It only lasted a moment, but it hurt. Yoba, it hurt so bad.

The sharp ripping sensation cut through Estelle, her body protesting loudly as something that should never be removed was forcibly wrenched from inside of her. She imagined the sensation to be akin to a heart transplant performed without anesthetic, or scalpels, or regard for human life. Pure, blind suffering.

When it was over she felt empty. No more pain, but...something wasn't right. It wasn't like the hollow of depression, the numbness of drugs or alcohol – it was less tangible than that. She couldn't put her finger on what was missing, but she was somehow certain that her being was no longer whole.

It scared her.

All of this scared her.

She was trying to be strong, but it was a losing battle. It was just so much, too much. Magic and monsters aside, she was stuck in this world she didn't recognize, in this body that didn't feel right, lost and alone...not knowing where her friends were or if they were okay...

Tears pricked at her eyes, sharp and hot, and she was powerless to stop them. She knew she needed to get up, needed to push forward – but what was the point? She remembered how easily the witch had squeezed the life from her, how utterly helpless she had been. How was she supposed to fight against that kind of power?

She was in so far over her head there was no coming up for air, and there was nothing she could do but bury her head in her arms and cry.

Each tear that crashed to the ground felt like a goodbye. Goodbye to the life she'd tried so hard to build for herself. Goodbye to her fragile hope for a happy ending. Goodbye to Pelican Town, and all the wonderful people she'd met there. Goodbye to Natalie and Sam, the most perfect couple to ever exist. Goodbye to Sebasti...

No.

She couldn't. She wouldn't. Not now.

Anger washed over her, torching through the pity and desolation and renewing her sense of purpose. Anger at the bitch that put her here; anger at herself for falling into the trap of despair. She had given enough of her life to that bleak hole already. There was no fucking way she was going back now.

Estelle swiped her eyes with the back of her hand, erasing the last traces of her weakness. Pushing herself up to her feet, she carefully took in the strange world around her.

Or attempted to, anyway. Every time her eyes roamed from one spot to another, the landscape seemed to shift – not drastically, but enough to be completely disorienting. She examined an area of thick fog, looked away for a split second, and suddenly it was clear. A hill flattened. A small pond transformed into a pit filled with glittering iridium ore.

The navigational issue this posed was further complicated by something she hadn't noticed immediately, but as soon as she did it was glaringly obvious. Everything appeared...soft. Edges were blurred, colors were muted. There was nothing stark or sharp anywhere to be found. It was giving her a headache, and made it difficult to focus.

This place seemed made for getting lost. The only hope she had for finding a way out was to find something notable to move towards, and keep her eye on it at all times so it didn't disappear.

There. The hill she stood on fed into a large expanse of knee-high grass swaying softly in the wind, and on the other side she could just make out a small waterfall trickling down a tiered rock face. Somehow it seemed more real than the rest of her surroundings – she could not only see it, but she could hear it. Maybe that meant something. Even if it didn't, she had no better ideas. Taking a deep breath, Estelle began to walk.

Naturally, it wasn't long before her plans were derailed.

Careful to keep her eyes on the waterfall ahead of her, Estelle was ignoring the strange fog that began to circle her feet as she trudged through the grassy plain. The way it followed her as she moved was a little disconcerting, but it hadn't hurt her so far, and she was honestly more afraid of losing sight of the waterfall and the tiny bit of direction it provided.

A soft hissing sound, however – that triggered every survival instinct in her to act. Estelle jumped, dropping her eyes to her feet just in time to see the wispy cloud of fog tighten, lengthen...solidify. Blazing red eyes met hers for a split second before the creature attacked, wrapping its pale, snake-like body around her ankles and dragging her to the ground with a yelp.

Estelle kicked her feet, struggling against the snake as it coiled up her legs, seeming to grow in length as it went. The hissing grew louder, and Estelle grabbed it by the neck, squeezing hard as she desperately tried to free her legs. Seemingly unphased, the creature just elongated further and looped around her wrists, binding her hands together and moving up her arm.

Estelle opened her mouth to scream for help, but help found her first, in the form of a chunky blue...apple?

The rotund little creature screeched angrily as it barreled towards her, arms flailing wildly and glowing with what could only be magic. Estelle tensed, expecting another attack. Instead the snake jerked back, loosening its grip slightly as it responded to the new threat.

That was all Estelle needed. Wrenching her wrists out of the snake's grasp, she propped herself up on her elbows, lifted both her legs into the air, and brought them down hard. She felt a sick crunch under her but didn't hesitate, violently slamming the snake against the ground over and over again. The head hissed in fury, but the apple kept it too preoccupied to retaliate, flinging glowing blue balls that exploded into a shower of silver sparks upon impact.

