Mystic Heart Odyssey

Part 6: In the Shadows of Kryckwood

Chapter 11

How did it take this long for Kryckwood to give one of these two a nightmare? ...well, besides the waking nightmare that was the Wraith’s territory, that is.

-Llox

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Lykou blinked a few times as he opened his eyes, then slowly sat up and looked around with a confused expression. He could barely remember falling asleep, and certainly didn’t remember doing so in the middle of the woods. Then again, his memory overall was hazy. The forest looked normal- familiar, even, with its tall evergreen trees, patchy underbrush, and the steep mountains that surrounded a good chunk of it. But something was off, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

After taking a few moments to try and spur his memory, he eventually gave up and got to his feet. Something was missing. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt a strong urge to begin looking for it. So he set off through the woods, uncomfortable at the fact that he seemed to be alone, with nothing but the clothes he was wearing. Despite the forest’s healthy appearance, he didn’t spot a single squirrel, bird, or chipmunk anywhere.

After walking a short way, he suddenly caught sight of a figure in the distance. They seemed to be looking around for something, just like he was, though they were facing away from him. Initially, he was tempted to call out to them; but he realized that doing so without knowing who they were could be risky. So instead he started cautiously approaching as quietly and stealthily as he could. Suddenly, the figure cupped their hands to their mouth and called out in a familiar voice that cut straight to Lykou’s core.

“Lykou!! Where are you?!”

Naira. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. And his memories were starting to trickle back. It’d been a couple months since he was involuntarily separated from her and everyone else back in Lakefire. With tears of joy and a huge grin, he burst into a run. “NAIRA!”

She turned around, startled. But when she saw Lykou, she similarly became overwhelmed with joy and started running to meet him. “KOU! You’re back!”

As they were nearing one another, she jumped up to tackle him into a tight embrace. But just as he was preparing to happily catch her, she suddenly vanished, leaving him very confused and distraught. He looked around frantically, bewildered by the turn of events. “N… Nai?!”

“I just wish we knew where he went, Ylva,” another familiar, more masculine voice said some distance behind him. “I never thought he’d just… disappear.”

“I just want to know that he’s alright,” a more feminine voice said, then sniffed.

“I’m sure he is. He’s a strong and clever boy. He’ll… he’ll make his way back somehow.”

“MOM, DAD!” Lykou called out as he turned and bolted towards them. “I’m right here!”

Again, just as he was approaching them, they vanished into thin air, leaving behind a faint, chilly breeze and no trace of their presence.

He trembled slightly as he slowed to a stop, looking around and trying to make sense of things. “What the fuck…”

“Kou?” another voice said. “Is… is that you?”

He spun around to see Oren standing a few yards away, looking both surprised and relieved- albeit, in his usual fashion, more subdued than one might normally expect.

“Oren!” Lykou said, beaming once again as he rushed over to hug him. “Don’t you disappear too, dammit!”

This time, they managed to make contact, with the other konuul happily returning the embrace. Oren was always more mellow than most, but even he couldn’t refrain from shedding a couple happy tears. “Fuck, Kou, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Likewise!” Lykou replied, practically lifting him off the ground in a tight embrace. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Probably out looking for you, I imagine,” Oren said as they loosened the embrace a bit. “You’ve been gone for ages, man! Where’ve you been?”

“It’s a long story, believe me,” Lykou said, then frowned and looked around. “And unfortunately I don’t think it’s over. Something weird is happening, people keep-” He froze when he suddenly realized there was no longer a presence next to him. He whipped his head around and realized his friend had vanished just like the others. “Oren..?? Oren!”

There was no response. Lykou clutched his head, stumbling forward as he tried to make sense of things. “W-what’s the… a-am I losing it??” Just as he was reaching to brace himself against a nearby tree, a large, muscular pair of arms wrapped around him from behind and hoisted him up into the mother-of-all bear hugs.

“KOO-KOO!” Nezha’s voice blurted out right behind him as he fought for air. “Where the FUCK have you been?!”

He’d hated the childhood nickname since before he even entered his teens, and always protested when it was used. Any other time, he’d have been indignant. But under the circumstances, it was music to his ears. When she loosened her grip slightly, he squirmed and managed to turn himself around and return the hug with tears in his eyes. “NEZHA! Please don’t disappear!”

