Mariwa: An Ivian Tale

She woke up to a cold pattering on her cheek.

As her eyes opened, she stared dully into the dark. Rain poured inside the Meeting Hall, drenching her to the bones. She could see one of her hands, the thin layer of ashes covering it slowly washed away with every drop.

Her mind came back to her little by little. Her first thought was simple, but haunting.

I'm still alive. Why?

Luck. It could only have been luck. One stretch of a finger, and she felt solid, heavy wood right besides her. a knocked down beam more than capable of having reaped her life. To the other side, revealed by the faint moonlight, the shattered remains of the table that once hid her had tipped over, broken leg not much farther away from having jabbed her.

With the sight, came the memories of that chaos. The screaming, the destruction, the crackling of fire consuming the remains. She gasped, tasting something burnt in her mouth and choking on her own breath.

Everything had returned to silence, the deepest she had ever experienced. No living victims praying in gratitude, no children grieving their parents, no embers burning their last. Just the rain, and her own coughing.

Her body hurt. Her lips were parched, her lungs feeling as if she was inhaling needles with every breath, her skin skin felt cracked and sensitive. She was caked in so much ash she felt practically buried alive, the cleaning waters turning all that filth in a muddy substance that clung to her clothes and weighted her down.

Yet, she didn't complain. She felt numb.

She was still alive.

Why had she been spared? Her of all people should have bore that sin the most, should have inherited her father's at the very least, and for that there was no forgiveness. So why? Why? Had she been special? No, she was the worst of them, she should have been purified along with everyone else! She shouldn't be here!

That's when she noticed the Father's almighty presence was gone. There was something else in the air now, not a tension, a deep foreboding that impregnated the land to foundations of every building, to the earth itself.

It left her with nobody to hear her prayers, except the rain.

So she laughed, because she was still alive.

So she cried, because she was still alive.

Not for long!

She couldn't sit, couldn't even lift her arms above the floor. Turning her head was the most her body allowed, and even that felt like a monstrous effort. She had been left here, alone and forgotten, not a soul to look for her.

Through the bitterness in her tongue, she tried to smile, thinking it was the very least she deserved.

It had happened a good while ago, but how long specifically Holly didn't know. Hazel had come visit, but for the first time she didn't feel too happy.

"We're savages, love. that's why," her sister said.

"Hey, that's really rude! Elder Seneschal would be really mad if he knew you said that!" Holly rebuked, peeved.

"Well, are you going to tell?"

"... I mean, no, but-"

"Then what's wrong with calling shit shit? They call themselves a Herd, like a bunch of fucking animals in the woods, but we are the beasts, incapable of learning good from bad!"

"We're part of that Herd, Hazel, you're insulting yourself!"

Hazel had been jittery and frowny ever since she arrive. Holly had never seen her sister like this before; she was pacing outside her bars back and forth, practically stomping her foot rather than walking, eyes boring holes unto the floor. Not to say she had never seen Hazel upset, she could be rather moody, but today was different.

"I'm not! And you aren't either."

"I am!"

"Than why are you there, inside that cage, and not outside praying on the grass like all the other villagers, like they force me to do?" Hazel said with a glare. "As if any fucking body could think of us as above worms anyway."

"Don't say that word, Elder Seneschal-"

"Says it all the fucking time, in front of me and in front of his daughter! Stop acting the good girl when he isn't even here to shake his cane at us!"

"Even then- wait, now that I think about it, did you come here all alone? I thought the Elder was outside, waiting for you."

Hazel stopped pacing and looked at her. Having a small mouth and big, gorgeous eyes, Hazel had the kind of smile that naturally tended towards the elegant and demure. Only years of experience clued Holly to that mischievous glint that could send shivers down to her core.

"I've been experimenting." Hazel muttered.

"With what?"

"Not telling."

"Oh, come on! Please? Please?!"

"Something I can share with you, love, but I know the more worried you are, the bigger that mouth gets, and it's already too big. I don't really care about getting clobbered out of nowhere by the old man any more than I'll be next time he comes to visit."

"... My mouth isn't that big." Still, she stepped back a little further into the dark, "You made me curious now! Tell me, please, you know I'm better with that kind of stuff now!"

"I'll consider telling you when you fully perfect your art, then."

"You're being so mean today! And you won't even tell me why!"

