The days pass from one to another with the smoothness of a sanded down seashell. The weather grows increasingly warmer the farther south they get, but this causes the environment to turn to half-mud, half-snow sludge. Niki pushes the retinue through this, keeping a tight rein on the movement. The morale falls to a neutral state, not entirely bad for the unpleasant weather and the pace Niki is keeping. No one has gotten into a fight or argument yet, though a few members are a little more snippy than others.

Tommy usually keeps his emotions at half-tones, so he isn't completely affected by the poor weather. If anything, the gray skies and uneven terrain remind him of his former world, his former home. Tommy's boredom whittles down at the nostalgia and trauma buried deep within Tommy, making them distant and fuzzy around the edges. Tommy is barely able to recognize them for what they are, let alone experience them in their full complexity. He has both good and bad memories of his former world– mostly bad, to be honest– but he rarely allows himself to acknowledge them. He holds tightly onto his memories of The Ender Prince, but everything else fades into obscurity. He can't even remember the names or faces of his parents, but really, he doesn't think he ever truly knew them even when he was on the other side.

Because of his boredom and strange apathy towards his former life, Tommy completely throws himself into his training in the afternoons when the retinue stops for the night. In the dying light, Tommy practices the skills Sam burned into him. Under Jack's watchful eyes, Tommy has even started performing the Art of the Golden Tempest, the spearmanship school Sam taught him. Tommy isn't good at it, but he's been getting better. He has started to activate the aura that is supposed to surround him with relative ease. Though, he still isn't proficient at actually utilizing the aura. Jack says it's impressive, nonetheless, and Tommy wonders if he could get someone to teach Jack a sword dance. Tommy doesn't know any of the sword dances— he can't even remember the name of the dance Theseus performed– but he thinks Jack might be suitable for at least one of them.

The only other time Tommy can use the boundless energy inside of him is when he practices gliding and stretching his wings with Jimmy, Hetta, and Deo. Sometimes, False tags along, too. It is the objectively funnest part of his entire day. It is also a bright point that makes him smile effortlessly. The boredom of the day and the harsh training of the evening fades away as Tommy finds his place among the sky. He is always sent back to the ground, but the fleeting moments of the chilly night air surrounding him like a hug are impossible to let go of even when his shoes touch the patches of grass growing between half-melted snow puddles.

At the end of the day, however, Tommy is always knocked out by Orion's remedy that Deo has been feeding him. Although he isn't going to admit it, Tommy notices that he has been feeling better lately. It isn't much better, of course, it hasn't been that long, but the minor differences are starting to pile up until Tommy can't ignore it. Tommy honestly doesn't know if his mental state is improving because of the medication or because he's actually getting sleep. It might be both.

The monotony is, however, pushing Tommy backwards instead of propelling him forwards as far as progress goes. It is the same thing every day with little differences that make it more annoying than substantially different. Tommy actively chooses to break up this monotony by asking Tiberius random questions, but the bird has taken a break from his and Tommy's back-and-forth that is leading absolutely nowhere (Tiberius' fault, not Tommy's). With no one else to ask random questions to, Tommy sits beside Scott at the campfire. They haven't talked much since that day in the carriage. Tommy has been giving Scott space in case the witch was mad at Tommy, but the prince has more important things to worry about now. He looks directly into Scott's side-profile, asking about the spirit realm.

Scott stops pushing a metal poker into the fire, bringing about more sparks and letting them flare around the flames. Scott frowns slightly, glancing over at Tommy with a raised eyebrow. "How do you... You know what, I should have realized you just know things. Perhaps you're an Oracle like Jimmy... like we need two of those."

Scott puts the poker down. He leans back, sitting down on the log around the fire. He looks over at Tommy with a careful expression on his face. "Think, for a moment, that the Overworld, where we are, and the Lost Realms are a Venn diagram with multiple circles. The spirit realm is where the Underworld overlaps with the Underworld. Witches are the only ones with access to this space. It is actually believed that we draw our curses from this realm by giving Nightmares, the animalistic inhabitants of the spirit realm, a form to exist within the physical realm.

