A week passed with Keshiema doing little more than staring at the flower or stoking the fire. Her deep black eyes and hair had not changed since the moment she found Eurynome's body and realized Dásos was gone. Azura brought her fruit from the Tree of Life, encouraging her to keep up her strength. Everyone took turns keeping her company, save for Gaap, who made himself as scarce as possible. Merihim informed her of Hiro's mission, fearing she would think he abandoned her too.

  Life was moving around her, but nothing could break through her despair. Thoughts were few and far between. And as if the wound was not deep enough, with her powers absent, her Friskalian connection to Ethera was severed. Gone was the hope that she could at least see Dásos in her dreams.

  Uvall sat next to Keshiema, his blindfold slipped down, poking at the low burning embers and staring up at the moonless sky. "I swear to you, if I knew about the attack, I would have told you."

  "Mhm," she nodded, still unable to form words without crying. Even her inner monologue had been unusually quiet.

  Uvall could not put into words what he felt towards Keshiema. He had been having visions of her for so long she felt like a part of his own soul. In a thousand-year sleep she filled every dream. Hundreds of thousands of visions and he remembered vividly every single one. And yet, so many unexpected events came to pass. She constantly made choices that never appeared in his prophetic dreams. To him she was a mysterious goddess, defying Fate's design, surviving Chaos's disorder. To see her in such a state, so fractured and lost, was unbearable. "I've been meditating every day. But I still don't have any leads. If there was something I could focus on, maybe," he ranted.

  'Something to focus on...' a thought started to form through the haze, but she quickly lost it. "Focus..." she whispered, trying to get it. "Find," covering her eye, Keshiema tried desperately to recall Fate's words. Uvall stared at her intently, as they were the first real words she had uttered since the attack.

  " Find...find...find...book?"

  Uvall screamed out in pain as Fate shouted at him in his mind. Merihim came running to check on his little brother while Keshiema still sat muttering, racking her brain. "What happened?" Merihim asked.

  "Just my eyes bothering me," the prophet said, slipping his blindfold over his eyes. "The fire sparked up a bit unexpectedly." He smiled brightly at his older brother, looking almost angelic. "You've been up for two days, go get some sleep. I'll come back soon."

  "Right," Merihim needed the reminder like a hole in the head. "Don't stay up too late."

  When he was sure his brother was gone, Uvall removed the red ribbon and quickly put himself in front of Keshiema urging her to look at him. "The book is in Denim!" his words were hushed but urgent. "You'll know it when you see it."

  She stared at her orb, trying to remember why a book was important. Uvall took her hands in his, begging her to see him, "Come on, Keshiema, snap out of it. Fate sent us a clue, and I can't act on my own. Not with these eyes."

  "I'll know it?" she asked. "How?" She looked to the sky, her eyes as dark as the abyss.

  "He didn't make that clear. But I know you'll succeed, you just have to try." Holding her hands to his forehead, he prayed for her to wake from the daze.

  "Uvall?" Cresil set his hand on Uvall's shoulder, startling the young demon. Clearing his throat, Uvall opened his mouth to come up with some excuse. "Don't lie to me." Cresil said bluntly, sitting next to Keshiema. "Not when I can see your eyes."

  "Who are you, Cresil? First and foremost? My brother's loyal Second, or Keshiema's best friend?"

  With a raised brow, Cresil answered with a question of his own, "I don't think I need to say it out loud, do you?"

  "She needs to return to Denim," his violet eyes were filled to the brim with fear; worried the Impure would tell his brother. Terrified Keshiema would stay broken forever.

  "She's in no condition for travel, and going to Denim is asking for death. Bring this up again and I will tell your brother."

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  Another message came to Uvall from Fate. This time much softer, less urgent. "Take her to the waterfall," he relayed the message to Cresil, "it should help." Replacing his blindfold, he left to retire for the evening.

  ***

  The waterfall crashed loudly over the giant crystals jutting from the canyon wall. Thanks to Pyro's assistance, the fallen trees were now little more than ash, scattered by the wind. Cresil had managed to smooth over the damaged soil, leaving little trace that anything had happened. In all, the cove was now back to its serene peaceful state. Azura was more than impressed.

