They were in a forest again—a different forest that was much thicker with flora and the trees were a normal size. It was also brighter than the forest they had just been in. Though the sky was covered by clouds, some light reached the world below. The sun was either rising or setting.

Andromeda and Luna glanced at each other to make sure the other had made it through in one piece. The latter smiled in relief. A quick look around the area showed that there was no other disc in the area. It had been a one-way trip.

Luna let go of Andromeda's hand as they stood. They were on a trail: one direction climbed up into a particularly dark area, and the other sloped downwards and was not as thickly vegetated. The two women took the other path, which they could see much more of.

"Lucis still gets some light." Andromeda noted, often looking to the sky. She hadn't seen the sun in a few days, or however long it had been. Based on what Etro had told them, they wouldn't see much more of it soon. Andromeda felt she had taken it for granted.

As if to make a point, daemons appeared on the trail ahead. The sunlight was too weak to ward them off anymore. Luna simply cast Holy at them, and it was enough to destroy them. It hardly stopped her and Andromeda. What did halt them was the obscure form that laid further down on the trail.

Luna gave a gasp and suddenly ran ahead to the obstacle. Andromeda hurried after her, assuming it was some kind of daemon trap. Upon a closer look, she could make out the tattered Imperial coat and the shaggy blond hair. A large splotch of Scourge covered much of his face and reached down to one shoulder, but the ghastly arm was altogether gone, cut off at the shoulder.

Andromeda frowned down at the corpse. Why was he here? Someone had heard Luna's prayers after all. He breathed, but made no other movement. He wasn't quite a corpse yet.

Luna had knelt beside him regardless of the danger. She looked him over, then glanced up at Andromeda with a mixture of pleading and determination in her eyes. "We can heal him together."

They could, but should they? Andromeda didn't think so. He should have been left dead on the other continent. There was only one goddess who could have heard Luna's prayer and thought to drop him here, near where they would appear in these woods. Etro wanted them to heal him.

"Not here." Andromeda looked around. They could be ambushed in the process, and then they'd all be dead. Without that arm, Ravus might be savable. The goddess had also left him stunned, and who knew how long that would last.

There was another, smaller trail that broke from the one they were on. It went back uphill. Such a small trail couldn't be very long; it was the kind of trail that led to a haven.

"Let's take him up that way." Andromeda pointed to the little-used trail. She took Ravus's arm and somehow managed to pull him up. He was really too heavy for her to lift. Luna tried to support him from the other side, but Andromeda had doubts about how much she was really doing over there.

They moved agonizingly slow, especially as they began to walk uphill. Daemons spotted them, of course. Luna cast Holy to ward them off. Ravus stirred slightly at the magic. He was starting to come to.

Andromeda had been right to guess that the trail was short, but it did not lead to a haven. The trees opened up to a small clearing. An old cabin came into view, fenced in by a crumbling stone wall. It was better than nothing. She was relieved to see it.

More daemons were coming at them from behind. Andromeda noted an odd-looking stick, firmly planted in the ground. Ribbon hung from the top, as well as an indecipherable symbol crafted from smaller sticks and twine. As they past it, Ravus suddenly became heavier. She almost dropped him. She assumed Luna had let go completely to ward off the daemons again. There was no bright light of Holy, but the daemons became quieter.

"Well?" Andromeda snapped as she grit her teeth. Was Luna doing anything?

"They ran off." She replied, perplexed.

"Good. We're almost there." They could worry about what scared the daemons off later. Whatever it was, it was probably a good thing for the humans.

It was nearly dark by the time they reached the door, which was thankfully unlocked. They assumed it was abandoned; there were such shacks like this all across Lucis for hunters to take refuge in, or teens to hide in while drinking.

Once through the door, Andromeda again just about dropped Ravus. Luna maintained her grip and spotted a bed nearby. Andromeda followed her lead, although she thought the floor would have been just as fine for his carcass.

She more or less dropped Ravus on the bed, earning a groan from him. He was somewhat awake now. Luna fussed over him while Andromeda pulled the strap of her bag over her head. She set it on the nightstand and opened it, pulling two crystals out. She gave one to Luna, who eagerly took it. She grabbed Ravus's hand and began to heal him of the Scourge. Andromeda reluctantly placed her free hand on his scourged shoulder and did the same.

The crystals darkened quickly as the two women continued to pull the Starscourge from Ravus. He remained still, though Andromeda watched him carefully. She had only seen someone this infected one other time, and had had no choice but to kill her. She hadn't had Luna with her then, and it seemed to be making all the difference now. Still, Andromeda watched for the slightest sign he would become alert, her hand ready to fly to her kukri and stab him in the throat. No one had come back from being so far gone before. Without that daemon arm, Ravus was just far enough away from the brink of no return that they could heal him.

