The day after the second trial, I watched a movie… alone. I had tried to call Lilith but she didn’t answer. When I finally got out of the theater, I saw that she had sent a text.

I’m sorry, I just need some space right now. Please understand.

I didn’t understand. I didn’t get it at all. I wished she would sit me down and explain what the hell she was upset about in plain English. She liked me in the game, that much was obvious even to an oblivious person such as myself. I could have sworn she felt the same way in real life as well. Hell, after what had happened in my room yesterday (the fun part, not the depressing part), I was positive I wasn’t just a friend to her. So why the hell was it so important for her to call me Rose? I didn’t look like Rose, I didn’t sound like Rose, shit, I barely even acted like Rose in real life. Yet, she was more than willing to take passionate initiative until I refused the name? That was bullshit!

I was angry. No, that word wasn’t nearly fancy enough to adequately describe my fury. I was incandescent! Yeah! That word did my anger justice and was totally worth busting open a thesaurus just so I could focus on how perfectly that word fit my mood at that moment. I seethed and paced in my room. I considered going to a gym to vent my frustrations constructively, before remembering that I was cripplingly lazy and returned back to the seething and pacing plan.

It amazed me how short the shelf life of righteous indignation was. My anger burned out fairly quickly and I found myself staring at my clock at three in the morning, missing my friend. Damnit, I sucked at holding grudges. All I could do was lay awake in bed and wonder if Lilith would show up for the group’s game session on Saturday.

The next days passed painfully slowly. I managed to keep a decent poker face as I went about my day to day life. I was on autopilot, going through the motions without actually experiencing anything around me. No, I wasn’t a citizen of Earth during this time; my mind was in the witch’s sanctum, enjoying the company of the person I would have given anything to see.

I know I messed up a lot more orders than usual during my shifts at the cafe. My boss was less than thrilled with my performance but didn’t give enough of a damn to press the issue. My friends, however, were a different story. Any time I hung out with Nash or Reg, they would ask me if something was wrong. I guess that was one of the cons of getting to know other people; it became almost impossible to hide things from them. Despite their well-meaning concern, I vehemently denied that anything was bugging me. I knew I was laughing too often and too loudly, that I normally didn’t smile nearly as often as I was. My overcompensation was blatant, but they respected my space and dropped the issue. They really were good guys.

After many hollow hours of killing time, I had made it to Saturday. My friends and I arrived early to set up the game room once again. This time, Nash and Reg brought pillows in lieu of snacks and supplies. Seeing as how we’d be technically unconscious during our stay, it was actually a good move. I had neglected to bring anything, being too focused on whether or not the game would even continue tonight. My fear was proven unwarranted as Lilith walked into the room right on schedule.

“Hey there Lilith, nice to see you again,” said Nash, the ever-gracious host. Lilith smiled and waved at him. Reg gave Lilith a quick nod and smile as he fluffed his pillow. Less gracious, yes, but you had to respect that pragmatism.

Lilith and I looked at each other but remained silent. I didn’t know what to say and it was obvious neither did Lilith. Great. While Lilith and I participated in our impromptu staring contest, I noticed Nash and Reg looking on in my peripheral vision. They would look at one of us, then shift to the other. They switched back and forth every few seconds, reminding me of an audience watching a tennis match trying to keep up with where the ball was at any given moment. They had misread the situation; they weren’t witnessing a battle of wills. They weren’t spectating on some epic conflict of silent attrition. No, all that was before them were two awkward friends who had never fought before and had no idea how to make up.

Lilith blinked first and took her seat; she wasted no time before asking if everyone was ready to start. Nash and Reg tempered their excitement for the impending adventure and looked to me for confirmation. I nodded and we were off to the races.

I was Rose once more, standing next to Lilith’s empty throne. I heard the clicking of heels behind me and turned to see Lilith, in her original gown, marching up to me. She held a bow and a quiver and shoved them into my hands roughly. “Come,” she said, still not looking me in the eyes. I was wearing an amalgamation of my previous outfits with leather trousers, the white shirt I had been gifted in town, and my original adventuring boots. In the oppressive corset’s place, I now wore light leather armor. I slung the quiver over my shoulder and switched the bow to my left hand before following Lilith toward the doors.

