"Before we go, I will give you something to take back with you," Naem said.

"I can do that?" she asked.

"Of course, with the right ritual. It's dream magic, which I don't believe you humans explore a lot."

"Let me guess, the system thinks it's too dangerous."

"Yes. It's one of the magic types that the Fae never gave the human population."

"I see," Lexie said. "Can you teach me?"

"I'll have to. It's the only way you can take these items out of here. It's a ritual you have to perform, and you'll need to reverse that to take an item into your dream. Now, only do this with small items and only when necessary, because it takes quite a bit of mana and focus to pull off. Today, I will lend you some of my mana to do it, but I cannot do that all the time."

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's not healthy for you. Now, I will give you three items. One of them will bind us together and ensure that I'll be able to enter your dreams even if there are charms meant to keep me away. With that tool, you should also be able to access this particular dream world and bring things in with you."

"Neat."

"It is." He opened his hands, and the items appeared floating over them. It looked like a golden necklace with a clockwork pendant, two candles, and a tiny pair of cymbals.

"This," he held up the cymbals first, "Is called *hissing noise* Crata. It is to go under your bed or your pillow, and it will relocate to anywhere you sleep. I've placed a masking spell on all the items so no one else should be able to tell it's there but you. It's your guide back to the land of the awoken, in case you ever get lost in a dream world."

"That can happen?"

"Of course. The dream world is very complex. Your soul is traversing dimensions, into a realm beyond time and space. Sometimes if you go too deep without guidance, it's not always easy to find your way back."

"So there's a chance I won't wake up from this dream."

"Yes, a low chance. With me here, it's even lower. But it's not nonexistent. With the chime, you will always wake up. All you have to do is visualize it ringing while you're here, and once you hear it ring, you will be awoken."

"Okay, good." Lexie took it, allowing Naem to hold up another item as the cymbals disappeared in her grasp.

"These are the candles needed for the ritual. It will follow you out of here, and by lighting them and reciting the eldritch words, you will then enclose these items in your soul and take them out with you. To bring an item in, you will simply need to light the candles again and say the words backward."

"Nice." She took the candle, and it too disappeared.

He finally held up the necklace. "Wear this at all times. It will enable me to more closely monitor you and allow me to take you to the Eldritch realm more easily."

Lexie nodded. She took the pendant, hanging it around her neck. It too disappeared with a subtle hiss.

"We'll do the ritual at the end of our session today," Naem said. "Now. Are you ready to meet with the Nibberling?"

"The what?"

"It's a word for the lowest Eldritch life form that is on your soul branch. I believe, for you, it will be a V'Sala."

Lexie's eyes snapped to him. She shook her head. "No. I …I don't want to."

Naem cocked his head. "You are afraid of it. But I am multiple times more powerful than the V'Sala. You will be, too, once you hone your powers properly. For now, you need not worry. As long as I remain by your side, nothing in any realm can hurt you."

Lexie swallowed. "The last time I came in contact with it, it was able to alter my entire world, and it nearly trapped me in my own body. It also showed me visions of my brother in the other world. He's not doing well."

"I see." Naem didn't sound sympathetic, but he didn't sound intentionally unsympathetic either. He seemed to be waiting for Lexie to get to the point.

Remembering her brother led her to another question she had for Naem. "Can I travel through dimensions with dream magic?"

Naem looked away from Lexie, staring off. "Your father would not like me to answer that question honestly."

"Which means I can."

"It will be dangerous for you."

"Because I can get lost in the dream? I can use the cymbals to go back."

"It may not be that far-reaching."

"What if I go with you?"

"I cannot help you with that. Even if I knew what dimension to go into–"

"Earth 2," Lexie said. "He's on Earth 2."

"There are several Earth 2 dimensions. Imagine reality as being like a tree–"

"You really love this tree analogy."

"–and having billions of branches sprouting from it. Each choice is a branch. There are multiple people whose choices are making more diversions. Even in one dimension, in one moment, multiple mini dimensions occur, and it would be impossible for me to find out exactly which one your brother is, as you remember him. In several of the Earth 2 sub-dimensions, he does not exist. And even if we found him, theoretically, there are still other matters to consider."