The whole process was no less tiring for all three of them. Slowly, Luna and Andromeda went through all of the crystals they had that weren't already corrupted from the people in Galthaeus. The Scourge left its mark where it had been; though Ravus's skin cleared, it was left rough and twisted with scars. Half of his face was left marred thanks to Andromeda's touch.

At last, there seemed to be no more Scourge left in him. It was too dark in the cabin by then to see anything. There was no clock around to tell them exactly how long it had taken. Luna and Andromeda glanced at each other, exhausted. All of the crystals were now dark, full to the brim with Scourge. Ravus had gone unconscious again.

Andromeda stumbled away from the bedside in search of some kind of light. She found an oil lamp by the door easily enough. It took some fumbling before she found any flint to use to light the lamp. She found two more lamps in the small cabin and lit them as well.

With the room lit, it was suddenly obvious the the cabin had been well lived-in, but was now abandoned. The cupboards were mostly bare except for one, which was full of strange bottles. Herbs were tied together and left hanging over a window to dry. There were ashes in the fireplace that Andromeda guessed were from a recent fire. An empty kettle hung overhead.

There was hardly any food left behind, which reminded her of just how hungry she was. She and Luna hadn't eaten anything since they were in Tenebrae. The latter was dozing in a chair she had pulled next to the bed. Andromeda returned to her bag and pulled out the remainder of the food given to them in Galthaeus.

Luna jerked awake as she was offered some. "Thank you."

"I'll take first watch." Andromeda mentioned, although she was probably just as tired. She was far more curious about the cabin they were staying in than Luna was.

Once she had eaten, Andromeda put away the corrupted crystals and looked around the cabin some more. She looked out the dusty windows into the dark. Occasionally a daemon could be heard in the distance, but none approached the cabin. It seemed that they were safe there.

The previous occupant hadn't left much behind, but what she did Andromeda found interesting. She took a closer look at the cupboard full of strange bottles. All looked unassuming. The labels were worn and the writing on them smudged. Some were labeled as a warding potion, and others were home-made remedies. All smelt terrible, as expected.

The drawers were also mostly empty, except for a few small things here and there that were not significant enough for the original inhabitant to take with her. Most of it was not worth swiping. Andromeda did happen to find a few pieces of quartz in the drawers and added them to her bag. She didn't think anyone was coming back, as the place looked as though it had already been cleaned out in a hurry—the old woman that had lived here had probably left when the darkness came.

She did find some crumpled, aged pages that had been shoved hastily into a drawer. They were recipes for the remedies and warding potions. Wherever the rest of the book was, it was no longer in the cabin. Andromeda read them over briefly, although she paid more attention to the instructions for the warding potion. The author claimed that the potions were used around the clearing to keep the daemons away for a time. The ingredients were vaguely familiar to Andromeda, but not easy to obtain. She had to wonder if the potions really worked, or the old woman was simply mad.

Andromeda was certain the previous occupant had been an old woman, and that she had lived alone in the cabin, even though the hunters shouldn't have allowed it. She became even more certain as she came across a few pieces of clothing left behind in a dresser. She dug around in the drawers as well in hopes of finding more mysterious writings. She was right to guess something would be hidden under the shawls.

There was only one worn paper in the drawer. There was no writing on it—only a symbol: a serpent drawn by a brushstroke, forming a circle as its gaping mouth reached to swallow its own tail. Andromeda recognized it immediately. Her mother had had it as a small tattoo on her left hand. She had it tattooed between her shoulder blades. It was a Morrigal symbol.

She put it with the loose pages of recipes and tucked them all into her bag. When it was day again, she'd mention the potions to Luna. Only sunlight and the Oracle was supposed to be able to ward off the daemons. Had some old woman managed to imitate her magic?

There was one way to find out. Andromeda found another satchel among the shawls and stuffed it full of the bottles. The remedies seemed to still be good, and shouldn't be left behind to expire. When they left the cabin, they would see what the potions did to daemons, if anything.

After awhile, Andromeda noticed it was getting cold in the cabin. So much had happened in one summer. Autumn was nearly here. She slipped out the door and went around the corner, where she had seen a neatly-kept woodpile. It was difficult to believe an old woman lived out here all by herself, but there was no sign of anyone else that would have chopped the wood for her.

Andromeda carried as much wood as she could back inside. She arranged it in the fireplace and set about lighting the pile. By the time a modest fire was burning, she decided it was time to switch shifts. She approached Luna and shook her shoulder gently until she opened her eyes.

