Mystic Heart Odyssey

Part 7: Downtime

Chapter 6

Aaand part two of Lykou’s first astral realm experience. A lot more dialogue heavy this time, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the banter… and a little bit of revelation~

-Llox

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It took a while, but Lykou gradually caught Aelana and Daisy up on his and Kuna’s adventures in the weeks since Kuna last spoke to them, up to the end of their adventure in the islands. Of course, his external voice occasionally filled in less flattering bits he had intended to keep to himself at times, much to his chagrin. Fortunately, his guests didn’t make a big deal of it. Even Daisy relented a bit on the playful teasing, if only so that the story would continue. “So yeah, heh. Defeated a demon and his mortal partner, freed the islands from their tyranny, met a couple friendly gods and spirits- and whatever Sunny really was- and made some great friends. Scary as it was at times, it had a pretty good ending at least.”

“Thas the kind o’ shite legends are made of, lad,” Daisy commented, beaming at him. “Ye ken they’ll be singin’ aboot ye there fer years, aye?”

“She’s got a point,” Aelana said, rubbing his shoulder. “Ye should be mighty proud. You, Kuna, ‘n’ all yer friends there.”

“Yeah… shame it’ll probably be a long time before we see them again, if ever,” Lykou said, then smirked. “Though between you and me, I think Hoku had a very slight crush on Kuna, too.”

“She did take his virginity, after all,” his external voice added, much to his annoyance.

Daisy grinned and propped her chin up on a paw. “Oh really now?”

“Daisy,” Aelana said with a warning look. “Watch it-”

“Wee bit jealous, Lykou?” the wolpertinger pressed on.

Lykou rolled his eyes, but grinned anyway. “Yeah okay, a little. But honestly I really am happy for him, too. Big step and all.”

“In fact I should thank her for teaching him about that kind of frie-”

“DAMMIT!” Lykou blurted out, smacking his head in response to his thoughts verbalizing themselves again. “Never fails…”

Daisy snickered, and even Aelana had to cover her mouth for a moment to hide a small grin. “Nae worries, lad,” she assured him. “Ye made some very nice friends anyway. Goan then. Wis that the last place ye was?”

Lykou shuddered and shook his head. “Nope. Left there… almost a week ago or so, I think. And as scary as things got there at times, nothing could compare to where we ended up next.”

“Goodness,” Aelana said. “Somethin’ more dreich than that powerful demon?”

“Aye, cannae imagine somethin’ toppin’ that,” Daisy agreed.

The konuul gulped. “Well, there’s this strange forest that’s apparently called Kryckwood-” Before Lykou could continue, the immediate look of recognition on his visitors’ faces made him stop. “-er… you two have heard of it, I take it?”

“Ye went to the damn Kryck?!” Daisy replied incredulously. “Shite, lad…”

Aelana furrowed her brow. “Ohhh, ah’m havin’ words with Ink…”

“Thas mad even fer her,” Daisy agreed. “Aye, we’re familiar with Kryckwood, Lykou. Anyone thas been aroond fer a few centuries eventually gets word o’ that place na matter where they live. Even shorter lived folk in many places ken o’ the Kryck. Tis one o’ them places folk tell wee bairns about ta make ‘em behave, even back in Sylthea.”

“Strange,” Lykou said. “Zyn wasn’t familiar with it and had trouble finding much out about it.”

“Weel he’s young,” Aelana pointed out. “Jarzin in general dinnae pay it much attention either, usually.”

“Well yeah, apparently it’s one of those places that somehow magically keeps them out,” Lykou said. “Or at least that’s what he said.”

“Aye. They’re lucky they’re too much aligned with the spirit world fer it ta have a taste fer ‘em,” Daisy said flatly. “Etherwise, they’d be a mighty tempting addition ta the collection, ah’m sure.”

“C… collection?” Lykou asked warily.

“Mhmm. Place traps folk, ye ken,” Daisy explained. “Kip’s ‘em there. Weaves ‘em inta its dark tales.”