  "You should bathe, Keshiema," Azura suggested, putting her hand in the water and stirring it. "While you do that, I'll go get us some food." She set Keshiema's backpack on a half-submerged boulder. "Everything you need should be in here. And if you need anything, just yell for Gaap, he's been hovering for days so I asked him to stand guard."

  Once Azura disappeared behind the waterfall, Keshiema did as she was told. Hardly able to see for the moonless night, she worked by feel to open her bag and find the luxury soaps gifted to her so many weeks before. Her movements were clunky, methodical. She was going through the movements with little more than muscle memory guiding her.

  As soon as she was dressed again, she sat on the boulder, staring at the water. The black-haired, onyx-eyed girl staring back at her looked as pale as death. Bubbles rose to the surface, rippling the reflection, making it look as hazy as she felt. Unable to see herself any longer, she looked away.

  But something in the corner of her vision caught her attention,. The bubbles rapidly increased, popping up faster as if the pool were boiling. A light formed in the water, growing brighter and larger by the second. Within the glow a dark silhouette began to form.

  A figure rose to the surface, their features washed by the bright light they emerged from. In the past, she would have backed away; prepared for a fight. Now, all she did was stare. She was tired of losing everything, and if death could end that, there was no reason to run away.

  They opened their arms wide as they walked on the water, each delicate step hardly making more than a ripple. As the light behind them faded, the cove darkened once again. "My little spitfire," they cooed sadly.

  As the figure approached her, the haze of depression slowly lifted, replaced by a subtle calm. "Neró?" She asked, squinting her eyes.

  "Intruder!" Azura's scream echoed through the cove. "Get away from her!"

  Grabbing Neró by the wrist, Keshiema pulled them to her, putting herself between them and Azura. Not that Azura had the ability to harm the Primordial, but Keshiema was running on little more than a protective instinct; the desire of an elemental demon to guard their element's protector.

  "Keshiema! Run!" Azura begged.

  "You're Fotiá's wife, are you not?" Neró asked, tilting their head. "Surely you remember me."

  Gaap flew into the cove, scooping Keshiema up and hovering above the pool. However, as soon as he realized who the intruder was he landed on the bank and set her down. "Neró!" he cried, running to the Primordial and embracing them tightly. An ache shot through Keshiema's chest as she watched the heartfelt, tear-filled reunion.

  Azura ran to Keshiema and tried to pull her away, but she refused to budge. Even without her demonic instincts, she could easily see there was no threat here. "I'm an Ice-Daemon by blood," she reminded Azura. She was sure the ancient human understood what that meant. Just being in Neró's presence was enough to pull her at least partially out of her stupor.

  The Dragon-Daemon and Primordial of Water shared a deep, passionate kiss before breathlessly breaking away. "I've missed you, too," Neró whispered before stepping away, their hand lingering on Gaap's cheek ever so briefly. "But we can catch up later,"

  "Of course, my love," Gaap touched his forehead to Neró's. "Come find me when you're finished here." Gaap flew off, leaving Neró alone with the women, much to Azura's dismay.

  "If you're not comfortable, then go." Keshiema ran to Neró as Azura left, grumbling in frustration. "How are you here? Can the others return?" A small glimmer of hope sparkled in her jet black eyes.

  Shaking their head, Neró pulled Keshiema into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, but they can't. I used my last gateway from Ethera to get here, and by now Chaos has already closed it. I would have to be with the others to help them through, anyway, and I'm sure you remember what happens when we try to leave our territories."

  "I'm never going to see him again, am I?" she cried into Neró's chest. "And it's my own fault!"

  "Hush now little fireball," they smoothed her hair, "all you need to do is break the curse. Or find the spellbook that Chaos lost. It holds resurrection spells for each of us."

  "How am I supposed to do anything without my power?" She tore away, a hint of red showing in her black hair. "I can't even see in the dark anymore! I might as well be human!"

  "Your powers are gone? I came because I knew you must be in distress since Dásos appeared in Ethera, but for your magic to disappear...what happened? Tell me everything."