Opteniant was a few days' journey from Operite, even with Zarts’ speed. The endless sea of grass waved by them, a continuous blur of green, as their journey seemed to lead them moving nowhere.

  The sun bore down on them like the largest of beasts, hammering the trio with endless warmth and sweat-stained bodies.

  “Are we there yet?” Rinne whined with a grieved voice, feeling the pounding wind on his face was exciting the first hour, but he eventually got used to it.

  “It's only been a few hours. We have a few days ahead of us.” Enyah responded leisurely, laying on Zarts back with her eyes closed. Dealing with Drentlack exhausted her more than any of her recent fights.

  “But I'm boooored!” Rinne complained, slumping down onto Zarts back behind her. The lizard let out a rumble in response, moving his head back to chirp at Enyah with a tilted head.

  “The kid's right. I'm absolutely famished for some entertainment.” The voice in her head echoed Rinne. “Let's cause some carnage, darling. How about we find a village nearby and unleash a bit of tension? A delightfully delectable idea indeed. A world this dull mustn't be worth living in.”

  “What did both of you expect? Weeks full of nothing but violence? Towns littered together only a few moments reach?” Enyah spoke, keeping her eyes closed. “Least with nobody nearby, there's nobody to kill us. Do you want that to happen?”

  “Not really.” Rinne shook his head and hugged Zarts, staring through the grass with a curious gaze. He seemed intent on trying to enjoy the peace as well as he could before their next town. Good kid, Enyah nodded internally.

  “Yes! There's absolutely nothing wrong with needing some bloodshed. It's perfectly healthy, darling. It's like wine and crackers. Ale and meat! A life without bloodshed, oh dear, I can't even bear to imagine it! And you, girl. I just want to see you blood spilled, legs torn off, and everything you love to crumble before you. Is that so wrong?” Drentack whispered with a hint of excitement. His words seemed to twist and turn with the rushing wind, as if influencing the world itself.

  Before, she was afraid of him. His power, his cunning. The way his words wormed into her inner desires were haunting. She loathed him. Yet now that he was in her mind, she could only see his words as a petulant child with the powers of a God, forcing her to conform to his whims.

  As long as she kept him entertained, it should be fine…right?

  Enyah grimaced to herself, feeling the weight of her thoughts in her head. “Gods. I shouldn’t dare try to understand them.”

  “Miss Enyah?” Rinne piped up behind her, his voice tinged with hesitation. She opened her eyes, moving her head back to look towards him. He seemed to flinch somewhat, as if afraid of something. Or maybe her.

  “You good?” Enyah asked gently, tilting her head at the boy in confusion.

  “Who are you talking to?” He wondered aloud, his face curled into a worried frown.

  “It’s…” Enyah frowned. She couldn’t continue. She didn’t know how to. Not without worrying the boy behind her. “I was just talking to a ghost.”

  “A ghost?” Rinne asked with sparkling eyes, leaning closer towards her. His hesitation was forgotten, leaving only curiosity. “Those are real? Why did it make you mad?”

  “He thinks he's funny, yet he is only infuriating.” Enyah continued, fluently spilling the lie she just came up with. A bit of guilt rose up, but she quashed it. Was she just supposed to say “There’s a god in my head, whispering sweet words and attempting to turn me into a slaughterer.” and expect it to be fine?

  “Now now, don't be so dramatic. I just want to have a little fun! Enjoy the sights, taste exotic meals. That's what humans do, don't they? I don't need you to slaughter. I only want a small, teensy bit of chaos. It's my brand!” Drentack responded with a leisurely chuckle, but it felt haunting to her ears.

  “You can hear me?” Enyah thought to herself, scrunching her head in an attempt to emphasize the thought.

  “Wouldn't be much of a God if I couldn't hear you, my little priestess. You just don't have many interesting thoughts, no ma'am. I'm sure I could fix that right up. I need my main character to be impeccable, after all. And I'm sure that the other Gods would love a charismatic lead!” He spoke in his deep, rough voice. If she'd ever heard the whisper of a mistborn demon, it would sound like this.

  Then again, both Gods and demons were both born from the mist. Were they more similar than the world thought?

  “Are you sure you're alright? What if the ghost is stealing your life and killing you? Will he take ours too?” Rinne continued speaking, his eyes widening with each question he asked. He let out a shiver, though she could see he was relaxed underneath.

  “I'm fine, kid.” She replied, her voice subtly firm. You don't need to worry about me. I can manage with ghosts. Especially ones that can only kill through their words.”

  “Well, if you say so…” Rinne responded after pausing for a moment and searching her face. He seemed satisfied with whatever he saw as he let out a nod and a small grin grew on his face. “Ask him how he died! Actually, nevermind, that would be impolite. Hmm… What's it like being a ghost?”