“Not a FUCKING chance!” she cheerfully replied with a huge grin. She then narrowed her eyes. “Just tell me who I need to eviscerate for taking you from us.”

“Well-”

Suddenly a massive, shadowy claw clamped down on her head, causing her to let go and begin trying to fight it off as it dragged her backwards into the forest. Far from afraid, she immediately pulled a large, serrated knife from its sheath and began frantically stabbing at it as she shouted muffled obscenities that’d make an ursaran’s ears bleed.

“What the fuck?!” Lykou blurted out, then scowled and charged to try and help her. But before he could reach it, she and the claw both faded into thin air. “DAMMIT! Fuck off, whatever you are!”

“Poor, poor Lykou,” a strangely distorted voice booomed from all directions at once. “So close, yet so far~”

“GIVE THEM BACK!” Lykou angrily snarled as he again searched the forest around him, looking for the source of the voice. “Bring them back now!”

“You think that’s what awaits you?” the voice taunted. “A happy reunion?? Oh you little fool… stop kidding yourself.”

The woods started to darken, although there were no noticeable clouds overhead. The sun simply vanished and the sky gradually turned black, without any sign of stars. Everything started to take on shades of grey. Lykou’s anger slowly faded to fear and confusion as he started making his way through the forest again. Suddenly, he spotted another familiar-looking figure up ahead. It took a moment for his memory to catch up with him, but then his eyes widened and he started running as fast as he could. “KU! Kuna, look out! There’s-”

The sereva spun around upon hearing his voice. His eyes were wide and fearful, and slightly teary, but upon seeing the konuul, a look of relief briefly flashed over his face. “Kou! There you are!” he called out, then started running to meet the canid. “We have to get out of here!”

“I know! There’s some kind of-”

Just as they were reaching out for one another, the ground seemed to swallow the sereva up. Lykou immediately fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes as he frantically tore at the ground after him. “NO! Ku! Come back!” he cried out angrily as he swiped the leaves and debris on the ground away, then started clawing at the dirt underneath. Eventually, he stopped and brought his hands to his face. “Give him back, dammit… give them all back… s… stop doing this… please…!”

“Of course, these are obviously too… optimistic,” the voice taunted. “How about something a bit more… realistic?”

Suddenly, a ghostly vision of his parents and sister appeared again, albeit clearly translucent. His parents were embracing each other, while Nezha lit a small funerary pyre with a torch. Some familiar clothing and a blanket were carefully laid out on top. She then stepped back and stood in place with her head bowed, unusually somber.

Their parents sobbed in one another’s arms.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” his mother said.

“None of us can. I thought for sure he’d come back,” his father replied, then sniffed.

“I’m right here!” Lykou cried out in a mixture of frustration and misery. “I’m alive! I’m coming back! I’m trying to get home as fast as I can!”

The vision faded, and another one took its place. Two individuals, facing away from him as they sat by a small campfire. Oren had his arm wrapped around a distraught Naira.

“I just don’t understand,” Naira said sorrowfully, then sniffed.

Lykou got up and ran over to them. Unfortunately, he found them as intangible as they appeared, and went straight through them. On the bright side, the ghostly fire on the other side was similarly immaterial, so he didn’t get burned when he stumbled right into it. He turned to see a mixed look of anger and sorrow on Naira’s face, while Oren gently held and consoled her.

“It’s… definitely a bitter surprise,” Oren replied.

“I thought he was our best friend!” Naira continued. “I can’t believe he’d just… run off and abandon us!”

The words stabbed Lykou in the heart. “N… NO! I didn’t! Nai, I’d never-!”

“Neither did I,” Oren said, then sighed. “I guess the call for adventure was just stronger than we thought.”

Lykou fell to his knees again as the vision faded, sobbing. “I didn’t abandon them, dammit! Why would they think that?!”

Yet another vision appeared when he eventually looked up again, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Leisven was leaning against a tree, rubbing his chin and doing his best to look thoughtful and serious. Chief Ryvis was standing adjacent to him with his arms crossed, shaking his head sadly.

“This figures,” Leis said, lowering his hand to cross his arms as well. “He never could commit to settling down with a real job.”

