Elias arrived at his room just in time to watch himself die.
The clone sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped, breath shallow. Its outline flickered like heat over stone, skin turning translucent in patches as veins of pale Flow crawled across its body. Every inhale came a fraction too slow, every exhale a fraction too long, as if the world itself was reluctantly allowing it to continue.
Elias stood in the doorway, unmoving, counting the seconds.
Five… four…
The clone looked up. Its eyes met his—not with surprise, but with relief. The expression mirrored exhaustion so perfectly that Elias felt a phantom ache bloom behind his eyes.
Three…
The clone's fingers crumbled first, dissolving into drifting motes of light that evaporated before touching the floor.
Two…
Its chest collapsed inward, Flow unraveling in on itself.
One.
The clone vanished without sound, without residue, without even the courtesy of a breeze.
The room felt suddenly too empty.
The door slid open behind him.
"Whats keeping you so long."
Aina's voice was flat, sharp enough to cut through the lingering silence. Elias turned just as she stepped inside, arms crossed, eyes already scanning him from head to toe.
He looked the part.
Bruised knuckles. Sweat-damp hair. Breathing slightly uneven. His outer clothes were gone, folded carelessly on the chair, and the scarf Aina had given him was clenched loosely in his hand like a forgotten anchor.
To anyone else, he would have passed perfectly.
To Aina—
Her eyes narrowed. Her gaze lingered on his face—on the color that had returned to his skin, on the steadiness of his stance, on the way his eyes were alert instead of hollow.
Elias tried thinking of something to say but his headache prevented him from having any stable train of thoughts.
Aina's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked unconvinced and on the verge of saying something—but after a moment, she exhaled through her nose.
"…That's enough for today," she said.
She hesitated, clearly about to say more—
A soft knock interrupted her.
The door opened again.
Elara stood there, one hand resting against her lower back, the other bracing lightly against the doorframe. Fatigue clung to her like a veil—subtle, but unmistakable.
"Oh," she said gently, eyes flicking between them. "Am I interrupting?"
Aina straightened immediately. "No auntie."
"You look quite handsome."Elara smiled sarcastically.
Elias smiled nervously.
His mother studied him for a moment longer than necessary, concern flickering beneath her calm.
"Did you and Aina do anything other than spar? You're becoming more and more like your father."
"Yes. We were finished anyway." Aina said.
She turned toward the door, pausing only long enough to glance back at Elias one last time.
There was something unspoken there—frustration, curiosity, perhaps even disappointment.
'We sparred,' her expression said. 'We didn't talk.'
Aina turned away.
'But at least we interacted. It's a step'
Elara followed her, casting Elias one final warm look before closing the door behind them.
The latch clicked.
The instant they were gone, Elias exhaled sharply.
The headache hit him like a hammer.
He staggered back a step, vision blurring as a violent pressure built behind his eyes—no, deeper than that. It felt as if something inside him was swelling, straining, desperate to break free.
He raised a hand. Flow surged instinctively, spiraling outward in a sharp burst of wind that slammed the door shut with a resonant thud.
The room trembled.
Elias doubled over, gripping the edge of the desk as his breath hitched.
'This goes beyond exhaustion.'
He closed his eyes and forced his Flow inward, circulating it through his body with practiced precision. Veins of light traced familiar paths—heart, spine, limbs—until he isolated the source.
His Soul-Domain.
'So that's it.'
The world inverted.
He stood once more upon the glassy waters of his inner sea.
Usually, it was still—an endless reflective plane stretching into a pale horizon. Now, it churned violently. Waves rolled over one another, as tall as towers colliding in chaotic spirals. The surface rippled as if something massive were moving beneath it.
Elias floated above the chaos, focusing energy against the churning surface.
"Calm down," he whispered, pouring will into the waters.
The waves resisted.
No—this wasn't his will rebelling.
It was a reaction.
Something foreign was pushing against the boundaries of his personal universe.
The water bulged upward.
Bubbles rose, large and luminous, bursting in flashes of heat. The pressure intensified, a deep, resonant hum vibrating through the domain.
"Stop," Elias growled, planting his feet. He poured everything into resistance—Flow, intent, identity.
The surface broke.
A shockwave tore outward, throwing him backward like a discarded doll. He fell through the waves and skidded across the water, breath torn from his lungs as the sea exploded upward.
