As the slash carried through the world and sprinkled the time prison into tiny pieces, accompanied by [Obliterate]’s telltale sparks of azure and rose-pink light, another formation revealed itself within the diamond, like a fossil embedded in amber.

It was a dark red, bulging blob, a terrible ooze engulfing where the building they had come for was supposed to be.

“Damn,” Dema let out with an awe-inspired voice. “He’s already gotten his [Realm] up before getting sealed. That’s gonna make this a whole lot harder.”

“[Realm]?” Theora asked, as she started to make her way towards it.

“You don’t know what a [Realm] is?” Dema asked in undisguised disbelief. “What the hell?”

Theora made a few more steps before realising Dema wasn’t following, so she turned back around with a slight questioning gaze.

Meanwhile, Dema just stared back. “Why, I can’t believe you came to fight me without knowing about [Realms]. It’s an ability some demons have access to. Like, they create a space in which they cannot lose. You enter it, you die. We should wait it out. Won’t last forever.”

“Time is running out,” Theora said, and went ahead. “Let’s go in.”

Dema shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine!” she shouted, catching up. “Just don’t tell me I didn’t warn ya! I mean, I’m straight-up immortal and even I’m scared to go in! Entering another demon’s [Realm] is just reckless…”

“You can wait outside. It’s my quest, after all. You don’t have to endanger yourself.”

Dema pouted, turning her head in a way that made her horn run a cute little swirl. “No way I’m gonna miss this spectacle! I’d probably manage this guy outside his [Realm], but I’d still like to know if and how you beat him. Maybe you’re not that strong after all.” She shrugged. “Not that I actually think you’re gonna do him in. Little rabbit’s too big a softie. You’re gonna get all mopey.”

By now, they were right in front of the goo, and Theora softly touched it with a finger.

“Oh, before we go in, there’s something you may wanna know,” Dema added, grinning. “It’s the Devil of Truth. His [Realm] makes it so that when we’re inside, we can’t lie.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. So if there’s some big secret you’ve been hiding from me, now’s the time to turn around and forget about this side quest.”

“Shouldn’t you be the one to worry about that?” Theora asked, and went inside, and Dema followed.

 

Within the bubble, a dark storm was raging. The air felt heavy and exuded a strong pressure, winds blasting past as the vegetation inside was rotting and the soil barren. The building stood before them, made up of different complexes of various sizes, all constructed in grey stone bricks with embellished wooden beams between. It really seemed to be a time seal, as the building had not weathered like those outside.

They made for the main entrance; a large, two compartment door with serif lettering stretched above it spelling out the words ‘Callarand Solstice Children’s Hospital’.

The corridors and halls were empty. There was a reception area, some waiting rooms, and further connections to deeper parts of the premise, though so far, not a single person was to be seen.

“Damn,” Dema murmured. “I can smell the blood.”

“Any survivors?” Theora asked.

“Nah. [Appraise] says it’s just him.” She pointed in a direction that would, as per the layouts hanging on the walls, lead to the hospital’s dining hall. 

They paced forward, steps echoing through the silence. “You know,” Dema started again, “I kinda was planning to play this fun li’l game. Like, for you and I to ask each other questions that we gotta answer. To pass the time if we get stuck in Truth’s [Realm].”

She shrugged, looking about the gloom-inducing surroundings. Emptiness, but no dust anywhere. Not much in terms of destruction or wear, either. Just a space that should have people in it, but didn’t.

Then, Dema continued, “But now, this ain’t fun at all. What a bummer. I had such a good plan too. And he just had to ruin it.”

“The side quests I’m sent on aren’t usually fun.”

“Yeah, I get that now. Shame.”

They made another turn, finding a corridor with several doors to patient rooms. Some were open and seemed like they were still actively lived in. Dema got progressively agitated as they walked by, until at one point, she couldn’t stop herself anymore, and stopped walking.

“Hey, ain’t this, like, totally messed up?” she snapped. “How are you just walking through it? Almost seems like you’re bored. I kinda wanna trash the place and bury the guy in soil. I can’t, because we’re in his [Realm]. But still.”

“Not bored, just tired,” Theora returned. “I’m the only one in the world who can do this, and so I must, and so I will. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Damn,” Dema whispered. “No wonder you wanna sleep all the time. This ain’t fun at all.”

