Octavia tried to keep calm. An impossible task, while being stuck in a really tight box. It felt like the walls were about to devour her and there was no more air for her hungry lungs to consume. She had to escape! The girl began to pound on the uneven surface, hoping that someone might hear. Not that anyone was going to come to her rescue.

Septima and the Fixer were in town to buy supplies and food to restock the pantry. And they would not be back until the late afternoon. The Fixer had given Octavia a very simple task to do, while they were in town. All she had to do was clean the storage room. Yet, she managed to find a way to screw this up.

How hard was it to move a box and dust it from the cobwebs inside? Apparently very hard, Octavia wanted to scream. The girl could blame her losing her balance and knocking over one of the shelves, on the fact that her wounds had not healed completely. But the truth of the matter is, that this is her own fault. She should have been more careful.

Instead, now she was going to suffocate, locked in a box with a pile of dusty old junk on top of her. Seriously! Octavia was starting to think that Vinn was telling the truth and the gods had it in for her. To make matters worse, the panic was preventing her from actually thinking of a solution to her problem.

On top of that, none of her traits, talents or skills could help her. Not that Octavia could use any of them. And here lay the crux of her clumsiness. If what Vinn had said was true, the girl should be able to use every single one of them by now. However, she had no idea how to settle her mind and the constant shift between memories.

During the day it was tolerable. Sure, Octavia might get confused or turned around because things were not placed exactly where she remembered. But almost every night she woke up screaming from the memories the older her had. An entire year spent in constant torture and endless rape by that human excrement Francis. The fact that he had fled the capital along with Yaghaty was another reason for her distress.

Octavia could make the difference that none of this had happened to her, but it happened to the one. And it all looked so real in her dreams. No wonder that version of Octavia had grown into a heartless woman. It was also the reason the teenage girl was still in the Fixer’s home. She was afraid to leave the security it offered. What if Francis was waiting for her?

“No!” Octavia screamed. “Don’t think of that girl! It will only mess you up further.”

Her scream turned into a sob. She was going to die here, in the most stupid way imaginable. It was just not fair. If the gods wanted to kill her, they could at least make it fast. There was no need to pile so much suffering onto her.

Octavia could feel the wound on her back open as she thrashed inside the box in yet another desperate attempt to break through the wood. All it accomplished was to scrape the skin from her palms and knuckles. This was it. This is the end, she thought, as the girl felt that she was finally running out of air.

And when it looked like the dark gate to Saya’s realm was about to open, a memory flashed in her tortured mind. One that was both her own and of the other Octavia.

“Acid Touch.” The word felt strange rolling from her mouth.

“Do you wish to know how to use it?” A sweet voice whispered in her ear. It made Octavia’s blood freeze and terror gripped her heart, replacing the panic that had consumed her.

“Who? Who said that?” The girl asked, afraid to learn the answer.

Hearing voices was never a good sign. As the Scripture teaches, demons whisper only in the minds of the weak. Religious dogma aside, Octavia was more worried for more practical reasons. After all, demons are no different from spirits or ghosts in their original form. The only reason they could invade, was because they tricked people into surrendering their bodies. Not only humans, but every race was also at risk. That's what made demons so dangerous. Once they had sufficient numbers, they could reproduce as every other race. It was the reason why they had a country of their own in the far west.

And once you allowed a demon control, it would transform you. Making you a grotesque parody of what you once were. But it will not kill you. No. You will be trapped inside your own mind, aware but powerless. A fate worse than death. That’s what her father used to tell her.

“Embrace my gift and take your place in my Garden.” The sweet voice came from her right this time. “But my blessings come at a price.”

Octavia remembered those words. They were exchanged between her older self and the goddess Lexi, through the Prophet of Decay. A zombie of immense power, which had plagued a village on the other side of the Kingdom. But that’s what they were – a memory. Simply an afterimage of the truly mind-shattering effect a Goddess’s voice has on mortal creatures.

Still, it was enough to part the fog of panic clouding the girl’s mind. What was it the other her had said? This was what it meant to be Lexi’s Flower? This meant, that even though Octavia had no chance of learning magic, there were abilities which she could use. Now, all that was left, was to find the memory of how exactly to use Acid Touch.