Blood red eyes glared at the two of them before the snake abruptly uncoiled itself, slithering away into the grass and disintegrating into mist once more. Estelle shivered as the adrenaline faded, leaving her cold and exhausted.

Chirp!

Now that the danger had passed, Estelle turned to face her unlikely rescuer, tilting her head as she stared. She wasn't afraid – it obviously didn't mean her any harm – but it was just so incredibly alien that she couldn't help but gawk. Bright blue skin, huge dark eyes, and a little antenna popping out of its head that looked exactly like the stem on a freshly picked apple. Its body was as wide as it was tall, only coming up to her knees, with thin little limbs that looked woefully unprepared to support it.

It was kind of...cute?

The creature mimicked her, tilting its entire body to the side, glossy eyes boring into hers in an almost unsettling way. Then it raised one lanky arm and waved.

Chirp!

"Um...hi?" Estelle replied, lifting her own hand to wave back. "Thanks for your help."

The apple bounced in place, seemingly pleased by her response.

"Can you understand me?" she asked hesitantly.

Chirp!

Was that a yes? Estelle bit her lip, casting her gaze in the direction of the waterfall. It was gone, of course. She could still hear it, but it was so faint she couldn't pinpoint which direction the sound was coming from.

"Do you know a way out of here?" she ventured. If this little dude could use magic, maybe it could navigate this impossible terrain. Maybe it could help her.

Chirp!

The apple bounced again, three quick little hops that almost looked like a nod. It held a tiny hand out to her, and after a brief hesitation Estelle took it. The apple chirped happily, and began to lead her towards a valley in the distance.

Natalie stared down at her hands, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep from screaming. If she screamed, she'd never stop, and Sam had enough to worry about without her breaking down on top of it. She needed to be strong right now, if only for him.

She was so worried about him. He'd just stared in pale horror as his best friend shuddered and collapsed, Sebastian's body falling to the floor in a crumpled heap. Natalie had shrieked and rushed over, the wizard's assurances that he wasn't dead offering little comfort. Sam stood frozen in shock, only the trembling of his hands giving away how very fucked up he really was.

Sure enough Seb was breathing, alive – but gone. She shook him but he wouldn't wake, pushed his eyelids up but there was nothing but emptiness behind them. Whatever it was that made Sebastian himself was no longer with them, leaving only an empty husk behind.

She could barely stand it. She was trying desperately to hold herself together, but every time she glanced at Sebastian's limp form she felt the screams clawing up her throat. All she could do was wrap herself around Sam and try to offer whatever reassurance she could. It wasn't much. This was so far beyond either of them. So endlessly fucked up.

The silence was heavy as they waited for something, anything. Just when she thought she'd go mad with it, a pounding on the door made her jump.

The wizard faltered, the purple vortex before him flickering as his concentration failed. Furrowing his brow, his gaze caught Natalie's and he nodded toward the door. "Get that. I have to focus."

Swallowing hard, Natalie summoned her courage and hesitantly opened the heavy wooden door. On the other side was a disheveled man she vaguely recognized as the homeless dude who lived by the lake. What was he doing here?

"There's trouble," the man said gruffly, stepping around Natalie and into the house. "She's tapped into the void, and she's gathering power. The mountains are thrumming with magic."

The wizard's face twisted into something impossibly grim, and Natalie's stomach flipped. She might not know what the hell they were talking about, but she recognized a look of foreboding when she saw one.

"You need to deal with this, Rasmodius," he continued.

"The boy entered the spirit realm to look for the girl. If I do not maintain the portal they'll both be trapped," the wizard sighed, shaking his head sadly. The vagrant raised his brow in surprise, before his eyes narrowed angrily.

"You sent a defenseless child into the void?"

Rasmodius looked uncharacteristically ashamed. "He's attuned so he'll have some protection, but...yes," he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face. "I saw no other option."

"The other option was to face your wife," the man snapped, scowling. "Even if he brings her back, her body is still with Victoria, is it not?"

"Yes. I planned to teleport her once the boy returned, but if Victoria is gathering power..." the wizard trailed off.

The room was silent for a long moment, until finally Natalie couldn't stand it anymore.

"So what, we need to get her body back?" she interrupted, crossing her arms impatiently – and also to hide the way her fingers trembled. They didn't need to know that detail. "Then I'll go. I'm sick of this place anyway."

She felt Sam move to stand behind her, one hand resting gently on her waist. She expected him to argue, to insist she stay out of danger – but instead he simply nodded.

