The heavy wooden door thudded shut behind me, and the sound of its click made me release the breath I’ve been holding. I pressed my back to the door and rested my head against it. I was finally alone, sort of. A strange part of me could feel Shaed’s presence actively watching me. A sense I had come to forget about due to his long absence. Despite my fears and anger towards him, I couldn’t help but feel comforted knowing he was back, even in his weakened state.

  “You have some expining to do,” I said hushedly after a moment of composing myself. I pushed myself off the door and gnced around the rustic bathroom. It looked so much like the one at home, with its fine wood and metal sink, and the aged, smooth floorboards. The floor was decorated with purple-and-yellow-trimmed bath mats, and at the far end, beside the toilet, was the bathtub. On the wall hung a painting that looked like a window gazing out upon a sunlit meadow. Even the scent reminded me of home, my vilge, Oren, now most likely rubble.

  Don’t think about that. A soft part of me soothed.

  Yet, before I even had the time to try to divert my thoughts. The painting shimmered and rippled like disturbed water; it bubbled, and then, suddenly, a shadowy figure pushed forth. I stifled a scream as my back stumbled back into the door as Shaed’s shape took form as he stepped, or really glided, out of the painting. His body was caked in inky bck shadows that evaporated off him like mist, simir to that of ether cast from a spell. As his image grew clearer, I noticed something wasn’t right: his body was fuzzy and slightly contorted, like a low-resolution image on a computer screen.

  “What the hell?!” I gasped, hand resting on my chest. “Scared me half to death!” I snapped and looked over the fuzzy Shaed from head to toe.

  The st remaining tendrils of ether melted off Shaed’s body. They evaporated into the air, and he side-eyed me as his form finished materializing before me, or at least as best it could as the fuzz persisted.

  “My apologies, I’ll be sure to warn you going forward,” He said, though his lips did not move, his voice instead still echoing in my mind.

  I gawked at him for a moment, then gestured outward with an open hand. “How long could you do this? Are you even here? I mean… Like physically?!”

  The fuzzy image of Shaed gnced down at themself then back up at me. “Do I look like I am here?” He asked with genuine curiosity. “How solid do I appear?”

  I looked him over again, frowned, then waved my hand from side to side. “You look… Iffy. Like, grainy. Not entirely there, I guess.” I shook my head and chopped the air. “But that’s beside the point! Answer me, how long could you do this? Can others see you?”

  Shaed sighed and liplessly said, “In a sense, I’ve always could do this. But originally, my imprisonment forbade me from doing so. Yet, ever since the encounter hours ago, my restrictions seemed to have… loosened.” They ended thoughtfully, before adding, “And no. I don’t think others can see me, unless I willingly show myself.”

  I pursed my lips and crossed my arms. “Your restrictions loosened?” I asked.

  The visage of Shaed nodded. “Indeed, I’m just as curious as you are. I do not know why, or if it was intentional. But my power feels closer to this realm now. I wonder if the other wielders are aware of this.”

  “Wielders?” I asked, that was something I hadn’t heard him say. “Who’re they?”

  Shaed’s head perked up, and he stared at me bnkly. “Wielders are those who control the Constructs power…” They trailed off, and the visage frowned. “Had I not expined this already?”

  I huffed and shook my head. “We were interrupted st time we spoke, remember?”

  Shaed leaned back, his eyes staring off bnkly. “Ah, I do…”

  “Did you forget?” I asked with an arched brow. “That was like what… a day ago?”

  “Time beyond differs from here, Luna. What is only minutes or hours for you feels like days or weeks to me. Even this conversation now drags for me.”

  I nodded. “Right, I remember you saying something like that.” I crossed my arms, leaned against the door, and looked at him. “But no, you didn’t expin anything about wielders. Though you did speak about the gods being constructs… which honestly I still don’t fully understand.”

  Shaed gave me a ft look. “Nor do I ever expect you to.” He said dryly. “The gods are, in fact, constructs. Beings of great power created by those we do not know. Yet, the power they represent cannot be controlled by themselves. Instead, they require an outside force to wield them.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Right, so, what you’re saying is… the gods are actually just regur people wielding a very, very strong weapon.”

  Shaed stared at me. “That’s an immense oversimplification,” He said bluntly. “But, if that helps you understand it, then that is one way you could put it. However, it is far deeper than that.”

  “Sure,” I shrugged and took a deep breath. “Let’s get onto why we’re here.”

  “Was it not to relieve yourself?” Shaed asked.

