Then she waited.
She sat where Goro had left her, back against the warm stone pillar overlooking the harbor, Varin's short sword resting across her knees.
The tunnel remained directly ahead.
She had chosen the position deliberately.
From here she could see anyone coming through.
Goro.
Q.
Yzer.
Monsters.
Anyone.
The first hour—
she barely moved.
People passed.
Some looked at her.
Nobody bothered her.
A woman carrying baskets of glowing fruit left one beside her without saying anything.
Xheavend didn't touch it.
Could be poisoned.
**It isn't.**
*You don't know that.*
**I do.**
*How?*
End became quiet.
Xheavend narrowed her eyes.
*That's suspicious.*
No response.
She continued watching the tunnel.
Nothing.
The second hour—
she ate one fruit.
Only because she was hungry.
Not because she trusted anybody.
That distinction mattered.
It tasted like honey and oranges.
She ate another.
For testing purposes.
The third was necessary to confirm the results.
By the fourth—
she had stopped counting.
Mostly.
She still checked the tunnel every few minutes.
Nothing.
No silver cloak.
No complaining.
No Q.
Her fingers tightened around the sword.
Goro had promised.
*I will find him.*
Adults made promises constantly.
That didn't mean anything.
People promised they'd come back.
Promised they wouldn't hurt you.
Promised things would get better.
Promises were words.
Words were easy.
Coming back was harder.
"STARFALL!"
Xheavend jumped.
Her sword came halfway from its sheath.
Children screamed.
Not frightened screams.
Happy ones.
That took her another heartbeat to understand.
Across the plaza, perhaps fifteen children had gathered between two rows of glowing crystal tiles.
One side had been decorated with chalk stars.
The opposite side—
little drawings of ships.
A blue-skinned girl stood in the middle.
The same one who had complimented Xheavend's sword earlier.
Her curly white hair had been tied messily above her head.
She pointed dramatically toward the others.
"Stars, stars, where will you fly?"
The children answered together.
"ANYWHERE THE DARK CAN'T FOLLOW!"
The girl grinned.
"Then run!"
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Children exploded across the plaza.
Xheavend watched despite herself.
One little boy with antlers sprinted approximately four steps before tripping over his own feet.
Another jumped over him.
A winged girl cheated by flying.
"NO FLYING!"
"I'm not flying!"
"YOU'RE IN THE AIR!"
"Jumping!"
"For twenty feet?!"
"I jump good!"
Xheavend snorted.
She immediately stopped.
No.
She hadn't.
She looked back toward the tunnel.
Nothing.
"Hey!"
Xheavend ignored it.
"Girl with the sword!"
She looked over.
The blue-skinned child pointed at her.
"You wanna play?"
"No."
"Okay!"
That was it.
No begging.
No questions.
No *why not?*
The girl turned and ran back toward the others.
Xheavend frowned.
That was irritating.
She didn't know why.
Another round began.
"Stars, stars, where will you fly?"
"ANYWHERE THE DARK CAN'T FOLLOW!"
"STARFALL!"
They ran.
This time the antlered boy made it six steps.
Improvement.
Xheavend watched.
Not playing.
Just watching.
There was a difference.
The children changed something for the next round.
They began linking hands.
Pairs.
Three at a time.
One enormous stone-skinned child had somehow acquired four smaller children hanging from his arms.
Xheavend frowned.
"What are they doing?"
Nobody answered.
She looked toward a boy sitting nearby.
"What are they doing?"
He blinked.
"Making ships."
"Why?"
"So the Dark can't take you."
Xheavend looked back.
"...How does holding hands stop them?"
"It doesn't."
That seemed stupid.
The boy continued.
"If someone gets tagged, their ship can pull them back before the Dark counts to three."
Oh.
Xheavend watched more carefully.
The blue-skinned girl stood in the middle again.
"STARFALL!"
They ran.
The stone child was slow.
Very slow.
Possibly the slowest creature Xheavend had ever seen.
The Devourer tagged the smallest child holding his hand.
"ONE!"
The little girl squealed.
"TWO!"
The stone boy planted both feet.
Pulled.
The girl flew backward.
She landed against him laughing.
"SAFE!"
Xheavend stared.
The boy beside her grinned.
"See?"
"...That's cheating."
"No."
"It is."
"It's the rules."
"The rules are stupid."
"You wanna play?"
"No."
"Okay."
Again—
he simply left.
Xheavend glared after him.
Why did nobody here argue properly?
Another round.
Another.
Another.
The Dark grew.
More children were trapped across the plaza now, forced to remain where they'd been tagged.
The remaining Stars had fewer paths.
They formed ships.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Nobody crossed alone anymore.
Xheavend's fingers loosened around her sword.
She looked toward the tunnel.
Nothing.
Her chest tightened.
She looked away.
"STARFALL!"
Children ran.
One fell.
Another turned back.
Xheavend frowned.
"Don't go back."
The child went back anyway.
Grabbed their friend's hand.
Pulled.
The Dark nearly caught both.
They escaped.
Barely.
Both collapsed behind the line laughing.
Xheavend stared.
Idiots.
Complete idiots.
She would've left them.
...
Would she?
Her eyes moved toward the tunnel again.
Q striking the roots.
Again.
Again.
Again.
*I'm here.*
Her throat tightened.
He hadn't left.
He could have.
He should have.
But he'd kept hitting the wall.
Trying to get back to her.
"Girl with the sword!"
Xheavend looked over.
The blue-skinned girl was pointing again.
"Last chance!"
"No."
"Okay!"
She turned.
Xheavend stood.
"...Wait."
Every child stopped.
Xheavend immediately regretted speaking.
The girl smiled.
"You're playing?"
"No."
A pause.
"...Maybe."
The girl's smile widened.
"That's playing."
"I haven't agreed."
"You're standing."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Come on!"
Xheavend looked toward the tunnel.
Still empty.
Then toward the children.
Then back toward the tunnel.
Goro said he'd find him.
She didn't believe him.
Not completely.
But—
maybe she could believe him for one round.
Xheavend sheathed her sword.
Then walked over.
"I'm not holding hands."
"Okay."
"And I'm faster than all of you."
The antlered boy gasped.
"I'm fastest."
"No, you're not."
"I am!"
