“well aren’t you just the cutest, such a wee little thing” a tiny voice tickled Callahan’s ear, he couldn’t make out what it said, his consciousness still fading back in from what might have been Oblivion. Gradually his senses came back to him, he could feel a soft honeyed breeze caress his face. Hear it rustling the grasses, the branches of trees in the distant creaking to the wind’s tune. His eyes rolled rapidly behind the lids, once heavy as cold blankets of steel, they were now weightless. They shot open, he took a deep desperate breath of air, his lungs no longer felt as though they were melting. There was no longer any pain, no suffocating fluids strangling his every breath. His vision, blurred at first, focused, crystal clear, there was no longer a mask obscuring his vision.

  His mind tried to piece together what happened, but his eyes were now flooded with strange sights that left him awestruck, unable to process all that was going on, Far above him he watched, in that dark velvet canvas, bright colored stars shot across the sky, they crisscrossed this way and that, some had partnered up like dancers, as they circled around each other flinging their partner one way across the cosmos and then another. Others crashed into each other, their explosive death splashing the heavens with a myriad of vibrant nebulae. Giant celestial bodies of gas and stone hurdled cross the sky, growing to unfathomable proportions, looking almost like they would collide with whatever strange place he found himself in, then they would shrink past over the horizon to places unknown. He sat up, overwhelmed by what had played out before him in the sky, but ever stranger this place became as looked out onto the field in which he lay. Flowers, and flowers and flowers, they stretched out almost to infinity, their petals sharp and triangular, reflecting light in strange fractals, their hues changing with his every movement, the vision a kaleidoscopic wonder. In what he could conceive as the middle of this field was a body of water, a perfectly circular lake that might take him days to circle or cross, it was large, the waters perfectly still. it mirrored the cosmic show that played out above perfectly.

  “It’s…” The words even whispered had trouble leaving his mouth, He still hadn’t even fully collected himself, still unsure where he was, what had happened to him, but the sights were something to behold. “Marvellous? Grand? Or are you simply left speechless by its display!” That tiny voice again, he took a quick glance in the direction it was coming from but he saw nothing, just heard a quick giggle escaping from one direction and flowing past him to another. “Trying to catch a peek! What would your mother say,” the voice darted around him, he would look one way and then another, but he never could see what the source of it was. Whatever it was though it seemed to like to tease Callahan, a playful tone speckled its very word, “Are you gonna sit there stupefied forever wee one? Why don’t you get up before you grow roots, we can have have some fun!”

  “What do you wa…,” He called out, in frustration at first, but when his voice hit is ears confusion set in, the tone and pitch so much higher than before his voice was something he hadn’t recognized, At least, not for many years now, “hello… hello?” he threw out more words, a test to confirm what he was hearing was correct. “aaaaaaaaaaaah… oooh…” his hand went to massage his throat, but a strange thing was wrapped around it, an old scarf, another vestige of his past. “ma? How did this even get here,” He looked down at his body, all that gear from the ship, those clothes he would usually wear on a job, all gone and replaced. Now he was robed in Rowan’s old hand me downs. his body drowning in them like it had when he was little.

  He stood up, the ground so much closer than it had been in years, he really was smaller, his arms, legs, he touched his face and it was clean shaven, that patchy beard he tried to grow out, that Rowan endlessly teased him for, it was gone. “Admiring yourself? Bit of a narcissist, are we?” Callahan could feel something resting on his head, tugging at his hair, whatever the source of the voice was, it had landed on his head. “Well you’d be a fool if you think you’re better lookin than me that’s for sure, prettiest in the land I am, have been for centuries,” the voice droned on and on, completely full of itself, Callahan kept still, he let the creature speak, and then in a swift motion he swiped across his head, the little voice now muffled under his grasp. “Oi, you can be quick can’t you. Caught me off guard too, rude to let me gab for so long and then interrupt when I was about to get to the good parts,”

  “What the hell are you? Did you do this to me? Some weird curse or bend? Where the hell am I even?” He tried to sound commanding and authoritative, but his squeaky childish voice did nothing but amuse the strange creature. “Oh so many questions, and why would you think I have the answers? I’m just a damsel in distress, this cruel giant squishing me in the palm of his hands, demanding solutions I couldn’t possibly have. Oh cruel giant please please, don’t squash pretty little Nyve.” Callahan’s annoyance grew, whatever this thing was, Nyve it called itself, it really did grate on his nerves, Rowan could be a bit of a pest as well, but he did tend to know when to stop.

  “Look,” He sighed, he knew the little creature was mocking him, but he wasn’t one for cruelty, “I get that this might be fun for you but I really need some answers,” His grip loosened, and he finally laid eyes on the creature, She had a dainty figure, and was no taller than his index finger. Wings of a butterfly burst out from her back, they reflected light like the flowers around them, fascinating fractals. Her hair red like Rowans, and those tiny eyes, green like his. She stood in his palm, hands on her hip, giving Callahan mockingly stern look. “Well that’s no fun, you want answers but you let free so easily, where’s the threats, the violence the torture! Why should I give you anything if you’re so soft! You didn’t even make me scream wee one.”

  Callahan sighed once more, he decided to himself that he would play along, she wants him to play a part, he guessed he had no choice, He pinched both her wings between his fingers, lifting her from his hands, jostling her in the air, hard enough to give her a jitter, but not to rough as to hurt her. “Give it up,” He deepened his voice as much as he could. “You better talk or I’m going to…” He paused for a moment thinking, What was he gonna do? “Oh what a fate, caught by such an ugly foul giant,”

  Callahan shook her a little more roughly, a tiny retaliation for her insult “Help, oh heroes of the world, save poor little Nyve before her wings are plucked, piece by piece from her back, her tiny limbs grinded into dust for his seasonings,” Her voice and movements always overexaggerated, like she was playing to an unseen audience in a crowded theater. “I just wanna know where I am or if I’m dead, or if I can go back,”

  “I guess I’ll give you little smidge, you’re a terrible actor but at least you’re trying” She giggled to herself, disappearing from his grip with a small blink of light. “You’re not dead my sweet little Callahan,” He was shocked, only slightly though that this strange creature knew his name, everything else so far had been bizarre and this was the least of it. Relief washed over him at her words, it was good to know that he didn’t fall in that mire, but another question raced to the surface in his mind, how much time had passed? he began to worry anew, Rowan… how long has it been? Is he still fighting down there with the Wailers? My bend would’ve disappeared by now… There were still so many. The worry was plain on his face, but even if it wasn’t Nyve would know, “Rowan, the large and mighty, A giant of giants one might say,” Nyve had blinked back into existence, her feet gently digging into Callahan’s shoulder “We can’t have much fun if you’re constantly worrying about him now, can we?” she poked into his shoulder with her toe, “Go on, one more little gift from gracious Nyve, I’ll tell you if you ask politely.”