Lykou gulped and shivered. “Well that’s a horrifying thought.”

“Ah can only imagine what ye saw, Lykou,” Aelana said, rubbing his back soothingly.

“W-well… lots of undead things,” the konuul said, his eye twitching a bit. “N-not just hungry ghosts, either. All kinds of nasty monsters. Lots of zombies and ghouls, and this big… wraith… thing.”

“Crivvens, a wraith??” Aelana gasped, covering her mouth. “Ye poor lads…”

“Yeahhh, he was easily the most terrifying thing,” Lykou said, his eye twitching a bit. “Honestly, the whole… ‘adventure’ we had in that place was just one nightmare after another though. There was also this revenant guy, Elzhan, guarding the area with the gate. He had history with… well, the person the wraith used to be, and he wouldn’t let us through until one of us beat him in a one-on-one fight.”

“My goodness,” Aelana said, wide-eyed. “How’d ye get aroond that?”

“Well… I just… did it,” Lykou said with an awkward grin. “Not the first time, mind you. Luckily he spared me when I yielded. But then I was able to come back later and beat him thanks to this potion I got from this strange witch we met.”

“Potion?” Aelana asked warily, sharing a look with Daisy. “From a witch? In the Kryck?”

“Na the wisest idea, lad. ‘n’ thas me sayin’ that,” Daisy added. “Still, glad it worked oot fer ye.”

“Yeah, we were uneasy about it but didn’t have much choice. It was actually one of three different kinds we had to use. We needed one just to get past the… magic no-ghost zombies guarding the ruins in the first place. Then there was one that let me share life essence with Kuna so he’d get well after a ghoul bit him and made him real sick,” Lykou went on, then rubbed his neck. “That one had some… reeeeallly interesting side effects we had to put up with yesterday.”

“Ye dinnae say,” Aelana said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “What kind o’ side-effects?”

“Aye, somethin’ like that should be fairly clean,” Daisy added, looking a bit perplexed.

“Well, frankly, we swapped species,” Lykou said with an awkward grin. “I was a sereva for a day, and Kuna was a konuul. It was definitely an... interesting experience.”

They both stared at him in surprise. “...ye did what??” Daisy asked incredulously.

“Nae simple life-share potion should dae that,” Aelana said with a bewildered expression. “Swappin’ life essence kin do tha’ under special circumstances, bit most potions prevent that. Ye’d have tae be tryin’ fer that kind o’ mischief.”

“Well… she did pretty much confirm she was Sylthean,” Lykou said. “Possibly an Elnyr, though she claimed she no longer had ties to Sylthea or any people there.”

“...ye dinnae say,” Aelana said cautiously, with a very concerned look. “Did ye happen ta catch her name…?”

“Yeah, she said her name was Algrytha,” Lykou explained. “Also D-”

“DARK AGGY?!” Daisy blurted out, scrabbling backwards with wide, terrified eyes. “YE MET THE HORRIBLE HAG HERSELF?!”

Even Aelana was noticeably struggling to maintain her composure as she fell over backward out of her seat. “L-lad… that’s nae jest any witch…”

Lykou trembled a bit himself, deeply concerned about what might be so awful as to strike fear into two of the most powerful non-god beings he’d met. “...o-oh??”

“Dark Aggy’s… one o’ the only folk ever been outright banished frae Sylthea,” Aelana explained, still visibly shaken as she got back up and righted her chair. “Fer twistin’ folk to terrible ends ‘n’ doin’ anythin’ to further her own power, ‘n’ jest gen’rally bein’ a wicked auld thing.”

“Mistress o’ nightmares, queen o’ blight ‘n’ rot, ‘n’ all ether sorts o’ bad titles,” Daisy added after she managed to calm herself slightly, though her eyes were still round as the full moon. “Nevermind th’ damn wraith, she’s the most terrifyin’ thing ya met.”

