After another meal of delicious, mana-rich foods from the forest that was already waiting as we sat down, Inza guided me back to the room that I awoke in earlier that day. Upon entering, Inza waved her hand and the vines that made up the hammock in the center of the room sprang to life. It sat low enough that I could easily climb in.

“There will be many things that we will have to go over tomorrow. Questions about today or tomorrow, yourself or others, even about this place if you care to ask.” Inza’s words softly melted over me as she guided me toward the place of rest in front of us. “For tonight though, try to rest. I’m sure that your body and mind have been greatly taxed. I will come to wake you when it is time to start the new day.” 

My head was a muddle of thoughts, and Inza seemed unwilling to continue any further dialogue today. All I could get out as Inza passed the threshold of the room was “Goodnight Inza.”

She paused briefly and turned only her head back toward me with a smile. “Goodnight Keris, may your dreams be pleasant.” Saying that, Inza disappeared into the hallway and the room was suspended in silence.

WIth nothing much else to do, I lie down in the hammock. As I do, the vines react and gently move around. They bent to the shape of my body and softened to the touch. I was a little surprised, but let myself sink into the feeling. It was phenomenally comfortable. 

I didn’t realize how tired I was until I gave in to the vines' support. My eyes relented and slowly shut, leaving myself at the mercy of the living bed under me. Drifting off to sleep, I felt at peace.

…

I stood in an empty field, flat and endless. There was not a single object or person as far as the eye could see on the ground besides grass. Above me, however, was something much more curious. 

In the sky above, there was not a blue sky nor a single cloud. There was a vast expanse of black to my right, and white to my left. Where they met, they clashed. Licks of black sometimes billowed out, and other times plumes of white struck forth.

The entire world above me was pure conflict. I could do nothing but watch. Powers out of reach striving to push the other back. Behind the line that was drawn between them as I looked closer, I could see endless tiny blips. On both sides they wandered around anywhere but where the two sides hit against each other. When one of the streaks of black or white shot free of the intersection, the blips closest were erased. Neither side would give an inch, but with each attack on the other, both sides seemed to suffer some kind of loss. 

It was very difficult to see, but after staring for what felt like hours I saw much larger blips that were hidden at the head of each side. One white and one black. They dove into one another as they moved up and down the row of struggle. I realized that these things were what was causing the reactions along the border.

Then, one of the blips on the white side, much bigger than the rest, came next to the side of the largest white blip. It struck against the black blip that was fighting the white and seemed to knock it back slightly. This knocked the power balance off and the largest white blip struck forth with a tendril that ensnared the black blip. The black blip was dragged out of the blackness and into the white, though it seemed to fight back as hard as it could. 

The tendril squeezed down and crushed the black blip down, causing it to shrink under the pressure. Try though it might, the black blip was now no match for the power that surrounded it, and as it was continually dwindling in size it came close to the second white blip that had blindsided it and was engulfed by it. Immediately, all hell broke loose. White lightning broke the stalemate and surged through the blackness. 

After a short time, the black receded immensely. It did not take long for the white to completely remove the black from the sky. All that remained was white. 

Then, it dripped downward. It slowly ate away at the endless plains around me. When the white had almost utterly drowned out all else and had started making its way up my legs, up my torso, and clawed at my neck…

I awoke with a shout and sat bolt upright. The vines under me shifted strangely, before lowering me down to the floor to sit. My breath was quick, I was covered in sweat, and my hands shook uncontrollably.

It took quite a while for me to calm down, but now that my eyes were open and I could see I was back in a place that was at least somewhat familiar I was able to come back down. There was a small amount of sunlight coming from the cracks in the vines that made up the ceiling, so it must have been around dawn.

When I had felt composed enough again, I thought about what I had just seen. What did that all even mean? The white must have been the good side. It reminded me a lot of the place I went when I was going through the cycle. The blackness must then be related to that black place I saw while I was injured. Dozens of questions were brewing in my mind, but I was distracted by a voice that came from the doorway.

“Good morning Keris, we have much to discuss today. But, before that, I would suggest a bath. You will likely find it much easier to think when your body and mind have been cleansed by a warm soak.” Inza motioned for me to come with her. 