  He looked over to her, an unnerving feeling knotted in his belly, He still had no idea what she was, why she acted the way she did, why he was small as a child once more, but the most important question, even more than the confirmation that he was alive or not, was whether not Rowan made it out too. If he hadn’t and he wasn’t here now, He’d rot in the mire… Whatever had saved Callahan from that fate might not have saved his brother. “Is Rowan okay?” A part of him wondered if he even needed to ask, she knew his name, his brother’s, She knew about the battle with the wailers. She probably knew that these very words would be the next ones out of his mouth.

  “Mighty Rowan, Hands of hammers and a Kraken’s might, sure would give Wailer’s quite the fright, Smash, and bash, battle galore, a better brother no one had seen before.” She danced on his shoulder gleefully, she wouldn’t let Callahan know it yet, but she was having the time of her life.

  “What a wicked turn the scene would take, as Rowan’s mighty Kraken arms began to abate, without the sea beast’s limbs to crash and shake, it would seem Rowan would be soon headed for his wake.” she spun around on her tippy toes, a pirouette at the end of her little jingle.

  Callahan went white, his skin paler than snow, “Stop,” He choked “Stop I don’t want to hear it like this...” He felt ill, cold, his stomach churning, an empty stinging feeling in his heart. It brought him to his knees, his hands shielding his face, fingers digging deep into his skin. “Why would you tell me like that,” his voice, shaking, a mix of anger, and grief, “You’re a little monster…” The anger began to overpower every other feeling, this pest, this flittering little nuisance. The mocking was barely tolerable as it was, but now she mocks his brother’s death. Again with quick hands he grabbed her, she let out a quick giggle as he was plucked from his shoulder, without a hint of playfulness he began to squeeze. “You think it’s funny” His face red, tears in his eyes. Nyve didn’t seem to struggle under the pressure of his grip, instead she seemed more annoyed, “You didn’t even let me finish, How do you know how it ends? So emotional, Callahan.” Again in a quick flash she disappeared, her voice danced on the wind.

  “As I was saying, One last stand Rowan would make, before those fleshy tendrils would begin to break, That darken home of the wailers make, would come crashing down under the Kraken’s weight, and so heroically Rowan would take, a dashing, manly, hero’s escape!”

  “Oh… Piss off, Really… That’s what you’re gonna do?” He screamed, out that childish voice so full of anger, The wind giggled in reply. Callahan was fed up with the teasing, the mocking, he began to walk on in an aimless direction, he didn’t know where he was, or where he was going, but anywhere was better than here, listening to this annoying little creature make fun of him. “Oooh come now, Callahan, I was having just a bit of fun,” Nyve blinked back into existence and flew quickly to Callahan’s stride. He swatted at her, and now with an adept agility she hadn’t yet displayed, she dodged his every strike. “No, really, piss off, I’m not humoring you anymore,” He was livid, not once had Rowen’s teasing ever strayed to something so unseemly, what bastard would joke about something like that? He thought to himself. “Going sightseeing then, hadn’t had your fill? Well I’d highly recommend the lake, it’s always been my favorite place.” Her tone still jingled in that sing songy playful tune, and it now annoyed Callahan to no end. “If I get my hands on you again, I’m going to drown you in the water.” He didn’t even give her the courtesy of a glance, just a low growled threat. “Oh huff he ho hum, the giant looks so rather glum, the fairy princess under his thumb, drowning in the water till her face goes numb!”

  He tried a few times to out run her but it was pointless, she could fly fast and blink to him faster, disappearing and reappearing wherever she pleased. The water soaked his toes now, whatever had clothed him didn’t deign to give him shoes. The water was cold on his feet, still as ever though, the ripples he made with his feet entering the water the only motion that broke it’s smooth tension.

  “Well, now you’re here, nowhere else to go, have a drink if you’d like, it was quite the little journey.” She stayed slightly out of reach, Callahan wasn’t sure if she was being cautious, as if he could pose any threat, or if she was still being playful. He remained silent, looking over the water and out past the horizon. He couldn’t see an end to this place, nor any other land marks, just an endless field of flowers still, some trees dotting at random. “Look all you want, you won’t find any way out, I’m afraid for you that I’m your only source of help.” She flew circles in the air, and skipped across the water, rippling that perfect mirror.

  His eyes narrowed, he focused on her, watching where she would move, She was being a bit predictable with her movements, maybe she was leaving an opening on purpose, maybe not. He planted his feet firmly, tensing the muscles in one of his legs, she would hop one more time, she would let herself be tumbled by gravity, and then, a quick kick, the water raised up and scattered a wave, a tsunami for one of her size. “Oi,” She squeaked, the droplets dragging her into the drink, she swirled around in the undercurrent of the wave created by Callahan’s kick. He smirked, smugly, satisfied with himself. Then he kicked more water around, “Oh little pest, soaked and wet, how funny is it now, I’m not your pet.” Callahan, in his own fashion, mocked her with a poetic retort of his own. When the waters calmed Nyve broke through its still tension again, her head now gently floating in the water, a smile wider than he had seen yet. “You really are so much fun, Callahan!” She was ecstatic, and it annoyed Callahan to great ends, He had hope she would be a little bit upset. She flew up right to his face in a burst, poking him the eye, “I think we’re a bit more even now, in fact, your attempt to drown me far out weighs my little joke don’t you think? The debt is maybe in my favor?”

  “Ow…” He recoiled, his hand quick to ease his eye, “Buuuut,” she began, her word mockingly stretched out in exaggeration, “I’ll give you another answer if you’d like. Maybe two if I like your question!” Her head tilted towards his unpoked eye, “come on, you know that you’re dying to figure out how to get out of here, maybe where we are? Maybe why we are? Curious, Callahan and his courteous queries, could have him leaving quickly… maybe…” She waited eagerly for a question.