Lilith stood to the right of the door where the previous trial had taken place. She crossed her arms and tapped her toe impatiently. “Oh, come on, what’s taking so long?” She sounded just as frustrated as she looked. As time passed, the annoyance faded from her expression and was quickly replaced by a look of extreme discomfort. She started sneaking glances at me, forced to come to terms with the fact that whatever she was waiting for wasn’t going to come in time to save her from more loaded silences.

Realizing that it was up to me to take the lead in this dance, I relented and broke the silence. “Lilith, about the other day --”

“I know,” Lilith cut me off. Thank god, I had no idea where I was going with that. I just wanted the suffocating quiet to cease. “We have a lot to talk about. I’m sorry I’ve been so evasive. I promise that after this trial is over, we can sit down and figure everything out. We just… we really have to focus on the next challenge.”

Before we could continue, an iron gateway, much larger than the previous two entrances, fell from the sky and landed before us. The carving on the intimidating portcullis was much simpler than the intricate artistry of the doors to our left; all that was carved into the metal were two crossed swords. Between this symbol and Lilith handing me a weapon, I thought it was safe to assume we were in for some kind of fight.

“Feel like filling in the peanut gallery? What are we facing?” I asked, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

“I don’t know what exactly is beyond the gate, but I do know who’s in charge of this final trial. She’s a real stickler for the rules and won’t let us get away with anything less than what is mandated in our coven’s code of law. Be ready for anything.” Lilith seemed confident, a fire in her eyes as she spoke about this final trial. I tried to hype myself up as well, to match her self-assuredness. The operative word being ‘tried’; believing in myself just wasn’t my forte and I quickly gave up on any illusions to the contrary. The groan of metal could be heard from behind the iron bars and the portcullis slowly ascended granting us passage. Lilith looked to me and nodded. I gulped loudly like a Scooby Doo character and mirrored her action. The two of us walked side-by-side into the darkness.

The first trial had taken place in a ballroom, the second was set in a city; neither had quite the striking and immediate impact of this new setting. As the world came into view once again, I was nearly deafened by the cheers of a crowd. I looked up and all around. Lilith and I had walked into a packed arena. Not just any arena, mind you, an arena so incredibly large it would make the Roman Colosseum feel inadequate enough to call a toll free hotline about male enhancement drugs. The stands seemed to ascend into the clouds. I don’t know who would pay money for a seat you literally wouldn’t see anything from, but I guess some folks just wanted somewhere to be on a Saturday night. Speaking of which, the majority of the seats in the arena didn’t seem to be occupied by humans, but rather humanoid creatures. Various bipedal animals and monsters of myth and legend applauded with gusto as we walked further onto the field of battle.

The floor beneath our feet was smooth stone coated in a thin layer of sand. Stone pillars, in various states of disrepair, jutted out of the floor all around us. Directly in front of the gate we had come through, on the other side of the massive field, was a gate ten times larger than our own. Large braziers were lit throughout the stadium to supplement the light provided by the starlit sky. I had been awestruck, barely comprehending the scale of the monument before me. Lilith was not as impressed. She strode directly to the center of the arena and faced a viewing box I had not noticed earlier. The crowd grew silent as Lilith and the single occupant of the box eyed each other. I recognized the woman who stared down at Lilith. She had short black hair and midnight robes; she wore a kind smile and seemed to be holding back a flood of emotions. I felt the pocket of my trousers and found that the ring she had given me the other day had been transferred from my previous outfit to this one.