She had meant it in jest, at least a little bit in jest, but the way Hazel stared her straight into the eyes told her it was taken as anything but. she sighed, heavy and weary, before sitting down by her door. She began fiddling with one of the burning spikes when she said, "Dear, come here."

She did, much more cautious around those darned spikes then her sister. When she came close enough she was sure the only torch outside revealed her whole body, she saw her sister pull back her fingers, their tips visibly red but nothing else. Holly dreaded the idea that one day Hazel would catch the same sickness too, that the black metal would start burning her too.

"Love, I'm tired." Hazel sighed.

"I-I know you are, but you're really scaring me..." Holly tried to reach through the bars, but hesitated at the last moment.

"I'm nothing. No, the way they speak about me, the way they treat me, the things they've done to me, I know they think of me as worse than nothing. You get it, they used to do all the same to you, didn't they? But at least down here you don't have to spend everyday near them, waiting for the next time you catch their eyes!"

"Y-you could come live with me! There is plenty space here, specially outside my room."

"And my life would improve if I became a hermit? If I spent the rest of my life eating cave bugs like you do? It's a miracle nobody caught the old man yet, how would I be fed? I'm not a hunter."

"You gather sometimes, don't you? There are plenty mushrooms here, and berries outside."

Hazel gave her a blank stare. "I do, which is exactly why I never come gather here, when everything this fucking thing inside your walls touches turns to poison!"

"It isn't though! I can tell, I've eaten plenty poisonous things before so I know the difference!"

"No, no, you aren't listening to me!"

Holly recoiled. "I-I am! I'm just trying to help..."

"But do you know what I'm getting at?"

She sighed, plopping down against her rooms walls. "You're talking about running away again. Which is why I'm so worried!" Then quieter. "I don't want you to leave..."

"I wouldn't leave you alone. I'm pretty sure I could break you out, when the opportunity comes," her sister whispered.

"And Elder Seneschal too? And Cassia?"

"... They belong here with their disgusting Father, we are the ones who should be free to leave."

"D-don't say that about them! Or about God! What if t-they hear?! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"If so, then we should leave! Go somewhere this God doesn't reach!"

Holly shook her head. "God reaches everywhere! Even here, a little!"

"No, there is a place he doesn't."

She began to idly scrape the ground, frustrated in antecedence. "Please don't go there again."

Her sister sneered, and she knew it was on. "Tch! As if you don't want to go home too."

"I'm home."

"Our true home." Hazel said, and met her eyes. There was a shine there, whenever she spoke of it, like she was seeing the most beautiful flower in the field and couldn't care the least how much repulsive it looked to others, "Skawla."

"Please don't start. You know I don't like talking about that."

"You never stop and think about it, do you?! Don't tell me you don't miss it in your bones, like the entire world is wrong and nobody tells you why! Because I do, every single day I've ever lived here!"

"...You don't even know if it is real or not."

"My memories might not be half as keen as yours, but I remember so many things that you don't! Mama's stories, water as far as the eye could see, the big men who used to visit us, and above it all-"

Holly's hairs twitched. "Don't."

And Hazel, as always, pretended not to listen."The names. Our names!"

In one move, her body tensed as she jumped back to her feet, "You know what?! Enough. If you're going to be like this, I have better things to do!"

"Oh, you really did learn a lot from the old man, turning around and burying yourself in the dark like a coward!" her sister said, rising to her feet too, "Why do you keep pretending as if you don't feel exactly the same way as me?! I mean, look at you!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?!"

"Means that should stop lying to yourself and clinging to that name they gave you. Come with me, and we can-"

"For the last time!"

Even Holly scared herself with her own outburst. Hazel went silent with a gasp.

"... For the last time. My name is Holly Seneschal, your name is Hazel Seneschal, and I don't know about you but I've never been to that little city of your dreams! Now, if you excuse me-"

"No, it is not. Not a word that you just said is true! Just like my name isn't Hazel, It's Gaiwa! And just like yours is-"

It was like a slap to the face. Holly boiled from the inside out with anger. How many times did this make, where she asked, begged, demanded that name not to be uttered around her, and the most precious person in her entire world just completely disregarded her? She snapped. She crossed the distance too quickly to stop herself from slamming into her door, from scraping her hand at the burning metal, the pain piercing into her flesh as if her hardskin wasn't even there.

"Don't you dare-!"

"Mariwa!"

How could Holly describe that feeling in the pit of her stomach, after all those horrors she was forced to endure, of waking up in darkness again?