  There was a nagging part of him that really didn’t want Nyve’s help. He really wanted to stay mad at her. He knew that he’d get nowhere here alone though, she seemed to know what this place was and maybe she really did know a way out. “Fine…” He muttered, “Where are we? How do I get out,”

  She flew up again, a gracious motion, twirling and whirling in the air. “One question at a time Callahan, don’t be so gluttonous!” she giggled to herself, “Youre in Gwyndadoraoralaeolye, that’s a shortened version just for you, if I said the whole thing we’d be here till you’re fully grown again!” Callahan went to speak but he was cut off “ah, hold it, I’m not done, you’re always quick to interrupt me, and we know that caused quite the fuss last time!” she continued, her limbs outstretched in every direction, “A fabulous name for a fabulous place, the heavenly realm of the great Lughren!”

  She covered her mouth, a mock gasp of surprise, “oooh, I gave a little too much, Now I’ve probably influenced what you might ask next.” She turned his head to him, her eyes narrow in glee, her hands covering her smile, Callahan rolled his eyes and whirled his hand in a exhausted motion, “Well…” She clearly wanted to go on, and he knew. “oh, so I take you want to know more? Well, you’ll need the key to the door that you’re stepping on, but oh, wherever could it be, you left where you landed in such a rush, that it must’ve slipped free!”

  “You really like hearing yourself talk don’t you?” Far past fed up, but still trying his best to hold back Callahan let her continue, mostly uninterrupted, “oh, you’re so rude, especially to your good friend Nyve, who was so kind and brave she managed to keep the key, even when Callous Callahan, crassly tried to leave poor little Nyve behind.” With a snap of her finger a familiar shape came to form from nothing, a silver ball with etched cerulean lines, that perfectly cut gem placed at it’s center, a shimmering iris that had enticed him so thoroughly before. “What… How’d you get that? Why is that even here?” He grabbed it as it float in the air, it’s cold metal and heft rolled in his palm, it felt just like he thought it would. “Maybe you can ask Lughren why it is that you’re here, he’s so close to you now you just have to open the door!” It was very faint but there was a very real eagerness slipping into Nyve’s voice, almost like a longing, desperate, He thought it was more tricks and jokes, but it was strange to him still.

  “I don’t see a door, no keyhole to put this eye in either, can you just be plain with it already?” He met her own narrowed eyes with ones of his own, though narrowed in contempt rather than glee.

  She flew around his head in a quick blur, then put a finger to her chin, “I don’t remember blinding you in both eyes, Callahan, Your feet are quite literally sinking into the door as we speak!” He looked down into the water below, nothing was there just those flittering stars dancing on the water’s reflection. Nyve graciously landed on the eye, she tapped her foot on the cold silvery surface, he could feel the tiny little vibrations as he held the eye in his hand.

  “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one Callahan, Didn’t think I’d need to spell it out for you, You’re going to have to owe so many favors for this!” The eye slipped through his fingers like it was made of air, he tried to catch it as it fell but Nyve had taken it under her wings, “If it means your debt to me grows bigger I’ll gladly do it for you,” She flew off, her destination seemed to be the heart of the lake. “What do you mean favors? Why would I owe you anything! You’ve been a complete nuisance this whole time.” His voice rang out hopeless frustration, he couldn’t see her face but he guessed she was probably still giggling as she flew away.

  The silence was a slight relief in those small moments, since he got here Nyve had done nothing but ring his ears with cryptic answers and mockery, but now, as she had buzzed off to the center of the lake, there was nothing but the wind again. Standing there, staring off into the waters, waiting, he wasn’t sure for what, but he was still expecting something to happen.

  That breeze that had been with him now, for his entire trek through this place had started to slow, eventually coming to a halt, those wild colorful flowers no longer animated by its touch. Out at the heart of the lake a small light began to grow, that same cerulean hue that had lined the walls of that horrid amphitheatre, it shined brighter, more intense, until a great flash exploded out from the center, Callahan, braced himself, the light melting through his hand shielded face and eye lids. A blinding radiance that had engulfed everything in Gwyndadoraoralaeolye.

  As quick as it came so to did it dim, receding back to the center of the lake, when that burning color finally faded from Callahan’s eyes he began to see, the whole place had changed, Those rushing dancing stars in the sky, those hurtling boulders of gas and earth, they had come to a stop, the cosmic play had ended, those wild colorful flowers now stark white, their petals falling and flowing in the newly minted breeze. The lake too had now no longer reflected the dark heaven above, no longer a mirror but a window, the lakebed littered with standing stones, etched into them men in all manner of poses and forms, they had told stories that Callahan couldn’t hope to decipher.

  He could see a path ahead, one where no standing stone lay, it led straight to the center of some deep unknown place. “Okay well… now what,” He said to himself “I can’t hold my breath forever!” He called but it seemed that Nyve was nowhere to be found. He stood once again, ‘stupefied’ one of the many words that vomited out of Nyve’s mouth. “So much for spelling it out.”

  He waited a few moments more, maybe Nyve would come back? He really didn’t think she’d expect him to swim all the way, and then a thought crossed his mind, a scene really, of what sort of brash action Rowan might take if he were here, He’d dive right into those waters, without a second thought, He’d probably throw me in first, just to dive in afterwards and splash me in the face. In a way the two were alike, when the world wasn’t falling around them there was nothing Rowan loved more than to tease his brother. Oh no a horrible thought occurred, if he was here he’d be fast friends with Nyve, I’d get it from both sides. A little spark ignited in his chest, far from the worry, the anger, the irritation, it was a giggle, the thought of them both laughing at him, as he float, drowned in the water from Rowan’s throw, it tickled him a little. “It’d be horrible. I’d hate it,” He said, lying to himself, “they’d be the worst,” he sighed, “I guess we’re swimming then.” He backed up from the water, bracing himself for a jump, “Might as well try to have fun with it.” A running leap he made, he would jump as far as he could, his form not perfect but an attempt was made to break the water cleanly. He closed his eyes as he fell ever closer to the water, anticipating the splash. The water broke, as expected, but still he fell, no resistance from the water at all, it was like air had replaced the water below the surface’s tension, a mirage, a fake. He had no time to react, he already made the jump, a brash Rowan like decision. His face was now planted in the sand below, his body laid out flat, his stomach heaving from laughter, the sound muffled from his buried face. A part of him wanted to be angry, but he was so exhausted now from being upset. He just wanted to feel something pleasant.

