Selene made her way slowly back to the treehouse, roving over the things she had seen. The willow itself had spoken to her and showed her visions that just left her with more questions. And that prophecy kept ringing in her ears. Who's future did it foresee?

The words, "A warrior will stand on a field of death, to protect a love, they'll give their last breath," I stood out to her. Someone was going to die. It may be her. That battlefield of bodies she had seen, the woman that had laid lifeless on her lap. How much sorrow did the Angels intend on putting her through? How many had to die?

Yet, Lucius was alive. And he despised her.

Her gut twisted the more she thought about it. He was out there right now, looking for her. And he wanted to kill her. She kept seeing him running at her with his sword raised, the intent to kill in his eyes. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Was that really what she looked like? So crazed and disheveled. But she was different than him.

Selene was not responsible for the death of his family, the king was. Lucius did not know that, yet she did. For that, she would do anything to see the king, Cyan had called him Icarus, slain. Even if it meant losing herself along the way.

As she drew closer to Aiden, she felt her anger towards him rising again. Despite what she had seen in that cave, she still wanted to do something to help in this war.

She was not the only one who suffered. Cyan had spoken of other villages being pillaged and destroyed by demons. Her heart ached at the thought of those people. She needed to stop it, end it once and for all.

This was no longer about her and her own revenge, this was about the good of Irica. That was where Lucius and she were not the same. She was avenging the world, every single person that had suffered under the hands of this demon king, who had been proven to be at fault. Lucius was avenging a family of abusers, and he planned on doing it by killing the wrong person. The Priestess hadn't told her to stay put as Aiden had. In fact, she had proven that she would fight.

She showed her the battlefield and the carnage. Selene had been there alongside the other soldiers, fighting against the king and his armies. Yet the cost had been great. As far as she could see there had been bodies, not a single person lived.

Was it worth it?

Something in her told her yes. If they hadn't fought, Icarus would have surely slaughtered them all eventually, whether it be in their homes or on a battlefield. She would rather go down fighting.

What if there was another option? Selene could kill the king before any of this happened. Then there would be no battlefield, no carnage, no empty hearts and tired eyes. She would gladly bathe her hands in his blood if it meant others would survive. Never before had she felt as if she had honor, but now she did.

Instead of returning to the treehouse, she decided to find her mentor. Though she didn't want to admit it, Aiden was right about her being helpless. If Selene wanted to fight with Cyan and her people, then she would need to learn more, and faster. She would have to train harder than she ever had and master her magic as well as her blade. If this power was truly bestowed upon her from the Angels, then it was her responsibility to protect everyone. And this time, she would not fail.

She exited the village and kept her eyes open for Cyan as she walked back to their clearing. the forest had grown silent in the winter snow as most animals went into their homes to sleep or fled to a warmer climate. It was ominous and thought Selene wasn't cold, she couldn't help but rub at the goosebumps on her arms.

She found Cyan in their clearing, sitting in the same tree that she had earlier that day. She sharpened a huge sword, the sound of her whetstone echoing through the dead trees. Selene had never seen the sword before. It looked to be made of steel, yet glimmered like something else. Its hilt was gold and etched with marking that Selene didn't understand, yet they glowed a faint light every time the elf ran the stone against its blade.

"It's beautiful," Selene said, still taking it in.

Cyan ran her stone against it once more before saying, "Yes, it is. It has been with me for many years. I was gifted it after its previous wielder passed."

"How long ago was that?" Selene asked.

She smiled and looked up at Selene, amusement in her eyes, "I'm not sure you're ready to know the answer."

She sheathed the blade behind her back and jumped from the tree. How she wasn't stumbling under the mighty sword's weight was a mystery to Selene.

"Why are you here?"

Suddenly, Selene became nervous. She couldn't tell Cyan why she wanted to train so hard without telling her she wanted to fight with her in the war. And she only knew about the war because she spied on her and Kai.

Before she could confess, Cyan did it for her.

"I would suspect it has something to do with what you heard earlier, between Kai and me."

Selene stared at her in disbelief, "You knew I was there?"

She laughed, "I must say I was impressed with your stealth. I underestimated you. However, no human can spy on the Fae. I can hear everything from here to the village and even beyond if I concentrate."

