Year 78

  *In the distance, Emma smokes a lot of smoke off the coast. As she reaches the end of the cliffs, she looks at the Greycoast. It’s ashy grey shores go as far as the eye can see. *

  Emma: I think the Ocean. Is on fire?

  *Walking closer, Emma spots the source of the smoke, a large volcano, which is pouring black smoke. The smoke reaches up like a vortex to the sky, looking as though a portal has opened up, connecting through the smoke alone. The sun's rays light up the clouds, allowing clear sight as if it were a clear day.*

  Emma: Oh. It’s a Volcano.

  Lily: Is it erupting?

  Emma: I don’t know. We’ve never seen one erupt before, so I wouldn’t know.

  *Emma reaches down and picks up the mix of ash and sand. The surface of the water looks as dark as the DeepSea. She notices a light in the distance. Emma clicks her tongue in irritation.*

  Lily: What now?

  Emma: We have to go around, I’d go by sea if the.

  Lily: NO! NO BOATS!

  Emma: *Jumps* Okay?

  Lily: Do you not remember? You get all loopy when you go on open waters.

  Emma: I haven’t been on any in so long. Well, that’s good to remember. Going on land is going to be risky as well.

  *Emma pulls out the map.*

  Emma: Either way, we should probably start going a little west. Maybe we can pick up the kid on our way to Arthur.

  *A month passes, and they can now see the human city of Loswor to the north and to the south, and they can see Quakeburg.*

  Emma: This… This isn’t going to work. I don’t trust getting this close to Human settlements.

  Lily: You said there was a mountain range the other way?

  Emma: Yes, and the hills make it easier to hide over long distances.

  Lily: Well, I’ve been thinking. Won’t the volcano keep the mountains from getting snow?

  Emma: *Excited* Oh! That’s a great idea!

  *Reaching the Mountain range just as Winter hits, the smoke vortex is still active in the distance. *

  Emma: *Irritated* I take it back. This is a terrible plan.

  *The mountains, after the first peak, are all covered in a thick blanket of ice and snow.*

  Lily: It could be worse.

  *The first night, they are stuck in a cave because of a blizzard.*

  Emma: I guess I should meditate. Lily, wake me up if you hear anything.

  Lily: Okay, Mama.

  *Emma returns to the vast, empty space. The water seems much lower than before. Emma starts looking around at the vessel. She notices that the vase-like structure has a pattern on it that she couldn’t see before. The handles have become more defined, made out of two statues of elves. The lid next to it seems to be cracked. Emma walks over to it, climbing a few steps that now allow her to stand just on the water's surface.*

  Emma: It’s. So pretty.

  *Emma looks up and watches water trickle in. She kneels next to the lid and wipes her hand, and it begins to crumble. Leaving behind a perfect statue replica of Lily. The vessel turns a shining white, and Emma turns as she notices, using her hand to block the light from her eyes. As her eyes adjust, she approaches the vessel again and sees a mix of colored lines with no pattern of any kind. *

  Lily:*Distant* Mama.

  *Emma turns toward the lid of the vessel as if instinctively. The lid turns an iridescent combination of Green and Purple. Emma wakes up to a wet tongue against her cheek.*

  Emma: Lily?!

  *Lily stops licking Emma’s face, and Emma hugs her.*

  Lily: I can’t change my size, but I can move now.

  Emma: So you’re saying you can pitch in?

  *Lily rolls her eyes.*

  Emma: Sorry…

  *Lily feels as droplets wet the fur on her head. Her ear flickers as she looks up.*

  Lily: Hey!

  *Emma looks down, smiling, tears stream down her face.*

  Emma: Sorry. I know I said I’d stop crying as much.

  *Lily’s eyes begin to flood as well.*

  Lily: I was joking, Mama.

  *The two hug for a while. Afterwards, Emma pulls out a brush and begins grooming Lily’s tail while she rests next to her.*

  Lily: Can we go outside yet? I can finally move, but I’m now stuck in a cave.

  Emma: Go check out the cave, then. *Pause* Hey, can you still change your form at all? Or is it just your size?

  *Lily strains for a moment, then shakes her head.*

  Lily: Nope.

  Emma: Not even something smaller than yourself? Maybe… *Thinks* An ear decoration.

  Lily: Oh! That’s a good idea. Maybe something smaller will be easier.

  Emma: Smaller? What did you try to become?

  Lily: A Great axe. Why?