"We'll both go."

The old men appraised them, then looked at each other, seeming to deliberate wordlessly. Natalie was about to run her mouth again when the vagrant nodded sharply.

"Very well then. Rasmodius, see that Sebastian returns safely. These two and I will retrieve Estelle."

Sebastian had braced himself for pain before stepping into the portal. After all, separating your soul from your body didn't exactly sound like a pleasant experience – and it wasn't. But to his surprise, it wasn't as bad as he anticipated either. It just felt weird and slightly unsettling, like seaweed slipping against your shins in the ocean, or a saline drip that wasn't warmed up enough.

Thanks, latent mystical potential.

The good news was that he felt completely better now that he was out of his body. All the fatigue and nausea the potion left him with was gone, replaced only by a slight "off" feeling that was easy to ignore. He stretched his muscles one by one, taking inventory to make sure everything was in place, and was pleased to find that his trip through the portal seemed to make his body more refreshed and responsive than it was on the other side.

The actual event itself was instantaneous. One moment he was in the wizard's tower, the next he was...wherever this was. A forest of some sort, by the looks of it – but nothing like the forests near Pelican Town. The trees were anemic and oddly colored, thin pink, orange, and maroon trunks branching out into thinner limbs that spiraled and twisted in odd angles towards the sky. There were no leaves, but each branch was covered in a thick growth that looked more like fur than anything a tree should produce.

Sebastian reached out to touch one, but thought better of it at the last moment. Best not to mess with anything he found here. Who knows what could end up being dangerous. Instead he spun in a slow circle, searching for any indication of where to begin looking for Estelle. The portal was still behind him, which was reassuring – the tall, twisted trees would serve as a good landmark for getting back here.

Finding nothing of particular interest, Sebastian just picked a direction and started to walk. It was light out at least, a soft filtered brightness that didn't seem to be coming from any direction in particular. Sebastian scanned the sky but saw nothing but a gauzy expanse of nothingness; no sun, no clouds, no birds flying overhead. The light cast no shadows around him, his footsteps made no sound as he walked. If he didn't know better, he would be totally convinced this was all a dream.

The forest stretched on for so long Sebastian was starting to consider the possibility that he was walking in circles. He was getting nowhere, and every second he wasted was another second closer to losing Estelle. He picked up his pace, cutting a sharp left when he passed a moss-covered rock. He wasn't entirely sure why, but...well, the wizard told him to trust his intuition, and left seemed like a good idea.

As it turns out, left was the right call. Almost immediately after he'd made the turn, Sebastian stumbled upon a tiny hut tucked in a narrow gap between two trees. The entire construction only came up to his navel, a patchwork of rocks and mud with a thatched roof made of foliage. It looked more like a clubhouse Vince would build down by the river than anything belonging in a void forest. Still, it was the first thing he'd come across besides trees, and Sebastian knelt down to give a tentative knock on the small wooden door.

No answer. He knocked again, and when he still received no response, he reached out to push open the door and peer inside.

"Uh, do you mind?"

Sebastian whirled around, jumping to his feet to defend himself from...well, whatever was talking to him. The voice was clearly female, but had an otherworldly, melodious quality to it that set him on edge. He looked around in a panic, and the mysterious voice snickered.

"Oh. A human. That explains it."

Sebastian caught movement in the corner of his eye, and his chest flooded with relief when he saw the first familiar thing since coming here. A short, fat, red apple, hands on her hips and wide eyes pointed directly at him.

"You're a Junimo, right?" he said, an excited smile tugging at his lips. This was the break he'd been looking for. Clearly the potion had worked since he could understand her language, and now she could help him find Estelle.

The Junimo blinked, cocking her entire body as a consequence of not having a head. "Uh, yeah. You a druid?"

Sebastian shook his head. Druids were real too? Was Solarion Chronicles a fucking instruction manual?

"Didn't think so. You're a little too edgy to be a druid," she replied with a smirk. "What then? Sorcerer? Mystweaver? Eldritch prince?"

"Just a normal human. Is an eldritch prince actually a thing?"

"Nah. Just wanted to fuck with you."

Sebastian stared blankly at the Junimo as she giggled to herself. "You're uh...not what I expected," he finally admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, well, not all of us buy into the whole chirp chirp bounce shtick," the Junimo replied, brushing past Sebastian to stack up a pile of twigs near the side of the hut. "So what do you want, human who can suspiciously understand me?"

"I drank a potion," Sebastian said, feeling like he should explain if he wanted this chick to help him. "A wizard gave it to me so I could understand you guys. Because I need your help."

"Uh huh."