She was relieved, for everything had been a dream. Soon, Elder Seneschal would come with a big smile and tons of meat and snails, maybe even a story, and she would soon forget that horrible crimson nightmare.

She felt anguish, because she was locked inside her room once again. Had her longing finally grown so strong it had made her start dreaming? She couldn't remember the last time it happened before today, but hopefully the next few would be more pleasant.

To make matters worse, she also felt massively uncomfortable.

Something soft yet large clung to almost her entire body in a hug that left her too hot from collar to knees. Underneath her, she was half buried in a different clingy material, thankfully less coarse. Both shared one thing in common: They had become thoroughly coated in her sweat, turning sticky and wet, leaving her to cook in a thin cocoon of liquid.

"Uuuuuuugh."

Who had come into her room, just to play a prank? Elder Seneschal? No, he wouldn't come inside even when she was up. Julius didn't even like approaching her bars. Cassia hated pranks with all her heart.

She felt giddy with relief when she realize the only person who could have done that. Oh, Hazel! It had to have been weeks, maybe months, since the last time she visited, and now she came one of the rare few times she slept! Holly felt a little guilty, but also so so happy that even though her experiments were going so well, she decided to stick around! Very nasty trick to pull though! She knew how her sickness made mattresses and sheets absolutely unbearable!

She threw the covers away, the quick motion making her head spin. Laying down again, she groaned, realizing that maybe she actually wasn't that well. Had that nightmare exhausted her in some way? Or maybe it was a symptom of her sickness growing worse, it was only a given after all that untreated diseases would become stronger with time. She put her right hand to her forehead-

And confirmed that there was something wrong with her body, just not what she had expected.

Her fingers had become nubs.

Her sight was good, and she could read even in her room with just the glowy veins to help her, but apparently not anymore. Panic struck her; she tried to get up in a rush, only to nearly knocked herself out again. She didn't need see up and down to feel both directions running laps around her head, she learned.

The second time, she tried to pace herself. carefully prop herself on her limbs, try to ignore her upset stomach...

"Don't."

She yelped, jumped, and fell from way higher than expected.

"... I told you not to."

She recognized the voice immediately, but refused to believe it real. It had to be her imagination, an hallucination, late onset insanity even.

"Can you get up? I'm going to open the window."

she heard metal dragging against metal. Everything became white, then she went blind.

"Aagh! Stop!" she said, covering herself with her arms, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I believe you now!"

"What?"

"Please, take it off! O-or cover it up! I don't know what!"

"One moment."

Metallic friction echoed again, and then things turned a little less painful.

"Better?"

Before she could answer, she understood what had just been said, and froze.

"... The windows?" she said, doubtful.

A few seconds and a thousand blinks later, she actually managed to get her eyes to stay open for more than an instant, thought they still felt sensitive. Finally looking around herself, she realized this was not her room, but somebody else's. Sparsely furnished with just a bed, a wardrobe, and a table, all simple, fitting with the bare plaster walls.

It was closer to her childhood bedroom, though it was so clean and untouched, it felt eerie rather than nostalgic.

Eerier than any other element of the room, however, was Agare, who stood some five paces away, looking down at her.

They were much the same as that night, the strong light embellishing no features. They were very dark skinned, very short in comparison to pretty much all warriors she had ever seen, thick black hair held in a short ponytail, and most notably of all, having a swirling void for a face. Despite still turning like water eternally trying to still itself, not a single drop fell out, nor did it ever reflect anything.

There was no cloak this time, no armor of rings either, though every centimeter of skin below their neck was wrapped in heavy leather. Boots, gloves, belt, all dark brown, as if they had all come from the same poor beast.

They had both arms crossed.

Idle thoughts could only hold her for so long. Her head was positively bursting with ideas, questions, things she wanted to check and confirm and ask and learn and-

She was getting dizzy again. feeling how cool the wooden boards beneath her bare back were, she laid down, a much better experience than the tortures of the bed.

"You shouldn't have tried to stand. Your body is still recovering," Agare said.

She knew. It were not only her fingers who were strange, but her entire body, limbs specially. She felt tender, sore, hardskin uncomfortably itchy and notched, weirdly squishy. She glanced over her right again, watching with mute shock her blunt, stiff jointed, nailless digits.

"... This may not be the right moment, but I think I should tell you straight away: I had to amputate most of your limbs to expedite your healing," they continued. "Your legs would have eventually gone back at a slower rate, but the arm that touched Hagan... That was very careless of you."

