19

The first rays of light, filtered through a crack in the ceiling far above, were his alarm clock. Sebastian groaned, pushing himself up from the bed of moss and dried leaves he'd fashioned for himself in a small alcove near the chamber's entrance. He'd learned quickly that sleeping *too* close to the crimson orb wasn't a good idea. The nightmares were… vivid.

He glanced over at the young woman. She was curled up on a similar, but larger, bed of moss, closer to the back wall. Still asleep. *Good*. That meant he had a few minutes to prepare.

He moved stiffly, his knee still protesting the injury from days – or was it weeks? – ago. Time had become a blur in the dungeon. He had a routine, though, a strange, almost absurd routine, centered entirely around caring for the silent, powerful, and perpetually *clothing-challenged* young woman.

He gathered a handful of dried herbs from a small pouch he'd salvaged from the remains of his pack. He mixed them with water in a stone bowl he'd found, creating a thick, greenish paste. This was breakfast. She wouldn't eat anything else. He'd tried offering her cooked rat meat, but the look, not of disgust but of pure confusion and disinterest, had stopped him.

As he stirred, he heard a soft *pop*, followed by a faint sizzling sound. He sighed, turning his head.

The young woman was sitting up, staring at the remains of her leaf dress. Small wisps of smoke curled from the edges of the few remaining, blackened leaves. She touched one, and it crumbled to ash. She looked… mildly surprised. Not distressed, not upset, just… curious.

This was a daily occurrence. He still hadn't figured out *exactly* why it happened. Sometimes it was when she got too close to the orb. Other times, it seemed random. He suspected it had something to do with her… *power*. The same power that had created the mantis, that had opened the hidden niche, that had… *changed* her.

"Right," Sebastian muttered to himself. "Let's get you covered *before* you decide to explore again."

He approached her cautiously, holding out the bowl of herbal paste. She took it, her fingers brushing his. Her skin was surprisingly warm, almost feverish. She ate without comment, her green eyes, now slightly brighter, slightly *sharper* than he remembered, fixed on his face.

"Today," he said, as she finished the paste, "we're going to look at the *nightbloom* vines. They only grow in the shadowed areas, near the… well, you'll see."

He knew she didn't understand his words, but he kept talking. It made *him* feel better, less alone. And sometimes, just sometimes, he thought he saw a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

He led her out of the chamber, the mantis, whom he'd started calling "Esmeralda," following silently behind. They walked through a corridor he'd cleared of traps (mostly by accident, and usually involving the young woman's "travesuras"). He pointed out different plants, explaining their properties, even though he knew she couldn't comprehend.

"This is *woundwort*," he said, touching a small, leafy plant with purple flowers. "Good for cuts and scrapes. And this… this is *fool's bane*. Don't touch it. It will make you… well, let's just say it's not pleasant."

The young woman reached out and *poked* the fool's bane.

Sebastian sighed. "See? This is what I'm talking about."

She didn't react, just tilted her head, her expression unreadable.

They continued on, reaching a section of the corridor where the ceiling had collapsed, creating a deep chasm filled with a thick, tangled mass of glowing, purple vines. Nightblooms.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Sebastian said, more to himself than to her. "But also dangerous. They…"

He stopped. The young woman was staring at the orb, which was now casting a faint, pulsing light on a section of the wall.

"No, no, no," Sebastian said, moving quickly to stand between her and the wall. "We're not doing that again. Not today."

Too late.

She reached out, her hand passing *through* his, as if he weren't even there. Her fingers touched the wall.

A *crackling* sound. A surge of *heat*. And a wave of… *something*… that sent Sebastian stumbling backward.

When he looked up, the young woman was standing amidst a pile of *ash*. Her leaf dress was gone. Again.

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, his frustration battling with a strange sense of amusement. He couldn't even be *angry* anymore. It was just… their life now.

"Esmeralda," he said, gesturing towards the corridor. "Leaves. You know the drill."

The mantis, with a slight tilt of her head that Sebastian had come to recognize as acknowledgement, scuttled away.

He looked at the young woman, who was now examining the wall, her expression one of mild curiosity. He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You," he said, "are going to be the death of me."

He fashioned a new dress for her when Esmeralda returned. He'd gotten good at it, weaving the leaves together with thin strips of vine he'd found. It was almost… therapeutic.

As he worked, he looked at her, at the faint golden glow of her skin, at the sharp points of her horns, at the strange, unreadable intelligence in her eyes. He wondered, not for the first time, who she *really* was. What she had been *before*.

And what she was *becoming*.

The orb pulsed again, a soft, rhythmic beat that echoed the *thrumming* he felt deep within the dungeon. He knew, somehow, that this was just the beginning. Their strange, improbable life together was about to get even stranger.

The young woman, seemingly at peace and covered once more with leaves, sat by the wall, looking at a new spot, as if contemplating another interaction.

Warmth. That, first. A gentle embrace. Arms… someone's. A boy's. She felt… weak.

She opened her eyes. Blurry light. Hazy shapes. A face… close. Eyes… blue? No. Brown. Worried eyes.

She tried to see better. The light… bothered her. But the face… was… kind.