"What time is it?" Luna asked after a small yawn.

"Dunno, but the moon is past its zenith." Andromeda shrugged. It was the only way they had left to keep track of time.

Luna glanced over at Ravus, who continued to sleep deeply. "How long will it take for him to recover?"

"Dunno that either. Hopefully not too long." And yet Andromeda dreaded the moment when he would wake up. She had gotten to tolerate Luna, but she expected Ravus to still be unbearable.

The Oracle nodded to that. She would probably resume her vigil over him in the meantime. Andromeda made herself comfortable near the hearth and went to sleep.

She hadn't meant to sleep so deeply and for so long. Eventually she became just alert enough to dream walk, focusing to see what was outside of the cabin. From there, she went down the forest trail quickly, to see where it led. She had to make sure they were going in the right direction.

It was still dark and difficult to determine the time. Daemons were scattered about, but wouldn't be too difficult for three people to handle. As her focus moved further down the trail, Andromeda found that it came upon a river. The only river she knew was in Cleigne.

There was a pack of seadevils on the rocky shore, and beyond them, a bridge that crossed the river. She continued to follow the trail, soon spotting the blue markings of a haven. At least there was one nearby. They could probably reach it during the small amount of time that the sun shone.

Andromeda continued to follow the trail, noting a parking spot with some odds and ends left behind. The trail climbed up to a road. A nearby sign read 'Malmalam Thicket'.

She stopped focusing so much and woke with a start. Luna was startled where she sat. The sunlight shone dimly outside.

"Why did you let me sleep so late?" Andromeda stood. As dim as it was, the sun must have been quite high in the sky already. The fire was mostly finished, sparkling with embers.

"I thought you were doing more than sleeping." Luna mentioned. She was right to think so.

Andromeda retrieved the bag of potions and put it over her shoulder. She also spotted a basket and a bucket. She grabbed both and went for the door. "I'm going to find food."

"I'll come too." Luna was quickly by her side. "Ravus spoke a little in his sleep, but he shouldn't wake while we're gone. No one should be out there alone."

She had a point with that. Andromeda might have a weapon, yet she could easily be overwhelmed by the daemons, as she had found out in Tenebrae. Luna was the one that kept them at bay. Although now Andromeda might have something that did the same thing.

There hadn't been anything noticeable down the trail when she had looked earlier, so she decided to go back towards the thicker part of the forest. It was dense with foliage and more humid. The right kind of conditions for mushrooms. Andromeda was soon proven correct when she spotted several sprouting from beneath a particularly wet shelf of rock.

"How will we purge the crystals now without the sun?" Luna eventually spoke up as they bent over a patch of mushrooms. Andromeda examined them carefully. It wasn't a wise idea to eat things grown in an unknown forest.

"I don't know." She admitted. It was something she had put off in her mind during the night. Etro had not told her of another way. Taking the Scourge into themselves would kill them quickly—especially if they had done so for Ravus. Andromeda wondered if it had really been worth it to save him.

"Thank you for helping me with Ravus." Luna smiled, having happier thoughts about it. "Even if it means neither of us can heal people for awhile."

Andromeda stood from the patch. She sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you in Tenebrae. And hitting you."

She had to admit to herself that she had probably been too harsh towards Luna. It wasn't exactly her fault that she didn't know anything. These conditions weren't the best for learning about the world, though. Hopefully Luna picked up on things quickly, as Andromeda had done to survive in Niflheim.

"You're not the first person to do that. I forgive you." Luna continued to smile. "I was harsh as well. The world has been cruel to you, but you hold kindness. You must if you can heal others."

Leading the way to another patch of mushrooms, Andromeda shook her head. "How can you forgive so easily? Ravus has wronged you dozens of times in favor of Niflheim."

And yet Luna had prayed for his return to life, and got what she wanted. She shouldn't have begged for his life. Andromeda still stood by what she had determined in Altissia: Ravus was a Nif, no longer Tenebraen. He had even been branded by their Magitek prosthetic. He was the same as all the other Imperial generals she had seen before: power-hungry, with no care of how they achieved it. Now Niflheim and its infinite army was no more, and the power was gone with it. Ravus should have gone with the rest of it.

Of course, Andromeda didn't dare say that to Luna. What was done was done, but something about it didn't feel right. Etro didn't bring people back to life without a reason. Did it mean that Ravus also had her Blessing now? It was an unsettling thought.

