Lowenna traced Navaryn’s faint energy signal to a shoreline just north of the Halryn border. Once her gleaming Parafall vanished, she cautiously emerged from behind a tight cluster of palms and peered toward the rolling midnight waves ahead. One of Celestine’s satellites crowned the rippling horizon, but it was still too dark to see through clear and confident eyes. Her rugged tan boots crunched over the carpet of opalescent ice plants as she approached a dark mass that sat close to the shore. With each step, the moonlight unveiled the figure’s steady curves from mystery. Lowenna called after Navaryn and dashed to her side, nearly losing her footing in the lofty sand, but she paid no mind to her approach.
“Sister, I’m so happy you’re safe,” Lowenna earnestly whispered as she knelt beside her. After a tight, unreciprocated embrace, she pulled away, genuinely puzzled by her friend’s vacant stare. A gust of frigid air spiraled between them, prompting her to fetch and unfurl a woven blanket from her satchel. “I had a feeling you’d be needing this. Ask me how I know.” She chuckled as she draped it over Navaryn, hoping to rouse a reaction, but she couldn’t break her eyes away from the waxing moon. “Nav? Can you hear me?”
Navaryn slowly dug her toes into the sand. “Is it really over?”
“It sure better be,” Lowenna answered back with teary eyes. “We’re gonna make Merisek pay for all of this.” During a bout of silence, she considered the possibility that something was wrong, and her suspicions surrounding Kumiko’s intervention began to return. Once she could no longer bear her unsettling thoughts, she said, “Nav, talk to me. What are you feeling?”
“I don’t know,” she eventually answered. “I-I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”
“What do you mean? What’s the last thing you remember?”
Navaryn took a moment to answer. “Merisek. He expelled you. And all I could think about was protecting Iaalprt. I … jumped in front of Benson. After that, there’s nothing. Like I’ve been stuck inside of an empty dream.” She finally turned to face her friend. “How long have we been gone?”
“Two seasons, just about.”
Lost in confusion, Navaryn stared at Lowenna with vacant eyes for a moment before trailing off into the distance. As she put her attention back to the moon, a bright Parafall flashed beside them.
“Kumiko,” Lowenna warily called as he trotted up.
“Sorry, I came as quickly as I could. How’s Nav?”
“She’s acting strange,” she affirmed discreetly. “The tide’s coming in, too.” She pointed to a gentle foamy wave that kissed Navaryn’s toes. “Nav. Come on, let’s get you some clothes. You must be freezing.”
Kumiko and Lowenna silently waited for her reply, but the moon held her unyielding gaze.
“See?” hissed Lowenna under her breath. “I told you she’s acting strange.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. Probably just recalibrating after her transmission,” assured Kumiko. “Come on. Help me get her onto her feet.”
Holding the blanket in place, Lowenna cooed, “Easy does it,” as she and Kumiko guided Navaryn off the sand.
Navaryn was compliant with each of the directives that followed, but her demeanor suddenly flipped the moment she broke her gaze from the moon. With a ferocious grimace, she roared and wrestled out of her comrades’ grasp. Her blanket dropped to her feet as she took an offensive stance in the firm, wet sand.
“Nav, calm down,” pleaded Lowenna with open hands. “Everything’s fine. You’re home. Let us help you.”
Navaryn dashed her flickering white eyes to Kumiko as he stepped toward her. A menacing smile cut across her face when he timidly reached for her.
“Nav! Can you hear me?!” shouted Lowenna as Navaryn crossed her arms over her head. “What the fuck has gotten into you?!”
Navaryn slowly pulled her arms down through a rippling cuff of sparking green energy and unsheathed a pair of blades forged from her Celestine energy.
“Damn it. Not this again! Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?!”
“Don’t engage her, Lowenna,” cautioned Kumiko as she prepared herself for the imminent confrontation. “Just relax.”
“Relax?! How’m I supposed to relax when we’re about to get blitzed by Ms. White-Eyes over there? You know how dangerous she is when she’s like this! And I am not at full power.”
As quick as Navaryn’s rabid disposition swelled, it suddenly ebbed. She staggered and released the conjured blades, then feverishly tried to shake the cuffs of energy from her hands. The energy around her wrists swelled, distended, and phased to a crystalline hue, mimicking a seemingly parasitic behavior. As Navaryn fearfully looked at Lowenna, she cried her name.
