I walked through the forest of the Harvest festival grounds alone. There was someone who might be able to tell me who I was or give me a glimpse of what I was. If he was the keeper of all knowledge, then he was also the gateway to learning. It was the middle of the night, and I had not slept in two days. Impossible to sleep when I was waiting for information from my spy.

He had not gotten back to me as far, if there was even anything to report. It worried me at the same time. What if I had sent him on a suicide mission? Soi assured me it was not the case, but I always had that gut feeling. It was almost never wrong. From the harvest festival to Eli being kidnapped. I believed they were connected.

I had killed Ocho, he worked for Baal. I noticed him subconsciously from the monitors. This was my only lead, when I tried to remember those at the carnival it was not as easy. I did not see any others I had noticed. The one demon among the group was not significant in any manner. Brown hair, black horns and nails; a basic face in the crowd.

I climbed down over a tree truck, landing to the ground. Poro, I was familiar with, she was not one I wished to cross paths with again. A demon as old as Derkila, there was history that did not make to much since to me. Poro claimed she and Derkila were in the royal one together. That would make the school over a thousand years old.

At the same time, legends claimed Derkila formed the netherworld. Created it like a god. Neither one of these could coincide together unless forming referred to creating order. Then I could believe it. Poro holding off an army with music seemed farfetched to students, with how her power flooded the top of the royal one I could believe it.

She was in control of their minds, the same way I had done to others. I saw the flow and felt the waves. The teachers would notice if they were being affected after it was over. I did not understand at the time, but now I realize. I still practiced every day, but it was becoming more a hindrance than help.

When I had hands free, I could control better. My focus not pulled to playing the next note, but on what was at hand. I kept it on me, it was an appearance more than anything. Never show your full hand like the fact I no longer needed my hearing suppressants. I wore them as an adornment.

One more thing I wondered with my barriers was how small could I make them? How refined? I had sound bubbles down and then full barriers. A skill I gained from seeing it performed in the mirror maze. I was trapped in pentagon shape. When the mirrors broke around me, two disappeared. It was a minor detail amid my panic, but Kerio or someone like him had been there.

I looked around, this had to be closed by now. The huge vine was right here, below should be somewhere near the area. The vine had vanished, and there was no visible hole. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. To many trees in the way to take off from the ground. The compass was spinning in circles, had it been doing it this whole time?

Climbing up the closets tree, I scaled to the top. The vine was gone, but I had also been walking in circles. I squished the compass until it crumpled. I pulled out the map again, and the riddle. I needed to get to the guy, he had the seed. I ducked back down, maneuvering through the branches. Using the moon and stars as a guide.

I reserved my energy for this night, saving the mana for potential anything. I took my earpieces out, listening to all the sounds of nature. The world unmuted was more vibrate and alive. From then worms with in the world to the beasts I heard sleeping. Footsteps on the ground from massive paws to pitter patter of insects crawling.

I wonder what might happen if I tried to take hold of a heart with my Barriers. I knew they could block sound and an exit. Could I surround a heart specifically? Leave out the arteries and just squeeze it until it stops beating. Would that hurt? Heart attacks do. I became more sadistic the longer I was here. Since Eli was ripped from me.

I pulled out the riddle again. A mother-in-law and the runaway bride, he said it was a blob like statue that represents two cloaked women. Iruma was better at finding this than I am now. I combed over all the pathways to find these rocks. One hundred steps to the left and hide behind.

A set of hatch doors were behind the rock. Bingo was the name-o. I smirked, and my phone went off. Shit. I spent so long looking I lost track of time. Opera was calling me, I looked up. The sun was rising. I was in deep shit now. I could ignore the call, no, bad idea.

I Answered. "Hello?"

"Where are you, I went to wake you up and you were not in your room."

"I'm working on agility and quitting my steps."

"All night long? What about school?"

"Ugh, Opera some things you can only do with a real-world application."

"There is a week of school left."

I smacked my head. "Apparently Dali left me to tell you. I passed the third-year exams already, and he told me to take a day because he thinks I'm in an evil phase. My eyes are black like the last one. I will be back later. I'm busy." I hung up and he texted me.

'Rude. I will be checking in and be sure to eat.'

I did not bother to reply, I had my own issues. I swung the door open, digging through my backpack I found the flashlight clicking it on. Into cave, I descend these steps to the bottom. This must be the razor-sharp teeth, and in the belly would be the man I am looking for. The long hall was like a throat. So, I would have a way to go if it was in the beast's belly. It did not specify stomach.

The hall narrowed to one with holes in the side. In all my moving watching experience, that's a trap. I tossed a rock, the spikes shot out. I climbed over as many as I could, pausing between the holes. Crawling under this one, I pick the rock up and repeat the process until I was a crossed. I tripped on a small ledge, stumbling forward.

Down into a narrow hole, I scraped along the sides, slowing. My foot had a sudden pain; my hand managed to catch a small ledge. I looked down, my foot impaled on a spike, I pulled my foot free, wincing, tears falling. My phone was being called again. I looked at the screen, Kalego. Did Dali not get the memo to everyone that I would not be at school? He told me when Kalego was missing.