  “Fine you got me! Your one clever joke,” He yelled out lifting his face from the sands, he wasn’t surprised that he could breathe under the surface. The strange, the wonderous, the annoying, Ahead there would be more questions answered, and as mad as it made him with the way she told him Nyve did confirm that Rowan was okay, the task ahead now, was to get back to him, get back home, and with the eye in tow, get his mom the help she needed.

  He passed innumerable standing stones on the way to the heart of the lake, still, no sign of Nyve. Was she still even listening or watching him anymore? Did she see him face plant into the lake’s sand? It was really quiet without her, and even more, the wind didn’t blow down below the water’s surface, it was almost completely silent at the lakebed, the only noise his bare feet displacing the grains of sand beneath his feet as he walked.

  Should I call out to her? A shiver went down his spine, No that’d be horrible, She will definitely get the wrong idea. He was getting closer to the center now, the men on those standing stones, like the ones in the amphitheater seemed to be also taking their steps toward it in a frozen portrait carved eternally marked on each rocky surface.

  “Did you miss me!?” as if from nowhere once more she came, even more exuberant than she had been when they first met. “I quite enjoyed your dive, Callahan, You really put your all into it. I especially liked the landing!”

  “So you were being quiet for fun? I didn’t think shutting your mouth was even possible for you. Guess the joke wouldn’t be on me though if you told me about your little trick with the water.” Callahan kept his march, maybe something at the center could help him leave this place or maybe he could find more answers.

  “I already answered so many of your questions, and then I opened the door to this wonderful place, and you still expect me to carry you through the threshold as well? You’re such a needy boy, no wonder you look like that in here.” It was a curious thing she admitted to, another answered question, but he wondered if she did it on purpose

  “So you didn’t bind me this way?” He was curious, he really did expect her to be the culprit, the weaver of this magic.

  “Of course not, I tend not to meddle with the Accord, your appearance is all your doing, in Gwyndadoraoralaeolye your heart is laid bare before Lughren, it’s easier to judge you that way.” She floated ever closer to Callahan as he walked down the path, he eyed her, curiously, thinking about her words and what they might mean.

  “Oh don’t look at me for an explanation, I think if you really put your mind to it you’ll figure it out! Why would sweet little Callahan be a baby boy despite his age! Don’t worry too much about it right now though, remember you’re not dead! You’re not here to be judged. Noo much more exciting things are about to happen!”

  “Well, if this Lughren guy is anything like you I’m sure I’m in for something, don’t know if I’d use the word exciting to describe the feeling though.” It was a half hearted, mocking tone, at this point he didn’t think he could do or say anything to Nyve to break her wild character. These uttered words seemed to be the first thing he did that annoyed her though

  “Again with the rudeness,” her fanciful dances in the air almost came to a complete stop, “Lughren is your sovereign! Your spark a gift from him! Do your elders not teach you anything anymore!” Nyve looked into Callahan’s eyes, she could see her words puzzled him,

  “You really don’t know do you?” her voice had lost a lot of its whimsey. “I know it’s been a long time… But I thought since I was still here things weren’t so dire…” She looked at Callahan, for once a sincere expression had graced her face. “So then what do you believe in the living world?”

  At first Callahan had wanted to tease her, revenge for that awful poem she had sung, but the look in her eye struck him with some deep melancholy he didn’t know he had in his heart. “Well…” He considered his words, he wouldn’t mock her, “I only know what they teach us in Rye,” He managed to walk past her as he began, she floated on to his shoulder, her ear keen to hear every word.

  “I was taught that long, long ago our Islands were being consumed by an advancing mire, the stagnant anima of our dead just built up in our graveyards our pyres, no matter what it didn’t seem like our souls could find rest. So one day, some Onorion preachers came to our Islands, they cleansed the mires for us and gave us back our lands, they told us we were people abandoned by our god, but apparently we could find salvation in theirs.”

  Callahan gave a her a glance before continuing, she was focused, quiet, it was astonishing. “I don’t know too much about the history before those times, my ma said that her grandpa used to tell her stories of some great war, I think she has some weird keepsakes from him that he told her to keep away from any eyes not of the Rye, but that’s all I really know.”

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  Nyve dug a heel into his shoulder, waiting for him to continue, but Callahan had no more words for her “What? That’s all I know, they might have cleansed the islands but that’s about all they did. Rye doesn’t have much when it comes to academics, you’re either a sailor or a fisherman not much room for anything else.” Callahan shook the shoulder Nyve was perched atop, trying to shake her off.

  “That, great gilded bastard,” an unexpected fury had taken a hold of her voice, it sounded so unnatural, as if anger was an emotion she had never expressed before, “Lughren, we would, all of us, we would never.” Before she could finish her words they had arrived at the center of that great lake, the heart of the mystery.

  There was great throne made of solid gray stone, crisscrossed, swirling patterns decorated every inch, it sat dead in the middle, all around them monoliths with those giant men marked deep into the rock. Infront of the throne there was a statue, it was much different than the throne or the standing stones they had seen so far, the statue depicted six figures, their arms held out infront of them holding what seemed to be the world. 4 of them had one eye open, each a different color: Red, white, blue and bronze, all had a steady gaze on the planet. The two others were different in separate ways. One of the figures seemed to have had his eyes plucked from his head, while the other had two blazing golden eyes, feverishly staring at the world, the color in its eyes burning brighter than the other four.

  Callahan, once again had a look of awe on his face, this place still had wonders to show him, Nyve though, she was quiet still, he expected some great introduction, she seemed so eager to come here, he wondered why she hadn’t said a word. She flew off towards the throne, something somber swayed her flight, “Nice statue, bet those jewels in their heads are worth a lot.” He wasn’t actually sure if they were jewels or valuable at all, but it was very strange for him, to see such a taunting annoying character like Nyve to be so quiet all of a sudden. He had experience before with such a thing, Rowan also liked to be loud, obnoxious and jovial, it was only when things really bothered him that he got quiet. He followed Nyve over to the throne, passed the grand statue.

