Why had he helped her?

A looming question that continued to haunt Charlie with infernal intent. Perhaps some tiny flicker of his humanity had not left him after his resurrection. Or more likely, he just didn't care anymore.

Bison was dead. Revenge had been taken. And yet Charlie was still alive somehow. But where was he to go from here? Probably nowhere was the answer. He could have crawled into a ditch and waited for the end – again but when would that be?

Too many questions and too much uncertainty left him wandering the earth without any goal in mind except for the inevitability of his incoming second end.

And in the midst of all the nightmares, nihilism, and general apathy, he had stumbled upon that woman. Somehow, he found a speck of his old self and helped her. That total klutz who got spooked by nothing at all and was injured. He could have left her. He probably would if he had some goal to accomplish. But because he was without meaning in life, if one could call his current existence that, he had carried her to the port town.

She had ogled him the entire way but was mercifully quiet and then grateful for his help. Charlie would probably forget her in due time. He could hardly remember how he ended up on this island in the first place. Not that it mattered, if anything it would be his own silent grave. Deep within the woods, he found a grotto that served as his base and final resting place, living off berries. It wasn't glamorous, but it didn't matter.

Nothing did.

And so, the days flowed together into one mess with time trickling to its end. The end of all things. But sooner than later, the end of Charlie Nash.

He almost thought it had been on one particular morning after a night when he had gained little sleep, as the shadowy pain of bullets piercing him and the miasma of memories that blended his old life with the new kept him awake. He sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling just functional enough to put on his glasses and stare into the ether.

Outside, it had begun to rain, pouring down in endless streams. In the distance, he heard trucks drive down the dirt road. The cave was located in such an area where water didn't pour inside, so he remained dry but very cold.

He had drifted off, wondering if it had been the grim reaper coming to claim him, but such peace was not ready for him yet as he sensed another presence close to him. A sudden feeling of being watched.

It was that woman. The one he had helped for no reason in particular. From the looks of it, her injury healed fast though she still limped whenever stepping on uneasy terrain. She was drenched from the downpour, looking absolutely pitiful, yet her eyes lit up like fireworks when she saw him in the cave.

"There you are! Finally found you!" she exclaimed with glee. So, she had outright been looking for him, had she? Wonder how long that took. How long had it been since she stumbled down the dell? A few weeks, perhaps? Surprisingly she had not forgotten Charlie or suppressed any memories of him.

"…What are you doing here?" he narrowed his eyes, staring at her as she joined him in the cave, sitting in front of him with a bright smile that harshly contrasted the dreary weather. She had brought with her a couple of bags, now searching through one of them.

"I believe our meeting was brought by fate as predicted by my tarot cards. I wanted to pursue that."

Oh. She was one of those people. Special abilities were nothing new to Charlie but things such as fate and fortune-telling were complete horseshit. Futures were not predetermined; they were what people made them be.

"You can take your fate and cram it. If you know what's good for you, you should stay away from me," Charlie scoffed, annoyed at her indifference to his warning.

"Absolutely not," she said pointedly, pulling a crystal ball from one of the bags. A purple fog of sorts swirled within its interior.

"Behold your future!" the woman exclaimed with grandiose enthusiasm before placing the ball in her lap and closing her eyes, her hands floating above its smooth surface.

"What are you doing?" Nash asked, more frustrated than curious. He'd no doubt kick her out if she started asking for money.

"Reading your future," she replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"There is no such thing as reading the fu-"

"Ssssshhh. I see something!"

The fog within the crystal ball intensified, glowing numerous colors and forming shapes of different kinds. Opening her eyes, the woman furrowed her brow as the fog began to clear. Her hands began to glow an intense purple, pouring into the crystal ball, now showing a silhouette of something familiar; it was a green butterfly, flying without hindrance in a calm, snowy landscape.

But Charlie wasn't focused on the imagery; for all he cared, it was abstract nonsense. What had caught his attention was the woman's powers. It was strange and almost hypnotic. It was as if a calm settled over him, and his exhaustion from before left him. For the first time since his resurrection, he felt some semblance of being alive.

"What did you do?" he asked, bewildered. The woman was quiet for a bit, before realizing that he wasn't talking about her crystal ball.

"It's Soul Power. Master taught me how to do it," she explained, only to widen her eyes as if something dawned upon her.

"Could you sense it?"

"I guess."

Musing on his answer, she put the crystal ball back in her bag with overly cautious movements as if tending to a glass baby. An enthused smile formed on her face then as she looked him directly in the eyes.

"I think you should come to the Palace of Mysteries."

Setting aside that terrible name, Charlie wasn't too keen on that idea. He had hoped to be left alone to wallow in his own hopelessness until it was time for his death. Screw having to spend that time with someone else.

"Why?"

Fuck. He should have said ''no''. Or ''go away''. But something told him that she'd say screw that and continue to stick to him like a fly.