I declined the call, making it apparent I was still not taking calls. My phone was going off again. I am dangling for my life above a spike bed, and I have this man bothering me. I declined again, he called again. What now? Must be imperative. I answered the phone, putting it up to my ear.

"About time you answered."

My weakened foot slipped off the wall. "Fuck! I'm busy."

"With what?"

"Uh, kind of hanging out on the edge of a dangerous glory hole."

"I will pretend I did not hear that."

My pinky finger slipped. "Kal…" My fingers were slipping from the edge. I shoved the phone in my pocket. Grabbing the small ledge with my hand, planting my one good foot in a crack.

"Where are you?"

"Leaning how to climb." I summoned my wings, expanding them outwards to the other side. The claws on the peaks hooking into the sides.

"Your supposed to be out sick."

"I am blowing…" I shoved myself up, hobbling on one foot "Off some…" I pushed harder. "Steam. Is this… that important of a call?" I panted and winced. "I could fall, and you're talking my ear off." A wing slipped. "Fuck!" My hand crumpled the hold I had. Pebbles and rocks crumbling off the sides as I dug in. The spikes were too close for comfort.

"Just fly up." I got a better hold with my hand and shoved up.

"Gee, thanks. Good advice from the teacher with all the obvious solutions. Not like the hole is a wide-open space with pillows to land on if I fall. I will be sure to complain to a manager about this to better convenance myself later." I heaved upwards again.

"While I am enjoying this, this was important. Border patrol is here asking for you."

"For?" I shoved myself up, bad foot dangling. It throbbed, and my shoe was feeling wet. I was about twenty feet from the edge. I paused to catch a breath. All that fighting and training and I was still getting winded over physical exercise.

"They want to know more about the incident from the carnival."

"They already took my statement and called me mentally unstable, there is nothing to add. Can you call back never? Lose my number etcetera."

"Viola, you're going through…"

"I am not. I will prove it." I pulled the phone from my pocket and ended the call. Shoving it back in my pocket. I heaved myself up the rest of the way. He was already calling me back. I blocked his number; a notification came up. 'This demon can no longer contact you.' Good, I should have done that a long time ago.

Everyone was still against me. I was still the unstable woman who ruined the carnival. It was all over the newspapers and even on three different broadcast stations that I knew of. It was embarrassing enough after all of that, and now they see me as a fragile mind. When I prove them all wrong, I will demand an apology and then reject them all. Limping around the hole, I continued down the cave.

The number of traps in this cave had me wondering how Iruma got around them. I flipped through arrows being shot; one grazed my arm as I missed stepped on my bad foot. If that was not bad enough, flaming floors scorched my hair, before I had to gingerly stepped down cave slants. I was exhausted, sitting to eat some food and regaining some energy.

I flipped through my phone; my call log was filled with an unknown number. Opera was also texting me. The signal was getting weaker the deeper I got. I had one bar sitting there. I texted Opera to let him know I was alright, eating the lunch and breakfast I packed. How much further? Iruma made this seem so easy.

He did not warn me about traps, or how much time it took to get to the destination. I made marks on the wall, and nothing repeated. Opera texted me back. 'You have a visitor, he said he would wait for you to be done blowing off steam.'

'Tell Kalego to leave, I will see him tomorrow…. Maybe.'

'Border patrol.'

'I already gave my statement; it remains the same. This demon is wasting their time.'

My phone rang an unknown number, I should not answer this. I sighed. "Hello."

"Violetta, such a hard person to get a hold of."

I chuckled. "And who might this be?"

"My name is Naberius Narnia, I am the second in command at border patrol." He was in that book next to Kalego.

"Naberius… Any relation to the grumpy one that guards Babyls?"

"Pfft, yes. Kalego is my younger brother."

"Look, I apologized for what happened. I won't do anything like that again. It was a moment of hysteria from the trauma ability. I have done nothing wrong since then."

"Are you sure you remember that correctly. I found this teddy bear rather interesting. Have you ever been on the outskirts… school… Since… Carnival." The call was breaking. He had the bear I dropped, but how?

"I stayed true to my word, as of right now I am technically on school grounds."

"Right… if… said… peculiar."

"You're breaking up, what?" The call was dropped.

I tried calling the number, but it would not go through.

A text pushed through. 'I have all the time in the world currently, I will see you when you get home.'

Was he going to arrest me? I did not do anything else wrong, no one was hurt. My rank dropped and the embarrassment of it all was more than enough of a punishment. I took a deep breath; I knew I was not outside the school. If he found something it might mean he picked up on Eli. That or he was baiting me out to be arrested.

I packed my things and ventured forth. The cave opened to a large well-lit room. Old ruins of a forgotten building with no roof and open walls. A statue monument was off to the side it took up the one forth the wall. Was this an old church or something else altogether? The ruble of the building had nothing to offer, no glyphs to a clue or any doors or hatches.

