Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm pretty sure that there are only anywhere from 3 to 5 chapters left in this fanfiction, I'm sorry to inform you, and I do know that they haven't been written yet. To date, this is all I have written. Heh. But based on how many followers I have, I'd say this fanfiction got pretty popular in the making, and I'd love to give all of you a hug in thanks.

Unfortunately, I don't know any of you, and I can't give you all a hug, as I'd like to.

Anyway, reviews before we get to it!

CommanderHawke667: Yes, the voices that Magiya was hearing were, in fact, demons. Demons, just the madness talking, others that have submitted to it before, whatever you want to call them. ^^
And thank you so much for the compliment! :'D

Kirei Ryuusei: I'm glad you enjoyed that one. :3 I had to come up with something that would make Magiya more likely to lose, and it took nearly a week of brainstorming just for that particular topic. XD Madness just seemed to fit.
And yes, now it's on to saving Artix and finding a way to restore him to his former place in the world! :D

MissFiyeraba: Amazing, you say? :'D I'm touched! And I am thrilled you love reading this so much!

Jellybelly Puffypants: You're very welcome for the "shout-out", as you put it! I always do for the reviews I get! :) And after all, for every bully, meanie, or villain, behind them, there was/is always someone who made them that way.
As for the other problems, there will be repercussions for everything that happens in the world, big or small.
Far from over? I wouldn't say that, exactly. ^^" Like I said above, there are only a handful of chapters left to go! :3 The Noctis issue… I have no intentions to address that particular part of the plot in this fanfiction. It would make it longer than I was intending to make it and open up all sorts of problems that would create larger plot holes than I think I can fix… so as far as I am concerned, for
Zhi Lao'Hu, Noctis is (for all intents and purposes) dead and gone.

A special thanks to all of our reviewers!

Now, we begin!


I don't remember how I managed to get to Warlic's field. I didn't even remember walking away from the battle. What little I can remember, to this day, are just scattered flashes of what happened; I filled in the blanks by myself.

At first, I was standing a few yards from Warlic's tent, and he was talking to Nythera about something or other. Then I blinked, and they were both right there. Warlic's mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear much of anything. I couldn't make out what he was saying, and whatever I could hear was muted, like it was having to go through water. I think I frowned, but I couldn't be entirely sure what my face was doing. The limits of extreme exhaustion had been pushed beyond the ones I knew, and I was sure the only reason that I was still upright was from sheer stubbornness, and precious little else. I blinked again.

Huh… that's strange. The ground is moving. Why's it moving up…?

I must have closed my eyes then, because I don't remember being in Warlic's field any more. I remember being on my back, laying on something hard. Despite my exhaustion, somehow, my mind continued to register things before I could stop it.

Hard, long. Too high up for the floor. Table, I concluded.

I was inside, another conclusion made from seeing the rafters above me.

People's faces faded in and out of my vision, but I was so exhausted that I couldn't even attempt to make my eyes focus. However, I was unable to sleep as well, and I was caught permanently between the state of waking and the glorious, blessed state of complete unconsciousness that I sought after. I was still awake, but I wasn't able to rest. In short, it was a living hell.

I could vaguely feel light pressure here and there on my arms or legs, and all over my body. It didn't hurt, though.

They're probably healing me… I'm starting to feel a little better.

And as the slight discomfort of my injuries faded, it became easier to slide closer to that wonderful blackness that was sleep.

At last, after what could have been minutes and could have been days, I finally sank back, deep in to the recesses of my mind where nothing could get to me. Nothing could reach me, nothing could touch me, and I was safe. Where I was here, at the deepest part of my mind, I was healing, and pondering the information I had received from Vayle.

"Death's Realm… go…"

How in the hell am I supposed to go to Death's Realm? The only way I know of is by dying, and I'm not too very keen on doing that.

I'd heard of a tale, I think it was called Romeo and Juliet. When the man, Romeo, thought that his lover was dead (when, in fact, she was sort of playing possum), he killed himself. When the lady, Juliet, saw him dead, she wanted to die too, and did so moments after.

I'll be damned if I do anything of the sort, I thought firmly. I'm not that desperate to get him back.

He loved you, murmured the voice in my head enticingly. Why wouldn't' you go to fetch him?

Because… because… Those that are dead sometimes need to remain dead, I balked.

You went through all of this trouble only to back out now?

No! I didn't say that. I said sometimes, didn't I?

It was implied.

Was not! I replied heatedly. Wait… I'm arguing with myself.

Yes. Yes you are.

Don't agree with me! You're not even supposed to be here!

Back to the topic at hand… How are you going to go to Death's Realm?

To this, I had no answer. I pushed away the voice, just like I had so many times before, and hid as deep as I could within myself.

"Because I love her!"

"Tell me, do you like me?"

"You have something to hide. Everyone does."