Luna knelt beside her at the next patch of mushrooms. "He's family. After Niflheim attacked, we only had each other. I was critical of him when he joined the Imperial Army, but in hindsight, he was doing what he had to to protect me from them. It allowed me to go through my training as the Oracle without interference. He was angry for what they did to our mother, and under their guidance his anger became misguided towards the world. The Emperor promised him power and he became his lapdog. But he could also be kind. He was never cruel to the people. The world needs that kindness. It's been cruel to him as well, but I know he's capable of good. In that way, you and Ravus are alike."

"No we aren't." Andromeda quickly refuted. She was not some power-hungry pawn of the Empire. If anything, the Empire had been hungry for her power. She no longer had to worry about that.

She didn't think Luna's explanation was good enough. Ravus had turned his back on Tenebrae for the empty promises of Niflheim. Andromeda had no interest in traveling with him; she wanted to ditch him as soon as they got back to civilization. Luna wouldn't like that thought, though.

Luckily, a daemon came upon them, interrupting the conversation. Andromeda pulled a bottle out of the bag at her side and removed the cork. She threw it at the daemon, not knowing what to expect. It caught Luna by surprise.

The daemon roared and lept back, burning. One small potion was not enough to kill it, though. Luna cast Holy to finish it off. They were left alone again.

"What was that?" She turned to Andromeda.

Pulling another bottle out of the bag, Andromeda handed it to her. "I found a bunch of them in the cabin, along with the recipe. The old woman that lived there was using these to keep the daemons away. It kind of works like your magic, just not as strong."

Luna examined the bottle for a moment before handing it back. "How?"

Andromeda shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she's dead. The place has been cleaned out like someone left in a hurry. Someone must have come for her when it started getting dark."

She placed the bottle back into the bag and began leading the way back down the trail. She stopped by the creek to fill the bucket with water. Luna followed along, deep in thought.

They returned to the cabin. Ravus was right where they had left him, to no surprise. Andromeda poured some water into a pot and placed it over the fire, which she then had to build back up.

"Where do you think Crowe and Aulea are?" Luna eventually asked once it was dark outside again.

Andromeda added a log to the fire and poked at it. "Etro said they would be north of the rift. She must have meant Taelpar Crag. We're in Malmalam Thicket, which is southern Cleigne. If they've had better luck than us, hopefully they've already made it to Lestallum. Harper said she was taking Solara there. It's a good place to meet up."

She would have to check it out in her dreams. Crowe and Aulea were smart and could handle themselves against a few daemons. Harper was likewise smart, and had had a small aircraft. There wasn't a need to worry about her and Solara. Crowe and Aulea could have encountered trouble just as Andromeda and Luna had. Healing Ravus had set them back.

Luna asked her next question carefully. "What was that power you used in Tenebrae?"

She had tried asking in Tenebrae, when they weren't exactly talking. Now that they were, Andromeda knew that she owed her an answer for it.

"That would be Etro's Blessing." She replied grimly. "I can heal the Scourge like you do, but that was an afterthought. That power was what caught the Empire's attention. It attracts daemons and makes them stronger. I can hold it back but I can't control what happens once it's summoned."

She would keep to herself how many lives she had taken by using that power. Andromeda feared it again as if she were a teenager once more and had outbursts of power that she wasn't capable of reigning in yet. It had gotten better with practice (though she had been loathed to practice it), especially if she kept her emotions in check. One slip-up had been enough to get Niflheim's attention, and they had quickly devised a way of restraining the power when it was convenient for them. Andromeda had come to a breaking point while in solitary confinement and she had stopped being afraid of the chaos. She no longer minded the killing so much—at least when she was in control of when she would use that magic and it was used against the Imperials.

Now, the chaotic power was deadlier for her to use, whether it was day or night. Daemons would flock to it just as they had in Tenebrae and overtake her. It would have razed Galthaeus again. Andromeda couldn't risk ever using it again, yet if she held it back as she had done for weeks, it would slip out at the smallest of provocations. Luna's Holy spell did nothing to deter it.

It fell quiet as they were in their own thoughts and waited. Andromeda found a pan to roast the mushrooms on. It seemed to take forever, but eventually the earthy smell filled the whole cabin and the water came to a roiling boil. As hungry as she was, Andromeda waited a little bit more before pulling both away from the fire.

She split the meager meal three ways, which pleased Luna. After they had both eaten, Andromeda went out to survey the charms on the markers that encircled the clearing. They made no sense to her; however they worked, they made it so the daemons stayed clear of the area. It was as if they didn't even see it. There were warding charms like this in Galahd. She left them all in tact.

Going back inside, she had an idea to clean the crystals. She pulled a corrupted crystal from her bag and placed it on a table. She fetched a warding potion and carefully poured some onto the crystal until it was covered. Luna took notice and watched as well.