"You fell twice."
"That doesn't count."
"Why?"
"The ground attacked me."
Xheavend stared at him.
"...I like you."
He grinned.
"I know."
The children lined up.
Xheavend crouched slightly.
The Dark waited throughout the plaza.
Dozens of hands ready.
The blue-skinned girl shouted:
"Stars, stars, where will you fly?"
Everyone answered.
Xheavend didn't.
"ANYWHERE THE DARK CAN'T FOLLOW!"
"STARFALL!"
They ran.
Xheavend vanished.
At least—
that was probably what it looked like to them.
She slipped between two children.
Duck.
Turn.
Step.
A hand reached.
She pivoted beneath it.
Another.
Jump.
Someone shouted.
"She's cheating!"
"I'm running!"
"TOO FAST!"
"Sounds like a you problem!"
She reached the other side first.
Not close.
First.
Xheavend turned around triumphantly.
"I told you."
The antlered boy arrived several seconds later.
Bent over.
Panting.
"You..."
Breath.
"...are..."
Breath.
"...horrible."
"Thank you."
Another round.
This time—
everyone targeted her.
"Oh, that's unfair."
"STARFALL!"
Xheavend ran.
Five children converged.
She ducked one.
Jumped another.
Twisted sideways.
Someone caught the back of her tunic.
"ONE!"
Xheavend jerked forward.
"TWO!"
Another hand grabbed hers.
The blue-skinned girl.
"Come on!"
She pulled.
Xheavend stumbled free.
"SAFE!"
They crossed together.
Still holding hands.
Xheavend noticed.
Immediately let go.
The girl didn't mention it.
Good.
Another round.
Then another.
Somewhere along the way—
Xheavend stopped checking the tunnel.
Not forever.
Just...
longer.
Five minutes.
Then ten.
She laughed when the antlered boy ran directly into a fountain.
She helped pull the winged girl free when three members of the Dark caught her.
Someone declared Xheavend captain of their ship.
She objected.
Everyone ignored her.
Apparently captains didn't get votes.
Then—
"STARFALL!"
They ran again.
Xheavend held one child's hand.
Then another.
Three Stars.
One ship.
The Dark closed around them.
"LEFT!"
They turned.
"NO, OTHER LEFT!"
"THAT IS MY OTHER LEFT!"
"RUN!"
They broke through.
Barely.
Xheavend crossed the line laughing.
Actually laughing.
Bent over.
Hands on her knees.
Hair falling into her face.
For several seconds—
she forgot.
The Labyrinth.
Yzer.
The chains.
The blood.
The screaming.
She forgot she was supposed to be watching every doorway.
Forgot to keep one hand near her sword.
Forgot that safe places usually stopped being safe the moment you believed in them.
She was just—
ten.
Almost.
Then—
Tap.
A staff struck stone.
The children stopped.
Xheavend straightened.
Another.
Tap.
Across the plaza—
someone looked toward the cavern.
Tap.
Another person joined.
Then another.
The sound began spreading through Yrtana.
Xheavend's smile disappeared.
Her hand immediately found her sword.
People were gathering.
Not frightened.
Excited.
Some crying.
Others pointing.
Toward the harbor.
Xheavend followed their gaze.
Something enormous moved through the distant cavern.
Her thermal sight changed.
Heat.
Impossible heat.
Two hundred feet of living muscle and amethyst-black scales.
Twenty golden eyes.
Ancient runes blazing across its body.
Goraxian.
Xheavend stared.
Then—
her eyes dropped to his back.
Someone was riding him.
Silver cloak.
Blood.
Mushroom slime.
Her heart stopped.
The children around her disappeared.
The game disappeared.
The plaza disappeared.
Everything disappeared except—
him.
Two presences.
One young.
One ancient.
Friend.
Omen.
Alive.
Her sword slipped from her fingers.
Clang.
"Q!"
And Xheavend ran.
Down the terrace steps.
Past startled merchants.
Between two soldiers.
Around a woman carrying flowers.
Someone shouted something.
She didn't care.
The massive serpent descended toward the harbor.
People bowed.
Xheavend shoved through them.
Not politely.
Someone laughed as she nearly collided with a basket.
She kept going.
The figure slid down from the serpent's back.
Alive.
Definitely alive.
Dirty.
Disgustingly dirty.
But alive.
Xheavend's throat closed.
He turned.
Saw her.
And everything she'd been trying to hold together cracked.
"Q!"
The sound escaped before she could stop it.
She ran harder.
His eyes widened.
He barely had time to open his arms.
Xheavend hit him.
Hard.
His body rocked backward.
Good.
Served him right.
Her arms wrapped around his waist.
She buried her face against his chest before anyone could see what her expression was doing.
"You came..."
Her voice sounded wrong.
Small.
She hated that.
She tightened her grip.
"You actually came."
A laugh moved through his chest.
Warm.
Real.
His hand settled gently on top of her black hair.
"We said we would."
That made it worse.
Xheavend shut her eyes.
Because yes.
He had.
He said he wouldn't take her back.
He didn't.
He said they'd find Goro.
They did.
He'd told her—
No.
Maybe he hadn't explicitly promised to come back after the maze separated them.
But somewhere along the way—
she'd believed he would.
And that was terrifying.
Believing people came back was dangerous.
People disappeared.
Parents.
Brothers.
Wisper.
Safety.
Everything could leave.
But he had come back.
Xheavend finally pulled away enough to look at him.
Immediately—
she started checking.
Face.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Chest.
Blood.
Too much blood.
Mushroom slime.
Burns.
"You're hurt."
"I'm alive."
"That's not the same thing."
He blinked.
Then smiled.
Omen moved behind him.
Quiet.
Lighter.
Xheavend felt it.
Relief.
Not only hers.
His too.
She frowned.
Then sniffed.
Regretted it.
Her nose wrinkled.
"You smell terrible."
Q looked offended.
"...Thank you."
"Mushrooms."
"I was fighting mushrooms."
"Blood."
"There was quite a lot of blood."
"Lava."
"...Less intentional."
Xheavend nodded.
"Understandable."
His mouth twitched.
Then he laughed.
Actually laughed.
Xheavend's face betrayed her.
A smile escaped.
Damn it.