“I knew he had some wanderlust, but I never figured he’d just up and abandon his life here,” Ryvis said sadly. “Always thought he was a good kid at heart.”

“Don’t blame yourself, chief. Even I thought he was just a bit immature. Nobody could have seen this coming,” Leis assured him. “Not your fault he decided to prioritize his own whims over his tribe.”

“Dammit, Leis, I’d never do that!” Lykou blurted out angrily, fresh tears streaming down his face as he glared at the apparition. “Come on-!”

“I should’ve retired that damned ‘spirit chaser’ nonsense years ago,” Ryvis continued, then sighed and started walking off. Leis straightened up and followed after him as they both faded away.

“It’s not my fault! I was taken, I’d never just run away, dammit!” Lykou angrily cried out after them, then slumped over and slammed his fist into the ground. “I don’t abandon people…”

“Maybe not, but you don’t seem to mind the idea of us being left without you,” Kuna’s voice said.

He quickly lifted his head again to see the sereva standing in front of him with his arms crossed, looking down at him. He looked a lot more real than the other recent apparitions, more like the first time he’d seen him.

“Ku!” Lykou said, gawking at him. “W-what are you-?”

“Always running into danger, taking dumb risks, daring death,” Kuna chastised. He sighed and lowered his arms, looking down at the ground. “Honestly? It’d probably be kinder if you just didn’t let people get attached to you, so it doesn’t hurt when you’re inevitably taken from us.”

“I… Ku, I’m s-sorry,” Lykou begged and reached out for his hand. “I’m promise, I-I’ll be more caref-”

“No, I’m sorry. I… I can’t deal with that. I can’t h-handle that kind of pain again,” the sereva said, pulling his hand away, as a few of his own tears fell into the dirt below them. He then turned and started walking off. “Goodbye, Kou.”

“KU!” Lykou frantically called out after him, getting up to chase after him. “Please, don’t go! PLEASE!”

Despite running as fast as he could, the distance between him and the sereva seemed to keep growing longer and longer. The world slowly grew darker and darker, and Lykou grew colder as everything started vanishing around him. He felt the hope draining away from him as Kuna faded away. He finally fell to his knees in despair- only this time he kept falling, deeper and deeper into a seemingly endless void.

*****

The next thing he knew, Lykou’s eyes were opening again. His vision was blurry, and he soon realized from the wetness on his cheeks that it was partly from tears. He reached up to rub them and noticed that he was being held in someone’s arms.

“Hey, it’s alright Kou,” Kuna’s voice assured him quietly. “It was just a bad dream. I’m right here.”

Lykou quickly rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, then stared up at the sereva for a moment.

Kuna smiled a bit awkwardly. “How’s this for a change?”

Then Lykou suddenly grabbed him into a tight embrace as he shed fresh tears. “Ku!”

Kuna yelped slightly, then gently stroked the konuul’s back. “Guh… Kou, m-my shoulder…”

“Shit! Right,” the konuul replied, backing off a bit. “S-sorry, I uh-”

Kuna chuckled a bit and gently tussled his hair. “S’alright,” he said, then frowned. “But more importantly, are you alright? I’m not used to being on this side of a nightmare, so to speak.”

Lykou laid back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, not really focusing on anything in particular. “...I … I think so…” he murmured, then sighed and closed his eyes and rubbed them as another tear trickled down the side of his face. “Fuck…”

“Wanna talk about it?”

The konuul peeked his eyes open again and glanced at the sereva, then looked away sheepishly. “Er… n-nah, I’ll be al-”

“Kou. C’mon. We’re a team, remember?” Kuna gently urged him, stroking his chest softly with a sympathetic smile. “We’re officially both demon fighters, both figuratively and literally. You’ve helped me with mine. Let me return the favor. Trust me, you’ll feel better.”

Lykou folded his ears down and blushed a bit as he averted his gaze. “W-well… I guess…”

“Must’ve been a bad one. And I distinctly heard my name a couple times,” the sereva gently prodded, then laid back down next to the canid and gently nuzzled his shoulder. “So what happened?”