Unlike the first time that Inza had come to get me from this room, I was able to stand on my own. It was a nice change of pace, really. I had spent so much time either exhausted, disabled, injured, or otherwise unable to move that having some control back over myself this morning filled me with a little hope.

I walked to Inza and she didn’t waste a moment to start walking while I followed. She led me down several hallways which eventually led to a doorway with a curtain that hung down at the entrance. 

“Would you like to have the bath to yourself, or would you like some company?” Inza seductively ran her hand over my cheek as she proposed my options. 

“I-I would like to have a bath by myself please.” My cheeks were quite flushed. I really didn’t want a repeat of either dip with Inza again if I didn’t have to. 

Removing the hand from my face, Inza turned to walk further down the hall. “Then be my guest, and make the most of my facilities. There will be a treant outside the door when you finish. Follow them and they will lead you to me.” She turned her head away and strode confidently down the hall, her hips swaying seductively all the while.

Being left to my own devices, I thought it best to not dawdle. I wanted to have some questions answered as soon as possible. I pulled the curtain aside and walked through. This bath was more stunning than I had thought possible. The walls were built of large ornate marble bricks. A mural on the far wall of a family bathing was faded, but undoubtedly a masterwork from some age ago.

This must be a different place than from the memory I have of recovering from my wounds with Inza. The room was lit not by glowing plants, but from the morning sunlight shining through a hole above the water. The water itself sent steam up into the air above it, which looked heavenly. A vine coming down from the ceiling held a hand towel in front of the bath. 

I started to undress and another vine came from above and seemed to offer to hold my clothing. I folded all of my clothes over the vine and hung my bag off of it as well. 

Using the hand towel, I cleaned myself from a smaller font of water that sat on a pedestal. Though there was no soap or heat source, the water was warm and refreshed my skin and hair. There was certainly some kind of magic in place. 

Once I felt satisfied that I was clean, I stepped over to the warm, steaming water. A fragrant scent came from it. I dipped a toe in to find it at the perfect temperature for a soak. Before I got in, a vine holding a white, fluffy towel came from… somewhere. I accepted it gratefully and wrapped my hair up before I got in. 

I slid comfortably into the water and sighed with relief at how nice it felt to relax my body in a hot spring. Though, this one has additional magical qualities from what I can assume. I had never felt anything like it.

Letting myself sink into the cozy, round spring, I decided that I could hold my questions for a few more minutes. 

--------------------

The sound of armour clanking and carriages driving could be heard from all around. The army had begun to march the day before and were making good time. It would take about three more days to reach their destination. Lorn rode inside a covered carriage with the curtains drawn shut.

Lorn had known where they needed to go. The magic he had seen could only belong to one person. No, he could hardly think of her as a person. She was some being beyond what was known as ‘people’ or ‘mortals’ could grasp. She was a thing closer to a god, though even they could barely hold a candle to what she possessed. 

Lorn had fought the three gods once before when he first went on his quest to get strong enough to defeat the demon king. Under the tutelage of each respective god, he had bested each in single combat. This being that he marched towards, however, was in a class all her own. Her power could easily rival that of the demon king.

Lorn had once fought the demon king, this was true. Most would believe that he had done it all on his own. There was no mortal that could stand alongside him when he came to a point in his training, for all that had helped him before that. No, he had had help. It was from none other than the thing that he has gathered an army against. 

Anger boiled within him and his hands shook. Not from anger, but from the fear that it covered. He could do nothing against this enemy if he did not have help. Whether they act as human shields while he makes an assault, or if any of the lucky bastards was able to land a blow, it didn’t matter. He needed everything at his disposal. 

Lorn winced as he sat in his luxurious carriage. Something felt wrong. He had started this veritable war march to take revenge on the being that would dare betray him. That thing had taken… Malora. As her name slinked through his mind, a pit fell in his gut. 

He had felt this before. He had seen innumerable deaths during the demon war. This felt just like that. His insides roiled. That hag had done something to his wife. His property! 

He fumed himself up to burst, but did not allow himself to go over the edge. If he spilled over as he did in the castle it would only slow progress by incapacitating the men and horses that marched forward. He had to hold back… for now. 

He knew that he would have his chance to exact his wrath. For now, he gritted his teeth and cursed as he stomped his foot. The floorboards splintered and cracked under the assault. There was no way Lorn was going to let that old witch get away with this.