"Oh."

"If you feel any discomfort, that is probably why. Still, most cracks on your carapace-"

She flinched. "Don't call it that."

"Then what?"

"Hardskin."

"Sure. Most cracks on your hardskin have patched themselves, as well as the broken bones. The burns, which were done with a significantly larger amount of Divinity, will take a while longer until they fully heal."

"Why?"

"Its biggest flaw was its inexperience. Had it known how to wound another like it, you might have died sooner, or-"

She felt her hairs spread around the back of her head; "I'm not their similar! I don't even look like them, do I?!"

Agare didn't answer. After an awkward silence, she heard the creak of a wooden door opening. "Wait here, I'll be back soon."

The door closed. She was left alone with nothing but her thoughts.

She didn't want to hear them, didn't want to think at all. If only she could go back to sleep! But having done it once, she knew it would be a couple days before slumber could take her again, no matter how tired she got.

Thankfully, the perfect distraction was right there, impossible to ignore.

She crawled to the window like a baby, mindful of keeping her head up for too long or making any sudden moves. Perching herself onto the windowsill would have been a nightmare, if not for a growing desperation to motivate her through the ill.

But it wasn't only the fear of her own thoughts. There was something deeper down, something ravenous that had spent years tied down, hopeless to ever find satisfaction again.

It finally did.

How long had it been, since she last saw sunlight? Feeling its warmth touch her skin after so many years, even through a canopy of green that went as far as the eye could see, it was like a balm, touching both body and spirit.

She had to feel more. The window to her room was barred with a faintly glowing iron, no spikes but still too sturdy for her weakened body. The moment the cool breeze blew inside, however, she forgot her need to squeeze herself outside, the strong scent of humid soil and musk calming her down.

She was flooded with memories. Not of the crimson night, but long before that, before she broke, when she would explore the woods with her sisters, hunt bugs with Cassia, take walks with Elder Seneschal, or beating the boys who came to ambush them with sticks and fists! Things she missed so dearly she had felt like crying, things she didn't know she missed until now

She was free. Almost.

Pushing her face against the bars, delighted at the lack of spikes, she also noticed she was pretty far off the ground, by at least a couple floors. Whichever house she had ended up in, it had been built upon a slope descending into the thick of the jungle. If she had ever been here, she couldn't recognize it, though some of the trees looked the same as in the Hollow far as she recalled.

All she knew was that she wasn't anywhere near the Lesser. Not because of the geography of the flora, but because she couldn't feel God, not their insatiable hunger, not their backbreaking fury, not the slightest lingering presence staining the woodlands. At least she didn't think so; Her Will was feeling a little dull around the edges, a little sluggish.

She could ponder all of that later. Right now, she just wanted to bask in the forest.

Surprisingly, Agare did come back, before the day got darker too.

Following right behind them, another faceless person came, trembling so much she could see the tray they were carrying clatter.

They were even shorter, hooded but without that unnatural darkness hiding all their features, actually encased in plated armor like the soldiers from her stories, though old and battered, with no polish at all.

"Easy, Furfu. I'm here," Agare said.

"B-b-b-bu-bu-bu-" that Furfu stammered.

"Holly," Agare said. Had she told them her name? "Would you prefer to eat over there, by the window?"

"Y-you've brought me food?! Please, yes!" Holly said.

"Alright." Agare pointed right besides her. "Leave it right there," Then quieter. "Remember, I'm here."

Furfu approached her like a sleeping beast, footsteps barely louder than a bug's, slowly, never taking her void from her. Holly felt like reaching out to the terrified little fellow, not like she didn't understand why she was acting so strangely, though it helped nothing with her self-consciousness, but she was half certain that tray would be thrown straight at her head if she didn't think this through.

So she waited until the tray was right besides her, ignoring the wonderful smells threatening to make her slobber, and said, "Hey there, I'm Ho-"

"Uuuuuughyaaaa!"

"...Holly, and I'm sorry if I scare you, but I promise I don't bite! Unless you try to squish me into paste."

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-"

"Your name is Furfu, right? Pleased to meet you! I hope we can be good-"

"I-I must g-go polish the weapons!" Furfu said, "Yes! T-that's it! I must go polish a-all our s-spears before s-sundown! That's right, polish, p-polish all those b-blades, until they are n-nice and shiny and s-so not red and-"

From that point on, Holly couldn't tell what she was saying, the way she just simply booked it right out of the room, ignoring Agare's warnings before disappearing into the corridor beyond.