  *Emma laughs, and Lily looks at her in confusion before changing into a silver ear decoration. The silver is in the shape of small sticks with golden leaves. As Emma slides it over her ear, Lily chuckles, followed by Emma.*

  Emma: That tickle. Stop.

  Lily:*Laughing.* Sorry. It tickles me as well.

  *Emma pulls out a mirror to look at the Decoration, which changes slightly; a jade green gem appears in the shape of Lily’s face.*

  Lily: Good. I wasn’t sure the leaves would look good.

  Emma: So you don’t know what you look like? Even after a transformation.

  Lily: I have an image in my mind, kind of like when we sightshare. That’s why looking at something makes it easier.

  Emma: Still, if you can hold that shape while you rest? It would help when we are moving, specifically.

  Lily: And. Now I can whisper information to you.

  *Emma blinks at the mirror, blank-faced and flabbergasted.*

  Emma: My head hurts.

  *Lily chirps in Emma’s ear, and she bursts into laughter in response.*

  Lily: I know, right?

  Emma: I thought you were being serious at first. *Whipes forehead* I actually started to sweat from that.

  Lily: I can feel it. Actually. It feels like it’s still getting hotter.

  Emma: Yeah, you’re right.

  *Emma turns to see a glow coming from further down the cave. As the glow grows, Emma grabs her pack and steps toward the entrance of the cave. The harsh cold makes it hard for Lily to keep her form until she changes back, latching onto Emma’s shoulder to stay with her. Lava slowly moves toward them, and Emma starts directing some of the blizzard toward the Lava. As the Lava recedes, a loud, shrill shrieking sound comes from it. Emma closes her eyes, Lily folds her ears, and squints her eyes at the Lava.*

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  Lily: It’s a monster!

  Emma: What?!

  *Emma looks at the Lav. As she focuses, she makes out a mouth.*

  Emma: Well, whatever it is. It’s us or it.

  *Emma’s eyes blink purple for a moment as a large snowball is thrown down the cave. The monster spews lava from its mouth, easily passing through. Emma leaps into the blizzard to avoid being hit, Lily changes back to the decoration, using sightshare so Emma can see more easily. The mouth of the cave pours out more and more steam from the melting snow. Emma’s forearm gets burned from the steam as it shoots out; she winces from the pain. Lily leaps in front of her and hisses. The Lava monster appears serpent-like, with flames making a fin along its spine.*

  Emma: Lily!

  *The Creature spews out fire directly over Lily. As the area clears, only a few hairs remain. Emma’s face twitches, her irises turn black, and her pupils turn purple. A snowball forms around the monster. As it melts, the water turns to ice, freezing the creature, even its flames. Lily pokes her head and looks at Emma.*

  Lily: *Scared* M-Mama?

  *Emma’s eyes flash, and she drops. Lily runs over. Emma looks at Lily and smiles.*

  Emma: *Exhausted* I thought.

  Lily: You thought I’d kill myself? Knowing full well it wasn’t going to help? The snow is deep, but the first few feet are easy for me to dig.

  *The Ice around the monster begins to steam. It cracks as it melts.*

  Lily: I don’t think I can buy that time again.

  *Lily strains as she tries to lift Emma, limp from exhaustion. The monster breaks free as the blizzard dies down. The sun beams down on Emma’s face, and she lifts her arm to block the light. The monster whirls around as it heats up, melting the snow around it, creating a bowl of ice-cold water. Emma creates a pillar to stand on and watches the water begin to boil. She looks at the monster.*

  Emma: Are you smiling?

  *As Emma watches the monster, its flaming body's lower half rests in the boiling water; it strikes at Emma and leaps back toward the edge. The monster warms up, and Emma uses two of her knives to grab the wall. It continues to melt as she barely manages to get up with the help of Lily.*

  Lily: What is that thing?!

  Emma: I don’t know. But it has no intention of letting us go easily.

  Lily: What about those geyser bombs from before?

  *Emma quickly throws a few, only for them to make no more than a few bubbles.*

  Emma: It’s too hot.

  Lily: What?

  Emma: I don’t know. They just fizzled.

  *The embankment collapses beneath them as the snow below them melts. Emma struggles to keep it cold enough to keep its shape, but the ice continues to melt slowly. Emma looks deep into the monster's eyes.*

  Emma: If you can smile, then you are intelligent enough for emotion.

