The wind is chilly as it warps the dunes rising and falling from the desert surface. The sky parallels the landscape with the mists of night. Stars twinkle brightly among the emptiness, and the moon hangs low in the sky like a ripened fruit in the branches of a tree. Apep uses her human legs to walk along the sand. She has foregone shoes, but whether the sand is cold between her toes or blazing hot against her heel, she does not feel anything more than subtle pinpricks. An immortal such as herself no longer experiences pain to the degree that a regular mortal would in the same circumstances as her. It is also the reason why she doesn't bundle up to protect herself from the cold wind or the sun's fiery gaze when it is above the horizon as it currently is not.

The desert is mostly desolate shades of orange-gold. It is occasionally broken apart by dully colored animals or plants breaking the shackles these barren lands have been held in since the heavens sent down their divine nail. Apep notices another spot of color that breaks apart the natural world. It is not ruins or a former temple as it usually is. Instead, Apep sees a figure kneeling in the sand on the edge of a cliff. They are wearing bright shades of blue, separating them from the environment around them. Apep walks toward the figure. She climbs the side of the cliff. When she reaches the top, she grabs the edge and throws her body over the side. While she is still getting used to this human body, she is getting better at using it every time she makes a move.

Apep walks to the figure. As she observed earlier, the figure is wearing shades of blue. The juvenile (by human standards, at least, and especially by dragon standards) pairs this with accents of white and black. There are even elements of gold in her clothing that shimmer in the moonlight. The young woman is kneeling at the edge of the cliff. She has a few scrolls beside her, and she holds one of them open on a portable desk-like structure. She writes on the paper while constantly checking the sky. Apep shifts closer. "What are you doing?"

The human flinches at the noise. She falls to the side, landing on her butt and the heels of her hands. Her skin is already pale, but it turns a few shades grayer as a pair of golden eyes land on Apep. The disguised dragon narrows her eyes. The human's hood slides off her head, bunching up around her shoulders. Blue hair spills across her neck. Apep recognizes the human immediately. It would be strange to say for a dragon of Apep's caliber to recognize a measly human, but then again, this is not a measly human. At least, this human shares the appearance with an elemental from many centuries prior.

"I-I'm making an, um, a star chart," The human explains. She gestures to the paper beside her. Apep looks over it. While incomplete, the human has already drawn a few stars with exact measurements between each one to account for scale. Apep's lips twitch with a frown. Not only does this human look like the elemental, but they also share similar habits and pastimes. "I didn't bring any mora with me, but the paper is of decent quality!"

The human nervously offers one of the scrolls to Apep. The disguised dragon approaches the human. She lifts the scroll from the human's hand. Apep unfurls the paper. This is a completed star chart, but it records a different sky from the one they are currently standing under. It is a sky Apep is unfamiliar with. She supposes it could have come from the rainforest or somewhere even further afield. Apep drops the scroll on the ground. The human snatches the scroll, wiping the sand off the paper. Apep crosses her arms over her chest. "I do not have a desire for your currency or this scroll."

"Th-then, what do you... want?" The human asks. She tilts her head back to look at Apep's face. The green-haired figure stares down. She makes no attempt to hide the emotions on her face, but she is coming to realize that humans visibly show their emotions in a lot clearer fashion than dragons do. Their facial muscles are capable of more variety, after all. Apep will need to take steps to ensure a mask of apathy remains on her face despite her underlying emotions.

"You— you have a vision, do you not? Why don't you use it? Would you simply let me take what belongs to you?" Apep asks instead of answering the question. She points at the human in front of her. While Apep cannot presently see it, she feels the waves of elemental energy coming from this human. Since humans are incapable of surviving this level of elemental energy without a vision, it stands to reason that the human must have a vision. If Apep were to wager, she would bet on the vision being cryo-aligned. It would fit with the figure this human shares a mortal form with.

"I— Oh, I mean, I do, but—" The human confirms. She moves a hand around to her back. She pulls a vision out from around her. She cradles the divine curse in the palm of both of her hands. The surface glimmers with a frosty cyan color. Apep feels a surge of pride at guessing correctly, but she also worries about what this could mean. She narrows her eyes at the human holding the vision. The human wears a faint smile while looking at their vision— perhaps imagining that the heavens have responded to her fervent desires. It has not, and the human learns this quickly when she looks at Apep. The dragon's angry and confused expression causes the human to panic. She drops her vision on the ground. She buries her face in the same hands that once held the conceptualization of her wish. Apep can hear her murmuring to herself, and her skin takes on a pale red shade from embarrassment and shyness.

Suddenly, there is a shift. The human lifts her face from her hands. It is the same face, but there is a different countenance. It is a more confident and easygoing one. The human grabs onto her vision. She rises to her feet. She smiles warmly at Apep. She fastens the vision onto her back in its original place. When she finishes, she waves kindly at the disguised dragon. "It is good to see you again, Apep. I never imagined we would meet under such circumstances or in these forms, but fate is the biggest trickster of them all."

"Bennu," Apep identifies. Memories spring to Apep's mind about the cryo-aligned elemental that wandered into her domain several times. Bennu would say every time that it would be the last time, but weeks later, she would return with a desire to record the sky this far north in the desert. Apep could have done something, but she rarely did. She let the elemental do as she pleased as long as it did not take too long and didn't disturb Apep's rest any more than an intruder in her lands did.

"I see why you were referred to as the wise dragon," Bennu notes, tapping a finger against her chin. She looks nostalgic, but she shakes that emotion off her face. Her happiness doesn't leave her, however. She continues smiling in a familiarly affable way. "These days, I go by Layla. I would appreciate it if you would call me that, too. Is there another name you are going by, Apep?"

"Layla," Apep tastes the name on her tongue. It is hard to describe the figure in front of her by any other name, but dragons are adaptable creatures. Apep will learn. "There is no other name. I am Apep, the dragon sovereign of Dendro and the true lord of these lands."

Layla shrugs. She turns to look out across the desert Apep has claimed. Layla looks back at Apep. Her mouth opens, but she closes it not even a second later. She turns back to face Apep completely. Layla looks across Apep's human form with wide eyes and a firm shake of her head. "I can't believe it. You look exactly like a human. Is there a reason for it? I was under the impression you despise humans."

"I do. They are conquerors and fools as arrogant as the one they were modeled after. It would be better to wipe them off the face of Tevyat," Apep remarks. Her fingers tighten around her upper arms. Even as she speaks the words, memories wind through her mind. These memories do not originally belong to Apep, nor do the emotions attached to them. Instead, they are the memories of the elemental lifeforms Apep nurtured, lost, and eventually reclaimed when they sacrificed themselves to cure Apep of her madness. "Despite this, the ones I created and raised decided humanity was worth giving a chance to. I want to understand what made them draw this conclusion."

"It's as good a reason as any," Layla supposes with a shrug. She moves a hand to push a lock of her blue hair behind her sharply pointed ear. Perhaps she was born as a long-lived species in this lifetime, too.

"And what is your reason for returning?" Apep asks, gesturing to Layla's body with her eyes. Every sage except for Apep died after the gilded usurper died for a second time. Apep doesn't know the exact details because she was dealing with the poison of the god-king's body and frankly she didn't care, but she knew they were gone.

"I am not certain. I believe this is a byproduct of our lord's will. He desired a beautiful dream where we could all live together happily. This body is part of his dream. Layla is the figure in his dream whom he attributed to me, and I have awakened in her body. At the moment, she subconsciously rejects me, so I am a split personality. She will not remember this conversation nor will she have the memories of our shared past, so please do not be so harsh on her. She is already an anxious girl by nature," Layla guesses. She reaches a hand toward the stars. "If only the answers were out there. I would surely find them."

"If they are, the celestial usurpers will never let you reach them," Apep responds while looking at the same sky.

Layla chuckles, rolling her eyes. "You may be right. I don't want to defy the heavens in this life. I will continue pretending to be a student at the akademiya. You are welcome to join the rest of us whenever you want to. The Dendro Archon might not remember us, but she's as kind as she used to be. She would welcome you with open arms. She might even help you understand why your creations decided to live among humanity."

"I will do as I please," Apep snarls at the thought of the Dendro Archon. Her eyes widen suddenly. She glances at Layla. "What do you mean 'join us'?"

The elemental Apep knew a past life does not look back at her. Instead, the trembling student is looking around with bright confusion in her eyes. Apep sighs, but Layla's request not to be harsh to this version echoes in Apep's mind. This human is only that: a human. If Apep wants to learn more about humanity, she should get used to not being rude to them. She won't be nice, necessarily, but she won't get upset over this human not remembering her. "Continue with your star chart. I have gotten what I wanted from this conversation."

As Apep walks away, she hears the human call out, "Oh— uh, okay. Um... have a good night! Be careful in the desert at night!"

Apep snorts, but she waves over her shoulder at the human to let her know the words were heard.

🐲

🌴

The Dendro Dragon roams across her lands without any reservations. She can feel every grain of sand shifting in the night winds. She can feel every leaf blossoming from the heavy branches. She can feel every drop of water lying still in the pools darting the barren lands. She can feel every beam of moonlight searching the earth below for something invisible to the sunlight. She can also sense when an intruder steps into her land. The dragon pivots, roaming across the sky to find where the individual who thought they could dare face against a dragon is.

Apep stops when she sees the intruder. They are not human as she expected. Instead, they are a bird with blue and black feathers. The bird radiates with coldness in the form of cryo elemental energy. The bird is larger than any Apep has ever seen before, but her gigantic draconic form still dwarfs the feathered beast. Apep's eyes land on the elemental in her domain. Instead of losing their ability to move, the elemental turns around to face Apep's gaze head-on. This arrogance has only ever been shared by the gilded usurper in the south.