The woman stood up, and the final holdouts among the crowd ceased speaking. “This is not a celebration. This is not entertainment. We are all here to bear witness to the trial of Lilith Maryanne Bellenis. She stands accused of attempting necromancy, despite the numerous edicts which prohibit such magic.” The crowd murmured briefly before shutting up again and allowing the woman to continue. “Lilith has completed two of the three trials set for her and now stands ready to face her final test to earn acquittal and forgiveness from us all. Do any here wish to challenge the validity of this or any other trial provided? Speak now, for once the final trial has commenced it shall be too late to voice grievances.” The woman paused, but the silence in the stadium persisted. “Very well.” The woman looked relieved to speak those words. “Child, are you prepared to face your opponent? Understand that this final trial is a fight to the death.”

“Yes, mother.” Lilith seemed to spit the second word. Wait, WHAT!? Hold the goddamn phone. I felt like someone picking up a television drama in the middle of the season and not understanding a damn thing.

“Wonderful. Now, let the final trial... commence!” The woman’s final word sent forth a shockwave which nearly knocked me off balance. The jumbo-sized iron barricade, the one we hadn’t entered from, began to open. From behind the massive gate, I began hearing a loud rumbling growl. A gust of breath escaped from the growing opening and I smelled carcasses and rot. Before I could even see this beast I had formed a mental picture of it in my head, a picture which was shortly thereafter proven comparatively mild. To call the beast repulsive would have been an understatement.

The bulk of its form was a round, oblong thorax. Present on this fleshy mass was a massive mouth which seemed to split its form in half. Any time the beast’s maw opened, it revealed many rows of gigantic teeth. The monstrosity supported itself on ten limbs, five human legs and five human arms, all of incomprehensible size. These limbs were connected to the creature’s body at seemingly random points which were completely inefficient for movement, causing the beast to stagger and stumble constantly. The monster’s flesh pulsed to the beat of a heart I assumed it must possess somewhere. The skin, stretched tight over the creature’s impressive musculature, was patchy and seemed to represent every possible human pigmentation at some point or another.

Now, I’d been scared before, but there was a huge difference between watching a slasher film at midnight and seeing a colossus straight out of Dr. Frankenstein’s fever dream slowly lurch towards you. My fight or flight instincts kicked into overdrive and quickly decided that flight was the only true option. I ran out of the beast’s path and ducked behind one of the stone pillars. When I felt safe enough to spend a second getting my bearings, I quickly scanned the arena for Lilith. She still hadn’t moved from the spot where she had confronted her mother. She looked at the beast, not with terror, but with the pain of recognition. She made no attempt to move as the monster wound up one of its hulking arms and swatted her away like a bug. Lilith flew through the air like a ragdoll and crashed into one of the stadium’s walls.

“Lilith!” I called to her. She wasn’t moving. I ran from my hiding spot to check on her, screaming her name all the while. By the time I reached her I was out of breath. I shook her form but saw that she wasn’t unconscious, she simply wasn’t moving. “Lilith, what the hell are you doing? We have to keep moving.” Lilith simply shook her head. “Yes, we do! For the love of god, just stand up.” I looked up and saw the creature slowly approaching us. Lilith wasn’t responding, so I did the only thing I could think of: I pulled an arrow from my quiver and notched it. I lined up my shot but before I could release the arrow, Lilith whacked my arm and sent my projectile in a wide arc which managed to miss the monster entirely. “Lilith!” I yelled, unable to understand what the hell was happening and being too pumped full of adrenaline for civilized discussion.

“Don’t hurt him,” she returned weakly. “We can’t hurt him.”

Oh, hell no. I’d put up with a lot of shit from a lot of people in my life, but this was some next-level nonsense that my ass wasn’t having. Don’t hurt the gigantic monster that we were in a to-the-death cage match with? Are you high!? Frustrated and pissed off beyond belief, I grabbed Lilith's arm and dragged her around the perimeter of the stadium. The creature had a hard time turning, so putting some distance between us and the monster was easier than I’d anticipated. I calmed down, having provided myself enough time to think. I turned to Lilith and spoke as calmly as I possibly could, given the situation, “Lilith, you are aware that this is kill or be killed, right? Now if this was just a game, I’d be totally cool with taking a party wipe for you, but you’ve said this world where the trials are taking place is real. I’m going to assume death is real and permanent here, yes?” Lilith nodded. “Okay, then please please please, help me to fight this thing. I don’t want either of us dying here, got it?”