Across the harbor—
Goro watched them.
And smiled too.
Not his annoying smile.
Something quieter.
Something that made Xheavend remember the words from the terrace.
One day, you will do something for me that I can never repay.
She still didn't understand.
She suspected she wouldn't for a very long time.
Fine.
Let future Xheavend deal with it.
Present Xheavend had more important problems.
Like the fact that Q smelled as if he'd been eaten by a mushroom and rejected.
She looked up at him.
"You need a bath."
His smile vanished.
"I just survived an entire fungal civilization."
"Bath."
"Can I eat first?"
"Bath."
Goro's laughter rolled across the harbor.
And for the first time since Yzer had taken her—
Xheavend stood somewhere full of strangers...
and did not immediately look for the nearest exit.
Not because she had forgotten how.
She knew exactly where three were.
Possibly four.
But because children were screaming with laughter around her.
Goro was nearby.
Q had come back.
Omen was watching quietly from behind his eyes.
End was still.
And Yzer—
Yzer was nowhere.
For now...
nowhere was enough.
Xheavend looked up at Q again.
Still there.
Good.
She checked.
Because apparently that was something she did now.
His silver cloak was torn.
His face had blood on it.
His clothes were disgusting.
There was something green stuck near his shoulder that she was almost certain had once belonged to a mushroom.
But—
alive.
Definitely alive.
She tightened her arms around him once more.
Just to make sure.
Q laughed.
The sound moved through his chest beneath her cheek.
"We said we would."
"You were late."
"I got distracted."
"You always get distracted."
"I was being chased by an entire fungal civilization."
Xheavend considered that.
"...Reasonable."
"I thought so."
She finally released him.
Mostly.
One hand remained curled in his cloak.
That didn't count.
She looked past him.
Goro stood several steps away.
Watching.
Smiling.
Not the annoying smile.
The other one.
The one Xheavend still hadn't figured out.
Something warm moved through her chest.
"You kept your promise."
Goro's golden eyes softened.
"I did."
"You said you'd find him."
"I did."
"You were right."
"I usually am."
A laugh escaped her.
"You really are."
Then—
Goro moved.
Xheavend expected him to walk toward them.
Instead—
he knelt.
Her smile disappeared.
Not because she was afraid.
Because—
what?
One knee touched the stone.
The harbor went silent.
Completely.
Xheavend looked around.
Everyone had stopped.
Merchants.
Soldiers.
Children.
The woman carrying flowers.
Even the antlered boy she'd been playing with had frozen.
Xheavend frowned.
Why was everyone staring?
Goro reached toward her.
Then stopped.
Waiting.
Not touching.
Asking without asking.
Xheavend looked at his hand.
Then his face.
Slowly—
she gave him hers.
His claws curled carefully around her fingers.
He lifted her hand.
Bowed his head.
And kissed her knuckles.
Xheavend's entire face scrunched.
"...What are you doing?"
Q made a strange choking noise behind her.
Goro ignored both of them.
"My promise," he said softly, "was the easiest one I have ever kept."
Something beneath Xheavend's feet—
moved.
She looked down.
Golden light spread beneath Goro's knee.
Ancient symbols awakened across the stone.
One.
Then another.
Then hundreds.
They spiraled outward.
The harbor trembled.
Xheavend immediately reached for her sword.
Then—
Hissssssssss.
She froze.
Something crawled from a crack between the stones.
A snake.
Tiny.
Black.
Another emerged beside it.
Gold.
Another.
White.
Three became ten.
Ten became hundreds.
Hundreds became—
"Oh."
Thousands.
No.
More.
They poured from everywhere.
Streets.
Walls.
Canals.
Roofs.
The lake.
Xheavend stepped backward.
Or tried.
Goro still held her hand.
"Goro."
"They won't hurt you."
"You don't know that."
A pause.
Then he smiled.
"I do."
Xheavend narrowed her eyes.
Everyone kept saying that today.
She looked down again.
Snakes covered the harbor.
Millions of them.
Black scales.
Emerald.
Silver.
Crimson.
Gold.
Some were smaller than her fingers.
Others were thicker than her entire body.
None attacked.
None even looked interested in attacking.
They simply—
came.
Toward Goro.
Toward her.
Circles formed.
One around another.
And another.
Until Xheavend couldn't see the stone beneath her boots anymore.
Only scales.
She looked toward Q.
He looked almost as confused as she felt.
Good.
At least she wasn't the only one.
Then—
Goro spoke.
"I..."
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
"...Goro."
Every serpent raised its head.
"Captain of the First Division."
Something inside Xheavend stirred.
End.
Not afraid.
Not angry.
Listening.
"Guardian of Yrtana."
The golden symbols beneath them brightened.
"Warden of the Forgotten."
Goro's fingers tightened gently around hers.
"...pledge my life."
Xheavend's smile disappeared.
"My strength."
Her stomach tightened.
"My wisdom."
"Goro—"
"My kingdom."
She stared at him.
"My people."
Something was wrong.
Not dangerous.
Worse.
Serious.
"My name."
"Goro."
"My soul."
His golden eyes lifted.
And found hers.
"To the Little Lady."
Xheavend stopped breathing.
"If ever she calls..."
"I shall answer."
"If ever she falls..."
"I shall stand."
"If ever she is alone..."
His voice softened.
"...she shall be alone no longer."
Something inside her chest hurt.
Not the curse.
Something else.
Something stupid.
Something warm.
"My loyalty shall remain."
"Beyond life."
"Beyond death."
"Beyond time itself."
Every serpent hissed.
At once.
The sound hit Xheavend like thunder.
She flinched—
then watched as millions of serpents dissolved.
Black ink exploded across the harbor.
Xheavend jerked backward.
"Goro!"
The ink struck her legs.
Cold.
Not painful.
It climbed.
Her boots.
Her knees.
Her stomach.
Her arm.
"Q!"
Q moved.
Stopped.
His expression changed.
Like someone had said something to him.
Xheavend didn't know who.
Probably Omen.
Or the other one.
The one Q sometimes talked to without explaining properly.
The ink gathered around her left arm.
Then sank into her skin.
Xheavend stared.
Black serpents twisted around her wrist.
Up her forearm.
Around one another.
Beautiful.