Lykou sniffed a bit and rubbed his eyes, then told Kuna about the dream. It took some prodding from the sereva to get all the details when he hesitated at a few points, but he eventually got it all out. It did feel a bit better to let it out, but it also felt a bit embarrassing. At the very least, he did omit the embarrassing nickname dream-Nezha had used. At the end, he sighed. “I’m sorry, Ku. I’ve been so selfish.”

Kuna shot him a bewildered look. “Wh- no you haven’t!”

“I have! I've been such a dumbass. Acting on impulse, taking dumb risks, never thinking things through-”

“Hush,” the sereva cut him off, gently covering his mouth for a moment. “Stop that. Don’t let those stupid nightmare voices get to you.” He smirked sardonically. “Believe me, I know all too well what lying bullies they can be.”

Lykou looked away again, clearly not fully convinced. “They’re not entirely wrong though. If something happened to me, you’d be alone again.”

Kuna frowned and shivered slightly at the thought. “Well… true. And that’s probably the scariest thing in the world to me now,” he admitted. “So I’m definitely in favor of you being more careful. But don’t be so afraid that it makes you go to the opposite extreme.” He blushed and folded his ears down sheepishly. “Like, uh… like I’ve had issues with at times, heh.”

“Better than putting myself and maybe you and others in danger over stupid impulses,” Lykou replied.

“Not particularly. Like I said, don’t trade one extreme for the other. It’s… hard for me to deal with sometimes, but life has risks that just can’t be avoided,” Kuna reminded him, then gave him another gentle squeeze. “And hey. Let me clear one thing up for you real quick.”

Lykou arched a brow at him. “Hmm?”

“You’re never gonna chase me off. Even if you were ten times more reckless,” Kuna assured him with a small grin. “We’re in this together, all the way, wherever things take us. You go diving into any more jaws of death, I might bitch about it, but I’ll be following right behind you the whole time. You’re stuck with me, like it or not.”

Finally, a faint smile graced the canid’s face. “Well I definitely do. I just don’t want to get either of us hurt.”

“Need I remind you, yet again, that we’re still breathing not just despite, but largely because of your crazy ideas and spite for danger?” the sereva pointed out. “As much as it scares the fuck out of me at times, you can’t argue with the results. Even if I might try at the time.”

“Yeah, but how long until my stupid luck wears off?”

“Kou. It’s not just luck,” Kuna reminded him with a flat look. “You’re fast, strong, tough, and, despite what you might think, you’re downright clever sometimes too.”

“You yourself pointed out what an idiot I am.”

“Yeah, well… sometimes the line between brilliant and crazy stupid is absurdly thin, and you like to dance around it a lot,” Kuna teased. “But like I said, you make it work. Plus there’s that whole... special... power thing you’ve got.”

“I guess,” Lykou said, smiling bashfully. The he blinked a few times and looked around. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts and their conversation that he hadn’t really taken in their surroundings. The weird cottage was still fairly dark, aside from some of the dimly-glowing flora hanging from the walls. Algrytha was nowhere in sight- presumably in her own bed. “...is it still night?”

“Yeah. Probably at least an hour or two before dawn, if I had to guess,” Kuna said, then yawned a bit. “Think you’ll be able to get back to sleep?”

“I… guess. For however long we have until breakfast, anyway,” Lykou replied.

“I say we sleep in. You should be well rested before you uh… challenge the revenant again.”

Lykou frowned and thought for a moment. “...maybe I shouldn’t, Ku. Like you said before, we can try finding another-”

“Kou. Seriously. After the trouble we went through to get the ingredients for that potion? Let’s not waste them,” Kuna pointed out. “I… I trust you. I believe in you. If you’re still up for it, I say go for it. Especially now that you’ll have that to help you get more in touch with your ability. I’m curious to see how it works out.”

“Are you... sure?”

Kuna gently took the canid’s hand in his and smiled at him. “Yeah. Just promise me you won’t wait until he has a blade inches from your neck before you yield this time if things aren’t working out.”

“I promise,” the konuul said, then nuzzled up to the sereva a bit. “Thanks, Ku. And uh… s-sorry for waking you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m honestly glad you did- you obviously needed to talk about things. I know this damn journey’s really weighing on you.”