“I won’t let you die, Rose.” Lilith smiled weakly at me; she swatted away my hand, which had been holding hers since I’d led her away from the monster. “I’m the one it wants. I’m the one who made it. I’m the one who is supposed to fight to the death. You will be safe.” She held a palm towards me and a force shoved me far away from her. When I finally skidded to a halt, I tried to run towards her, but some invisible barrier kept getting in the way. “I love you, Rose.” She smiled at me before turning to meet the monster, which was mere feet away from her at this point. The beast raised one of its legs as if to stomp Lilith into the ground and all she did was close her eyes.

“Goddamnit, no!” I screamed as I notched another arrow, this time aiming for Lilith. I said a silent prayer to any god willing to listen: a prayer that the skills Rose had in DoD would also apply in this world, a prayer that the forcefield Lilith had applied wouldn’t stop an arrow, a prayer that if everything in my plan went perfectly I would somehow survive this unimaginably stupid idea. I released my arrow and it went flying towards Lilith. I focused all of my concentration on my favorite skill from DoD, the projectile shift, trying to imagine what it would feel like, how it would work in the confines of the real world. The world blurred out of focus for a moment and when everything cleared up, I was sailing through the air where my arrow had been. I made it to Lilith just in time and tackled her out of the way. The monster’s foot came down and the only thing remaining in its path was my right leg. I heard and felt multiple cracks and tears. I howled in pain as the shattered remains of my leg lay trapped underneath the foot of the monster. For a few seconds, all I saw was red and all I heard was my heartbeat thumping in my ears. Unimaginable pain seemed to radiate throughout my entire body.

The beast unhinged its jaw and let out a shriek which sounded like a chorus of people being flayed alive. Lilith tried to pull me away but the beast had no intention of letting me go. “Why?” she asked, terror ripping through her voice, causing it to crack.

“Because I love you too,” I responded through labored breaths. I attempted to smile but couldn’t exactly control my face which repeatedly winced in pain. Lilith let go of me, realizing the futility of trying to get me to safety. The beast slowly raised an arm above me and Lilith spread her arms and began chanting. Fire ran up the sleeves of her gown and coalesced in her palms. The beast launched its arm at us. I felt a warm sensation in the pocket of my trousers and a bright purple light flashed from where I had stored the ring I had been gifted. When the light cleared, the entire stadium and every one of its inhabitants was surrounded by a dim purple glow. Nothing moved; the pain in my leg had ceased despite the now motionless beast resting on top of it.

From the viewing box, Lilith’s mother gracefully descended into the arena. She quickly approached me, a worried look on her face. “Oh, child, I am so sorry about your leg. Do not worry, we will treat your wounds after the match.” Don’t ‘oh, child’ me! I wanted answers, not sympathy. Why the hell did my best friend care more about a monster than herself? How did the ring you gave me erupt into some timey-wimey nonsense? If you’re Lilith’s mother, why the hell would you send her to fight this monstrosity? “The spell will not last long and I cannot be seen interfering with the trial so we must make this somewhat brief.” Lilith’s mother grabbed an arrow from my quiver and held her other hand over it. A light seemed to emanate from her fingers and flowed into the arrow. “I know you must have many questions and a few choice words for me that I am sure I deserve, but for now I just need you to listen. Lilith will tell you everything about her past, myself, and the beast you see before you in time, I am sure of it. What I have to tell you is of much more immediate importance.”

I didn’t know if it was the fact that this was Lilith’s mother, that she had somehow stymied the intense pain that I felt, or that she just had a kind and calming aura about her; but I felt like I could trust this complete stranger addressing me. I nodded, urging her to continue.

