For a moment, all the sounds of the jungle disappeared. The heat, the humidity, the constant buzzing. All of it was gone. There were only two yellow eyes in front of me. Everything else was black.

As the silence expanded around us, I knew that I should’ve been feeling the stiffness of my body. But all I could sense was numbness.

I looked around, and it was all pitch black. Nothing besides the two big yellow eyes in front of me.

Time kept passing, and my anxiousness began to pile up to a point I couldn’t resist. But suddenly, the light of the moon got me once more, and I could feel all the bugs, the animals and the life around us again.

But the eyes were nowhere to be seen anymore.

I waited for a bit more, thinking about what had happened. Was that my imagination? A new form of panic attack I hadn’t felt before? Was that something the warlock left? 

That last possibility was particularly scary for me.

In order to avoid that line of thought, I went back to the hut and began brewing some tea. I didn’t like tea that much before I… died. I usually drank coffee; Some kind of really acidic instant coffee that wasn’t even good.

After drinking the coffee at Arlott’s house, and drinking probably more cups of tea than I had ever drank water before in Kiandra’s hut, our hut, the taste of tea grew into me. Coffee was still the best for me, but now I just couldn’t drink that blasphemy I used to.

For a moment, all this thinking helped me distract myself. But it wasn’t long before I began feeling the eyes again.

I tried to clear my mind. It couldn’t just be anything. I was inside of the hut, Kiandra had left protections so we would be safe.

The more I tried to brush the feeling away, the more I felt it.

At some point, I could only hear the beating of my own heart. It was a rushed beat, accompanied by some heavy breathing. I was about to lose my mind.

I felt something in my shoulder and I did something I haven’t done in a long time. The fear got me to turn into my cat form. Not the hybrid cat-girl one, but the fully cat one.

As I fell to the floor as a cat, I raised my hackles and buffed. But the reaction I got wasn’t the one I expected.

I heard a high pitched yelp that made me return to the moment. 

In front of me, there was Breena, lying on the floor and scared. I couldn’t remember if she had never seen my cat form before. Even if she had, she looked surprised.

As I calmed down, she seemed to do the same. We both looked at my room’s door to see if we had woken Arlott up. But apparently we didn’t.

Breena got up and brushed herself off. Then, she looked at me.

“Istas? Is that you?” She approached me with hesitation. The cat’s instincts  inside made me react.

I bumped my head to her outstretched hand, and I brushed against it with all my length. Soon, Breena lost all her hesitation. With a big grin, she picked me up and sat down on a chair, placing me on her lap. I didn’t really want that, but having seen how scared Breena got for my reaction, I felt like letting her do as she may was the least I could do.

As Breena noticed I wasn’t fighting her, she began patting me. She even began telling me cute things, pampering me all over. I was really happy I was in the cat form, or it would have been impossible for me to hide how red I had gotten.

When I began purring, I jumped off Breena. I hate how this body betrayed me in front of cute girls; First Arlott and now Breena.

As the kettle began whistling, I tried to return to my human form. It took a lot more effort than before, but after some tries, I got back. It was fully human and still small, but it was enough.

Breena helped me pour some tea. Even though she was smaller than her living body, she was still taller than me. And she seemed to notice.

When the cups were ready, Breena walked behind me and hugged me, taking me by surprise. I tried to turn around and see what she wanted, but she talked before I could.

“Please let me hold you just for a minute,” I was surprised with how exhausted her voice sounded. 

“Breena, are you okay?” I wanted to know what was happening, but I got no response other than her tightening her hug.

Silence flooded the room, until I began hearing a series of dampened sounds. 

With each one, Breena’s body shacked. Her sobs slowly became louder, but never too loud.

As careful as I could, I freed myself from Breena’s hug. When I turned to look at her, she was getting smaller in place, hiding her face between her hands.

I guided Breena to the couch and hugged her with all the warmth I could.

Breena kept crying for a while, and I kept patting her head to try and calm her down. Time passed and the little shakes she did with every sob calmed down. By the time it was silent again, the tea wasn’t hot anymore.

I tried to look at Breena once more, but she clearly didn’t want me to, so I stopped trying. I then tried to let her go from the hug, she looked directly into my eyes, keeping her gaze on me for a moment.

The moment lasted ages. I could see Breena’s sorrow in her eyes, but I couldn’t understand where it came from.