"I don't know much more about it than that. I want to, of course, but the Nightmares are too powerful for me. I can't bring anything with me to the spirit realm and magic-based abilities are useless. Magicians might be able to use Mystery, but I can't be a Magician on account of being a witch."

"Can I travel into the spirit realm?" Tommy asks, feeling a lot better about his decision to ask Scott about this now that he has confirmation what the spirit realm is. He could have deduced something similar since it was called the 'spirit' realm, but it was nice to learn from someone who knew, even if their knowledge was sparse.

"It's possible with a sleeping potion, but I wouldn't advise it. The Nightmares will be especially vindictive to you on account of your mental state," Scott explains, gesturing to Tommy with a slightly concerned expression on his face.

Tommy decides not to respond to the comment on his mental state. "Would you make me a sleeping potion? I'm assuming it needs a witch's blood to activate."

"I did say that it was ill-advised, didn't I? Let me say it again, just in case. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone but especially not you," Scott remarks, raising an eyebrow at Tommy in disbelief. The firelight glints across his pale skin, running against the glossy strands of his white-and-black hair. The white is starting to overtake the black, and Tommy tries to remember why Scott's hair is like that in the first place. It was from the use of his powers, but it was from one ability in particular. Tommy just doesn't remember which ability that was.

"He knows what he's doing, Scott," False pipes up, swinging her foot over the side of the log to sit down on the other side of Scott. She pats his shoulder reassuringly. With her face being half-turned, the shadows stretch in long streaks across her face, making them highlighted parts more distinct.

"If you think so..." Scott murmurs, looking at his teacher for a long moment. Scott turns back to Tommy. "There's no harm in it. If a Nightmare does kill you, you'll wake up wherever you went to sleep. You might wake up panicking, however, so you should probably get your night guard to watch over you."

"I will tell Deo what I'm doing," Tommy assures Scott and False. Tommy is self-aware enough to know that he often keeps secrets. He is hiding from nearly everyone that he's a reincarnator, and only a few more people than that know that he's an avian. The one secret he keeps from everyone is how he is feeling at any given moment, but Jimmy is entirely unhelpful towards that cause when he tells Hetta and Deo about the common patterns seen between an avian's wings and their emotions. It's even more horrible when Deo is starting to pick up on the nuances unique to Tommy. Deo is keeping that secret to himself, so Tommy feels even more obliged not to tell Deo about this. He is, however, going to, and not just because he needs to put off drinking his depression medication and a guard to watch over him. He's doing it because he doesn't want to keep more secrets than he has to.

"Good," Scott asserts, standing up. He leaves Tommy and False at the campfire. Tommy stares after him skeptically, but False looks entirely unbothered. She is inevitably proven right for not worrying as Scott returns a moment later with a large cooking pot in his hands. He holds it carefully, so Tommy assumes there is water in the pot. Tommy is proven correct when Scott leans down to put the pot directly into the fire. Tommy opens his mouth to argue, but the pot begins to reflect a green light that matches the glowing green part of Scott's eyes instead of the orange-colored flames surrounding the pot. Tommy closes his mouth, leaning forward when he realizes that he's seeing witchcraft. Kara rarely performed the craft, and he only saw Prismarina cast two curses. This is something entirely different than Tommy's ever seen. "Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

Scott steps away again, heading towards the carriages. False puts her hands directly into the fire to move the pot around. Tommy laughs in disbelief to himself. He knew already that False couldn't really feel temperature, but it is something else to watch her put her hands into the flames without the scent of burning flesh filling the air or charring skin crawling over her calloused fingers.

Scott returns with a satchel. He drops it down on the ground, leaning down right beside it. He digs into the satchel, pulling out tiny velvet pouches of various colors. As Scott starts blowing dust into the boiling water or dropping in what Tommy believes are animal parts, Niki jogs on over. She is staring intently at the cooking pot. Tommy gives her a sheepish smile, realizing belatedly that they are using a pot that Niki has probably already cleaned. Tommy feels bad about giving Niki more work. He would clean the pot himself if he thought the others would actually let him do that. "What are you doing?"