Lowenna quickly dashed to her side as the polychromatic energy burst apart like shattering glass. After the grating sound and blinding light dissipated, Navaryn fell backward onto the sand. Kumiko snatched up the blanket while Lowenna inspected her unconscious friend.
“What the fuck did you do to her, Kumiko?!” shouted Lowenna.
Kumiko covered Navaryn’s naked body in the sandy blanket and then scooped her into his arms.
“Are you going to answer me, or what?”
“She’s fine.”
“Bullshit, she’s fine!”
“She just needs rest,” Kumiko firmly declared. “I’ll take care of her.”
Far from trusting Kumiko’s words, let alone his actions, Lowenna fired back, “You’re not going anywhere with her!”
“I’m taking her somewhere safe. I’m taking her to her castle. Got it?”
“Don’t be foolish, Kumiko. If you really want to bring her somewhere safe, then at least take her to Benson’s infirmary.”
“Would you just stop fighting me? I’m taking her home.”
“Then what?”
“Then, I’m staying with her until she awakes.”
“You know she’s not yours,” Lowenna uttered with folded arms. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, but I’m coming with you.”
Kumiko’s expression hardened. “Fine! And while you’re at it, summon Demelza. Summon Aalrija. Summon everyone for all I care!”
Before Lowenna could utter another word, Kumiko departed with Navaryn under bright arcing lights. Alone and frustrated beyond measure, she shouted into the night sky, then quickly followed after him.
Accompanied by the Tiers, Fallon, Teagan, and a group of close friends gathered within Navaryn’s bedchamber, Kumiko recapitulated most of what led to Navaryn’s return to Celestine. Leaning against the wall amidst the summoned entourage, Lowenna stood with her diadem tied around her forehead and a grimace affixed to her face. She kept her suspicious eyes on Kumiko while a team of bustling attendants and medics tended to Navaryn as she lay unconscious in her bed. As anticipated, Kumiko neglected to mention any of the crucial details surrounding the curious remedy he had administered. Lowenna required every shred of self-control to refrain from demanding a response to her catalog of audacious inquisitions.
Under peaceful candlelight, the lead medic conferred with her staff’s findings and then walked to Benson and Kumiko’s side. “I’m happy to report Navaryn hasn’t suffered any critical injuries,” she confirmed as her team closed in behind. “We’ve measured the healing rate of the gashes around her wrists. By sunrise, they should be fully healed.”
“That’s only a few hours from now,” said Benson with his fingers to his chin. “Excellent news.”
“But I’m sure she’ll require more rest than that to fully recover from her ordeal. Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t rise for a full day.”
“I’m confident she’ll rise before then,” Benson asserted, then put his arm around his son. “We both are.”
The lead medic quickly flipped through her handwritten notes. “There is one anomaly,” she continued as she plucked out a single parchment from the stack scribbled with illegible jargon. “The readings of her Celestine energy appear to be … different.”
Benson raised an eyebrow. “Different? How?”
“Well,” the lead medic began, then walked to Navaryn’s bedside with Benson and Kumiko in tow. “I’m quite familiar with our esteemed Celestine. Navaryn’s been in my care for many years, and admittedly much easier to evaluate when she’s unconscious.” She chuckled as she reviewed her notes, then cleared her throat. “In short, I’ve grown familiar with the jarring frequency of energy that courses within her. Now, this could just be the residual effects of her initial ejection, but I’ve detected some kind of pulse that has disrupted her typical frequency.”
“Interesting,” answered Benson as genuinely as he could. “Is this something that should be of concern?”
“I’d like to think not, but I suppose we won’t know for sure until she’s up and about. Just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, such as low power, unexplained fatigue, or any other strange behavior.”
Kumiko could feel Lowenna’s penetrating, raking gaze from behind him, though he kept himself engaged with the lead medic’s warning.
“I’d like to see her again if she doesn’t wake by tomorrow evening. I can reevaluate the disruption and see if it has changed.”
“Certainly,” Benson agreed. “But like I said, I’m sure she’ll rise before then.”
“I do hope so,” the lead medic concluded as she filed the stack of paperwork into a folder. “Do let me know if her condition worsens. Will you have attendants on standby?”
“I will have my son stay by her side until she wakes.”
“Very well,” she said. “My staff and I will take our leave.”
After the lead medic bid a brief farewell to Benson, Kumiko, and the other occupants, she and her team promptly filed out of Navaryn’s bedchamber. Following Benson’s request, the attendants stopped mid-task, collected their articles, and took their leave as well. Lowenna stood amongst the entourage gathered at Navaryn’s bedside.