“Breena, are you okay?” I said with almost a whisper trying not to lose her between her hands once more. “Wanna talk about it?” But she kept her eyes directed at mine.

I started to feel uncomfortable, so I reached for my now cold cup of tea. Instead, I got something I definitely wasn’t expecting.

As soon as I moved my gaze away from Breena, I could feel some soft lips on my cheek.

I reacted immediately, falling off the couch. From the floor, I looked at her with a hand over the cheek she kissed, and probably as red as a face could get.

Breena kept her gaze fixed on me. She was at least as red as I thought I was. One could even see that she wanted to run away. But she didn’t.

“What the hell, Breena?!” I asked with my always useful eloquence. 

Breena couldn’t maintain eye contact anymore and hid under the blanket that served as a cover for the coach.

I approached her a bit more calmly. I was more worried about her than anything else I could think about.

“Breena, can you please tell me what’s happening?” I reached for Breena, but stopped before I could touch her.

She just let her eyes come out from under the blanket.

“Do you remember the conversation we had the other day?” She said quietly. “The one about me trusting you and all that?”

I kept my gaze on her. Of course, I remember; She looked so distant at the time, so fragile. All that happened since then made me keep it all in the back of my mind. But it was still there. I nodded and Breena continued.

“There was a lot more than what I let you know then.” She began fidgeting with the blanket, but after a deep breath, she kept going.

“You already know how everything was for me before Saxen, no?” I didn’t say anything, but I guess my face betrayed me. 

“I guess I should tell you more.” 

Breena got her full head out of the blanket and looked at the room where Arlott was. Then, with a confidence I could tell wasn’t too real, she continued.

“First, the guy that took my body is called Brand Saxen. And he knew my mother from before he got to me.”

As she spoke, I could feel all the questions surging up in my mind. I really wanted to ask them when I looked at Breena. Really looked at her.

She was small and frail. I don’t mean in size, since she was bigger than me now. I mean the feeling she gave me. It was as if she could just be blown away and disappear. Her eyes betrayed how alone she really felt. 

But she wasn’t alone. Not anymore. I might not know her for too long, but I wouldn’t let her feel alone again.

So, I simply swallowed all the things I wanted to say, and kept on listening.

“My mom told me she met him at the university, him being a couple of years younger than her at her university. But he wasn’t someone you would look at twice.” Breena kept her gaze on me before looking down at the floor, and then at the cups on the table. I could feel how nervous she was by this. When she looked back at me, I nodded for her to continue.

“Because she knew him from before, I thought I could trust him.” Breena began to fidget with the blanket once again. “When he came to our house, I figured he was courting my mother, and my mother seemed to think the same.” 

I saw how Breena teared up telling me this. I held her hand to let her know she could rely on me. Breena looked at me, giving me a shy smile that vanished almost as soon as it appeared, and her tears stopped.

“When Brand said he was interested in me, my mother made him leave. She became furious.” Breena hesitated as she grabbed a spot on her shoulder that I was sure had felt things no one should.

“But she wasn’t furious at him. She was furious with me.” I could clearly see the fear in her eyes when she began imitating who I think was her mother. “Sh-she told me ‘How dare you take this opportunity from me?’” She then shifted her posture, as if talking to another person. “‘You are a little whore that wants her caring mother to rot.’”

Her open eyes looked emptier than I have ever seen them.

“That is when I ran away from home. And when he got to me.” She had an expression  that could break anyone's will. “That’s why I went with him. I couldn’t  leave everything behind, but he was my only option.”

I was holding both of Breena’s hands then. That seemed to calm her down a little. At least enough to finish her story.

“Living like that, made me lose hope more and more with each day. Arlott was a great help, but she talked about you, and then I saw you being strong and magical, I thought you could help me.” Shuffling a little on her spot, her eyes met mine. “You were my heroine, and I think,” she swallowed. “I think I fell for you a little.”

That last part didn’t register in my brain, or at least not at first. I had to think through what she said. I even began to think about different perspectives, looking for anything that could change the meaning of her words. But there was only one meaning.

“You know I’m with Arlott,” I ventured. “Don’t you?” Breena nodded,  and I could see the guilt on her face. Then, all of a sudden, two arms wrapped around her.

Arlott was there and it seemed like she heard most of it.

