Our first fight comes only five bounds into the Dark Lands, and it’s against thirty-something trolls. Somehow, we emerge victorious. And so it goes. Every five bounds or so, we’re attacked by trolls and the darkness gets deeper.

Lightlaugh soon is our only source of light and we use him like a flying torch, telling him where to go. He stays out of the fighting. After what feels like hours, we finally arrive at a giant stone mansion, full of lights that blare out through the windows.

“The Unspeakable One’s house?” I ask and Lightlaugh chokes on his air, so scared he is.

“Yes. We are here.” Ik Nal squeaks before continuing,

“Today is not good day to die. Ik Nal says we go back.”

“There is no going back, coward.” Sunshine spits at Ik Nal and Whitehair bristles.

“Don’t talk to him like that! He’s the only one here who has ever met the evil one!” He hisses and I take a deep breath.

Even the air in the Dark Lands is foul and breathing is difficult.

“How do we get in?”

“We must knock on the front door and the evil one will accept our challenge.” Whitehair says.

“Then off we go to the front door.” Seeker whispers and Lightlaugh lights the way for us, until we reach a large, black metal door.

“Ik Nal is greatly scared.” Ik Nal whimpers and Sunshine sizes up the door.

“I’ll knock.” She says and proceeds to do so.

The knock rings out loudly, echoing through all the Dark Lands it seems.

The doors immediately open and before us stands a woman with mouse ears. She has the reddest hair I’ve ever seen and is wearing a long red dress. A mouse tail pokes out from the bottom of her dress and I stare into her ruby eyes.

“Hello, darlings.” She says, her voice rich and luxurious.

We stand in speechless silence and the woman giggles.

“Please, do come in. It’s much brighter inside than out.”

In stupefied shock, we step inside, but I react first.

“Wait, you’re the Unspeakable One?” I demand and the woman tilts her head to the side, her red hair curling down her shoulder.

“I had heard that the Flolesians call me that, but I didn’t quite believe it until now.” She says thoughtfully before continuing.

“Anywho, I hadn’t been expecting to see the savior of Nearth here in Floles. It’s quite an honor.”

“How do you know anything about me?” I snap and the woman purses her lips,

“I have a contact in Nearth. Maybe you’ve heard of him. His name is Terror.”

I laugh, which is clearly not the reaction the woman was expecting.

“I’m sorry to say this, but your “contact”, Terror is gone. I lost him in the Walled Box. He was stupid enough to chase me in.”

“Yes, well, he always did have a temper. The two of you have a lot in common: horrible tempers, killed your twin sibling… Need I go on?”

My mouth drops open in horror as the memory replays in my head from earlier. The arrow flying into my twin’s chest in slow motion. It was all my fault. My temper killed my twin sister.

“It was an accident!” I shout and the woman smiles, showing sharp teeth.

“And then your own Queen blamed you for her death. You were supposed to join your Uncle Ahe as one of the border guards of your people’s territory. But after you murdered your own twin, well, not so much.”

“I’m not a murderer!” I roar as I launch myself at the woman.

She sidesteps me, faster than anything natural should be.

“What on Nearth are you?” I exclaim and the woman smiles brighter,

“The name’s Rubydanis. I’m from Madhar. That’s all you need to know.”

“Everyone, stay close!” I call, as I turn to look at the group.

They look distant, as if they’re hundreds of feet away instead of just the two feet they had been not that long ago. Faintly, I hear Lightlaugh screaming my name and then shouting,

“We’re all going to die!”

I sharply look back at the group, but they’re not moving.

“What is this?” I demand and Rubydanis chuckles,

“We’re in your mind, darling. They’re fighting me in real life. You against me in real life isn’t a fair battle, so I thought I’d even the odds.”

“So, what? I tell you a riddle or something to try to stump you and you let me free?”

“Or something.” Rubydanis replies mildly as she whips out a sword.

She charges at me and slashes for my head but I dodge by a hair’s breadth. I twirl around and kick her in the back, sending her flying against a black wooden wall.

“Hmph. You’re a tad bit stronger than I thought.” She says and stands up.

We battle for what seems like forever until she slices down my side and I gasp in pain.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that mental wounds don’t hurt as bad as physical wounds.” Rubydanis sneers, when suddenly, a sword plunges through her chest and she screams.