“Yeah…” Lykou sighed heavily. “I miss people so, so much. I just wish there was some way to at least get a message home to let everyone know what happened to me, and that I’m still alive and trying to get back to them.”

“Mm… maybe we’ll find a way eventually.”

“I hope so…” Lykou yawned, then blinked a few times as the sleepiness started asserting itself again.

Kuna chuckled softly as he cuddled up to the konuul. “I’ll second that. Let’s get some sleep.”

“Mmkay. G’night Ku,” the canid said, smiling contently as he snuggled up to the sereva a little more than usual, almost afraid he’d vanish any moment.

“’night, Kou.”

*****

Fortunately, Lykou suffered no more nightmares, and both he and Kuna slept a few hours later than they ordinarily would have. When they did finally get up, Algrytha began working on the potion while they ate breakfast. Considering how exhausted the two had been the night before, especially Kuna, they all agreed it’d be better to brew it in the morning.

What came as a surprise was when the she strolled over to the groggy konuul with a knife and asked to see his hand. Still not thinking terribly clearly, he obliged without much thought. He was then immediately jolted awake with a slight yelp when she unceremoniously made a cut in his palm. Kuna immediately looked over in alarm, unsure what was happening. “Kou?!”

“Relax, potion just calls for a tiny bit of his blood,” the witch explained before either of them could ask a question. “I’ll patch him up in a moment.”

“You could’ve warned me at least!” Lykou complained, wincing from the pain as she collected the needed blood into a tiny vial.

“Seriously!” Kuna agreed, shooting her a small glare as he wrapped a comforting arm around the konuul. “Don’t you think he’s been through enough lately?”

Algrytha chuckled and shrugged. “Bet yer more awake now though, arncha?” she retorted, then corked the vial and rubbed some kind of paste on Lykou’s hand.

“I… guess. Still,” the canid whined, then furrowed his brow and looked at his wounded hand after she released it. Whatever the grey paste was, it certainly seemed potent. The pain had already faded and there was no trace of bleeding.

Kuna looked over his shoulder at the paste on his hand and arched a brow. “What is that stuff?”

“Patch-up poultice. Works great, don’t it?” Algrytha replied as she wandered back over to the table where she’d set up the other ingredients. “Alright, time ta get started. Try ta keep yer voices down while I’m concentratin’.”

Lykou yawned a bit and went back to eating. “Will do.”

“So did you sleep alright?” Kuna asked quietly. “Er, you know, the second time I mean.”

“Yeah, no particularly memorable dream this time,” the canid replied, then smiled and lightly nudged the sereva. “Thanks again, by the way.”

Kuna gave him a gentle squeeze and smiled back. “Hey, just returning the favor. And remember, don’t hold things inside so much. I’m always here to listen if you need to vent about things and such.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lykou said, then wrapped an arm around him in return. “You know, for someone who didn’t have much experience with friendship before, you’re a damn good one.”

The sereva blushed and poked his tongue out slightly. “Hey, I had a good teacher.”

The rest of the morning progressed relatively uneventfully. They took their time with breakfast, not being eager to get back out into the Kryck. But once they finished eating and the potion was ready, they quickly packed up and prepared to head out. Luckily, Kuna was doing much better- his shoulder was almost completely pain-free, and he was almost back to full strength. At Algrytha’s insistence, he kept the walking stick, however. He had to admit he did appreciate the unique shape and sturdiness of it, so it didn’t take too much convincing.

After bidding her farewell yet again, they ventured out into the woods and began making their way to the ruins. By that point, they’d gotten fairly familiar with the route, but they didn’t let themselves get complacent. Even though it was daytime, they knew monsters lurked in Kryckwood and didn’t dare take their safety for granted. For all they knew, there was a hungry ghost stalking them, just looking for an in-tact corpse to make use of.

Fortunately, nothing attacked them and they made it to the bog in good time. The bodies there were as unsettling as always. When they reached the gate into the village, Lykou almost stepped through before Kuna quickly grabbed him in a mild panic. “Kou, wait!”

The konuul yelped in surprise as the sereva jerked him back just before his foot crossed the threshold. “Huh? What is it?”

Kuna gestured behind them with a somewhat panicked expression. “C-c-company. Remember?”