  *Emma’s eyes crackle with green magic as she attempts to intimidate the monster. At first, she thinks she’s failed, but notices the Ice has stopped melting. Then eventually. The ice spreads and the monster growls before shooting a jet of boiling water. The flames of the fin fade to reveal a smaller fin secreting a liquid. Emma creates a shield with her knives, but the water pierces through it. Emma looks down at the hole in her hand. She drinks a potion before tossing Lily to safety.*

  Emma: I need your eyes!

  *Emma dodges the barrage of beams while guiding Lily.*

  Emma (TL): I don’t think we can win in a fair fight, but I think I have a plan: find the cave entrance and light it up.

  *Lily runs off, leaping to avoid the stray beams.*

  *Emma starts throwing more and more of her “Bombs” at the monster. It dodges each one with ease as well. *

  Lily: Shouldn’t the point of a bomb be an explosion?

  *The monster stops shooting jets of water and starts shooting out balls as well, except each one explodes with boiling water spraying everywhere. Emma still manages to avoid the attacks, as her hand finishes healing, she jumps to the tip of a pillar of earth. She stops and grins back at the monster as Lily brings a small burning stick toward the entrance, allowing Emma to see her directly. A loud thunderous boom happens, as Emma’s bombs go off, the sound rings for a moment. After it passes, the monster looks at Emma again, with a prideful expression. As the monster blinks, Emma disappears, and the ground shakes. The ground begins to move as an avalanche races down the mountain. The monster’s eyes widen with panic as it turns to run away. *

  *Emma and Lily watch the snow flow past the cave entrance like water.*

  Lily: Can’t you use Shadowstep on anyone?

  Emma: Yes. But I couldn’t see you through all the fighting.

  *After the snow passes, Lily digs through to look out for danger. Emma widens her tunnel by compressing the snow with her magic, making enough space for her to pass with ease. When she reaches the surface, she closes her eyes and senses the monster.*

  Emma: *Opens eyes.* Okay.

  Lily:*Excited.* And the sun is out, so we can get moving.

  Emma: *Smiles* Yeah. I don’t think we should stay anyway. If this comes back for us, I don’t know how we’ll deal with it again.

  Lily: Hmmmm… Lava doesn’t work.

  Emma: What are you going on about?

  Lily: Boiling Lava Snake! That’s what we’ll call it. Or B.L.S. for short.

  Emma: BLS? *Lily nods. I mean, it does get the name across.

  *Lily changes back to the earpiece upon Emma’s ear, and they continue moving. *

  *As Spring approaches, Emma notices the mountains in the distance no longer have snow.*

  Emma: Finally!

  Lily: What?

  Emma: The snow clears up ahead. Which means we’re almost to the Everglades. All though. I’d rather pass during the summer. The spring causes flooding in the northern areas.

  Lily: How are we getting past Humston, though?

  Emma: *Whines* I really don’t want to deal with leeches.

  Lily: Just use the trees.

  Emma: Treants are hard to sense. I still mess them up. The only thing that gives them away is a flower that blooms on the other trees just before summer.

  Lily: More of a reason to wait.

  *Having made a decision, the two wait until the flower buds form before leaving. As they reach the house, Emma spots Argon teaching Arthur to use a bow. Emma feels Lily’s irritation when hearing Argon speak.*

  Argon: When you’re ready. Let go.

  *Arthur shoots, hitting a painted target on a tree. They both cheer until Arthur sees Emma and runs toward her excitedly.*

  Arthur: Emma! You’re back.

  *After hugging, Arthur looks at Emma’s ear.*

  Arthur: What’s that?

  Lily: What?! I’m not an it. Who.

  * Emma smiles as she pulls her off, and Lily changes to her animal form. Arthur looks at her excitedly.*

  Emma: Recognize her now?

  Arthur: Lily! You woke up. It’s nice to meet you. Well, I’ve already met you, but you didn’t get to meet me.

  *Lily goes back to her place on Emma’s ear.*

  Emma(TL): What’s that about?

  Lily: I don’t like them.

  Emma: She’s still tired. For now, I have a gift for you.

  Argon: Oh? You brought souvenirs?

  *Lily vibrates with anger, and Emma pats her softly to calm her down. She then retrieves the egg, and Arthur’s face lights up.*

  Argon: *Scared* Is that… A Dragon egg?

  Lily: Technically, yes.

