“Libel. Maim. Pilfer.”

  Three merciless words came out of Knife—and all at once Yurreth combusted into a hellish conflagration of iron. Metal thorns, barbed wire, and black blades erupted from her like insect stingers in hiding. The next moment was even more confusing and nightmarish—at least for Hazahnahkah.

  Knife was suddenly silent, a reddish patch of corrosion crept up the back of her blade from her hilt like an autumn cast of leaves. The only illness metal feared…

  … Rust.

  It was only clear that Yurreth had won when she snapped her jaw straight, pulling out the weapons that had come up from her throat. She blinked out the razors in her eyes and corrected her posture like a refurbished glass puppet. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was pursed, unsurprisingly she was nothing like the charade that was once “Maria”. The wounds on her body stitched shut, and before anyone could ask her why she had betrayed Knife, why anyone with Knife’s dreams had betrayed Knife, Nazaki darted forward and in a desperate clutch for Vrast. Spores exploded with each footstep. The next moment, Knife and Nazaki were gone into the gate that had opened at the chamber’s center. No light escaped the pitch black hole.

  “Well,” Yurreth said. “That was sloppy of me. However, there are no worries. She cannot go far. I gave the boy human immunodeficiency virus, an advanced form of osteoporosis, and metastatic cancer. The only cure is a specific gene sequence that is stored in my bone marrow. Vrast is too proud to return and beg for it, probably even too proud to allow her wielder to drink it. She’ll struggle against the symptoms and die.”

  Hazahnahkah wasn’t entirely sure what any of those things were, but he knew they wouldn’t work—not that he wanted them to. None of them sounded pleasant, and despite what Knife and Nazaki had done, they didn’t deserve death. He cleared his throat, trying to push away the sensory overload Yurreth’s odors gave off, as well as the assumptions the rumors surrounding her provoked.

  “Knife has my Third Terror. This can cure any ailment that you inflicted.”

  “She had your Third Terror,” Yurreth corrected. “Knife’s abilities are powerful but limited so far as I understand. She can only “maim” one person at a time just as she can only “pilfer” one Ramble at a time. The moment she pilfered my Ramble she gave up yours.”

  “Then can’t she use that to make a cure?”

  “My Ramble has nothing to do with my diseases. There’s nothing she can do.”

  “And what of her First Confession, Libel?” Galfarys asked. “My Ramble’s safety field was the only reason Dalagun and I could make it through her illusions. Can she not use her Ramble at the molecular level upon your afflictions?”

  “Libel only affects the six senses. Diseases don’t use the six senses.”

  “Oh.”

  Sixth sense? Hazahnahkah was unsure of all that had happened here. It was clear that somehow, he seemed to be the least knowledgeable person in the room when it came to his sister. He didn’t want to lose the only family he had, and Hwayoung too felt similarly. Their mouth made a strange noise, though only the girl’s voice came through.

  “But I need to bring Nazaki back,” she said.

  “Why does death worry you, when Hazahnahkah lets you survive it?”

  “But can I bring inanimate objects back to life?” Hazahnahkah asked.

  “Are you inanimate?”

  This struck Hazahnahkah oddly. Yurreth didn’t know him at all, but she was so certain he was alive. This didn’t seem like an evil person to him. It was hard to believe that all of the slavery and pain leading up to Placenta and this place was accomplished in her name. Yurreth raised her hand towards Hazahnahkah’s face.

  The missing eye in Hwayoung’s skull—it was there again.

  “You must be tired,” she said. “Powerful Rambles are exhausting to use. Perhaps worry about bringing Vrast back to life when you have slept well after battle.”

  “I could hardly sleep after this,” Hazahnahkah managed. He meant to open Hwayoung’s mouth and ask more questions: about Black Garden, about Yurreth, about Knife and her dreamers. Most of all, how he could repair himself and return Hwayoung’s body to her sole ownership. Before he could do any of that, her eyes shut for him. Even with the power of all his Terrors, he could not resist that ethereal force named sleep.

  It was something they direly needed. The changes from their recent encounters were already taking effect on Hazahnahkah. If Knife’s ambush had developed him this much, he could only imagine what growth Hwayoung would wake up to. This notion made it even harder to sleep:

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  [Experience Gained — The Battles Before Black Garden]

  -A long journey has carried Hazahnahkah and Hwayoung from beneath The Leviathan Sky through foes even The Sword would not dare face… Yet they have survived Vrast’s onslaught to walk towards a new day…

  [Hazahnahkah’s Attributes]

  Health (source of vitality and abilities): 900,000,000,000

  Energy (source of stamina and abilities): 900,000,000,000

  Agility (speed of actions): 50,550 → 61,100

  Regeneration (rate of recovery per hour for Health and Energy): 100,000,000,000

  Tenacity (resistance to unwanted effects): 100,000,000,000,000

  Strength (physical or mental reality manipulation potency): 1,000,000,000

  [Hazahnahkah’s Relationships]

  Hwayoung: Friends 110/100 → Guilty 140/100

  Ysan: Lamented 100/100

  [Hwayoung’s Attributes]

  Health (source of vitality and abilities): 3,000 → 5,000

  Energy (source of stamina and abilities): 3,200 → 3,500

  Agility (speed of actions): 5,900 → 12,000

  Regeneration (rate of recovery per hour for Health and Energy): 50 → 100

  Tenacity (resistance to unwanted effects): 175 → 200

  Strength (physical or mental reality manipulation potency): 80 → 150

  [Hwayoung’s Relationships]