“Must mean something, if it’s the Ancient Evil saying it,” Theora mused.

“Look, now, even I’ve got limits!”

They kept on for a while longer, and eventually found themselves in the same corridor they’d already been in before.

“Ah,” Theora hummed. “Illusion magic? He’s trying to throw us off?”

“Unlikely. The guy’s got a big ego. Probably doesn’t even think he’s in danger. It’s his [Realm], too. He basically rules here, doesn’t even need illusion magic to accomplish something like this, could be he just bent reality.”

“So? What do we do?” Theora asked.

“Why, ain’t that rare, you asking my advice! I feel flattered.”

Theora glanced back to her quest outline.

 

Time remaining: 47 minutes.

 

“Your expertise is valuable here,” she said. “You know him. And, he’s a demon like you. We don’t have much time left. Of course I would rely on your advice, if you allow.”

“I say we just gotta keep walking,” Dema supplied, looking back and forth the hall. “He’s the Devil of Truth, probably wants to have some fun watching us. I don’t think there’s much we can do here for now. Not without… well, making a big mess, and probably getting killed off by him.” She shrugged. “Maybe we should play that game after all.”

“You think he can hear us?”

Dema let out a long hum in her smoky voice. “Maybe. Pretty sure he at least feels our, like, state of mind. He might honour us with a visit if we start getting jumpy.”

“Game it is, then,” Theora said.

“Kinda funny, though, how we can’t lie and are still talking like we always do, huh! Must mean we have that big a bond of trust.”

“We haven’t been asking challenging questions of each other. In fact, never did, in those past one hundred years.”

“True that. I’ve been saving them, hoping for this to happen!”

“Oh, have you?”

Dema smirked, stretching thin her golden lips. “Why, of course. You told me we were gonna meet the Devil of Truth, and I’ve had a hundred years to prepare! I’m ready!”

“Impressive,” Theora murmured. Meanwhile, she hadn’t prepared at all.

“That said, I kinda thought he’d set up the [Realm] while we fought him, and then we’d be in this big pinch and I could come save you. I didn’t expect you to just walk in!”

Theora shrugged. “Can’t wait it out. We arrived late.”

They were probably making their fortieth round in those same corridors by now, always circling back into the same one.

Not being able to lie inside this [Realm] was certainly on-brand for someone called the Devil of Truth, but warping space? This didn’t feel much like reality, and not much like the truth, either.

Just as Theora was about to start contemplating what that could mean, Dema interrupted her. “So, first question! What’s your favourite food?”

Theora frowned. “That’s your first question where I can’t lie? I would have answered that anytime.”

“We gotta start easy!” Dema grinned.

“I don’t have a favourite food.”

“Colour?”

“Blue.”

“Then, how about… Why, what’s your favourite smell! Mine’s still tulips!”

“This sounds a lot like you are making these questions up as you go,” Theora said. “I thought you prepared them?”

Dema grumbled. “I kinda thought… Well, you know! You still wanna kill me, right? But you’re hesitating. So… my plan was kinda just to give you a chance to ask me,” she said, her voice trailing off into a whisper by the end.

“To ask you what?”

“Why, the obvious question, of course! You can go ahead and ask!”

Obvious question?

Was there an obvious question? What could Dema be referring to? Something that had to do with Theora having to kill her…

It took a moment for her to understand. As she did, her heart sank.

That’s right, the obvious question. The one thing Theora wanted to know about the Ancient Evil. The question that had agonised her for a century now, even though she really did not want to hear the answer. Because receiving that answer was a terrifying prospect. And, maybe the framing of the question was already wrong. Maybe she was working off flawed assumptions, and maybe they’d all crumble down in front of her the moment she issued the words. And if that happened, nothing would be the same.

And now, they were in the [Realm] of Truth, where lying was not possible. Of course, Dema could have lied about that, maybe lying was possible. It would have been easy enough for Theora to check, but she didn’t bother. She simply trusted Dema.

Trusted the girl who was walking next to her, offering to simply answer the dangerous question that would potentially change it all. 

So, Theora gathered all her courage, steeled her voice, clenching fists to steady herself, and asked the one thing she both wondered about so much, and still didn’t want to know.

“Why don’t you hate me?”