“I already knew, Breena,” she cooed. “You aren’t too hard to read.” She snickered, still holding Breena in her arms. “Except for the biggest brick ever created, it seems,” Arlott said while looking directly at me.

I could only drop my gaze to the floor, bashfully. I need to learn to read these things.

“Breena. I’m not bothered by your feelings,” Arlott continued. “But only Istas can respond to them.” She broke the hug to sit next to Breena so they could talk more directly. “I’m not poly myself, but if it is what you and Istas want, I can give it a try.”

Breena and Arlott both looked at me. For my part, I was almost speechless.

“What do you mean by that, about being poly?” I didn’t understand what she said. “I just don’t get what you are talking about, but…”

“Thanks Arlott. I’m not sure that’s what I want,” Breena interrupted me.“ Also, it looks like Istas doesn’t even know the options either.” She giggled a bit. “Let's just see where all of this goes.” Hearing that made my heart a little bit more free.

Since it was the middle of the night, Arlott and I went to our bed, while Breena went to hers with a big smile. I could easily see that Breena lost a big weight from her shoulder.

“How can you be so oblivious?” Arlott asked me once we were on the bed. She had a mixed expression between worry and a smile. “We’ll have to talk about all of this, eventually. But I don’t think this is the best moment.”

After she turned the lights off and went to sleep, my mind went running back to the two big yellow eyes. I could only hope there was an easier answer for that than the one I needed for Breena’s dilemma.

I woke up soon after. The sun wasn’t out yet, but I could still get a glance of the first rays of light. 

Arlott was wide awake. It seemed like she didn’t sleep at all. There was a silence between us, and not the usual one.

As the light began entering the room through the crevasses the curtain left open, Arlott began talking.

“Hi, how are you?” Arlott’s tone was as common as you could get, but the feeling behind it wasn’t even close.

I looked at her, but she kept her eyes stuck to the ceiling. I tried to push the words out my mouth, but it was a titanic task at the moment.

“Arlott… you know I love you. Do you?” I managed to say at last, almost whispering. I kept looking at her, but her eyes were still looking as if there was something else on the ceiling.

“You know I won’t leave you no matter what?”

Silence reigned over the room. After a while, Arlott responded.  But her eyes stayed in another place.

“Yes, I know, but…” Arlott’s voice cracked into  a little sob. “It’s just that I’m scared, Istas. I'm terrified.” Arlott turned her gaze and her eyes finally met mine. “You are amazing, and the only thing in my life that keeps me going.” I wasn’t  prepared to see her crying. “What would I do if Breena took you?”

I looked at her, frail and scared, like a little kitten under a rainy night. I took one of her hands in mine, caressing her cheek with the other.

“I won’t leave you.” I said, trying to reassure her. “Even if I care for Breena, I will never leave you.” I tightened my grip on her hand. “But I can’t leave someone crying if I can help her.” I looked directly into Arlott’s eyes and could see the doubt in them. “You know that I was the one crying all my life, even when I wouldn’t show it at the time. You know I didn’t even want to live and be happy until I met Kiandra.”

As I hesitated a bit, I could feel my voice almost cracking too.

“Arlott. You can do wonders, regardless of me being besides you. But if it is my decision, I want to always be by your side and see those wonders.” 

At the moment, I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I went for a probing kiss; a soft, slow one that left space for her to decide if she wanted it.

I slowly closed the distance between us, waiting for her to just leave me there. But my lips met hers as her body met mine.

Her soft lips against mine made all my dread at the moment disappear. I looked into her eyes, but she had them closed, obviously focused on our kiss.

The kiss was soft and not long at all, but it was a really heartfelt kiss. One that the both of us seemed to need.

“I will always be by your side,” I said again. 

“If you want to also be with Breena, I can try…” Arlott said with a shy smile that warmed my heart. Her eyes shone, fixed on mine.

She seemed to deflate after saying that, so I embraced her, and gently approached her ear.

“I don’t know what I’ll do in the future,” I whispered to her. “But whatever it is, I want you to be there.”

We laid there for a moment, but then we got up when we heard the whistle of the kettle. Breena was up and we should start the day. 

It was a weird day.

Brenna evaded me like the plague, while Arlott kept giving me looks that ended with her giggling. When they weren’t doing that, they would just disappear. By the time the moon appeared in the sky again, I was emotionally exhausted from trying to understand what was happening.