"What are you doing here?" Apep demands in a voice that booms as loudly as a tree falling in a forest.

"I have come to record the stars," The elemental answers. A swirl of cryo wind surrounds the bird. When it clears, a humanoid figure is standing in the elemental's place. Rather, the human is another form the bird can take on. Apep feels a surge of disgust at how flippantly the figure changes form. It should take extreme amounts of time to switch between forms. She supposes this transformative ability might be innate to the elemental's species. Unless they already paid the price for such powers. Either way, Apep does not like it, but she also doesn't like this elemental being here at all.

"Record them elsewhere, elemental," Apep commands.

"I cannot. The stars are different depending on where the recording process happens. I cannot let the stars in the north go unrecorded. It would make my duties of reading Valivija's fate even more difficult," The elemental explains. They are already setting up the equipment they need for undertaking a task Apep has not permitted them to. "My name is Bennu. I am a fellow sage of King Deshret."

"I am not that usurper's sage," Apep angrily replies. She told the god-king that she wouldn't serve him. She would let him rule his human kingdom for a little while. When it inevitably collapses, she would reclaim his body and all the wisdom he has acquired. While she did not state as much, they both knew she was going to use that wisdom to make another attempt at reclaiming Tevyat for her and her kin.

"That's fair, but that's what he calls you, not us. You might want to take it up with him," Bennu laughs gently. She gestures to the paper. "I will hurriedly record the stars— with perfect accuracy, mind you. Then, I shall leave. I won't disturb you or anything in your precious lands."

"Your presence is enough to disturb me," Apep admits. She starts turning her massive body away from Bennu, though. "But very well. Be quick about it."

Bennu, true to her word, records the stars and leaves without disturbing anything. Apep returns to her domain to rest and ponder. It will be a few weeks until they meet again, but Apep supposes it isn't the worst first impression.

🐲

🌴

Apep watches as the humans fight each other. While she is not entirely certain what the circumstances are, she can make some inferences based on her observations. There are three groups of humans involved— though two of the groups look similar to one another. The first group are the non-combative ones. They are wearing clothes of finer quality. Based on the designs and their skin tones, Apep believes they are from the rainforest, and the sumpter beasts carrying caravans lead Apep to assume they are merchants. This would explain why they are currently hiding behind their carts while the other two groups are fighting against each other.

The assumption about the first group being merchants is what leads Apep to believe the second group are mercenaries. They are clearly desert-dwellers. They wield their weapons with precision honed by experience. They are taking an active role in protecting the merchants. It isn't difficult to figure out what is happening once those two pieces fall into place.

This would make the third group bandits. Apep supposes they might also be mercenaries since they wear the same scarlet brocade, but she is going to refer to them as bandits because of their activities. They are trying to steal the goods from the carts and caravans. They are willing to shed blood over their thievery.

Beyond that, Apep doesn't understand it. She understands the fight itself. She can instantly guess who is going to win in any match-up, and her superior vision allows her to catch everything without missing a detail. That is clear enough in her mind. It's the background context that makes Apep intrigued enough to stay. She watches. It was her intention to find a reason to justify her hate for humanity by watching the fight, but it has shifted over the course of the battle for some complicated need to understand.

The mercenaries prevail over the bandits. Apep leaps from the rock she was sitting on. She walks over to the group. The mercenaries are helping the merchants get back on their feet. The merchants are grateful— as is one of the bandits. The human takes the opportunity to prepare a sneak attack against one of the mercenaries. Apep lifts her hand. As the bandit leaps into the air with a knife above their head, green-black vines shoot out of the ground. They wrap around the bandit. Thorns dig into the clothes for further purchase, but Apep keeps them from striking the flesh. Not out of mercy, of course, but because she doesn't see a reason to kill a human at the moment. She is trying to figure out why her lifeforms wanted to protect humanity; it would be counterproductive to start slaughtering them.

Another one of the mercenaries rushes over to the one that was almost attacked. Apep looks at the duo. She freezes when the other mercenary wraps an arm over the one who was attacked. Shesepankh's human form turns her fiery blue eyes from the person Apep protected to Apep herself. "Thank you. We owe you one."

"I was merely passing by." Apep doesn't exactly lie. She was passing by when the fight started. She also didn't stop the bandit out of kindness. It was only because she wanted to talk to the mercenaries and merchants, and she thought the bandit would get in the way if he managed to kill one of the mercenaries.

Apep snaps her fingers. The vines sink back into the sand. The bandit falls to the ground. He is immediately apprehended by one of the mercenaries. The bandit curses Apep in his native tongue. Apep raises an eyebrow at him. His curse might be filled with anger, but the insult is lackluster. Apep has heard far worse, and frankly, she has to take points off for a human being the one to curse her. She would never get her feelings hurt over a human's words.

The mercenaries and merchants go back to confirming that everyone is safe and uninjured. They even double-check their equipment and supplies. Apep stands to the side. She watches over the bandits half-heartedly. She doubts any of them will make a move, and even if they do, she barely needs a second to quickly apprehend them. She doesn't even need to summon her weapon to make them pay the price for interrupting Apep's pursuit for knowledge.

"Did you want to cash that favor in already?" Shesepankh asks. She laughs as she jogs over to Apep's side. When she looks at Apep, the dragon confirms for certain that this is a jinni belonging to Nabu Malikata. At least, she once was. Since the human form doesn't seem to recognize Apep, the dragon believes this is another situation similar to Bennu/Layla.

"I do, Shesepankh," Apep claims, moving her arms over her chest. She carefully watches the mercenary's reaction for any clues that she recognizes the name she was called.

The human doesn't, but the metallic armor covering one of her arms does. It buzzes faintly. The mercenary presses their fist into the lion's face on the pauldron. When the arm stops vibrating, the mercenary turns to Apep with a wide smile. "Sorry about that. It has a mind of its own sometimes. My name's Dehya. I'm a merc, as you could probably tell. Do you need to hire me or my brigade for something?"

"That won't be necessary. I only have a question for you," Apep shakes her head. It seems all the sages are going to have new names in this lifetime. Apep hopes it won't take her long to remember all of them. It took her ages to remember their names the first time around. It might be faster, though, since she has an incentive to remember it this time.

"Well, I'm no scholar, but I'll do my best to answer you," Dehya chuckles, running her fingers through her dark hair. She smiles with the same amount of mischief as her likeness. Apep nearly rolls her eyes at the similarity, but she refrains since Dehya herself is most likely unaware of it.

"Why do humans fight?" Apep asks.

Dehya's eyes widen. She rubs a hand behind her neck. She looks side-long at the bandits being tied up by the mercenaries and the merchants doing stock of their goods. "That's a tough one. Way above my paygrade, at least. But... I guess I'd say it's conflicting desires. The merchants want to sell their stuff. The mercenaries want to get paid. The bandits want to sell the merchant's stuff. The merchants paid the mercenaries to protect them, so this aligned goal means they won't fight. Since the mercenaries are protecting the merchants, we have a conflicting desire with the bandits. I guess that's it. I hope that answers your question."

"It does," Apep nods. Conflicting desires is also the answer to the question about why gods and dragons fight, so Apep supposes it would make sense for humans to copy their master once again. "I will leave now."

"Wait— are you sure you don't want to travel with us? The desert can be dangerous, and we're always looking for another helping hand," Dehya calls out, hooking her thumb over to the bandit that endured Apep's vines.

"It is unnecessary. I can protect myself, and I have no desire to spend any more time than necessary here," Apep turns away from the humans. When she gets far enough away, she turns on her heel to watch them continuing on their path. She hums to herself. "I forgot to give them a customary parting message. Oh, well, they do not need me to tell them to be careful."

🐲

🌴

Apep moves her head. She stares at the winged lioness lying on a rock in her domain. The lioness' paws kick into the air as Apep's shadow covers her. The lioness peeks her eyes open. Those unnaturally blue irises land on Apep's form. The lioness makes a quiet noise to herself, but she doesn't acknowledge Apep's presence any more than necessary. The dragon snarls at the jinni. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to take a nap. Will you please move your head? You're in the way of the sun," Shesepankh responds sleepily. Apep growls. The lioness makes a sighing noise. "I said please, didn't I?"

"Get out of my domain," Apep commands the jinni.

"I cannot. The sunlight is perfect here. You can't disturb a cat when she's getting good quality rest," Shesepankh argues. She rolls onto her stomach. Her limbs fold beneath her. Her wings wrap around her body to supply the warmth she's missing from Apep's shadow covering her body.

"This is no place for your kind to rest. Leave."

"My kind? If you mean the jinn, I can't say much about it. If you mean the sages, I can say something because you're a sage, too! I'm sure you rest here," Shesepankh petulantly looks at Apep.

"I am not a sage," Apep hisses for what feels like the millionth time. She doesn't understand why that unruly god-king keeps propagating the rumor that she's one of his sages. "Is there nowhere else you can rest?"

"I have plenty of places, but the sunlight is warmest here today. Not too cold, not too hot. Please let me stay for a little while. I promise not to leave this rock unless I'm going back to Valivija," The jinni begs.

Apep pushes down the annoyance in her body. "You may rest today here and only here. You must leave soon and never return."

"I promise!"

🐲

🌴

Humans are arrogant creatures, and the divinities they worship are even more conceited. Both believe themselves to be above the natural order. When life perishes, it must return to the ground that gave it nourishment. There is a cycle that must be maintained for the longevity of the ecosystem that provides a caring home for any who draw breath. Even dragons accept that they are going to return to the soil, letting their flesh and blood become nutrients for the plants and animals they once protected or devoured. The bones may remain for a long time, but even that can provide safe places for the creatures.