“R-r-really?” Lykou replied, shaking and holding himself. “B… b-but she was… h-h-helping us? I… think…”

“Nae, lad. Likely yer goals jest so happened ta work fer hers,” Aelana said. “’n’ guid thing ye left when ye did. Ye ken how jarzin are always manipulatin’ folks, but supposedly fer the better?”

“…y-yeah?”

“She’s th’ opposite,” Daisy said plainly. “Th’ more she kin turn folk against themselves or th’ world at large, th’ more it amuses her. Nae tellin’ what her real goals were.”

“F-f-fuck,” Lykou said, wrapping his tail around himself. “W-we trusted her…”

“Tha’s jest how she is,” Aelana said, stepping over to embrace him in a comforting hug before sitting back down next to him. “If Sylthea has anythin’ like demons, she’s one o’ ‘em.”

“Aye. She was banished ta the mortal world by a powerful alliance o’ the courts, hopin’ it’d either limit her power, or else the spirits would toss her ta the hells,” Daisy said. “Every Sylthean grows up hearin’ stories o’ her.”

“D-do you think… th-there’ll be any more side-effects from the potions?” Lykou nervously asked. “A-are we in trouble?”

“Weel… yer still breathin’. ‘n’ ye said the species swap thing ended, aye?” Aelana asked.

“Y-yeah. Zyn suggested we try drinking the last dose in reverse,” Lykou explained. “Him first, then me, instead of the other way around. A-and it worked.”

“Then yer probably fine,” Aelana assured him. “Like ah said, fact that yer here and still yerself means you two were probably nae her main focus at the time.”

“Yer lucky ye was useful ta her,” Daisy said. “Ye should probably tell us the whole story though lad, jest ta be safe.”

“O-okay… well,” Lykou said, then launched into the full Kryckwood adventure.

*****

“S-so at least I got that axe out of the whole thing. S-still haven’t gotten the knack for the whole… ‘attuning’ thing though.”

“That’s… quite a story lad,” Aelana said. She shuddered. “Soonds like Aggy must ‘av finally breathed her last, though.”

“Aye, na that it’d stop her,” Daisy added.

“Mibbie not normally, but the Kryck ‘as her now,” Aelana added, then laughed somewhat humorlessly. “Ah s’pose tis fitting fer her ta finally meet her end there. Even she’s nae match fer that place if it wants ta keep ‘er.”

“It’s terrifying to think we could’ve ended up in the same situation,” Lykou said, shivering. “S-stuck in one of it’s ‘stories’…”

“Ah think yer too pure guid, lad,” Aelana said and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. “It likes dreary stories with folk whose morals are twisted up somehow.”

“Aye. Has no use fer brave heroes like you ‘n’ Kuna,” Daisy said with a small grin. “Unless it can twist ye, ye’ll jest mess up its grim little world.”

“Should I get rid of the axe?” Lykou asked nervously. “Given where it came from…”

Aelana thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Na. Wish ah could see it, bit if the Kryck let it go, tis probably safe. If it were cursed, it’d wantae keep it.”

“So what exactly is Kryckwood anyway?” Lykou asked, scratching his head. “You make it sound like it’s one big single… I don’t know, being?”

“Weel… it is ‘n’ it isn’t,” Aelana said. “Tis a bit of a myst’ry”

“They say there’s a spirit o’ the Kryck behind it all, bit separate frae all other spirits. Nae ties ta the spirit world that anyone ken aboot,” Daisy continued for her. “Ye kin feel it sometimes, ‘n’ some folk claim to ‘ave seen it, even spoken with it. Hard ta be sure, tho.”

“A spirit?” Lykou asked curiously. “One that powerful would have to be a god or something, wouldn’t it?”

“Widnae call it that,” Daisy said. “Like ah said, no ties ta anythin’ else. Neither the spirit court themselves, nae any o’ the courts o’ Sylthea kin explain it.”

“The world’s a complicated place, Lykou. Spirits, demons, gods, Syltheans, countless kinds o’ mortals, ‘n’ lots else besides,” Aelana explained. “Sometimes… ye just get somethin’ that doesna quite fit inta the way anyone understands things.”

