Bismuth was the first to wake the following morning, a good three hours before the others. Celica, on account of the searing pain on the back of her hand, hadn't slept well the night before, but was sleeping so soundly Bismuth did not want to wake her.

Gems didn't need to sleep, on account of the willpower their gems provided. As far as Gem Society was aware, they were the only species in the galaxy that didn't need to sleep or eat to survive, although White Diamond, in her (supposedly) infinite wisdom had granted them the ability to do so if they chose. Bismuth had known a few Amethysts in her day that could eat like Kyanite tigers, but she had never met another gem who slept like a human.

Bismuth did not need to sleep, but she had done so anyway, as she had done each night since separating from Rose. Night was a lonely time for Bismuth. Pearl, Garnet, Tiger's Eye...Tiger's Eye's shattering had tortured Bismuth's dreams, her maligned face, that beautiful muddy brown skin of hers, crystallizing in her mind the instant she fell asleep.

Yet, it was these nightmares that made Bismuth want to sleep more, just so she could see her friend one last time. She knew it wasn't healthy, and it only contributed to the feeling of emptiness upon awakening, as the fact that she would never see Tiger's Eye again washed over her.

Bismuth had taken to repairing Celica's prized dagger in order to distract herself, something that turned out to be more challenging than she could ever have anticipated. The material that composed the blade was incredibly difficult to work with; at times, even the slightest tap with her mallet hands would fracture the blade once again, so that she had to start from scratch. It was as if the sword were resisting her, a quality she had never seen in a weapon before.

The sword was no less forgiving this morning, and by the time the surrounding country was awash in the rising sun, she'd already given up on it. Without something to fix however, her mind would quickly wander back to Tiger's Eye, or worrying thoughts about Rose, so she quickly sought another distraction. She thought about fixing Saber's...whatever it was she used in combat, but the thought of fixing something invisible was even more frustrating.

Luckily, Bismuth had noticed a few imperfections in the fence that ran parallel to the road the day before. Though her work with wood was limited, and the splinters could be rather painful, she nonetheless found it a unique challenge.

Saber found her at work on one of the brace bands, hammering as quietly as possible so as not to wake Celica.

"It's thankless work, what you do," Saber said.

"So thank me," Bismuth replied, turning and giving Saber a wry smile. It was rare that it was just the two of them, and Bismuth still had so many questions about her. Why did she wield an invisible weapon? What was her real name? What was a "servant?"

Bismuth was cognizant enough to know Saber was not one willing to give up a lot of information on herself. Celica may have been quiet, but she was honor bound by someone named "Mila" to speak freely. Saber only spoke when she was concerned for Celica's safety, and Bismuth couldn't help but compare her to Pearl.

"You're worried about your friends."

Bismuth continued to hammer away at the brace band, accidentally hitting it too hard and denting the support beam.

"They'll be fine. I'm more worried about her," she said, cocking her head in Celica's direction. "If it weren't for us, she'd be one of those zombie things right now."

She tried again to focus on the fence, but she could still feel Saber's eyes in the back of her head.

"That may be so, but I've heard you at night."

A wave of anger forced Bismuth to her feet, so that she was only inches from Saber's face.

"So what?"

Saber didn't waver.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's only right you care about your friends, especially if they are the same species as you."

"It's not, though," Bismuth said, letting the anger escape through her trembling fingers. She walked the length of the fence, looking for another area that needed repair, moving quickly to get away from Saber. But Saber was dogged.

"Rose told me that humans are the most precious part of this planet. I've got no problem defending humans, but…"

But it was the reason Tiger's Eye was gone.

"I understand your plight, Bismuth, more than you realize."

Saber seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"In my past life, in the world that I come from, I was a ruler of high renown. I had to make difficult decisions for my subjects on a daily basis. Which countries to defend, which to conquer...I held so many lives in the palm of my hand. But whereas most kings would thrive under that kind of pressure, it only caused me great anguish. Soon, even successful campaigns failed to make me happy. My plight fractured so many things in my life…"

Saber gazed upon the fractured hilt of Celica's dagger as she spoke.