  Callahan followed Nyve toward the throne, passing beneath the grand statue. He saw Nyve, gently like a flower’s petal rest on the palm of a giant, an actual giant of a man, not one Nyve might consider a giant. His head tilt back in his thrown, his massive eyes seemed to reflect frantic images some familiar, like dancing stars, planets hurtling through space, others vague and unknowable, his face was twisted in horror, his body thin and ragged like a man who had not eaten in months, a stagnant aura stuck to him, reminiscent of the amphitheatre’s mire. Nyve kicked her feet into the giant’s palm, as if she was trying to break him from his strange trance, “It’s been such a long time you old fool, I’ve brought you such a special guest, Look at you, you’re a mess! He’ll think Gwyndadoraoralaeolye is the realm of slobbish buffoons!” It was muted but he could tell she was trying to bring back her merry tune.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Callahan wasn’t sure what to think of the sight before him, All the gods he ever saw depicted were grand great men, strong and powerful, and if not, they were beautiful goddesses, grace and glory rich in every portrayal. But this so called Lughren, he looked sickly, frightened, he knew the look so well, it was a look he wore many times.

  Nyve began to flutter once more, her eyes locked onto her god,

  “A chaotic mess the beginning was, the whole universe was fickle, never wanting to stay in one place or one way, it was uncertainty manifest!” she landed on the head of one of the figures, the one with the single opened red eye, “By some miracle though, something formed from that chaos, a thought at first, random like the rest of the universe, but it didn’t fade, it didn’t disappear!” She hopped to the next in line, the statue with a white snowy eye, “At first it was alone, sad and confused, it had no idea what it would do, but then it was joined, another thought grew, a friend, brother, a sibling true!” She danced to the next statue; this one’s eye blue like the ocean. “four more would join them, a godly crew, a steadying force for this cosmic stew! Their eternal vision would tear the chaos through, and order as they saw it, would become new.” Her feet now grace the bronzed eye statue, “With the whole cosmos steady their work might have been done, but this new order could soon come undone, their energy stagnant, this order was wrong! Chaos was how it should’ve stayed all along,” Another hop, now she stood on the blinded statue. “They would not let the rot darken their days, instead they had a caught such a beautiful new gaze, this rock that floated in this endless dark maze, had teemed with something that would leave them amazed.” She now stood upon the planet the six gods held “tiny creatures, thoughtless and crude, their existence trivial and mute, but as one fell another rose, an endless cycle of chaotic throes.” She looked right at Callahan, making sure he was still listening, “A miracle happened, one might say, the gods had granted those creatures a gift that day. Thoughts, a voice, a divine buffet, and in return on their final day, a fresh spirit would fill the god’s tray, this was a bargain, a deal, a play forever keeping god and man to this day… That’s how he told it, every time he was bored, a recollection of his memories, the creation of The Eternal Accord,” She took a bow, she seemed to be finished regaling Callahan with what appeared to be a story of all of creation. He was dumbfounded, “I don’t know what to say.”

  Nyve rose up from her bow, again, that strange sincerity, “Oh, sweet little Callahan, I wouldn’t expect many to know what to say.” She paused, looking back at the giant, Lughren, “He’s been like that now for a long time, many of us, countless souls and other minor gods like me, we tried to wake him, but he’s still stuck in that dream. His eyes, exceptional, even among the gods, they could see that endless chaos that the six of them could never keep stable,” He was waiting for her to undercut her tone with something light, but she continued, somberly “That uncertain future, at first he described it to be like every decision happening at once, he told me how he’s seen me tell every joke I could’ve ever thought of all at once every day in every which way. He never could just stay focused on the present, as much as he tried. Then, one day, something changed in him, This strange worry crept over him always, he ignored all of us, he built this place, under the waters, recording what he saw on the stones, and in solitude he would stay in his dream to see these unknown, uncertain futures.”

  Nyve floated back to Lughren’s hand, she knelt down in it, her tiny palm pressed against his, “There was one time, he was desperate, he told me what troubled him, he said he saw every decision coming to one point, one end, all these threads of fate burst in an instant in front of him, he said it was the end of all things, something none of them could stop, there was no vision past that moment.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes thick with sorrow, “One day, he came down here for a final time and never resurfaced. I’m sure he didn’t mean to leave us forever, he loved us, he loved you. But he was a man obsessed with solving problems, I watched, as all my friends, all of Gwyndadoraoralaeolye slowly fade away, with out the cycle, this whole realm will fall apart, I’m honestly surprised I’m still here myself. But sometimes, I wish I wasn’t.”

  Callahan had never the right words for situations like this, he felt stuck again, like how he had been with Ollie and his unsaid dread. What could he possibly say to ease a problem as grand and divine as this, “Is there something I can do to help? I… I mean you are a pain; you caused me a lot of grief but… I mean if you can get me back to Rowan than maybe I can help you wake up Lughren?”

  A smile lit up her lips, but it didn’t meet her eyes, “Oh, wee one, just bringing you here was supposed to stir him. Or at least I thought it would.” There was a soft whimper in her voice,

  Callahan began to approach the throne, he thought maybe being closer to Nyve could give her some small comfort, maybe she would feel the urge to tease him again, he could take it he thought. Learning more about her, how long she had been alone, it explained a lot to him, such a cruel poem was probably easy to come from someone so alone.

  As he took his final step toward her something brushed against his foot, that silvery eye again, the ‘key’ to the ‘door’. He picked it up, he wasn’t going to leave without it after all and maybe Nyve will let him go after she felt better, a strange cold shot up through his spine when the metal touched his fingers, he didn’t think much of it at first, he stood up, rolling the eye in his hand, claiming it as his own once more, “Sorry, didn’t want to lose this again, you know, we could try waking him by…” Nyve was strangely still, almost frozen, like time had stopped. “…Nyve?”