Deshret, however, decided to construct a large mausoleum for himself. He kept his body in this pyramid for many moons, keeping it from returning to the desert he swore to preside over. He even had spaces cleared away from his companions. He was putting a definitive end to the cycle by removing himself and those who chose to follow him from it. Apep could hardly believe it when she witnessed the jinn building the mausoleum in the center of the sands that were once known as Valivija. This desert has forsaken and buried that name, but the mausoleum stands tall among the dunes.

Apep remembers eating the body that was once in this mausoleum to gain access to his wisdom. In some ways, she's glad she did since it kept the poison festering inside his body from spreading to the world. Apep's own elemental form became a cage for the forbidden knowledge, not letting it ruin the desert. In other ways, she hates Deshret for tricking her. But, then again, she hates Deshret for many reasons, least of all his hubris and deception.

Apep turns away from the mausoleum when she senses someone approaching her. She looks over her shoulder. She has encountered many wanderers while navigating the desert, but it isn't very often that she meets someone who is traveling on their own. It is even more surprising for her to coincidentally meet one of the other sages. Apep does not know how she knows this figure is one of the sages. The teal-haired woman doesn't particularly look like any of the sages— either their human or animal forms— but the name Thoth appears in Apep's mind like a memory triggered by staring into those multi-colored irises.

"Apep," The human murmurs breathlessly. She stops a few feet from Apep. She stares at the draconic figure with slowly widening eyes. Her lips part with more words. She winces suddenly, moving her chin to her shoulder as she listens to someone else. She fidgets with the bangles around her wrist.

"Thoth," Apep answers the call. She curiously looks over the figure in front of her. She assumes that this sage is going under another name like Bennu/Layla and Shesepankh/Dehya. Apep wasn't particularly in the mood to learn another name, but she supposes it's for the best that she meets all of the reincarnated sages sooner rather than later. Perhaps, once she meets them all, she will find if Deshret and Nabu Malikata have been reincarnated alongside their subordinates. Apep doesn't know what she'll do with that information, but she needs to learn it, anyway.

"No, no, no," Thoth shakes her head. She puts her hands on the sides of her head, underneath her twin-tails. She takes a deep breath. She pushes her hands downward and outward. When they reach her sides, she opens her eyes to look at Apep. "I'm sorry. My memory is leaving me in my old age. I thought you were someone else for a moment. My name is Faruzan."

"I see. Your memory is not with you, either," Apep observes. She doesn't know how she feels about that. She would rather the sages remember her since it makes conversations with them less strenuous, but then again, their predecessors weren't easy to talk to, either. "You are correct. I am Apep."

"That... can't be..." Faruzan murmurs to herself. She lowers her chin into the palm of her hand, rubbing the skin beneath her lips thoughtfully.

"It is true. There is no reason for me to parade under a name other than my own. I am Apep, the sovereign dragon of the primordial world," Apep remarks cooly. She turns away from Faruzan to stare at the mausoleum. "I was one of the few this long-dead deity made a deal with. In the end, I have returned to his final resting grounds by accident. Since fate has seen fit to guide my footsteps here, I shall endeavor to discover why. Perhaps as I learn more about this place, I might learn more about him."

"Well, Thoth thinks I should make sure you don't get into any trouble," Faruzan decides, appearing beside Apep. She raises her hand to the mausoleum. She moves her fingers into a fist as if she's grasping the stone material. Faruzan drops her hand onto her hip. She looks at Apep with all the confidence her predecessor possessed. "Let it be so. I shall be your guide through the mausoleum. I am a scholar of Haravatat and an expert at machinery, so my expertise will lie in translating the inscriptions on the walls for you and dismantling the machines before they may hurt you."

"A guide... I suppose you know more about this place than I do. You spent a considerable amount of time here," Apep notes. Faruzan rounds the corner of the mausoleum, waving a hand behind her to make Apep follow. Dragons are, by their nature, not followers, but Apep will make an exception today. Knowledge is a priceless treasure that cannot be taken by force. It must be coaxed out through language, and there was none who knew language better than the mighty Thoth.

🐲

🌴

"Has it become a rite of passage for you sages to enter my domain without my permission?" Apep asks, circling around the ibis-headed divinity standing in the midst of her burgeoning oasis. She leans her head toward the scribe. Her eyes glow so brightly that despite her body blocking out the sunlight, he stands in complete illumination. "Are you certain that you will not be the one I decide to turn into a message to ward the others away?"

"Please forgive me, Sage Apep. It was not my intention to disturb you. I have only come to confirm a few matters with you. I believed it to be better to visit you at your home instead of dragging you into mine. I understand you are not fond of humans," Thoth answers. He puts one arm behind his back while the other one presses against his chest. He tilts his body forward in a respectful gesture.

"I am not fond of you sages, either. You continuously invoke my ire as if for your own entertainment. I will say no longer that I am not part of your lord's grouping. It would be best if you left my name out of your mouth, especially if you pair it with that erroneous title." Apep feels a hunger growing in her belly. She could satisfy herself by eating this pesky divinity. The only reason she does is because her lifeforms are settling in the oasis inside her body. She does not want this scribe to teach them for he will surely do it wrong.

"I will refrain from doing so henceforth. If that is enough, might I finally speak with you about the topic that drove me to this corner of the desert?" Thoth agrees easily. He smiles patiently at Apep. She growls at his insolence. She will not be easily swayed by his promise. Even without her name on his tongue during this encounter, she knows it will return to his mouth soon enough. Words are his speciality, after all, and he will never refuse a chance to simplify matters. 'Apep' is easier than 'the dragon in the north.' Sage is also a better title than anything else to his ears and peers no matter how many times Apep denies her position in relation to Deshret and his subordinates.

"Speak, then, little bird. If your words do not please me, I will kill you where you stand. If you make an attempt to trick me, I will destroy you so thoroughly that none may envision your form as it is now any longer," Apep mentions. She lowers her head, but she does not move her body. While he possesses an ibis-head, he does not have wings that will carry him out of this cage. Even if he did, Apep would snap those wings in her jaws like tiny pebbles. She is quite fond of bird meat as it stands. She wouldn't mind divinity or Anemo elemental energy flavoring her meal.

"I will do so quickly and efficiently while following your preset parameters," Thoth agrees. He reaches into his clothes to pull out a piece of paper. It is a scroll that isn't even the length of Apep's pupil. Compared to Thoth, however, the paper unfurls to cover his entire body. "My god-king, Lord Al-Ahmar, has asked me to deliver a message to you. It is about the humans that have been illegally entering your lands in recent times."

"I am aware of them." Apep knows every time a human comes into her land. She destroys them all without mercy. She cannot stand them trying to take from her. She can hardly stand their grating presences against her spine. While she doesn't like the sages, at least they do not touch what does not belong to them. They only waste her time and fill her section of the desert with their unyielding scent.

"These humans are criminals. While Lord Al-Ahmar is grateful that you are punishing them, he requests that you allow us to bring these humans back to Valivija to stand trial," Thoth finishes. He rolls the scroll back up and puts it in his clothes. He moves both of his hands behind his back as he waits for Apep's decree.

"How dare he?" Apep growls. "Has your lord forgotten our deal? I am to remain in my lands. He will remain in his lands. The humans who dare pass the boundary are to be dealt with how I see fit, just as he may do what he will with my elemental lifeforms should they leave me."

"Lord Al-Ahmar has not forgotten. He wishes to amend the deal. If you allow us to take the humans back, we will deliver any elemental lifeforms back to you without any damage done to them. We will even bring the humans meant to carry out a death sentence to you as sacrifices," Thoth answers.

"How human of him to go back on his word and subsequently change it," Apep laughs ruefully. She tenses around Thoth. He does not flinch. Apep considers her options. It would be easier for her if she could guarantee that her elemental lifeforms were returned to her instead of being destroyed by whichever sage discovered them. It would save Apep some work and allow her to move onto the next stage of her millena long plan. She will still be getting humans, and it isn't like she will have to take the humans to Valivija herself. "I accept this deal. Tell your lord I will not negotiate again. If he ever wishes to make an appeal, he must do it himself."

"I will. Thank you for your time. Please be well," Thoth tells Apep. He bows. She hums at him. She moves away from him, disappearing back into the wenut tunnels. Once her body is no longer around him, she senses Thoth leaving immediately. At least he doesn't overstay his welcome.

🐲

🌴

Words are one form of communication Apep understands. Written and spoken language was the main means by which dragons evoked their power and spread ideas among each other. In these phlogiston inscriptions, they were able to channel great power through what they carved with their claws. There were days when Apep was given these inscriptions as gifts from lesser dragons. She would read their words, gaining power and insight from what they wished to tell her with their incomparable minds.

Fighting is another form of communication Apep understands. Nature is, at its core, a giant competition. Animals and plants are competing for resources, space, and potential mates. Apep has seen it unfold time after time while observing the lands around her. She knows it from dragons, too, who fight as a means of bonding, getting revenge, finding a mate, or, like other animals and plants, acquiring resources. Apep herself has been in a few fights that has given her greater knowledge about the world she is in through the lens of her competitor.

Dance— if that is what she's looking at— is not a form of communication she understands. She was wandering along the desert when she noticed two people near an oasis. Apep made no effort to hide, but she did not draw closer when the desert-dweller and a red-haired youth from the rainforest crossed paths. They attempted to speak, but they clearly did not speak the same language. When this fact became clear, the two were stumped. The desert-dweller brought out her weapon— a dendro-infused ring that harbors the fractured spirit of a jinni— but she did not use it to fight. She, instead, used it to dance, and the red-haired woman realized immediately what was happening. She danced alongside the desert-dweller. Apep, who was waiting to watch a fight, was stumped by the elaborate dance.