Mila leaned in and moved some of her damp, gritty locks away from her browline while her husband Mathias chimed, “Glad you’re back, Navaryn. We’ve all been eagerly awaiting your return. Especially me because if I remember correctly, you were the next one up to cover rounds at Teagan’s.”
Mila rolled her eyes as Mathias guffawed. “Yeah, and we all know how well you pack ’em away,” she said, patting his round belly.
“Well, if I was as tall as you, I’m sure some of this would even out,” he said with animated hands circling his stomach.
Mila smiled with her eyes upon Navaryn’s mellow countenance. “Sleep comfortably, friend.”
“Rest well,” called Abyl from behind Mila and Mathias.
The trio departed as Fallon dug through his satchel for an object carefully wrapped in layers of thick cloth.
“I’ve kept this safe for you while you’ve been gone,” confessed Fallon as he sat her ruby-hilted dagger atop her bedside table. “I know you never like to leave without it.”
One after the other, the occupants departed until only Benson, Kumiko, and Lowenna remained.
“Finally, things are as they should be,” said Benson as he led Lowenna toward the bedchamber door. “Are you prepared for tomorrow evening’s festivities?”
“Festivities? No sir.”
“Come then. Let’s join the Tiers for some wine. We’ll toast to the return of you and Navaryn, and I’ll fill you in on tomorrow’s schedule.”
“With all due respect, I’d like to stay.”
“I’m sure you trust my son to watch over Navaryn.”
“It’s not a matter of trust. I’d just—”
“Then certainly you wouldn’t reject your imperator’s request,” he interrupted.
Lowenna’s eyes trailed to Kumiko standing at Navaryn’s bedside and opted to remain silent.
“I’ve tasked Kumiko with a few key things, including summoning us the very moment Navaryn regains consciousness,” added Benson as he gestured toward the bedchamber door. “Shall we?”
Reluctantly, Lowenna obliged his request and led the way out of the room. Following a discreet glance at his son, Benson followed behind her furious gait.
Kumiko held his breath until their heavy footsteps soon echoed off into silence. Dizzy from the palpable tension and his racing heart, he finally released his tense breath. Lowenna clearly hadn’t let go of her suspicions, and there was only so much Benson could do to stall an inevitable confrontation.
Through it all, considering the ominous fallout looming on the horizon, Kumiko managed to find a moment of reprieve inside the warm candlelit room. It was quiet enough to hear Navaryn’s deep and steady breath. His gentle smile faded as he realized how much time had passed since they had last shared a peaceful moment in her bedchamber together. No matter how far she strayed, he remained hopeful she would return to his side one way or another.
Kumiko tucked the lofty navy blue comforter around Navaryn, then removed his boots. His intention of settling into one of the tufted accent chairs across the room for the night had nullified once he beheld her sleeping face. While fighting away a swell of hesitation, he carefully climbed into the bed beside her. He settled into a pair of pillows close enough to detect the briny scent of ocean sand still stuck in her hair but far enough away to mind her personal space. With a light smile tugging his cheeks, he studied her with his lavender eyes until he finally drifted into slumber.
Breathing anxiously, Navaryn clomped atop a patterned runner carpet in her dirty boots. The gilded elements within the maroon corridor flashed as she passed under the waving candlelight of each chandelier. Though she tried her hardest to refrain, her eyes wandered back to the series of haunting paintings hanging on the walls. From treasured times with Von, Lowenna, and Claymar, to bouts of training and battles within Opiri and Celestine, each painting depicted a memory from Navaryn’s past seen through her eyes. Brimming with tears, she continued down the damned corridor with no end in sight and no way to turn back. Behind her, a cloud of darkness kept a close pace and consumed all that she passed.
Navaryn’s heart fell to her toes as the next painting came into view. Captured inside of the ornate golden frame was Von lying shirtless on his back within a moment of ecstasy. His lips, delicately parted, wore the glossy sheen of her passionate kiss, and his tense red eyes were rolled toward the headboard behind him. The very memory was etched within her mind so profoundly that looking upon it in such an outright fashion set her heart ablaze. Confused, distraught, and with no other choice but to press forward, Navaryn sprinted ahead unheedingly.