  She really was stuck, stiff and frozen in the palm of the giants hand, “Alright… what now, is this another trick? You want me to face plant into one of these monoliths?” he tried poking her but even still, stiff as stone. Then his eyes caught something, Lughren, his head it moved, ever so slightly at first, and then quick, snapping into place, looking down, directly at him, his eyes dark, ever shifting images of violent horror played in each socket. His voice came out of his mouth, dread thick with every word. “HE DOESN’T UNDER STAND WHAT HE IS DOING,” The voice was loud, louder than the wailer’s cry, and it came out of a dark blackened mouth, a putrid stentch of rotting ever present on it’s breath. “I BEG YOU, YOU MUST STOP HIM, YOU MUST WARN THEM.” Callahan was sent to his knees, he was lost in the dark again, panic over took him. Lughren massive palm bent into a fist, one finger extending toward’s Callahan’s forehead, “YOU MUST KNOW, YOU MUST SEE, FORGIVE ME,” Callahan couldn’t move, he wanted to escape, wanted to scream, but every bone in and muscle in his body was petrified.

  When Lugren’s finger lay upon Callahan’s head, a flood washed over him, he saw it all, that story that Nyve sung for him was now before his eyes, that and everything after, it was so much, overwhelming, and it rushed passed him in minute instances, then grander images began to appear, it was that golden eyed figure from the statue, he an his brothers, they were together watching the world, a soft glow on all their faces. As time went on their influence over the different parts of the world waxed and waned, wars among the men that inhabited the planet influenced their divine demeanor, still for such a long time some semblance of divine camaraderie was had.

  Then the cracks began to form, a war, larger than any other, the bronze eyed god had pushed the golden one to the brink, his influence upon the world became barely a whisper, his form began to fade, he looked desperate, almost calling out to his brother “Why…” Then before that final light could be snuffed out, the green and white eyed statues took a stand, together they pushed back the bronze eyed brother and helped the golden one reclaim some of his power, more years passed like seconds, an uneasy peace was formed between bronze and gold. Their people scattered from away from each other. But some unseen hunger began to dwell within the golden one’s eyes.

  It didn’t seem to come naturally, but over seconds that were centuries Callahan saw it, some dark motivation, unknown, had pushed the golden one to a new profound want, He would be the only one, Callahan saw more time push forward, the god with green eyes had a dark shadow pulled over them, and now with his sight blinded the golden one went on the attack, he could see the green eyed god’s lands purged of their people, scattered and sieged, their faint links to the green one cut thinner with the passage of time.

  The golden one knew now that it was possible, like the first domino the rest would fall, his eyes set to the white one next, it was only fair in his sick twisted eyes that his first two to fall would be the ones who had saved him, Callahan saw how her lands were suffocated in a dark fog, her people choked away and suffered in the dark, until every last one had perished, Then the blue one took a stand, a retaliatory strike, it was a long battle, 200 years at least, but slowly the blue one’s eyes dimmed and fell into history like the others. The red one tried to hide, his people buried deep in their jungles, under webs and dirt, but the golden one found them, razed them, root and stem they would all die.

  Each conquest had made him stronger, with only one last god remaining, he was unstoppable, and with a cold satisfaction he knew, he saved the best for last. Every unholy mercy his people could come up with they threw at the people of the Bronze eyed god. Famine, pestilence, fire, cold, they would suffer, although his one true goal was to be the only one, he savoured his vengeance, Callahan watched over 10,000 years of torture played for those of the Bronze eyed gods people, with no one able to stop it, no divine intervention, all they could do was suffer, He truly saved the worst fate for them. The light did fade from the eyes of Bronze, just like they had all the others, and now with only one vision, the Accord was now written and watched only by one, the golden eyed god, his people alone would rule…

  But he wasn’t alone, something strange, something dark, something familiar came up from the planet that he now solely watched over, for some reason, that Callahan could not fathom, that dark demon from Callahan’s dream rose from the planet, its dark claws wrapped around the golden one’s neck. He tried to fight it, he refused to be chained, he was the sole ruler in the universe, but then he watched as his people changed, a small group at first, ones he barely recognized as his own, but he saw them abandon his kingdom, they joined with the dark demon, and with it, dark times for his people began anew, now it was the golden one’s turn to truly suffer. His people were forced against him, turned away from his teachings, taught to hate him, despise him, to hate themselves, To give themselves up to this new dark god. The cycle had been broken, just like he had broken it for his brothers, he watched, cut off from his people, rotting away, the slowest death of them all, as this unknowable dark god laughed, The golden one birthed this creature, his own actions leading to his demise, he drowned, suffocating in his own rot, like his brothers and sisters…

  Time went on for a few more millennia, filled with war, disease, and degeneracy, and then… nothing... the vision ended, dark, black, worse than chaos, absolutely nothing.

  Lughren lifted his finger from Callahan’s forehead, he was gentle in his movements but still Callahan jerked back, sickened, his mouth filled with vomit, his head pulsed with a unimaginable pain that knocked him down, his body spasmed his eyes darting in every direction, still processing all he had seen. Thousands, millions, of lifetimes shown to him in fractions of fractions of time.

  “Please,” Lughren’s voice, ragged, torn, but trying to sound soft, “I ask a great deal of you, I have no right, it was my fault that you were the first to fall.” His head slumped back into his throne, his eyes still witnessing horrors Callahan wasn’t privy to. “I must continue watching… I must force a brighter future through my vision, I must focus, and you must be my knight on the living stage, Callahan.”

  Callahan’s words fought through the pain, their tone garbled by his mouth full of bile, “Are you insane,” he coughed, every word forced painfully out “I only came down here because I thought your stupid fairy was going to bring me back home, and then you force fed me this horror show. And now I must be some sort of hero for you? I’ve got my own problems, my mother, my brother, my family needs me.” He got to his feet, although his tiny body was still that of a child, his voice came to take on his old cadence and tone. “You’re right, about having the gall to ask this of me, Back home we don’t even know you exist, and we don’t even try to ask your cock headed golden dipshit of a brother for help either. We get on by all on our own.” Callahan wiped the remaining puke from his cheek, flinging it off his arm onto the statue of the accord in disrespect. “You’re awake now, I’ve done enough, whatever you’re doing that’s freezing us together in this awful company end it, Nyve has her desire fulfilled and now it’s my turn. Send me back home.” Lughren stayed silent, as if whatever energy had animated him had faded, he was as he had first been when they arrived, silent and watching.