I sat on the ground defeated, taking my shoe off. The hole was huge, and the bleeding had not stopped. The ground shook, I steadied my balance. "The harvest festival is long over, and the seed of beginnings is gone and grown." I turned slowly; the Statue had moved. A black diamond with an eye at the center of its forehead.

"I am not here for that. I was looking for you, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, Iruma was not super specific."

"Iruma, how is he."

"He's good. My name is Violetta, but you can call me Viola."

"And what brings you to venture here?"

"I need help, I was told you know everything there is to know."

He leaned down, head leveled with the cliff, hands on the side. "I am Thoth and I do know everything."

I reclined back. "Well good, did you know that humans and demons can switch bodies."

"No, that is impossible."

"Are you sure? I used to be human about." I tapped my chin. "A few months now. It is actually pretty widespread from the research I have been doing."

"Research? There is no proof of this?"

"Ah, you see it is hard to tell because I look like a demon now. It was a soul swap. The Human realm is much like the demon realm with music, books and other things to learn about, but if you do not believe me then I guess I should be on my way."

I stood, turning around. "Wait. I must know this now."

"Oh, but I need something in return. Know anything about this permanent crown?" I moved my hand through it.

"I might."

"You don't know, I am disappointed the keeper of…"

"I do, I do. Sit, explain things, I want to hear your story."

I told him how it started, and my landing here. I gave him stories of what human life was like, he nodded along listening to every word. I pulled out my book of the things I prepared for this moment.

"I have more, but I want to know about this first."

"I know what it signifies, but I am silenced on the matter."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then can you tell me what powers it has giving me?"

"Also no, you must figure that out on your own. Only the queen is allowed to deem you worthy."

"Okay, worthy of what?"

"I cannot say, it is your journey to take."

"Can you at least tell me if Eli is alive."

His eyes beamed in and out. "He is alive." The weight in my chest lifted. "You are happy with this answer?"

"I am. Why do my eyes turn black when I'm mad or irritated."

"It is a form of deep wicked phase."

"Explain, please?"

"What's in the book?"

"Oh, right." I told him about the governing system. Science and how we have no magic. Our basic astrology, things we eat and what they look like.

"I like the artwork, really brings this altogether."

"I like to draw and play music. I can play you a new song, but first what is a deep wicked phase?"

"Like a wicked phase or as the new generation calls it an evil cycle or return to origins. It is the deepest primordial part of being a true blood demon. In other words, original demon before the tainting.

Some demons do not know this, but most, if not all, are mixed with humans. Demons saw the decline in power and increase in loss of control of offspring after mating with humans. Play the song." I sighed, playing him a personal favorite.

"This led to the first purge of humans and low blood demons over a thousand years ago. Humans can use verbal magic and join forces with low blood demons. A mass extinction occurred, humans becoming banned from this realm and forced to forget. It is all rumor now, but I know the truth." He smiled.

My phone was going off again, unknown caller. "Excuse me one moment." I answered. "Hello?"

"What an outing you're having."

"Girls got to get it somewhere. It is not my fault you came unannounced."

"Any… I…"

"Sorry, you're breaking up again."

"Any longer and I may think your avoiding me like you do everyone else."

"Ah, well. Equality is my policy. I equally avoid everyone I do not like."

"You are talk rather boldly for someone who was de-ranked."

I gritted my teeth. "I had things I planned for myself today. You are the nuisance in my way. Good day sir, Nari." I hung up.

"I see you are being pestered. You must need to go."

I looked at Thoth. "I enjoyed the time we spent here, and you are right. Border patrol is at my house."

"Oh, what did you do?"

I filled him in on events. "Not one believes me that Eli exists. All his things are missing, and he is gone from every photo."

"I will say before you go that you are on the right track. May I ask why Iruma has not visited me?"

"I could not answer that, he was vague with me on how to get here."

"Take this." A stone dropped in front of my face, and I caught it in my hands. A clear crystal with a surface so shiny I could see my reflection. My black eyes were prominent, my face fell. It seemed like I was getting a disease and I may lose myself too. "This will allow you to go somewhere you can picture in your mind Use this to come back. Just hold it and think of me."

I nodded. "I will try to have more things to teach you."

"I will be waiting."

I put my earpieces in and held the stone while closing my eyes. There is no place like home, my room to be exact. The air changed, and sounds shifted. I opened my eyes, my beautiful green bedroom. I dropped all my things and hid the crystal in a drawer. I used magic to change my clothes, then switched my shoes out by hand.

I had left bloody footprints with my shoes on, and blood dripped as I took the sock off. My foot had turned black, whenever this guy leaves, I will tell someone. Cleaning it out, I wrapped it lightly, and put a new shoe on, these were flimsy but spacious. If they hold in leaking blood, I will review them with five stars.

I left my room walking down the hallway slowly. I felt right with the world talking with Thoth. He was insightful, an active listener. He gave me the spread of relief I needed to ease my broken heart. I now had two beings that fully believed me about Eli. One who remembered, and the one who told me he was alright. I never asked where he was. That would have been the million-dollar question.