Elen doesn’t move. She just stands there and watches her sister struggle to stand. The light in Evelyn's eyes is wrong, too faint, flickering even. She walks forward, slowly, carefully, but she reaches Elen, and stands on her tiptoes. She reaches up, her hands cupping Elen’s face gently.

  "Elen," Evelyln breathes, and then stumbles forward.

  Elen catches her sister with one hand, but the other is slowly curling around the shaft of an arrow at her side.

  I hear the Leviathan hiss in my ear, and I intervene.

  "Levi says he didn’t mean to bring her back! Her ego, her soul I mean, is mostly gone. It was whittled down to little more than nothing from being killed and brought back repetitively. He had to use her healing factor to craft Isalithe’s Divine Aspect, but she should still have her necromancy. Even then, any spell she’s able to cast will just be from muscle memory with little room for growth. Mentally, she will be like a newborn."

  "You’re saying she’s forgotten who she is then?"

  "For the most part, yes. Levi says there shouldn’t even be this much left. The fact she remembers your name is a miracle."

  Elen’s hand slowly opens, and she releases her grip on the arrowshaft. In one quick motion she shrugs off her coat, wraps it around Evelyn, and pulls her close. Evelyn tries to hug back, but her arms stay pinned to her sides, so she just lays her chin on Elen’s shoulder and stares up at the night sky.

  "A new life deserves a new name, doesn’t it? Evelyn is dead. I think your name will be… Eve," Elen says, and smiles down at the girl. "Eve Cromwell, you are my most beloved sister. I’ll look out for you this time. I swear it. Under my watchful eye, I shan't allow any harm to come to you. I'll ensure that you grow up right this time, Eve."

  It’s small, but Eve’s lips curl up at the corners. Elen’s eyes grow wide, and tears stain her cheeks as she hugs her sister tighter.

  For a brief second, instead of Elen and Eve, I see Gabriel with his hand on Elias’s head. He's grinning down at the younger boy. I make my exit as quietly as possible, being sure not to disturb the sisters moment.

  The next course of action is to collect the spoils of war. The Saints had powerful relics, and the adventurers that died will have some provisions. There’s too much ground to cover though, I’d need help.

  But…Terra is still trying to piece himself back together. Isalithe is out cold, with one arm thrown over her eyes. Clarence’s lap is pinned beneath Isalithe’s head as he watches over her. Elen has her hands full with her sister, and Sen is Sen. The most logical thing now would be to set up camp and wait until tomorrow. I move to take a step, but my vision begins to spin. There’s a hot, pounding pressure inside my skull, like something is trying to tunnel its way out of me. I feel my knees buckle, and I hit the ground.

  "Levi, follow me..." I’m barely able to get these words out before my world fades to black.

  *

  When I open my eyes, I’m standing at the bottom of a hill, staring up at a house I recognize all too well. In front of me, is a serpent laying in the grass.

  "Come, Levi," I say, and hold my arm out to him as I walk past.

  It takes less than a second, but I feel a familiar squeeze. The serpent wraps itself around my wrist, and makes his way up my arm until his head is level with my own once more. I turn to look at the gate that surrounds the house, and his gaze follows. It’s been padlocked shut, and I don’t have a key.

  "Levi," I say, but there is no response.

  Looking over at him, I see the silly little thing actually has his eyes closed. Was he tired?

  "Levi!" I bark, and his eyes shoot open as he looks around. His tongue flickers out from his mouth momentarily upon seeing the padlock, and then he spits a small brass key into my palm. I grimace and wipe it off on my dress before sliding it into the lock. It’s a perfect fit, and I make my way through the front gate.

  Next is the garden, which is the same as I remember it. Barely alive, but mostly dead. I reach the front door, which is also locked, and turn to Levi once more. "Key?"

  He shakes his head though, and closes his eyes once more. He must have been more tired than I thought.

  "It’s fine, I can improvise. Shift," I say, and the ground beneath me does just that. It shifts, revealing an array of rocks under the earth. I pick one up, and throw it at the nearest window. It shatters, and I punch out the remaining glass before climbing through.

  "I never thought I’d be breaking into my own house…"

  The room I find myself in is dark. There’s no candles lit, and the artificial moonlight of the dream doesn’t put off that much light, but I rely on my memory to navigate me. After a few seconds, I reach the door and I’m in the hallway now.

  There’s a boy standing at the front door, pressing his body against it as if he’s expecting someone to try and push against it any moment. He can’t be much older than me, but he’s dressed like an adventurer of sorts. A cape made from a blanket, pants two sizes too big, and dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Every part of his body is covered in dirt, as if he’s been on the road for too long.

  As he sees me, he abandons his post at the door and places himself in the center of the hallway. He blocks my path to the west wing, and holds out a trembling arm. "You can’t go through. This is-"

  Levi lunges forward, and hisses right in his face. The boy yelps and falls backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud as he scoots away from me.

