He looked on as she struggled to catch her breath. She was away from Willows now, and that meant she would revert to normal. Tiredness, fatigue, drowsiness, hunger, she would start to feel all of them. But he didn't need to tell her the obvious, he thought.

She looked back and saw the portal disappear into thin air.

They stood on top of a mountain overlooking a mystic town that stretched over the horizon. It was a strange looking place, she thought. The sky was dark and grey over the starry town.

"The River, my lady", he stood beside her and made strange signs with his hand. A golden ring , the size of a football, appeared and sucked them in.

"My, my! what a pleasant surprise", an intelligent looking elf commented. He made his way across the quiet room and sat in front of them.

Were they inside some kind of restaurant? she thought.

"-you've brought a new friend too", his brows furrowed when he took a good look at her."you're human" he let out a laugh."my! my! who would've thought I'd live to see a human in my hotel! what an honor!"

"Ko-"

"-do you even know who you're with?", the elf cut him off and laughed.

She looked at the masked man next to her and back at the good looking elf in front of her."Ryzo?"

He laughed and slapped the table."You humans call people like him The Grim Reaper. Fancy name, I'll say. All I got was 'elf' . what does that even mean? ELF. Not cool at all"

She was surprised. She looked at the tall frame of her companion, his dark clothes, brooding mask and stared at him. He didn't seem like the type.

"What is Grim Reaper?", Ryzo asked her. She found herself smiling.

"Why can't I go back home?", she asked.

"Ah straight to the point, it is", the elf chortled."well, that would depend on how you got here in the first place"

"I don't know how I got here", she answered and remembered waking up to Gable's cold gaze."but I've been told the gates won't let me through"

Ko looked perplexed for a second. He glanced at Ryzo and back at her."okay. what else?"

Ryzo shifted in his seat.

He nodded to himself."Ohhh I get it. So you're dead and my good friend here is guiding your spirit to your final rest"

She didn't appreciate the joke. Ryzo gave him a stern look.

"Oh I'm just kidding! don't be silly!", he poured them wine."i can think of two reasons. One, you died back there on Earth when the Gates were shifting. Or two, someone here summoned you, meaning they're trying to play with the system"

She looked at the silver lining around her wrist."i don't get it"

"The explanation or that line?", he was amused.

She sipped on the wine. It tasted like grape juice.

"I can't cross the Kingmaker's line", he shrugged."you can count on me to give you good and safe food"

"What does that mean, crossing the Kingmaker's line?"

He looked baffled. He glanced at Ryzo."she doesn't know? That's a Gatekeeper's golden ticket"

"Gable gave me this"

"What's Gable?", he asked.

"He gave me this", she showed him her wrist.

"Perhaps he's a gatekeeper",he sounded unsure."Gatekeeper's give travellers security with that line. But it's not the real one though. The real one is given by those from the royal bloodline. But noone has seen such a line so one can't make out the difference."

She glanced at Ryzo and back at him. He didn't seem to know about Gable, and Ryzo wasn't trying to speak either."Raldrest, what about it?"

"They serve the royals", he pointed at Ryzo."loyal ones, i tell you. You're in safe hands."

"I still don't get it. Why do you say 'can't cross the Kingmaker's line' ?"

"It is a common phrase here. Harming someone with that line backfires double fold so", he shrugged."i think you're travelling to keep your memories intact."

"What do you mean?"

"It's safe for us, but humans tend to be fragile. When you travel around here, it plays with your head. You lose your memory, or you get stuck in a time loop, without a guide. But since you have a guide, i think it's to prepare you for your journey back home. It's to make your body and mind get used to the way the system works so that when you do travel home, you are able to in one piece"

She nodded.

"So how long will you be staying here for? I don't want to be rude, but the sooner you leave, the better"

Ryzo chortled behind his mask."till the dark lifts"

Ko got up from his seat."I'll take a break then. Make yourself at home. But not for too long" and walked away.

She watched him leave and turned to face Ryzo."you didn't tell him-"

He covered her mouth mid-sentence with his cloak.



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