"A sleeping potion first requires a love potion," Scott explains like that's the answer Niki was looking for. Well, it does tell her that they are trying to make a sleeping potion, so maybe it wasn't that bad of an answer.

"Do love potions actually work?" Niki asks, dropping her arms as she peers into the pot. The boiling water has turned into a soft shade of lavender with streaks of blue and pink standing out from the base color. Bubbles rise from the bottom to the top, releasing little puffs of green smoke when they pop that quickly dissipate in the stagnant air. They smell nasty, however, and Niki pulls back after a particularly large one pops.

Scott shakes his head. "I mean, love potions can make sapient creatures fall in love with whatever they see for a duration of time, but it really isn't recommended. There are a lot of problems with love potions, ranging from health concerns and moral ones. It is better to use love potions on animals to make them easier to tame as pets. A lot of the stranger domesticated pets of the age can pay tribute to love potions."

Tommy feels a weight land on his shoulder, the remnant of a cold wind tickling the side of his neck. Tommy looks out of the corner of his eye to find Tiberius resting there solemnly, keeping vigil against the firelight. "A love potion would never work on a celestial."

"I wouldn't know. I've never tried one of them," Scott shrugs, dropping another ingredient into the pot. The bubbling grows fervently, but the bubbles stop releasing a smoke when they pop.

"Nor shall you start," Tiberius demands, raising his head high to show his superiority. Tommy feels the urge to splash Tiberius with the potion to see what happens. It would also count as revenge for Tiberius ditching Tommy for the entire day and coming back at the last moment.

Tommy would like to think self-control is what stops him from doing anything, but it's actually because he sees Hetta, Deo, and Jimmy walking over from the carriages. Tommy stands up, and Tiberius makes a bird noise as he flutters down to the log Tommy was sitting on previously. Tommy smiles cheekily at Tiberius, and he feels the haughty glare leveled at him by the bird.

"The potion will be done by the time you get back from your 'meditation'," Scott says, waving Tommy off. False was the one to come up with the lie. She said that she taught herself meditation early on in her life as a lich to keep her sanity. She taught those skills to Jimmy, and he was now teaching them to Deo and Tommy. The former because of his violent impulses, and no one needed to hear why Tommy might be learning meditation. Tommy thought that was rude, but False assured him that meditation was useful for multiple reasons. She and Jimmy legitimately did meditate to keep their inhuman instincts at bay.

Scott, for some reason, didn't believe them. Niki didn't believe them, either, but she didn't say anything because Tommy was the lord she swore an oath to. If Tommy thought it was best not to tell her, she would reluctantly accept that. Tommy doesn't know why Scott doesn't try to investigate, though, since he has nothing keeping him away from the truth.

"Aw, are you doing something for the prince? That's so kind of you, Scott. Thank you!" Jimmy cheerfully declares, probably not noticing Scott's sarcasm. Tommy glances over at Scott's reaction. The elf turns away from the group, staring at the contents inside the pot with extreme focus. Tommy squints his eyes, trying to figure out if Scott's cheeks are illuminated by the firelight or by a red blush.

"Come on," Deo says, elbowing Tommy's side. The prince looks over the group again as he starts walking away with the group led by Jimmy. Niki is staring after him, but she avoids his eyes. False is leaning back, relaxed and distant. Scott is working on the potion. Tiberius is staring at the potion, and Tommy wonders why Tiberius isn't following him. As far as Tommy is aware, Tiberius knows about Tommy's avian status. He came by one day when Tommy was sick, talking to Hetta at the edges of Tommy's consciousness. He is distancing himself on purpose, and Tommy wonders if it would be worth it to investigate, demands answers that Tiberius isn't willing to give.

"What was Scott doing for you?" Deo asks quietly, nodding over his shoulder as the group passes across the treeline. Jimmy and Hetta are a few feet away from Tommy and Deo. Tommy was so focused on Tiberius that when Deo started going slower in Tommy's peripheral, Tommy subconsciously went slower to match Deo's steps.

"I'm trying to get into the spirit realm. Scott agreed to make me a sleeping potion," Tommy explains, looking back at Deo. Again, Tommy matches the quiet of his voice.