"You're so guarded. Let someone in so that someone can really care."

"Are you always so mistrustful?"

"I'm not going to let you fall."

"Ruthless Bambi…"

"She doesn't understand me… is that all it is?"

"Live life like a dog. If you can't eat it and you can't hump it, pee on it and walk away!"

"Yep, she is most definitely rabid!"

"You look some combination of pissed off and someone-just-shot-my-puppy. What's wrong?"

"Do you hate me?"

"Why do you have such demented trust problems towards people?"

"Has anyone ever told you you're a character?"

"I can't go home."

"Artix von Krieger at your service, Paladin extraordinaire."

All of the conversations I had ever had with him swirled through my head, almost everything he had ever said to me, and I listened to them gratefully. They were all that really remained of him in this plane of existence… just memories. And this may sound very wrong to anyone else, and it even sounded strange to me, but… I missed him. I missed his snarky, "all that" comments, and his insightful conclusions (particularly about me) that only came once in a while. I missed the strangely comforting sound of his voice, like gravel covered in velvet. Deep, but soft. His commanding presence, even when he wasn't trying to be intimidating. The way he always challenged me, and how I always rose to the occasion.

Funny, I thought dully, You'd think I wouldn't miss it… any of it. Any of the flirty comments and annoying habits. But… I do.

Loss… it wasn't a feeling I was familiar with, to say the least. It was an emotion that I always tried to avoid feeling, and attempted not to associate myself with. This might have been one of the only times I was unsuccessful, and it would certainly be the most memorable time.

I miss him…

It was a strange conclusion for me.

And it was around this point in time that I finally opened my eyes to see where I was.

Wooden rafters above me, with wooden walls on all four sides, and in the corner of the room there was a simple door. The rest of the room was everything but normal. There were small tables and shelves all around the room, and on every available surface there were various items, nearly all of them either health or Mana potions or herbal remedies.

Where the hell am I?

There was a tiny curtained window on the wall to my left behind a row of potion bottles with an assortment of colors of liquids inside them. The small curtain was dusty, leading me to believe that it had most likely not been opened in a while. Candles had been lit here and there around the room, providing a reliable light source. I cautiously sat up, still not sure where I was yet. As I did so, however, I stifled a small groan. I may have been mostly healed, but I was still sore beyond belief. When I was sitting up on the table (I had guessed correctly) I slowly rolled my head around my shoulders, cracking my neck in three places.

Lore, I can't remember the last time that felt so good.

Just as I was moving my lower legs over the side of the table, the door opened with a quiet creak to reveal a tired-looking Serenity with a few things in her hands, mainly potion bottles from what I could see. I blinked as she looked up at me, surprise crossing her features before she smiled widely.

"Magiya! You're finally awake, good, good. How do you feel?"

"I feel like I've been kicked by a horse," I grunted truthfully as I pushed my arms back, stretching. "Thanks. …Also, exactly how long…"

"About two days. You slept like the dead, I'm surprised you didn't sleep longer than you did."

"Do you know…?"

"Yes," she answered matter-of-factly as she set the items in her arms down on one of the few spare places in the room. "Everyone does. You know how fast word can spread in a town if something slightly out of the ordinary happens, much less a major event."

Serenity had always been able to read people, often just as well as (if not better than) me. This was one of the times where I was grateful for it, because saying my thoughts out loud seemed humiliating, somehow. I turned my torso, cracking my back in two places.

"I feel so stiff…"

"Laying completely still for forty-eight hours will do that to you," she stated, smiling gently. I still sat with my legs hanging off the edge of the table, not quite feeling like I was ready to stand just yet. Serenity reached over from the other side of the table, carefully pressing her fingers to my forehead. "You're not too warm, that's good," she murmured, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Also, Warlic left a message for you. Nythera did too," she told me with a sparkle in her eyes, "But hers was a bit more colorful."

"That sounds like her," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "What did Warlic want?"

"He said that he wanted to see you when you felt well enough to travel, as soon as you can."

It was never said aloud, but when the Blue Mage said 'as soon as possible' or 'as soon as you can', it usually (if not always) meant 'yesterday, and five minutes ago if you can manage it'. I grimaced, sighing.

"What all did I miss?" I questioned.

"As you might imagine, Amityvale is in a bit of an uproar," she said, perching on the other side of the wooden table. "They're very well-known for their Undead, Necromancers, and in this case, a certain Necromantress. When you killed their only one, they got a little upset." I winced. "Not to mention, their cemetery was absolutely obliterated. They weren't too happy about that, either. Oaklore Keep is having trouble with bandits again," she continued, sounding as though she were going down a mental checklist. I wouldn't have been surprised if she were. "And Elysia is helping a new adventurer with his dragon egg. Also, the mill around Surewould Forest is overrun by monsters—again." I understood her exasperation; the mill never seemed to be free of monsters. "And… I think that's it."

