Twice Ghost left to visit The Hoax; to update himself about the happenings in regards to the upcoming election amongst the Balderdash. At first, the mere thought of such an activity being hosted would have sounded foolish to Waverly, but given how maddeningly boring it was down in Nys, she could not blame those involved.

For a quarter of a moment, she too felt drawn to visit the Hoax in order to have something to do other than lie around, writhing in pain until torture found her again.

Using her elbows and with calculated movements, she supported herself to a stand, groaning from the weight inside her chest that seemed to always hang there like a permanent signature. From where she stood, she saw that the Coath was slowly being overtaken by fast rushing mist. It blew past and shrouded everything in impenetrable haze, making her wish she had moved a bit faster.

With sluggish limps, she dragged her feet onward.

Inside the fog, the wind was mildly warm and seemed to filter into her bones, rendering them weak. Halting not too far from where she started, she slumped against a rock, heaving and gasping. Pestilence was heavy in the air, and it soaked up every bit of energy whilst filling her with illness. From the corner, a sudden grunt came followed by an advancing shadow. She craned to see, but surprisingly, the unseen creature gave a fearful yelp and bolted, leaving her to wonder what had set it off.

To no surprise, the environment disappeared when she blinked.

The new scene was the inside of a place that looked like a temple. The stone wedging her from behind was taller, and when she looked, saw that it was actually a large pedestal of stome. Pillars wrapped the room in a repeated spiral so that they were all she could see from where she sat to the very vague end of the room.

With effort, she shoved herself to rise and discovered that she was indeed inside a temple. The ceiling was deep coved and incredibly high, splattered with dim glyphs and writings. From a peephole in its middle, moonlight streamed down onto a statue, which stood on top of the large pedestal. Everything in the room was crafted out of white stone, but the white of it all had gone even duller than the beam of moonlight. The sight of the statue - a round slab of stone with four connected symbols in the middle - was something that gave her a queer feeling.

But before she could place where she had once seen it, voices streamed into the atmosphere. She hastened to hide behind a pillar. It felt unnaturally thick and cold, but she pressed against it for support.

Then, a pair strolled into the temple, conversing in what sounded pleasantly like local Alp. When both came fully into the dim light, she bit down on her tongue to keep from making a sound.

"You never heed me, Father." Aurora, the Elf princess, said with a faint break in her voice. She wore a silver velvet dress that Waverly caught herself staring too long at. It appeared so distractingly lovely under the moonlight. In the distance, the princess's hair showed twinkling spots that came from a tiny circlet around her head.

All in all, she resembled a dream.

Her father, King Javan, was in purple velvet that screamed his majesty even without his royal crown. He spun to face her, towering over her by a head. "No. It be ye who fails to heed me. However I may attempt to enlighten ye for the good of it and for ye being my only heir, ye fails to see sense."

"I don't see the sense in idling about, waiting for the throne to pass to me when you will likely remain King for another thousand years." She daughter stressed, appearing deeply upset. "Let me go on a hunt; a short trip even. I'll scour the Great Jungle if I have to, but I will not sit back any longer."

She went around to stand in front of him when he turned away. "You won't let me have this because you fear I will go looking for him, don't you?"

Javan withdrew his gaze again, his expression drawing taut. "Ye will be wise to avert from tis subject."

"No." Aurora squealed defiantly. Each time he turned away, she would march over to gaze into his eyes. "How cowardly a thought!"

"Silence, Aurora." He barked.

From where she was, Waverly flinched, stunned by the briskness in the King's tone.

Aurora quietened for a moment, catching her breath. When she spoke, she sounded calmer than before. "You told me that in order to rule I needed to first be a worthy Queen. You said I had to be strong enough to defend my people; that you had faith in me and in what I would become."

She paused.

"Is this how you pictured me when you said that to me?" Again, her voice broke. "You refused me my heart first, and now you refuse me the right to heal it. I won't overcome my broken heart by sitting within the four walls of your domain, Father, neither will I blindly chase the source of it should you let me go."