"I lost many great knights in those days of endless war, and though I was instructed never to pity them or their sacrifice, I did nonetheless."

The way Saber's hair seemed to flow in the breeze, the melancholic manner in how she spoke...Bismuth was reminded incredibly of Rose. And yet here stood before her a young girl, who from the sounds of it had been forced to take the crown.

"At least your subjects respected you," Bismuth said. Saber's expression darkened, still focusing on the fractured dagger.

"We should wake master. We have a lot of ground to cover, and I fear the terrain will grow more difficult again in time."

"That won't be necessary."

Celica stepped between them with a yawn, her eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep.

"Celica, you don't look so good."

"Thanks Bismuth," she responded with a twirl of her salmon hair, a dreamy smile crossing her face. "I can always count on you to be honest with me."

"Master, if you cannot continue, we may stay h-"

"No, no," she interrupted. "You're right, we need to get going. At this rate, we won't reach Duma Tower until the end of Wyrmstym."

It certainly felt like Wyrmstym that day. Though Saber and Bismuth were immune to the cold, Celica could certainly feel it. A fuzzy layer of frost covered the ferns along the path, tickling Celica's ankles and toes. Saber and Bismuth tailed her closely, evidently looking for any signs of fatigue in her step.

Eventually the fence ended and circled around, and the farm faded from view. As Celica took one last look, however, another thought crossed her mind. If this was Rigel, where the men and women had been given barren conditions by Duma, how did a perfectly functional farm like this exist?

But by the late-afternoon, she would have her answer.

Contrary to Saber's belief, the trail remained remarkably pleasant and easy to traverse. The trail wound through lush forests, orchards teeming with fresh apples and peaches, endless meadows with flowers of all colors smiling at the trio as they passed. The air had grown considerably warmer as well, to the point where Celica removed her traveling cloak and wrapped it around her waist like a cape.

If anything put her off, it was the lack of people. No farmers, traveling mercenaries, or, thankfully, Rigelian soldiers crossed their path. To anyone else, it would be a peaceful journey, but it was in the nature of all three women to be nervous.

Around the time the sun reached its zenith, they had stumbled upon a particularly fruitful orange grove. Saber used her blade to cut up some of the fruit, spreading it on bread Celica had brought as provisions for a particularly stimulating lunch.

With a healthy lunch in her stomach, Celica's spirits lifted immensely. It started with a couple of remarks, before she and Saber found themselves talking about every sight and smell of this gorgeous expanse of countryside. They talked as if they had been friends for years, and though Saber didn't have quite the personality of Boey or Mae, Celica came to appreciate her raw, honest opinion of the surroundings. Even Bismuth, who had been silent since that morning, had a broad smile, and eagerly joined the conversation.

They learned a great deal more about her homeworld, the Diamonds, and the purpose of gemkind. Celica in return found it easy to discuss more of her background, from her days in Ram to her adolescence studying in the Novis Priory.

It was when they came across a small slice of thick woods, however, when their musings were finally interrupted. They were lost in conversation, following the path straight, when Celica began to pick up on something strange. Saber noticed it as well.

When they had first entered the wood, a lightning-struck oak tree had greeted them, its charred, leafless branches stretched to the sky in welcome. It was rare to see one lightning-struck tree, let alone two...but a second one greeted them. Then another. And another.

By the fifth time they came across the exact same kind of tree, with the same markings, same branches, same place off the side of the trail, Celica finally said something.

"Have we been walking in circles?" she said, laughing a bit.

Saber peered around, also recognizing some of the surroundings.

"It appears so…"

"That can't be, we've been walking straight!" Bismuth said. She moved up to the tree, studying the bark curiously. Her hand morphed into a scythe, which she used to cut an "X" into it.

"Let's keep walking. If we are going in circles, we'll find this exact same tree. Keep a closer eye on your surroundings."

They did so, and Celica noticed smaller paths breaking off the main one in almost every cardinal direction. Not surprisingly, three minutes later, they came across the lightning-struck oak again. The "X" was right where Bismuth had cut it.