"Other matters like?

"If he's on Earth, Eldritch powers are limited. If it's a dimension that does not have mana, Eldritch powers are even more limited. There might be monsters to contend with. I might not be able to bring you back. Endangering you in that manner would also be going against my oath to your father, which I cannot do."

"I see. And what else does this oath with my father entail?"

"That I cannot tell you."

"Tell me this. How does Eldritch power scaling work? Do we level up like humans with our system? Or does your system do something different?"

"We can talk about that later. I believe now you're stalling me with questions so you do not have to meet the V'Sala."

"I'm not stalling," Lexie lied even though she'd totally been stalling. She crossed her arms, miffed at being called out. "You're supposed to be bad at social cues. How did you know?"

"I've spent a long, long time with humans. I've learned a thing or two."

She pursed her lips. "Speaking of which, how old are you?"

"Another stalling question."

"Fine." She pouted. She'd also asked the question because she was truly curious. Aiden had mentioned Naem appearing to him as a child once, but was that a child in human years or Eldritch years?

The scene rapidly changed, the blacks around her forming shapes. The pendant around her neck heated and vibrated, sending ripples throughout her whole body.

"What's happening?" she asked Naem.

"We're entering the Eldritch realm, the V'Sala's abode."

Everything stopped, and they were in a forest, not unlike the one the V'Sala had cornered her in that first time.

"We're here already?"

"Of course," Naem said. "Now I will summon the V'Sala to us."

"You can do that?"

"I can go anywhere I want in the Eldritch realm and seek authority there. Lesser creatures like these cannot defy me. Nothing here can hurt you."

"Right." Her spine tingled, and all the hair stood up on her body. There was no sound at first, only a cold chill in the atmosphere. This was the creepiest place she could imagine.

Lexie held onto Naem's hand as a creepy clicking sound began rattling the air. All around them, the forest began to morph, turning darker, the ground becoming marshier. Lexie trembled as trees bent in view, like in a trippy nightmare. A cackle echoed in the atmosphere, and Lexie almost felt something breathing on her neck.

She whipped her head around. "Where is it?"

"It's coming," he answered. Then, noting Lexie's trembling, he said again, "It cannot hurt you, young one. These things are minor creatures of mischief. They are weak Eldritch, and they are the easiest to kill and create dungeons with."

"Ah." To distract herself, Lexie considered the implications of the statement. "There was a dungeon in Hartville that was moving away from me. It ended up releasing the V'Sala. Is it possible that the V'Sala was used to create the dungeon, and then when it got here, it turned itself back into the creature?"

"No. Dungeons are denatured Eldritch. They cannot be turned back without interference."

"Who would be powerful enough to do that?"

"That is what your father is investigating. It can't be a human alone or even just a human agency. The Fae have to be involved."

"What? Why?"

"Much like human governments, the Fae aren't in agreement on everything. They like rules, but they often argue about which rules are more important to follow and which rules to do away with. And they love to argue when making new rules. Perhaps this is part of the argument they're having."

"But the Fae promised not to hurt us. Isn't that one of the first articles of the Fae-Human Alliance? They can't lie about that, can they?"

"As I've told you, it's just as easy to deceive with the truth as it is to deceive with a lie."

He suddenly stopped as something swept at him in a flash. He stuck out his hand right as the V'Sala's throat slammed into it.

Lexie screamed and jumped back. Gosh. It was just as startlingly ugly as she remembered.

It wasn't paying attention to her. It was watching Naem and speaking furiously in an Eldritch language that Lexie didn't understand. Naem made a growly noise and flashed his teeth, menace emanating from him.

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The creature gave off what sounded like nervous laughter. It turned to Lexie, and it changed forms. It now had her face once again, and she backed off.

"Hello princess," It said. "Do you want to play a game?"

Lexie swallowed the knot in her throat and tore her eyes from the creature, turning back to Naem. "What do I do now?"

