Although she couldn't put two lumps of sugar in her glass as she usually did, Eüreuse drank her tea anyway, taking small sips and grimacing to show her disgust at the bitterness of the beverage.
After forcing herself to finish, Eüreuse decided to go tend to the field. Nigin, meanwhile, sat in his old armchair, his gaze fixed on the wall. Since demons do not understand the concepts of boredom or entertainment, staring at a wall might seem mundane to humans, but for them, it was a perfectly normal and very frequent activity.
Eüreuse stepped out of the small house and headed toward the storehouse. Inside, she grabbed a bag full of wheat seeds, then walked toward the field—a plot much smaller than a standard farm. She set the heavy sack of seeds down next to a trough that had surely been used for the previous owners' livestock. After several trips back and forth to the storehouse, she brought back a spade, a hoe, and a turfing iron.
"Time to work," she murmured.
She grabbed the turfing iron and began to peel back the field a few centimeters deep, cutting out slabs of earth mixed with grass, moss, brush, and roots. She turned it all over so the sun and wind would dry the plant matter. Next, she piled these clods to form small, hollow mounds, slipped in dry twigs and heather, and then lit the fire. She sealed the opening with a clod of earth to smother the flames. The fire had to smolder slowly, baking the earth from the inside and gently consuming the plant matter without oxygen. These earthen kilns would billow thick, acrid smoke for days, creating a precious ash fertilizer.
Once the paring and burning process was complete and the ashes were spread, she took the spade to turn the soil. Placing her foot on the rim of the blade, she threw her entire body weight onto it, forcing the iron to slice through the earth's crust all the way to the hilt. Then, she violently yanked the handle back toward her chest. The earth let out a dull, tearing sound. Lifting the heavy clod with the strength of her arms, she gave a quick twist of her wrists to flip it upside down.
Through repeating the operation, the pain set in. Her knees and hips ached from bearing all her weight, wearing down her cartilage. Her arms and torso burned from repeatedly lifting the water-logged earth, exhausting her biceps and neck muscles. But she had to bury the ash to create a rich, grayish soil.
She finished with the hoe. Raising the heavy blade, she let it fall to smash the large, baked clods, striking again and again until the earth was reduced to a fine, loose powder. She took the opportunity to weed out the last of the weeds, sliding the blade just beneath the surface to slice them without damaging the topsoil.
The seedbed ready, she tied the heavy sack of seeds around her neck. With a slow, steady pace, she dipped her hand into the canvas and tossed the grains in a wide arc. If she opened her hand too quickly, the seeds would fall in clumps, and the future shoots would suffocate fighting for nutrients. If she threw too wide, the field would be sparse and the harvest miserable. She literally had to calculate the density blind. Everything had to be perfect; otherwise, the harvest would be too meager to survive the winter.
After hours of relentless labor, Eüreuse hadn't even noticed the sun going down. Exhausted, she lay down right on the ground, watching the clouds turn orange under the twilight. She closed her eyes.
When she woke up a few hours later, she was in her bed.
It wasn't very comfortable; the wooden planks forming the bedframe threatened to give way at any moment, and the straw mattress scratched her through the sheet. Confused to find herself there when she had drifted off outside, she got up, convinced that Nigin had carried her.
She went to the main room. Nigin was reading a book.
"Father Nigin?" Eüreuse murmured, embarrassed to disturb him.
He hadn't heard her.
"Father Nigin!" she repeated in a louder voice.
"Yes, my dear Eüreuse?" he replied, looking up.
"Was it you who carried me to my bed?" "No, you went there yourself. We even had supper together, have you forgotten?" "
Ah... I must be getting old..."
But panic suddenly seized her. She couldn't remember anything after lying down in the grass. No memory of getting up, of coming inside, of what they had eaten, nor of going to bed. Anxiety tightened her throat.
"Arghhh... Arghhhh..." she gasped, short of breath.
"Calm down. Breathe."
As with every one of Eüreuse's panic attacks, Nigin raised his hand. A greenish, glowing sphere emerged from it, floating gently until it reached the girl's chest. As soon as the magic touched her heart, her heart rate calmed.
"Tomorrow, you will leave this house. I don't want to force you to live with me forever, but for your panic attacks... what will you do on your own?" the demon asked.
"I don't know," she replied timidly.
"For now, this memory loss isn't serious. The important thing is that the Great Period of the End seems to have begun."
"The Period of the End?"
"I haven't told you about it yet. Every fifty years, a strange wave of magic engulfs the world for five days. This energy can cause memory loss, like blackouts. The most probable theory is that the source of magic present within every living organism temporarily takes possession of the body and acts as it pleases. That isn't dangerous in itself. Where it becomes terrifying is if a being's source of magic is corrupted. In that case, during the possession, it drives the body to fulfill its darkest desires: to kill, to rape, to steal, to give in to absolute hatred..."
"And how do I know if my own magic is corrupted?"
"Is your vision sometimes blurred, tinted blood-red?"
"No."
"Then you are pure. But you will have to be extremely careful: if you eat the meat or drink the blood of a corrupted living organism, you risk becoming corrupted yourself."
"And how do you recognize corrupted meat?"
"It's impossible. Nothing differentiates a corrupted being from a pure one. It's a matter of luck."
"Do you want me to wait for these five days to pass before I leave?"
"Yes and no. I want you to become a free and independent woman. But if, during these five days, you contract the corruption... unfortunately, there is no cure. I would be forced to strike you down. And I refuse to do that. You are my only family."
At these words, silent tears rolled down Nigin's cheeks.
"Don't cry. I'll manage," Eüreuse smiled.
"Besides, if you have to kill me, I'll still always be with you."
They embraced for a long time. Afterward, Nigin presented her with the equipment she would carry for her journey to the Warm Lands. There was a thick shirt reinforced with copper armor protecting her torso and abdomen, a dagger for defense, a satchel filled with healing potions, and a backpack.
"Perfect," she approved.
They went to sleep. The next morning, they shared their final breakfast: soft bread, dried meat, fresh fruits, and fried eggs.
"Here, take this,"
Nigin said, handing her two objects. "Money for the road, and this medallion. It detects the presence of demons. Look, the sapphire is blood-red right now, because I am here. If it turns green, the way is clear. Also, if you are in mortal danger, break it. You will be immediately teleported back here." "I hope I never have to use it."
The time to depart arrived.
"To leave the plateau, we must go through the cellar," Nigin indicated.
It was the first time Eüreuse had set foot in this forbidden room. Darkness reigned supreme there, barely pushed back by the flickering glow of the demon's candle. In the center sat a strange piece of machinery: a heavy wooden platform suspended by ropes, connected to a gear mechanism and a wall lever.
"I am going to pull this lever down and the platform will descend," he explained.
"Whatever you do, don't be afraid, and don't move. The fall will last ten seconds."
Before she stepped on, they said their goodbyes.
"The journey will take twenty days. I hope to see you again in one piece."
"I promise."
Eüreuse took her place on the wooden planks.
"When you reach the bottom, push your own lever back up," he ordered.
"Understood."
"Goodbye, my dear Eüreuse."
Nigin pulled down the mechanism. The platform plummeted into the darkness at breakneck speed before hitting the ground with a dull thud. Yet, thanks to magic, Eüreuse felt no impact. Alone in the dark, she pulled her lever up. Above her, the platform ascended with a crushing slowness, permanently cutting her off from her home.
Eüreuse had just set foot in the World Below.