My eye burned. Even as Jasmine continued to embrace me, the only sensation I could really feel was the dull pain against my left eye. Madeleine seemed to notice it, and she approached us.

  Her black eyes scanned me, going over my face again and again and again. Finally, she stopped and pulled out a vial. “You’ve made the altar, non?”

  “I did,” I responded, pushing Jasmine off my body. She seemed disappointed, but then shivered.

  “How are you even colder, Ashy?!” she barked, immediately running to Madeleine to embrace her and steal her warmth.

  Maddy chuckled, rubbing Jasmine’s spine and then handing the vial to me. “You want to ask… her… for an [Interdiction] for your [Student] class. She’ll want an offering. You will offer that, and when you become a [Scholar], I want you to tell her you are going to be trained in the Domain of Winter.”

  I took the vial from Madeleine. It was filled with a heavy fluid, and when I tried bringing it to my nose, she stopped me. “It is a gift from my sister. The fumes alone are dangerous. If you want to know what it smells like, ask the one who hasn’t stopped staring at the wall. She can’t die again.”

  I turned my attention to Ophelia, who had, as Madeleine stated, been staring at the wall. It was more accurate to say she was staring at another painting—this one far larger.

  I had seen variations of it before. “The Descent.”

  While most people wouldn’t even acknowledge Rhyve– Rhea as anything more than “The Enemy,” she was the ninth goddess, the last of the Celestials. The sayings go she was formed from the writhing afterbirth of Mother Nyx, formed to represent the cycle.

  And her domain was the dead and living. We prayed all went to The Fields, but that was still in her domain.

  This painting showed all the layers of the afterlife… and then two layers more. Madeleine saw me staring too, and her eyes turned to look at the wall. I could see her face peer at it curiously, before turning to shock. Her hand covered her mouth. “...Blessed Mother.”

  Jasmine turned her head to look as well, but Madeleine instantly pulled her back. “Now, now… Jasmine… we should go out. This is not a room for mortals like us. Let us leave this Necropolis and meet the two upstairs.”

  Jasmine pouted, and began to open her mouth. Madeleine immediately put her lips atop of hers, which caused her to blush and turn red. “Let’s go, Jasmine,” she repeated, using the fluster to drag her about.

  I shook my head. Madeleine was a bit too open for my liking, but if it worked, it worked.

  It often went like this—the Fields were where those who were pure and good and honest went. The Ocean was for those who were adventurers, or worshipped Nyla, the Goddess of the Sea.

  Below the Ocean were the Plains, for those who weren’t truly bad or good. Below that was Remembrance, ruled by Azadin—the Judge. This was for sinners, where their souls would find penance before being returned back to the world to try again.

  Below that was Torment—ruled, as it is said, by Rhyvesta. This was for monsters—both Night-Things, or those committing irreparable crimes. I often found it funny that both the Phoenix Queen, and her enemies, are said to have a place here.

  But the two places below that? That was new.

  I walked beside Ophelia, who had been staring at the first row. It was the home of Night-Things—and my mouth opened on its own.

  “The Abyss…” I muttered, and Ophelia turned to look at me.

  “Is that what it’s called? Interesting name,” she responded, and her hand went to touch the wall. Her fingers scraped against the stone, stroking over where her fellow vampires were.

  My attention shifted to the spot below. If Rhea actually was in charge of tormenting the dead, what would be the fate of her worshippers?

  Torrent, it seemed. I could see this image twice, and it bothered my head. A thought in my brain formed, and I closed my left eye. There was no spot under the Abyss like that.

  But when I only closed my right, and my new left eye stared out…

  …A Necropolis. Rhea’s Necropolis, hidden underneath. The ultimate fate for my kind. Not the Fields. Not Torment. Torrent.

  There was something strange about this image to me. The [Necromancer] in the images didn’t seem human at this point, and they looked like they were floating.

  I, however, had work to do, and new abilities to seek. I wanted to look at my powers, but right now Madeleine was right. I looked incredibly different, and whatever plan she had in mind would hopefully fix it.

  I moved away from the wall and let Ophelia stare, and turned towards the… sepulcher.

  The sepulcher was an urn in the center of the room, where green flames licked out. I stared at the fire, and in its images, I could see that shifting face looking back at me. I didn’t feel afraid this time, and approached.

  “Ianias seto… keva... Lok’ian…”

  “Blessed mother, I come before thee?” Ophelia asked, immediately turning around. “Wait, why do I understand that?”

  I ignored her, and continued to pray. “Omal... Viya’ka, Thorin.” Please change my fate.

  Ophelia hesitantly walked behind me again. “Gravespeech. When did you learn Gravespeech?”

  The sepulcher came to life and created a pillar of green flames. Ophelia stepped back, but I pressed the offering into the flames, and the room was filled with sweet, almond-smelling odors. I coughed, as blood poured into my hands.

  “Sweetest Child, your offering is accepted. I will use this gift of Cyanide in my plans. Your mother will advance you.”

  My body seized, and I felt my bones crack.