He ignored her and continued, his annoyance at her brush off not as important as getting on her good side. "Someone very important to me was banished here, and I need help finding her before it's too late. I know you can help me. Please."

The Junimo turned to look at him again, and though her flat black eyes were incapable of physically performing the motion, he was pretty sure she rolled her eyes at him all the same. "Look kid. I don't play the whole benevolent spirit guide game. I have my own shit to do."

"So let me help you," Sebastian blurted out. He had no idea what the Junimo was after, or how he could possibly help her – but fuck it. He didn't have a whole lot of options at this point. "You help me find Estelle, I'll do whatever the fuck you want."

The Junimo stared at him for a prolonged moment, long enough that Sebastian began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze. Finally, she broke the silence, her tone incredibly serious.

"Don't go saying shit like that around here. That's exactly how you get your brains sucked out through your eyeholes."

Sebastian wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, and after a moment the Junimo snorted.

"Lucky for you, I'm a vegetarian. Alright kid, I'll help you find your girlfriend. In return, you get me out of here."

"What do you mean, out of here?"

"Here," she reiterated, holding her arms out and spinning once in emphasis. "I...lost the ability to get to the physical realm by myself. If I help you, I want you to take me back with you."

Sebastian nodded immediately. "Deal."

For the first time since meeting, the Junimo flashed him a sincere smile. "Okay then. You can call me Tai."

"So where does this witch live?" Natalie asked as they cut through the farm, heading north. "Please don't tell me it's here."

The vagrant, Linus as he'd helpfully supplied, turned to them with a grin. "Murray would have sooner thrown Rasmodius into the sea than allow him to imprison a witch on his land."

"Like grandpa like granddaughter," Sam snorted, a tiny but reassuring noise. Much to Natalie's relief, the further they got from the wizard's tower – and Sebastian's lifeless body – the more Sam seemed to pull himself together.

"They are very alike. Good hearts, bad tempers," Linus agreed with a chuckle. "No, Victoria is detained in a swamp north of the train station."

Sam shot him an odd look. "Swamp? There's nothing up there but cliffs."

"It's underground. And speaking of underground, I want to make a quick detour before we approach the witch's hut."

Natalie frowned. "We're kind of short on time dude."

"It won't take long. And it just may be the difference between saving Estelle and all of us dying in agony."

"...detour it is then," she muttered, and they picked up their pace through the winding mountain path.

They soon found that Linus was exponentially more helpful than the wizard – or at least more personable. He explained what was happening as best as he could, and while they still didn't get all of it, it was a huge boost of confidence to have some kind of understanding.

Linus told them how the spirit realm was sort of like an alternate reality, a non-physical plane that existed in parallel to ours. It was the ultimate source of all magic, including magical creatures, and the ability to tap into that power was what made someone a witch or wizard.

"So, what about you?" Natalie asked as they approached the lake near Robin's house. The more he talked, the more convinced she was that he was deeply involved in all this magic shit himself. "Are you a wizard too?"

Linus shook his head. "No, my connection to the void is more...indirect."

"Meaning?"

"I am one with nature," he said simply. "I draw power from it, and can manipulate it to some extent."

"Druid," Sam chimed in. When Linus nodded, he snickered. "And Mom said video games were a waste of time."

Linus led them past his tent and north, and Natalie assumed they were headed to the Adventurer's Guild. That was probably a good call. Marlon seemed like he could hold his own in a fight.

To her surprise, however, they paused at the entrance to the mines instead.

"Wait for me here," Linus said, his jovial manner growing serious. "The dwarf can be a bit...eh, what's the word...trigger-happy around strangers."

Oh, good. Trigger-happy dwarves. Like tonight wasn't weird enough.

Sam and Natalie exchanged a look as Linus entered the cavern, and sat down in the grass to wait. She snuggled up between his legs, and despite everything, his broad chest against her back and warm arms around her still managed to make her feel safe. Like sure, they might be in mortal danger – but as long as he held her through it, they'd be okay.

"I love you," she murmured, turning her head to press a soft kiss to his jaw.

"Love you too babe. So, so much," he said, arms tightening in response. "I'm sorry for getting you caught up in all this..." he trailed off, that edge of pain returning to his voice.

"Sam, that's enough. They're my friends too. We're all in it together."

She felt him nod, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they waited in silence. There was no use in voicing the endless worries that swirled through both of their minds, no use in pretending things were okay or wallowing in how they weren't. All they could do was wait.

True to his word, Linus didn't make them wait long. Only a scant few minutes passed before he came walking back out of the cave, trailed by what could only be the dwarf.