“Wow… that seems… strange,” Lykou said as he thought it over. “The idea that there are some things that even the oldest spirits don’t understand… just… huh.”

“Ta be fair, it’s hardly the only thing,” Aelana said with a shrug. “Nabody’s quite sure about how the weave came ta be, either, fer example”

“Zyn said there are rumors it might have been something to do with some really old Syltheans and spirits working together?”

“Aye, jest rumors though,” Aelana replied. “If anyone ken fer sure, they’re na speakin’ it.”

“Ah like ta think it’s pure, tho,” Daisy said with a smirk. “If only cus some spirits get so funny when ya bring it up. Mostly the uptight ones tha wantae believe only spirits made the mortal world ‘n’ we’re jest pesky outsiders muckin’ thins up.”

“Ye dinnae exactly do much ta dissuade ‘em when yer oot, Daisy,” Aelana snarked with a small grin.

“Didna say ah wanted to, now did ah?” the wolpertinger retorted in amusement.

“Hey yeah, now that you mention it,” Lykou said, perking up a bit. “When we were in Clovaria, we didn’t see a single spirit. Which I used to think was normal, but considering how many Ku and I have seen on the trip, in various areas…”

“Aye, they’re aroond. Jest a little skittish o’ Daisy ‘n’ me,” Aelana said, crossing her arms with a little smirk. “They’re perfectly welcome, o’course, as lang as they dinnae cause trouble. Mortal world needs ‘em after all. Bit they tend ta be shy aroond big groups o’ mortals anyway, ‘n’ most lepne in Clovaria live in touns. Ye mighta seen a few out in the wilderness if ye’d strayed frae the roads more tho.”

“Oh… I guess that makes sense,” Lykou said, scratching his head a bit. Then he smiled. “But hey, on that note, how are things for you two? Done anything fun?”

“Aye, we bin finally makin’ friends again,” Daisy said cheerfully, then shot Aelana a look. “Weel, mostly Lana. But at least a few o’ ‘em ken aboot me, too. Includin’ Faergus ‘n’ Moyra. Love that Faergus lad. He’s fun.”

“’n’ Moyra’s got a guid head on ‘er shoulders,” Aelana said. “Does the druna title proud. She handled the truth aboot us better than ah expected, ah must admit.”

“Told you, they’re good people,” Lykou said, smiling. “I take it they’re doing well, too?”

“Aye,” Aelana said, then frowned. “Weel, mostly. There was a bit o’ bad news when we first stopped in Kerney.”

“Oh?” Lykou asked with a worried look. “What is it?”

Aelana sighed. “Ah shouldna ‘ave let mahself get so distracted…”

“We canne be everywhere at once, Lana,” Daisy reminded her, then turned back to Lykou. “Ye remember that radge bastard ye helped ‘em catch? Leader o’ them bandits?”

Lykou shuddered and scowled. “Yeah, Kerr. I remember. Why?”

“Weel… he escaped somehow,” Daisy continued.

“What?? How?? Last we saw him, he-” Lykou replied, then caught himself and fidgeted awkwardly. “Er, well… he wasn’t exactly in any kind of… shape t-”

“We ken all aboot it, Lykou,” Daisy said with a knowing smirk. “’n’ dinnae fash yerself. He damnwell had it comin’. We’d been tryin’ ta deal with him indirectly ourselves fer a while, bit he’s a sleekit little shite.”

“Aye, ‘n’ he managed ta get away even in the condition he was in,” Aelana said, then sighed, looking somewhat distraught. “’n’ somethin’ tells me he’s aboot ta be an even bigger problem eventually. A few o’ the other prisoners were found dead ‘n’… drained.”

“D...drained?” Lykou asked, wide-eyed. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“Blood, lad. He… fed on ‘em,” Daisy said. “Some o’ the other prisoners were havin’ nightmares aboot it fer a week efter.”

“H..he was… e-eating… people?!” Lykou asked, horrified. “And lepne don’t even eat meat, right?”