The corridor eventually ended at a remarkably ornate, dark wooden door. With the cloud of looming darkness twisting behind her, Navaryn wiped away her tears and steadied her breathing as she pushed it open. Amidst the scant candlelight, the gilded elements within the capacious room twinkled like gems inside a cave. She carefully scanned the room until she happened upon a curvy figure cloaked in elegant red and golden brocade standing by the far wall.
“Hello?” she called, but no answer came.
Navaryn turned back to the door only to find a wall in its place. Apprehensively, she placed her fingertips where she remembered the doorjamb to be only moments before. Just as she turned to approach her obscured, gilded companion, her gaze fell upon an immense painting hanging in the middle of the joining wall. One after the other, the candles around the room took to flame.
With a racing heart, Navaryn muttered, “What is this?”
Standing arm-in-arm in garish, clinquant garb, Navaryn saw herself beside Kumiko as they gestured pridefully to a Celestine crowd below them. The false instance and her disturbing, unfamiliar expression, painted as if captured through a spectator’s eyes, sent chills down her spine.
Navaryn turned away but found the very same toothy, prideful smile mocking her from within the other paintings hanging on the walls. Her face soured in disbelief as she skimmed over them. She was depicted prominently, boasting her pristine Celestine wings beside Benson and Kumiko, sitting tall above the Halryn Council. Just as well, she found herself pictured beside Kumiko in a catalog of moments when they had started a family. Yet, not a single painting in the cursed room housed her beloved friends Lowenna and Claymar, her dearest Von, Aalrija, Fallon, or the number of others who held a special place in her heart.
Dizzy from a fit of rapid respiration, Navaryn struggled to maintain her composure. When her eyes fell back upon the painting of her pregnant belly, draped in fine silvery velvet and lace, she frantically ran toward the embellished figure. Through teary eyes, her vision quaked with a white blur, and she lost her balance under her clumsy feet.
“What is this place?!” shouted Navaryn as she gripped the shimmery train of the woman’s dress.
The sound of Navaryn’s incessant crying filled the silent room. While lost in her despair, she felt the fabric pull away from her hands as the woman turned around, gently hushing her. Her eyes jolted open once the delicate coos caught her ear. Fearful for what she knew she would see, she slowly raised her face to the woman.
“Everything that surrounds you here in this room will now be set into motion,” said the woman, placing her decorated hands upon Navaryn’s cheeks. “For our imperator commands it.”
The gentle voice and placid countenance, framed in a headdress of gemstones and twinkling gold, was undeniably her own.
Navaryn recoiled in disbelief. “Our imperator? Benson?”
She watched the sparkling ruby-painted lips of her doppelganger curl into a smile. “Look around you. Your imperator is no longer Benson.”
The ominous statement immediately coaxed heavy tears to her eyes. “I want nothing to do with anything here!” she roared with flashing white eyes. “This is not my life!”
Navaryn’s decorated doppelganger gestured to a multitude of paintings that suddenly materialized from out of the shadows. Following a light chuckle, she replied, “You’ve never had a choice in the matter. It’s a shame you didn’t realize it sooner.”
One by one, the paintings morphed perspective, appearing as though they were moments Navaryn had experienced firsthand, like the ones that hung in the corridor.
“What’s happening?!” Navaryn shouted, then jumped to her feet.
One haunting image in the distance immediately grabbed her attention. While she approached the painting in disbelief, her doppelganger strolled to the far wall, placed her hand against a door concealed by darkness, then saw herself out of the room without another word.
Navaryn rubbed away the blurry pools of tears from her eyes, only to be thwarted by more. The feverish memory of Von’s ecstasy, a moment so sacred to her heart, was replaced by Kumiko’s frame, mimicking his exact position and expression. With her gut twisting tightly, Navaryn touched her fingertips to the painting.
“No, no, no!” she frantically repeated, denouncing the instance until her mind could take no more. Roaring wildly, she ripped the painting off the wall. With glowing white eyes, she peered into the empty room and called, “Where are you?! Let me out of here!”
Amidst Navaryn’s rage, the scent of smoking candlewick caught her nose, though she paid it little mind. She tore everything within her arm’s reach from the walls in search of a way out. While she continued to thrash about in the darkening room, the unrelenting twirling void that chased her down the corridor reappeared, stretching out from the far corners of the room. Unable to call forth her Celestine wings writhing beneath her shoulder blades and with nowhere to run, she threw what she could at the twisting, smoky apparition, attempting to ward it off. As the looming cloud dove around her body like a falling wave, she unleashed a final shriek that fell silent as the darkness claimed both her body and mind.