From the heart of the rupture, something rose.
A single Torii gate.
Massive. Ancient. Impossible.
Its pillars were a brilliant red lacquered with gold, unmarred by age or erosion. White and silver shimenawa rope hung between the posts, thick and heavy, woven with deliberate care. From it dangled jade bells that chimed softly despite the absence of wind—each note echoing with unsettling clarity.
The water fell still.
The gate stood alone, dominating the horizon.
Elias pushed himself upright, staring.
"…What are you?"
As he drew closer, his gaze caught on the symbol carved into the crossbeam.
A flame.
No—a lotus shaped from fire.
His breath caught.
The same mark....The fox mask.
Cold dread pooled in his stomach.
'Whats going on?'
Elias raised his hands, summoning the sea of endless sea of energy itself. Towers of water rose and crashed against the gate with apocalyptic force. Tornadoes spiraled from the depths, ripping the air apart. lighting struck from above, each strike more powerful than the previous. He compressed Flow into a blazing mass and hurled it from above like a falling star.
Nothing. Amasive meteor, the size of Blackhaven fell from above on it and cause omnidirectional tidal waves.
The Torii remained pristine.
Not a crack. Not a scorch.
Elias fell to one knee, panting.
"…What the hell?" he muttered. "Why wont this damned thing go down?"
He stared at the gate as if expecting it to answer him. He sighed and began to pace around it.
"At this point I'll have to go back and see that old man. He would know something about the mask." He stopped walking and looked at the gate. He stared for a moment then walked through, expecting something, anything to happen but he passed through it normally. He sighed.
"I don't like that I have to see some foul mouthed old geezer. Speaking of..."
Lyles bald head came to mind. The man they had met was nothing like the gramps the older boy claimed he was looking for. Something told Elias that he'd be missing something big.
Elias
He decided to keep the information to himself for the time being.
"The only thing now is to convince Jamie." He said as he returned to the real world.
Hours had passed.
The headache lingered, dull and oppressive, but manageable.
A bath, he decided.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted back to Lyle—to questions he wanted answered.
The bathroom door slid open.
Jamie was already inside.
She froze mid-motion, pouring water on her body.
"…Oh. There you are," she said brightly. "I was wondering if I'd have to come drag you."
Elias yelped and turned away instantly. "J-Jamie! What are you doing here?!"
She tilted her head. "Waiting, duh. I told you I was staying over."
She stepped closer, grinning. "Want me to wash your back?"
"No!" Elias said, mortified. "Absolutely not—why are you even—"
He tried to leave.
Ice snapped around his ankle.
Jamie yanked him backward with surprising strength, laughing as he stumbled.
"Too late!"
Later that night, Elias lay on his back beside her, staring at the ceiling. He was still embarassed even though he tried to supress it. Jamie didn't seem to notice laughed as she recounted the day's chaos, animated hands carving shapes in the air. Elias watched quietly, smiling faintly—not at the stories, but at her.
At how free she was.
"Hey," he said softly. "Keep today to yourself. Just for now."
She sobered. "What about Lyle?"
"…Just for now."
"Why though?''
Elias wasn't sure how he was going to answer but Jamie continued.
"OK, but only if you pay me back."
"Eh, you want payment?"
"Then, I'll consider it."
"How am I even supposed to do that?"
"You tell me."
Elias thought for a moment. Jamie wasn't the type who cared much about material things. She loved food but would get access to that even if he tried using it to bargain.
'Well she is very adventurous. And what better way to go on an adventure that through...'
"Stories."
"…Stories?" She repeated. Elias nodded
"Every night you sleep over, I tell you one."
She scooted closer
"…Deal. Now tell me a story."
''Huh, no way. I'm tired."
"Yes way. you're gonna tell me one right now. Come on Ellie, I wanna hear..." She began to shake him. His headache became a bit more pronounced.
"OK, OK stop."
Jamie beamed and looked at him expectantly. Elias folded his arms, thinking of what to tell. The image of the wooden shack in the middle of a clearing came to mind.
"I have a story, but are you sure you can handle it?''
" Of course I can."
" I dunno...this one is quite sad."
She leaned in, eyes shining. "Tell me."
Elias smiled faintly.
"Alright I'll tell you a story."
He rolled to face her.
"The story of Baba Yaga…"