"Why are you trying to get into the spirit realm?" Deo asks cautiously, something stoney in his tone that Tommy didn't recognize. He stares at Deo's side profile. Not for the first time, he wished Deo wasn't wearing a blindfold so that he could look into the mercenary's eyes. It would be easier to identify Deo's emotions that way.

"I have my reasons," Tommy responds, looking away from Deo. He doesn't know how he's supposed to explain that he isn't the real Theseus and he's trying to look for the ghost of Theseus. An explanation of that magnitude would require Tommy explaining everything. He isn't sure if Deo will believe him, he isn't sure Deo will trust him, and he isn't sure if Deo will even survive learning the truth. An entirely separate world seems like taboo knowledge to Tommy, though he doesn't have confirmation of that.

"And what are those reasons?" Deo presses, more of that stoniness hardening the edges of his voices. There is a faint ghost of anger resonating across the features Tommy can see, but there is something unique in the application of that anger that makes Tommy wonder if that is even what he's looking at. He feels a small sprout of jealousy grow within him. He wishes he had as good of a grasp on his emotions as Deo does.

"It doesn't matter," Tommy pointedly declares. Deo's attention shifts, stretching towards Tommy like a shadow in the evening. Tommy glares back at Deo, feeling the start of an argument brewing between them. Tommy has half a mind to order Deo to shut up, but he suspects Deo would circumvent such an order. Even if he doesn't, he won't drop this matter.

"Hey!" A voice calls out to them. Tommy realizes that the two of them have stopped walking. Hetta flies right in front of them. Her face is twisted with concern, her eyes rapidly moving from Deo to Tommy. She frowns deeply. "Are you fighting?"

Tommy sighs, his entire expression dropping away at the simple question. Deo opens his arms, and Hetta cautiously lowers herself into them. She stares up at Deo, confusion rippling across the pond of worry that is her face. Tommy leans toward them, smiling softly at Hetta. "We're not fighting, but I am sorry, Deo. I just want to test something in the spirit realm. There isn't anything more to it. Speaking of, will you two watch over me while I'm in the spirit realm?"

Deo and Hetta share a look. Even with the blindfold on Deo's face, an understanding passes between the two of them that Tommy hardly understands, even though he is bound to both of them by contracts. At the same time, the two of them look at Tommy. A smile stretches across Hetta's face, her red-orange eyes glowing softly in the rising moonlight. "Of course, we will! We were going to do that anyway, Tommy!"

"Guys!" Jimmy calls out, waving both of his hands high above his head to get their attention in the fading light. Tommy waits for Deo to start moving, and he follows after his guard and elemental as they move toward Jimmy. The canary is twirling in a slow circle, his marble eyes fuzzy around the edges. When he looks at Tommy, his eyes snap back together. "I can't sense a good jumping off point for gliding, unless we climb a tree, so I want to try take-offs with you!"

Jimmy reaches forward, tapping Tommy's back. The blonde gets the message, unfurling his Origin magic until his wings spread out behind him. Jimmy's smile widens as he sees them in good condition, courtesy of Deo. Jimmy sets his hands on Tommy's shoulders. "You should instinctively be able to do this. Tricks require a bit of skill, but simple flight at low altitudes are just above following the waves of magic between you and the sky all around us. Come on, Hetta, let's show the prince what I'm talking about."

Jimmy steps away from Tommy. Hetta leaps down from Deo's arms. She plants her feet on the ground. She doesn't even wear a disgusted look as she does this, the clearest sign of her maturity that Tommy has seen by far. Hetta spins on her heel, landing to the side of Jimmy. She glances over at him. Jimmy spreads his canary wings out, the buttery yellow feathers catching the orange sunlight as it sinks below the horizon and passes through the trees. Jimmy flaps down at the same time he jumps, and he starts rising into the air. His wings continue flapping as he balances a few meters above the ground. Hetta grins at Tommy, performing a similar feat to lift herself into the air.