Javan's eyes rested on her for a long time before he sighed and strolled forward. Waverly plastered herself to the column, not quite certain whether she could be spotted.

"Faith in ye have I still," He muttered audibly, much clearer to her own hearing because he was on the other side of the pillar. "In the time in which ye claims rulership, I believe tis realm shall thrive greatly and have a great future, but to secure it all ye must be kept where tis safe."

"I am safe." Aurora declared. "I will always be safe. You have to trust me; that my request is not foolish nor naive. Please, Father."

Her voice sounded closer, leading Waverly to believe that both father and daughter were side by side nearest the pillar.

"Let me go." The princess implored softly. "You will not regret it."

Again, silence reigned.

"Will ye swear a promise to me that no attempt shall ye make to search for the banished abject whilst abroad? Ye art in the temple of Gayl, accountable for whatever word ye speaks here and now will ye be held everlastingly."

"I won't search for him, Father, I swear my promise." Aurora heaved a sigh. "But will you tell me why you despise him so much?"

With a jolt, Waverly realized the person they had been referring the whole time was none other than Brijjet. It suddenly made sense why Aurora appeared much younger. The scene was one in the past, perhaps long before Aurora tied the knot with Bridonis.

"It be not him alone I bear dislike toward, but the entire likes of him. Seeds of the gods. Toward the gods themselves I harbor no grudge. Their offspring, on the other hand, be a different kind altogether. To no shame it be that I admit to a fear of them. Likened to a cape does death, destruction and trouble hang behind them. Too much they feel entitled to acquisition of whatever it may be they desire. None can predict nor call them to order. They act as they see fit."

"Is that such a terrible thing?" Aurora inquired, slowly walking away. "To be subject to one's will alone?"

Before Waverly knew it, the She-Elf was before her, but walking onward without turning to look back. She held her breath when the King passed as well, towing his daughter. Quietly, she slipped behind the column to continue watching them.

"Only the gods exist to be that way, and no god was he." The Elf King stated. "Whatever his fate amounted after his departure, I know not, but it be solace to me and to many that he remains absent."

As the last word left the king's lips, the scenario melted back into the hazy environs of The Coath. Waverly's blood ran cold at the sight of a new figure poised inside the haze. She hated that Hekate's presence had begun to frighten her, but she could not help it. The witch goddess had a way about intimidation that no other deity did.

"No one really likes you." Hekate sniggered. The haze parted around her, allowing Waverly glimpse an evil smirk for only a second.

"I'd say the same about you." She replied, trying not to lurch from weakness. Whatever assurance Ghost had previously given her about Hekate not frequenting The Coath suddenly melted off.

The goddess tsked. "At least I get respect out of it."

"Quit fooling yourself for once." Her tone of mockery issued a brief, testy silence.

"Do you want to know the only reason I like seeing you so often?" As she spoke, Hekate emerged out of the haze. Her smirk had disappeared, replaced by a distasteful scowl. As usual, she was dressed like a darker version of the vain Entonian goddess, Vanita.

"I doubt I want to." Although she mentally instructed herself not to, Waverly shuffled back a few steps to retain the distance between them.

"My anger is renewed each time." Hekate drew close enough to trap her jaw in a strong and tight grip. She whispered. "I love the feeling."

Waverly shoved the goddess's hand away, and the latter lifted it to strike in retaliation, but her wrist was caught midair.

"Keep your hands away from me." Waverly threatened.

"Or what?" Hekate snarled.

"I'll see that you're relieved of your position as sovereign of the Forefront."

A conceited laugh rang from the goddess. "And how do you expect to do that in my own realm?"

"Nys's realm." Waverly corrected coolly. "And I wouldn't be so smug and test me if I were you."

Hekate sharply withdrew her hand, leaving jingles in its wake as a result of the multiple bangles around her wrist. Her eyes were analytical and filled with uncertainty.

"You miserable, lying swine."

With a little simper and an eyebrow lift, Waverly relaxed. "I haven't told any lies now, have I?"