"So, in other words, nothing immediately pressing," I summarized, running the fingers of my left hand through my loose brown hair.

"Magiya… something else," Serenity began hesitantly, and I glanced at her in surprise.

"What?"

"The bruises on your neck… I think they'll have to heal by themselves… none of my potions worked on them…"

In reaction to the first five words, I automatically lifted my hand to my throat, but of course I couldn't feel anything unusual. They were bruises, after all. However, when my fingertips pressed lightly, I yelped.

That hurt!

Then don't do that, my subconscious muttered dryly. I bashed its head in with a rock.

"I see," I muttered under my breath. Serenity looked worried and slightly guilty, and I hurried to explain myself. "I'm just annoyed that I was stupid enough to feel for them, that's all!"

"Okay," she said reluctantly. But I could see that she was a little more reassured.

"So, Warlic wanted to see me?" I asked with a very ungraceful change of subject.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Do you want to see him now?" I nodded, and she stood. "Be careful when you stand up, you might be a little bit unsteady. You were nearly dead when Warlic and Nythera brought you here, and you haven't used hardly any of your muscles in two days." I nodded again, carefully easing my feet onto the floor. True to her word, my equilibrium was thrown off very badly, and I had to keep a hand on the edge of the table. Serenity was right there to catch me if I fell, but she didn't try to help, for which I was very grateful. This is my task to do.

My staff was leaning right outside the door in the hallway, and I reclaimed it quite readily, also using it as a light crutch to keep my balance. My knees felt a little bit like jelly, and it was a bit of an effort to stay straight. In a strange way, it felt as though my head had been dropped into a completely different body, and I had to re-familiarize myself with my own body's controls.

"There's someone here to see you," Serenity said in an amused voice as she opened the next door for me. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a familiar feeling began winding its way around my legs, warming them. I dropped my hand heavily onto a wonderfully hot, furry, far-too-high-up head, and felt a silent purr rumble through my chest.

"Kai!" I said with quiet delight, ruffling the orange-gold fur on the top of his head. His bright green eyes gazed up at me, almost like he was seeing right through to my soul. If you've never experienced that, I don't suggest you do. It's quite unsettling, particularly when an animal does it, because you don't expect it from anything aside from a human being.

"He just lay in the main room behind the counter," she explained as we walked to the door. The main room of the inn was nearly deserted, much to my relief. I wanted to avoid any stares, if at all possible. "The only time I tried to shoo him out, he nearly set the inn on fire." I blushed in embarrassment, though I was slightly pleased by that. He was a loyal pet and ally. "Then Warlic said he belonged to you, and I set him up a little bed out of sight of the guests."

"Thank you," I said, slightly touched. Serenity smiled.

"Well, it's not like I was able to throw him out, even if I wanted to. He must be, what, almost twice my weight? Not to mention at least three or four times stronger."

That brought a slight chuckle out of me, and I was surprised at myself. I felt… lighter, somehow, even though I had a meeting with my mentor ahead of me.

Warlic is gonna be pissed, I thought warily as I bid Serenity good bye. My mentor nearly always kept a level head during any situation, but I couldn't think of a way to get out of this one. I know he grounded Nythera… so what's he gonna do to me? Kai must have sensed my uncertainty as we began the trek (very, very slowly) up the path around the Guardian Tower, because he pressed slightly closer to me as we walked. Right now, I was grateful for his silent support, because it meant I at least had someone who was on my side with things.

With Warlic, I wasn't sure I would be so lucky. I winced as I imagined the possibilities, none of them preferred.

Best case, he berates me and grounds me like he did Nythera…

Kai seemed to sense my nervousness, because every few steps he purposely bushed up against my legs. A few times, he nearly pushed me off balance, but I think the fact that he didn't realize he was doing it is what made me smile. When we reached the portal, I paused for a minute, hesitating. I wasn't sure that I wanted to face Warlic just yet.

You'll have to see him at some point, I reasoned unwillingly. Best to do it when you're almost fully healed, but not completely, so he can't go all out on you.

I took a deep breath before taking a step through the rectangular stone archway, willingly melting into that strange feeling of dissipating and then reassembling when you walked through a portal. I found myself in Warlic's field again, as expected. It was a beautiful day; sunny, warm, cloudless, and perfect.

It couldn't have been more mismatched to the wariness I was feeling right now, I thought grimly as I approached the two burgundy tents.


So, like I said, a maximum of about 5 chapters left in Zhi Lao'Hu. We are officially in the falling action part of the story, I think, and rapidly nearing the conclusion. I can promise no specific dates for the chapters to be released, but I do promise I'll get them written as soon as possible and as well as possible.

If there's a severe delay with publishing the chapters, please forgive me. Life has decided to take me for a few turns lately, and very few were appreciated.

Have a nice week or so!