When the two finished (and Apep wonders why they did since there isn't any music to tell them when they should stop), they were breathing heavily. They smile brightly at one another. The red-haired woman waves. The desert-dweller waves back. They part ways from each other without having said a single word that the other understood. Instead, their peace was assured by a mutual passion for dance. Apep raises an eyebrow. She chooses to follow the red-haired woman instead of the desert-dweller to get some additional information.

Apep approaches the woman from behind. She glances over her shoulder when she hears footsteps. The woman's crystalline blue eyes brighten considerably when she notices Apep. The dragon's eyes darken. Yet another sage. It is Heryshaf this time in a human form different from his usual goat-head. "Hello! Did you see our dance?"

"I did," Apep answers honestly. She tries to recall if Heryshaf was a dancer. Apep isn't certain. Heryshaf was loyal to Nabu Malikata, and she was the true dancer of the group. Apep supposes Heryshaf could have learned from Nabu Malikata. It wasn't like Apep was there to confirm this fact. She didn't associate with the sages any more than she needed to.

"Is that why you've come to talk to me?" Heryshaf asks. She crosses her wrists in front of her body. She slides them apart to tangle her fingers together. She presses her palms together. A bright smile flourishes across her face like the flowers that bloomed at her master's wounds. Apep has the inclination to make a flower grow to match the smile she witnesses, but she refuses to do that. Nature must function a certain way. Apep is not allowed to make anything grow faster than it is meant to. It would go against her principles.

"In a way," Apep admits. She takes a few steps closer to Heryshaf. She stands beside the woman. The red-head twists on her heel. She continues walking in the direction she was going in before she was interrupted by the desert-dweller and then Apep.

"I knew you would come around," Heryshaf giggles confidently. She covers her mouth with her hands to hide the improper laughter. It sounds too light and whimsical for anyone to think it was disrespectful. Well, Apep does think it is, but she doesn't care enough to mention that. Instead, she focuses on the words.

"Do you know who I am?" Apep asks. It seems there are differences in how the reincarnation process happened for everyone. Bennu/Layla have a split personality. Shesepankh is manifesting herself through Dehya's armor, perhaps because it was made from the same material as Deshret's jinni bottles. Based on her interactions with Faruzan, the incarnation hears Thoth's voice without knowing that it belongs to her past life. Apep is curious what is happening to Heryshaf in this golden dream.

"No. I'm sorry. Should I?" Heryshaf asks. She scratches her cheek with an apologetic and embarrassed expression crossing her face.

"Should you, indeed," Apep repeats, unable to come up with an answer to that question. Despite this being the fourth sage she's met, Apep still doesn't know what exactly she should be feeling when she encounters the equivalent of amnesiacs with new lives. Apep didn't care about the sages then, and she doesn't care about them now, but she must acknowledge the differences. She must reconcile with them if she wants to make a place for herself in this modern age.

"I have moments of lucidity where I remember more than other times. It seems I'm aware enough right now to know I should know you, but I don't," Heryshaf admits slowly. She moves a hand to her hair, running her fingers through the fiery red strands. It is the same exact shade as Heryshaf's hair when he was in human form. Apep remembers it despite the cloak of his goatskin covering it during most of their encounters. "My name is Nilou. I'm a dancer at Zubayr Theater in Sumeru City. You should come watch me some time."

"Sumeru City," Apep turns to look into the distance. She cannot physically see anything over the Wall of Samiel, but she senses the lush rainforest even from this far away. It upsets Apep greatly to know everything the Dendro Archon has accomplished, but Apep reminds herself that she was poisoned for a long time. She wasn't able to do anything except mindlessly search for figments of a past she doubts was ever hers. "I do not believe I would be welcome there."

"Don't be like that. Lesser Lord Kusanali is a kind goddess. She has suffered greatly, but she has not lost her heart. If you come with peaceful intentions, she will surely accept you and help you," Nilou shakes her head. Apep doesn't know if Nilou is talking to the person beside her or the dragon Apep once existed as. These moments of lucidity are hard to parse through, and she can only imagine what it must be like inside Nilou's thoughts.

"I do not wish to interact with that usurper any more than I already have," Apep retorts. It wounds her pride to know the Dendro Archon— along with a traveler from afar, a strange white lifeform, and Apep's own elemental lifeforms— cured her of the poison Deshret tricked her into accepting.

"That may be so, but I believe she has a similar goal to you. You're in this form because you want to join humanity in some capacity, right? You would only want to do that if you could learn from them. Either you think humans have a means to help you win your ancient war, or you are curious about how they've become the dominant species on the planet. Either way, that will require you to learn a lot about them. Lesser Lord Kusanali is doing the same thing. She is learning about humans because she no longer understands them— not like she did when she was still a god-king of Valivija," Nilou replies cooly, a knowing smirk appearing on her face for a fraction of a second. It disappears when she blinks, and Apep must say goodbye to Heryshaf. "There is also Aaru Village if you're looking for somewhere to live for a while. It's still in the desert. It's that way. I can take you if you would like."

"That won't be necessary. Be safe on your travels, Nilou." Apep turns around. Nilou stops, looking over her shoulder as Apep walks in the opposite direction. Apep looks over her shoulder after some distance to meet Nilou's blue eyes. "And good luck, Heryshaf."

"Thank you!" The red-haired figure calls, answering for the two people existing within the same body.

🐲

🌴

Apep knows something has happened. The land itself has changed. It isn't just her corner of the desert. The human kingdom of the divine god-kings has also been affected by this change. Apep sinks further into the depths of her instincts to navigate this new change. She must determine if it is beneficial, neutral, or detrimental to her many plans. She will be glad for the first two, but if it belongs to the third category, Apep will have to make efforts to undo the change that will tear down everything she has worked so hard for and waited so patiently for.

Because of her actions, Apep feels another presence in her lands much more strongly than she would if she was passively observing. Apep rises from the ground. She breaks through the sand and rock without remorse. She brings her hand slamming down to look into the eyes of the sage standing at the border of her domain and Al-Ahmar's kingdom. Apep twists her head to the side. She leans even closer than before.

Heryshaf, minister of the gods, stands in front of her with both a hardened and a sorrowful expression on his face. Beneath the hood of his cloak, his hair matches the warmth in his cheeks. Apep examines him for any substantial differences. He doesn't look different, and she can't sense any distortions in his divine aura. She doesn't know what has brought him here, though, since she can't sense any humans. She wouldn't be too surprised if it was Bennu or Shesepankh, but Heryshaf doesn't come unless he has important news. Which, Apep supposes, he must since the change occurred in his lord's area, too.

"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata has left for the eastern lands. She is building a rainforest on the other side of her newly erected Walls of Samiel. Lord Al-Ahmar and Lord Sabaa requested that I inform you about these matters." Heryshaf explains. Apep listens carefully. With the contextualization, Apep realizes the weight of the changes that went through the land. A pillar has been lost, and there has been sudden, unusual growth in the east.

"I see," Apep murmurs. As far as she's aware, this is neutral towards her plans. It does irk her to know about the unnatural rainforest in the east, but she does not have her authority anymore. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata has it in the Dendro Throne kept in Celestia. Apep will break that throne no matter where Rukkhadevata is. "Tell your lords I have comprehended the news."

"I will. Thank you for your time," Heryshaf replies. He turns on his heel. He leaves without having ventured far into Apep's lands. She turns away, returning to the heart of her domain. She rests there. She wonders what could have driven Rukkhadevata away from Valivija. It must have been something major.

🐲

🌴

Nilou mentioned Aaru Village when Apep was talking to her. It isn't the first time Apep has heard that name. 'Aaru' itself reminds her of Deshret's plan of which Apep was the failsafe for. Other than that, Apep has heard many denizens of the desert mention it. By piecing together all their words, Apep has a rough approximation of what it is and how it functions as only stationary settlement in the desert. It is closer to the rainforest than Apep would like, but at least there's some distance between it and the Wall of Samiel. Apep can handle that much.

She travels toward the village. It is built vertically in a ravine. Most of the structures are incorporated directly into the stone. Apep can sense some plants growing throughout the space. She even believes she catches a whiff of a flower that belongs to the rainforest. Apep smiles to herself at how the little flower resists the desert's attempts to choke it out with heat and sand. There is a small fleck of gratitude for the human helping the flower, but Apep wouldn't say the feeling is substantial enough to tell the human in question how she feels.

Apep approaches the village in her human form. She has tried assembling pieces of a human's average wardrobe to better fit in among the humans. She, after all, told herself that she would fit into the standards of humanity to get the most out of her experiences among them. This included wearing natural clothes, though she's incorporated armor into it since bandits and mercenaries are keen on testing the limits of her no-killing rule. She dispatches them all nonlethally, suffering injuries only because she purposefully weakened herself.

She even got used to using a weapon since she has yet to find a human who chooses to use their bare hands when a blade of some sort is available. She stole the spear she's using from some ruins. There is a history in the spear, but Apep doesn't know it and she hasn't met anyone who does. She just carries it around and uses it to defeat her opponents.

Two humans stand vigilantly as guards to the village. Apep recognizes one of them instantly. She might look like a woman with dark blue hair and heterochromatic eyes, but Apep can see Sebek lingering just beneath the surface. The woman even carries Sebek's spear and shield. She has a Hydro vision, giving her access to the element her predecessor wielded while defending Valivija.