"You think you're so brave?!" Hekate smiled mirthlessly. "So smart?" She stepped back to peer better and begrudgingly at her rival.

"No, I don't. That bit is where your ego rests and your undoing as well. Careful! You might lead Nys into thinking you are of no use to her any longer."

A powerful sweeping motion from the goddess's handsent Waverly sailing back a long way. She crashed into a huge piece of rock that cracked upon contact. The impact befuddled her entire being and sent her spine spasming wth brutal pain.

"How dare you taunt me?" Hekate roared in a scream, marching forward in slow strides.

"What is with you gods and not being able to handle the truth?" She groaned, coughing out blood and bits of dust that blew into her throat as a result of lying face down, then pushed herself up.

"You have no power here." The goddess growled. Her anger was so evident that her eyes glowed like multiple fireflies in the dark of night.

"I agree with you," Waverly taunted further. "But, you know, I think that I would make a more reliable replacement. I have only to voice my interest. Besides, I'm the one with real leadership experience between the two of us. You, on the other hand, have been down here in a make-believe kingdom with subjects that do not even recognize you as Queen."

She scoffed and pointed behind. "They are holding an election right under your nose, O Mighty Know-it-all."

Hekate puffed like an angry bull, her luminous eyes darting as if in search of a falsity in what she had heard. "I'll come back for you later."

With a hateful growl, she vanished.

The very next second, Waverly realized she might have thrown the Balderdash into serious trouble by revealing their election. She bit down on her chapped lip, mentally working out some way to right the wrong, but it all seemed helpless. Hekate was already on her way to The Hoax.

Instant realization drew a gasp out of her. "Ghost!"

He was down there as well. She fell to her knees and frantically began to grope about in search of the passage. There was reason enough to believe that the phenomenon was a portal. A multipurpose one. But the ground was simply gray stone, ash and dust. She glanced around the vast emptiness not quite sure which way to go, then, an idea struck.

Putting two fingers to her lips, she blew a shrill whistle like she had witnessed Ghost do before. At first, all was still and silent, until the ground began to tremble slightly and the sound of a panting animal reached her ears.

Soon enough, Reek was bounding toward her.

He drew to a halt and barked a few times, then lifted his head - possibly to howl, yet no sound came out of him.

It was strange to Waverly because the Aur remained that way for moments before returning to stare at her. For a dead dog, Reek looked perfectly regal when he was quiet. It took her a while to notice that he walked on just two legs and not four.

She inched forward, wondering if after their first meeting, the creature deemed her an acquaintance. Reaching up cautiously, she rubbed his side and he dipped in response. Then, she noticed he wore a weathered saddle.

"I think Zors mistakes you for a horse." She muttered. Up close, the dog's dark eyes were unsettling.

He whimpered and lowered on his belly to allow her climb up to his back. When she settled, he rose, but did not move, until she remembered that she was yet to tell him her destination.

"To the Hoax, Reek."

Right there, the creature tilted and she yelped. An upside-down view of the ground closed in fast and she bravely kept her eyes open to witness what would happen. As expected, her head passed through solid earth and came up upright in a different environment.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed.

The Hoax was draped with mist just like The Coath, but its skies were a deep violet. In the horizon, something shone yellow; something she reasoned was false sunlight. It was void of warmth, simply blaring like a blaze of fire caught inside a formless lantern. Reek strode forward even though the ground ahead and all about was obscured with mist that grew to his underbelly.

The open road began to slope and as it did, the mist receded, unveiling the most ruins she had ever seen in one place. They stuck up out of the ground as if they had been planted there for ages; huge, black stones that were once treacherous monuments as tall as watchtowers, upturned columns lying inches away from one another thus obstructing the way; clusters of what resembled broken furniture carved out of rock, and wedged between two gigantic pillars was a stone wall that looked to be serving as a gate.

A little more ahead and the air began to reek with an acrid odor.

"Aw, crabapple!" She retched. "What is that terminal smell?"

Reek halted a few ways to the gate and she slid off him, rubbing his side in appreciation. "Good dog! Wait for me here, alright?"