“Aye, ‘sactly. There’s a good chance he’s met some dreich spirit ‘n’ done a pact when nabody was lookin’,” Aelana said, rubbing her head. “So we’ll have oor own demon shite tae deal with at some point.”

“At least we’re aware, tho,” Daisy pointed out. “We’ll be keepin’ a claise eye on things so’s he cannae start some cult shite like you two dealt with. We’ve put all the drunas on alert, as weel.”

“W-well that’s good at least,” Lykou said, then sighed. “Wish we could be there to help you find that asshole before he hurts anyone else…”

“Appreciate it lad, bit we’re more than capable o’ handlin’ it,” Aelana assured him.

“Aye, ‘specially noo that we’re hidin’ a wee bit less,” Daisy added with a smirk. “See Lana? Havin’ friends ‘n’ bein’ direct is a guid thin’.”

“She’s got a point,” the konuul said with a small smile. “Trying to do things subtly from the shadows only gets you so far.”

“Weel ah’m re-learnin’ that noo,” Aelana said with a small, good-humored eye-roll. “Anyway… ether than that bit o’ bother, things are nice. S’guid meetin’ ‘n’ gettin’ ta ken new folk.”

Lykou smiled for a moment, but then it faltered a bit and he arched a brow. “What about your…” he said, then paused and cleared his throat. “Other guest?”

“Other…?” Aelana asked in confusion.

“Dinnae play dumb, Lana,” Daisy said, shooting her a look. “He means Ink.”

“Oh! Uh,” Aelana replied, then grinned at the canid sheepishly. “Right, her…”

“Yeahhh… I assume she’s been hanging around there all this time, seeing as how she’s thankfully not popped up anywhere near us since the last time we saw her,” Lykou, then crossed his arms and looked at her quizzically. “...I understand you two have a… complicated history?”

Aelana withered a bit and rolled her eyes up, blushing slightly. “Aye… Kuna told ye, ah presume?”

“Ye knew he would,” Daisy said, smirking. “Keepin’ oor secrets frae anyone else is one thing, but Lykou’s another story, given how claise they are.”

“Ah ken, ‘n’ ah dinnae hold it against him,” Aelana said, then slumped back in her chair with an embarrassed look. “Aye, we were… together, once. ‘n’ even if ah want ta strangle the life oot o’ her right now fer what she’s put ye through, she’s… tryin’.”

“Trying? To what?” Lykou asked.

“Ta rebuild a friendship,” Daisy chimed in. “Ah wis skeptical, but Lana insisted on givin’ her a chance.”

“Ah… dinnae s’pect ya ta fully unnerstand or sympathize, Lykou,” Aelana said, fidgeting a bit. “S’jest-”

“I… I think I get it,” Lykou said, sighing as he leaned over on one arm on the chair’s arm-rest. “Much as I hate her… I know she’s probably one of the few people around you can relate to, given how long you’ve both been around. Right?”

“Aye, exactly!” Aelana said with some minor relief. “Weel, that ‘n’ our… history together, as messy as it is.”

“Well then… I’m just glad you two have someone to talk and relate to on that level. Just do me a favor and give her a good smack for me next time you see her, alright?” Lykou said with a wry smirk, then glanced and gestured to Daisy. “Better yet, let her do it for you.”

Daisy beamed at Lykou. “Ah’d be happy to, lad.”

Aelana snickered and shook her head in amusement. “Ah’d rather not clean up any blood, bit rest assured ah’ll be givin’ her a piece o’ both our minds when ah see her next.”

“She ever mention Kuna and I?” Lykou asked curiously. “Seems strange she’d go through all the trouble sending us on this insane trip, only to drop out and delegate things to Zyn right after we really get started. ...n-not that I’m complaining at all, mind you!”

“Nae much. She probably realizes tis a sore spot,” Daisy said.

“We kin pry her fer things if ya have any specific questions, though,” Aelana suggested with a smirk, crossing her arms. “Believe me, ah kin get her ta talk even without violence.”