  Hazahnahkah: Betrayed 60/100 → Victorious 70/100

  It was a deep rest at first. Hwayoung’s eyes drowsily lapsed open and closed, each time the chamber changed dramatically. First, Yurreth’s forces prepared provisions, equipment, and a camp. Second, Bankanzaku lashed out and attacked everyone the moment that they tried to engage him. He slipped away into the gate after Nazaki. Third, Hwayoung arose to an ewer of freshwater and intricate delicacies the Sword couldn’t name. She ate and drank. The taste and relief was not as lucid as it was while experienced through her. Hazahnahkah watched as he always did, feeling closer than ever before and yet still just as far. By the time she finished, most people involved in the battle had been scouted out and found. One of which was Lazul. He was declared to be in a coma, but Bankanzaku hadn’t touched him. Hazahnahkah was unsure of how this could happen.

  Zalaster with them after an intense conversation with Yurreth. “She offered her hand in marriage,” he said. “Again.”

  “She’s still on about that?” Hwayoung asked.

  “Well this time, I am considering it,” Zalaster muttered, weary. “I came here to measure the capabilities of Yurreth’s nation and from the moment I set foot in Placenta it was quite clear to me there was no alternative to peaceful negotiation for The Fawn Cities. They move islands in the air. Islands.”

  “But doesn’t Yurreth marry everyone?” Hwayoung asked. “How is a political marriage doing your people any favors?”

  Ysan had brought another ewer with bowls of fruit. “The girl is right, Patriarch,” she whispered, low. “We must be careful about giving Yurreth too much too fast. Knife will be dead soon and that leaves little power to check the Rapscallion.”

  Zalaster leaned in, speaking through folded hands. “Well, Galfarys says there are methods of healing Hazahnahkah beyond Black Garden.” He turned to Yurreth, who glanced at them, and waved affably. “And she has promised additional benefits to our marriage. Freedom from her governance for all Fawn Cities, for one. Not to mention the assistance of her followers, including the blueprints of her rambletide leyline aether technology. This will be a great thing for our people. I do not want to stand in the way of that with a fear-based mindset. The Fawn Cities have been struggling with their own problems overlong.”

  Hwayoung and Ysan shifted uncomfortably. It was a great deal of benefit. Hazahnahkah also believed the marriage was a good decision, given what little he knew.

  “And she gains?” Ysan asked.

  “Claim to all of Black Garden.”

  Everyone was quiet. Nobody knew what that meant. Knife and Yurreth just tried killing one another over this place, but nobody had any means to challenge them for the monolith anyway. To Hazahnahkah, it was clear that Zalaster wanted to marry Yurreth for the benefit of others at great cost to himself, but could Yurreth really be that bad? Strange feelings were building up within the sword. He was very unsure of what to believe. Knife had likely slandered Yurreth as she had Hazahnahkah, but it was true that Yurreth married many other people. Marriage meant something different to her than it did to Zalaster.

  “I think you should wait,” Hazahnahkah said through Hwayoung. “It would be shortsighted to make a decision based on the agreement that you don’t see marriage the same way.”

  “Is that the Key or the girl speaking?” Zalaster asked.

  “The girl,” Hwayoung growled. “Haz, you need to tell me if you’re going to use my mouth.”

  “Apologies,” Hazahnahkah said. “Much of what has happened so far is my fault.”

  “It’s… fine.” Hwayoung grunted. “It seems like Yurreth only cares about Black Garden now, so it’s just a matter of bringing Nazaki back.”

  “And getting our bodies back to normal,” Hazahnahkah added.

  [Hwayoung’s Relationships]

  Hazahnahkah: Victorious 70/100 → Forgiving 90/100

  “And that,” Hwayoung said. “Can you use your Three Terrors from inside of me?”

  Hazahnahkah hadn’t even bothered to check. He pointed at one of the many geometric pillars and reshaped it with his Third Terror. It worked. But only slightly. He carved out his name but the indentation was barely a scratch. Whatever this structure was made of, it was no wonder Knife couldn’t destroy it. It was nearly impossible to manipulate even after a good night’s rest.

  Yurreth somehow took notice of this. She examined the pillar and turned to Hwayoung. “Hazahnahkah, do try not to touch things you don’t understand.”

  “Yes…” Hazahnahkah and Hwayoung both said in unison. “Sorry.”

  At this, Lamina was walked out with two guards flanking her on each side. She was in shackles now, and had a blindfold on. It was unclear why she was suddenly a prisoner. A long host of carriages, some enclosed, some open, were filled with medicines and food. One of the soldiers rushed to Yurreth and whispered something. She nodded, whispering loudly for all to hear. “Yes, I am aware we have twelve hours,” she then paced towards them and smiled. “I think it would be unfair to lay claim to Black Garden without any of you understanding what it is. We are unfortunately out of time here. Shall I show you personally?”

  “Where does it lead?” Zalaster asked.

  Both Hwayoung and Hazahnahkah had imagined the Rapscallion would answer with “Vrast”, “Nazaki”, or even “Bankanzaku”. She said none of these names.

  “Freedom,” Yurreth said.