He mewled and sat on his behind. Even then, he was as tall as the rock beside him.

Quietly, she approached the stone gate.

There was no sign of a doorway as the wall was flat from all angles, but she figured that it concealed a secret entrance. Feeling about the cold surface, she checked for possible depressions until her fingers sank into a pocket-like opening. A door slid open without a sound at the extreme left end of the gate.

First, she stared at Reek for some kind of support, but the Aur only stared back with unblinking eyes.

Whether or not, Hekate had arrived The Hoax, she was about to discover for herself.

She crossed the doorway and came before a rising set of steps that seemed to go up all the way to another threshold above. The more she advanced, the clearer she picked up on overlapping conversation.

Almost to the topmost step, she glimpsed a huge crowd spread abroad the landscape, which turned out to be the top of a cliff, and the so-called conversation she had overheard was actually a mix of incoherent, discordant sounds from nearly every creature present.

She spotted Ghost, hovering as usual above the head of a creature she assumed was Zors. It was built like a Carkness, but shorter and more humanoid with scanty strands of hair on his bald head that fell down to stocky shoulders. He grunted in opposition to a different grunt from a creature on the opposite side.

Also, she assumed that the group had split in two because of the election, arguing loudly over something. But she could not understand a thing and wondered how Ghost managed to.

Just then, a burst of green light exploded a few walks ahead of her, materializing into Hekate. The noise and growing clamor seized at once, and every eye turned to the goddess. Waverly snuck to hide near a column from where she could safely peep at the scene.

"So it would seem that condemnation is not punishment enough for you ingrates." Hekate began, strolling into their midst. They parted to allow her an incredible amount of space. "I was told you sought a new leader amongst yourselves."

Nervous sounds filled the air. Hekate chuckled quietly, but her tone came out firm and commanding. "I want an explanation now, or a great number of you gets banished into The Blear."

At the mention of the dreadful place, the creatures began to push and tug at themselves. Their fear became so tangible that Waverly felt it crawl all over her skin. She could not imagine what The Blear was like, but from the look of things, figured it had to be the most horrifying of all layers within Nys.

"No one will speak out?" Hekate asked in a moderate shout. Still, silence reigned. She lifted a hand and produced humming power. "As you like it then."

"Her Most Esteemedness, if I may," Zors interrupted quickly, coming forward.

Her head swerved, shifting a demeaning gaze to him.

"Indeed these humble servants of yours do seek new leadership, My Lady, but it is only the honorable position of a herald we aim to appoint for the sake of relaying messages to your abode much quicker than Zedrikon will do. See, he has both legs broken now."

Hekate's hand gradually lowered to her side. Her disinterest reflected in her tone. "How so?"

"Zed was involved in a terrible fight, My Lady, with a Human, he says, who broke his legs."

"A Human?" There was clear humor in her tone.

Zors nodded and bowed. "Yes, Her Majesty, a Human. I believe the said Human is a captive of yours, as related to us by Zedrikon himself."

From the way he spoke easily, Waverly gathered Zors was more confident and smarter than the rest of The Balderdash, and given his humanlike attributes, it was not surprising a fact. She doubted all of what he said was the truth, but the inevitable had been avoided and that seemed his sole aim from the start.

Hekate stared at Zors for a few minutes. "What are you called?"

"I am Zors, My lady." He bowed. His face was unbelievably grotesque.

"Henceforth, you shall serve as the new herald, until I say otherwise." She glared at the others one after the other. "Should any rumor of such foolishness reach me again, I shall not be as merciful as this."

With a flick of one hand, a batch of creatures rose into the air, yelping and bellowing briefly before they disappeared.

"That is for making me come down here." She made a disgusted sound and turned. "What a waste of precious energy!"

When she was gone, it took a while for the noise to return again. The once divided group drew together, closing the gap in between them by a large margin.

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Zors growled, visibly angry. He looked about. "Who told on us?"

No one responded. Only nervous glances passed around and low clacking sounds.