"You've done more difficult stuff than this. You'll be fine," Deo assures Tommy, leaning close before pushing him forward. Tommy stumbles, but he catches himself. He breathes in deeply, staring up at Jimmy and Hetta. They are both looking at him with wide, expecting eyes. Tommy feels the slow drag of anxiety pulling him further towards the earth. Tommy closes his eyes, ignoring the pressure all around him from all these people who seemingly care about him. He just needs to feel the magic, like Jimmy said. He needs to trust himself, his wings. He is a child of the sky. The goddess herself welcomed him to it.

Tommy lifts his wings up. He bends his knees. He flaps his wings as he jumps into the air. He squints his eyes open for a moment. He gets a little bit of height, but he is immediately deposited back onto the ground. As his foot lands, he slides across the sludge making up the ground. Tommy's rear collides with the dirt, pain richoting up his spine and cold mud seeping into his clothes. Tommy winces to himself. His expression turns into a glare when he hears Deo laughing behind Tommy.

Before Tommy can point that glare at the mercenary, Jimmy is lowering himself back onto the ground. Jimmy takes both of Tommy's hands, pulling up onto his feet. There isn't a hint of mockery on his face as he smiles reassuringly at Tommy. Despite the uncanny nature of his marble eyes, Tommy feels strangely comforted by such a kind gaze. "Flap your wings and release the magic. Let your instincts take care of the rest."

Tommy does as Jimmy asks, or at least, tries to. He must be doing something right because his feet lift off the ground. Jimmy pulls at Tommy's hands, lifting him even higher. They are a few meters off the ground now. Tommy wants to stare down to see how far, but he refrains from doing that. He keeps his eyes on Jimmy and the cracks of the distant sky he can see between the trees. He is a child of the sky, and he deserves to be here.

Tommy remains in the air for several long seconds, and it's enough that he starts laughing with sheer joy. Jimmy's smile widens with pride, and he slowly drops Tommy's hands. Jimmy leans backward, utilizing a weird see-sawing motion to effectively fly backwards. Tommy decides not to do that since he absolutely knows it requires skill, but he can fly in a stationary position.

For a moment, at least. Once that moment passes, Tommy is falling back towards the ground. He knows it's going to hurt this time. Fortunately, Deo actually does his job as Tommy's protector this time instead of laughing at Tommy's failure. He catches Tommy, keeping him from hitting the ground. Tommy's grin is huge on his face as he clutches Deo's coat, adrenaline pumping through his entire body. "I have to fucking do that again!"

Deo chuckles lightly, depositing onto his feet. Tommy stands firmly on the ground. Hetta flies toward him, reaching one of her hands out. She smiles at him as Tommy takes her hand. With her guidance, Tommy finds himself in the air once more. Happiness shoots through him as he realizes that he's actually flying with Hetta, something he wanted to do when Jimmy offered him the chance to learn. Hetta's entire body practically buzzes with enjoyment, and Tommy is half-scared she's going to turn into pure air energy as a teal-colored glow spreads across her skin like a fast-moving wind.

Tommy remains in the air for even longer this time.  He gains a couple of feet of height all by himself without anyone's help. Unfortunately, he is earthbound again before long. Tommy feels exhaustion run its course through his body, pulling strangely at all his limbs. He feels like he's just ran a few laps, an experience he's intimately familiar with because of Sam. Tommy has to sit on the ground, and Hetta sits in his lap even though she could keep flying indefinitely. Jimmy lands right beside them. "Flying takes more energy than gliding, but as you develop your abilities, you'll be able to fly far and fast."

Hetta looks back at Tommy, and the two of them share an expectant look. Although Tommy knows flying is going to be an advantage in battle, he is mainly eager to start flying with Hetta.

"We should start heading back to camp," Deo remarks, looking away from the group into the darkness of the forest. Tommy tucks his arms around Hetta's stomach as he stands up, taking her with him. Jimmy's eyes unfocus like they did before, and he gives them a sheepish smile, gesturing in a particular direction. Deo nods at him, and Tommy knows based on both of their reactions that there are monsters that way. Hostile Mobs, probably, considering how dark the forest is.