  I frowned. “No. I came here to think and chew you out.” I then paused and gred at him. “And even if I was going to use the toilet, why the hell did you come out of the painting if that’s what you thought?!”

  Shaed’s eyes widened briefly. “I uh… this joke didn’t nd, I see.”

  “A joke?” I glowered. “When were you one to make jokes?”

  Shaed shook his head and disregarded me with a wave of his hand. “Nevermind that, let us resume our discussion. You are here for what was it, again?”

  I sighed. “I came here to chew you out, that’s what.”

  “Chew me… out?” Shaed’s visage frowned and cocked its head.

  I crossed my arms. “Don’t py stupid with me, you know damn well why I’m pissed off at you…”

  There was a slight dey in Shaed’s response, and finally, his avatar sighed and shook its head. “Luna, please, get on with your point. I’ve said it already, that time for me is that of a gcial’s pace–”

  “Bh, bh, bh, I need to get on with the point!” I huffed. “Yeah, I will. Where the hell have you been?” I growled

  Shaed looked at me expressionless. “You are such a child…” He huffed, and I held my tongue. “Ever since the incident since we st spoke, I’ve been picking up the pieces, and keeping my head down…” He fell silent.

  I waited for him to keep going, but he didn’t. “And?” I prompted him.

  “I was pausing because normally you would but in with something unhelpful. Or another pointless question.”

  “Oh fuck you,” I said, and for a brief moment, Shaed’s visage smirked.

  “When your mother’s Well connected with your own upon contact during our meeting, it caused a micro rupture in a higher reality. Imagine a meteorite impacting an ocean. From it a steaming geyser of water bsted upwards, and in every direction ripples the size of tsunamis.”

  “A catastrophe caused entirely by you,” I stated, and Shaed paused and gred at me.

  “Exactly what I said before. A quip that isn’t helpful.”

  “But it’s true,” I said ftly, crossing my arms. “What happened back then was one hundred percent avoidable if you had simply told me and my mother that we were not to touch. Hell, anyone could’ve touched me during then but…” I held my tongue and sighed. “Whatever, what’s done is done…” I shook my head.

  “You are right,” Shaed said after a moment, their voice low and… genuinely remorseful, or so I thought. “I should have been very clear then. I am sorry for what has happened to you, Luna, and your mother. Truly, I am.”

  Without realizing it, my tense shoulders loosened, and I allowed my arms to fall back down to my sides. “Can you help her?” I asked softly. “Venra said he could help earlier–”

  Shaed perked up. “You’ve spoken to Venra?” He cut me off, eyes widening.

  “Yeah. We have, for the past day, we’ve spoken off and on a couple of times.” I cocked my head. “I’ve told you st time that an individual named Ami helped us. Venra said that was him, or at least… a part of him. Whatever that means… why do you look surprised?”

  Shaed shook his head. “It isn’t relevant–”

  “Don’t start with that bullshit again,” I snapped, though Shaed waved me off.

  “Genuinely, Luna, I do not wish to speak of it.” He said firmly. “You knowing my retionship with him will not help us.” Before I could press the issue any further, Shaed noted, “As to your prior question. That’s what I’ve been doing, regarding your Mother.” He turned his head away, eyes locking onto a piece of the bathroom wall as if something interesting was there. “Her strength… it is admirable.”

  My heart shuddered. “What do you mean?” I asked my voice barely a whisper.

  “You’ve experienced it, Luna.” Shaed said, “The Cerebellium. That realm, is not made for mortal minds. Any being here from the material pne would go mad within minutes when their consciousness is freed from their form, constantly expanding in every direction simultaneously. Even those with iron wills can only hold out for so long.”

  “And my mother is okay?” I asked, stepping forward. “Are you able to help us pull her out of there–” Shaed silenced me with a held hand.

  “I am doing what I can.” He said solemnly. “It is only with my interference that her consciousness hasn’t been stretched thin or torn asunder by the denizens.”

  “Denizens?” I blinked. “Wa-wait, th-there are things that live there?”

  You’ve met Cereb, you fool. A part of me reminded myself.

  “Cereb is separate than those who call the Cerebellium their home, Luna.” Shaed said, “But yes. That realm is not only a vast void of nothingness. It is a realm not so different from this very one, not withstanding the rules on how it functions mind you. Without a piece of materium to act as an anchor you saw what happens. For now, that’s what I’ve been doing to keep your mother from falling completely into madness.”

  “Is she with you now?” I asked him. “Can I speak to her?”