Apep also recognizes the other human. It is a juvenile with equally dark brown hair. She wears a similar outfit to the Eremites (an umbrella term for the desert's mercenaries, Apep learned). She also carries weapons that Al-Ahmar put a jinni inside. Despite this, Apep senses no madness from the jinni inside the bottle. Instead, they seem calm and lucid even when their user utilizes their power. Apep would be concerned about that, but she's more impressed that this human is alive. Apep saw her wandering through the desert with some robot from Deshret's kingdom. Apep was certain they were both going to perish, but the juvenile managed to reach Aaru Village through some means. She recovered beautifully, and now she looks as healthy and spry as a hatchling her age should be.

When she notices Apep approaching her, Sebek takes a step in front of the former Eremite. The golden-eyed girl glances at Sebek, and her curiosity leads her to looking around the side of Sebek's body. Apep stops a few feet away from the women. She raises an eyebrow at them. The brunette brings her weapons up to attack Apep. The dragon tries not to smirk. It is amusing to see the human think she could take on Apep, especially after only a few moons have passed since she was bleeding out in the desert.

Sebek's amber eye starts glowing. Divine energy flows from it, looping around Apep's body. The dragon's skin prickles with the sensation. She only allows it because she believes this will help Sebek trust her. At least, enough for her to let Apep into the village. Additionally, it makes it easier for Apep to be herself if Sebek already knows the truth. In the meantime, Apep moves a hand through her dark green hair, feeling the oily locks move between her fingers. She puts her other hand on her hip. Sebek's eye softens into a normal shade. Apep shows Sebek a smile. "Sebek. I was not aware I would see you again."

"Welcome, weary traveler from afar. Nights in the desert are cruel. You are permitted to rest in Aaru Village for the night if you do not cause trouble to the villagers," Sebek speaks in a firm and unwavering voice. The deep breath she takes is the only reason Apep knows Sebek is confused. Sebek is, at least, not showing immediate hostility despite knowing what Apep is. That, the dragon thinks, is different from how her predecessor would have reacted, but she must know something about her predecessor because of the way she looks at Apep: like they once knew each other. They did, of course, but how does she know? "I am Candace, the guardian of Aaru Village. I do not know who Sebek is. Might I have your name, traveler from afar?"

"I am Apep," The dragon responds. She looks over the new body Sebek is in right now. She has the same strength as Sebek. Apep doesn't doubt the battle prowess will be similar, too. "Candace... It does not matter what name you go by in this lifetime. I know who you are. I believe you do, too. Now, I will find a place to camp outside of the village. Do not... I have no intention of ruining this human civilization. I must learn from it."

Apep walks away from Candace and the other human without another word. With her aura traveling with her, she hears the other human exhale sharply. Apep should be more careful about her aura these days. She only revealed it to help Candace's amber eye, but humans are not equipped to process that much power in a single setting. It is another lesson humanity is teaching Apep, but it is not the one she wants to learn.

She still has yet figured out what those elemental lifeforms wanted her to learn.

🐲

🌴

There is a human inside Apep's lands. According to her deal with Al-Ahmar, she should leave him alone. She wants to, but the human has been here for far too long for her liking. She suspects the reason is because their presence blimps around. They must have some means of teleporting themselves from one position to another. The distance is never far, but it is enough to keep the human from being caught by the other humans that are searching for the single one. Apep is starting to get a headache from these many humans. She considers taking matters into her own hands, but she gets the feeling that she wouldn't be able to keep the humans out of her belly if she's forced to escort them back to Valivija.

Finally, Apep feels the presence of someone who feels like a rushing river cutting through the soft dirt. Apep tracks down the sage. She pulls herself out of the ground behind Sebek, general of the desert army. It was not Apep's intention to look like she was going to attack Sebek, but she didn't take any measures to ensure he knew her purpose. Apep, therefore, wonders how angry she should be about the spear landing directly between her nostrils. Sebek lifts his shield, prepared for her counterattack. Draconic instincts demand she deals tenfold damage than was inflicted on her, but Apep holds her inhumanity back to settle the far more pressing matter.

"Do not cower behind your shield. I do not seek conflict; I seek relief. Your humans have been scouring my lands for a singular one. It is beginning to bother me to such an extent that I will tell you now where this conniving soul has hidden himself. Deal with him properly and quickly, else I find myself doing as your kind does and going back on my word," Apep informs Sebek. She nudges her head down with enough force to make the spear fall from her nostrils. It drops onto the sand. Sebek dives for it. He keeps his shield above him. When he lands, he rises from his roll. He positions his spear and shield close enough that he's prepared to defend himself, but he hesitates to attack Apep again. This is for the best. She would not be able to hold herself back if he made a poor attempt to draw blood from her body once more. As it stands, she feels nothing more than a pinprick that does not bring her pain but rather more annoyance.

How weak has she become that she no longer retaliates as she once did against those who do her wrong?

Apep moves through the desert. Sebek follows alongside her. They move in tandem through the land. Apep knows exactly where all the humans are, including the one that chooses to teleport. Apep would rather not deal with any of them, but Sebek takes the opportunity to order his troops to return to Valivija. He gives some of them additional orders, but Apep does not care for that. She doesn't care, either, about the odd looks the humans give her primordial form. Apep might have once killed the humans for their slight, but it is too much hassle for too little work, especially when Sebek is standing right there. While he has no right to monitor her behavior, Apep acknowledges that he's paying close attention to him. She will win whatever battle occurs between them, but at the same time, she knows he would cause some damage to her plans. She can't let that happen— not when she believes she's close.

They find the teleporting human hiding near an oasis. Apep circles around the edges of the cliff surrounding the oasis. She peers down into the hole. She is careful not to block the sunlight too much, but her form casts thick shadows over everything inside the earth's naturally formed wound. Sebek leaps into the area. He lands in the water. Although it is shallow enough that his legs should be broken, he is both a divinity and someone aligned with the Hydro element. It does not hurt him because it recognizes him.

Apep, for a moment, is reminded of someone very different from Sebek. She is reminded of someone she would consider a brother if she knew human relations. Since she does not know them, she only considers this dragon very special to her. He was her kin. Leviathan, the Hydro Sovereign, one of the dragons to be outright killed by the usurpers. He should be able to reincarnate, but Apep has not felt his refreshing presence since the days she lived among her kind.

She misses him dearly, but then again, she misses everything they all once were. Her kingdom has been turned to sand and ashes. Her kin are no more than memories in her mind and bones across the land. But her heart will forevermore ache for what she can only avenge, never reclaim.

Even if she rebuilds everything according to her memories, the other dragons who once lived among this land or helped build parts of it are no more. They are either dead or fragmented. None are as whole as she is, and she very rarely considers herself to be whole. She has lost much of her power. She has lost much of her energy. She subsists off determination and vengeance, but how much longer will she be able to cling to the very motivations that made the Heavenly Father descend into the abyss for knowledge that was supposed to turn the tide of the war but stained their beautiful home instead?

Apep shakes these thoughts away. She watches Sebek swiftly deal with the teleporting human as she commanded him to. It makes sense since he is more powerful than his human subordinates, so Apep will harbor no pride in her heart for him. Apep only unfurls her body from the cliff. Sebek climbs the edge. He lands beside her awaiting hand. Sebek holds the unconscious human over his shoulder. Apep escorts them both back to the border. She decides that if the human were to escape, she would deal with it her way.

"Thank you," Sebek says as he leaves. He doesn't look over his shoulder. He hardly looks at her at all. But he puts his spear against his back. He keeps his shield, but Apep can trust that amount of distrust.

"Thank you," Apep murmurs in return when he's already too far gone to hear it. Whether she's thanking him for dealing with the human or for reminding her of Leviathan, she doesn't know, and she doesn't think about it either. As far as she's concerned, she never said 'thank you' at all.

🐲

🌴

Apep sits on the edge of the roof. One of her legs hangs over the side while the other one is tucked beneath her. She stares down at the congregation of humans spreading out through the streets of Aaru Village. Most of them are talking to each other. She hears some drunken singing and high-pitched laughter. She sees children running around in one corner, playing some game that Apep doesn't fully understand but is frequently dragged into playing. She can smell wine and sweat on the evening breeze. Night will fall soon, but the celebration doesn't seem to be ending any time soon, even after the main event of Nilou's dancing has concluded.

Apep feels some amount of disgust for the concept of a party in Aaru Village in general. She hates that many humans gathered together. The smells and noises both grate on her senses. She doesn't understand everyone's high spirits, but she knows they are prone to even more foolish decisions than usual when they are this excitable. Apep has little doubt there are going to be many messes to clean up when the morning arrives, and Apep refuses to lift a hand for anyone.

Unfortunately, the individual humans are starting to grow on her, so she might end up helping, anyway. Some of the humans, anyway. Apep wouldn't say she likes anyone yet, but there are some that dislikes less than others. The humans are the ones who have taken a liking to her despite her rough exterior and perceived haughtiness (which is justifiable given her position compared to theirs).

"I thought I saw you here," A voice calls out. Apep looks away from celebration. Over her shoulder, she finds a human climbing onto the rooftop. They toss their feet over the parapet. They walk across the roof. They plop down into the spot beside Apep. They keep their back to the party, and their face is turned to Apep. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Apep narrows her eyes. Hermanubis is, by far, her least favorite sage. She could deal with Bennu making star charts or Shesepankh taking naps in her lands. She could handle Thoth or Heryshaf coming with messages from their lords. She even had a somewhat compliant relationship with Sebek due to the nature of him coming to get criminals from her lands often enough. But Hermanubis was infinitely worse than him all. He was arrogant, annoying, and worst of all, prone to aggressively unhumorous retorts to her statements. There was only one time he was serious with her, and even then, Apep cannot forgive him for his transgressions.