Lykou’s eyes widened when he looked back and saw a small group of undead bodies standing a few yards behind them, clustered around the entryway. “Shit! Can’t believe we forgot about that,” he said, then knelt down and dug around in his bag. “We should each still have two of those uh… ‘death potions’.”

Kuna nodded and rooted around in his own bag. But just as he found one of the potions, they both felt a new presence looming over them. They looked up to see none other than the revenant in his mummified body floating in the gateway, surrounded by an ethereal glow, with his arms crossed.

“That… won’t be necessary,” he informed them, then glanced over at the gathered zombies and waved them off. The small hoard immediately turned and began shambling off to their resting places.

“Oh, uh… thank… you?” Lykou said, watching the guardians leave with a mixture of surprise and mild confusion. “But… why?”

“You impressed me. If you are to perish here, I’d rather it be in honorable combat with me than being torn apart by those mindless things.”

“Gee, that’s… nice,” Kuna remarked flatly. “We’d rather just not perish here at all, though.”

“And yet you’ve returned,” Elzhan replied, then let out an ethereal sigh. “I somewhat expected you’d be back, even if I’d rather hoped you’d changed your mind and found an alternate means of continuing your journey.”

“Believe me, if it were that easy, we would,” Lykou commented. “But there’s just no way around it. We’ve got to get to that arch.”

“...I truly regret that oversight. Still, here we are. I assume you wish to challenge me again. What makes you think this time will be any different?”

Lykou shot Kuna a brief conspiratorial grin, then turned back to the revenant and shrugged. “Let’s just say last time I wasn’t really at my best.”

“Is that so? This should certainly be interesting then. Still, I hope you are prepared to yield before it is too late. You cut it awfully close last time as it was.”

“You can say that again,” Kuna agreed, shooting the konuul a quick narrow-eyed look. But then he grinned and faced Elzhan again. “But yeah, trust me, as impressive as he was last time, I’ve seen him be even more impressive.”

“Well, if you truly cannot be dissuaded, let us return to the courtyard so we may begin the challenge,” the revenant said, turning and waving for them to follow.

Lykou and Kuna quickly picked their bags back up and followed along behind him. They both leaned in to whisper to one another as they walked. “Maybe you should go ahead and drink it now,” Kuna suggested.

“Hmm… I don’t know how long it’ll last once it takes effect, though,” Lykou countered. “Wouldn’t want to risk it wearing off in the middle of the fight.”

“...fair point. At the same time, we also don’t know how long it’ll take to kick in.”

Lykou pondered for a moment, then shrugged. “Well, I’ll take it when we get there, and stall for time if I have to.”

“If you say so,” Kuna said, glancing back at the revenant for a moment. “What if he sees, though?”

“Well… so what?” Lykou replied. “He never mentioned any rules against it. He said ‘any equipment or skills I have’, right? I’d say it counts as equipment.”

Kuna arched a brow. “...yeah, I guess. Still, doesn’t hurt to have surprise on your side.”

“True,” Lykou said. After a moment, he cleared his throat and turned back towards Elzhan and raised his voice back to a more normal level. “So, uh… I have to admit I’m kind of curious about some things. Like those undead things out there. They don’t have ghosts in them, right?”

“No. They are moved by magic alone. A very long time ago, I grew tired of honorless would-be grave-robbers disrespecting this place, and then some of the last mortals I had any connection to were ambushed on their way to visit, so I performed a special ritual to add an extra layer of… deterrence,” Elzhan explained, then glanced back at them briefly. “I don’t mind worthy challengers, but dealing with the other vermin personally became… tiresome.”

“That bad, huh? How often do people come out here?”

“It’s hard to wrap my head around people risking the Kryck just to get some old magic axe,” Kuna chimed in, then shivered. “Let alone getting through that, then having those things to deal with.”

“You’d be surprised. Sadly, lust for power can be a potent motive for some,” Elzhan replied with a tinge of bitterness.

“To be fair,” Lykou continued, rubbing his chin. “Some are probably just desperate. We actually met a ghost out there that hadn’t completely lost her mind yet, and she said she was headed this way specifically knowing she was probably going to die and would rather do it here than… some other way.”