  Shaed slowly shook his head. “Yes, she is with me. However, I’m afraid I cannot offer you a way to communicate. Not yet, anyway.”

  “So maybe in the future?” I asked desperately.

  Shaed grimaced. “I don’t know, honestly.” His eyes met with mine. “In her current state, I’ve found it best to leave her be. Trust me, Luna, she is safe.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Thank you,” I said quietly, and said nothing for a few moments as I stood there collecting my thoughts. Knowing my mother was safe wherever she was, protected and held together by Shaed’s will, was a great relief. The burden I hadn’t known I’ve been carrying on my shoulders seemed to ease ever so slightly.

  With that knowledge, my thoughts began to clear, and finally, I straightened up and met his gaze again. It was time to ask him the question I came in here for. “How have you seen Mr. Bxen before? You peer into my memories or something?” I asked.

  Shaed thought for a second, then nodded. “Something of the sort, yes. However, not within this lifetime.”

  I blinked. “Huh?” I cocked my head. “Like… one of my other lives or something?” I asked softly, my stomach twitching faintly at the idea.

  Was he someone from back then? Someone from Earth who also got reincarnated? I wondered.

  The probability of that happening is nonexistent. A rational said.

  Shaed shook their head. “No, Luna, they are not someone from that realm. The one you know as Lorzio Bxen has always been tied to Enora, from what I’ve gathered that is.”

  “How would you know that?” I asked curiously, yet Shaed waved his hand dismissively.

  “We do not have the time, nor I the patience, to expin the workings of the Pattern. Take my word for what it is. Bxen has always remained on Enora,”

  I frowned and swallowed. “Then how would I have seen him in my past life?”

  Shaed gave me a ft look. “Do you not recall what we’ve already spoken about?” He asked, disappointed.

  I scoffed and threw my hands up. “So much has happened today, give me a break!”

  Shaed rolled his eyes but nodded. “I’ve told you that this is not your first run on Enora, Luna.”

  My jaw fell open. “Excuse me?” I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense!” I jammed a finger at him. “You said all of those attempts with me before failed!” I snapped, recalling all the shattered bells within his tower. “You said all those times I went loony or some shit, and you had to wipe my memory, which by the way is fucked up!”

  “Luna, you are being irrational,” Shaed frowned. “Calm yourself, and let me speak.”

  I growled. “Why? So you can spin more lies? I’m sick and tired of you–everyone, really, hiding shit from me!”

  “Those attempts from before do not rete to your life now,” Shaed said bluntly. “What I’ve seen before was not from this echo but another.”

  There it is again. That word… Echo.

  “Yes. I see you’ve already come face to face with it.” Shaed said, “You’ve seen the Progninetor. Spoken to it, and… befriended it, so it seemed.” He said curiously.

  My lips felt dry. I blinked slowly, took a step back toward the door, and looked at him. “You’re talking about Cereb.”

  “I’m talking about you, Luna. Or really, your source.” Shaed tried to crify, yet it made little to no sense to me.

  “My, what?” I asked quietly.

  “The Proginetor is the source of your echo, Luna. Think of it as the one who casts the shout from the top of a mountain. The voice that comes back to it, being the echo, is you. But also, the one who casts it is as well.”

  Is he saying we’re not real? A goblin asked, concerned.

  Well, clearly that’s bullshit, we’re right here. Another added.

  Cereb did say something about us returning with a perspective. So what are we, a sve? A third chimed in.

  “Quiet those thoughts, Luna.” Shaed said, “I do not wish to scare you; I am merely speaking the truth as you asked.”

  “By… what?” I mumbled, my mind drawing a bnk. I came here wanting answers so I could make my own decision. To finally take the reins and do things how I thought, yet not even minutes ter, I’m being told that I’m not even my true self?

  Shaed let off a sigh. “And you see why I did not want to tell you this before, Luna?” His voice softened. “Let me be clear, that what you are is still you. You are a piece of something greater, something that has never been done before. When we met I said you were special, I was not lying or trying to be cliche.”

  “Then what am I?” I whispered, eyes wide and meeting his.

  Shaed’s dark form lowered before me, his bck cloak stretching out beneath him as he crouched to meet my gaze. “You are something new. You are my creation, separate from the Pattern and anything beyond any wielder’s creations. You are a piece of something greater, but more importantly, you are still your own being.” He reached out with a pale, thin hand and tapped my upper chest, though it phased through me slightly like an ethereal ghost.

  “I-I don’t… I don’t understand…” I admitted, my mind racing with and repeating his words in my head.

