The days flew by, in flashes of hazy awareness and deep, dreamless sleep. All she knew was that they were going through the jungle, it had been almost three weeks, and Grant had carried her the whole way.

Cosimia awoke with a jolt and Grant stopped, watching her closely as she calmed herself down. He shifted her body deftly in his arms and Cosimia felt twinges of guilt in her chest.

"You don't have to carry me any longer. I've healed." She said groggily. The words felt like ash on her tongue. Grant shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm not letting go of you. Let me care for you, Cosimia."

Too tired to respond, Cosimia just smacked her dry lips together and looked around. They were deep in the forest on a trodden path. Her patrol navigated the dense jungle easily, as if they had been there their whole lives. Mathias led the group, confidently traipsing through the thick underbrush.

"Where are we going?" She croaked. Freda rushed to Cosimia and dug out a canteen.

"Drink." She ordered. Her friend's tone held no room for refusal. Cosimia gratefully accepted the water and gulped just enough down, the sweet liquid easing her parched throat.

"Thank you, Freda, for everything." Freda waved her off and resumed her spot.

"Say nothing of it," she called back. Cosimia sighed and hung her head against Grant's bicep, gazing at his beautiful face. The sharp contours, the vividness of his eyes, the gentle slope of his nose. Cosimia reached her hand up and twirled his dark hair around her finger. He startled, almost tripped over a log. Cosimia withdrew, but he smiled at her.

"I don't mind. Actually, it feels quite good."

"You haven't answered my question yet." Cosimia arched a brow and Grant barked out a laugh.

"Already feeling better then?" He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Don't worry, we're almost there." Cosimia didn't miss the lingering of his soft lips and imagined what it would feel like to have those soft lips on hers.

"Save it, you two. We put you in the back for a reason," Isadora called over her shoulder. She and Mathias were walking together, too close for mere friendship. Cosimia cracked a smile.

"You two look pretty cozy as well." She called to the front, sending her brother an obvious, exaggerated wink. He narrowed his eyes at her in return but she detected glimmers of amusement.

A white pillar caught her eye and she craned her neck for a better view. When the group stepped into the clearing, she marveled at the structure.

It was a temple. Was Dea Kali worshipped here as well? The group spread around the small building. As Grant passed, Cosimia ran her palm up the cracked marble of the temple pillar. It was simple, picturesque, with curling vines that had flowered and a bright mural on the ceiling. The depictions were strange and Cosimia yearned to get a better look.

"What is this place?" She gasped.

"We found it on one of our scouting. We originally wanted to see what it was but the Creatura were hunting that day, so we retreated. We believed it to be a home but we were wrong." Oralie shrugged.

"It's beautiful," the temple seemed to glow softly, emitting a gentle gold lighting that edged the pillars. It was warm, almost like Solis's rays, but somehow entirely different.

"The Goddess welcomes you," Grant whipped around and Cosimia's head spun slightly from it. Her friends formed a wall in front of the temple, holding up their own weapons. The voice was smooth, deep, like a tranquil river. Something about it didn't seem hostile. It was almost... sad. From the direction of the voice came a lithe, feminine figure.

A woman.

She was an unearthly sort of beautiful, with white hair that seemed to have a halo of gold, and pure, golden eyes. Her beauty was unlike anything Cosimia had ever seen before. Her garment, a loose thing, flowed off her, rustling in some nonexistent breeze that she didn't feel. Her smile was gentle, almost motherly, but it was her eyes that stunned Cosimia. They were deep pools of molten amber, but her eyes were filled with a devastated, hollow acceptance.

"Who are you?" Nova asked slowly, deliberately. She ignored Nova and glided past them, up the smooth, worn stairs into the temple. She moved fluidly, as if her feet weren't touching the ground. Cosimia could see a burden resting on her shoulders but she beared it with everlasting strength. Shoulder low, hands clasped in front of her, head tilted elegantly.