"That's amazing," Selene gasped.

"Fae senses are much more heightened than that of humans. We are more similar to owls and foxes in that aspect than your kind. Now, what did you think about what he said?"

Selene curled her hands into fists and raised her chin towards Cyan. "I want to fight with you."

Cyan raised her eyebrows, but before she could speak Selene continued, "The king, Icarus, took everything I love and even more than that. I wanted revenge to begin with, but then I heard what you said of the other villages and it sickens me. A monster like him should not be allowed to go on living, and he should especially not be able to harm the people he has. I know that I am still very weak and cannot control my powers. I will not stand a chance against soldiers in another army. So I want you to train me harder than you've ever trained anyone. I want to be the one that brings him down. I want to avenge not only my village but the thousands of others that he has destroyed and the people he has hurt," she took a step closer to the woman, "So, please, make me worthy of being their weapon and carrying their will."

Cyan took a deep breath and stared up at the cloudy sky, her hands behind her head. The wait for her answer seemed to drag on for an eternity, and all Selene could do was stand there and wait for her decision.

"I was planning on leaving today," she said, "But perhaps the Angels have other plans for me."

She looked down at Selene, "I will train you, but know that it will be the worst experiences of you life so far. I will put you through unimaginable hell and make you find your way back blindfolded. Is this still what you wish?"

Without hesitation, Selene said back, "Whatever it takes."

Cyan stared at her unblinking and wondered what was beneath the skin of this frail woman. Whatever it was, it wanted to be let out of its binds.

"Pack your things, we leave at dawn."

"Where are we going?" Selene asked.

"The Frozen Wastes. Valdir."

***

Dawn was breaking below the treeline.

Selene sat on the roof of the treehouse, watching the sky change colors as if a beautiful painting. The clouds had cleared during the night, for the first time in days as if it knew that she was about to set off on a long, hard journey and wanted to wish her good luck. She thought back to when she watched a similar sunrise without the feelings she felt now. Back then, she had been empty, void of life. But she'd changed in her short time here with the shifters of this village. She'd found a purpose past her own selfish desires. A reason to get up every morning.

In a few minutes, she would be heading to Valdir to achieve that purpose.

She would still do anything in order to be able to fight, yet the thought of going to the Frozen Wastes unnerved her. She had heard tales of people crossing its borders and never returning. It was a place of unimaginable cold and dread, full of monsters even more terrifying than those in the Naiṭ araṇya.

She very well might end up being one of those stories.

She climbed down off the roof and back through the door to grab her things before heading out to meet Cyan. Aiden slept in his hammock, the blankets pulled up to his nose.

They were still at each other's throats, and when she had told him that she'd be leaving for a long while and where she was heading, he had not taken it well.

He had marched out into the village and returned a half-hour later, practically steaming. She gathered he had gone to find Cyan, and she had won their argument. He hadn't talked to Selene until the sun had long since set.

She had been putting the last of her things in a sack as he sat by the fire, his chin resting on a fist. She pulled the pack's string tight, and stared at it for a while, realizing what she was preparing to do.

"I made a promise to stay by your side, yet you're forcing me to break it," he had said quietly.

She knew she could not convince him to let her go without a fight, so she said nothing. Besides, he was right. He vowed and she would not let him keep that vow.

But this was something she had to do.

So as the warm light of the rising sun flooded the room, she watched him sleep.

She knew this very well could be the last time she ever saw him. She wished he was awake so she could thank him for all he had done for her. He had saved her more times than she could count and in more ways that one. She would never forget him pulling her out from under the Ursidae's corpse and reaching down to help her.

She knew if he were awake, she wouldn't be able to thank him anyway. There was no way she could. So instead, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving him behind in that house of wood.

She silently said goodbye to the village and the people that were already bustling through its dirt roads as she made her way through it. Many who saw her gave her their sign of good luck. She hope that she would survive to return here.

Before long, she spotted Cyan waiting by the bramble gates. She waved to get the elf's attention and hurried over, adjusting the bag on her back.

"So you didn't decide to stay after all?" Cyan said with a grin.

"Not in a million years," Selene answered.

Together they walked through the snow-covered brambles, and into the white world beyond.