"It is too soon to tell," Apep answers, turning away from Hermanubis. She doesn't know if he is asking if she's enjoying the party or living among humans. The answer is the same either way. Apep is still figuring everything out. She has moved herself into the outskirts of Aaru Village. She is growing a garden. She defeats monsters with the other guardians. She drinks tea with Candace and Jeht (the human who almost died in the desert). She sometimes plays games with the human children, or she will tell them stories from her past that they believe is entirely fiction. She has used her powers to help some of the other villagers with their plants. She even reinforced someone's collapsing house with some vines, earning their appreciation and gratitude. It was... nice, Apep supposes, but she isn't certain if she likes it yet.

"I'm glad you're giving it a chance," Hermanubis calls out. He leans back, tilting his head toward the sky. The fading sunlight sparkles in his burnt red-orange eyes.

"Do you remember me?" Apep questions him. She turns to glance at his expression. She waits for it to change in a subtle way. It doesn't. Hermanubis' lips crack with a smile. Unlike the others, Hermanubis knows her completely. He remembers his past and he remembers this life as if there is no difference between them. She snorts, looking away. "Why is it only you?"

"I was forced awake from my dream. I didn't get a choice in the matter. The others, however, are choosing the way they handle it. Some do not want to leave behind the life they currently have. Others aren't certain if what they are remembering is worth it given how much trauma we would be accepting," Hermanubis answers. He looks over his shoulder at a specific subsection of the party. Apep recognizes the sages she's already met. She also recognizes some of the extra people there. Jeht, a young man that once came too close to her abode, and someone from the Valuka Shuna, the natives of Tighnar. She doesn't recognize the green-haired person standing beside the Valuka Shuna, but she knows the evil aura trapped inside that juvenile's body. Apep would pay more attention to them if she didn't also recognize the incarnations of Nabu Malikata and Al-Ahmar.

"Do you believe they are correct?" Apep asks.

Hermanubis shrugs. "It is their dream, not mine. I have no right to decide if they should accept their memories or not. And perhaps, in the end, it doesn't matter. My mate does not remember our past, but he is my love once again in this life. Even without our memories, we were drawn together. That must mean something."

"I care little about your love," Apep tells him plainly.

Hermanubis laughs. Even with the subtle differences of his voice, that laugh is exactly like the Tighnarian that Apep once knew and loathed. The laughter, though, makes her feel strangely nostalgic. "You never did. You hated when I mentioned him."

"I hated when you spoke at all."

"Is that still the case?"

"Yes. Leave," Apep grits out. She glares at Hermanubis.

He takes this in stride like he does everything else. He pushes off the parapet. He lands on his feet. He smiles at Apep. "I will return to my love, then. By the way, I go by Cyno in this life. I know you haven't changed your name, but the rest of us have. Lord Al-Ahmar is Al-Haitham, and Lord Sabaa is Kaveh."

"This information means nothing to me," Apep informs him.

"Trust me, you'll want to know it," Cyno remarks. He walks across the rooftop. He climbs back onto the ground. Apep watches him reunite with his friend. The Valuka Shuna waves exasperatedly for Cyno to come closer. The white-haired man jogs over to him. The green-haired girl wears a bright smile. She moves between Cyno and his mate, and while Apep is unfamiliar with all types of love, she thinks Cyno is looking at that girl the same way one of her elemental lifeforms looked at their offspring. Apep's heart seizes with that lifeform's emotions. The memories of that offspring linger in her body, forcing her to look elsewhere.

She looks at Al-Ahmar and Nabu Malikata— Al-Haitham and Kaveh. They are arguing with each other, but they are also sitting close together. Apep's gaze becomes a little less harsh as she watches them. Cyno called all of this a dream. If it is, Apep hopes that Sabaa gets what she wants in this life (Apep doesn't care if Al-Ahmar does, but at least she isn't wishing for his downfall).

Apep stands from the parapet. She climbs down to join the party on the opposite side. She isn't ready to talk to either of them yet, but that lifeform's yearning for their offspring brings Apep to play a game with the children.

🐲

🌴

"I will smite you where you stand if you dare to speak," Apep warns, immediately rushing to the border. She has gotten used to the other sages in varying degrees, but she has no desire to entertain Hermanubis. She wishes to destroy him, but she knows that would be more difficult than handling anyone else. It isn't like she hasn't given it serious thought, though, especially after his latest batch of jokes made Apep rage for several nights until the lifeforms inside her begged for peace.

Hermanubis tilts his jackal head back to look at Apep. There is no smile on his lips or mischief in his eyes. Apep only finds a depth of sadness she cannot understand at a glance. It feels so unfamiliar on Hermanubis' face that she falls as silent as he is. She lowers her head. He turns his body. He walks for a while until he finds a rock to sit on. When he does, his legs and arms hang limply around him. He exhales loudly. He stares out into the lands of Valivija. The sun is beginning to set near the horizon. The bloody light moves across his dark purple-black fur and his golden accessories.

"Speak," Apep orders. The behavior is so unnatural and unusual that Apep feels a creeping dread submerge into her body.

Hermanubis tilts his head toward Apep. He doesn't look at her, but he isn't looking at anything. He stares vaguely into the distance at sights that no longer mean anything to someone as downtrodden as him. His lips part wordlessly. Apep's patience has held back her temper for long enough. She growls at him, "Speak."

"She's dead," Hermanubis says. It is soft, quiet, jerky— like a wind that isn't meant to blow. Apep stills. She waits, and eventually, Hermanubis finally looks at her. "Lord Sabaa is dead."

Apep takes her turn to look away from him. Valivija and Sumeru both have never been worth looking at, so Apep looks beyond them. She looks toward the heavens. The same sky her kin used to own. The same sky the moon sisters would ride across. The same sky that was once her and angels like Nabu Malikata's home. It is the same sky that cast them down and left them to die in the physical realm. It is the same sky Nabu Malikata wanted to return to one day but never could.

Now, she will never find her way back to the sky. Apep mourns for that angel in all the ways a dragon can. She hates the usurpers and she hates humanity, but she could never bring herself to hate that angel for helping them both. Apep could never hate the one friend she was able to keep after everything was torn away from her.

Now, her friend is gone. Apep wants to hear the details, but she turns away from Hermanubis. She sinks back into her domain. Hermanubis leaves, but Apep doesn't notice. She has fallen asleep in an effort to forget her pain.

🐲

🌴

Apep crosses her arms over her chest. Although it looks like she's standing in the midst of a forest, she cannot feel the Dendro energy giving the plants life or the will of the animals bearing the weight of the flora they've eaten. Without these sensations dancing on the edges of her psyche, Apep is left knowing she isn't existing in reality as she knows. She is either in an illusion created using light by machinery or she is surrounded by the confines of a dream. Apep can't determine logically which is the case, but she can use inferences based on her last known memories and the small details of the forest to definitively say she is in a dream, one crafted by the mistress presiding over them.

"Usurper," Apep calls out. She looks around the forest. She searches for any irregularities. They are light green patterns etched onto the dark green leaves. There are tiny creatures popping out around bushes and trees. Dendro energy swims through the air, wrapping around trunks in a flourishing design. Apep traces these toward the glowing heart of the dream. "Stop pulling me into your nighttime fantasies."

Giggling echoes through the forest. Apep's arms drop to her sides as she follows both the sound and the Dendro ribbons. She rounds a tree to find the tiny goddess sitting on a swing made from the energy the two of them wield with more mastery than a mortal could ever hope to possess. The goddess kicks her legs forward to make her swing move. It reminds Apep of the children in Aaru Village using the swing she made them out of vines and a plank of wood. "I apologize, Apep, but I have to bring you here. You won't come visit me otherwise. I want to hear all about your travels."

"Travels is an inaccurate word. I have found a place to remain stationary," Apep tells the goddess. She steps into the grove of trees constructed around the spring. Beams of golden light fall through the canopy, illuminating motes floating in the air and leaves slowly easing onto the ground. Apep frowns. She turns her face toward the canopy. She cannot see the sky or the sun between the bright leaves or dark branches. Apep supposes there are limitations even to dreams.

"Aaru Village is a wonderful place to settle down. Often, scholars ousted from the Akademiya end up in the village," Kusanali nods.

Apep scowls at the usurper. "If you already know where I am, what is the point of this exchange?"

"I know where you are physically, but I cannot account for your mind. How far along are you on your journey to understanding humanity in the way your lifeforms wanted you to?" Kusanali shakes her head. Her tiny hands wrap around the ropes of her swing. Apep knew the once-great Dendro Archon has been reduced to this smaller, weaker form, but it is easier now to tell just how fragile she is after spending a considerable amount of time around mortals. Humans are as breakable as glass, and the children are even less durable. Dendro energy swirls around Kusanali like a protective barrier, but it cannot hide that she is less than she was hundreds of years ago. The cataclysm and ensuing calamities broke her down even further than the time she sealed away Al-Ahmar's darkened mind.

"How is your progress?" Apep turns the question on her. She remembers vaguely that Nilou said Kusanali was also on the path of discovery. It is born from a place of genuine interest and a deeply rooted, innate love for humanity. Their starting places might not have been the same, but Apep knows they are going to be on this long path together for many intervals. Apep is also certain they will find very different conclusions. She just cannot tell yet what either of them will learn.

"Humans are fascinating creatures. They are complicated, too. I could spend all my time studying them, and there would not be a second wasted. I am constantly discovering new facets of what defines both their humanity and their personhood," Kusanali answers pleasantly, not upset in the least that Apep didn't answer the original question. Apep rolls her eyes at the action. More than anything, Kusanali annoys her in all the small, inconsequential ways.