  Callahan’s vision began to fade, everything melted around him, and then he fell to the ground again, as if he was dragged into the realm of sleep, this must be it… finally I’m going home. That hope had quickly turned into more frustration, he hadn’t moved, he awoke still writhing on the floor, jerking around in his own vomit, it was like his outburst hadn’t even happened.

  “Callahan, oh sweet Callahan,” Nyve was floating around him, her voice raspy as if she had been calling out to him for some time, “You’re finally awake wee one, I really thought the visions were going to take you too…”

  He sat up, a quiet rage building in him, he wanted to get up, grab the biggest rock he could carry in his tiny form and beat away at the giant god, he was sick of the plays and the tricks, the jokes and the poems, even the dream like sights that would inspire imagination made him sick with anger… His breath huffed and heaved in his chest, he was seeing red. Just as that temperature, that rage was about to explode out from in him, something soft caressed his cheek, Nyve’s little hand, she laid it on him, like she had Lughren, “You’re right to be angry, Sweet Callahan…” her tone rife in a melancholy tone, it’s been so long since she teased him that he had almost forgotten what a nuisance she was at first meeting, “Neither of us should be asking you for favors…” she floated back a bit, her touched barely lingering on him for a few seconds, her eyes gazing into his own. He held the look for a moment, rage shifting in and out. But her soft look, it calmed his tumultuous emotions, His eyes darted away, he didn’t want to look anymore at this sad little woman, once proud and full of vigor, “Did you see what he showed me,” He asked, his voice low, tired.

  She shook her head slowly, “No, I just watched you, your eyes turned black like his, then you started shaking… I can imagine what you might have seen though… It’s a dreaded fate, one he’s been looking for a way to stop,” She looked back at Lughren, still as stone, as if he’d never moved at all,

  “it’s not so easy, even for someone like him, To sift through all of creation to try to find an answer,” a small bit of light began to come back to her face, “But, that he deigned to speak to you, well that’s a change…” Callahan cut her off, “No,” He said firmly, “Just like I told him, I’m not getting involved in whatever this whole thing is, he’s a god, he can get up off his throne and go do whatever it is that needs doing. I’ve got my own problems Nyve, and it’s not like either of you have been very helpful to me.”

  “It’s not such an easy task Callahan, the gods don’t mingle as much as they used to, their forms changed and bent to the wills of their people. And Lughren… He simply doesn’t have the strength anymore, his anima still goes out into the world, to give souls to new life that spring from the wombs of your women. But that energy never comes back anymore… It’s a one-way funnel, and eventually, your people, well there won’t be any anima left to create souls” She watched as Callahan groaned, frustrated, his hands tugging slightly at his own hair. “Why!” he yelled, “Why me? I know you know things about me, you’ve seen how useless I am!”

  “I’m a trump card at best, when things get bad. But in the thick of it, I’m a weight,” The memory of the bolt missing the wailer started to play in his head, Then the battle at the amphitheater, how he hid while his brother was in the fray, unable to even help with his bend at first because his vision had been obscured. “There’s so many other people out there, with stronger more impressive bends than what I have… I told Rowan this all the time, I don’t understand why he insisted I come,” He looked at Nyve, pain sharp in his eyes, “Now you…” He looked around at all the standing monoliths, their images now making more sense to him, they’re countless depictions of the great wars and strife that Lughren was constantly witnessing in his dream.

  “I can’t stop this, I don’t think anyone could, the things I saw… the things he told you about.” he shook his head, “Just send me home, Please Nyve, I’m done with the games, If you don’t send me home I’m just gonna sit here, quietly till you either send me home or we both fade away.” He sat, slumped. His limbs all curled tightly to him, his head buried in his arms.

  “Have it your way then, sweet Callahan,” Nyve flew around him, white petals falling from her wings and landing all around where Callahan sat. “Thank you, for the company, it was fun while it lasted,” the words sincere, somberly said, the petals began to take on those fractal colors again, Callahan still silent, saying nothing, he slowly began to sink into the color. “Don’t weep little Giant, we’re not disappointed, you really are too hard on yourself!” Her voice began to take on that jovial tone again, whether she was forcing it down or her feelings just lightened regardless Callahan couldn’t tell, he didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to wake up from this nightmare. “I hope we see each other again, we could have even more fun together!” Callahan had all but completely sunk into the colorful portal, that sacred place was now empty once more.

  Nyve looked at those colors, shifting and churning in the light, she thought to herself, how many more millennia now will I be alone. She snapped her fingers, intending to close the portal, an end to such a wonderful moment in her excruciating long life. The portal stuck open, she snapped again, snap, snap, snap, “Oh come on now, don’t be teasing me like this,” a shifting creek behind her hit her ears, something she had not heard in a long, long time. “Nyve…” That ancient voice, it ached, pained and tired. “Help him…” he outstretched one finger, begging Nyve to come forth, to witness something, “Oh, what do you want you old fool! I can’t even be happy that you’re talking to me after all this time, you made my sweet boy Callahan cry, Only I was allowed to do that don’t you know?” She seemd to be back to her old self, though maybe it was a front she was putting on, just for herself if for anyone at all.

  An exhausted groan came from that ancient figure, it was in a familiar tone, as if he expected Nyve to be haughty even in these moments. A strong force pulled her over to Lughren, his finger pressed against her head, and in that moment a bright green light burst forth from the contact, images played in Nyves mind, it sent her wings aflutter, she hadn’t seen so much excitement in such a long time. “You really mean it Lughren? You’re gonna let me do this?” she was hesitant, but also excited,

  “Only… you… you deserve this… Thank, you.” His ancient voice strained under the weight of unknown aeons, “Oh you lovely, lovely idiot,” She flew spirals around the throne. “Don’t miss me too much, okay! When we get back I’ll have lots of souvenirs for ya!” She kissed him, lovingly on the cheek then flew down into the portal she summoned for Callahan, “Oh he’s going to be so mad when he finds me,” The thought tickled her pink, “You’ll be a hero yet my sweet little giant.”

  Below is the original Chapter 2, before I came up with Nyve. Originally Lughren was going to be the sort of guide character who would talk through the eye and guide Callahan, but I wasn't really feeling it, especially with Callahan exploring the Heaven of his people alone. I always really liked Navi/Tatl/Midna type characters in video games, Feo Ul in Shadowbringers is also a very big inspiration. I just thought it'd be fun to have this sort of annoying little fairy teasing Callahan along side his big brother as the journey went on. Below though is what might have been had I stuck to the story without Nyve being created.