"Now," he said. "Reach out and touch it with your soul, the same way you did with me. Learn about it, and see which parts of it resonate with you."

"I bet it's none of it," was Lexie's automatic response.

Naem shrugged. "You never know if you don't try."

She swallowed, closed her eyes so she didn't have to look at it, and reached out the same way she'd done with Naem. It came naturally to her, but once she tried to form a connection, she met a barrier, as though the creature had put up a shield.

She opened her eyes.

"It's not letting me in," she told Naem. Naem turned back to the creature, and with his large hand, he smacked it upside the head.

The creature snarled, hissed, and growled, but ultimately it settled again with a grumble. Lexie closed her eyes once again. This time, she didn't meet the resistance and plunged into his soul.

It wasn't as…deep as Naem. 'Deep' probably wasn't the right word for it, but she was finding it difficult to find that word. It didn't exist in her language. Pungent was another word similar to it, although it didn't have a scent.

She couldn't smell or see much, but she was sensing him differently, in a way she'd never done before but was similar to how she sensed intent. There was a lot of information coming at her that she didn't have the tools to comprehend. What she could understand was the emotions behind it. Misery. Boredom. Mischief. There was also a special brand of sadism she could sense, in that it wanted to hurt people just for the sake of it. It enjoyed the feeling of others' pain and their sadness, their desperation. That was the only thing that gave it joy. It longed to conjure up their worst fears so it could feed off them. It wanted more pain, more suffering, like a tantalizing aroma. It itched for it like an addict.

Those wants and needs began to flow into Lexie, too.

It wasn't as all-encompassing as with Naem. But it was there, and it felt gross.

She also felt it touching her soul. She felt her fear and her resentment growing out of proportion. This thing had hurt her once upon a time. It had scared her and almost killed her.

She wanted to hurt it even worse than what it had done to her, and even though the thought should have horrified her, deep inside, she knew that there was a part of her that would enjoy its suffering.

That part of her would laugh as the creature screamed, just like she'd wanted to laugh after she tortured Diana.

"Okay enough." She somehow managed to rip herself back, opening her eyes and laying a hand on her racing heart. "I can't do it anymore.

"You have to go deeper," Naem said. "There's still much to learn. You have barely brushed the surface of what this creature is, and have not gotten to its core."

Lexie swallowed. She didn't want to go back into his soul. It made her feel dark and dirty.

She didn't think she was ready to confront what happened with Diana yet, and confront all those things she'd felt, the things she never wanted to feel again.

"Maybe we can start with a different creature," she said. "One that's not this."

"No matter what creature you face, the test will remain the same, and until you learn to face yourself, you will continuously fail."

"What if I get trapped?" she asked.

"You won't."

Lexie sighed, and the creature stared at her with her own eyes. Then its visage transformed into Diana's face and started screaming.

Lexie's fear instantly spiked out of control as Naem smacked it on the head again. "Stop that."

It grinned and went back to having Lexie's face.

"Another time," she said.

Naem looked disappointed, but he sighed. "Perhaps that's for the best. We've already wasted enough time here. But you will need to come back to this creature. This is your starting point."

"I understand," she said. She'd been caught off guard today, but she would make herself ready the next time.

As they left the V'Sala's domain and went back to the dream world, Lexie asked Naem, "I need to set a starter deck before I can level up. But I'm scared that will limit me, and I can't seem to choose what deck to set."

"I would not set it if I were you. Especially given your preoccupation with Research."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think is the point of the human system?"

"To give out powers?"

He shook his head. "Humans used to be able to gain magic without the system."

"You mean from the Guardians."

"Yes. But you people got rid of that and now installed this system. This system doles out magical powers, but it also serves a very important role for the Fae."

"Which is?"

"Surveillance. They like to be able to know exactly how many humans have magic, what level they're at, and what they use that magic for. And they will use all sorts of incentives to get you to give them that information, by offering extra skills to get you to expose yourself. Those skills you can get without the Fae's help. You can get stronger without 'leveling up' with the system; it's simply a less conventional way to go and does not have the same…'bragging rites' as you humans say."