"Who has been leaking information?" He shouted, fuming and gripping the weapon in his hand. "Who told on us?"

Guilt pushed Waverly out of her hiding spot. She cleared her throat softly - an action that hurt worse than it should have - and given the silence, caught every attention. Strange sounds rippled across the crowd that she translated as exclamations of surprise. She ambled forward inch by inch in heavy steps and halted when agitated growls began to erupt.

"It's her." Someone said from behind.

Zors peered over his shoulder. "What?"

The creature that had spoken squeezed to the front, hefting a bundle of crooked tree branches bound together by a green rope. It was a puzzle where he had found a tree to craft such a weapon for himself.

"The Human. It was she who broke Zed's legs."

Waverly half listened, wondering more about why the rope appeared to be slithering. Then, she realized with intense disgust that it was a snake. When her attention steadied, she heard a few creatures expressing their opinions in various animalistic languages that Zors understood flawlessly.

He squinted, examining her.

"Are you certain that this is the same Human, Hawk?"

"Bet it was her who told on us." Another creature babbled. He spoke as if part of his tongue had been cut off and it was a miracle she understood him.

At that moment, Ghost interceded. "Now, now, lads, look here, you lot have no proof she's done anything wrong. Seems more like a clueless passerby to me. We could be laying blame wrongly."

He looked straight at her and something instantly told Waverly she was in trouble.

"Clueless passerby, eh?" A different creature muttered. "How do you explain how she arrived here? She passed the gate quite easily too and been probably eavesdropping on us."

"I tell you, Zors," The branch clutcher, Hawk insisted, pointing at her. "She broke Zed's legs."

"So?" Zors snapped irritatingly.

"So," Hawk stood on the tip of his toes to whisper softly into Zor's ears, making the latter's eyes bulge.

"You speak the truth?"

"And nothing but!"

Zor's stare became piercing, yet when he spoke, he sounded oddly amused. "What to do with this piece of gossip now?"

"I say we let her go." Ghost advocated nonchalantly.

Already, Waverly had begun to inch backwards, hoping that Reek still waited outside. All she needed was to slip away as soon as attention shifted from her, but the crowd had closed in together and was advancing almost subconsciously.

Ghost went to float in front of them, trying to talk them to peace.

"You are only angry that the witch goddess discovered your agenda." He reasoned. "You may be acting rashly, don't you think? Listen to me, you all. This is foolish."

"You have no authority here, deadness." Hawk croaked and poked at Ghost with his weapon which simply passed through, breaking the latter into smoke for a second. "You are not even Balderdash."

"Thank goodness for that!" Ghost chuckled nervously. "But a whole lot of you aren't. You're not Balderdash either, Hawk."

"I may not be, but at least my voice is heard when I speak." Hawk boasted.

"Then, what say you about this Human? Do you agree to everyone else's opinion of her? Remember, you're not Balderdash."

It took a moment, but she recalled that being a Balderdash meant being dumb - in all areas. Hawk and Zors did not seem dumb, and they prided in the fact that they were not.

"I don't agree, deadness, but this is a majority voice. Even Zors cannot restrain them now. Until they vent their wrath, they will not calm."

Without further ado, Waverly wheeled and scurried down the stairs, an angry crowd roaring in advancement behind her. Outside, she discovered Reek was no longer waiting. Her heart pounded inside her chest. There was no way out.

"Come with me." She looked up and found Ghost zooming overhead. "Dumb fools think they're doing the right thing."

It was easier said than done to run through ruins half buried in mist, and Waverly found herself tripping over and faceplanting more times than was acceptable. Ghost was not a very reliable lead since he was practically midair and safe from obstructing fragments on the ground. She had certainly dislocated a few bones in her foot from how often they slapped against stone.

Risking a quick check over her shoulder, she realized all was suddenly calm. Her pursuers had all given up or not even chased her that far. She stopped, furious about her feet ending up badly battered for nothing.

"They're not behind me anymore, Ghost." She revealed, panting.

"They might not be, but something surely is, I tell you." His tone was laced with such foreboding that Waverly began to feel disturbed and visibly restless.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes occasionally dragged from him to the open space behind.