Jimmy leads the group toward the firelight in the distance. Deo takes up the back, his sword drawn for easier access. Tommy carries Hetta in the middle of the group, pulling her close to his chest like a child holding their favored stuffed animal at night.

Fortunately, it doesn't take them long to get back to the camp. Most of the people have retired for the night, including False and Tiberius, apparently, even though neither of them require sleep. Tommy can see Niki in the distance, discussing something with one of the diplomats. Scott remains where the group left him, but the cooking pot is no longer huddled in the flames. Scott is staring into the flames, his expression showing that his mind is somewhere far away from where they are now. He slowly comes back to himself when he notices movement in his peripheral vision, and by the time the four of them get close to Scott, he's with them again. Scott stands up, holding a glass bottle of a dark purple liquid in his hand. Tommy lifts his hand up to take the potion, but Scott decidedly gives the bottle to Deo. Scott looks at Deo with a hard expression. "Be vigilant."

"I will," Deo solemnly replies, tucking the potion close to his chest. Tommy rolls his eyes as he wraps his arm around Hetta again. She looks up at him, a strange expression crossing her face. Tommy smiles at her, and she gives him a quiet smile back.

"Goodnight," Tommy declares, looking between Scott and Jimmy.

"Goodnight! Sweet dreams!" Jimmy enthusiastically replies, drowning Scott's softer 'goodnight, good luck.'

This time, Deo leads the way to Tommy's tent, already set up by Jack when they first stopped. Tommy passes Hetta over to Deo as he heads into the tent. As quickly as he can, Tommy prepares himself for sleep. He wishes that he could bring a weapon or two into the spirit realm, but Scott said that he couldn't bring anything with him. Tommy is stuck with that same condition, even if it is starting to fill him with dread. He honestly doesn't know if he should hope Theseus is there or not.

"I'm ready," Tommy calls out, dropping onto the fluffy mat that passes for a sleeping bag in this world. It's actually remarkably soft for what it is, but that thought is neither here nor there. Tommy pulls his blanket over his legs, preparing himself for the strange night ahead of him.

Hetta flies into the tent first. She lands on the mat beside Tommy. Deo walks in next, his jacket and boots discarded along with his sword and its scabbard. He does carry a dagger in a sheath with him, setting it down beside the oil lamp beside the mat. Deo leans down onto one of his knees, revealing the bowl of Orion's remedy in his other hand. Deo sets it down in Tommy's hand. He pulls the glass potion bottle out of his pant's pocket. He holds it in his hand, his attention directly placed on the smooth, curving surface. Tommy drinks the remedy in its entirety. He offers the bowl to Deo in a trade, the drowsiness starting to eat away at him. Deo's attention shifts to Tommy. He uncorks the bottle, placing it in Tommy's hand. The blonde drinks the potion, wondering if this hot-cold liquid is what starlight tastes like. Tommy starts to lay down on his pillow, and Deo takes the potion from him, murmuring, "Be careful."

Tommy isn't able to respond because between one blink and the next, Deo is gone. Hetta is, too, as is the rest of the tent. Tommy is instead lying in a forest, the ground beneath him made from that mud-snow sludge. Although the rest of the tents or the campfires aren't there, Tommy has the distinct feeling that he's still in the same area that he was in before. The only difference is that there is a strange overlay in this world that transforms it from a simple forest to a supernatural one. The overlay is condensed around Tommy into warm spots, right where Hetta and Deo were when Tommy was awake.

Tommy rises to his feet, looking around. He stops looking when he hears a haunting groan fill the air in the distance. Tommy snaps his eyes toward it. A pair of glowing red eyes peer out from the shadows, and the sound grows in intensity as Tommy's attention is given to the strange beast. Tommy shudders at the eyes boring into him. He is saved from his panic by a voice calling out behind him, "Don't worry about it."

Tommy whirls around, and he's presented with a mirror. A funhouse mirror, really. The figure in front of him shares Tommy's face, but his eyes are a violet purple and his golden hair is longer, hanging around him like Rapunzel's hair. He is wearing a white chiton without any shoes, floating an inch off the ground to avoid making footprints in the honestly gross ground. The figure has a set of blood red wings sprouting from his back, covering his shoulders like a cloak. Another difference is that while Tommy's face is twisted up with emotions, the figure is smiling. They are smiling kindly, too.

