Not without some reticence, Avaln’s gaze left that oh so familiar figure, Sgithe’s. Many questions were still wandering his mind, as memories billowed like a sea before him, deepening the enigma instead of delivering answers. In the end, if he wanted to preserve his sanity all he could do was to desist, and so he did.

Besides, he thought, there were more pressing matters in front of him; one of them, not far away. Indeed, it was closer to him than any of the issues he’d ever encountered before.

They were there, inside a white box he had formed in order to isolate them from the crushing presence of his Tower of Babylon; an idea, a gamble, and a favorable result he was content with… until he realized he didn’t want to kill that creature. Somehow, a part of him refused to do it.

Why?

Through the link he had shared with that sentient shadow, many memories flowed inside his mind during a clash of wills that almost resulted in his consciousness being erased, yet instead of holding a grudge, all Avaln could feel was sympathy.

“Dune…” He muttered, recalling the great being that little creature had been in contact with, had been born from… “No. Not from. Rather, in presence of.” He surmised, stepping closer to the white box.

That existence was but the result of a whim of the world, the slimmest of chances blossoming into something marvellous…

“That’s it.” He suddenly realized.

It wasn’t just empathy what he was feeling, but also compassion. If their birth had been out of luck, their demise would be the product of someone else’s hands, someone’s agenda in which the shadow was but a disposable pawn. The shadow itself was a creature identical in nature to Dune, that great being, that is to say, it had the potential to grow just as powerful. Such was the conclusion Avaln drew from their memories.

To cut that potential, that life short… would be a shame.

Yet what could he do?

There were a few outcomes he could think of. Would the shadow keep being hostile to him? Was it sentient enough to realize trying to nourish from his soul would be akin to drinking poison? It could barely stand in the presence of the Tower of Babylon, much less assimilate it. And even in the case the shadow was no longer his enemy, what could Avaln do?

From the feelings he got during their time linked, he understood the being needed a host to survive and be able to refine Essence to become stronger; a living host, unlike the demon boar he’d been inside all this time, and whose Essence Avaln was currently absorbing into his spear.

Once done, the body was bound to become grey ashes and return to the world, so the shadow would have nowhere to reside in.

Avaln sighed, then took a deep breath, seeking to calm his tumultuous mind. He didn’t need to overthink it. “Let’s take it one step at a time.” He said out loud, turning idea into reality, something more tangible, something to focus on.

Soon, he found himself in front of the white box, no taller than his waist and one step wide, and with a thought, opened a small window, slowly, to try and catch a glimpse inside.

He couldn’t but sigh again before what he saw.

As he feared, the one other possibility occurred; The shadow had endured much since they fought Alary and her team, if the memories he was able to witness held any truth, which he believed was the case. They received a wound during the clash, if by chance or not Avaln couldn’t know, and once their host died, they had to use their very lifeforce to keep it moving and so escape the barrier.

Wound after wound came then, in their struggle to survive, hunting him down out of pure instinct. But what they thought was prey, became their doom… and now, they laid there, barely moving in a pool of semi-darkness.

Avaln didn’t know how, but he could feel their life flickering before his eyes, and from what he could gather, it seemed expelling that hatred had further burdened the already injured being. Worse yet, he found himself unable to do anything to stop it. Frustration filled him as he clenched his hand into a fist, not only because of his impotence, but due to facing that same wall, all over again…

His ignorance.

What a joke, to be in possession of such a large trove of knowledge just to be too weak to tap into it…

Or could he?

Yet as his eyes settled on a particular spot, the question quickly turned into… should he?

She was barely breathing, and her weight felt lifeless.

The sensation would spread out in waves from their contact, as she carried her.

It had taken them a week and a half to reach the edge of the forest of the Demon Boar Mountain Range, weakened as they were, with Harold fighting out of pure sheer will, without a weapon, and as much against his broken arm as against the beasts that would randomly block their way. Luckily, their base strength was far above them, making their scuffles non-lethal despite their injuries, for indeed none of them had been spared during their quest. However, being able to survive was far from allowing them to feel relieved.

Even now, as Alary was able to catch sight of the houses of Gale at last.

“What… happened here?” She muttered in disbelief, taking the first step into the village as one of her hands held Alice’s, her friend’s arm over her shoulder to better carry her with Gallathorn’s help on the other side.

Despite their training and experience, all of them were at the end of their rope, exhaustion washing over them with every step and breath. Alary couldn’t stop to think about the state the town was in, she couldn’t even begin to question why one of the houses laid in ruins, broken into splints, or why there was a hollowing silence flooding the trodden path leading into the forest, instead of the murmur of living, surviving people.

Could it be?

She shook her head, knowing time was of the essence.

For she was barely breathing.

“Help!” She shouted, her voice coarse. “Help! Someone?!”

She was the only one, however. None of her team dared to raise their voice, their gazes wandering through the wooden homes which seemed to only echo her pleas. They didn’t shout for help because they knew, Alary understood. They knew that even if they could find rest and regain their strength, the reason she was asking for help would find no relief.

It was for Alice.

Using one’s lifeforce wasn’t something easily healed, much less endured for such a long time without aid, and the spellcaster had given no signs of waking up through their entire journey as Alary could but only watch how her friend waned before her eyes. She fought, desperately, against beast and time, knowing her own state was far from ideal… just for that one sliver of hope.

That sliver of finding a way to save her.

Yet Gale answered only with her own fading voice.

That silence struck her harder than the Alpha’s tackle, it reverberated deep within her, awaking her pain in a spreading flare, reminding her of her weak aching muscles she had been ignoring since they left the cave leading to the Temple of Astraea. Her knees gave out under her weight, and Gallathorn couldn’t react in time as Alice slipped from his hold, both figures meeting the ground.