  “You should have told him. Ooh it would have been priceless! The look on his face when he learns that there's ‘a God in my head whispering to me and telling me to slaughter.’ Hahahahahaha! What a delightful little treat. Would he fear you? Perhaps try to fight me? A beautiful little twist. A lying main character, outed for the truth!” His overbearingly smug voice ripped into her ears, giving her the temptation to force his mouth shut. If he even had a mouth.

  “If it gets out that I'm with you, that's a whole new breed of trouble outside the vessel situation.” Enyah grumbled internally. One troublesome mission was enough for her. Still, the one chance she had at revenge, she wouldn't renege on so easily. “This was supposed to be a simple deal. You give me power and I give you my soul for eternity after my work is done. Yet here you are, chatting like a sailor’s wife in my mind. This wasn't a part of the agreement.”

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  “You're going to get your head chopped off either way, why's it matter? Darling, just enjoy the life you have. Go wild! Preferably soon. I need my entertainment, after all. Then again, maybe a few days without a meal would make the morsels all the more delicious…” His voice winded through her mind like a snake, forcing every word of his into her memory with a searing fire.

  “He says he's always hungry.” Enyah ignored the God’s incessant chattering and responded to Rinne, turning back forwards to close her eyes. “Can't sleep, either. Just stay a human. Definitely ain't worth it.”

  “That makes sense.” Rinne nodded, then seemed to think before speaking again, his tone moving to become serious, “Did it hurt?”

  “The fight? Nah. I've been injured plenty of times. That's the mercenary life for you: work to death, or to the little pay you're given.” Enyah assured him, moving her head to feel the breeze on her face. It felt different from Zarts’ trips within Soreado. More free. It felt as if the air itself wandered wherever it desired.

  “It makes me feel bad… It makes me feel hurt. It’s because of me.” He mumbled, almost to himself. He closed his eyes, shutting himself away with a shiver.

  “We've been through this, kid. I've been paid more than every scar and bruise I've ever gotten could afford for this mission.” Enyah continued, feeling the breeze for a few moments. “Say, how about a story? A different one from the mansion, don't worry. A nicer one.”

  “Really?” Rinne's voice echoed, light and entranced by the idea.

  Enyah's voice rattled out into the wind, telling stories she'd heard within Pallor's Port. Of sailors and their wives and fights within the jungles. His only source of entertainment during their trip, Rinne listened to every word she spoke, enthralled by the stories from beyond his walls. Drentlack seemed to have simmered down, perhaps from boredom, but occasionally gave his input in his own way, which consisted of pouncing on others and unleashing inner rage. Words that have gotten somewhat repetitive since that God entered her body.

  Day went by, the trio plus one God chatting to pass the time as the sun began to set within the distance, as if being devoured by the sea of green.

  Taking the place of the ball of fire was the soft and comforting blue hue of the moon above. different from the violent wild moon, courtesy Of Drentack, The whispering moon was thought to have been a sign of good fortune. Siret, the god of wealth, was looking down with a keen eye. There's money to be made, people would think.

  It was almost seen as a celebration of sorts. Merchants would stay open late on nights with the whispering moon, and those who were about to sleep would change and leave for the markets. Whoever came up with those rumors benefitted the merchants aplenty.

  “Let's look for merchants!” Rinne sang with excitement in his voice. His demeanor felt almost infectious. “We could buy some mist boxes!”

  “Kid. Where do you expect us to find merchants around here? And mist boxes are only found in Orlent.” She drawled, staring up at the blue moon that rose above them. It brought forth no memories, simply existing above her. As the port prioritized Trallix, the moon held no significance for any of the sailors there. Though, Drantei would sometimes tell stories of the whispering moon. Stories of his successes and failures in the underground markets.

  “A hollow moon.” Enyah thought, feeling a hint of disdain for the moon.

  “Disgusting.” Drentack's voice sounded in agreement. His tone was hard and much colder than what she was used to. It was as if his flames had been put out, leaving only an icy frost that froze stronger than any winter.

  Hearing his demeanor Enyah paused her thoughts, a frown appearing on her face. A clear outlier appeared in the God's personality. Still, Gods were different from humans, so what could she do? She shrugged, surveying the area around them with lazy eyes.

  “Do merchants in these places not have mist boxes? But how would they celebrate the whispering moon?” Rinne's voice sounded behind her, his gaze ripped from the moon and staring at her back.