"The Nightmares won't attack you with me around since I've been here so long. They think I'm one of them," Theseus claims, gesturing to the darkness where the red eyes once were but no longer are. "Nightmares are vicious, yes, but they don't steal another Nightmare's prey. They are strange creatures in that way."

Tommy hurriedly looks back at Theseus. He gets into a defensive position, ready to throw hands with a ghost. Theseus' eyes wide, tilting his head to the side at Tommy curiously. Tommy narrows his eyes. "Are you here for your body?"

Theseus' surprise melts away into a genuine laugh that strikes like a bell at the top of the hour. It isn't cruel or mocking in the slightest, putting Tommy even more on edge than he was a moment before. Theseus shakes his head, glancing back at Tommy with amethysts sparkling in his eyes. "No, that's not what I want."

Theseus moves closer, his steps light and fluid. He grins near Tommy's face, everything about him radiating with friendliness and trustworthiness. "I'll tell you the truth! My soul was shoved out of that body as soon as I was a baby to make room for your soul. I've grown up as a ghost. I even manifested Origin magic when you did! I've been hanging around you for most of our lives, watching you live your life."

"Are you jealous, then?" Tommy asks, trying to find a reason not to trust the being in front of him. He shouldn't, knowing what Theseus was like in The Ender Prince, but whatever this ghost is, it isn't the Theseus from the book. The Ender Prince's Theseus had near-perfect control over his emotions, and he never showed an ounce of joyfulness. This ghost was made entirely from positive emotions fluttering across his face like butterflies.

"Well, not necessarily. I was a little lonely without any friends, but I managed to make it through because I had you," Theseus mentions, reaching a hand up to touch Tommy's cheek. Tommy can feel skin touching him, smooth and unblemished as if Theseus hasn't done a single thing in his life. And Tommy means that statement literally. He doubts a ghost has had enough interaction with objects to cause any roughness on his hands. It startles Tommy, but he allows Theseus to cusp his cheek. Theseus shrugs one of his shoulders, looking away from Tommy sheepishly. "Plus, I heard from you and the other Transcendents that I was meant to be a villain. I don't really understand how that could have happened since your family is so nice, but who am I to question a Transcendent?"

"Do you want your family back?" Tommy asks, ignoring the twisting feeling in his gut at Theseus' words. Tommy's family is nice, yes, but they wouldn't have been to Theseus. And he wouldn't have been nice to them, either. It was a dreadful cycle, perpetuated by grievances never uttered in Ranboo's presence.

"I don't have a family," Theseus states plainly, nothing shifting his expression as he pulls his hand back to his side. "I don't love those people the way you love them, Tommy. I love them like characters in a play. I root for their success and I hate watching them fail, but at the end of the day, I don't have a meaningful relationship with any of them. I'm not their family, and they aren't mine."

"Then, what do you want? Why did you show yourself?" Tommy asks, letting his hands drop completely as he realizes that none of this makes sense to him.

"You're a Transcendent. On top of saving the world, you get to do cool things. I have no doubt that you'll find a way to the Underworld... you know, other than dying. When you do, I would appreciate it if you would throw this-" Theseus puts both hands on his chest, drawing out a dark blue crystal (lapis lazuli, Tommy thinks). Theseus sets the crystal in Tommy's hand, watching his expression with a soft smile. "-down the path. Most things can't travel between the spirit realm, but soul crystals are an exception. The essence of my ghostly self is in that crystal, so if you put it in the Underworld, I can finally move on."

"I'll try," Tommy promises, closing his fingers around the crystal. It doesn't feel any different from the lapis lazuli used to enchant.

Theseus' grateful smile drops off of his face in a single instant as he looks over Tommy's shoulder. Tommy tries looking behind him, but Theseus grabs Tommy's hand. Theseus jerks Tommy forward, dragging him in the opposite direction. Theseus' voice is taut with panic as he cries out, "Run!"