Daisy shot her a look. “Ye dinnae mean…?”

“Oi, she may pretend tae be immune, bit she’s still at least part mortal,” the lepne said with an unusually mischievous grin normally reserved for her other half. “Might nae get used much, bit ah kin find her strings.”

The wolpertinger made a face. “Ah’d rather ye jest let me chew it oot o’ her.”

“Cannae use brute force with folk like her, Daisy,” Aelana pointed out. “Jest leave it ta me.”

Lykou glanced back and forth between them for a moment. “Er… you don’t mean…”

“Aye, seduction ‘n’ such shite, lad,” Daisy said with a decidedly nonplussed look. “Mind if ah jest hang aboot in yer head fer a while?”

The konuul shot Aelana a look. “Would that even work on her?”

“Fer anyone else? Nae,” the lepne said, shrugging. “Bit fer me, ah think tis worth a shot, if she cannae be persuaded etherwise. Ah ken her better than most, efter all.”

Lykou glanced at the wolpertinger. “I don’t envy you,” he said with a sympathetic look. “But I guess whatever works…” He paused and scratched his head thoughtfully. “Can’t really think of anything specific though anyway. Besides just generally what’s coming up and how much longer this trip’s going to be.”

“Ah’ll see what ah kin do,” Aelana assured him. “Ah assume you ‘n’ Kuna are in a safer place fer the moment?”

“Oh, yeah. This forest we’re in is gorgeous, but also kind of mysterious. There are all these old statues and carvings everywhere. Even some huge ones, up on the cliffs,” Lykou said excitedly. “Zyn suggested nobody really knows who left them behind. It… kind of feels magical, too. Obviously I don’t have Kuna’s trained senses for that kind of thing, but even I think I can feel it. And despite supposedly being really old, everything is in great shape, including the trail through the middle of the valley.”

“Really noo?” Aelana said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “What sort o’ statues ‘n’ carvings, exactly?”

“All kinds of animals… and hands. A lot of them show giant hands holding various creatures up in various ways,” Lykou said, then smirked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ku tries to paint some of them sometime if he gets the chance. He certainly seems extra fascinated with them. Can’t blame him, either.”

“Aye, sounds mighty curious,” Daisy chimed in. “Wid love tae see the place as well.”

“Somethin’ aboot it does seem very faintly familiar,” Aelana said. “Nothin’ specific comes ta mind, bit ah think ah’ll do a wee bit o’ research in the morn’.”

“Blehhh, research,” Daisy groaned. “Jest what we need at the crack o’ dawn, buncha borin’ shite.”

“Uhh… ‘research’?” Lykou asked curiously.

“Read some old scrolls, prod some spirits fer conversation, that sort o’ thing,” Aelana said, ignoring her other half’s objections.

“Oh! Reading scrolls, huh? Didn’t realize you uh… had that writing stuff,” Lykou said. “We’ve only encountered it a couple times on this trip. I didn’t notice any in Clovaria.”

“Tis nae common yet, unfortunately,” Aelana said with a shrug. “Drunas keep journals gen’rally, ‘n’ trade folk make records, bit they kip ‘em safely tucked away in private.”

“Journals? Records?” Lykou asked.

“Aye. Jest means writin’ doon whit happened each day. Guid way ta help remember thins,” Aelana said with a smile. “’n’ sometimes help work oot yer thoughts ‘n’ feelin’s.”

“Huh. Sounds handy, now that you mention it,” Lykou said.

“Ah’d like tae convince folk ta learn, because tis mighty useful,” Aelana said, then sighed. “But, weel…

“Tis powerful borin’,” Daisy scoffed. “Who wants tae sit aroond lookin’ at funny symbols ‘n’ imaginin’ words, instead o’ just doin’ shite?”

“It… does seem like it’d be hard to stay focused on it for long,” Lykou admitted. “But I can also see how it might be nice to have something besides just word of mouth to share stories and remember things.”

“Exactly,” Aelana said. “Mibbie some day ah kin teach you ‘n’ Kuna moonscript, if ya like.”