"It's The Hoax, now, not The Coath anymore. Danger here is more treacherous and finds even those who don't look for it. It's why I'm angry you'd come. Not a pleasant place to be."

"I think that applies to everywhere." She pointed out. "How do we leave?"

"I can,. . . but you can't."

Waverly's face paled even more than the mist. She felt trapped. "Why not?"

Ghost floated down with a sigh. A little lower and he would have easily blended into the environment. "It's the way it is. I'm dead, you see, and that means I have rights to pass into The Hoax. That is not a thing to be proud of because it means I've been dead a really long time, and there's hardly anything lovelier in this place than is up in The Coath. Some here can cross into the Loathe given the time they've stayed dead. But you're not dead yet. Therefore you shouldn't even be able to come here."

She placed a hand atop her chest in an attempt to tame her wild heartbeat and stepped close to him. "What happens now that I am here?"

Again, he sighed. "I wish I could tell you, wantsome thing, but I'm afraid that's all I know of it. Nohow, I'll find a way to get you back to The Coath, that bit is sure."

"Reek brought me here."

"Did he now?" He sounded surprised. "How did you manage to-?"

"Whistle." She interrupted.

"Ah!" He exclaimed. "That explains it. Well, I reckon we need Reek to return you before we run into any kind of trouble."

Just then, a series of loud malevolent grumbles bit into the silence and sent the ground into a violent tremor. For a moment, Waverly's voice was lost as she tried to comprehend what kind of trouble had run into her.

She gulped. "What was-"

"I advise you find a place to hide." Ghost interjected quite calmly. "Now! And don't show yourself no matter what."

The ruins provided good hiding corners and depressions. She found one of such and lowered herself into it until she was completely lost to sight. In the stillness, her body trembled.

She had never known such fear - never known it could exist.

It crept over her, solidifying and numbing every bone and crumbling whatever iota of courage was left inside her. Tears rilled down her face as she gathered her knees and clutched them tight, teetering back and forth ever so gently to offer herself some kind of comfort. It was bad enough that she was without a weapon in a place where weapons were the more vital necessities for survival in place of food and water. Now she was also powerless, weak and frightened to the core.

Whatever made the noise earlier seemed to be patiently biding its time; driving her to the very edge of suspense so that she would drop her guard. But she was well accustomed to strategies of the sort.

She remained put as Ghost had instructed.

After nothing happened for a while, she began to relax gradually, until a neigh - soft and sudden - all but made her swallow her heart. She knelt up quietly and peeped out of the corner, then caught glimpse of a horse.

A pony.

The sight of it stirred many emotions in her, but kept her rooted. Driven by an old, natural sense of curiosity, she stole out of hiding and cautiously approached the animal.

Up close, she realized it was actually a young stallion; white and ethereal like a star, with eyes of almond brown. It lifted its head to stare at her and she froze. But it only stared. Choosing to ignore her abnormal heart rate, she went toward it and bravely reached for its mane. It felt soft and immediately soothed the bones of her aching fingers. The stallion nudged at her the more she petted it, and soon enough, she was laughing quietly at the sense of relaxation that drowned her innards.

Unexpectedly, it detached from her grip and casually trotted forward then paused and turned to stare as if beckoning on her to follow. She obliged the animal, and for a time, the horse simply led her on at an easy pace til at some point, it galloped on and disappeared into the mist ahead.

Then, she stopped.

Awareness suddenly overtook and left a trail of shivers down her spine.

She spun about and found she had come into a place where the mist was denser and blue, like smoke; and the sky was absent overhead as was the fake sunlight.

In fact, darkness draped a quarter of the landscape, throwing shadows across the lurksome ruins in a way that made her blood curdle. She desperately felt the urge to faint. A part of her brain was painfully numbed by fear and the other part was clueless on what to do.

She stood in the midst of the mist, almost cowering when something puffed up a breath in the distance, startling her.

Its chuckle was perfectly sinister. "Bait!"