Tommy does as he's told- run- but he looks over his shoulder. A figure is standing between the distant trees. Pink hair falls in gossamer strands, framing a pair of ruby red eyes. Tommy recognizes who it is immediately. His older brother, Techno, is standing there, unmoving, with a neutral expression crossing his face. Tommy tries to stop moving, but Theseus pulls at Tommy's hand, keeping him moving. "It's a trap! That isn't the real Techno! It's a Nightmare!"

Tommy continues staring at the Nightmare. It is starting to move towards Tommy and Theseus, walking yet gaining ground. The Nightmare wears the blue and silver ceremonial armor of the Antarctic Empire, the metallic edges reflecting back an unknown light source. The Nightmare holds a large broadsword in their hands, pulling it along with any exertion. An executioner, like in the book.

Tommy's entire body thunders with panic as he turns away from the Nightmare. He starts putting his effort into running away from the distant monster. Theseus remains ahead of him, floating with more speed than Tommy could hope to achieve without Hetta's air elemental abilities.

As Theseus and Tommy run, eyes start appearing in their peripheral vision. The eyes are in all different colors, every single one, different shades, but they are all terrifying even though they are colors Tommy knows, has seen before. The eyes get closer, claws and barbed tails darting in and out of the shadows. They all stay away until a pair of glowing white eyes leap out from around a tree, tackling Theseus to the ground with an invisible body. Tommy stumbles back, jerking away from the Night Stalker– a monster entirely invisible except for its niveous eyes. The Night Stalker and Theseus tumble around, the former holding the latter down.

Tommy reaches for Theseus, trying to help the ghost, but a vine shoots out from a nearby tree, grabbing Tommy's wrist. It pulls him back, thorns digging into his flesh in a way that is painful even though Tommy is supposed to be dreaming right now. The pain only intensifies when more vines are wrapped around his wrist, ankles, and torso. Tommy is forced onto his knees. The vines pull away, but Tommy doesn't have the strength to run away when he notices a Nightmare drawing dangerously close.

"Don't worry! You won't die– you'll just wake up!" Theseus yells, his voice choked by the Night Stalker pressing down heavily on his body, holding his arms behind his back.

Tommy is barely conscious of the words as Techno comes to stand right beside Tommy. There is nothing in his eyes– not love, not recognition, not even hesitation. Techno raises the broadsword high above his head. The sky is dark, but fiery sunlight reflects off the blade. Tommy stares up at his brother, a genuine terror spreading from his heart to his extremities as he realizes this is the fate he's been trying to avoid all this time. It all comes crashing down on him as the sword falls, the broadsword effortlessly slicing through Tommy's neck.

Tommy wakes up in his test. A scream cuts through the silent night, tearing at his lungs and mouth with knife-like precision as it leaves him. Blistering hot tears slide down his cheeks, falling onto the blanket he is holding in a vice-like grip. He is vaguely aware of his wings flaring out, and all of his muscles are so tense that they are starting to fill him with a cramp-like pain. Tommy's hands lift up from his blanket, clawing at his neck to fill the point of disconnection. The lapis lazuli he isn't aware of holding cuts into his skin, but he doesn't notice the thin rivulet of blood.

There are arms around him. Someone grabs onto his hands, pulling them away from the marks he's probably made on his own skin. As Tommy's head falls against someone's chest, he realizes that Deo is the one holding him, whispering something that Tommy can't hear over his airy scream and the gasping sobs. The next second, Hetta is pulling herself into Tommy's lap, falling bonelessly against his chest to provide a distracting weight. Deo sets Tommy's arms around Hetta, and he holds her close to him, calming down one breath at a time as he realizes that he's alive, remembers that he was only dreaming.

"I promise that you're safe," Deo murmurs. For some reason, Tommy believes him.

—

Ranboo drops the rag, his arms falling to his side. He can see his reflection in the armor, but he can't take pride in his cleaning skills. He can only feel miserable about seeing his own shell-shocked face. Even now, surprise paints his heterochromatic skin, illuminating both his red and green eyes. Theseus is going to die. He's going to die, and this is the armor that the executioner will be wearing.