Tiny golden scales appeared between them.
They climbed over her shoulder.
Then disappeared beneath her clothes.
Something warm settled above her heart.
And—
stopped.
The snakes vanished.
The harbor became stone again.
Xheavend stared at her arm.
She turned it.
The serpents shimmered.
She turned it again.
More shimmer.
"Oh."
Q stared at her.
Then Goro.
Then her again.
Xheavend smiled.
"It sparkles."
Q's mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
"...That's your response?"
"What else am I supposed to say?"
"I..."
He looked toward Goro.
Apparently Goro wasn't helping.
"...Actually, I don't know."
Xheavend admired the tattoo again.
Good.
Because she liked her response.
She touched one of the golden scales.
Warm.
"What does it do?"
Goro stood.
"It means I belong to your cause."
Xheavend frowned.
"I don't have a cause."
"You will."
That was irritating.
"Why does everybody know things about me except me?"
Goro smiled.
"That is an excellent question."
"That wasn't an answer."
"No."
Xheavend glared.
Adults.
Then she noticed Q staring at Goro.
Not normally.
Like he was listening to something.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Goro's did too.
Silence.
Then Goro said—
"No."
Xheavend blinked.
Nobody had asked anything.
Q frowned.
Then Goro said—
"I stole them centuries ago."
Q suddenly covered his face.
Xheavend stared between them.
"...What?"
Neither answered.
"Who are you talking to?"
Q lowered his hands.
"It's complicated."
"I hate that word."
"I'm beginning to hate it too."
Good.
At least they agreed on something.
Then someone shouted—
"FEAST!"
Xheavend turned.
A giant with skin like cracked stone had raised one fist.
"FEAST!"
Another voice joined.
Then twenty.
Then hundreds.
"FEAST!"
"FEAST!"
"FEAST!"
Xheavend's eyes widened.
"...Why are they yelling?"
Goro smiled.
"Because you're alive."
That—
was apparently reason enough.
Several hours later—
Xheavend had decided Yrtana was ridiculous.
She liked it.
The tables alone were ridiculous.
Hundreds of them.
Crystal.
Glowing.
Covered in more food than she'd seen in—
Ever.
Probably.
She stopped thinking about that.
Thinking about before made things taste worse.
So she didn't.
She ate.
A lot.
Sunburst Orbs were the best.
That was simply a fact.
The first bite tasted like oranges.
The second like honey.
The third like something warm and spicy.
The fourth—
Xheavend stopped.
Looked at it.
Bit again.
"...Cake."
Q looked over.
"What?"
"This one tastes like cake."
"Give me that."
"No."
"You have six."
"They're mine."
"You cannot claim an entire plate."
"I just did."
Q reached.
Xheavend slapped his hand.
"Ow."
"Mine."
Goro calmly stole one.
Xheavend gasped.
"Betrayal."
"You have six."
"Five now!"
"A tragedy."
She narrowed her eyes.
Goro ate it.
Slowly.
While looking directly at her.
Xheavend decided the Higher Loyalty Pact clearly had loopholes.
Then—
the Book screamed.
Not literally.
Books couldn't scream.
Probably.
This one might.
Instead, it ripped itself from beneath Q's arm.
Xheavend immediately stopped eating.
Purple eyes snapped open across the cover.
Pages whipped violently.
People quieted.
The Book stopped.
Black letters burned themselves across the page.
TRAINING REQUIRED
Xheavend leaned forward.
Another page.
INSTRUCTOR
The letters appeared slowly.
GORO
Her head snapped toward him.
Goro blinked.
"...Interesting."
Xheavend smiled.
Finally.
Another page turned.
DURATION
Nothing.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then—
TEN YEARS
Xheavend's smile disappeared.
"...What?"
Q said it at exactly the same time.
"Ten years?"
The Book snapped shut.
Xheavend stared at it.
Ten.
Years.
That was—
She counted.
A lot.
She'd be twenty.
Twenty.
She'd practically be dead.
Before she could properly object, Goro laughed.
The music eventually returned.
People started eating again.
Talking.
Laughing.
As though the Book hadn't just sentenced her to approximately one hundred years of training.
Xheavend wasn't listening anymore.
She was watching Goro.
Training.
She could do that.
She wanted to do that.
Actually—
she needed to.
Her fingers curled around Varin's sword.
Yzer wouldn't stop.
She knew that.
He'd come looking.
He always came looking.
So—
good.
Let him.
Next time—
she'd be ready.
Goro and Q talked for a long time.
Xheavend tried listening.
She really did.
It became impossible.
They talked about cycles.
Commanders.
Missions.
People with names Xheavend had never heard before.
Krsangawi.
Vaelrith.
Aslvyr.
That one she knew.
Nhalyros.
Hly'Zouun.
Something about the First Division.
Something about rebellion.
Something about leadership.
Something about Eon.
Then Goro would occasionally answer something Q hadn't said aloud.
Xheavend stopped trying to understand that part.
Adults were already confusing enough when they used their mouths.
Then Goro said something she understood perfectly.
"Against Yzer."
Xheavend went still.
Her fingers tightened around the fruit in her hand.
Q and Goro continued speaking.
She didn't hear most of it.
One word remained.
Yzer.
The Chamber of Eyes.
Purple gloves.
That smile.
Little pet.
Her appetite disappeared.
Then Goro said—
"You aren't training to kill Yzer."
Xheavend's head snapped up.
What?
He was looking at Q.
"You are training to become the man who survives after killing him."
Oh.
Q.
He meant Q.
Something ugly twisted inside her.
Why Q?
Why did Q get to train to kill Yzer?
She was the one Yzer wanted.
She was the one he'd touched.
She was the one who—
No.
Her fingernails pressed into her palms.
Then Goro touched Q's forehead.
Q went completely still.
Xheavend frowned.
"...What are they doing?"
A child beside her shrugged.
"Old people stuff."
"Goro isn't old."
The child stared at her.
Xheavend reconsidered.
"...Okay. Maybe a little."
She asked Goro later.
"When do I start?"
He looked down at her.
"Start what?"
"Training."
"You already have."
Xheavend frowned.
"No, I haven't."
"You have."
"I ate six fruits."
"Seven."
She glared.
"You stole one."
"True."
"That's not training."