With a sparkle in her eyes, the woman enumerated; "Numerous reasons, really. One; this place sucks as a home. Two; I can prove that divination is real. Three; we can find the meaning of my latest readings. Four; you can sense Soul Power. It affects you somehow and I bet you want to know more."

Charlie didn't because he did not care. But then again, he didn't care much about staying here either. One reason of the ones listed however caught his attention.

"Your readings?"

Had this lady been doing her fortune nonsense after meeting him? Or about him during that day? That would explain why she stared at him so intently. Maybe she sought some mystical explanation for his appearance. In that regard, she could keep searching until the heat death of the universe.

"Oh yes, before I met you, I drew this!" she grabbed one of the bags again, rummaging through it until she pulled out a little box that contained a deck of cards. Shuffling through them, she showed a card depicting the grim reaper. What irony. It would have been amusing if it hadn't been so depressing.

"How quaint. Representing the inevitable."

Displeased, she frowned, packing away the cards. "No, no, no. It's not literal. It's the end of something old and the beginning of something new."

"Like what?"

There came a cheeky shine in her eyes as she leaned forward. If she mentioned anything about talking to his dead relatives or money, he'd grab her by the hair and drag her out. She had caught him off guard with her Soul Power, whatever that was but he wasn't about to fall for whatever tricks she would pull.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the end of you crashing in the woods. And the beginning to the satiation of our common curiosity."

"Don't project your issues onto me. I don't care about any of this."

"Except Soul Power. And besides, I'm curious."

Charlie narrowed his eyes, not convinced.

"About what?"

"About you!"

That would explain her ogling. And coming here. However, Charlie couldn't exactly say he was flattered. If anything, he was rather mildly annoyed. But it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. Or anything worth doing. He didn't trust this woman, but he could just as well go with her to see what her deal was.

"…Fine," he sighed, not surprised when she clapped her hands together and reached for one of her other bags, giddy like a little kid. Despite looking like a young adult, she had tendencies like a child. After some minor struggles, she pulled out a coat of sorts and tossed it his way. It was somewhat warm, suggesting she had worn it at one point today.

"Wonderful! Oh, and do wear this. Because…the villagers will have a heart attack if they see you. And it's raining."

So she had planned to make him come with her. Or maybe not as she sat there, watching with self-serving triumph as Charlie slipped into the coat. As it turned out, it had no sleeves, making it easy to slip on. And it occurred to her that she would have to walk bare-armed in this weather.

"Oh…it's raining…," she muttered, dejected and less confident.

"You forgot one for yourself?" Charlie asked, already knowing the answer to that question. Her face bloomed into a darker shade through some hard blushing as she began fidgeting with her hands. Again, there was that little speckle of his humanity tugging at his insides as he felt compelled to hand her back the coat.

"Ah no, keep it on! I'll be fine," the woman waved him off, crawling out of the cage to face the horrid weather like a lunatic. What an asinine statement, considering the weather and the fact that she probably needed it more than he did.

"Now, as Master would say, let us depart with haste!" She was boisterous and extravagant again in a manner that was far too idiosyncratic to be natural. Then again, apparently her ''master'' was the one to do such theatrics. The so-called Palace of Mysterious was beginning to sound like a madhouse. And yet, here Charlie was, heading directly for the loony bin.

As opposed to their first meeting, this time, the woman was much livelier, blabbing on about the wonders of fortune-telling and divination. On the other hand, Charlie remained quiet, not entirely interested, or understanding, following as the strange woman alternated between trotting and skipping in a weirdly hypnotic manner. If it had not been for the occasional halt and light groaning, one wouldn't know she had been injured.

One wouldn't know she was probably freezing to death either. Maybe that was why she walked like that; to keep herself warm. Before long they reached the port town with waves crashing against the rocky shores and docked ships. By now, the weather was getting worse, and it would probably be a wonder if any captain dared to sail in such conditions.

Charlie assumed he had been on this island for some time but then again, he had never paid much attention to the sailing habits of the locals. It did however strike him as odd to walk among the living ones with no one paying attention to him. For all they knew, he could be one of them. If anything, they were looking at the woman and her light clothing as she hugged her shoulders, trying to keep her heat. Charlie would have to remember to care enough to get her actual name. Although he'd probably forget it when he left wherever she was taking him. A mere apathetic, mildly curious encounter, never to be referenced again.

The so-called Palace of Mysteries was a large building of three stories, pale beige in color, and placed in between numerous other similar buildings of various heights. There was a large sign with something written on it, which read "Palazzo Mistero".

By now, the rain had not yet let up as the water coursed down the sloped street and the woman was thoroughly drenched, shivering as she shuffled her feet to the entrance of the building. Trying the doorhandle, revealed the door to be unlocked and she pushed it open, hurrying inside. After a few moments, she reemerged with a welcoming smile.

"Looks like no one is here. The coast is clear, come!"

So she was living with other people….and had not informed Charlie of that. He wasn't disappointed or disturbed, just bemused.