Octavia focused on her thoughts. There it was! Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on the wooden surface of the box. All she had to do was control the poisons and acids her body could produce as a side effect of her strange talent. Gather them and move them to her fingertips.

The girl could feel the skin of her hand blister and burn. Biting through the pain, she pressed on. A moment later, Octavia was rewarded by the smell of bubbling wood. Another moment and her palm went through the planks of the box.

“It’s worth it,” she sobbed. “Don’t stop.”

Several more attempts and her hand were a bloody mess of dangling flesh and exposed bones. However, she was out of her prison. Finally free, Octavia smiled and allowed her mind to drift into the darkness of unconsciousness.

 

---

 

“Will you tell me what happened?” Septima asked as she bandaged the girl’s hand. The healing potion had restored most of the damage, but it would be days before the skin on Octavia’s hand regenerated.

The Fixer and the maid had found her in the storage room along with the ruined mess of the shelves she had destroyed. It was no surprise that the hard man had given Octavia a long lecture about how irrational and reckless she had been. The girl had already figured that out on her own, already.

By all accounts, she was never going to suffocate inside the box. There were plenty of holes and gaps for that to never happen. All of her worries were the result of panic and what the Fixer had told her was an irrational fear of being trapped in tight places.

“Or you could continue looking at the floor,” Septima sighed. “Why don’t I try to guess? You were careless and got yourself stuck in the box. And you used some dangerous spell to get out.”

The maid tightened the cloth into a knot and let go of Octavia’s hand. “Now, this is what I find strange. You cannot use magic. The readings of my Star Gazer are never wrong.”

“You are the one to talk about dangerous magic…” Octavia regrated the remark the moment it left her mouth.

“I see.” Quietly Septima stood from the chair and pushed it under the desk. “You’ve learned some parts of my past. That would explain why you’ve been avoiding me lately.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“It is not like I’ve been trying to hide it,” Septima sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned Octavia to join her. “But it is not something I’m willing to share whenever I can.”

“Rebecca is not you. At least it is not who you are anymore!” The girl said in a hurry. She understood this about the old woman but had a hard time accepting it herself.

“We all have a past we do not like. I chose to remain Septima because I wanted to be rid of mine. It is the same reason you are still responding to Octavia and not Tilly. Whenever I’ve called you by your old name, you wince and ignore me.” The woman said with sadness in her voice.

This came as a surprise to Octavia. She had never heard Septima or the Fixer use her real name. Or they might have and what the maid said was true. Now that she noticed it, the girl had stopped using her real name even in her thoughts. Octavia looked at the maid and wondered. Her old self had trusted Septima, considered her a friend despite the woman’s blood-soaked past.

“It’s not like I have a choice,” Octavia protested, “since I’m a slave…”

“My dear, formally you are,” Septima said, somewhat surprised. “I thought you understood the terms of your contract with Master? Until you pay back what you owe, you will remain as such. What I don’t understand is what any of this has to do with you refusing to use your given name?”

“Are you making fun of me?” Octavia could not believe what she was hearing. “The Master changed my name without asking me!”

“I’m not sure what you are talking about? You agreed to be called Octavia when you signed the indenture.”

This was insane! Was the maid playing one of her tricks on her again? Octavia opened her mouth and closed it without speaking. A memory flashed in her mind. One belonging to the girl whose world she was in right now. In this reality, things had played a little different.

Tilly had agreed to the name Octavia, before the enslavement ritual. It was part of the compensation she was going to receive when her agreement with the Fixer was over. A hefty sum and a plot of land in Sherryl’s Valey. And in exchange, she would work as a maid for the Fixer and caretaker for Septima. Octavia, the one from here, never received any training or strange offers.

Instead, she had used herself as bait to distract Piper, allowing Septima to kill her. It was only a coincidence she had sustained the exact same injuries. But this was it. This was the resonance Vinn was talking about. She had connected with this Octavia because of this coincidence. And she experienced the same hate when she killed Piper as her older self. It finally made sense. Well, to some extent.