"This can't be…" Celica whispered. She could feel some part of her mind or soul reacting to some kind of energy, but couldn't determine what it was. "Let's get out of here and go around."

But as they spun around, a wall of thick trees had sprouted up where the main path had been. Celica's pulse began to race.

"Wha…"

"Master, I do sense something strange about this place. Perhaps one of the other paths we saw will lead us out."

They took the first path they came across, a thing trail heading east that forced them to walk single file. They came upon the old oak again.

"Next one," Celica said, attempting to keep the panic out of her voice. The next path they came across led west, not quite as narrow as the first, but certainly not as wide as the main trail. This time they came across a row of zebra-like birch trees, the trail pitchforking into three different paths.

"The middle."

Upon taking the middle path, however, less than a minute had passed before they came upon the lightning-struck oak tree again.

"Gods…" Celica said, feeling dizzy. "Are we trapped here?"

"Master, you must focus. It appears the second path we took was the right one, we just need to take the right fork…"

"Or the left fork," Bismuth chimed in, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You're right, Saber, I'm sorry…" Celica said, shaking her head. The fatigue from that morning would've been a welcome sensation over the anxiety she felt now.

"Don't apologize, master. My only concern is getting you out of here safely."

Saber had assumed the role of bodyguard once more, which only made Celica more anxious.

Soon, however, she would be thankful as Saber pushed her to the ground, as an ebonous cloud of darkness soared through the air between them. Bismuth and Saber withdrew their weapons, focusing on the main path. Celica got to her feet and followed their gaze, still not sure if what she was staring at was a something or a someone.

It was human-like in stature, and female from the looks of it, with long, flowing hair and thin limbs. That was the only human-thing about it, however. Its body glowed with brownish-orange aura, as if it were made of lava, its eyes and mouth two thin slits of fiery light. It wasn't standing on its two feet, but floating in the air, as if an invisible ground existed beneath her. Odd, gurgling noises were coming from it, reminding Celica of the sound of boiling water.

"Celica, get behind me," Saber said urgently, placing the back of her arm on Celica's chest.

"Don't be ridiculous, if that creature has magic you're at a significant disadvantage."

Saber prepared to protest, but another creature emerged on the path as well. In the canopy behind them came another gurgling noise.

The odd percolating of the creatures was soon drowned out by another dreaded noise; a swarm of stone gray gargoyles, screeching and descending into the woods all around them, scythes clutched in their talons. One appeared to be a marine-blue color, its muscles far more pronounced than the other gargoyles. Its scythe appeared a good two inches longer than the others as well.

To Celica's amazement and horror, the creature spoke in a gravelly, sinister voice.

"Find...priestess...bring...blood...to...me…"

"Why do you wish for my master?" Saber demanded, pointing her figurative weapon in the demon's direction.

"Find...priestess…" the creature repeated in the exact same tone. One of the gargoyles behind Celica attempted a surprise attack, but Bismuth was ready. Her hands morphed into twin mallets, which she used to spike the winged creature into the ground. The opening shot had been fired, and the gargoyles were upon them.

Saber and Bismuth locked blades with two of them, while two others attempted to wrap their talons around Celica's shoulders. She managed to stun one of them with a seraphim spell, the light enough to light the creature's wings on fire, but the other's talons began to pierce her skin, so that she cried out in pain…

There was the grotesque sound of blade meeting flesh, as Saber skewered the creature's head, and it crumpled to the Earth in a bloody heap. Celica could see that Saber had already taken two other gargoyles down.

"Are you alright ma-"

A spell of unknown composition struck Celica in the side of the head, sending her tumbling through a bed of fallen leaves. The sounds of battle grew distant, for a loud ringing drowned out all other noise.

There was a pressure on her back, and she was lifted into the air. Her hearing returned just in time to be deafened by the lead gargoyle's cry of triumph.

"Celica!" Bismuth shouted, but she was already attempting to ward off two gargoyles. To make matters worse, two of the strange humanoid beings were firing dark magic at her, so that every time she had an opening on the gargoyles, she was forced to evade instead.

