“Huh?” Ragna starred at the table. The die she had cast showed her its six ebony dots that spelled the end of her gamble.

The pitmen were talking on their phones, relief spreading through their facial expression

She had lost? How did that happen? Their strategy had been perfect. While she rolled the die, Jareth would control gravity to ensure that a Six appeared as little as possible. And once the glove had to recharge, they would stop and take their winnings. That had been the plan, but the game’s events rampaged in her brain a blur. She could barely remember what she had done, and now, she possessed no Honey and couldn’t play anywhere. She was screwed.

֎

“Oh, damn.” Outside the racing ring center, the man from Kemet-Raa sighed. “They really kicked us out. City of sin, my ass.” He blew his nose. “These guys are just like drug dealers working for a club. Law-abiding rebels, are they.” He looked at Ragna and smiled as his shoulders dropped. “It wasn’t really your fault. In the end, we both lost, but it was nice gambling against you.”

“Eh, likewise.” Ragna’s body stiffened, and she rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, can you please tell me your name?”

The man titled his head. “Didn’t I tell you already my name?” He rubbed his eyes, as well, and scratched his temple as if he tried to remove the tiredness from his body. “I actually can’t remember if I told you. That’s strange.” He shrugged. “Well, my name’s Sahyir Al-Assad.”

He reached out with his hand, and Ragna accepted. “Ragna Griffin.”

The two looked at each other, not saying a word to break the silence. Miniscule body movements betrayed their stoic façade and revealed that both tried to start a conversation.

But what should they talk about? How they had both lost their minds? As much as it set her back, she couldn’t blame the pitmen for kicking them out. No one with a screw left in their brain would have continued with those stakes.

Ragna groaned and straightened her body, crossing her arms. “We both clearly wanna talk. And this silence’s getting on my nerves. If you don’t want to spit it out, I’ll just start. About what happened during the gamble-“

Sahyir raised his hand. His posture seemed to shrink, and the confidence he had oozed before didn’t disappeared. “I want to apologize for the things I said.”

Ragna raised her brow. “What do you mean?”

“About wanting to own you. Or that you should entertain me every night or I would behead you.” He lowered his head. “I’ve dishonored your right for dignity and became a caricature of the worst Kemet-Raa had to offer.”

Ragna’s eyes grew bigger. She opened her mouth. But then, she closed her lips.

Her mother used to tell her she should be aware of men from Kemet-Raa. The poor lived in the past, and the rich were hypocrites bathing in milk while those around them starved. They would oppress women and terrorize Aes in the name of their sun god Raa.

And why shouldn’t she have trusted her mother? She had believed her without question despite never meeting a person from Kemet-Raa. Even if her mother had been right, she should have come to her own conclusions and judged for herself. Idiots like herself prevented the world from improving.

“Come on, look me in the eyes.” Ragna smiled.

She couldn’t change the past – though she owed Nephti an apology that she hadn’t realized her ignorance sooner. So, what kept her from bothering Sayhir with it? Lifting the mood seemed to be a better idea.

Sahyir raised his head, surprise etched into his face.

“If you wanna apologize, you could give me the Honey back I’ve lost to you.” Ragna winked.

Sahyir laughed. “Yeah, I could have. But you still lost the game. Whatever happened might’ve been a fata morgana, but they’re not illusions. They’re distortions of what’s far away. In the end, our actions were built upon a kernel of truth.” He raised his arms. “And I truly believe that your actions will change the world.”

Ragna giggled. “You would be surprised how often I had heard that one.”

“If you won’t be able to find a way out of your current predicament, you won’t have what’s necessary to walk the path towards your goals. And I’m confident in your victory.”

He took out a smartphone and started to tap the screen. “But I’m genuinely sorry for my unbecoming behavior during the game. I’ve brought shame upon me precisely because I can’t deny that what I’ve displayed wasn’t part of me. When I arrived in this city, I was playing with the idea of throwing my life away. Heorot was nothing but a disappointment and meeting you would’ve been my last act in the mortal realm.”

Ragna grew alarmed. Her face became pale as the shock largened her eyes. “Wait. You were going kill yourself?”

“But now,” Sahyir continied as if he hadn’t expressed his death wish seconds earlier. “I’ve rediscovered the taste of honey.” A golden gleam appeared in his eyes. “Eagerly, I’m awaiting what tomorrow will bring. So, while I won’t give you the Honey back, I wish to support your journey and follow you into the new world. If you manage to reach Avalon or travel to places further, I’ll give you my unconditional assistance.”

He handed her his phone. “I’m following you now on InstaNorse. Can you give me your number, please?”

Ragna nodded and tipped her number on Sahyir’s device.

Sayhir smiled and waved his hand. “I’m glad we met today, and I look forward to seeing you again.”

֎

Ragna’s stomach started to grumble, and her throat became sore.

Everything had lost its color. White surrounded her. White, white, white – it didn’t matter if she opened her eyes or closed them. She was gazing at the void. The buildings, streets, and humans had ceased to exist. They were gone. The emptiness had swallowed them, and the nothingness remained.

Ragna’s stomach grumbled, and her fingers started to itch.

Water. Food. She needed it.

Her heart raced and drummed like the beats of a trombone.