"Reading is training."
"Boring."
"Writing."
"I know how."
"You'll learn more."
"History."
"More boring."
"Discipline."
Xheavend folded her arms.
"I have discipline."
Goro looked toward the mountain of stolen desserts beside her.
She followed his gaze.
"...Those aren't related."
"Of course not."
"Combat."
"Fifteen."
Her brain stopped.
"...What?"
"Combat begins when you're fifteen."
"Fifteen?!"
"Yes."
"That's forever!"
"It will arrive sooner than you think."
"I'll be ancient!"
Q laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink.
Xheavend pointed at him.
"You'll be even older."
His laughter stopped.
Good.
Then—
someone brought out a cake.
Not a small cake.
A ridiculous cake.
It was nearly half her height.
Glowing crystal frosting covered every layer.
Flowers bloomed across the top.
Candied fruits glittered between them.
Xheavend stared.
"...Whose is that?"
The old woman pushing it looked offended.
"Yours."
Xheavend blinked.
"...Mine?"
Goro stepped beside her.
"Happy birthday, little lady."
Everything inside her stopped.
Birthday.
She stared at him.
Then the cake.
Then the lanterns.
Then everyone.
Today.
She was—
Ten.
She'd forgotten.
How had she forgotten?
She knew her birthday.
Of course she knew her birthday.
She'd counted every day.
She'd been nine years and three hundred sixty-four days.
Then Yzer.
The Labyrinth.
Q.
The Maze.
Goro.
Running.
Hiding.
Surviving.
She'd forgotten.
"...How did you know?"
Goro smiled.
"Secret."
"We met today."
"Yes."
"So how?"
"One day you'll discover that yourself."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's something adults say when they don't want to answer."
Goro laughed.
"Perhaps."
Xheavend looked back at the cake.
Something blurred.
She blinked.
Stupid.
She blinked again.
Worse.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
No.
Absolutely not.
She wiped it away.
Another replaced it.
Her throat hurt.
She didn't understand why.
It was cake.
Just cake.
Except—
someone remembered.
She hadn't told him.
Hadn't asked.
Hadn't reminded anybody.
And someone had remembered anyway.
Goro's hand rested gently atop her head.
"You deserve to be celebrated."
That made everything worse.
Xheavend cried.
Quietly.
Embarrassingly.
Then everyone started singing.
Which was even worse.
She covered her mouth.
Children sang.
Soldiers sang.
Old people sang.
Goro sang.
Q attempted to sing.
Attempted being important.
He was terrible.
Xheavend laughed through her tears.
"You're bad!"
"I'm trying!"
"Try quieter!"
Someone nearby nearly fell over laughing.
And for a while—
Xheavend forgot Yzer again.
Goro gave her a weapon.
A real one.
Sort of.
It looked like a staff.
Obsidian-dark.
Silver crystal veins ran through it.
Runes moved beneath the surface.
"It has four forms," Goro explained.
Xheavend stared.
"Four?"
"The first when you're ready."
She touched one rune.
"The second when you've earned it."
Another.
"The third when you understand sacrifice."
Then Goro touched the final rune.
"And the fourth..."
His smile changed.
"...I hope you never need."
Xheavend didn't understand that.
Not really.
She understood enough not to ask.
She hugged it to her chest.
"I'll take care of it."
"I know."
Then they danced.
Q was terrible at that too.
Xheavend discovered this almost immediately.
"Left!"
"I went left!"
"That's right!"
"It's my left!"
"Your left is wrong!"
"That doesn't make sense!"
"It does when you dance!"
Their feet collided.
"Ow!"
"That was you!"
"That was definitely you!"
Children collapsed laughing.
Goro laughed.
Even Xheavend couldn't breathe anymore.
For a while—
she was ten.
Just ten.
Not End.
Not Apocalypse.
Not Yzer's property.
Not anything important.
Ten.
She ran.
Ate cake.
Played.
Danced badly.
Put a flower crown on Goro.
He complained.
She put another one on him.
Someone gave Q something to drink.
Then another.
Then several more.
This turned out to be extremely entertaining.
At some point Q climbed onto a bench holding a glowing carrot.
"Vegetables make you difficult to throw!"
Xheavend stared at him.
"...What?"
Several children nodded solemnly.
A boy raised his hand.
"My sister eats vegetables and I can throw her."
Q considered this.
"She requires additional vegetables."
Xheavend laughed so hard her stomach hurt.
She decided Q should never be allowed to teach children anything.
Ever.
Eventually—
the party became quieter.
Children disappeared one by one.
Carried home.
Some asleep against shoulders.
Others wrapped in blankets.
Music softened.
Lanterns dimmed.
Xheavend remained awake.
Of course she did.
She always remained awake.
Sleep wasn't something she did unless her body betrayed her.
And lately—
she had gotten very good at not letting it.
She watched Q slowly lose a battle against consciousness.
His head lowered.
Lifted.
Lowered again.
Then—
thunk.
His face landed directly on the table.
Xheavend blinked.
"...Q?"
Nothing.
She poked his shoulder.
"Q."
Nothing.
Goro looked over.
"He's sleeping."
Xheavend immediately pulled her hand away.
Sleeping.
Her stomach twisted.
She stared at Q.
Waiting.
His body remained loose.
His breathing remained slow.
No screaming.
No cracking skin.
No insects.
No blood.
No rot.
Nothing around him changed.
He just—
slept.
Xheavend looked away.
She hated him a little for that.
Not really.
But a little.
Much later—
Yrtana became quiet.
Not completely.
Water still moved through the canals.
Lantern-fish drifted overhead.
Somewhere far away, someone laughed.
But there were no games anymore.
No children yelling.
No Q arguing.
No music loud enough to hide behind.
Nothing to stop Xheavend from thinking.
She sat alone beside the underground lake.
Her new weapon rested across her knees.
Ten.
She was officially ten years old.
She should've been happy.
She had cake.
A weapon.
Friends.
Maybe.
She didn't know if Q counted.
Probably.
Goro—
Definitely.
She had laughed.
She'd had fun.
Someone remembered her birthday.
So why did everything suddenly feel—
hollow?
Xheavend stared into the glowing water.
"...How am I supposed to get home?"
End answered immediately.