She moved her hand. She wanted… to touch. The light? The face? She wasn't sure.

Something… was shining. Over there. A circle. Red. With… things moving. She didn't understand what they were.

She felt it. A tingling. Inside. Like… before? When was before? She couldn't remember. Only… the tingling. And a… voice. Not a voice outside. A voice inside. With words… not clear. Kill. Strong.

The mantis. Big. Green. It was close. She wasn't afraid. She felt… good. She touched it. Hard. Strong.

The red glow… again. The tingling. Stronger. The voice. Level. She didn't understand. It didn't matter. She felt… better.

The red glow… now it showed something. Like branches. Like roots. Something… familiar. Like something she had seen before. But… where? She couldn't remember.

She touched the image. Not with her hand. With… something inside.

A new tingling. Stronger. And outside… something. As if the room… was breathing? The air… heavier? She didn't know how to say it. She only felt it.

The mantis moved. Closer. Like it was protecting her. Was it scared? No. She wasn't scared. Not now.

The voice. Again. Inside. Energy. Residual. What did it mean? She didn't know. She touched the shining stone. The orb. That's it. Something… was coming out. From the mantis. Something that… was entering her.

Like… eating. But not with her mouth. With… her whole body.

She didn't like it. The mantis… looked weaker. Sadder. She didn't want that. But the voice… said Strong. And she… felt stronger. A little.

She touched the shining stone again. Another tingle. Faster. Stronger. The room… more alive. The crack in the wall… was glowing brighter. And… flowers? Small. White. Growing out of nowhere.

The crack… bigger. It wasn't scary. It was… pretty. It glowed. With a soft light. Like… stars? She didn't remember stars. But the light… felt good.

The boy looked at her. His eyes were… sad. Worried. She didn't understand why. She felt good. Stronger.

She touched the shining stone again. Another tingle. This time… something strange. As if… something was moving. Inside the wall. As if the wall… was growing.

She looked at the wall. Yes. It was changing. The crack… bigger. And… branches? Roots? They were growing. Glowing. Like the light. And… more flowers. The white flowers. Many. Covering the wall.

Dungeon. The voice. Clearer. Your dungeon.

Hers? She didn't understand. What was a dungeon? But the voice… felt kind. As if it was giving her… something.

She touched the shining stone again. The tingling… the strongest. She felt the energy. Entering. Like a wave. From head to toe. And the wall… was changing more.

The crack… much bigger. The branches… thicker. Stronger. And the flowers… many flowers. Covering the wall. Climbing on the floor.

She looked at the boy. He was looking at her. His eyes wide. Surprised. She smiled at him. A little. He still looked… worried.

She looked at the boy. He was still worried. She didn't understand. She felt... good. Stronger? She did not know the word. But... different.

She touched the wall. Where before there was only stone… now, many branches. With small leaves. Shiny. And the flowers. Many. White. Small. Soft. She touched them. They felt... alive.

Dungeon. The voice. Again. Now… content? Your dungeon. Strong.

The young girl smiled. Hers? The word… made no sense. But the feeling… was good. As if… this place. All of this. Was part of her.

She looked at the boy. He was still looking at the wall. With wide eyes. She reached out a hand. She touched his arm. He looked at her. His eyes… no longer sad. Now… bright. Like… the stones? No. Something else.

She smiled more. He smiled back. Now, his smile… bigger.

The young girl looked at the wall again. The branches. The flowers. My dungeon. She thought. The word… strange. But strong… that was it. She was strong. And this place… was part of her. And she… would protect it.

She felt it. Something new. Inside. Like… growing. She didn't understand. But… good.

Hand. On the wall. Not on the drawing from before. On the stone.

Touch. Fingers. Stone. Cold.

Feel. Vibrating. Inside. The wall. Breathing.

She closed her eyes. Listen. Feel. Do.

Change. The wall. Not break. Not open. Something else.

Soft. Slow. The stone… like water. No. Like crystal. No. Like… nothing.

See. Inside. A space. A niche. Light. Blue.

She opened her eyes. She looked at the boy. Surprised. He didn't understand.

She entered. The niche. Alone.

The light. Covered her. All of her. Like water. No. Like fire. No. Something else.

Warmth. Inside. Cold. Outside. Her whole body.

A sound. Humming. Growing. Loud.

Another sound. Fabric. Ripping.

It didn't matter.

The light. More. More. More.

Pain? No. Not pain. Something else.

Change.

Inside.

Strong.

And… silence.

The light… less. Fading.

She saw. The niche. Herself. Different.

She felt. Different.

Better.

She stepped out. Of the niche.

The boy. He was looking at her. Eyes wide. Mouth open. He didn't understand.

She… good. Strong.

She looked at him.

Why?

She didn't know.

But… she felt.

Something.

A connection.

He. She.

Together.

Here.

In the dungeon.

Hers?

The young girl came out from the niche.

The girl extended her hand. She wanted him to touch her. He must touch her. But what would happen? What did this strange connection she felt with the weak boy mean? She liked when he looked at her.

Then Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. Something moved in the corridor, where the mantis had come from.