was hoarse. “Adia?”