You aren't.
Her head lifted.
"What?"
You cannot return home.
Something cold settled beneath her ribs.
"Yes, I can."
No.
"Q has that clock."
The Chronolock cannot solve this.
"Then I'll find something else."
Xheavend—
"I have to go home."
Silence.
"Icardà is there."
Her voice became smaller.
"Rezorin."
"Varin."
"Tavran."
No answer.
"They don't know where I am."
They will survive.
"That's not the point!"
Her voice echoed across the lake.
Xheavend stood.
"They're going to think I'm dead!"
This universe needs you.
"I don't care!"
The words exploded from her.
She immediately hated them.
But she didn't take them back.
"I didn't ask this universe to need me!"
That is irrelevant.
"I want to go home!"
You cannot.
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Something trembled.
The lake.
Just slightly.
End became quiet.
Xheavend's chest rose and fell too quickly.
"I want Tavran."
Nothing.
"I want my brothers."
Still nothing.
"I want my room."
Her throat tightened.
"I want my books."
A stupid thing to say.
There were books everywhere.
But not hers.
Not Taeterra.
Not home.
"I want—"
Enough.
Xheavend froze.
End had never spoken like that.
Not to her.
The word hit her skull hard enough to hurt.
You need to grow up.
Her face went blank.
"What?"
You need to grow.
You need to learn.
You need to survive.
Because if you do not—
The presence inside her expanded.
For one horrible second—
Xheavend felt it.
Not End.
Everything.
Worlds.
Billions of voices.
Cities burning.
Empty fields.
Armies marching.
Bodies.
Chains.
Hunger.
Screaming.
She grabbed her head.
"Stop—"
Everything dies.
"STOP!"
The lake surged.
Black veins flashed beneath Xheavend's skin.
The lantern nearest her went out.
End's voice thundered through her.
YOU ARE NOT ONLY A CHILD.
Another lantern died.
YOU ARE APOCALYPSE.
The ground cracked beneath her boots.
YOU ARE THE BEGINNING—
Xheavend gasped.
—AND THE END.
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Xheavend stood trembling.
Beginning.
Her hands slowly lowered.
"...You're not going to tell me who Beginning is, are you?"
Nothing.
Xheavend waited.
End said nothing.
Of course.
She laughed once.
There was nothing funny in it.
"You're annoying."
Still nothing.
She sat back down.
Pulled her knees against her chest.
And stared at the water.
Ten years old.
Happy birthday.
"You've had a busy day, little lady."
Xheavend didn't turn.
She knew the voice.
Goro lowered himself beside her.
For someone enormous, he could be annoyingly quiet.
Neither spoke for a while.
Xheavend appreciated that.
Then—
"Where's Q?"
"Sleeping."
Her fingers tightened around her knees.
"...Still?"
"Yes."
"People sleep a lot."
"They do."
"Seems inconvenient."
Goro glanced toward her.
Xheavend didn't look back.
He knew.
She could tell he knew.
Maybe everyone knew.
She hated that.
Goro didn't ask about it.
That helped.
Instead, Xheavend asked—
"Why won't you train me?"
"I will."
"No."
She finally looked at him.
"You said fifteen."
"For combat."
"That's training."
"It is one kind."
"I need that kind."
"You need many kinds."
"I need to kill Yzer."
Goro became still.
Xheavend continued.
"He'll come back."
"I know."
"He won't stop."
"I know."
"He thinks I'm his."
"I know."
"So teach me."
"I will."
"Now."
"No."
Anger flashed through her.
"Why?!"
"Because you're ten."
"I know how old I am!"
"I know."
"I've killed things!"
"I know."
"I killed people before I even got here!"
"I know."
"I can fight!"
"I know."
"THEN WHY?!"
Goro didn't raise his voice.
"Because you are still a child."
Xheavend stared at him.
"I don't get to be."
"Yes."
"No, I don't."
"You do here."
Something inside her cracked.
She looked away.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"I shouldn't have to."
"No."
His voice remained gentle.
"You shouldn't."
That shut her up.
For several seconds—
nothing.
Then—
a whisper slid through her mind.
Soft.
Familiar.
Amused.
Little pet.
Xheavend stopped breathing.
Goro noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
She couldn't answer.
There you are.
Her fingers dug into her arms.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Did you enjoy your birthday?
"Go away."
Goro's expression changed.
"Xheavend?"
Did they give my little pet presents?
"Stop."
Cake?
Her breathing quickened.
Friends?
"Stop."
How sweet.
Goro moved closer.
Not touching.
Not yet.
"Is it Yzer?"
Xheavend's eyes snapped toward him.
How—
Goro's face changed.
Not much.
But something ancient moved behind his golden eyes.
Something that made Xheavend suddenly remember exactly what he was.
Goraxian.
Captain.
Monster-killer.
The creature who had wrapped two hundred feet of serpentine muscle around a Hive Sovereign and squeezed until it died.
"Can he hear me?"
Xheavend swallowed.
"...I don't know."
Goro looked directly at her.
No.
Through her.
And when he spoke—
the warmth vanished from his voice.
"You know who I am, Yzer."
Silence.
Even End went still.
Goro continued.
"You know who I serve."
Something moved beneath his skin.
For half a heartbeat, Xheavend saw scales.
Amethyst-black.
Ancient runes glowed along his throat.
His pupils narrowed into golden slits.
"This little lady..."
He rested one claw against the stone beside Xheavend.
"...is under my protection."
A pause.
"And so you understand exactly what stands between you and her."
Yzer laughed inside Xheavend's skull.
She flinched.
Goraxian.
Goro's eyes sharpened.
So he could hear him.
Or maybe he knew.
Xheavend didn't understand.
Still playing soldier?
Goro smiled.
There was nothing kind about it.
"You remember me."
Everyone remembers you.
"Good."
Goro leaned forward slightly.
"Then remember who I serve."
Yzer went quiet.
Goro's voice dropped.
"The most feared being in all two thousand universes."
Xheavend's heart hammered.
She didn't know who he meant.
Q?
Omen?
Someone else?
She hated not knowing things.
Goro continued.
"And remember something more important."
His hand settled gently upon Xheavend's shoulder.
"This little lady."
The golden markings beneath his skin brightened.