“Maybe! I also kind of think Derrish was working on something like that back home,” Lykou commented. “But I don’t know how, uh… far along he is with it.”

“Ach, weel, ah’m happy ta give advice if yer willin’ ta relay it sometime,” Aelana offered. “Honestly, ah’m hopin’ more mortals pick up the idea. As… short lived as most kin be, it’s a nice way fer part o’ ye ta live oan, so te speak.”

“Whit, tis necromancy now?” Daisy snarked. “Powerful borin’ AND dreich?”

Aelana rolled her eyes. “Ye ken ah didnae mean lit’rally, y-”

“Necromancy?” Lykou asked curiously. “What’s that?”

Aelana glared at Daisy for a moment, then turned her attention back to Lykou. “Death magic, tae be blunt. The kind that revenant ye met most likely used, fer example. Nasty bus’ness, fer the most part.”

Lykou shuddered. “Right, I can imagine. Ritual or weave stuff, I take it?”

“Aye, gen’rally,” Aelana said. “Most o’ it’s best left alone.”

“Only ‘most’?” Lykou asked curiously.

“Weel, some is fairly harmless. S’one tha’ kin bring up visions o’ folk that passed oan, fer example,” Aelana said, shrugging. “Like a ghost, bit na really.”

“Oh… that sounds… interesting,” the konuul hazarded. “What’d be the point though?”

“Mostly sentimental,” Daisy said. “Tho there’s a version that kin show past events all ghostly-like, if yer in the right place ‘n’ have somethin’ ta connect to ‘em.”

“I can see how that might be useful sometimes,” Lykou said. “Certainly would have been helpful for convincing people about Kairangi sooner, I imagine.”

“Mibbie. Uses soul energy, so if Kuna ever wants tae learn it, jest have him ask us sometime,” Aelana offered. “Though ah certainly hope ye never have another dire need fer such thins.”

“Me either, believe me,” the konuul said, then blinked and squinted into the distance. “Uhh… are there fewer of those… memory and dream things out there suddenly?”

Aelana and Daisy looked around. “Oh! Aye, ye must be gettin’ claise ta wakin’, lad,” the Wolpertinger said. “So ah guess tis bye fer now.”

“Wis guid seein’ you again, Lykou,” Aelana said, standing from her chair and embracing the konuul when he did the same. “Say hi ta Kuna fer us, aye?”

“Definitely, and likewise!” Lykou replied with a smile as he returned the gesture, then turned around to give the wolpertinger a hug as well. “Sorry it took so long to do this, just, well-”

“Totally understandable, Lykou,” Daisy assured him, wrapping a paw around him in return. “Jest visit when ye can. Gettin’ home safe tis the most important thing fer now.”

“Heh, yeah,” Lykou said, then yawned a bit. All around them, the floating discs were gradually fading and the edges of his astral realm were slowly closing in. He could feel sleepiness starting to reassert itself. “I hope it isn’t much longer.”

“Likewise,” Daisy said, then smirked and nudged him lightly. “That way ye kin hurry up ‘n’ confess to Kuna, so ye kin see yer worryin’ fer nothin’ ‘n’ can mibbie start smoochin’ ‘im fer real.”

Lykou blushed and smirked, rolling his eyes a bit. “Right, right…”

Aelana chuckled. “In all seriousness, Lykou, remember this- regardless o’ what ye might think, Kuna’s a guid lad. Dinnae dismiss the idea he might feel tae same afore ye even bring it up ta him. As claise as ye are, he’d nae abandon ye either way.”

“Aye, whit she said,” Daisy agreed.

The konuul bit his lip and rubbed his arm nervously, then shrugged. “I-I’ll… think it over I guess,” he said as the darkness crept up on them. He felt sleepiness suddenly building up more rapidly and yawned again. “Well, bye you two. Nice talking to you again.”

He vaguely remembered seeing them wave and hearing their voices just before everything went dark again, and a warm, fuzzy sensation enveloped him.