  There was a soft honeyed breeze that gently caressed Callahan’s naked face, he could hear the calm rustling of grasses and branches of trees dancing to the wind’s tune. That storm, the crashing thuds and bangs of battle, those horrific wails of nightmare creatures, they all seemed to have been washed away, replaced with a restful serenity.

  The lids of his eyes were no longer like steel blankets, heavy from a body melting away from the inside out, now they were light as a feather, his breaths easy to come and easy to go, it was like the caustic effect of the mire had been completely lifted from his being.

  His vision, blurred at first, slowly coming to focus, he wanted to see where he would wake up. his other senses teasing him for what had felt like a paradise compared to the hell he had apparently escaped. There was a vast sky out in front of him, cloudless, a dark canvas awash with stars, they rushed across the sky, unlike the stationary lights he had been used to, they zipped and spiraled around, some colliding, exploding into vibrant nebulas. Celestial bodies came and went at great speeds, their size becoming incomprehensibly large as they veered ever closer, then fading down past the horizon.

  Callahan had found himself laying in a field of flowers, their petals soft, shaped like long thin triangles, each quarter reflecting a different color of light. As he sat up the colors on the petals changed, the field becoming a kaleidoscope, the hues twisting with his perception.

  Callahan began examining himself for any sort of injuries, he already had a clue that something strange was going on, His mask had been taken off his face while he was unconscious, his gear, weapon, all gone. All of his clothes he had worn for the expedition were gone. Even stranger, when he looked at his hands, his legs, they seemed much shorter than before.

  When he fully stood up he was about 3 feet smaller. The clothes he wore both odd, yet familiar, “I remember these,” He said aloud, his voice was a much higher pitch now, it startled him to hear it. These are Rowan’s hand me downs, there were many thoughts racing through his mind, he tried to piece them together, Guess that really was it… If I’m dead though where am I now? Half puzzled, half relieved, dying in that mire should’ve doomed him to the same fate as all those other souls, rotting forever, forgotten in those dark castle bowels. Why am I so short? He looked out over the field, trying to catch a landmark, or maybe a pond or lake, he really wanted to see his reflection.

  A few yards ahead of him was body of water, completely still, it perfectly reflected the cosmic spectacle that played in the sky. It stretched out quite aways, white stones, similar to the ones in the amphitheater, dotted the water’s skin. As he drew closer he could see decorative blue spirals enameled their face. A part of him really wished he could just admire the beauty of it all, but there was much worry in his heart still.

  When he made it to the water’s edge laid his face over it, confirming another queer thought he had racing through his mind. He touched his face, it was now much younger than it used to be, His dark brown hair now a youthful blonde, the patchy facial hair Rowan would tease him about never fully coming in, now completely nonexistent. not that he was old to begin with, a man barely entering his second decade. Now though, he was once again that small scared boy from his nightmares. Callahan was having trouble now, he didn’t know what to think anymore. He was lost, out his body, maybe out of his mind, and he was really in way over his head.

  If this is Heaven then where is everybody, “Where are you, Onorus? You lay claim to all in your Kingdom so where are you?” He screamed out, the pitch high and shrill. He thought now maybe he’d been plucked from the mire by the Onorion’s so called saviour god. But if he had been he expected Onorus’s realm to be filled with souls, awaiting their judgment, frolicking in paradise. But the place was quiet, nothing but the wind gently whistling through the fields.

  “Rowan’s probably still fighting…” A terrible thought, he wished he hadn’t had it, wished he didn’t say it. Would he end up here too? That’d wouldn’t be so bad… Could probably have a bit of a laugh at how far we got, he would anyways… Without Callahan there, to enforce his bend on Rowan’s body he would eventually revert back to his normal state, He probably would’ve handled them all by now, and if there were a few stragglers, I bet he could do it… maybe? The worry had him seeking comfort. He burried his face in the scarf wrapped around his neck, his mum never let him leave the house without it, always worried he’d catch a cold. His hands digging into the folds of his over sized clothes. Rowan, always the much larger brother, even his clothes when we was six still fit Callahan at ten. The rustling hadn’t done much to soothe him, he didn’t even know what he wanted at the moment anymore. Frustrated he kicked the ground at the water’s edge, dirt and rocks ripped from the earth and broke that perfectly still mirrored lake into a cascade of waves.

  It was mesmerising, the ripples, bending and breaking an already spectacular light show that had been playing out above, the waters had now painted it into an abstract masterpiece, a swarm of colors and visages that rivaled the flowery fields behind him. He almost didn’t notice the soft thud, the noise made by the dislodging of that precious orb from his clothes that caused all this, it fell to the ground, rolling gently into his foot.

  “How’d you get here?” He wondered, as he scooped the silvery orb into his hand. He remembered wanting to feel it rolling around on his bare hand, his wish finally granted. It was smooth, cold. The cerulean details calmed him as he ran his fingers along those carved lines.

  “I should’ve known you were too good to be true,” He sighed, regretfully. He was caught up in the moment back when they first discovered the silvery eye, thinking of all the good he might do with the money they’d make. “Ma all better again, a pantry so full it’d burst. We might’ve never had to worry about money again,” It was a fun fantasy to have, everything finally working out for him, he got lost in it, ever deeper, his hand playfully tossing the eye up and down. “Should’ve known it might have been a trap.” He quickly grabbed the eye as it began to tumble from his throw, squeezing it tightly in his palm, His face twisted with pangs of grief and anger. “No chances now…” His eyes shut tight, his arm winding back as far as it could. “You’re worthless now!” his voice ripped out of his throat, his arm tearing through the air with all the strength he could muster from his tiny body. He had sent the eye flying, further than he ever thought he could, his strength surprising to him. “Just like me.” a somber thought, one he lingered on while he watched the eye in flight.

  It didn't get very far, I remember getting sort of frustrated, I just couldn't find the will to keep writing it as a sort of cast away lonely story. So I took a shower and then Nyve sort of popped into my head. A guide to pull him through Gwyn. Which didn't have a name at all yet until I thought it would be funny/cute if this lonely fairy was just adding more and more words onto the name of her home until i became absolutely ridiculous to say.