The revenant shrugged. “Tragic as that may be, it is still foolish, considering she didn’t even make it here. Her soul will now be trapped in the Kryck with the rest.”

“Yeah… ghoul got her before she could get here,” Kuna commented sadly. “Wish there was some way to help her move on. Hate to think of her being stuck out there forever.”

“She should have considered that before entering Kryckwood,” Elzhan said dismissively. “Jingrayl’s curse is fairly infamous these days. It is highly unlikely anyone comes here without knowing the risk.”

“Jin-” Lykou said, then paused and widened his eyes slightly. “...is that the Wraith’s name?”

Elzhan stopped moving and seemed to be lost in thought. “...yes, and no,” he finally said in a hushed tone. “That was the wicked bastard’s name in life. But that villain has long since ceased to exist, leaving that… thing in his place.”

“I guess you must be the only one around that still remembers his… er, its former name,” Lykou noted. “Even Algrytha didn’t know it.”

The mention of the witch’s name made Elzahn spin around and eye him dubiously. “...what was that name you just mentioned?”

Lykou and Kuna backed up slightly at the sudden intensity of his reaction. “Uh… Al...gryth...a?” the konuul repeated hesitantly.

The revenant stared at him for a moment in perfect stillness, then looked away and stared into the distance thoughtfully. “...so she still lives. Unless this is some descendant of hers, but I somehow doubt it.”

“...you know her?” Kuna cautiously asked.

“I would have assumed so, given she lives in the Kryck,” Lykou suggested. “But I get the feeling there’s more to it?”

“She… oh,” Elzhan responded. “Of course. Now it makes sense. I occasionally picked up on the rumors of some… mad ‘witch’ living out there. I never guessed it was her though.” He turned back to them after a moment and looked them over. “I assume she’s the one that gave you whatever magical trickery you used to get past the guardians the first time?”

Kuna arched a brow. “Er, yeah…?”

“I see… what does she look like?”

“Like… well, kind of like a walking, vaguely person-shaped pile of moss and other plant stuff, actually,” Lykou replied.

Elzhan subtly nodded. “That’s her alright. I always thought she was strange. I should have known no mere mortal sage would be as powerful and knowledgeable as her. Still, that just leaves more questions…”

“W-wait,” Kuna said, his eyes widening. “Did you say sage???”

“Like the one that-,” Lykou added, then covered his mouth for a moment as he looked over at the sereva. “...the same one from the story?”

“I’d ask who told you that part of the story, but I assume it must’ve been her,” the revenant commented. “Few know about who I learned the ritual from.”

“Yeah, but she conveniently left out that little detail,” Lykou replied, furrowing his brow in confusion. “She made it seem like she was just repeating some old story she’d heard after the fact.”

“So all this time, she’s been living out there in Kryckwood but you haven’t spoken to her?” Kuna asked incredulously.

“Ever since I performed the ritual that turned those corpses into guardians, I’ve spent most of the time in a slumber of sorts,” Elzhan explained.

“I didn’t think ghosts slept.”

“They don’t, normally. At least, nothing like you would think of as sleep. But the ritual that made me this way has given me various advantages.”

“I can imagine. Most ghosts would go insane in a lot less time than you’ve been around,” Lykou commented. “Still, seems strange she never would have visited you or something, considering she’s apparently the one that taught you that ritual in the first place.”

“She was- or is, I suppose, a strange one,” Elzahn said. “I can’t imagine why she’d have moved to settle in the Kryck at some point. Perhaps something happened to her old village.”

Kuna scratched his head. “Or why she completely neglected to mention that she was the ‘sage’ in the story she told us. And she pretended she didn’t know the Wraith’s mortal name either, but I would think she would’ve heard it if she was actually part of the story.”

“Possibly, but possibly not. At the time, I was reluctant to utter the villain’s name, so I may not have mentioned it to her when I visited her back then,” the revenant explained, then turned to continue to the courtyard. “In any case, these are musings for another time. Let us keep going and get this over with.”

Lykou hesitated for a moment and shared a look with Kuna. “You know, once this is over, one way or the other, I’m kind of tempted to go ask Algrytha a few things.”

“I’m definitely curious myself, but I say we just forget our curiosity as long as we can get to that arch,” the sereva replied. “I’m ready to be away from this place and all of its mysteries.”

