For three days, Keshiema cautiously picked her way through the city towards Castle District. The five-mile journey could have been made in a couple of hours at a normal pace, if not for the traps riddled throughout the streets and rooftops. And unlike the clean air surrounding the Academy, the city reeked of waste and rotting flesh, burning her lungs when she overexerted herself. In peak condition, she could have made it to the City Center in under a day, even with the putrid air. But between the panic attack, repeatedly healing Cresil, and rationing her food, she was spent. Not only that, but the guards patrolling the streets, alleyways, and rooftops made navigating the city difficult.

  Graffiti marked every building near the center of each district, marking the Ring of Poverty - or Poverty Circle, depending on who was asked. Here, the traps were both the densest and deadliest. Every clatter or creak, every far-off footstep, every possible sign of life, had Keshiema's heart racing in fright, and her soul jumping out of her skin. Hushed voices murmured in the shadows, full of disgust, fear, and jealousy.

  Hiding from the guards was hard enough, but the human inhabitants of the city always kept a watchful eye. Most were too fearful to act, but occasionally, one would break just enough to lose all sense of self-preservation. Those were the most dangerous of all. They had nothing to lose and an axe to grind. Her shoulder ached fiercely. She massaged her solitary physical scar in a vain attempt to relieve the psychosomatic pain. She quietly kept to the shadows, careful to avoid detection. Reaching the edge of Poverty Circle, Keshiema breathed easier.

  Leaving the Ring of Poverty, however, meant she now had to enter the City Center. From the top of a large hill next to a water tower - reminiscent of a giant cigarette - she could easily see Adramelech's castle. An effluvial vapor emanated from it, in thick turquoise tendrils that evaporated as they rose. The putrid stench of the toxic essence permeated the air, growing more pungent and oppressive towards the castle. She recognized it as Adramelech's aura.

  An overbearing silence filled the air. The only forms of life within the confines of Castle District were demons, demonic beasts, and prisoners. No human could withstand his poisonous aura for long - not by choice - though it had little effect on anything of demonic blood.

  Rumor had it that both the castle and the large cliff it rested upon were stolen from elsewhere in the world just after he had the nearby dam destroyed to flood the original city. Looking at it now, closer than she had ever been before, it did look disturbingly out of place. But then, everything in the jumbled city looked wrong.

  Three high-risers stood tall around the palace, like guardians watching over. The Ministry of Information, The Department of Royal Security, and The Financial Administration. No one outside of the agencies knew which building was which. Nergal's idea, she was sure. Being so close to the castle unnerved her, but Ipos was in one of those buildings, so despite the knots in her stomach, she continued into the City Center.

  Sneaking into the district proved difficult, but not impossible. With more patience than she knew she was capable of, she waited in the shadows, behind dumpsters, and on barely hidden awnings for each guard to pass her. Each guard followed his assigned route, leaving a scarcity of blind spots. She carved her way through The City Center as water carves a canyon, slowly, meticulously, cutting through the paths of least resistance. Each set of approaching footsteps had her breath catching, only to release when they faded away.

  She worked her way towards Castle District, but made sure to stay outside of its clear boundary - marked by the blood red outer ring of Adramelech's Sigil. When she was within a workable distance between two of the three towers, she tucked herself into a small crevice between an old Chinese restaurant and a large shipping container. Closing her eyes, she focused on the nearest guard. After finding his aura, she infiltrated his mind. Following the threads of thought as Ayperos had taught her, she looked for anything to help her find Ipos. Hoping to bring forth a latent memory, she sent the thought of Nergal's aura into the guard’s mind. He remembered a time when he saw Nergal at a royal assembly. Nothing recent came to his mind.

  For hours, she circled Castle District, crouching in the shadows deep within dark alleyways, reading every guard she could find, fighting fatigue and a building migraine. Taking a deep breath, Keshiema carefully broke another connection. Rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes, she searched the area for a guard she had yet to read. Frustration seeped in when she realized she was out of nearby options. With the sun setting, she decided to find a safe place to eat and rest, settling on an old chapel a few blocks from Castle District. Hidden within the chapel's dark rafters, she took out the small amount of rations she had left. When she left Shadow Lake, she had taken three days of rations. Luckily, the creeks running through the city made keeping her canteen full as simple as stopping for a few seconds.