  I continue to walk, but I feel a hand clamp around my ankle. I’m tempted to kick at it, but I fight the urge and look down to see that boy looking up at me with wide eyes.

  "I can’t let you through unless you pass a test! A trial! Aetheria said I had to buy her time, and I’ll do just that!"

  "You…you’re the one that got caught in Evelyn’s trap, aren’t you?"

  "Evelyn? No, my name’s Varron!" the boy says, eyes still huge. He kind of looks like a bug when I look at him head-on actually.

  "You’re just trying to buy time."

  "You got me, I’m not actually that dumb. I went to school for two years!"

  "Don’t care," I say, and pull away from him. I stop dead in my tracks though. Where there was once an open hallway, there is now a door. I try the doorknob, but it doesn’t turn.

  "Wait! You haven’t passed the trial. I died before reaching the apex of my life! Right before I died, I was this close to kissing a girl," Varron says, holding up thumb and forefinger that are basically touching each other.

  "So you’re saying I have to kiss you if I want to get through? Sure."

  "W-Wait what?" Varron chokes out, and his face instantly begins to change from a pale white to a bright shade of red.

  "I said sure, now come here," I say, and squat down so that I’m level with him.

  "Really? I mean okay, yeah, sure, of course." Varron lets go of my ankle, and then begins to lean in close.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Hey, you have to close your eyes otherwise it doesn’t count!"

  "O-Oh right! You’re right," Varron stutters, and clamps his eyes shut.

  As Varron draws near, I lean to the side, and Levi slides forward. It only lasts for a second, it’s barely a peck before Varron realizes something's wrong. His eyes shoot open and he pulls away, letting out a panicked scream before recoiling from Levi. He even spits to the side as he watches Levi return to his spot on my shoulder. I’m sure if Levi was capable, he’d be laughing right now.

  "Sorry, Varron. I'm just a little too old for you," I say, and turn back to the door.

  "You’re just as cruel as that Saint!"

  "Then maybe you shouldn’t try and make me your enemy!" I shout, and push through the door now.

  "Wait, but the trials not over. You didn't kiss me, how can you open..." Varron begins to say, but I slam the door shut before he can finish, his face still red with embarrassment.

  I can't help but let out a chuckle as Levi headbutts me lightly. "Yes, I know, you got him."

  The next portion of the hallway is just as short, and Seraphine stands in front of the far door, arms folded.

  "Not you too… Levi, go and clear out the next room," I command, and hold my hand out. Levi lunges from it, and slithers across the ground. Seraphine tries to stop him, but he shrinks in size, and increases in speed. She tries stomping, she tries grabbing, but he reaches the next door and slithers through the keyhole. Seraphine bangs her hand on the door before turning to face me, clearly frustrated.

  "Sorry about this, kid. If I had a say-" Seraphine begins, but that’s as far as I let her get.

  Within a couple of minutes I’m making my way into the next room. Duriel’s huge form is sprawled across the floor, unmoving, his face pressed into the stone floor.

  "You about done in here?"

  Levi burrows out of a hole in the back of Duriel’s neck, shakes off the blood, and slithers on over to me. I hold my hand down low for him and he latches on as I walk by.

  "Good thing I got the easy one," I say, and look back to the previous room that's nothing more than jagged rock growing out of the house's foundation. "Oh and Levi? I have a technical question."

  His tongue flickers in response, and I continue.

  "When Clarence used that spell, Soulburn, it didn’t burn up all of his soul. Why?"

  Levi hisses in my ear.

  "No, I’m not disappointed. Quite the contrary actually, I’m relieved. I just don’t understand it, that’s all."

  A series of hisses enter into my ear, and I’m able to make sense of the situation now.

  "He performed a fusion spell? Typically that would make a new spell that’s stronger, but in this case it greatly diminished the effect of Soulburn… I didn’t notice. Thank you, Levi."

  With this, Levi closes his eyes once more, and I reach the staircase. Once on the fifth floor, I go to the last room on the left, my own, and I find Aetheria. She’s crumpled on the ground, and is clutching her arms tightly to her body. Her normally long hair is tucked away under a hood of sorts, and her entire frame is quivering.

  "Aetheria?" I utter her name and reach out to her. Leviathan coils himself around my arm though. The pressure is just enough that it doesn’t hurt, but enough that it causes me to stop.

  "Clara, you can’t be here," Aetheria says, voice barely above a whisper. "You…you can’t see me, not like this."

  "You’re the one that brought me here though."

  "I did not. It was that thing you have with you."

  "It’s okay, Levi, you’re not a thing," I say, and run a hand along his scales. "You tried to call Talia a thing too. She helped me a lot though. I…think of her as a dear friend."