“Something happened to you when you were out cold. And I suspect it has to do with Vinn’s surprise visit.” The maid’s face twisted in a grimace. “Everything tends to go to the Abyss whenever she shows her face around here.”

“Yes,” Octavia answered sheepishly, her eyes glued to the floor out of guilt. Although she was not sure what she was feeling guilty about.

“You can always talk to me,” Septima hugged her lovingly without a warning. “If you want to and if you can.”

Octavia looked at the woman’s ice-blue eyes. Those were the eyes of Rebecca the Ice Queen. An insane mage, who had destroyed her humanity in exchange for power, by sacrificing innocents. Until she was caught and sentenced to death. Instead, the Fixer had taken her under his wing, placing a very strict enslavement contract on her.

Could the girl really trust her? Septima was borderline insane in every meaning of the word. Cruel and cold as her name suggested. Sure, the old woman was slowly dying, but that does not mean she has changed. No, this way of thinking was wrong, Octavia chastised herself. Both this version of her and her older self trusted the woman to an extent. And besides, the girl was tired of being a passive observer of her own life. It was time she took the initiative.

Like a damn breaking, Octavia went into a trance as she outlined everything that had happened. Some parts were confusing even for her and others were too painful to put into words. But it was too late to turn back now. Before she knew it, the afternoon had made way for the night.

“Get some sleep. We’ll continue this in the morning.” Septima said once Octavia finished.

Without looking back or saying a word, the maid left the room. It was disappointing. Octavia expected some reaction, but not something like this. Perhaps it had been a mistake to share everything. Doubt crept inside of the girl, as she curled on the bed, wondering if there was anything different, she could have done.  

 

---

 

The Fixer’s training made Piper’s feel like a leisurely hike through the woods. Curse him and curse Septima for telling him everything Octavia had shared. Although, if she was a betting woman, the girl would have placed her money on him knowing more than either of his two servants did combined.

Running, physical training, agility training and finally strategy and creative thinking. That’s how her schedule looked from dawn till dusk. Two weeks of this, while Septima prepared proper cursed gear for her. When Octavia saw it, she was surprised by how it looked identical to the one she wore when trying with Piper.

That, however, did little to help the girl feel any better. She was standing on the edge of a large circle. The makeshift arena was where she was going to have her first training in hand-to-hand combat with the Fixer. The man was built like an ox. Even if she landed a hit, Octavia very much doubted that he would feel it.

If she could get inside his reach, perhaps the girl could last for more than a couple of minutes. Sure, he is big and strong, with more muscles and scars than any single man should have, but she is smaller and faster. All Octavia had to do was avoid getting punched. Well, it sounded easy enough. Yet, somehow, she feared that the practical part of her plan was going to be a challenge.

“Start.” At Septima’s signal, Octavia charged with a savage cry. Although she was honest, it sounded more like that of a small scared animal.

At least it looked like it caught the Fixer by surprise. The large man failed to move, as she closed the distance between them. Only a couple of seconds and she would be upon him. And then, he shifted his body to one side. One very large arm shot out and connected with the side of her head. The slap made Octavia’s head ring like a bell and she spun around, landing face-first into the dirt.

“Idiot.” The man grunted. “Try again. This time, don’t shout.”

Going back to the edge of the circle, Octavia rubbed her hand on her aching cheek. So, getting inside his reach was not a good idea. But now she knew that the Fixer is not too keen about moving. He is conserving his stamina, that had to be it. Yes, that had to be the reason. Octavia has Fast Stamina Recovery, which means she can outlast him.

New plan. She had to make him chase after her. For that, she needs to get close enough but stay out of his reach. It is a dangerous play and would require near-perfect timing. However, Octavia was confident she could pull it off. She had practised something like this with Septima, in her other life. The girl shook her head, she had to come with a more reasonable explanation about her three personalities and their origins.

At the signal, Octavia started in a sprint. Once close to the Fixer, she went down, thinking to slid under his arm. It almost perfect. Almost. A shadow intercepted her head and everything went dark.

Octavia opened her eyes startled and could taste blood in her moth. She was laying on her side with Septima lightly tapping at her cheeks.