  She nibbled on her last ration bar, her stomach grumbling, begging for more as she tucked it away after a few small bites. Filling up on water, she rested her back against a large supporting beam and closed her eyes. The hunger made sleeping difficult. Not to mention she had not slept in a real bed in weeks, leaving her body sore and stiff. Eventually, she drifted into a light slumber. The aura of malice radiating from the castle kept her body alert at all times. Within the City Center, she never needed to worry that her Friskalian abilities would prevent her from waking.

  ***

  Dark silhouettes encroached upon the twinkling moonless sky, trees reaching high in hopes to capture the first rays of morning sun. A familiar presence lurked deep within the night-covered forest. Keshiema struggled to see, straining her eyes while they slowly acclimated to the darkness. As her vision adjusted, she found herself at her childhood home. The window to her bedroom remained open, as it did every night. There was a reason for that. She struggled to remember why.

  The presence grew stronger. A small figure pulled open the hinged screen and nimbly climbed through the window. Curious, she followed the creature through the window; the scene before her took a moment to process. A young Dream-Walker sat on her bed with his wings wrapped around himself. A small child lay curled up in his lap, barely visible. Anger radiated from his eyes as he watched the door. "No...no, no, no," She mumbled, knowing what came next.

  A thick black mist seeped in through the crack under the door, flooding the small bedroom. The malicious aura filled her with a gut wrenching panic, but try as she might, she could not close her eyes. Her sisters woke up screaming in pain as it melted away their skin; their hair falling out in clumps, their teeth dropping to the floor, blood seeping from their eyes.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Managing to squeeze her eyes shut, she wished herself away, begging, praying to be released from the haunting memory, made all the more excruciating from the outside. The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like minutes, stretched by the agonizing screams of an entire family being murdered in their own home. "No, please no...." She plugged her ears, but nothing could drown out the wretched cries of the dying.

  When the ear-piercing shrieks finally came to an end, she slowly eased open her eyes to find herself in a dark dungeon, lined with translucent, polished gemstones of yellow, orange, and red. Something sat slumped in the center of the room. Stepping closer, she tried to identify the creature. "Damien!” she rushed to his side and shook him, trying her best to rouse him. “Damien, wake up!”

  Damien sluggishly opened his eyes. His tired gaze landed on her face. He tensed. “Get out of here.” Exhaustion slurred his words, his once smooth voice raspy from dehydration and screaming. Scars marred his wrists and ankles, remnants of the spiritual chains that shattered upon Nergal's death.

  “I’ve been looking for you, do you know where you are? Even a general location.” Desperation bled from her, the words crackling from her fear of failing him.

  “Go away!” Agitation put an edge on his groggy voice.

  “Please, Damien. Which building is it?" She pleaded, her chest aching. She gripped his arm, tugging at him, trying to bring him to his senses. "Just tell me anything to help me find you!" Tears welled in her eyes.

  “You’re not real…” He covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly, repeating the words over and over. “You’re not real... You’re not real.”

  “Damien… please…” A small glow peeked through the bottom of one of the walls. She closed her eyes as the world around her started to go gray. Leaning in, she placed her hand over Ipos's and removed it from his ear. “I’ll be back for you soon. In the waking world this time. I promise I’ll do everything I can to get you out of here. so just hold on a bit longer...”

  “You’re not real…you’re not real…you’re not real…”