Wispy smoke rose off of the crystal as if it were hot. After a moment, the crystal cracked loudly into two. Its pieces still remained dark.

"Maybe my magic can purge them." She mentioned, crossing the room.

"If it doesn't, nothing will." Andromeda shrugged. She fetched her bag of crystals and dumped it noisily onto the table.

Luna held her hands over the pile, but didn't touch the crystals. Andromeda watched her carefully, worried that she would end up taking the Scourge into herself out of old habit. Instead, light radiated from Luna's hands similar to Holy, but without overwhelming the whole cabin. Just as the light vanquished daemons, it caused the Scourge in the crystals to fade away, as if they had been left outside on a sunny day.

The light soon faded and the two women exchanged smiles. That had been a surprisingly easy fix.

"You can really do it all." Andromeda began to put the crystals away again. Luna might not know much about the world, but she had the right powers to deal with the darkness. That also meant that if Andromeda went off on her own to heal people, she would have to come back to Luna to clean the crystals. There was no getting rid of her.

"Thank you." She glanced over at the bed. Ravus continued to sleep like the dead despite the ruckus.

Andromeda took the first watch of the night again, letting Luna rest. With the cabin already cleaned out of useful items, she simply observed the night sounds of the forest and kept the fire alive. Eventually the moon began to descend in the sky, and it was Andromeda's turn to sleep.

As much as she tried, she could not find Aulea nor Crowe. They were too far away, or not sleeping. Andromeda hoped they were simply awake, and not still stranded somewhere in the far north beyond her reach. She managed to stretch her focus to find Harper, whose dreams weren't making any coherent sense. She hadn't forgotten her promise to her, either.

"Harper," Andromeda called for her attention. The dream wavered as it sometimes did when she visited others. "Focus."

In another moment, the other woman appeared in her own dream, just as Andromeda appeared to her. Harper had a slight scowl.

"You couldn't have called?" She asked. They never spoke too much before the fall of Insomnia, and especially not through dreams. Hank had preferred this way, but it made Harper uncomfortable. "Where are you?"

"Malmalam Thicket. It's a long story, but Luna and I are safe." Andromeda ignored the first question; she had never owned a phone. "Have Aulea and Crowe made it to Lestallum yet?"

"No."

She frowned. It was what she had been afraid of. They must have encountered more trouble than Andromeda and Luna had.

"Prompto was alive the last time I saw him in Gralea." She reported. "Did you make it to Lestallum with Solara alright?"

"Yeah. We made it before all the Nifs started showing up. Solara's still with me." Harper sighed. "I'm not really a kid person. Prompto is a long story. Although Solara's more like a mini-adult, so it's not terrible. But she won't go and play with the other kids. I can't tell if she's scared or thinks she's better than them."

Andromeda didn't think it was too weird. Solara had been left behind and made to hide from daemons for who knows how long. It would be awhile before she would be in the mood for play. Andromeda knew what that was like.

"Nifs are in Lestallum?" Andromeda focused on that little detail. That wouldn't be good for any of them.

"Refugees. With the High Commander and the Emperor dead, the Imperial Army dissolved. At least, that's what I heard. If there's any generals about, they haven't made themselves a nuisance." Harper explained. "The Kingsglaive has also been summoned to Lestallum, so the place is swarming with them and Crownsguard. Hunters, too. They've been having talks. You won't get in unnoticed, even among all the other refugees. There's more every day. It's overcrowded here. There's plans to send some off to other outposts like before."

At the mention of hunters, Andromeda had an idea. It was going to take too long to reach Lestallum on foot. "Do you think you could reach out to the hunters and have one come pick us up? We can make it across the river and to a haven. If you can find one named Ian, I'd prefer him. He can be trusted."

"The hunters have been looking for you." Harper warned darkly. "You're a renowned healer among them. And the Crownsguard is on alert, too. They're looking for that Glaive with you."

"I know." Andromeda grumbled. Lestallum was full of all sorts of people that were looking for her. There was nothing but trouble waiting for her there. Still, it was inevitable. She had to go—though she wanted Aulea and Crowe with her.

"What happened in Gralea?" Harper changed the subject. "There's hardly any daylight left."

"The Lucian Crystal was shattered." Andromeda answered bluntly. Communicating through dreams took a lot of focus on her part as well; it was getting exhausting. "A lot of strange things are going to happen."

"So that's what everyone heard."

She was about to ask for clarification, but the dream began to quiver. It was difficult to tell who was losing focus. Andromeda herself couldn't stay and fight it; she slipped back to her own dreams and finally rested.