Alary did what she could to turn and prevent the spellcaster from hurting herself, although nothing could protect her from the wave of hopelessness that assaulted her then, as she realized such action was meaningless.

It would not prevent her fate.

“What are you doing standing there?! Help them up!” A female voice demanded, her figure turning a corner, seemingly out of Gale’s main road. “Don’t stare at me! Help them!”

Garry and Gallathorn snapped into action, and even Harold stepped closer just in case. Alary, however, only stood out of instinct, catching sight of her friend’s features. She was pale, her skin dry, and one could even find wrinkles here and there that shouldn’t exist in someone as young as her.

She shook her head, what could a girl like the one coming to them, that should barely be in her late teenage years, do for someone with such an affliction?

“You know I’m not one to sacrifice myself.” Alice’s words came to her mind, all too easily.

Liar. She thought.

“Here, this way.” The girl pointed behind her. “Grandma Mira!”

Alary found the name among her few memories, during their brief visit before heading into the forest, and recalled it belonged to an elderly woman who seemed to hold some authority among the people of Gale. She didn’t, however, remember her having a granddaughter like the one leading them now, but given the haste with which they departed she didn’t think twice about it. It was entirely possible she had just missed her, after all.

“Little Ri, have you packed your things?” Came another voice, experience marked in her tone, yet lacking the usual defeat of time. “It’s better if we set out once the sun has fully… who are they?”

The elderly woman seemed surprised, and Alary saw clearly how she tried to keep her expression stern before their sight. We are not welcome. Alary surmised.

“We… we just need some rest.” She explained, smiling ruefully and involuntarily.

What else could she even ask from them? What else could they even offer?

“There is something wrong with the red-haired woman.” Alary noted the girl’s appearance was quite particular, with such pale blue hair and eyes, and even her skin seemed to reflect the setting sun. Yet what truly surprised her was her keen eye; they all looked in need of help, and one could say Harold was the most obviously injured. Alice, on the other hand, appeared at a glance to just be unconscious.

“I see.” The elderly woman by the name of Mira stared at them, then into Alary’s eyes. It lasted only for a few breaths, yet it felt much longer, as if something had come to a stand still right before losing balance and starting to flow again. “You won’t find much help here. Many of us have left, and we are about to do the same.”

The elderly woman’s features grimaced as soon as she said this, as if some thought had crossed her mind. Alary, on her part, remained silent, feeling the weight of her friend all the more heavy because of the words she recalled next.

“I’m sorry, Aly.” Alice had known the creature inside the alpha’s body would seek the nearest place it could to find a new host in, and that place turned out to be Gale. She didn’t need to be a genius to realize the cause for the destruction of that first house she saw.

She didn’t, however, expect it would cause so much damage as to chase them all away, given how injured it was… yet she had to admit she hadn’t thought too much about it, out of duty towards Alice, and because she was afraid to do it. To think of the consequences.

“We are not leaving yet.” Stated the girl then, all too suddenly, drawing a look from the elderly woman.

“We are.”

“We are not.” The girl repeated, this time while crossing her arms and lifting an eyebrow.

“We a…”

“Need I say it out loud, Mira?”

Alary didn’t dare intervene, yet this time out of amazement. She’d never seen a girl so young talking in such a tone to her elders… albeit she could think of one example; herself, to her father when she was but a little girl. Such a thought shone in her mind, flashing a time and a feeling when her worries were lesser, lighter… and it was enough to bring a spark of joy to her troubled heart. She almost had to hold back a chuckle.

The couple stared at each other for a moment, in a clash of wills Alary saw quite clearly, and which to her surprise ended up with the elderly woman taking a deep breath, then sighing in resignation. She looked straight at her then, only to avoid her gaze the next breath as a grimace crossed her face once again. “Very well. I’ll help you.”

“I knew you’d choose wisely.” The girl said, nodding in recognition. Alary felt herself smiling in wonder.

“But after that, we are leaving!”

“Alright, alright…”

The elderly woman turned around, her hands linked behind her back, and ordered, “Follow me. I’ll do something about your sleeping friend.”

Alary, however, hesitated, for the same doubt she had before was still there. “I’m sorry, venerable… but I don’t think you… “

What could some elderly woman from a village you wouldn’t find in a map, do for Alice?

“Move for fuck’s sake! Or do you want her to die?!” The woman snapped.

“Hey! Who do you think you are talking to…” Gallathorn started to retort.

“Oh, shut your trap! I could fill a sack of straw and get a man more useful than you!” She spat, then stepped forward without waiting.

Should she dare to hope? Alary thought, and soon came to the conclusion that hoping was all she could do for Alice now.

She sure wished she had a god to pray to, to lay her worries to rest with. Those who could do so, who thought they were never alone, who thought everything in the world followed a design and had a reason for happening… she couldn’t bring herself to believe in such things, her mind just wasn’t woven that way, but she could appreciate the support it must bring.

She sighed, and took her first step forward. Forward. She mused, not away from something, not escaping from something, but towards something, towards an end. Whatever it may be.

It was then when she overheard the woman named Mira muttering something, under her breath.

“Do you think I’d even take the risk if it weren’t for that boy…?”

Boy?

Alary dismissed it, for she had no idea what she may be talking about, and it was clearly something she shouldn’t have heard anyway. It did, however, awaken an image of someone she hadn’t seen nor thought of in quite a while.

“Resist, Alice.” She whispered in her ear, as her mind and will stood once again against her exhaustion and pain. “I did promise I’d introduce you to him, didn’t I?”