  ***

  After wiping the tears from her eyes, she fished the ration bar from her pocket. Her stomach churned from the raw emotion. She huffed, shoving the bar back in her pocket without even unwrapping it. Closing her eyes, she grounded herself and searched her mind for Dásos's aura. When she found the deep green mist, she relaxed. “Dásos, are you able to talk to me yet?” She waited a moment for a response. “I guess not." She paused, feeling a bit awkward. "I’m running out of ideas here. I could really use a fresh mind on this. The elders are probably furious with me for taking off. Could you apologize to Merihim and Ayperos for me? I hope they're doing better. Though I guess Merihim was well enough to travel," she rambled. "I’ve been trying to establish a connection with Ayperos to send him some of my aura. I thought I could at least find him through Ethera... but I don't have much control there lately... I don’t even know if it’s possible... or needed.... If I could just find Ipos, then I could come home and heal all three of you properly.” A deep pain rose in her heart. "Though I guess it's already been over a week, right? I’d better resume my search. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Opening her eyes, she stood up. After carefully scouring the room beneath her, she jumped from the rafters, landing nimbly on her feet. She had no time to waste. A prison built of sunstones could drain him in no time. As she made her way back to the City Center, an idea struck her. Nergal may not have shown his true aura very often. All of the memories she pulled from the guards had been decades old at least. 'But Damien’s aura hasn’t changed. I bet if I use that, someone will remember something.'

  The sense of urgency that had consumed her since the moment Ayperos confirmed Ipos's imprisonment weighed down on her. When she found a guard to test her theory, she did not hesitate. When she sent a memory of Ipos's aura into the guard's mind, recent recollections quickly surfaced. The guard sensed the aura dissipating in the Southwest every morning as the sun rose. He knew the aura to be Ipos or Ayperos, so thought nothing of it. If anyone belonged in Castle District, it was royalty.

  With a refreshed sense of hope, Keshiema circled around the outside of Castle District once more, testing other guards, many of whom had similar experiences with Ipos's aura. By early afternoon, she still had yet to narrow down the exact building. The most desperate part of her desired to raid the closet tower, swords swinging. However, even at full strength, she would be overwhelmed instantly. Aside from the castle, the towers were the most heavily guarded facilities within the city. She clutched the hilt of her left sword, still tempted to try, but a suicide mission would do nothing to save Ipos.

  Knowing Ipos was a descendant of the Moon Gods, she could see why his powers would dissipate in the morning. 'I need to wait for the change of guard. Maybe the evening watchmen will have a better idea.'

  Abandoning her search for the moment, she opted to spend the rest of the day recovering inside the old chapel. If her vision from the night before had been correct, he was in rough shape. She needed to be at full strength to save him.

  ***

  Dásos sat in the history section of the library, tucked away in the far corner, balancing precariously on two legs in the same seat Keshiema always used, eyes closed, listening to the symphony of information his trees constantly relayed. This was where he had first met her. Where she had threatened him with her sword to his throat. Where she gave him her blood in exchange for a small piece of useless knowledge. Where their lips softly touched in an electrifying exchange of power. Returning the old wooden chair to all four legs, he concentrated on Keshiema's presence in his mind. With his strength returning, he found the task slightly easier. However, although he could now see her clearly and fully tap into her emotions, he still found himself unable to communicate with her. Messaging the bridge of his nose, he let out a deep growl.

  “That bad?” Merihim asked, leaning against the stone archway. “I take it you still haven’t made contact?” His soft voice carried well in the peaceful library.

  Dásos's green eyes retained a radiant glow as he opened them, but it faded quickly. He wanted to be angry with Merihim for failing to bring Keshiema back, but he understood. Uvall warned him not to interfere if she ran. “No," He clasped his hands together over the desk, keeping himself in check. "But I know she's still keeping close to the City Center.”

  “Is she at least being careful, staying away from Castle District? The last thing we need is for her to get captured.” Merihim began to pace, more worried about her safety than the prophecy. He rather liked the kid, even if she was as hot-headed as a fire-daemon. He knew she would make a great warrior one day, but right now her skills were still too unrefined to be wandering City Center alone.

  “She is following her training well and staying within the shadows." Dásos desperately desired to teleport to her, to protect her from the threats she faced, not only in the city but from the possibly unstable Dream-Walker. As he was, though, he would be too weak after teleporting that far to do her any good. He missed his power almost as much as he missed her. "Is there a plan yet to send her aid?"

  "Ayperos is readying to leave. He should be there by sunset and his connection to Ipos may help narrow the search."

  "Is he well enough? Keshiema's aura blast was remarkably similar to-"

  "I know." Merihim cut him off. "But he's fine. Faring better than you are, at least. Though he will need to be extra cautious of sunstone for a while." Merihim turned to leave, "If you have any news, I'll be at Saint Lucifer's."