  *Arthur smiles more as he reaches out, and Emma hands him the egg. Arthur takes his gift to a table near the house, sitting down with the egg in his lap.*

  Argon: Wh-Where’s the mom?

  Emma: I don’t know.

  Argon: I thought you’d be gone for another year?

  Emma: I was, until I got asked to help guide someone. I wanted to stop by before I went to get them.

  *Argon grabs Emma’s wrist as she goes to walk away.*

  Argon: You can’t just leave a Dragon egg with us. You might as well kill us yourself. Seriously. What. Is in that an egg?

  *Before Emma can react, Lily has bitten Argon’s hand. *

  Argon: Okay. Okay. *Let's go.*

  Emma: I was told to give him the egg. It was a.

  *A dark beam of light shoots up to the sky, and the colors of gold mix with it. The sound of laughter of all ages fills the area. Both Emma and Argon look in horror and confusion as Arthur ages before them to full adulthood, but his features seem different. He has a tail, and his scales have become more prominent. As the light seems to enter Arthur, the sky blinks, and aside from his appearance, everything seems normal. *

  Emma: Arthur?!

  *Emma calls out in confusion, and Argon runs forward. Arthur turns toward them and smiles sinisterly. *

  Arthur: Yes, Emma?

  *Emma approaches cautiously until Argon starts inspecting his son.*

  Emma: Are you okay?

  Arthur: *Looks at tail* I’m adjusting.

  *Emma looks at his soul and is confused as it shines brightly, then goes pitch black. Back and forth as though breathing. Arthur looks at Emma in the eyes, distracting her; she blinks.*

  Emma: Are you still Arthur?

  Arthur: *Scoffs* I’m offended.

  Emma: It’s just.

  Arthur: I really thought I pulled off his voice so well.

  *Both Emma and Argon freeze. Emma pulls out her blades, and Argon starts to turn red with anger.*

  Arthur: Relax.

  *Arthur changes to a younger version of himself, voice included.*

  Arthur: I’m still here. But now I know why I’ve been having dreams all the time.

  Emma: Answer me this… *Pause* Are you His brother?

  *Argon looks at Emma, realizing immediately what she is referring to. Argon turns back to Arthur.*

  Arthur: If it’s easier. This is me. *Changes to adult*

  Doil: And you may call me Doil in this shape. While I have full control. *Younger.*

  Arthur: I’m still the one who allows him to come out.

  Argon: But. But you have a tail.

  Arthur: I know, right? He made me a Demon like Mom. *Smiles*

  *Argon smiles as he hugs his son.*

  Argon: I don’t know whether to be mad or not. I spent all this time protecting you, and now you can go wherever you want. *Laughs nervously*

  Emma: Not in Valoria. The way things are. You humans will enslave all the other races because you're afraid of our magic.

  Devil: That’s only half true.

  *Argon falls back in terror. Arthur changes to Doil and smiles. Emma glares at them both, cautious as ever.*

  Doil: And you even came to greet me. I’m honored. *Bow*

  Devil: Shut it.

  *Doil stays bowed down as the Devil speaks.*

  Devil: I didn’t do it because I wanted to. Honestly, I’d rather just save her.

  Doil: *Mocking* But she made you a deal. And what is that deal anyway? Didn’t fuck up enough the first time? *Laughs* The Ego of the man!

  Devil: *Calmly* That’s enough, Doil.

  Doil: *Smiles* There he is! *Mocking* The. Big. Bad. Wolf.

  *Doil laughs as he gets close and puts his finger in the devil's face.*

  Doil: You fell for one. Little.

  *Doil’s mouth disappears. *

  Devil: Don’t humor him, child.

  *Doil looks down sheepishly, as he looks at the Devil with begging eyes, his mouth returns.*

  Doil: *Arthur* I’m sorry. *Doil* Little isn’t the right word. *Laughs*

  *The devil sighs as Doil laughs. He turns toward Argon and raises his hand. A long barbed spear pierces Argon’s chest, quickly pulling him in toward the Devil’s hand. The sound of Argons' screams and bones breaking rings through their ears, but in a flash. The Devil’s hand grows a mouth and consumes Argon, leaving nothing but the sound of breaking bones, before His arm twitches before going back to normal. *

  Doil: *Angry* That was a bit far, you think?

  Devil: All this time, and you still need to be put in your place?

  *The devil suddenly appears before Doil with his hand around his throat, lifting him high above him.*