"You don't own her."
Yzer laughed.
She'll come back.
Xheavend's stomach dropped.
They always come back eventually.
The lake disappeared.
For one heartbeat—
she smelled incense.
Blood.
Stone.
The Chamber of Eyes.
No.
She couldn't breathe.
Tell him, pet.
Purple gloves.
Eyes.
Everywhere.
Watching.
Tell your new guardian what happens when you disobey me.
"Stop."
Tell him how brave you were.
"Stop."
Tell him how long it lasted.
Her hands began shaking.
"STOP!"
Goro moved.
Yzer whispered—
You still belong to me.
Something broke.
"No!"
The scream ripped out of her.
Xheavend stumbled backward.
Her weapon hit the stone.
Clattered away.
"I DON'T!"
Her breath caught.
Wouldn't come.
She clawed at her chest.
"I don't—I don't—I don't—"
"Xheavend."
"He knows where I am!"
Goro remained where he was.
"He knows!"
"I hear you."
"He's going to come back!"
Her voice cracked.
"He always comes back!"
Goro didn't tell her he wouldn't.
Didn't promise Yzer couldn't reach her.
Didn't tell her everything was fine.
Good.
Because it wasn't.
"He gets in my head."
The words started coming faster.
"I can't make him stop."
Her hands covered her ears.
Useless.
"He talks and talks and talks and sometimes I don't know if he's really there or if I'm remembering and sometimes I can still smell that room and I know I'm not there but it feels like I'm there and—"
Her voice broke.
She hated it.
She hated all of it.
"I don't want him touching me."
Goro's face went completely still.
"I don't want him looking at me."
Tears blurred the lake.
"I don't want to go back."
Her breath hitched.
"The chains. That room. Him calling me—"
Pet.
She scrubbed furiously at her face.
It didn't help.
"I'm scared."
There.
The words escaped.
Tiny.
Humiliating.
True.
"I'm scared all the time."
Her shoulders shook.
"I keep looking."
Doors.
Windows.
Tunnels.
Hands.
Eyes.
"I keep thinking he's going to be there."
Her nails dug into her arms.
"And everybody keeps saying I'm strong."
She laughed.
Broken.
"I don't want to be strong."
That one hurt.
"I want to go home."
Her face crumpled.
"I want Tavran."
Goro said nothing.
"I want my brothers."
Nothing.
"I want Wisper."
Her voice broke completely.
"I want my stupid room."
Tears poured down her face.
"I want to sleep."
Silence.
That was the worst one.
Xheavend pressed both hands over her mouth.
Because she did.
She wanted to sleep.
To close her eyes without wondering what would happen to her body this time.
Without dying inside someone else's ending.
Again.
And again.
And again.
She wanted to sleep like Q.
Face on a table.
Stupid.
Safe.
Normal.
"I can't."
Goro's expression changed.
Not pity.
Thank everything.
Just—
understanding.
Xheavend's voice became a whisper.
"If I sleep..."
She swallowed.
"...it starts."
Goro waited.
"Death."
Her fingers curled.
"People dying."
"Sometimes me."
She looked down at her hands.
"I rot."
Her stomach twisted.
"Sometimes bugs come out."
Still Goro didn't interrupt.
"Sometimes I'm hungry."
She shook her head quickly.
"Not normal hungry."
Her voice became smaller.
"Like there's nothing inside me anymore."
Famine.
"Sometimes people are fighting."
War.
"I get hurt."
Her hand moved toward her ribs.
"Things break."
"I can feel things that aren't happening to me."
A pause.
"...Except they are."
She didn't know how to explain it.
Sometimes she was the soldier.
Sometimes the person being killed.
Sometimes—
somehow—
she was both.
"And sometimes..."
Her voice disappeared.
Goro waited.
Xheavend stared at the water.
"...people take everything."
Conquest.
"Houses."
"Names."
"Families."
"Languages."
Her throat closed.
"And afterward I don't know who I am."
The words barely escaped.
"I wake up..."
A pause.
"...and sometimes it takes a while before I'm Xheavend again."
Goro's eyes closed briefly.
When they opened—
something terrible lived behind them.
Not for her.
For everything that had done this to her.
Even though the thing doing it—
was her.
Her own domain.
Her own existence.
End.
Apocalypse.
"I don't sleep," Xheavend whispered.
"I know."
She looked at him.
"How?"
"I noticed."
Of course he had.
She wiped her face again.
"If I stay awake..."
"It doesn't happen."
"Not as much."
"But eventually you become exhausted."
She looked away.
"And then your control weakens."
Silence.
"And eventually your body sleeps whether you permit it or not."
Xheavend hated him for understanding.
"...Yes."
Goro nodded.
No lecture.
No you need sleep.
No stupid solution.
Just—
yes.
Then he asked—
"Little lady?"
"What?"
"May I hug you?"
Xheavend froze.
He didn't move.
Didn't reach.
Didn't assume.
He waited.
That somehow made her cry harder.
She nodded.
Once.
Goro opened his arms.
Xheavend moved first.
She crashed into him.
His arms closed around her.
Carefully.
Not trapping.
Never trapping.
Loose enough that she could leave whenever she wanted.
Strong enough that she didn't have to hold herself together anymore.
So—
she didn't.
Xheavend broke.
Not politely.
Not quietly.
She buried her face against him and sobbed.
Her entire body shook.
Everything she'd held since Yzer took her came out.
The Labyrinth.
The chains.
The Chamber.
Running.
The Maze.
Losing Q.
Finding him.
Her birthday.
End.
Home.
Ten years.
Everything.
Goro didn't tell her to stop.
Didn't tell her she was brave.
Didn't tell her strong girls didn't cry.
Didn't tell her he'd fix it.
He simply held her.
Eventually—
her breathing slowed.
Not much.
Enough.
Goro spoke quietly.
"I cannot promise Yzer will never frighten you again."
Xheavend's fingers tightened in his clothes.
"I cannot promise your curse will disappear."
Another breath.
"I cannot promise you won't hurt."
She closed her eyes.
"But I can promise something I control."
Xheavend waited.
"I will teach you."
Her eyes opened.
"Combat?"
"Eventually."
She groaned against him.
Goro almost laughed.
"But..."
She leaned back.