  This was a lot of information at once, and my body felt uneasy. My soul was being played with and manipulated. It was rearranging something inside of me to fix it—it wasn’t a natural advancement.

  I nodded though, going through the pain.

  “Winter…” I croaked out.

  My body glowed, and I felt the coolness come into my hands. Madeleine had planned all this? I coughed, and Ophelia immediately grabbed my back.

  “Mistress, you are cold,” she said.

  “I know that,” I responded.

  “No, you are cold. I can feel the coldness,” she emphasized.

  I let Ophelia guide me, but my attention turned to one of my new abilities.

  I stopped moving, and turned to Ophelia. “You are under my command, right?”

  Ophelia’s head turned to face me. “Have I done something wrong, mistress?”

  “Do you want to advance?”

  “You have a plan to kill my father?”

  “Better. Do you trust me?”

  Ophelia looked over at me. “No. But I recognize your power. Is that enough?”

  “No,” I immediately responded. “You have to trust me, and accept being under my command.”

  “Fine,” Ophelia responded. “I... ‘trust’... you.”

  When I looked over at her, my left eye burned. She was loyal to me, but she wasn’t under my command. It felt like I could just… “tell” how a [Night-Thing] viewed me. I shook my head. “We’ll have to make you trust me proper, then.”

  Ophelia also shook her head. “Will you tell me why?”

  “I can advance you, but you’d have to work for me,” I answered.

  Ophelia stopped moving us both, and then looked at my eyes. She chewed on her lip, and then offered her hand. “I can not do that thing you mortals do when you promise, but will my word count? I will aid you, if you aid me.”

  I took her hand.

  “What is a Lamian or Ancient, Mistress?” Ophelia asked, and my head shot to hers.

  “You can see it too?” I immediately asked, ignoring the actual question.

  “Yes? Wait, you can see it?” Ophelia responded, her voice matching my own confusion.

  “Interesting. I’ll leave it as your choice, Ophelia. So why don’t you research what they are, and tell me what you want to be?” I offered.

  That made Ophelia smile, and she nodded. “I shall. I am curious about what they are. Drakhuul doesn’t appeal to me, I do not wish to look like a monster.”

  I shrugged, but the two of us walked outside as well.

  “Maddy, why is it so bright?” I asked, walking out of the basement towards the two of them. They were staring into town, towards Upper Oakheart in specific.

  It was still night outside, and I could see the moon and stars. But in the distance, a glowing… sun? hovered in Upper Oakheart.

  “I do not know what this is,” Madeleine slowly said. “I too am at a loss.”

  Jasmine scrunched her eyes. “...It’s Amaril’s Gaze. Seriously, you two, go to church.”

  Ophelia peered straight. “Weird. I do wonder what’s going on.”

  It probably didn’t matter at all, so my attention turned to my team. “So, I think our first effort is going to be finding new customers. The fact I freed Ophelia means that Elias likely doesn’t like us.”

  “Non. I have many, especially in Flowers-By-The-River.”

  That name clicked for me. “OH! Maddy, do you know anyone by the name of Elizabeth Bazerie?”

  Both Ophelia and Maddy looked to the side. “Yes, chérie. Why are you asking?” Madeleine responded.

  “...Well, uh... Flowers-By-The-River is already blighted, and it’s by some woman named Elizabeth Bazerie.”

  “That bitch. She said it wasn’t!” Ophelia growled.

  “Who is she?”

  “The Leader of the Silent Path. The… assassins, underworld, criminals. I know I present a very cheerful tone, chérie, but the actual underworld? Very dangerous.”

  “Can we sell to them?”

  “We have to. If we want to sell… legally in the underworld, they get a cut of the money.”

  “That sounds fin—”

  “50%.” Ophelia and Madeleine both stated.

  Jasmine looked at me. “Well, why don’t we start our own then? We already have our own parts.”

  Madeleine chuckled, “You want to go against the Silent Path? You are brave, pipelette. They slit girls’ throats and bleed them out for their plants.” Her finger crossed Jasmine’s neck.

  “No! I won’t! I mean, Ashley and Ophelia and you can get them!” Jasmine shouted.

  The three of us stared at each other. “I mean… I need money,” Madeleine said, offering a shrug. “And I think one of my sisters wanted live subjects for something..”

  “I’m in,” Ophelia nonchalantly added.

  I sighed. “I mean, can we do this without getting involved?”

  The two of them shook their heads. “Unless you want the 50% cut, chérie.”

  “I do not, no.”

  “Then you have no choice… but before that. Did you do as I asked?”

  I looked at my hands. “Yes?”

  “Then why are you still a [Farm Girl]?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Chérie, there are no level 6 [Farm Girl]. Your [Veil] is set—do not make dumb mistakes like this. Make your veil [CRYOTHEURGE], and start telling people you finished your quest. You held the story that you do not tell people your quest, right?”

  “I did.”

  “Then the things happening to you also happen to the Winter Court—which you will now have to claim to be part of.”

  I rolled my shoulders with that, and looked to the horizon. “All three of us have work to do, don’t we?”

  We nodded, and each of us returned home.