"Welcome to the Palace of Mysteries!" The woman danced around for a bit, spreading her arms as if to highlight the so-called magic of this place. It was certainly colorful, with the walls and floors adorned with moons, stars, and a sun here and there. At the far end, there was a courtyard with a view over the rest of the town. Nearby, there was a staircase that lead to the floors above as well as below.

"By the way-"

The woman was interrupted by the sounds of the door opening and footsteps followed by voices cursing the weather to hell.

"Menat, are you there?" a woman called out.

"Oh dangit. Come with me, please?" panicking, the woman grabbed Charlie by the wrist and dragged him up the staircase, to the first floor. Her fingers were damp and cold.

If he needed to, he could always fight his way out of it. But this hardly seemed to be the case. In actuality, it was just one woman with a spontaneous plan; one in which he let himself get wrapped up. Down the hallway, the woman opened the first door to what appeared to be a bedroom. Clothes were strewn onto the floor, the bed had been covered with pillows and plushies of different sizes, and in the middle stood a small table with a projector of sorts.

"Okay so I didn't tell Master about you but I'm going to. As Master always says, truth is the way forward. But for now, could you stay here?"

Charlie had barely managed to answer before there was a knock on the door, that brought yelp out of this Menat. Sheepishly, she shuffled to the door, opening it just wide enough for her head to peak out. From where he stood, Charlie couldn't see the other person, not that he was trying to. In fact, while Menat was busy conversing with whoever had come knocking, he moved out of the way, remaining within the confines of the darkened room.

"Is something the matter since you didn't come to greet me? Why are you soaked? Where have you been?" the same woman from earlier asked. Her voice was struck a weirdly familiar note with Charlie; it was temperate, bearing a sense of maturity and dignity, even as it was tinged with worry.

"Out for a walk, Master," Menat answered. Well, that technically was true. Despite looking like a grown adult, she continued with the disposition of a cowering child who did something wrong. Considering she had not informed this "master" of Charlie being here, that comparison held more water now.

"I see. Get yourself a change of clothes before you catch a cold. And do feel obliged to take a warm bath before then," the woman said and began moving away from the door, as evident by her heels clicking against the floor.

"Will do!" Menat closed the door and skipped over to Charlie. On her way, she grabbed some of the clothes from the floor, bundling them and throwing them on the bed before moving over to a closet and opening it.

"Did you plan anything besides bringing me here?" Charlie asked, despite having a good idea of what her answer would be. As scatterbrained as her action had been, there was something slightly amusing watching her trying to make sense of what she was doing, even if he saw no logic behind any of it.

"Fortune telling," she answered, completely straight-faced. Of course, he should have known she'd say something like that.

"…That's not a plan," he sighed and Menat seemed completely ignorant of that obvious, rather important statement. But then again, he himself did not have much of a plan either. Having no purpose in life, he just went with the flow. After all, nothing had any meaning anymore. It was only a matter of time before he'd perish. He might as well follow this airheaded woman to her house of so-called fortune-telling.

"We'll figure it out after I talk to Master. Now hide," she gestured at him.

Shrugging, Charlie stepped into the closet, watching as she closed its doors. From the thin slits, he could see her pick up some of her clothes and dash out the door, leaving him alone. Standing here in the dark brought forth unpleasant memories of a life before and after the grave. He would have closed his eyes to force them away, but his mind wandered to the day he died and the torture he endured when resurrected.

It became harder to breathe and it felt as if the walls began to crumble around him. Maybe some mystic force had decided to be a little kind to him and decided to bring him something that could serve as a distraction. The door to the room went open but from where Charlie stood, he couldn't see who had entered. Light from the overhead lamp covered the room in the blink of an eye and he was blessedly distracted from the darkness of his own mind.

He figured quickly that Menat had not been the one to enter for otherwise she would have said something. She struck him as the type of person who would. Confirming his own suspicions, a stranger entered his frame of view, looking around the room.

A much older woman who carried a level of mystique around her.

Her gaze befell the closet, and she walked over, flinging the door open before Charlie had any time to respond or process the reality of him being discovered.

"I knew I felt another presence in here. I don't suppose my apprentice brought you here and then stuffed you in her closet."

She narrowed her eyes, backing away to better assess him. He wasn't sure he was a fan of the look she gave him; it bore pity and scrutiny. And so he hesitated with leaving the closet even if the prospect of a less cramped space was tempting.

"I can sense so much turmoil and hopelessness from you. You carry a lot of pain. There was a burden too, but its absence has left you destitute. Looking at you, the answer becomes clear," the woman said with more pity. It surprised Charlie that she did not react to his appearance. Looking at her again, he felt as if he had met her before. That sense of familiarity remained the only reason why he didn't tell her off. And yet his next question was still drenched in bitterness.

"And what would that answer be?"

Before she could reveal it, the door to the bedroom swung open and a loud gasp interrupted them.