  "Don’t you dare say that!" Aetheria shouts, and turns on me. The dress is empty, filled with nothing but shadows. A single eye floats in its depths, staring me down.

  "Почему нет!?" I shout, demanding to know why.

  "Ты понятия не имеешь, о чём говоришь!" Aetheria shouts back.

  "Why do I know Russian?!"

  Aetheria doesn’t answer me though.

  "Back there, when I was going to die… Why did Isalithe come? Why did she say it was a ‘lucky guess’ that I needed help?"

  The eye in the depths of the hood flickers, but only for a moment.

  "A death was fated to happen, Clara. All I did was shift that fate onto someone else."

  "Clarence quartered his life to save her. He has so little time left. Why?..." I ask. "I could have finally been dead, I could have been...I could have been free!"

  "You can’t die, Clara. Not yet. There’s still so much you have to do," Aetheria says, taking a step toward me. She reaches out to me, and I take a step back.

  "Where is Russia?" I demand, but she’s silent.

  "What is the ECA?"

  Nothing.

  "What happened in my 33rd life? Why did I forget it? Why did I forget Levi?"

  Still nothing.

  "Who’s Talia? Who is Bell? Where the fuck is my bird?!" I shout, and my voice breaks on the last syllable.

  Aetheria’s single eye narrows, and her voice grows low now. So low I mistake it for a growl. "Clara, I have been patient with you. I understand your confusion, trust me, I do. But I have to draw the line when you bring those…those heathens into this. They are no good for you!"

  "I have you, Bell has Big Mike, and Talia has her little Notion. Each and every one of you likes to claim that you know nothing, but when it comes to us? You know an awful lot. It’s like the end of the fucking world to you when I so much as mention their names! Why? Why won’t you tell me anything!?"

  Aetheria remains silent once more,. She doesn’t even make an attempt at lying to me. She simply gives no answer. That would certainly be good if this were a court of law, but it is not. Her silence speaks to me, and it is much louder than any admission of guilt.

  As I stare her down, another figure passes behind her. A memory of a past life, that forgotten life. Blonde hair is pulled back in a wild ponytail, and her face is devoid of imperfections. Her skin looks like porcelain, and she's actually dressed like a doll too now that I’m looking at her. The dress is far too intricate and colorful to belong to just any ordinary person. It contains purples, reds, blues, and whites, all layered on top of each other in frills, and bows. Maybe she came from royalty? My eyes track her across the room, and just before she disappears, her gaze meets mine. It’s a cold gaze, bereft of any emotion.

  Unlike myself, I can tell that she has reached the end of her journey.

  I know her name. I know it like I know the back of my hand. How could I have forgotten it?

  "Who is Marianne? Marianne, the Merciless," I ask, unable to pull my gaze away from the spot Marianne had just been standing just a moment ago.

  "You’re remembering too much, too quickly. I only meant to feed you a memory here, a memory there, but you have remembered something you shouldn’t have. That thing around your neck may as well be a noose," Aetheria says, her eye sliding to The Leviathan.

  "Well this ‘noose’ at least knows how to answer a question! Levi, what is Russia?"

  Levi hisses in my ear, and a surge of information comes flooding into my mind.

  "Russia is in the Old World, and stretches from the Baltic to the endless steppes. Forever gnawing at its neighbors, forever staring westward, aching for what others had, never content with its own vastness. Russia is a scar of frozen earth, similar to the Snowfall Eiraschade. Now that’s an answer I can work with! See? Levi talks to me, let's try another one."

  "Clara, don’t ask that thing anything else!"

  "Levi, what is the ECA?"

  Once more he hisses, and the epiphany that follows causes my head to pound erratically.

  "The Emergency Cryptid Association. I was in the North American branch and…I…" A torrent of memories begin to flood into my mind, and I clutch my head in a feeble attempt to try and stop the pain. The pounding in my skull is relentless though. It’s as if my brain can’t process the information that’s being fed into it.

  Aetheria takes a step towards me, but Levi leans back on my neck, causing me to stagger away, and just out of her reach.

  "Leviathan," I say, pointing at Aetheria, "who is Aetheria?"

  Everything around us slows to a halt. The world itself freezes, and any ambient sound that had been present before has now ceased. Not a single thing moves except for Aetheria’s eye and Levi’s tongue that flickers in the air beside my ear.

  It feels like an eternity before Levi finally finds a suitable answer, but when he does, it isn’t just one hiss like usual. This answer has multitudes within it. He hisses several times in quick succession, and a part of me wishes I had never asked him.

  My heart pounds against my ribs hard enough that I think they’ll break, and my eyes widen as he continues. Finally, Levi finishes, and I know what I must do.

  "Levi, blade," I instruct, and The Leviathan’s maw unhinges. The hilt of a blade slides out from his mouth, and I grab a hold of it, pulling it out.

  With a shaking hand, I point the blade at Aetheria.