Celica continued to rise up...up...until they were level with the canopy. Even if she were to wrestle from the creature's iron grip, the fall would have shattered her legs at the very least.

There was a flash of golden light, and Celica caught a glimpse of Saber soaring towards them. In the brief moment, she saw that her invisible weapon had been given form, resembling a sword. The creature hissed and lessened its grip on Celica, a sense of peril seizing her heart. In a stroke of either sheer courage or recklessness, Celica let loose a bolt of fire in the creature's eyes. It roared and let go immediately, sending Celica plummeting to the woods below.

She heard Saber call her name one last time before she closed her eyes, waiting for the crash. Waiting for the end…

But it never came.

The air had become strangely still, and when Celica braved opening her eyes, she found that she was hovering inches above the ground, as if a great hand had snatched her out of midair.

The sounds of battle had also grown quiet, and Celica could see monsters and allies alike focusing on a tall, aloof figure at the end of the path. A bright blue light emanated from the end of the figure's staff. Upon closer inspection, Celica realized the same light had enveloped her body. The force of the spell righted her body, so that she landed gently on her feet.

"Foul demons, let Mila's divine protection drive you from this land!"

The three mysterious apparitions let out shrieks of terror, and moved at blinding speed into the trees and out of sight. The gargoyles, however, would not back down. With speed impossible for any other winged creature, the lead gargoyle swooped down from the canopy with a ghastly howl. Just as the monster's scythe made to decapitate the mysterious figure, however, a translucent barrier of pure white light surrounded the man. There was a metallic clang as the gargoyle's scythe bounced off the holy barrier, and before it had time for a followup attack a bolt of lightning emerged from the man's spear and pierced the monster's heart.

Celica felt a lighter set of talons around her back, and so rolled over and swung her blade with all its might. The blow narrowly missed connecting with Bismuth's eyes.

"Relax kid, it's just me."

"What about Saber?"

Bismuth snickered.

"She's more than a match for them."

And by the time she had ascertained Saber's whereabouts, a pile of winged corpses lay before her. She pointed her golden blade at the figure on the trail.

"Reveal yourself, mage."

The figure approached them, not showing any signs of trepidation even with a blade pointed at his chest.

"You may lower your sword, King of Knights. I mean no harm."

This had the opposite effect, for Saber's features had contorted into an expression of absolute contempt, and she took an offensive stance.

"How is it you know my true identity? Answer me, or be struck down!"

A ray of sunlight emerged from the overcast sky, revealing the figure to be an elderly man. He wore a plain set of maroon robes, a teal gemstone the exact same color and size of the one powering his staff, hanging from a necklace. Though his features were wrinkly and brittle, his expression was stern and disarming.

"You have travelled long and far, heroes. Our long awaited meeting has come at last, though I must admit I was only expecting the daughter of Mila and her faithful servant."

The man regarded Bismuth with a vague expression.

"But you are here regardless, and so it shall be."

"Just tell us who you are, old-timer, or the next thing that'll go through your mind will be my fist!"

"I am Halcyon, a follower of Duma."

"That's all we needed to hear," Celica said, raising her blade as a silent order for the others to strike him down.

"If that's true, then why did I save you?" Halcyon said without flinching.

This much was true, but Celica's armor and robes gave her away as a daughter of Mila. Why would a follower from the enemy sect want to save her?

"Explain yourself."

Halcyon cleared his throat.

"As I explained, I am a follower of Duma. I will explain all in due time, including why you are here, but we must not do it here. The vestals you encountered will surely alert their tribe."

"Vestals?"

"Those humanoid beings you encountered. They are foul creatures, born when priestesses offer their souls as tribute to Duma. And one of the many reasons I am no longer high priest."

There were too many warning flags going off in Celica's mind for her not to cut the man down where he stood, but her desire for information was far more powerful.

"You were the High Priest of the Duma Faithful?"

"I will explain," the man repeated. "Come, I will lead you out of this treescape and to the Sage's Hamlet."

And so, without any other choice, the trio followed the enigmatic old man, as he effortlessly lead the way through the endless forks in the road, Saber frowning in silent protest the entire way.