Agare shook their head. "That woman is so fucking hopeless. I don't even know why... well, doesn't matter. Will you be needing a chair? Maybe cushions, Sheets?"

"No, thank you, the floor here is really nice."

With no further delays, she turned her attention to the big ceramic bowl besides her. Featureless as it is, she was left gaping nonetheless, the raw slices of meat piled inside making a small tower that reached past its limits. It was funny how she didn't realize how positively starved she was until the notion of food entered her mind, but now she couldn't even wait for permission before digging in.

"I-it's so good!" she said, popping slice after slice, barely chewing before swallowing. "How did you know I love fresh meat?!"

"I surmised."

Meat was no Ring Flowers, no matter how much better it tasted, but she couldn't look down on how alive it made her feel! Bite by bite she could feel her energy coming back to her, reinvigorating and clearing her mind of useless things.

It couldn't have taken her more than five minutes before she was done. She had to be honest, she couldn't recall having ever eaten something this well prepared! Why, it was almost like they had killed the animal less than an hour ago!

"Delicious! Thank you so much, Agare! Was it luun? I love Uluun!"

"Unfortunately, Luun don't inhabit this region. Too hostile for them."

"Oh," she said, then mulled that answer over a bit. "This region?"

"Nevermind that, just focus on recovering for now," Agare said.

"Alrighty, I guess. Did you clean this meat?"

"Not me, but yes. The forest around us seems to be suffering from a small infestation of parasitic worms, so we have to be through."

"Yeah, burrowleeches and stuff, right? I-I appreciate it, but no need to go to all that trouble, okay? I really miss their taste."

"... Dully noted. Now, is there anything you might be wanting? We don't have much here, but we can at least try to procure anything you might need."

"Actually, if you don't mind... could I speak with you a little, Agare?"

"I'll warn you, there is much I have been explicitly forbidden from telling you, orders from this manor's Lady."

"T-this manor has an owner? And she's a woman?!"

"It does. She's been dying to meet you and she's more than willing to talk about herself, so I won't snub her chance to self-introduce."

"W-well, I suppose I will just have to use my imagination for now, hehe..." she said, not actually that amused at all.

"So? Did you only want to know about this place?"

"N-no, I didn't want to ask- I mean, I am pretty curious about, well, everything! Where am I, how I got here, and why do you have... that. Many thats, honestly! But I just wanted to, uh, apologize for earlier."

Almost imperceptibly, Agare cocked his head to the side, "Apologize?"

She nodded, "Because I snapped at you. I mean, uh, how do I put this? I don't want to be rude, but I didn't like when God kept calling me similar and stuff, so i don't want to hear it anymore. I mean, doesn't even make sense, does it?!"

"Hm. I don't see a need for apologies. If you don't want me comparing you both, I don't see the need to insist otherwise. If you don't want me calling your hardskin carapace," Agare said, and Holly flinched again, "then I won't force the issue either."

"T-thanks."

She rubbed the bottom of the empty bowl with one of her still malformed fingers, mulling it over. It was so pleasantly chill and smooth. Normally, while she did get some sensation out of her hardskin, it was dulled, like feeling things through your clothes. Now it was strange, sensitive in a vaguely pleasant way.

"I have a condition. I mean, you can see it well enough, can't you? I... I know it did all kinds of weird things to me, some which were pretty wonderful, but..."

She expected to be interrupted, but Agare just stood there, staring quietly. Or, could they even see?

"I knew I recovered fast, always did. When I was a little kid, I used to get into all sorts of trouble in all sorts of places, but no matter how badly I got hurt I was always up for more the next day, until..."

"Children tend to be like that."

"Y-yes! A-and It's cool, it's good, it saved me, or rather still saves me a lot of worry, but even then!" She stopped, tried to gather herself. "I-I remember my legs, w-what God did to them, I shouldn't be able to walk ever again, but they are growing back? Even if you lied about amputating me, it shouldn't be possible to- they shouldn't be-"

"It's a good ability to have."

"It's not natural," she said, giving Agare's arm a pointed look.

She couldn't read Agare. Were they bored? Internally begging her to get to the point? As if she had one, or at least an easy to explain one.

"I-I don't want to imply anything, or be rude, but you knew I was going to heal even before I did. You actually know a lot about my sickness, don't you?"

