Seris lay motionless beneath the trees.
Her breathing was shallow.
The wound where her tail had been was slowly closing.
Traveler watched without speaking.
Something was happening.
The scales covering Seris's lower body began to recede.
Her serpent form was changing.
The long tail slowly shortened.
Bones shifted beneath the skin.
The scales disappeared.
Then—
two human legs emerged where the serpent's tail had been.
Traveler stared.
The transformation continued.
Her skin became smooth.
Her wounds closed.
The remaining scales vanished from her body until only a few remained around her neck and shoulders.
Her breathing stabilized.
The tail was gone.
Completely.
Traveler looked at the ground where it had been.
Nothing remained.
Seris's body slowly became human again.
Traveler crouched beside her.
She was unconscious.
He waited.
A few seconds passed.
Then her fingers moved.
Her eyes opened.
She stared at the trees above her.
Confusion.
Then she tried to move.
Her body shifted.
She stopped.
Her eyes widened.
She looked downward.
Two legs.
Human legs.
She touched them.
Her fingers trembled.
She slowly moved one foot.
Then the other.
She stared.
For several seconds she said nothing.
Then tears began running down her face.
Traveler remained silent.
Seris touched her legs again.
Her breathing became uneven.
She laughed once through the tears—not from amusement, but from disbelief.
She had forgotten what it felt like to stand on two human legs.
Forgotten what it meant to walk like a human.
She pressed both hands against her face.
Tears continued falling.
"I..."
Her voice broke.
"I have them again."
Traveler watched her.
He didn't understand.
Seris slowly pushed herself upright.
She looked at her legs again.
Then she tried to stand.
Her knees shook.
She nearly fell.
Traveler caught her arm.
Seris froze.
She looked at his hand.
Then at his face.
Traveler released her.
"Can you stand?"
Seris nodded slowly.
She tried again.
This time she stood.
Barely.
She took one step.
Then another.
Her eyes filled with tears again.
She had spent so long trapped in a serpent body that she had stopped believing she would ever return to this form.
She looked at Traveler.
Something in her expression changed.
Not desire.
Not affection.
Reverence.
She lowered herself.
Traveler frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Seris looked up at him.
"You gave them back."
Traveler's expression remained confused.
"I didn't."
Seris shook her head.
"You cut away the serpent."
Traveler looked at her legs.
"I cut your tail."
"Exactly."
She stared at him.
"You restored what was taken from me."
Traveler didn't answer.
Seris slowly lowered her head.
"You must be a god."
Traveler's eyes narrowed.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Seris looked up.
"You are not human."
Traveler remained silent.
She studied him.
The strange eyes.
The unnatural strength.
The black wing.
The way his body had changed without warning.
The fact that she had been dying only moments earlier—
and now she was standing.
Everything pointed toward one conclusion in her mind.
A god.
But she didn't know the truth.
She didn't know the name Arafial.
She didn't know about the Abyss.
She didn't know that the being standing before her had once commanded gods to disappear.
She didn't know the creature hiding in the forest called him Lord.
She only knew what she had seen.
And what she had seen looked impossible.
Seris slowly stood straight.
"My name is Seris."
Traveler looked at her.
"I know."
She hesitated.
"You saved me."
"I didn't save you."
Seris frowned.
Traveler looked toward the forest.
"You attacked me."
Her expression fell slightly.
"I don't remember."
"You weren't yourself."
Seris looked down.
Her fingers touched the scales remaining around her neck.
A faint memory returned.
Hunger.
Instinct.
Blood.
The desire to kill.
She closed her eyes.
"I remember your wing."
Traveler looked at his right arm.
There was nothing there now.
Seris continued.
"It was black."
Traveler said nothing.
"It looked like darkness."
Still nothing.
Seris looked toward the forest.
Then back at him.
"What are you?"
Traveler's eyes remained cold.
"I don't know."
It was the truth.
At least—
the truth he remembered.
Seris stared at him.
She didn't believe him.
Before she could speak again—
a sound came from the forest.
Branches breaking.
Several voices.
Human voices.
Traveler turned.
Seris looked toward the trees.
Lanterns appeared between the trunks.
Then more.
Dozens.
Villagers.
They had followed the trail of destruction.
Weapons were in their hands.
Spears.
Axes.
Bows.
The village chief stepped forward.
His eyes immediately found Seris.
His face changed.
"Serpent woman."
The villagers raised their weapons.
Seris stepped backward.
Fear returned to her face.
The chief shouted.
"Kill it!"
Several villagers moved forward.
Traveler stepped between them.
The villagers stopped.
The chief stared at him.
"Move."
Traveler didn't.
The chief pointed his weapon toward Seris.
"That thing killed our people."
Seris lowered her eyes.
She didn't defend herself.
She knew what they believed.
The chief's voice became harder.
"Traveler, move away."
Traveler looked at him.
"No."
The villagers tightened their grip on their weapons.
The forest became silent.
The chief stared at Traveler.
"You don't understand what she is."
Traveler glanced toward Seris.
Then back at the villagers.
"I understand enough."
A villager raised a bow.
Traveler's eyes hardened.
The arrow was released.
Traveler moved.
He caught it.
The entire group froze.
He slowly lowered the arrow.
"Don't."
One word.
The villagers didn't move.
Behind Traveler, Seris stared at him.
She still believed he was some kind of god.
But she was wrong.
He wasn't a god she knew.
He wasn't a human she understood.
And somewhere deep beneath his collarbone—
the Abyssal Mark remained silent.
Waiting.