"Fascinating is not the word I would use. They are needlessly complicated. For creatures who boast their ability to think, they create systems that barely function and never in the way it logically should. They exhibit the worst traits of their master more often than not," Apep argues. She crosses her arm back over her chest. Her energy unspools around her. Weeds and wildflowers blossom in the ground around her feet. They produce fragrant scents that are carried by the wind Kusanali summons with a swirl of her fingertips.

"If I take what you said into account, there are times when they do not exhibit the worst traits of their master?" Kusanali asks with a sly smile appearing on her face. It makes her appear more fox-like than human-like, but even then, Apep can only see a small kit yipping for the attention of its progenitor.

"Very rarely are they tolerable," Apep notes with a heavy sigh. This breath causes vines to crawl over the trees nearest to Apep. These vines circle around the trunks. If this ecosystem existed in the real world where the laws of nature are guaranteed, the vines would choke the life out of the trees. Apep does not think that will happen there. Kusanali has created an illusion. It looks beautiful, but it lacks substance and rationality. Apep does not know if that is because Kusanali wants to bring a peaceful atmosphere to their conversation or if she is still learning the finer details to the circle of life. It is not Apep's problem if it is the latter, but she could be persuaded to correct a few of Kusanali's misconceptions.

"But there are times when they are?" Kusanali continues. She leans forward, putting her elbows on her knees. She holds her head in the palm of her hands. Her eyes are bright and shimmering as they stare at Apep with more admiration and fondness than one of the usurpers should have for a dragon. Apep wants to pluck those emotions from Kusanali's eyes. She would, frankly, like to pluck Kusanali's eyes out in general. The only reason she doesn't is because the lifeforms are sentimental (not because Kusanali looks like a child or because she's shown Apep kindness. Apep is a dragon. She is not persuaded by such trivial stimuli).

"Do you desire a truth for your efforts? Yes, humans can be tolerable from time to time. There are some qualities they possess that I find myself baffled by, and yet... I am also curious. But I am no closer to understanding or liking them as a whole than when I began this journey," Apep gives Kusanali the answer she believes the goddess is looking for.

Kusanali's grin widens. She leans her head to the side, letting one of her eyes fall halfway shut. "If you cannot care about the garden, perhaps it would be easier to care for a few flowers at a time."

"Do not look down upon me. I can care for an entire garden with my power," Apep glares at the goddess.

Kusanali shakes her head with a giggle. "No, no, I'm sorry. That isn't what I meant. I was only using a metaphor. If you cannot care about all of humanity, perhaps it would be better to care for a few humans. It would certainly be easier. Even humans are incapable of holding onto personalized love for everyone in Tevyat. They can care about their loved ones and those closest to them, but they use a more abstract kind of love for everyone else. If they have that, which many do not. There are dozens of humans who do not care for humanity. They do not care for others at all. There are even some who do not care for themselves. Even if you are a dragon, it would be unreasonable to ask you to love all humans. Therefore, you should endeavor to love a few."

"Love is not an emotion dragons feel."

"It was something the elemental lifeforms felt. I have trouble believing they could do something you could not," Kusanali remarks. She opens her hands. Light green energy falls from her hands in the form of four-leaf clovers. When they land on the ground, illusions of the fungi her elemental lifeforms came to look like in the final stages of their lives appear around the grove. They move around. Apep can almost hear their voices, and she certainly feels their emotions in her chest when she views the apparitions.

"Do not be a fool," Apep declares. She turns away from Kusanali. She leaves the grove to escape those fungi waddling around... especially the one who resembles the offspring Apep never wants to remember again. She finds her way out of the dream without Kusanali's help, returning to her home in Aaru Village.

She doubts this will be the last time she visits the usurper in her dreams.

🐲

🌴

"You have been gone for a long time," Apep remarks as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata appears on the cliff that overlooks Apep's lands. She sensed the return of the tether to her divine authority in her peripheral. She came to look upon the face of the usurper. Apep wishes she could destroy Rukkhadevata now, but she is severely weakened. The poison from Al-Ahmar's dead body is spreading throughout Apep. She is barely holding onto her sanity, so using her powers is out of the question.

"I have," Rukkhadevata notes. She turns on her heel to look across the decay crawling across the land great city-states once sat on top of. Now, the people are being driven mad by disease and corruption. The animals and plants are rotting without leaving anything for a new generation to grow. Even Apep, one of the few survivors of the great war between the Primordial One and the Heavenly Father, is coming to terms with her own form of nonexistence. Rukkhadevata looks upon the scarred lands with pity in her eyes.

"You have come too late," Apep hisses. As shameful as it is for a dragon such as herself, she cannot hurt Rukkhadevata physically. She does not have the strength or fortitude to stage an attack. In place of her teeth and claws, she uses her words to cut right into the heart of Rukkhadevata's suffering.

"I have come too late to save my friends. I have come too late to save these lands. I have come too late to bring back what has been lost," Rukkhadevata agrees with a heaviness in her voice. She takes a deep breath. When she exhales, she stands resolutely. Her eyes burn bright with determination. The Dendro energy around her increases tenfold, beckoning for the seeds left to waste in the sand to burst forth with a youthful green color. "I have not come too late to save Al-Ahmar from complete ruination. I have not come too late to preserve what is still here. I have not come too late to save you. Have faith in me, o' ancient dragon, for I am going to salvage this broken cycle. Promise me that we shall one day smell the roses and listen to the bluejays."

"I make no such promises with an usurper," Apep reminds the goddess of her place in the hierarchy. Rukkhadevata's eyes droop with the mention, but her smile remains a constant on her face. She does not flinch at Apep's hard glare. The dragon feels some urge to reward Rukkhadevata for the bare minimum. "Do not speak those words lightly. If you have every intention of making them come true, do it now. Whatever the outcome may be, you have my blessing to recover what has vanished. Just know that I will reclaim whatever remains— be it a thriving kingdom or corpse-filled ruins."

"I understand. Thank you, Apep," Rukkhadevata whispers. She turns away to accomplish whatever plan will allow her to fix what Al-Ahmar has destroyed with his own hands in pursuit of an angel's final wish.

Apep goes deep underground. She attempts to deal with the poison, and she slowly loses her mind doing so. It eats away at everything good that was once part of her, leaving behind a husk of fury and bitter memories.

🐲

🌴

"You tricked me."

Apep stands in front of the seated man. Her yellow, reptilian eyes stare down. Al-Haitham lifts his head from his hands. He meets her eyes. Although the turquoise rings in his eyes are different, the ring of orange-gold is exactly the same as Al-Ahmar. Even beyond that, the look in those eyes is the exact same. Apep should know it well. She spent years loathing those eyes when she could barely keep herself from tearing her body apart.

"It was not a trick. We made a deal."

"A deal? You didn't tell me that your body was filled with forbidden knowledge."

Apep hisses, but she tries to keep quiet. The night is dark with a fair moon overhead and pale stars twinkling alongside it. Many humans are asleep right now, or they are trying to get that way. They are standing outside in one of the huts hanging from the trees of the rainforest. Apep has never been this far east, but she made an exception for the circumstances. It wasn't her intention to argue with Al-Haitham while she was here, but the opportunity presented itself. Apep was not going to let this chance go. There is no way she could stand near Al-Haitham without airing out her grievances with a past self this man remembers and must pay for the sins for.

"I did not know it would come to that."

"You had your suspicions."

"I did. In the case that something were to happen to that body, you were the failsafe to make sure it wouldn't spread to others. Unfortunately, there were other leaks I did not account for. My calculations were.. off."

Apep remembers going to collect the body. She was forced to shrink her form to keep from destroying the desert or attracting unwanted attention. She knew that Celestia was keeping tabs on her since she survived the war. Apep was meant to keep her head down, not make deals with the god-king who wanted to overthrow the usurpers he thought of as tyrants. Apep wished for his success, but she was not displeased with his loss. She would take all the wisdom he acquired in pursuit of this goal for herself. She would finish what he could not, and it all started with the body she devoured right from the throne it was sitting upon. The effects were not immediate. It was not until Apep returned to her resort that she realized the consequences of her actions. Wisdom that was not meant for her filled her head, and even now, she can hear echoes of it.

"At least you did not overestimate my strength. I was able to keep the poison from spreading. I was also able to keep myself alive."

"I assure you, I did not want you to die, either. Dragons are respectable creatures. They possess an extraordinary amount of strength and endurance. I was certain the poison would be safe with you. I was also certain it would not kill you. Your death would have been cataclysmic."

"It is good that you do not have unusual pretenses."

"Thank you."

Apep sighs. She takes a step away from Al-Haitham. She turns to look across the darkened forest. The other huts are illuminated by yellow-orange lights that peek through the windows. Apep stretches a hand towards those distant homes. She cannot sense the humans within them, but she can see their shadows moving across the pools of light. Apep is reminded of Aaru Village. She wants to return soon. Her garden is starting to grow. The children have been itching to read her a story from their new library. Jeht will be returning from a mission soon. Apep's home is there, yet she stands here because an old friend is dying inside the hut behind her and Al-Haitham.

"Did you get what you wanted?"

The question comes from nowhere. Apep doesn't even know what Al-Haitham could possibly want. She assumed Al-Ahmar wanted to overthrow the usurpers, but she was never curious enough to learn why even though she knew he stood to benefit the most from them. Apep remembers that she once regarded herself as a creature of wisdom. She doesn't know when, but she lost that aspect of herself. She stopped searching for wisdom. She stopped rejoicing at answers. She even stopped asking questions. She focused so intently on her pursuit to reclaim what had been taken from her that she left other parts of herself to disappear. Maybe that's where this question comes from— a desire to learn once more why she was fascinated with the process of acquiring answers a long time ago.