“What were you thinking?” The maid demanded angrily. “If Master had been less experienced, he would have broken your neck with that kick!”

So that’s what happened. The Fixer had kicked her in the head. Somehow, Octavia was not surprised that he had seen through her plan.

“That was too reckless.” The man’s hard voice came from behind her. “Such a move will work only against a troll or a giant. And only if you are lucky.”

Septima helped her to her feet and placed both of her hands on Octavia’s chin. They were cold, almost like early winter snow and they felt amazing on her aching face.

“Don’t try to imitate the stories of drunk adventurers. It will only get you killed.”

“Fixers are not adventurers.” The Fixer stated as he moved behind Septima. His trunk-like arms crossed over his chest. “And neither are you. You are inferior in all aspects; weight, size, reach, speed and skill. And even if you accumulate all the experience I have, you will still be at a disadvantage, because I am a man and you are a woman.”

“What Master is saying, is that you need to find dirty,” Septima nodded.

“But that would be cheating! It is dishonourable!” Octavia exclaimed. “And a female adventurer can be stronger than a man…”

“Ha!” The Fixer boomed. “Try to push me to the ground. Both of you at the same time.”

“You are going to pay for this later,” Septima hissed at her and rolled her shoulders as she prepared to charge at the large man. “I’ll aim for his legs; you go for his body. Our only chance is to try to tackle him. Gain as much speed as you can and jump at him.”

Their execution of the attack was perfect and the Fixer made no attempt to dodge or sidestep. Instead, he grabbed Octavia with his left arm and pushed Septima to the side with his right one. In a show of his monstrous strength, he threw the girl back, sending her flying through the air for a good three or four meters.

“I’ll grant you that a female adventurer is stronger than your average man. But when the scales are balanced, she is at a disadvantage.” He helped Septima up and walked her to the nearby bench, outside of the makeshift arena.

“And when it comes to life and death, honour means nothing. Those who can’t accept this simple truth, end up in Saya’s care.” The Fixer added as he walked towards Octavia.

“Fixers are weaker than adventurers. Be it outclassed because of skills, traits or talents. Or simply because of old age.” He offered her a hand.

“Why are you telling me this?” Octavia hesitated, thinking it might be a trap, meant to teach her yet another painful lesson.

“You mean to kill Sally. You wish to take revenge upon Francis and Yaghaty.” The Fixer said as a matter of fact.

“I was thinking you were going to do this?” The girl asked.

What was this guy thinking? That she would do some training for a couple of weeks and go kill three people? Of course, she thought the Fixer was going to do all of this after hearing her story. After all, it is his job to solve problems and by all accounts, Octavia had a really big one to deal with.

“Why would I do that? This is a deal between you and the Goddess of Pestilence.” The Fixer shrugged. “I’ve washed my hands from them and their games. All I want is to be left alone.”

“But Vinn said…”

“Vinn says a lot of things,” there was anger in his voice this time. “Listen carefully. There is an ulterior motive to anything that creature does.”

He motioned for Octavia to walk with him.

“I’ll train you and prepare you. It may take years, but you have my word that you will be ready to accomplish your part of the deal with Lexi.” That sounded really good and all, but there was a catch, Octavia was sure of it.

“In exchange, since you cannot afford to pay me, you will work as a fixer. For me. Not the Guild, not the Kingdom, but for me. Think it over and give me your answer tomorrow.” He stopped and looked back at the bench where Septima was sitting.

“This is far enough. From here on, I’ll teach you how to fight a stronger opponent. Your first task is to reach Septima.” A smile spread on his rough scarred face. “She will try to prevent that. Rember, there are no rules. It is up to you to figure out a way to reach her before freezing."

Octavia swallowed hard. The old woman is a mage and she had range. There was no way, she could do that. Actually, wait. Did the Fixer say he was going to help her? Yes, he did. It wasn’t the perfect solution she was hoping for, but it was better than nothing. And she was the one who said she was done with going with the flow. If she wanted to gain some control of her life, this was her best choice. Resigning herself to what was about to happen, Octavia charged and Septima, who was shaking her head in disappointment.