"...But?"
"I said combat begins at fifteen."
"Yes."
"I did not say defending yourself does."
Xheavend blinked.
Goro smiled.
"We'll start tomorrow."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Really."
"With swords?"
"No."
Her excitement died.
"Goro."
"Games."
She stared at him.
"...Games?"
"Games."
"I don't need games."
"You do."
"I need weapons."
"You have one."
She glanced toward the staff lying on the stone.
"...Fair."
Goro continued.
"We'll play Starfall."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's not training."
"You learned how to evade multiple attackers."
Xheavend opened her mouth.
Stopped.
"We'll play hide-and-seek."
"That's definitely not training."
"Tracking."
Oh.
"Tag."
"Speed."
"Climbing."
"Mobility."
"Balance games."
"Footwork."
"Riddles."
"Awareness."
"Treasure hunts."
"Navigation."
"Swimming."
"Endurance."
"Catch."
"Reflexes."
Xheavend stared.
Goro smiled.
"You'll learn how to fall without injuring yourself."
"How?"
"By falling."
"...That sounds stupid."
"It will be."
She almost smiled.
"During the day," Goro continued.
"Why?"
"Because nights are for resting."
Her smile disappeared.
Goro noticed.
"I did not say sleeping."
Xheavend looked at him.
He understood.
Of course he did.
"You and I can work on that separately."
"How?"
"We'll figure it out."
"You don't know?"
"No."
That surprised her.
Adults almost never admitted that.
Goro looked across the glowing lake.
"I am very old, little lady."
"Ancient."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"But age doesn't mean I know everything."
He looked back at her.
"And anyone who tells you otherwise has simply been stupid for longer."
A laugh escaped her.
Small.
Real.
Goro smiled.
Then his expression became serious again.
"You will learn to defend yourself."
Xheavend listened.
"You will learn how to recognize danger."
"How to escape."
"How to hide."
"How to fight when escape fails."
Her fingers curled.
"And Yzer?"
Goro's golden eyes hardened.
"I will prepare you."
Her heart beat faster.
"To kill him?"
A long silence.
Then—
"If the day comes when killing Yzer is necessary..."
Goro's voice became quiet.
"...I will make certain you are ready."
Xheavend stared at him.
"But I will not turn a ten-year-old girl into a weapon simply because a monster decided she should have to become one."
Her breath caught.
"You are going to learn."
A claw gently tapped the center of her forehead.
"You are going to grow."
Another tap against her chest.
"You are going to heal where you can."
Then he pointed toward the distant plaza.
"And you are going to play."
Xheavend made a face.
"That's part of training?"
"The most important part."
"Why?"
Goro smiled.
"Because Yzer has already taken enough from you."
The words hit harder than she expected.
"So tomorrow..."
He stood.
"...we begin."
Xheavend grabbed her weapon.
"What time?"
"After breakfast."
"Before breakfast."
"No."
"During breakfast."
"No."
"I can eat while running."
"No."
"You haven't seen me."
"I watched you eat seven Sunburst Orbs."
"Six."
"I ate one."
"Exactly."
Goro laughed.
Then—
Xheavend felt it.
That whisper.
Deep.
Distant.
Furious.
Little pet.
She stopped.
Goro did too.
Xheavend's fingers tightened around her weapon.
Fear came first.
Cold.
Immediate.
Then she remembered.
Starfall.
Duck.
Turn.
Step.
Run.
Escape.
Tomorrow—
she would learn more.
The fear didn't disappear.
But this time—
Xheavend didn't answer Yzer.
Goro did.
He looked directly at her.
Through her.
Toward whatever listened on the other side.
His smile disappeared.
"You know who I am, Yzer."
The presence inside Xheavend went very still.
"You know who I serve."
Golden runes burned beneath Goro's skin.
"And now..."
His eyes dropped toward the serpents tattooed across Xheavend's arm.
"...you know who I protect."
Silence.
Goro's voice became almost gentle.
"Enjoy whatever confidence you have left."
A pause.
"I'm going to train her."
Xheavend's heart slammed against her ribs.
"Not into your weapon."
Goro looked down at her.
"Into herself."
Yzer disappeared.
Not defeated.
Not gone.
Just—
quiet.
For tonight.
Xheavend looked across Yrtana.
The city slept.
Q slept.
Children slept.
Families slept.
Thousands of people closed their eyes without fearing what waited behind them.
Xheavend couldn't.
Not yet.
Maybe not for a long time.
She sat beside Goro instead.
Her new weapon across her knees.
The serpent markings warm against her skin.
Three moons she couldn't see from beneath the earth existed somewhere beyond the stone.
Home existed somewhere impossibly farther away.
End remained silent.
Yzer remained silent.
And Goro—
Goro stayed.
He didn't tell her to sleep.
Didn't ask her to close her eyes.
Didn't promise tomorrow would be better.
He simply sat beside her.
Awake.
Xheavend glanced at him.
"...Do Goraxians sleep?"
"No."
Her eyebrows rose.
"Never?"
"Never."
She considered that.
Then scooted a little closer.
Not touching.
Almost.
"...Lucky."
Goro looked at her.
For some reason—
his expression became terribly sad.
"No, little lady."
His voice was quiet.
"I don't think I am."
Xheavend didn't understand that either.
Another thing for future Xheavend.
Present Xheavend had enough.
She rested her chin on her knees.
Tomorrow—
she would train.
She would run.
Climb.
Hide.
Learn.
Play.
And someday—
when Yzer came for her again—
she wouldn't be the little girl standing helplessly in the Chamber of Eyes.
She would be ready.
Not tonight.
Not tomorrow.
Maybe not for years.
But someday.
Xheavend looked down at the serpents wrapped around her arm.
Then at Goro.
"You're really going to stay?"
Goro didn't hesitate.
"I swore an oath."
"That's not what I asked."
He became quiet.
Xheavend waited.
Then—
Goro smiled.
Warm.
Certain.
"I know."
He looked across the sleeping city.
"I'm staying."
Xheavend believed him.
That was still terrifying.
But—
not as terrifying as it had been yesterday.
So they sat together beside the glowing lake.
The ancient Goraxian who never needed sleep.
And the ten-year-old girl who was terrified to.
Waiting for morning.