"May I tell you a story?" The mysterious woman cocked her head, waiting for a response. Cosimia suspected that even if they refused she would still tell them so she nodded. The woman's eyes clouded to a honey color as she began to speak.

"Dea Kali was not the only of her kind. There was another, her brother. They were twins, born together. Their mother was failing. Nobody is truly immortal. As she died, she created the twins, splitting her power equally between the two. As always, light has a dark. One twin would embody light, and the other would be darkness. Her brother was obsessed with being the light, but not for the right reasons. He wanted to be worshipped, adored like Dea Kali is now. But in his crazed quest to be the light, darkness festered within him. Then, on the twin's 20th birthday, their dormant magic came forth. Dea Kali shone brilliantly, and the universe basked in her glow. Her brother broiled in the shadows. His love for his sister was too great for him to kill her, but hate snaked within him, whispering nastily in his ears. Dea Kali loved her world. The cosmos was an infant world then, and she wanted to make sure that it was filled with light. She gave Solis renewed spirit and glow, and created the planets, glorious in their own ways. She made gates that protected each planet. Then, she created humankind. She poured love into their souls and kindness into their hearts. They prospered on their select planets and worshipped Dea Kali. She was their savior. Now, her brother loathed this turn of events. Desperate to see the dark in the new worlds, he attempted to rid the planets of the gates, and inflict darkness into the pure hearts of humankind. Before he could fully finish his plan, Dea Kali killed him, crying as she did. While he was the lord of darkness, he was still her brother." Cosimia's eyes flitted back to the scenes in the canyon. This part of the story seemed strangely familiar to the memory on the crystal. "When she turned to heal her brother's wrongdoings, she found herself unable to. The humans were still good, but seeds of darkness plagued them. And the magnificent gates were fully open. Dea Kali despaired. She wasn't able to keep the gates closed forever. Hence, the Unbalance. Dea Kali then created the Praesidia, born to protect the gates. And they were glorious." The woman swayed and a soft, fond smile curved on her pale lips.

"They were all women, sisters linked not only by birth but by duty. They excelled at their task. But one man, King Wrikner of Mars, had been struck with the worst sickness-greed. He wanted the whole cosmos to himself. Not just that, he wanted Dea Kali's magic. He seduced one of the younger Praesidia. Her name was Enevia. She was young, unknowing. He promised her the world, and a love that only served his purpose. But she truly believed that he would uphold his promise. She did what he asked of her until one day, he was ready to leave the gates and conquer the worlds. She killed the other Praesidia, her dear sister, and let the king's men through. When King Wrikner came to Enevia, sword in hand, Dea Kali stepped in, furious. She decimated his whole army, save for a few young men that begged mercy. She raged and Enevia soon realized her mistake. She begged, pleaded, repented her sins, but Dea Kali saw no reason. She unleashed her storm-like fury on not just Enevia, but the whole of the Praesidia. She turned her creations into monsters, savages. Servants of the dark. They became known as the creatura." Cosimia gasped softly. The Creatura used to be women? And not just that, women made by Dea Kali to protect the planets? Cosimia was unable to wrap her mind around what this woman was saying.

"But Enevia had the worst punishment of all- while her sisters changed into horrifying monsters, she would change slowly, painfully. She would watch as her sisters lost their minds, and killed. Every time one of the Creatura was killed, Enevia felt it in her head, a shooting pain. And the worst part was, Dea Kali refused to let them die. She would bring them back to life and make them live longer as monsters. She showed no mercy. But me? Some might think that changing slowly, only losing your humanity bit by bit was mercy, but it isn't. It's torture." Glistening tears welled in the woman's eyes as she whispered the last sentence, her melodic voice breaking.

The group stood, shell-shocked. Everything Cosimia had heard spun in circles around her head, making it throb.

"You're Enevia," she breathed. The woman-Enevia-nodded once, hanging her head.

"That I am, little one."

Nova massaged her temples. "So the Creatura are just...cursed beings?"

