My nose hurts… Something’s burning… I don't want to open my eyes… What's that smell? Who was that woman? Is there a fire? She said my name.

  I sit up. Moonlight beams off the patio. A gentle breeze tangles in the curtains. Smell rolling in… My eyes water. What is that?

  I rush onto the patio and scan the sleeping town. No fire. Everything’s quiet. Maybe I'm still dreaming. If that was a dream… Those red eyes… Was that really my mother?

  “I'm your only friend… You belong to me…”

  Her voice carved through me. Hair spilling—blood red. White teeth trapped behind an unsettling smile.

  Something's burning… The air is rotten… Like sulfur... What died out there? My hands and feet buzz. Half-buttoned checkered flannel. Tightly laced brown boots. Boxers swaying at my knees.

  The streets feel endless. Where is it coming from? I should turn here… I collide with a man. Two purple eyes. Minty scent. He peers down at me. Is he hurt?

  I have to focus! I blurt an apology and sprint towards the outskirts. Shadows wave between trees. Is it safe? Dead leaves crinkle beneath me. Skeletal branches. Bones… Dozens of animal bones…

  *CRACK*

  My eyes chase the sound. What's out there? Is it watching me? Mud sloshes as I step forward. Tire tracks? Light flickers through the trees. An upside-down car! I slide through the mud and cover my nose. The smell is coming from inside.

  Shattered windows. Two rancid black corpses. I gag and turn away. What did this? Is it still here? Maybe I should go back.

  Energies manifest. Perched on branches. Lingering beside the car. Peeking over my shoulder. They whisper… What are they saying? Turn back? Go forward?

  A wail pierces the air. My hair rises. Is that an infant? Could be something else… Distorted murmurs grow louder. I hush them. Energy clings to me. We listen. It's coming from further ahead.

  Drizzling? This isn't rain, is it? It's too dry. Feels like ash. My shoulder brushes bark and it crumbles. What is this power?

  My feet carry me forward. A drop off. Red light pulsing below. I slide down the hill. Energy disperses.

  A tree. Luminous, crimson bark. Ebony veins throb inside it.

  "Come hither…"

  Did that tree just speak? No… There's something inside. What is that?

  Whispers fill the silence. "Sunken and empty, the buttress of death awaits the cherub of life.”

  Buttress? The energies watch from above. Hollow eyes peering down. “Sent by the diva of penumbrae, abandoned—left to rot.”

  The diva? Are they warning me? What's inside this tree?

  “An unspoken name evokes the truth, waiting—scheming—for the cherub to proclaim it out of spite."

  I step forward. Thudding in my ears. A child skips by, cackling with excitement. I jump. Where did they go? Someone walks up a tree. Another is sobbing, rocking themselves and muttering. These feel like pieces of a memory. Whose?

  Heat escapes the tree. Warm like a body. Is blood pulsing through its veins? My fingertips graze the bark. It opens. An infant! It hovers towards me. My... My arms are drawn to it. I can't stop... It's cold.

  This must be what's killing the forest. Where did it come from? Were those people its parents? It's so... small. And frail. Dark skin. How can something so puny hold this much power?

  My arms! I drop to my knees and puke. It burns! My chest... I have to set it down. Why am I drawn to it? Such an innocent face. It doesn't appear to be injured, but it's not alive. Was it miscarried?

  *click*

  I whip around. ”Who’s there?" Is someone standing there? I rub my eyes. Just a shadow.

  This creature. It's not a regular Noble and it can't be left out here. Someone will get hurt. The forest won't survive. I could turn it into a statue. Maybe an enchantment or two will contain its power.

  I drag the corpses from the car and set the infant in their arms. It feels right to give them a moment of silence.

  Twirling on his toes,

  Where did my inner child go?

  Does nobody know?

  Why a tree? This creature wiped out a good bit of the forest. Did they try to seal it inside? Whatever...