The first thing Natalie noticed was how short it was. She stood a full head taller, which was saying something considering how vertically challenged she was herself. It had a strange metal helmet on, the lip of which cast a dark shadow over the dwarf's face, concealing it completely.

Except for the eyes. Bright, glowing red eyes peered out at them from the blackness, and a shiver ran down her spine as its gaze met hers.

Linus said something in a language she didn't recognize, and the dwarf grunted in response. With a satisfied nod, he turned to them.

"He'll help us. Let's go."

"Not to be ungrateful or anything," Natalie said as they made their way to the train station, "but how is little dude supposed to help us, exactly?"

"Dwarves are cut off from the void. Magic doesn't work against them," Linus replied, turning to her with a sudden grin.

"He also has a lot of bombs."

"I'm Estelle, by the way."

It probably didn't matter since she couldn't communicate with the apple, but Estelle still felt strange not even introducing herself. "Do you have a name?"

Chirp!

Should have seen that coming. Estelle hummed in thought. "Okay, how about I call you...Squirtle?"

The apple stopped dead in its tracks, staring up at her in a way that screamed oh hell no. Dude may not have eyebrows, but she could feel the shade pouring off of its little body, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Okayyy, scratch that," she said. "Moon? Jay? Berry?"

Blank, solemn stare.

"Nevermind," she sighed, and they began to walk again. The world continued to shift under their feet, but her new friend didn't hesitate or waver from the path. She wished she could talk to it. She was dying to know where they were, where they were going, what kind of creature it was, what kind of creature had attacked her. What the hell was going on.

They didn't run into any more mist monsters on their way to the valley. In fact, they didn't run into anything – which was unnerving in its own right. No more apple creatures, no wildlife, no ambient noise... nothing. It was like this vast landscape was completely devoid of life aside from the two of them, and that freaked her out almost as much as obvious danger did.

So, she talked. Prattled on about unimportant bullshit, asked the apple questions to provoke a chirped response, anything to fill the silence. The small talk helped ground her, helped keep her mind from cracking under the weight of the impossibilities she'd seen today. She was probably going through shock, but as long as it kept her upright and moving forward, that was good enough for now. She'd deal with the fallout later.

Eventually they valley narrowed, the craggy rock faces on either side of them pushing in until the path was no wider than a highway. The noise of the waterfall grew louder, and as they approached a fork in the road Estelle could finally see it – the same tiered rock formation as before, water gently cascading down to form a beautiful little pond. It was like an oasis in the desert, lush and green against the drab rock and dirt of the gorge, and Estelle excitedly began to move towards it.

A tug at her hand made her pause. Estelle glanced down at her apple friend in confusion, only to see it shaking its body back and forth in protest.

Chirp!

One slim arm pointed in the opposite direction of the fork, down a similar dirt path with no discernible ending. Estelle frowned. The apple obviously knew the way better than her, but she couldn't help but be drawn towards the waterfall. It was the only thing that felt real here, something tangible and solid and alive in this hazy wonderland she was trapped in.

"Are you sure...?" she asked, eyeing the road doubtfully.

Chirp!

Estelle sighed, casting a final longing glance towards the waterfall before turning to follow her friend. She trusted the apple, and she'd go where it told her to, but still...

"Estelle!"

That voice...

She vaguely recognized the apple chirping behind her, but Estelle was already sprinting for the waterfall, heart pounding in her throat as she frantically scanned the oasis. Finally she saw him, stepping out from the brush at the base of the waterfall, eyes wide and expression tight with confusion and worry.

Sebastian.

His arms opened and she crashed into them, nearly knocking them both over in her haste. They clung to each other desperately as she buried her face in his chest, his warmth and scent filling her with a relief so powerful she nearly sobbed with it.

"Shh, it's okay. It's going to be okay," he murmured against the top of her head, tightening his arms around her until it was nearly painful. "I'm here now."

Estelle pulled back just a fraction, just enough to look up into his face. "But...how?" she asked, a thousand questions beginning to form in her mind. How did he find her? How did he get here? What had happened while she was gone?

"I followed you," he replied with a shrug, bringing one hand up to lightly trail his fingers down her cheek. "I'd never leave you, Estelle."

Estelle's breath caught, her heart sputtering into overdrive at his gentle touch, his gentle words. He'd never done anything like this before, and part of her was afraid to hope it meant what she wanted it to mean.

"I um...I don't..." she stammered, her words melting away as he tilted her head up to gaze into her eyes. The need she found there nearly brought her to her knees, wiped all rational thought away. There was no more fear, no more confusion. There was only him.

Estelle let her eyes flutter closed as his lips pressed softly against hers.