She drifted forever. She would have felt fear if her mind wasn’t taken by a single need to drift closer and closer to the darkness ahead. For some reason, she had thought the darkness was ‘up’ overhead, but now it was in front of her… strange, why did she think it was up? Confused, she considered reorienting herself so it would feel right, but something whispered to her to keep going.

  Into the darkness she went after an eternity. After all thoughts perished and she just had to move forward. Why was she here again? What was her destination? What was waiting for her? The darkness surrounded her and she twisted around, lost.

  Go, Aris, don’t be confused.

  Camaz’s words woke her from reverie. It made her more present in the smoke form and she could understand that things were passing through her, trying to swat at her. It was like a dark viscous liquid she had plunged herself into - a feeling that was strangely familiar.

  Oh, of course, she’d been here already not long ago in Shade form. Now she’s in Smoke form. Sun curse it, she couldn’t string two thoughts together properly. It was supposed to give her an advantage, not stunt her like this.

  Why did she think this would be an advantage? Aris felt her ‘body’ swirl with the darkness. Why was she here in Smoke form? A memory of Doran bubbled up and Aris clung to the heartbeat of lucidity. Doran was what Nilda described as the Being in Smoke all those years ago. Doran was a Part. Aris had thought that perhaps going to Mind in Doran’s form would awaken something.

  A second heartbeat brought awareness. Aris suddenly heard the screaming voices around her, like a million Unseeing wailing in unison. Amongst them both louder and softer than the screaming was the angry cries of Mind.

  “…always in the way! Never know when they’ve lost! You’re all the same! Begone you insect, you mean nothing to us and you know it!”

  This went on and on, Mind seemingly having endless energy to hurl insults at her. How would one even speak to something like Mind, much less convince them to do something so against their will?

  Aris swirled again in dismay. It was difficult just to hold her thoughts together. It would be so easy just to slip away… float forever in this sea of darkness.

  While she floated around, Aris saw a faint spot in the dark that looked different from the others. It wasn’t glowing or a different color, it was almost like a bump in the ‘space’ that she could perceive. She fixated on it and naturally drew closer to this strange spot until she realized she was being drawn into it. It was like water being drained from a basin from a hole on the bottom, she felt like the space around her was being drained into this one spot, her along with it.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Should she fight the draw from this? Would it hurt her? Should she be afraid? Forever suddenly drew to an instant and she was sucked in…

  She blinked, suddenly realizing she could blink. Then she looked around, shocked that she could see. Aris looked down at what seemed like her body in the clothes she wore when she was on Academy island - just the standard tunic and dress women were provided with. She rummaged inside the cloth belt at the top of the dress and found her handkerchief there. It felt soft and real in her hands.

  Then she looked up and around her. They were on a grassy hill that overlooked a huge stretch of water. It all looked and felt so real that Aris could feel the breeze through her hair and watched every blade of grass sway in movement. The colors almost burned her eyes in how vivid it all was - or was it that she simply wasn’t used to seeing anymore? She could also smell the salty air, not unlike the air on the docks or right on Academy island. It made her feel strongly that the water was an ocean.

  Despite the realism, Aris could feel something very wrong with what she could see. Besides a ten pace radius of where she stood on the hill, everything else seemed blurred if she looked for too long. She tried to step beyond where everything was in focus and confirmed that she was simply unable to step beyond the ‘allowed’ area. It was like trying to convince herself to walk into a wall, her feet just refused to take her where the scenery turned blurry.

  Then there was the figure standing on the top of the hill looking out to the water. Aris could see it was a child with stark white hair and unnaturally white skin. It reminded her of the flesh of the Unseeing, except when Aris looked at her face, the child had eyes fringed by white lashes. The head turned eerily to stare at her and Aris recoiled to see the eyes were pitch black and almost seemed to be made of liquid. When she got close enough, Aris could hear her humming something. It was some indiscernible tune. She was so shining white that the white tunic and dress she wore looked off-white, almost yellow in comparison.

  “Are you supposed to be here?” Aris asked. “Can you tell me who you are?”

  The humming grew louder and stranger, like more voices were added to the noise but Aris couldn’t see anyone else around.

  “Are you Mind?” Aris pressed on.

  Still no answer. The girl acted like if she ignored Aris, she would go away.

  “You’re the one who wanted me here.” Aris crossed her arms. “Are all gods this obnoxious? I’m here now and you’re ignoring me.”

  The girl’s face twisted in disgust and suddenly with a great squelching sound, the child’s body split into two. Aris staggered back on the grass, horrified to see her arms stretch out on either side and her head break apart exactly down the middle. Except the two halves of her body didn’t fall to the grass, it was held together by countless strings of black viscera. They dripped with some pitch black liquid that didn’t look unlike her eyes. It gave a sharp contrast to her skin and clothes and dripped down to the grass like tar.

  The figure, split apart yet held together, swayed unsteadily on the two feet it somehow remained on. The hands raised and reached to the black viscera pulled taught between its two halves of a child’s body and strummed it like an instrument.

  Words strangely came out from it as it strummed. “WHAT DO YOU WANT, DAUGHTER OF MOON?”