  The wind howls and I stretch my arms toward the sky. Leaves swirl, then burst into green flames. I summon the door. It percolates into reality. I pound on its metallic armature. Rust-covered vines plump with ragged thorns extend toward my chest. It requires blood. I bare my skin. It scrapes. Sipping at my wound, then... A hand grabs my flannel and yanks me to the ground.

  I collapse onto a bed of colorless grass and transparent flowers. What is this? I jump to my feet. An island? No one else is here. I walk to the edge and lean. No bottom. What happens if I jump? I turn back and face the island. There is a flower at the center... Orange and red. I move closer. The petals glow. A tiny light sings to me, then the island harmonizes with it. Each flower weeps red and orange. The blank blades of grass ooze green.

  This feels like a dream... My eyes shut and I envision the forest blooming. Red, green, and orange hues kindling from its core.

  I open my eyes and I'm kneeling in front of the corpses. The flora has returned to the forest. I see the skeletal remains of a serpent. I pluck petals off a flower and place them on the serpent's bones. They melt into tiny brown scales. I pull off more petals, covering the serpent, then they form into a body. The serpent coils, exhaling, and my pulse hammers beneath my skin.

  An iron thorn gashes my wrist, drenching the serpent in blood. Its body unravels into crimson strands of hair. I jump back. Another gash. Blood splashes over the flowers. Trees whine. I choke on my scream.

  Animals emerge—coalescing in grotesque, twitching clusters. Their forms writhe in agony. I cover my eyes. No! This isn't what I want! This isn't how it's supposed to be!

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Pain snaps through my ankle. The ground tilts. Door gone. Animals gather. Bodies normal. Was the island ever real? My focus is drawn back to the husks. I wonder if my parents cradled me...loved me.

  My heart... Chin drips with tears. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Maybe I could... No... It's too risky... But I could try.

  I liquefy the remains of the rotten corpses, then encase the child in bright green sludge. I'll make an amulet. To grow with age and stop once it reaches its prime. I seal it. Guess I have to... A small mark carves itself on top of the infants right hand. Another on my hand. This should suppress its power.

  I carry it home, then set it on a pillow and sit beside it.

  My plants whisper...

  "What is he doing?”

  “Who is this child?”

  “Can you feel the power?”

  “Too great!”

  “What a fool.”

  “Can’t bring it back—shouldn’t!”

  I put my hand over its small chest. It’s resisting... I lean down and press my lips to its head. A sharp wail crackles within the walls. I move over its face to inhale the death from its body. The plants become restless and shriek. It burns! I touch my throat and cough.

  The door! I hold my breath. My plants stop whispering. It opens... Huh? I stare at the infant. That all? I press my ear to its chest.........thud....thud....thud...thud...thud, thud, thud...

  The infant jumps. I lurch back. Head twists. Arms and legs flail. Dark energy fills the air. I cough up black blood. Am I infected? Is it... Can I control it?

  A vision... Skin melting, dripping off of a body, more skin grows in its place.

  What is this?

  The melted flesh circles around this monstrosity of a creature. It burrows itself inside, wheezing and moaning in pain.

  This place is strange.

  Plain tan walls, boring wooden floor, and there’s a large window. Outside is a field of flowers and grass.

  Where is this?

  I step closer to the fleshy nest, peeking in on the creature. It—it looks like...me.

  Wha—

  A knock at the door...“Dad?”

  That’s a child’s voice. Could this be our future?

  The handle twists and jangles, but the door is bolted shut.

  The creature—I...speak. "Don’t come in! I’m not feeling well. You could get sick!”

  Sick? Am I diseased? What if this power overtakes mine?

  No...no!

  I swat the horror from my eyes and scoot into a wall.

  What could this mean? Am I going to be consumed by this power? I bound our souls together. Stupid! My head is spinning.

  A black cloud forms around the infant. Eating away at the plants, the pillows, the floor, and the ceiling. It’ll swallow the whole world if I don’t deal with it now.

  I crawl to it. Can't breathe. Reach for its chest. I'm burning! I push my palm onto its chest. Lightning wraps around my arm. Blisters. lesions.