Enevia shook her head. "No. A cursed being would have hope of going back to their true form. We have no such thing." The revelation threatened to shatter Cosimia's heart. She had killed Creatura, more than she could count. While they have caused destruction it was not of their own will. It was their fates forcing them to do so.

"There must be some way to help," Cosimia said, desperation growing. Enevia smiled sadly at Cosimia.

"I wish, prophesied one. But it is not within our reach."

"Prophesied?" She questioned. Enevia ducked her head gracefully.

"The world has waited for your arrival, Cosimia Nedias." She could feel her friend's gazes on hers, especially Grant, but she ignored them. Was this what Mother was talking about? She had always hated Geneva because she wasn't the one from the prophecy. But she had always given Cosimia special treatment because she believed Cosimia was 'the one.' Maybe saving these women was what she was born to do. To release them from the eternal suffering. Maybe that was why they had come to the Black Hole; Dea Kali had guided them there.

In the midst of this new information, Cosimia couldn't forget what she came here to do. She needed to save her friend, prevent the Creatura from coming out during the Unbalance, and protect her home. But now that she knew the Creatura were warriors, born of light, an idea sparked in her mind.

"Are you sure there is no way to release your sisters?" Mathias shot her a warning glare but Cosimia forged ahead.

Enevia pinched her lips. "There is but I'm not even sure it exists. When the Goddess told me about it I was sure she was trying to taunt us."

"What is it?"

"The Virgam Luminis. The Staff of Light." Cosimia committed the name to memory. "The staff is entirely light, and is the only way to relieve us from the curse. It's somewhere inside the Black Hole but I don't have an inkling where. I don't know what it looks like, and what obstacles await us." With every sentence, Cosimia's hope wilted a bit more but she forced herself to continue with her plan. If it worked then the fight would be over before it started.

"I have a proposition for you, Enevia." Before Cosimia could continue Nova dragged her to the corner of the clearing, ignoring Grant's protests as he stumbled along the way.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed.

"I'm going to find my friend, and I'm going to find that staff." Cosimia said confidently.

"She could be lying, Cosi! What if she has bad intentions? We know nothing about this place and what lives here. Don't trust so easily."

"I think Cosimia's right." All eyes shifted to Dominica and Cosimia smiled in relief. "I saw the sadness and truth in Enevia's eyes. It's a plea for help. We will help her and relieve her from her burden."

"It's her own fault she got into this mess," Nova crossed her arms. "She should figure out how to get out." Cosimia sent a scathing look at Nova.

"She made mistakes. She wants to fix them. No one should suffer from eternal grief. Don't be callous, Nova." Her friend said nothing in response.

Cosimia gestured to Grant and he carried her back to Enevia, who waited silently.

"My friend fell here just before we arrived. We have been searching for her since we came. Do you know where she could've gone?"

"Is she human like you?"

"Yes."

Enevia sighed softly. "The Siofrans most likely got to her." Cosimia's blood chilled at the unfamiliar name.

"What are they?"

"They are clay creations, given life by the last Daemoni."

"What do they want with Airlia?" Dominica demanded.

"The count has an infatuation with humans and will treat her like his possession. He wouldn't hurt her but some things she might suffer through," Enevia shook her head. "will be worse than death." Cosimia inhaled sharply.

"How about a trade?" Enevia motioned for Cosimia to continue.

"I will help your sisters and you help get my friend back." Enevia tilted her head, studying Cosimia.

"It will not be easy."

"I expected nothing less." A smile broke on Enevia's face, a pale crescent.

"If your friend has been gone for weeks, we must hurry. Come." Enevia ran swiftly into the thick jungle. Grant followed suit and the group followed behind the mysterious woman. Cosimia never believed her fate to be one that so many people depended on. She always imagined herself to live a normal life of a Minerva, serving her home. In a way, she was. Everything she was doing was for Saturnus, her mother. But in the past months she had learned that there was so much more beyond the rings. Beyond the rings she had found friendship, strength, pain, and the best one, love. Beyond the rings she had found herself, and she would never let go again.