I needed some time for myself. So, I walked to a nearby river where there weren’t too many trees blocking the view of the sky, so I could gaze at the moon in all its splendor. 

The moon wasn’t full already, but regardless, it was big enough for me to get entranced looking at it. I was so focused that it took me some time to notice the yellow eyes on my back. But then, a voice came from them and brought me back to the present.

“Do you need power?” An echoey voice said. 

I looked to the yellow eyes, frozen by something that I couldn’t know what it was. 

“Do you need the power to be able to follow your heart?”

Those words were way more different than the previous ones. As the freezing spell lifted, it felt some fear, but I couldn’t be sure. Yet, my curiosity took the best of me.

“What do you mean?” I was sure my voice was too low to be heard. But it seemed that it was heard anyways, since the eyes got nearer. 

They dropped from a tree. As  they approached, I could see they belonged to a majestic white owl looking back at me. The owl was so incredible, that I felt it came out of a fable. It washed away all my fear.

“Listen, Istas.” The owl spoke with the same voice that I heard before. “I do not want to hurt you, but I need you.”

“I can give you strength,” she continued. “But over all, I can give you the power to take action when you need it.” the owl made a pause. “I can help you free yourself of the Sea of Wills.”

That took me by surprise. What did she mean by that? How did she know?

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

“I know more than just that.” The owl was now at an arm’s reach from me, but I didn’t feel any threat from it. Just awe from her brightness.

“I can feel Cailleach’s will all over you, but I can also feel you are not bound to her.”

She kept her two enormous and gorgeous eyes looking into mine.

“I can feel you were bonded with a witch, but you are no more.” It was uncanny how much she knew about me. “But what brings me to you is that I can feel your will almost vanishing from this world.”

That shook me. Kiandra had told me the same before; that the bracelet was all that kept me bound to this world. But listening to it again still struck hard.

“I am an existence as old as Cailleach, and as many others like her in this world.”

I shuffled on my spot. My butt got cold from the stone I was sitting on. I could feel how a new speech of someone that believed herself to be bigger than life was incoming.

“Your will is just a spark, but one that I want to maintain in this world. For at least a little longer. You are an existence that goes hand in hand with mine. As fleeting as your existence can be at the moment, you have the potential to become something great.”

The owl was giving me a speech, but one that actually kept me immersed this time.

“What I want to say is that all of your existence can and will be shaped by yourself. This, as you create a new will to replenish the one you already have.” The owl looked as if thinking for a bit before continuing.

“Having such little will but still being able to leave the Sea of Wills can only mean you have lost most of it. Normally, it would be unpleasant. But, , if you accept my help, it could be most beneficial for you.” I listened to every word she said as she was pretty much outlining how I could be free from the Sea of Will again.

“You are no longer bound by your life or your experiences. The will you create now will be only what you want it to be. If you wish so, I could teach you how to bend your own will and become anything you want to be.”

Her offer was tempting, but I needed to know what the price would be. Her answer wasn’t something I was expecting.

“I am a goddess from a civilization that lived here before. I helped and made them prosper.” Despite her grandiose-ness, I could hear a hint of melancholy. “But then, a man who claimed to be a messenger of his one true god came. He turned the people against me, trapping me in this form you now see.” She extended her wings a bit, as if to show herself to me. “I am now on the  verge of disappearing, as there’s no one to feed me their will anymore.”

The owl looked a little down on herself.

“All I want is to be able to recover my body, and at least for a moment to enjoy life once again.” Her tone dropped, as if pleading. “I will help you with all of my power if you choose to become my acolyte.” She paused for a bit. “My lifeline.”

Hearing the sorrow in her voice, I felt a compelling desire to help her. Without really knowing what I was signing for, I decided to accept.

“I’ll help you,” I told her. “But I need a name first.”

The owl looked at me with eyes too human for a regular animal.

“I’m Huitaca,” she simply said.

Remembering the lecture Kiandra gave us after learning that Arlott needed a goddess, I did something I hoped wouldn’t  come back to bite me later.

“I, Istas, become a vessel of your will and an acolyte at your service.” I declared. “My will is yours, Huitaca.”

I saw as the owl changed a little. She became a little less spectral and more like a regular owl now.

“Thank you, Istas.” She sighed, as if alleviated. “I will do everything I can so you will not regret helping me.”