"I was even weaker than I had thougt," the girl said. Just like the first time they had met, she was sitting on a rock. But this time, there were no sweet-scented flowers or starry skies. There was only darkness, and in the middle of that stood a single rock. The only source of light was the silver glow flowing from the girl herself.
"How long have you been like this?" Arsh asked. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. There she sat in the endless darkness of his mind, on a cold rock, with her arms wrapped around her legs.
"I don't know how much time has passed since I last spoke to you. I've been in the dark ever since. Until that boy showed up."
"Why did you tell me to keep him?"
"You didn't notice, did you? Even though he looks different… that child isn't human. He only looks human. He belongs to the people of the distant seas. But I don't know what he's doing here."
"People of the distant seas… they're not human?" Arsh asked.
He couldn't make sense of it. The only thing that made the child seem different from ordinary people was his green hair. What exactly was different about him?
"Of course not… Don't you think it's a little arrogant to believe that our kind is the only one sharing this vast world? Wasn't it because of that arrogance that the gods separated the distant seas from the lands of humans…"
"But there are also animals and plants; we are not alone at all... Wait, what? What separated?"
"Sorry. We don't have time to talk about that right now. I only managed to recover because of the energy coming from the child. But once he moves too far from where he's supposed to be, even that energy will fade and drop to the level of humans."
At that moment, there were so many questions Arsh wanted to ask. If he hadn't noticed the light emanating from the girl begin to waver and fade. But he had no choice but to save them for next time—whenever that might be.
"What should I do?" Arsh asked.
"The energy the child is giving off should have affected you as well. This time, I'll help you too. We're going to open the door the old man talked about. But be careful. Since the door will be opened by force, they'll see you as an intruder. The worms are the goddess's loyal soldiers. Protecting what she entrusted to them is important to them."
"Soldiers?" Arsh thought. As he listened to the girl, more and more questions piled up in his mind.
"Just focus. Imagine the golden dust that can save Ezra drifting through the air."
"But that won't work. I can't find something that vague," Arsh said.
"You will! Right now, with the power you're receiving from the child and my help, it's possible. But remember—this will only be possible for a short time. So focus!"
Arsh felt that she was a bit aggressive. He did as she said quietly.
He closed his eyes and imagined golden glowing dust drifting through the air like desert sand carried by the wind. Before long, he felt his consciousness leave the place where the girl was and return to the cliff.
When he opened his eyes, golden threads had begun wrapping around the rock at the edge of the cliff. Then the tips of the threads started sinking into the center of the stone.
A moment later, a door appeared—just like Old Milor had described. It looked as though the threads were forcing it open.
"We can't keep it open for long. Go, get inside!" the girl said. Then, her voice softening slightly this time, she added, "... and try to be respectful to them."
Arsh stepped forward, his movements slowing involuntarily. Even though he didn't want to step into the pitch-black darkness in front of him, he didn't have much of a choice.
He took a deep breath and stepped through the door.
...
Contrary to what Old Milor had described, this place didn't resemble a magnificent cathedral. Sure, it was a really big place, but he had seen similar places before.
It felt more like a forgotten place—decayed, worn down, and dark.
In the light of the torches burning along the walls, he could make out fragments of the murals.
Although the paint had peeled away in patches and faded, most of them depicted seascapes and the figures of two women. The women in these resembled the ones in the picture Mrs. Burton had shown them when he visit her with Mes.
Two women—one with wings, and the other with a fish tail.
But in response, a voice echoed through the hall, making it feel like the whole place shook.
"Who are you? How dare you address the goddesses by name?"
Before Arsh could even turn his head to see the source of the voice, his entire body was wrapped by something within seconds. It felt as though all his bones were crushing into each other. The pressure kept tightening until it felt as though his bones were being crushed together, making it impossible to breathe.
Just a few seconds ago, the hall had been completely empty, and he hadn't even realized what was attacking him. But now, he could see the thing standing right in front of his eyes.
A creature resembling a massive snake's head, staring at him with eyes as large as his palms.
"Hmm, a human… How did you get in here?" the creature said.
Even though it didn't move its mouth, it was obvious the voice had come from it.
Not knowing what to say, Arsh hesitated.
"Ah… well, through that door over there," he said.
Although he couldn't move his arms, he tilted his head toward the door he had entered through.
But there was no door there anymore.
"You forced your way in," the worm said.
"…I guess I did."
"How did you come here?"
"A man—his name was Old Milor—told me that years ago he met you here. He said you told him to share the story," Arsh said.
The worm pulled back its enormous head and seemed to think for a moment.
"Ah, that man... the last visitor to come here. It was a hundred or so years ago. He did as we asked. He also opened this door by accident... but he didn't force his way in," the worm said, squeezing Arsh tighter.
"Ugh..."
"And what is this little thing you brought with you?" the worm asked, moving its head past Arsh. "A little mouse that dared to hit me…"
Even though Arsh couldn't see what the creature was talking about, the sound of whimpering, like someone crying, made him realize the boy was there too.
'But he was sleeping when I left. Did he followed me. But then I would have noticed. Perhaps the door had stayed open longer than we expected, and he woken up and followed me.' While Arsh thinking about how didi the child end up with him here, he noticed two more worms crawling out from a dark corner, quickly approaching them.
"Don't touch the boy!" he yelled instinctively. But the worms didn't seem to care.
"It's not human," one of them said.
"It belongs to the people of Goddess of the distant seas," the other added.
At that moment, even though Arsh tried to stay calm and follow the girl's advice while surrounded by those enormous creatures, he couldn't help worrying about the child.
But maybe he should have been more worried for himself.
Because unlike what they had done to him, one of the other worms gently coiled itself around the child and lifted him up.
"What are you doing here… I see… Is that so…"
Arsh listened but couldn't understand anything.
The worm was the only one speaking, yet it seemed as though it was having a conversation with the child.
This went on for a while.
"So you like this human that much… Is his energy that nice… Let's see…"
The worm paused.
"You're right. He has a pleasant energy."
Then it lowered its head slightly.
"Alright, don't cry. We won't hurt him. Kora, let the human go."
And just like that, although Arsh had no idea what had happened, his brief captivity came to an end thanks to the child.
"Now tell us. What do you want?" said the worm that had released him.
"The Fang of Darkness," Arsh said between breaths.
Every bone in his body ached, and he struggled to catch his breath.
"My friend is dying. He was poisoned by the Fang of Darkness. I came here to find the antidote that can save him."
"The Fang of Darkness… Then you came to the right place. We have the antidote. But we cannot simply give it to you. It is something precious. You must have heard it from the man who told you about this place as well. We can grant your wish. But in return, you must do something for us."
"What do you want?" Arsh asked.
If it was something simple like telling a story, he would gladly do it.
"When the time comes, you will owe us a favor in the name of the Goddess Seyra."