"... In a way."

"T-then what is it?! Is there a cure?!"

"No."

"Oh."

Not that she had expected any, to be fair, but it still felt like a heavy blow to hear it.

The conversation died there. Not that she didn't have more to say, but she just didn't feel like it. What would be the point? Agare, of course, didn't say anything else, eventually moving to the far wall, leaning back, and turning their head to the floor, not twitching so much as a muscle since.

The day passed just like that. She returned to her quiet vigil, enjoying the oddly fauna free scenario until the day grew darker. As dusk approached, she half feared the night would become red again, but God's absence reassured her. Still, she was jittery until she could see the stars peeking through the lush branches above.

"I'll be right back," Agare said suddenly.

"Y-you're leaving?"

"I have something to do."

She didn't want a second with her thoughts, yet she nodded. The door opened and slowly closed.

With nothing to distract herself, it didn't take long for her to start recalling the battle, and everything she lost.

She remembered the scorching heat, the vomit inducing pungency of God's throne, the torrid dirt clinging to her feet. She remembered the screaming, the death, the pain. The feeling of wood parting under her nails, disgusting things pouring into her mouth, that final blow.

She shivered. She remembered the way she acted and in it only saw either a coward or an inhuman monstrosity. In that way, she couldn't begrudge Agare for that earlier comparison. What were them, God and her, if not abominations with bodies shaped to hurt and maim?

No. She shook her head. Elder Seneschal had told her many times to not think of herself as something beyond. She was human, always had been, always would be, no matter how different she looked from one, how different her diet had to be from one, how much she had lost from her time raised as one.

After she changed, he had been the only one who still loved her the same way. She would never hate her sisters, but their relationship had changed afterwards, for the worse in both cases. Julius had never liked her anyway. But Elder Seneschal cared for her, fed her, played with her, called her love and dear as if she was still the same little girl!

To think he had to suffer such a gruesome end. Had Hazel been the same?

And why? She hadn't been strong enough? Why did the Elder think she could fight in the first place? Hazel had sacrificed herself to give her a better shot, so did she agree? She should have known better, she was there the last time she fought somebody else! She was there to see how that went!

She couldn't find answers, but that didn't stop the questions. Nothing did. How could they think she would win?! As a consequence, did anyone survive at all? She could only remember things until God began to shrivel around her, the wildfire still raging. Had it reached the village?

What happened to Cassia?

She hugged herself, a meager protection. There was a reason decades in the dark hadn't made it anything but tolerable.

This would be a very long night indeed.

When Agare returned, it was still pitch black outside. The door opened softly, but they didn't seen too surprised at her trying to walk.

"Hey Agare," Holly said.

"Hey. You shouldn't be trying that yet."

I needed to do something, she thought. Instead, she said, "They're still a bit weak, but I'm a lot better!"

"Good to hear. In this case, I think I can arrange a meeting with our Lady for the morrow."

"T-tomorrow?!" she said, the shock weakening her legs enough she slid to the ground in a split.

"... If you want? Though is there any need to wait that long?"

"I don't get it?"

"It's already nearly morning, Holly."

"Oh." She looked outside, and couldn't quite tell, "How can you tell?"

"Through the clock?"

"What's that?"

"I'll show you one, if you go meet her."

"I-I will! Of course I will!" Holly hurried out, arms waving wildly, "I mean, I can guess I own her a lot, hehehe..."

"That, you do. For nursing you back too health specially, considering you arrived here one fraying line away from dying. Were it not her expertise, we wouldn't be talking."

"O-oh." Holly felt cold in the stomach. "I-I'll make sure to thank her, for everything!"

"Very well. Give me a few minutes, I will send somebody hunting breakfast for you, while I help prepare everything." They turned away. "I forgot to mention. If something happens, don't open this door for any reason."

With that ominous comment, Agare disappeared back out the door. This time she didn't feel too upset.

After a night of quiet grief, her outrage had subsided, but she couldn't say she was any better for it. Rather, she felt hollow and sad, lost somewhere alien and hostile. Part of her didn't believe she was still alive, eating good meat and enjoying the sun a mere feverish dream as she burned alive beneath God's eyes.

Yet, she survived. Something of absurd scale had decided her life forfeit, and she defied it. Now she was left asking: why? What did she gain from that? Was that truly what she was meant to do?

What came next?

There had to be something there to keep her moving, but she didn't know what. Hopefully, this Lady could help her find it.