  I was his creation, yet I was also my own being. But I was also part of something greater? This sounded like some bullshit spun together to make me feel unique, but then again... I met Cereb. I’ve spoken to them and…

  “That creature, that… thing.” I swallowed anxiously. “Cereb, was the name I gave it.” I looked to Shaed. “It–they called you the Master of Pains, they seemed terrified of you… why?”

  Shaed’s softened expression hardened once again, and he pulled away his form unnaturally, standing up straight in a far too smooth a motion. “Because I am what they say I am. I wield the construct of agony and death, the twilight that is the end.”

  “That doesn’t really expin much–”

  Shaed’s expression darkened, and he gred at me. “The methods I’ve used to create your Progenitor and, in turn, you, Luna, were in ways no mortal should witness. It required vast quantities of ether to create a well so vast it could harness it all.” He held out an open palm, his fingers soon curling into a tight fist. “Do you know how I gathered all that ether?”

  My stomach sank into a deep pit, and my mouth dried. “How many people had to die?” I asked, recalling what Shaed truly looked like. The massive, roiling mass of bck tar, and contorting bodies of screaming victims. Were those the ones keeping Cereb and, in turn, me alive?

  Shaed didn’t meet my gaze; he looked away again, this time his attention focused on the mirror above the sink. A mirror that did not show his reflection but only my own. There, we could see my pale, terrified expression.

  “Far too many,” He said softly. “But enough to satisfy the cost–”

  “Are you fucking serious?!” I screamed without thinking, my mind stuck on the idea that hundreds, if not thousands, of people, innocent or not, were sacrificed to make me.

  “And this is why…” Shaed growled as he sideeyed me. “I withhold information from you.”

  I trembled and looked down at my hands, small, pale, and scarred with small cuts I had yet to heal properly. “What am I?” I asked again. “What am I really?”

  “You are Luna Ashflow.” Shaed said ftly.

  “No!” I spat. “What am I really? What am I too you, Shaed?” I demanded. “Why did you make me? Why did you reincarnate me?”

  “We’ve already gone over this–”

  “Go over it again!” I ordered.

  Shaed sighed and lowered his head, but did as I said. “I created you in order to defeat those that come from beyond.” His eyes met mine. “You’ve already encountered one of them, Putinov, a being that Mr. Bxen referred to as a Prophet. A title that suits them well. As I told you previously, and honestly, I do not know much about these beings that come from beyond the threshold, Luna. All I know is that they are vast, and something here is keeping them at bay. Something that the Prophet wishes to disrupt. So as a countermeasure, I made you.”

  I shook my head; my mind was spinning. I was trying to understand, but it was so much. So much to take in at once.

  “I know this is a lot,” Shaed said, “I wanted to wait until you were older and acclimated to this world and body. But, as, outside forces began to meddle in my pns. Wielders with thier own agendas, simir, yet separate from my own stepped in.”

  “What?” I asked, only half listening.

  Charity and Venra were right. I was only a tool—a weapon, groomed for his use.

  “And then, they caught your scent. You and the Prophet met once again, and now the current of time and the Pattern flows again.” Shaed said, twiddling his fingers in the air, “Like always, the cycle continues.”

  “What the fuck are you going on about?” I barked, but then a knock came from the bathroom door.

  “Luna,” my father’s voice said, muffled and concerned. “Is everything alright?”

  I looked over my shoulder at the door and sucked in a deep breath. Beside me, Shaed spoke, “It seems our talk will be cut short, yet again. With our connection re-establish we shall speak more… but, Luna, let me tell you this.” I looked at him, his face dark and serious. I felt a chill run down my spine

  “The path I’ve chosen to walk is one I know will lead to misery. Many will see me as the vilin. Let them. You may not agree with me either, but soon you’ll understand, for this is what I’ve created you for. Hate me if you will, but know in the end that I am right.”

  “It’s said the dark one’s armies first nded upon the golden coast in southern Eurion in the kingdom formally known as Aeilvian, which is modern-day Aeilhart, at the start of his Invasion. “Ancient reports indicate that the ships of the time were unlike any seen before. Massive, long vessels made of an ingenious mix of hardened wood and metal, sturdy enough to brave the intense environment, and leviathans of the Westriden Ocean. However, some schors argue that, despite such brilliant engineering, a journey from the Southern Continent to Eurion would be impractical, even with an amphibious assault. Therefore, another staging area for the dark one’s Invasion had to exist…”

  - Enora’s Last War, a Modern take on the Twilight Conflict, Rodger Bribbleham.

  ImmortanJoJo