"In some ways."

Al-Haitham is silent for a moment. Apep is, too, but he speaks before she can come up with an answer.

"I wanted everyone to live peaceful lives. I wanted humans to flourish without the divine laws holding them back. I wanted to get rid of the chains that bound my two friends. I failed at many of these things. However, I swore to my sages when Nabu died that I would bring us all back to her in a golden dream. In that, I believe, I have succeeded and gotten what I wanted."

"She has not returned to you."

Al-Haitham makes an odd noise somewhere between a laugh from someone who never laughs and a breath from someone who never breathes.

"She has. She may not remember who we used to be, but it is not those memories that made her special to me. It was her smile. It was the look in her eyes. It was the way she lived the way she wanted to. It was the way she sacrificed everything to brighten someone's day. It was the way she never failed to stump and challenge me. In these ways, she has come back to me."

"You are about to lose her again. Her incarnation... that Kaveh... is going to die again."

Al-Haitham rises from his chair. Apep turns to look at him. He stands with as much resolution as Al-Ahmar did when he came to bargain with a dragon. Al-Haitham meets Apep's eyes once more. He never flinches, Apep remembers. He never has. He will face down whatever threat is necessary to get what he wants, and that, Apep supposes, is the reason he's returned to them all.

"I'm not letting that happen. I know where I failed last time. I will use a different method and succeed this time."

"You always pick the difficult challenges."

"Difficult, yes, but not impossible."

Apep sighs. She looks away once more. The lights are turning out. She can hear crickets and other animals in the distance. She can feel the trees growing toward the sky the heavens won't allow anyone but their divine selves to reach. Apep feels the ebb and flow of the forest Kusanali created thousands of years ago.

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

🐲

🌴

After being cast down from the heavens, Apep remembers that she was struggling to find a space for herself in the lands that once belonged to her and her kin. She was starving and bleeding. She was pathetically weak, so much so that she did not have the power to do anything. It took all the strength she had and then some to stay alive. This was without mentioning the emotional turmoil she was experiencing between grieving for her fallen family and cursing the ones who destroyed them second after second. Plain and simply, Apep was a complete and utter mess.

After establishing her new domain, a god came to speak with her. She had every intention and right to kill him, but through his displays of might and well-spoken promises, he convinced Apep to spare him. He even convinced her to bequeath him some of her lands to help make his kingdom of humans. Apep was disgusted by his insolence, but she saw opportunity in him. He had the potential to unearth knowledge that Apep wouldn't be allowed to touch because of Celestia. And, in all likelihood, his kingdom would be a blip in Apep's immortal life. It meant nothing. Apep was going to get what she wanted in the end. She agreed to his fanciful words, and the expansive desert was split in half between the two of them.

After years of cohabitation, a dreadful promise was sealed between the two. Al-Ahmar was going to do something reckless in pursuit of his goals. The same goals Apep had. She did not warn him against his pursuits. She only accepted the trade of giving him information now so that she might devour his corpse and regain tenfold the amount of the knowledge she gave him.

After this promise was fulfilled, Apep lies on the ground in her respite. She feels as if she is back where she started. She is starving and bleeding. She is so weak that even a mortal with a rusty blade could fell her. She is entirely alone. Except, she isn't alone. Not entirely. Her family is dead. Her old friend is dead. The sages are dead. The elemental lifeforms inside of her are either dead or gone. But he remains with her. Somehow, through some means, he stands in front of her enfeebled gaze as an apparition. It might be a hallucination, or it might be a ghost, but it is all Apep has.

"What are you doing?" He asks her. He crosses his arms over his chest. He looks at her like she's a fool. In his eyes, she might be. He played her for one, anyway. She thought she would be getting the world on a silver platter if she accepted his deal, but all she received was a poison that is going to finish the job that heavens hoped the natural elements would.

"Are you not a mighty dragon? Where is your strength? Where is your resolve?" She doesn't know. For centuries, she's had these things in spades. Might, strength, resolve. And yet, when was the last time she genuinely felt powerful? It was back when she possessed her dragon's pearl, when her constellation was headed by a crown rather than a jester's cap. But those days are long gone.

"Where is your family? Where are your friends? Where is your kind?" She knows this one. Her family and kind have been buried. The Heavenly Father promised them victory, yet he was forced to put his sons and daughters into boxes. Apep was spared for reasons beyond her understanding. She wonders if the heavens only wanted her to suffer even more.

As for her friends... Apep hesitates to answer. The angel was her friend merely out of similar circumstances. They were connected by their damnation, but there was little else keeping them together. Still, it hurt to hear the flower goddess had perished. When her mind and body and heart are at its weakest, Apep acknowledges that the other sages were her friends. They came to visit her often in their immortal lives. Apep can give excuse after excuse about why she didn't kill them, but the truth of the matter came down to her loneliness. She never got the chance to truly befriend them, however. Apep might not be aware of the world anymore, but she knows they are all dead. Sacrifices, suicides, murders, and madness. They were all driven to the brink by the collapse of their home and the loss of their lords. They are just like Apep's family, and perhaps that's why she wants to cry at the thought of them.

"Tell me, dragon. What are you doing here?"

I don't know, the dragon thinks. Tears fall from her eyes. They land against the ground, but she has no strength to revive the seeds that have long-died in the sand.

🐲

🌴

Apep brushes the curtains made from giant leaves aside. She steps into the rounded room of the hut. She looks around the dimly lit room. Instead of the bed, she sees Kaveh standing beside the window. He presses one hand against the glass. He stares out with an apathetic expression. The sunlight colors his face in soft shades of gold. Kaveh turns his head to the side to look at Apep. She lets the curtain fall shut behind her. The sunlight streaming across Kaveh's face is the only source in the entire room, but even with it, Kaveh's eyes are like two empty sockets devoid of a single trace of light.

"The sower and the reaper and the harvester and the devourer... A dragon of the stolen sky has crawled away from her rusted chains... And to see the flower that blooms with too many petals... The dragon has died thrice, and the flower will die many more times..." Kaveh murmurs. His voice is soft and somber like he's recounting mournful news. "That which you hate has been your undoing... and that which you hate has been your savior... That which you love has perished... and that which you love has awakened from soulless slumbers across the ark's fertile storms."

Apep frowns. The others told her what she was going to find, yet she still has it in her heart to feel sympathy. The memories of Nabu Malikata extend from the angel's creation to her death. Those memories are corrupting Kaveh's mind. They are tearing him apart. At best, his mutterings are nonsensical. At worst, they are rife with forbidden knowledge and information that would drive anyone living in the present time mad should they hear it. Kaveh has even spoken a few prophecies, utilizing one of the powers Nabu Malikata possessed in life. Unfortunately, that knowledge about the future isn't helping Kaveh regain his wits in the slightest.

"A slumber for the dead. A storm for the underground. A spark for the mountains. A noise for the deaf. How does one reach what presides over them? How does one reach what precedes them?" Kaveh continues. He taps his fingers against the glass. He stares out across the distant huts hanging from the trees. A slow smile curls onto his lips— emotionless and shapeless yet present and knowing. Kaveh pushes off the glass. He strides toward Apep with the gracefulness he possessed in a former life. Kaveh spins around Apep, eyes always snapping back to her face when he is forced to look away. "A poison for a dragon; a pesticide for a plant. How the mighty have fallen! Like thunder from the rain without lightning to set the blaze! Madness on a knife's edge, scrapping from the sunrise to the moonfall. Yet not a star twinkles to mark the ticking. As above, so below reversed like a lake reflecting the teardrops of the titan. Do you know your father's name?"

"Nibelung," Apep answers. She grabs onto Kaveh's shoulders. She brings him against her chest. She moves her other hand to hold over his mouth. A vine sprouts from Apep's elbow. It wraps around her forearm. As it circles around her index finger, a flower blossoms from the vine around her palm. The flower's petals open. It eventually bursts with a puff of mist. Kaveh is forced to inhale. His carmine eyes get hazier until he eventually passes out. Apep sweeps his legs out from under him with her arm. She cradles Kaveh against her chest. He sleeps soundly, peaceful dreams keeping him from spreading the terror the poison in his heart wishes to spew.

Apep settles Kaveh onto the bed. She moves the blanket around him until she assumes he's comfortable. Apep leaves her hand on his cheek for a moment. Although he looks different, his eyes are the same as that angel's eyes. His smile is the same, too, despite it being tinged with a madness she rarely let anyone see.

"Sleep well, Nabu. We will figure this out soon enough," Apep promises. She rises from the side of the bed. She leaves the hut. She has to return to Aaru Village soon, but she won't stop thinking about a solution. After everything, they all deserve to have a sweet dream in this lifetime.

🐲

🌴

Nabu Malikata and Apep sit in silence together for a very long time. Even as a fallen angel, Nabu Malikata's presence is as radiant as the celestial bodies high above their heads. She feels like a beautiful flower with a fragrant scent and soft petals. This is one of the few reasons Apep has allowed Nabu Malikata free passage through her lands despite despising all three of the god-kings as an institution.

"I miss my home."

That is another reason Apep has allowed Nabu Malikata. They share similar wishes to return to their homes. They are both cursed to never return. Apep will never reach the sky again. Nabu Malikata cannot even look at the sky. She is forced to keep her head down because of a sin that she never committed. Her existence itself was punishable, and Apep, more than anyone, knows what that feels like.

"I do, too."

Nabu Malikata tilts sideways. She leans against Apep's snout. Apep hears the goddess crying softly to herself. Apep says nothing. She has no words. All she can do is remain still, and together they might make it through their time on the ground together.