"So does that mean that I can gain the leveling advantages even without levelling up?"

"You managed to figure out how to simultaneously activate cards even though such a thing is not supposed to be possible given your level," he smirked. "Why do you think you cannot gain the other leveling advantages as well?"

Lexie was silent. That gave her something else to think about.

"One more thing," she said. "I think I want to make more cards like the ones I made in the dungeon. Just to protect myself and others. Do you think I can do that when we go to the Eldritch realm?"

"I suppose, if you can carry all your card-making tools with you. Keep in mind, any cards you make here will have more Eldritch energy than the ones you made in the dungeons, so they will be more volatile."

"What about a card like what my father made? The one that doesn't require magic to work. Can I make that?"

"Yes, but that requires a special Eldritch pocket dimension and a well," he said. "You will have to create one with me, and you do not have the power for that yet."

"Will I?"

"Yes."

Excitement spiked in her. "When?"

"Depends on how busy I am."

"Busy with what?"

"Eldritch matters. Stuff that doesn't require your attention."

"How come? I'm like part Eldritch now." She frowned. "What am I, by the way? A quarter? one-eighth?"

She waited for him to answer, but he didn't. She didn't know if he wasn't answering because it would freak her out more, or if it was another of the Eldritch secrets he needed to keep.

"I believe it's time for you to return," he said. "Close your eyes. Connect your Eldritch soul to the tools I gave you."

Lexie sighed and did just that. She visualized them, seeing the candle glowing in her hand, the necklace on her chest, and the cymbals in front of her feet.

"Now, pull from me."

"What?" she asked.

"Just focus on connecting with my soul again. I will push the power into you."

"Alright." She did and felt a flow of exhilarating energy fill her. It felt incredible.

"Now say the words, *Hissing* Alcratzy Mui Y Yhemk."

"That's all?"

"Yes. I never said it was difficult, just draining if you were not using my mana."

"Alright."

It took her three tries to say the words right, and suddenly she bolted up from her desk, staring at the walls of her lab.

"Insane," Lexie whispered. She now realized why Naem liked being an Eldritch. She didn't feel tired or anything despite having performed powerful magic. That had taken zero effort on her part, even though she'd bent reality to bring something from her dream.

What else could she bring? She wondered. Cards? Could she bring stuff that she'd conjured up in there? Like if she dreamt up the cure to cancer, could she bring that back with her?

She would ask Naem the next time she saw him.

"Thanks, Naem," she said fondly.

"Who's Naem?"

Lexie jerked around and found Xena behind her, sitting on the windowsill, holding a book. Lexie's hand flew up to the necklace around her neck, but Xena couldn't see it, according to Naem.

She tried to look and sound normal, shifting the hand over her heart instead. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"You didn't answer my question." Xena hopped off the sill and walked closer, peering at Lexie. "Who's Naem?"

"It's not a person," Lexie hurried to lie. "It's just a saying I heard on the Undernet. Like a prayer. Oh, speaking of which, did I tell you that I got a phone connected to the Undernet? It's neat. Think of how much we can find on there."

Xena didn't look like she believed her dumb lie. She was still peering closely at Lexie.

"You're acting very strangely," Xena said. "Especially when you sleep."

"Sorry, was I screaming in my sleep again?"

"No. You were laughing at points and talking to yourself. It was very creepy. And I'm pretty sure you just said the name of an Eldritch Lord."

Shoot. So Xena knew who Naem was. Of course she did. He was probably famous on the Fae Planet.

"Ah." Lexie laughed nervously. "There's an Eldritch Lord called Naem? That's a weird name. That must have been where the saying comes from, then." Lexie forced another laugh.

"Lexie," Xena said. "Tell me the truth. What are you up to?"

Lexie swallowed. She wanted to tell Xena about her Eldritch heritage, she really did. But she didn't know how the other girl would react, especially given that Lexie was now getting training for her Eldritch powers from an Eldritch.

