The White Flame Path stretched endlessly ahead.
The white torches lining the walls burned without warmth.
Their flames never flickered.
Never smoked.
They simply existed.
Like tiny stars nailed to stone.
Qaritas walked in silence, Rivax's blade resting across one shoulder.
Beside him, Xheavend followed with quiet footsteps.
Too quiet.
The tunnel narrowed as they descended, roots twisting through the ceiling like veins. Black moisture seeped between ancient stones, carrying the scent of damp earth and old blood.
Nothing attacked them.
Nothing spoke.
The silence itself felt like something watching.
Inside him, Eon remained alert.
Do not mistake silence for safety.
"I wasn't planning to."
Good.
They continued.
Minutes passed.
Or perhaps hours.
Time behaved strangely beneath Yeitshoja.
The farther they walked, the paler Xheavend became.
At first Qaritas thought it was the white torchlight.
Then he noticed her breathing.
Shorter.
Slower.
Like every breath hurt.
She stumbled.
Only once.
Barely enough for anyone else to notice.
Qaritas noticed.
"You alright?"
She nodded immediately.
"I'm fine."
Inside his mind—
Eon sighed.
That is a remarkably stupid lie.
Qaritas glanced sideways.
"You don't believe her?"
Look at her.
He did.
The child kept walking.
Shoulders straight.
Jaw clenched.
Hands shaking.
Every few steps she pressed one hand against her ribs.
Not enough for anyone to miss.
Enough to hide from someone who wasn't looking.
She is in pain.
"I noticed."
No.
Worse.
She is trying to make sure we do not notice.
That made Qaritas slow.
"Xheavend."
She looked back.
"Hm?"
"You can tell us if something's wrong."
"I'm okay."
Eon answered before Qaritas could.
She is lying.
Again.
The words had barely settled when—
Xheavend stopped.
Her body stiffened.
Her eyes widened.
Then—
COUGH.
Blood splattered across the white stone.
She doubled over violently.
Another cough.
More blood.
Then something else hit the ground with a wet sound.
Qaritas froze.
It wasn't flesh.
No—
it was.
Part of a lung.
Still twitching.
Still warm.
Black insects crawled from the torn tissue.
Dozens of them.
They spilled across the floor like living drops of ink.
Qaritas's hand went to his sword.
The insects ignored him.
Instead—
they climbed onto Xheavend.
Up her boots.
Across her legs.
Over her arms.
Into her hair.
She didn't scream.
She smiled.
"Oh..."
"There you are."
Qaritas stared.
"...There who are?"
The blood pooling beneath Xheavend's feet trembled.
It gathered itself.
Lifted.
Folded inward.
Like blood remembering how to become a creature.
Tiny strands of coagulated blood twisted together beneath a paper-thin skin of crimson.
Large ears unfolded first.
Then delicate bat-like wings.
A curled tail.
Tiny claws.
Finally—
two enormous crimson eyes opened.
Galaxies swirled inside them.
The little creature blinked.
Looked at Xheavend.
Then immediately launched itself at her face.
"YOU STUPID GIRL!"
Its voice was so high-pitched it echoed through the tunnel.
It landed on top of her head.
Grabbed both handfuls of her hair.
And started yanking.
"What were you THINKING?!"
"Agh!"
Xheavend grabbed at it.
"Wisper!"
"You coughed up a LUNG!"
"I know!"
"You promised!"
"I know!"
"You OVERDID IT AGAIN!"
"I know!"
"You absolute moldy potato!"
"I SAID I KNOW!"
The tiny creature screeched loud enough to wake the dead.
"You made me come all the way out here just to yell at you!"
"I'm sorry!"
"No you're not!"
"I am!"
"You'll be sorrier when End finds you!"
Inside Qaritas's mind—
Eon spoke flatly.
Shut that rat up.
Qaritas bit the inside of his cheek.
Because despite everything—
he almost laughed.
The little creature was furiously pulling Xheavend's hair while scolding her like an exhausted parent.
It reminded him—
of Nez.
His shadow cat.
Back in Taeterra.
He'd left Nez with Ayla.
With Komus.
With Niraí.
He trusted them.
He did.
But trust never stopped worry.
The memory softened something inside him.
Wisper finally released Xheavend's hair with one last indignant squeak.
Then—
jumped.
Landing squarely on Qaritas's shoulder.
Its enormous eyes studied him.
"Hm."
"You'll do."
Qaritas blinked.
"...Thank you?"
Wisper ignored him.
Tiny arms folded.
"I'm Wisper."
"One of Xheavend's familiars."
"End asked me to thank both of you."
It bowed dramatically.
"For protecting our Xheavend."
"Our?"
Wisper nodded.
"Our."
Then pointed one tiny claw at Xheavend.
"She keeps forgetting she's breakable."
"I do not."
"You literally coughed up a lung."
"I'll grow another."
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!"
Xheavend looked away.
"...Maybe a little."
Wisper groaned so dramatically it almost fell off Qaritas's shoulder.
Qaritas couldn't stop staring at the little creature.
"So..."
"You only appear when she coughs blood?"
Wisper nodded.
"No."
"I appear when End gets angry."
"Or when this idiot uses too much power."
"It makes her curse worse."
"I slept before we got kidnapped," Xheavend muttered.
Wisper didn't even look at her.
"Ignoring the defendant."
Qaritas frowned.
"...Who is End?"
Wisper became quiet.
Its huge crimson eyes lifted.
Somewhere beyond the stone ceiling.
Beyond the mountain.
Beyond the universe itself.
Its cheerful voice disappeared.
"He is the beginning..."
"...and the end of all things."
Silence.
Qaritas turned inward.
"Eon."
"Do you know who End is?"
A pause.
Longer than expected.
No.
"I have heard the name."
"I cannot remember where."
That bothered Eon.
Qaritas could feel it.
It is... familiar.
Very familiar.
But beyond that...
Nothing.
Qaritas frowned.
"Is End like you?"
"...Perhaps."
"...Or perhaps something older."
Neither possibility comforts me.
Before Qaritas could ask another question—
Wisper suddenly climbed onto his face.
Its enormous eyes filled his vision.
"You don't need to know who End is."
"You only need to know one thing."
Its voice lost every trace of humor.
"If either of you hurts our Xheavend..."
"...you'll answer to End."
"...and he is very protective."
The tunnel became strangely cold.
Then—
Wisper smiled again.
Tiny.
Adorable.
Completely unsettling.
"Well."
"My time's up."
"...Already?"
"Mhm."
It waved.
"Bye."
POP.
The little familiar exploded into blood.
Crimson droplets splashed across the tunnel walls.
Qaritas instinctively stepped back.
The blood hissed.
Stone began melting.
Not burning.
Melting.
The floor dissolved like wax beneath sunlight.
A perfectly circular hole opened beneath them.
The stone around its edges dripped downward into darkness.
Qaritas looked over the edge.
He couldn't see the bottom.
Only more white torchlight...
far below.
The opening was already beginning to heal.
Stone slowly flowed back together.
Closing.
Fast.
Eon spoke immediately.
Now.
Qaritas didn't hesitate.
He grabbed Xheavend around the waist.
"What—"
Then they jumped.
The tunnel vanished above them.
The melting floor sealed shut.
And the White Flame Path swallowed them whole.