  “Not everywhere has the same traditions, kid. Mist boxes are a scam from merchants to sell their discarded goods at inflated prices anyways.” Enyah rolled her eyes. Merchants could turn the happiest of reunions to the saddest farewells into a profitable occasion.

  Tsk.

  “Anyways, it's best to set up camp here for tonight. Probably won't find anywhere better.” Enyah continued, moving away from the topic. With only grass as far as the eye could see, camping here would be relatively safe. Nowhere for ambushers to hide, at least.

  “Camping? It’s my first time! Is it like the stories?” Rinne asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, yet his words caught Enyah's attention. She looked back towards him, her eyes staring towards him with barely disguised intensity.

  “How'd you make it to the port then in the first place? No gates there, nor ports for the airships to land.” Enyah pondered aloud, her eyes staring at his reaction. In fact, there was only one entrance to the port. The knight and Rinne, even the ferals entering the port without acknowledgement.

  Were those dolts at the gate taking bribes? Thinking back, they weren't even there when she arrived back in town a few days ago. Her mind wandered with dangerous thoughts, a frown growing on her face.

  “I should have noticed…” A hint of self blame blossomed within her that she kept hidden. It wasn't the time. Not yet.

  “I'm not sure. I didn't really think about it.” Rinne spoke with a hint of hesitation, his tone lowered. “One moment I was at home. Next I was in some cell. And then I was at that building with Ser Liam!”

  “He's lying. Ooh! A little drama between characters. What could it be? Was it betrayal? Maybe he knows your secret. A little threat might fix that personality of his, darling. What if he knows about your target?” Drentack whispered, his serious demeanor vanished as the conversation changed, once again twisting playfully around her in a spiral of red.

  “I'm not torturing the kid. Shut up.” Enyah thought with distasteful. Only standards differentiate mercenaries from criminals. She's not about to break that now.

  “And if your revenge turns you into a criminal?” The voice raised with an excited, incensed glee. As if he wanted his words to become reality.

  Enyah didn't answer. She didn't have to.

  Instead, she gave Zarts a soft kick, and with a soft chirp he began to slow down, coming to a leisurely stop among the grass. His eyelids were drooping, the only physical sign of his exhaustion. The beast always liked to hide his issues, much to Enyah's chagrin.

  Once he slowed to a stop, pounding on the dirt with his hind legs, she slipped off his back with ease and searched through the packs that hung on his back, tied to the saddle that was attached to him like a vest.

  Tied to him was a tent with a single sleeping bag, which she promptly unattached and began to set up. Rinne struggled to get off Zarts, sliding down his body and landing roughly on his feet. Zarts noticed his struggle and lay down with a gentle chirp, giving the boy a shorter fall. He stepped forwards with determination, ready to help.

  “You want to learn?” Enyah noticed him stepping up behind her as she was crouched down, using ropes to attach the tent with the base.

  “Sure!” He responded, jumping at the chance. He crouched beside her, watching her with an intense stare.

  “There's holes along the ends, attach these to the holes. I'll grab the pole.” Enyah instructed with a gentle voice as they built the tent. It stood tall, the only building in sight within their vision. There was a lack of a fire, as no suitable firewood could be found nearby. She elected to light a lantern instead, lighting up the front of their little clearing instead.

  The light cast long shadows around the area that seemed to stretch forever on the grassy plains as the trio sat around the lantern.

  “A real fire would've been nice...” Rinne remarked with a drowsy voice as he pretended to keep his hands closer to the lantern for heat. Yet, the weather remained hot. The south of Orlent usually has a humid warmth year round, and the current night wasn't an exception.

  “The lantern's enough. No need to waste heat rocks on weather like this.” Enyah remarked, crushing his fantasies once again. She leaned back on Zarts, feeling the gentle rise and wall of his breaths against her. The quiet grumbles he made gave her more comfort than any person could. She gave him a gentle rub of his scaled body. Her touch seemed to cause him to stir, as he drowsily raised his head and stared at her. “Hey, big guy. How're you doing?” She whispered to him, continuing to caress his scales.

  He let out a low chirp in response and curled up, resting his head next to her body. Beside her, Rinne was testing the lantern, but his eyes seemed to close every few moments.

  “Let's get to bed. More travelling tomorrow.” Enyah murmured to Rinne, rising up and carrying his body, which gave no resistance.

  “Mmkay, Miss Enyah…” He spoke in response, surrendering himself to her. She carried him to the tent and let him sleep. She covered him in the blanket as best she could, mixed emotions following along with her actions.

  Once she settled the kid down, she moved back out and took her place next to Zarts. She raised a gloved hand and took off the garment, leaving only her calloused hand in her sight.

  With Rinne asleep, it was finally time to see what sort of ‘power’ the God had given her.