Xena was a Lightlark, the natural enemy of the Eldritch. Lexie couldn't forget that as well.

She seemed proud of it and happy that her powers were used to rid the world of Eldritch infestations.

How would she react when she found out her best friend was an Eldritch infestation, too?

Sure, a year ago, before Xena knew she was a Lightlark, she would have been freaked out and cautious if Lexie told her about the Eldritch thing. But it would have been easier to calm her down and convince her to keep the secret. She would mostly be worried, though, about Lexie's training with Naem, worried that it would hurt her. But that Xena could be convinced that what Lexie was doing was for the greater good.

However, Xena the Lightlark princess had more responsibilities than caring about Lexie. She had to think of the safety of multiple species on multiple planets. Would she be willing to keep it a secret from Lexie, or would she go straight to Lionel to see if he could exorcise the demon from her?

Lexie wasn't sure. And she had a feeling Lionel already suspected something was going on with her anyway.

"What is it, Lexie?" Xena asked. "You're scaring me."'

Lexie took a deep breath.

I trust Xena, she told herself. She's my friend. If I tell her to keep a secret, she will.

"You know…um…so my dad has this friend..." She froze up. Oh shit. She just realized there was an additional layer to think about. This wasn't just about her. She could be getting Aiden in trouble, too, because he'd consorted with the Eldritch Lord and performed highly illegal necromancy to bring Lexie back to life. Not to mention stealing from the ISTS.

What would Xena think about all that? She might be loyal to Lexie, but she didn't have as much loyalty toward Aiden, especially if she thought Aiden was trying to hurt Lexie.

And if Xena were to tell Lionel what Aiden had done, Lexie wasn't sure even Vacek and the association could save her father.

"Okay?" Xena asked. "Your dad has a friend?"

"What...I mean…I don't know if they're friends exactly," Lexie hedged. "But he knows my dad. He's this guy who's really obsessed with Eldritch stuff. I met him on the Undernet when I was searching for how to get my Uncle Max out of the dungeon. He said he could help me."

Xena paled, then turned stern. "Lexie, stay away from anything Eldritch, especially those freaky Eldritch lovers. I swear to you they can't help you, not without taking over your soul first. Eldritch are deceitful, bloodthirsty, horrible creatures. You should have seen what they did to those poor sprites, and how much they plague all the other creatures on Planet Fae. It was the most horrifying thing I've ever experienced."

Lexie's spirit sank a little. "Yeah, you're right. But I'm just trying to help my Uncle."

Xena sighed. "I get that. I'm super sorry about what happened to Max, but nothing good comes from associating with creatures of the dark. Believe me. I've seen it."

Lexie felt her heart sinking even further, and she faked a smile. "Right. Of course."

She nodded. "Now, don't you have class in a few minutes?"

Lexie checked the clock on the wall and choked. "Oh shit, you're right."

She instantly bolted up and rushed out.

Lexie ended up being late to her Bound Magic class, but it didn't matter because they weren't teaching anything she didn't know already. After that was her first official general combat class.

Later, as she walked down the hall towards the gym, she thought she heard noises. She turned the corner and saw in an empty classroom a mixed group of people surrounding a boy at his desk, who was practically stammering as he tried to plead with them.

The atmosphere was intense as they loomed over him. They were clearly picking on him, and it was so tacky and cliched, it made her sick.

Their victim was the kid with the Tilling bands around his neck, and she could only imagine what this was about. They were probably calling him being a criminal or something.

Two of his bullies were Weiss Wavelost and the Shadowsbane dude, whose first name she couldn't remember.

Suddenly, Weiss held up her hand and a long, sharp icicle formed in it. She held it at the boy's throat, and he quaked.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"I d-don't know," he stammered. "I swear I'm telling the truth."

Self-preservation told Lexie to keep walking, but she flashed back to Tate at SJP.

At least this time, she had the power to actually do something. She couldn't justify walking away now.

She sighed and entered the classroom. "Is there a problem here?"

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