  My tears run black. It's going to kill me! A glowing green tether crackles between us. The marks on our hands shimmer. Sweltering through my veins. Extra fingers, toes and eyes grow on my arm. What the hell is this?

  The cloud breaks and the crying stops. It's asleep... I run to the kitchen, grab a large jar and a sharp knife. I slice my arm open. My blood is black. Jerking around as it drains into the jar. I fill the jar halfway and seal it.

  My blood thrashes around. I hold the jar steady and whisper an enchantment. Cheek hits the floor. Ears ringing. Am I going to die?

  Can I...?

  The eyes on my arm close. The fingers and toes fall off. The self-inflicted wound heals.

  ...what have I done?

  I heave myself up. Cleanse this space. Add new enchantments. Safeguard the town from destruction. Purify my body.

  A ball of light floats from my chest, threading around me, and the disease dissolves... What? Something's wrong! There's a spot... Why won't it...? The tether! Should I break it? The cloud might consume everyone in town. Maybe I'll have to endure it until I find an alternative.

  I hide the jar of blood. I'll need to run some experiments later. The infant is sleeping. The power inside it is... I have to teach it control once it’s old enough. I carry it to my room and settle next to it in bed.

  So much trouble for a tiny creature. Black curls. Thin too. What do infants eat? I'll have to ask Theresa tomorrow. Does it need to eat? Maybe it feeds on energy. With our connection, it'll never go hungry. What'll that cost me?

  My eyes are tired... I shouldn't sleep too long... What if it wakes up? Will something bad happen?

  ...zzzzZZZZzzzz...

  Someone knocks at the door. I roll over. “Melody!”

  She changed her hair again. Hot pink with blue highlights. And a few new scars. Dried blood paints her from head to toe. She has some wounds, but I’m sure she’ll heal...unless the curse I smell on her is too much for her to handle.

  I stand up to hug her. She raises a hand. "Wait! Let me get this blood off first."

  I sigh and brush a crusty scab on her cheek. ”Glad to know you’re okay." I sit on my bed and look at the infant.

  She crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe. "So...a new dish?"

  (( New toy? ))

  I tilt my head. "Suppose I’ll need more dish soap to get the muck off."

  (( Very dangerous, I'll need help taking care of it. ))

  She purses her lips. "And, what about the other dishes? They need cleaning, too?"

  (( Was anyone else with it? Are they dangerous? ))

  I graze the amulet. "The other dishes were already in the sink when I came home. I need to let this one soak a little while. It’s—very important to me. Also expensive and hard to come by."

  (( The others were dead when I found it. It'll need a lot of guidance and nurturing. It isn’t a regular Noble. ))

  She grunts. "Be careful when handling that one then, I’d hate for you to lose something so valuable to you. Anyways, I came by because I am on vacation from work and wanted to spend time with you. (I need a place to hide, I’m being hunted.) Guest room still open?"

  I nod. "Did you know I had a dish like this one here?"

  (( Did you sense his presence? ))

  She shrugs. "I had a feeling you were keeping valuables hidden somewhere. Guess you can’t hide it anymore now, huh?"

  (( I sensed him the moment I got into town. You’re going to need to work on your enchantments. You seem out of practice! ))

  She turns to leave, but stops and clutches the doorknob. Her breathing quickens. ”Sorry, Z. I couldn’t stop you."

  I furrow my brow. ”Mel?"

  She shudders and smiles at me. ”Oh, sorry! It’s nothing."

  I gulp. "Mel, is everything okay?"

  Melody sighs, eyes flicking to the plants on my desk. ”Such beautiful plants.” Her smile drops. ”Please... Try and take care of them."

  I’m not sure what she saw, but it might be related to my vision. Maybe the infant’s power overtakes me somehow. If I don’t figure out how to heal my soul, then...

  It might be worth consulting Rorno Auctus about. She’d tell me to kill the infant, but she’d also suspect that its power would live on. That’d give her a new mission: seal the infant in a crystal prison. Maybe that's what I should have done. There's still time...