“Words cannot express my gratitude for what you have done for my daughter. This monster… suffice it to say it is a figure from her past I feared she was not ready to let go of just yet. Many people would rather be crushed under the weight of their sins rather than truly face up to them. I never expected my daughter to embody this so literally, but I digress. Sometimes it takes the promise of a wonderful future to finally shake off the shackles of our regrets. She sees this future in you; you are the reason she is ready to be rid of her burdening beast. I really do wish nothing but the best for you both, and it is with this in mind that I must point out your greatest flaw as partners. You each have defined yourselves by your past in completely contrary ways. Lilith saw someone she loved die because they hid who they were. You were repeatedly subjected to ire and hatred because those around you did not want to accept who you are.”

I opened my mouth to protest the implication that it was still who I was, but no noise came out. “Rose, my greatest gift in magic is reading people’s souls. I know who you are just as well as you do. You do not have to deny it; you have a beautiful soul, one that is, unfortunately, drowning in pain and self-conflict.” I felt exposed. I felt vulnerable to an extent I never had before. Someone literally seeing into my soul wasn’t something I’d ever be willingly up for. “What I am trying to say is this: You must meet each other halfway. It is okay for someone to wear a mask from time to time, but it is not healthy to live your life in one. Lilith is facing her demons now, but you still must meet yours. Talk to Lilith about your pain, confide in her, ask for her help. That is what it truly means to love someone.” The light from her hands ceased and the arrow she handed back to me was shining and golden. “Now, I think it is time you lived up to your title.” Lilith’s mother turned and floated back to her viewing box.

“Thank you,” I called after her. She didn’t respond, but the purple glow around the arena began fading. Movement returned to the scene slowly and I realized the purpose of the woman’s intervention: Lilith wasn’t going to finish her spell in time. Being the only person moving at full speed, I readied the supercharged arrow and aimed it at the descending arm. I fired off the arrow and as it released itself from my bowstring it burst into a brilliant stream of golden light which vaporized the beast’s appendage. The monster roared and reared backward, providing Lilith with the opening she needed.

“I’m sorry, father,” I heard Lilith mutter under her breath before releasing a torrent of fire which quickly reduced the abomination to ash. Don’t worry, I was all out of over the top reactions to Lilith’s family tree. Uncle serpent, mother witch, father monster--Thanksgiving must be a hell of a night at the Bellenis household.

As the final traces of the purple light vanished, the pain in the pancake that was formerly my leg made a triumphant return. I was vaguely aware of the crowd cheering for Lilith, who had overcome the last of her trials. I heard Lilith’s mother address the crowd, but she might as well have been one of Charlie Brown’s parents because I couldn’t make out any of her words over the overwhelming sound of my nerves screaming at me. At long last, the sweet embrace of unconsciousness took hold of me and I gladly passed out.

When I woke up in my original world, I did a quick systems check of all my limbs. Nothing seemed out of order and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I was the only person present in the room. Nash and Reg must’ve finished their session earlier once again and left. Lilith, likewise, was nowhere to be seen. I sat back in my chair, slowly processing everything that had just happened. Lilith and I had finished the final trial; I’d met Lilith’s mother, her father too, apparently. We’d fought a giant monster in a colosseum and I almost ended up an amputee in a distant land. To top it off, I wasn’t even fazed by it all. Dear god, my life had gone from normal to batshit crazy in the course of a week and I think I was making the same transition.

The door to the room opened slowly and I looked over to see Lilith enter with two drinks. We locked eyes immediately. She calmly put the drinks on the table and closed the door behind her. Once we were sealed in solitude, she walked over to me. I stood up to meet her and we threw our arms around each other. She pulled me into a kiss to which I gladly surrendered myself. There were no words, no declarations, no reaffirmations. There was only the two of us and the closeness we had been craving since our spat. Lilith broke the kiss and looked directly into my eyes. There was so much we had to talk about, too many questions to answer, an entire smorgasbord of issues that needed resolution. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly where to begin. The thought had been tossing around in my head since my lecture from the Bellenis matriarch.

“Lilith, I… I want to be Rose. Not just in the game or the other world, I want to be her here as well. I may have been her before, but now I’m not. I can’t bring myself to be her anymore. I know something is wrong. Please... please, help me.”