“Fair enough,” Lykou said as they both started following after the revenant. After a moment, when they’d caught back up to him, the canid spoke up again as they passed near the original entrance to the village, “By the way, I know it probably sounds a bit… well, weak and hollow under the circumstances, but I’m truly sorry for what you and your people went through way back then. We’ve seen some nasty monsters in our journey, but it seems like that asshole was up there among the worst. I’m glad you all at least drove him away.”

“...thank you,” Elzhan said quietly after a moment. “The sentiment is appreciated. I only regret that nothing can be done about the thing he’s become. If I’d known his wretched soul still lingered back then, I’d have hunted it down and dealt with it while I was still alive.”

“Can you not do anything about it now?” Kuna chimed in. “Don’t you know a bunch of powerful ritual magic or something now?”

“I have learned some things over the centuries here and there when I was conscious, but nothing capable of dealing with that wretch,” the revenant replied. “The axe might very well be able to do something about it, but I am bound to this village until my duty is fulfilled, so there’s no way for me to reach him.”

“...so wait, someone would be able to defeat the Wraith with the axe and get rid of the curse?” Lykou asked, intrigued.

“Yes, in theory. Unfortunately, my duty keeps me bound to this village, and as craven as he is, he knows not to come too close,” Elzhan said, then narrowed his eyes bitterly. “Not that he hasn’t come just close enough to taunt me a few times.”

“Like when he stole the key stone?”

“Indeed. He could have ambushed those poor souls anywhere, but he specifically waited until they were within sight of these ruins so I’d have to helplessly watch them be murdered just outside my reach.”

Kuna shuddered and held himself. “I… know the f-feeling.”

Elzhan stopped and turned to shoot him a dubious look. “Do you?”

“He saw his parents killed by a demon-possessed monster when he was young,” Lykou explained, gently wrapping an arm around the sereva and giving him a small squeeze. “He’s had nightmares about it ever since.”

“I was… helpless. The physical one couldn’t reach me, but apparently the demon part sort of could. Damn thing left a tooth fragment in my soul,” Kuna muttered. “So yeah, that’s been… fun.”

For a brief moment, the revenant’s soulflame eyes flared up, then returned to normal. “...so I see. My condolences,” he said, then turned around and continued on the way. “I often wondered if Jingrayl had formed some kind of pact with a demon. Never saw any indication of it, however. Some mortals are just that wicked on their own, it seems.”

“That’s pretty fucked up and depressing,” Lykou said, frowning. “I hope there aren’t too many out there like that.”

“Few are born wicked. It is usually something one chooses to become,” Elzhan pointed out.

Finally, they saw the entrance to the courtyard approaching. Kuna gently nudged Lykou. The canid nodded and discretely pulled out the potion, then uncorked it and drank it down as quickly as possible. Afterwards, he licked his lips and arched a brow. “Hm… kinda salty,” he whispered to the sereva, then smirked. “You’d probably like it.”

“It has meat broth and your actual blood in it,” Kuna replied flatly. “Pass.”

When they finally reached the entrance, Elzhan gestured to the wall. “Feel free to make yourself comfortable up there again, kuna. But don’t try to interfere this time. I was lenient before, but-”

“Lenient my ass,” the sereva snapped back, glaring at the revenant before turning to climb up the wall. “You said it’d count as a forfeit, so I was hoping it’d end the fight, but you kept going and nearly killed him before he spoke up.”

“I would not deprive him of a warrior’s death, if that was his choice.”

“Yeah well, deprive away in the future. I don’t plan to try and jump in again, but only because he promised not to wait so long to yield this time if it comes down to it.”

Elzhan stared at him momentarily, then turned to Lykou. “And what do you say? If he loses self-control again, shall I consider the match over even without your surrender, or keep him at bay regardless of his protests until that point?”

Lykou glanced between them for a moment, then shrugged. “Forfeit works. But it won’t come up,” he said, then winked at the sereva. “He knows I promised him, and it’ll be different this time anyway.”

“Very well. Then select your weapon and take your place,” Elzhan said as he turned to walk over to the other side of the box. “It is time to begin the challenge… again.”