Everything returns to normal gradually, first everything happens around me in slow motion and then speeds up to regular speed. I watch at a sword pierces through Rubydanis’s chest and then she screams and explodes into a mist of blackness. All that remains is a pile of black dust and Ik Nal standing behind her pile, trembling and shaking, with Seeker’s sword in his hands.

I look around and see all my new companions badly injured and flung around the room in various positions and locations. Except for Ik Nal.

“Ik Nal… You killed her.” I finally say and Ik Nal breaks down crying.

“Yes. Ik Nal has killed the evil one.” He says after he composes himself and hurries over to Whitehair.

“Whitehair, my friend, you must get up. The evil one is dead.” He says, shaking the child but Whitehair won’t wake up.

Suddenly, the metal doors burst open.

“Where’s that witch, Rubydanis?” A thin, wispy voice demands, and I look to see a glowing teenage girl wearing a dress made from stardust.

She has on a diamond ring and has cool brown skin. Her eyes are silver, and her hair is blue. Her complexion is perfect, reminding me of someone… Seahea Sebook was his name. He never liked me.

With a jolt, I realize I can freely remember all my past, not just trickles at a time.

“She’s dead.” I hear myself say and the girl pauses.

“R-Really?” She asks after a moment and I point to the pile of black dust.

“That’s all that’s left of her.” I say and the girl smiles with relief.

“Then you killed her?”

“Actually, Ik Nal did.” I say as I point to Ik Nal and the girl looks stunned.

“A... A troll killed Rubydanis?”

“Not just any troll. The only albino troll.”

The girl approaches Ik Nal, leaving pale white flowers where she steps, and kneels before him. She gently puts her hands to his head and kisses his forehead.

“Thank you, Ik Nal.”

“And who are you exactly? You seem fairly familiar with Rubydanis.” I ask and the girl nods,

“My name is Aerglo. I’m a celestial and I was on this planet whenever Rubydanis first arrived. I have just only returned today and learned of what she had done to the planet.”

“Can you help my comrades in any way? They’re badly injured.” I ask hopefully and Aerglo shakes her head.

“I don’t know the art of healing, I’m afraid.”

“The evil one has a potion-making room, but Ik Nal does not recall exactly where it is.”

“Then let’s look around. I’m a potion-making expert.” I say and Aerglo nods.

“Let’s.”

She opens a door and looks down.

“It’s a hidden passageway.”

“Hey, I just have a question.” I say and Aerglo turns to look at me.

“Yes?’

“How did you get here anyways? We had to fight for hours to reach this mansion, and there were six of us. You just came right in.”

“Oh, that. I just flew over the Dark Lands until I saw the lights of Rubydanis’s mansion.”

Aerglo opens the second door and I follow her inside the room. The room is an armory, filled with weapons and armor. Each weapon and suit of armor is labeled with some name. A grey sword with a black handle is named Bellarosalina. A black and white suit of armor is named Hippilie.

There’s at least fifty more sets of armor and weapons.

“What is all of this?” I ask as Ik Nal enters the room.

“It is her trophy room.” Ik Nal says and my blood freezes.

“All those poor people.” Aerglo gasps and I feel sick.

“What a monster.”

We leave the room and Aerglo opens the next door, revealing a library. We leave the library and go into the next room. It’s a garden with all sorts of unusual plants, but for some reason, I feel anxious as I remain in the garden.

“Ik Nal not like garden.”

“I feel like everything in here was once a person.” Aerglo says as she studies the garden and I’m struck with a horrible truth.

“This is where she took her prisoners. Ik Nal knows what happened here. Ik Nal not like.”

“Let us leave this horrible place.” Aerglo says and we exit the garden room.

Aerglo opens the next door to reveal a kitchen with an open pantry full of food.

“It seems harmless enough, but I’m not touching the food.” I say and Ik Nal shivers,

“The evil one ate meat of all kinds.” Is all he says but a chill goes up my spine.

“Terror looks like a beginner in the arts of evil, compared to Rubydanis.” I say and we exit the kitchen quickly.

Lightlaugh stirs from his place on the floor and so is Seeker from her place against the wall.

Aerglo opens another room and reveals a potion brewing stand surrounded by ingredients.

“Much better. Now I can make some potions of healing.”