Chapter 114

Arya and I glanced at each other as the mixed being asked what we wanted. "I want my curse removed." Arya said as she looked back towards the mixed being.

"An easy enough request, you and your descendants shall no longer suffer my curse. And for you pale one?"

I was unsure as to what I wanted. We'd done this mostly to remove Arya's curse, and while I was thinking of asking for information, I didn't know if this being would be more reliable or even knowledgeable than Seshat's Library, but there was only one way to find out. Worse case he couldn't tell me anything and I'd waste the wish, but the being didn't seem to be that petty. "I want information on the Outsiders."

The being leaned forward, clasping its hands as it stared at me. "An unusual request, though one that makes sense for your situation. To understand Outsiders, you need to understand how the universe functions. In the simplest terms, you can think of all of existence as a massive sphere with several layers that all overlap and interpose on another. Carceris, and many other worlds with sentient beings reside in the second layer, known as the Antra. The higher the layer, typically the stronger, and more access to the underlying Threads that control and define existence.

Outsiders are then, just as they sound, beings who originated from outside the sphere. Beings that are not really a part of existence in the first place. There are many such beings, including the She-Demon you are related to. They are troublesome in that they are not bound to our rules, only their own. Some are friendly, while others are not. The She-Demon is neutral, don’t anger her, and she will leave you alone. She's called the She-Demon because she can easily kill and erase even the most powerful of beings, and has done so in the past.

Normally We wouldn't meddle or interfere, but since you have such a powerful relative, We'll give you some advice, something We hope you'll remember should you ever get the chance to meet the She-Demon, even with how unlikely it is.

We believe you have been deceived, likely because you are related to the She-Demon. Unfortunately, We can't tell you the entirety of the truth, but whoever you met when you were being reincarnated was most definitely not the Queen of Hell, but probably an enemy of the She-Demon disguised as such to fool you so they could send you to Carceris. They might be trying to get you to kill the Gods of that world, as they are the only beings near the level of Outsiders, but they are not Outsiders."

The being leaned back as he paused for a moment and shook its head. "Unfortunately that's all We can say, you'll need to find the truth for yourself. Now, We have granted your wishes so it is time for you to return. You cannot speak of anything that happened in here other than the boons you received even if you tried. Now I'll send you on your way."

Before Arya or I could react, the feeling of being sucked away began as we were violently tossed away much like when we first came to the Well of Balance. Perhaps because the being was on a different layer was the reason that the coming and going were so violent while the transfers between the tests had been smooth and comfortable, but I didn't know if that was the case as I didn't know if the being was even on a different layer than us to begin with.

Just as how had we arrived at the Well of Balance, we found ourselves strewn upon the wooden boardwalk that our wedding had been held on in the Yin-Yang Village. Thankfully neither of us were hurt, but there was a growing commotion as the two of us got up, however before anyone could say anything Arya suddenly began to violently cough as she fell back to her knees, a silvery ichor being ejected from her mouth.

I didn't hesitate as I swept her up into my arms and began to dash to her house, only telling the people who had gathered around that we would explain later, but they didn't need to worry. Despite what I'd said to the crowd I was panicking internally as Arya coughed more and more of the silvery ichor out of her body. What was worse was that it began to flow not only from her mouth, but her nose and ears as well, as if she was pushing her magic too far and consuming her lifeforce to do so. I could only hope that the silver ichor was the curse that had been bestowed upon her and that she would recover once it was all gone.

By the time I made it to Arya's home and laid her in bed, the coughing had subsided and it seemed that she was only sleeping peacefully, but I could feel her body temperature rising even as her breathing became shallower. I could only pace around the room nervously until Kavir and Ilya burst into the room, both of them looking worse for the wear than they had the last time I'd seen them.

I opened my mouth to explain the situation only to have both Kavir and Ilya grasp me in a hug. "We were so worried about the two of you." Ilya said as she and Kavir separated from me. "How's Arya? We heard she collapsed in a violent coughing fit, but it looks like she's only sleeping now."

It took me a moment to process their question and shake my head. "I don't know, I'm hoping that it's just a side effect from the removal of the curse and it will pass with time."

The two looked at each other before glancing back at me. "Then that was the Well of Balance? And the two of you passed the trial?" I nodded in response, which caused the couple to become excited. "If that's the case I'm sure Arya will be fine, nothing bad has ever happened to those who returned from the Well of Balance, at least not so suddenly."

Their calmness and assurance helped me calm down as well. Nothing good would come of panic, so it would be better just to sit by Arya's side until she woke up. It wasn't the first time I had to do such a thing, plus I realized that I needed to fill Marian in on what happened. While we'd been in the Well of Balance, I'd been unable to communicate with her. Though I had never stopped trying, so I hoped at least that one or two of my messages connected.