Heyt let out an exasperated sigh as she placed a mushroom into a basket. She turned to leave but ended up face to face-with a figure, causing her to jolt in fear and drop the basket she was holding.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry, I apologize… I didn't mean to scare you."
She let out a sigh before looking up at Trippier.
"It's you," she said, her chest still dancing up and down.
Trippier curbed to help put the mushroom back into the basket. They stayed in silence as they arranged the mushrooms until the he spoke.
"You know, we've met before, at the palace," he stated.
Heyt raised her brows. "Hmm?"
"At the Herimolian palace, we've met."
She furrowed. "Didn't you say you worked at the Royal farm? I wasn't allowed out of the inner palace that time."
Trippier smiled. "We met inside the inner palace," he revealed. "I went to see my father that evening and we bumped into each other, you ended up helping me a lot."
Heyt ran her hand through her hair. She thought hard and long but couldn't quite recall a moment like that.
"You must have a good memory, I barely recall anything of those, plus I'm trying to blur the image of what Hex did to my home," her expression turned dark and grim.
To many, if not all, the name Hex, is but pain and suffering indulging word.
"You don't have to watch from the sideline."
Heyt looked at him again, this time, her brows arched up. "What?"
"I heard your conversation with the Monk earlier and I can assure you that you don't have to watch the battle from the sideline," he revealed. "There's a way you could unlock the full potential of your abilities and join the fight against Hex as well, get revenge for what he did to your home."
Tempting, more even.
It was what she want, what she's prayed to the gods for. She has the act, a powerful one even, but lacks the skills to use it, hence why she doesn't engage much in battle.
The moment before her, it was like the gods answering her prayers. A chance to fight alongside her friend against the evil that has hunted her nights.
"How?"
Trippier looked around the place before speaking again. "It is dangerous as it uses Chaos energy. We'll have to do it away from the village to avoid any damage, but I promise you that after it is done, you'll fully be able to use your abilities; the skills and knowledge of how."
"Let's do it, let's do it now."
Why waste time? She thought to herself. Anything and everything could prevent it from happening, and she can't take that chances.
Trippier put his hands up to stop her. "I know you are eager to do it but we should wait for the right time," he said. "Meet me tonight in this woods once the moon is at its peak," he added before walking away.
Heyt looked at her palm and then clenched her fist. "Now it's my turn too, just you watch, Grevla."
.
.
.
Eryth opened his eyes to a soft feeling rubbing his chest and a comfortable surface below his head. He blinked as his eyes tried to adapt to the lighting but couldn't capture anything further than twenty feet. The soft feeling rubbing over his chest suddenly stopped. Eryth sat up straight to see a familiar face looking back at him with a smile.
"Rapulnu?"
"You're awake."
"Where am I?"
The goddess tucked a stray hair and hummed. "Let's see… let's just say we are in an endless void."
Eryth groaned as he dragged himself to stand.
He looked around but all his surroundings was all white, it was as though there was nothing after what was in front of him. His eyes finally rest on Rapulnu's body. "Don't you ever put clothes on?" He asked.
"Why hide such a beautiful body?" She said cupping her breast with her hands.
"Because… never mind." He turned and started walking in a random direction but as he turned around, he found himself still in the same position he was in before he started walking.
"What the hell is happening? Why can't I get out of here?"
Rapulnu sighed and stood up on her feet. "Like I've said, it's an endless void. We are currently in your head."
Eryth furrowed. "For fuck sake, stop speaking in riddles and just spill it already."
The goddess of the dead and ghost rolled her eyes. "It's all the pain that comes with breaking one's hourglass," she revealed, but it only made Eryth looked even more confused.
Rapulnu noticed the look on Eryth's face and a smile crawled up her lips. "Oh my, didn't the one you'll be serving soon tell you about it?"
"About what?"
"Breaking one's Hourglass will give you as much time as you want, but on the downside, you'll also have to go through an excruciating pain, only if you survive the pain will you be well on."
Rapulnu stood up and paced to where Eryth was. She moved to stand behind him before wrapping her hands around his neck. "You would have been dead now, but I extracted your mind from your body and brought you here… unlike the master you chose to serve, I actually care about you."
"Err… thank you," he said before pulling away from her grip. "How do I get out of this?"
"It's simple, I could simply undo the act, but that'll kill you because the pain is still there. But if I flood your mind with different moments, painless moments, that could cloud and drown the previous ones you felt."
"And would you do it?"
The goddess of the Undead smiled. "Eryth my dear, you are my second favourite person, I'd do anything for you… anything."
Eryth narrowed his eyes. "Anything? Even—" but he let his words trail off.
"Anything dear."
"I'll hold you on that then, when I'm ready, you better not go back in your words."
She crosses the shin of her leg behind the calf of her other leg and briefly bent her knees, courtesying. "I won't."
"So how does this work? Do you need to perform your act or something?"
Rapulnu walked up to Eryth and wrapped her hands around his neck. "This way is better," she muttered softly before closing the distance between them, kissing him deeply.
Eryth allowed himself to sink in her touch, wrapping his hands around her waist, but the moment he started to get into the kiss, he lost consciousness, and when he came back, he was standing on a mountain with Rapulnu next to him. All around him was the effect of a fierce battle that still carried on in a distance.
There were bodies, weapons, and fire burning around and the ground opened with cracks. The sky was red as though it was burning in itself.
"Where are we?" Eryth questioned.
"The beginning, this is where it all started for me and every being in the Hecahiyk."
….
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