Did it want to die?

Ragna clutched her chest. Her throat started to itch as if a layer of dust had gathered on it. With her tongue, she ran over her lips, giving them moisture.

Immediately, she sucked the saliva back into her mouth and swallowed.

More. She needed more.

Her breath became heavy, her face blushed, and her body heated up. Beats of sweat formed on her forehead. They traveled down her temple and cheeks, wetted her throat, and reached her chest and arms. More formed over her torso, glittering like pearls. Each of their movements cooled her body and gifted her refreshment. She pressed her arms against her lips and let her tongue roll over. Every bit of liquid did she devour.

But it wasn’t enough.

Ragna pinched her shirt away from her breast. It stuck to her like glue and peeled off her skin like a leaf coated in sap.

She had screwed up. Her treasure, she was about to lose it. No. She couldn’t. Nothing would remain. Nothing was inside her. She had to fill her chest. Gold and pearls, crystals, and all she cared for in the world. No. It couldn’t be empty. She couldn’t be. The void clung to her. It devoured her insides, spreading its nothingness into every fiber of her existence.

Altera. Where was she? Where was Altera?

Ragna looked in every direction, but her friend wasn’t there. Her body trembled. Electric signals raced through her nerves into her brain. She bit her finger and clung to her arm.

She needed her.

She needed to speak to her. They had to talk about the future. What did they want to do? She needed to see her face: her crimson eyes; Her hair mixed white and teal in a way that shouldn’t be feasible. Her beauty shouldn’t be possible. She eclipsed all the humans in existence, whether it was Aura, Graswald, or anyone else. She shouldn’t be possible, yet she existed.

Again, Ragna looked around. She couldn’t find her.

Why?

“Everything okay?” Within the void, a figure appeared. Dark like a shadow and black like a silhouette, standing out from the emptiness, without revealing any features.

Could it be?

A smile appeared on Ragna’s face. For a second, hope and thoughts had stilled her hunger.

Violet light radiated from the figure. It cast off the darkness and revealed Grendel’s image.

“You’re not her.” Ragna let her head down. “You’re not my Valkyrie.”

“Your Valkyrie?” Grendel scowled. “That’s quite greedy.”

“I need to see her.” Ragna raised her head. Her eyes glimmered like electricity, and she swallowed her saliva.

Any moment, she could snap and etch her teeth into flesh. “I need to protect my treasure. My happiness, my future.”

“And for that you need her?” Grendel’s scowl turned into a grin. “What dragon are you who can’t protect her treasure? Why do you need her?”

Ragna exhaled. “What’s the point?” Her lips trembled. “Ah, talking is annoying. I need to see her. Bring me to her.” She looked deep into Grendel’s eyes. “Fulfill my wish, and I’ll make your desires reality. How can you bring justice if you can’t help me?”

“That’s a low blow. You’re really deep into it, so I’ll let this one go. Also, I’ve no idea where Altera is.”

“I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Why can’t I see her?” The luster in Ragna’s eyes intensified, and she continued to gaze at Grendel. “Ah. It’s annoying. I think I’m losing my mind. What’s going on with me? I get it. I get you can’t see her because I don’t know where she is. And she doesn’t answer her phone. Probably hasn’t figured out how to use it.” Ragna chuckled. “She can be quite clumsy. But doesn’t that make her cute? Despite all her flaws, all the obstacles in her way, she still rises to the top. She’s a true hero. Altera’s my stupid, beautiful, amazing hero. After everything, she still doesn’t hate the world. Sure, sometimes she falls head-first into the mud, but she still gets back up. She still loves the world, and I’ll make sure that one day, she’ll love herself.”

“You talk a lot about her. I’m getting jealous.” Grendel averted his gaze. “Isn’t that unfair to Eric?”

Ragna giggled. “Aren’t you beating around the bush? Why are you using Eric as an excuse to hide your feelings?”

Grendel. Grendel. Grendel. How cute he could be. He talked about justice and helped her with her problems. Despite his own impossible and self-destructive ideals, he tried to subdue his selfishness for her. Or perhaps did she bring out his selfish side? A lost soul seeking an utopian dream in face of the cruel reality – Did anything more beautiful exist?

Grendel didn’t answer.

“Fine. I’ll tell ya. I like Eric, too, and I’ll help him with his problems. And yours as well.”

Grendel stepped back. He lost his composure and looked at Ragna. “Me?”

“Of course. Just because I love Altera doesn’t mean I can’t love anyone else. My heart’s big, you know?” She spread out her arms. “There’s room for tons of people. Who says I can’t love more than one person?”

Grendel smiled. “That’s greedy.”

“Well, I’m a dragon.”

“That makes two of us.”

Ragna’s pupils turned to slits. “I’ll love everything I want, I’ll take everything I love, and I’ll protect everything I have. No matter what it takes. Even if it’s from the world itself.”

“And I’ll bring justice to the world, no matter how far I’ll have to go.”

Grendel’s eyes turned to slits as well.

Both of them stared at each other. Their eyes shone and sparked like electricity, and their gazes deepened as if they wished to explore the other’s soul. Even after everything had forgotten to exist, they still chose to ignore everything but each other.

And they kissed.