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Nick opened his eyes slowly. The world around him was hazy, merely a sea of green. Is this an emerald hell? He blinked his eyes, trying to calm the haze. It’s like all the green coloring is draining my strength and life force... Will I eventually become a green decayed body? Images of the first landscape he saw passed through his mind. The rotting field where only tanned bones grew... That land was putrid and horrific, but in some ways better than this bright hell of green things. Is the land in Safaiananpou blue? I’d never been outside the darkness long enough to notice. He chuckled to himself. Apparently only two colors exist in this world: black, the shadows, and emerald, hell. That’s all I know. I’ve been told that sapphire, topaz, and ruby exist also, but… What’s a topaz? What’s a ruby? These words are familiar, but I don’t know why... And what’s sapphire? Is it His Majesty who rules the lands? Is it the demons who call it home, like Brian? Is it Minako, its supposed savior?

“So… You’re awake?” a male voice questioned.

Nick blinked and turned his head. The blonde haired man with pale horns protruding from the strands of his hair smiled toward Nick. He then turned back to the cackling fire he was attending.

“Brian?” Nick questioned.

Brian nodded, “Of course…” Brian poked the fire once more, then turned back toward Nick, “You didn’t think I was the emerald general, did you?”

Nick leaned his head back against the tree trunk. “Well, no…”

Brian chuckled, “Is it possible to be so gruesome?”

Nick shook his head, “I don’t know… I just didn’t recognize you without the hat.”

Brian smiled, “Of course. What’s a priest without his hat?” He started laughing, then turned to Nick more seriously. “Are you hungry?”

Nick blinked, “Am I hungry?”

“Yes, that’s what I asked...” Brian blinked, “You don’t sound sure… You do eat, right?”

Nick nodded as he gripped Minako tightly. He took in a sharp breath as he picked her up and trudged over to Brian. He lay Minako on the ground so she could continue to sleep peacefully and sat down jerkily as though he was collapsing. “I don’t eat much, but…”

Brian handed Nick one of the fish he had cooked. It was crisp, as was the stick that protruded from it. Nick smiled and began eating slowly.

“Why not?” Brian questioned, grabbing a fish of his own.

Nick chuckled, “Where I come from, there was never a lot to eat. The darkness isn’t home to many things...” He lowered his head, “You asked earlier where I was traveling from… The truth is, I don’t really know… The capital is an okay place to say since that’s the last place we were, but it’s not really true…”

Brian took a bite from his meal and nodded slowly. “You know… I come from the western side of Safaiananpou, next to Topazuseihou. There are a lot of mountains in that area. It’s a very nice, quiet part of the country. People are very friendly, but we always kept to ourselves…” Brian lay one hand across his knees, “The mountains are beautiful though. They shine with a brilliant blue color all through the night, and all during the day they are a brilliant gold.” He laughed, “There’s a legend that in order to keep peace, the countries of Safaiananpou and Topazuseihou signed a treaty that ensured the mountains would change color half way through each day and then change back the next day.” He chuckled some more, “Of course I never believed it…” He turned to Nick, “Tell me about where you’re from.”

Mountains… I haven’t been there, where Brian says he’s from, but I know that word… Mountain... Why? Nick shook his head and finished his fish as he shrugged, “It was somewhere high up and forgotten… And always dark... I lived and breathed darkness for as long as I know. I can’t remember anything except the stale smell of the darkness. Minako keeps asking, but I don’t remember my family at all... I vaguely remember an older demon, not family, but… It still feels like I was always alone…” Nick frowned, swallowed, and then peered into the fire.

Brian handed him another fish, “Here. There’s plenty.”

Nick shook his head, “You and Minako need to eat...”

Brian pushed it closer to him. “I made sure there was plenty. You practically swallowed that first one whole. Keep eating, as much as you want.”

Nick took it, but continued to frown. “It seems strange to me that His Majesty is one of us, but beloved and respected… It seems strange that you found a profession and get to travel all these places… And then there is the general of Emeradotouhou who has soldiers at his call… All of you seem so respected and happy… You have memories of more than the darkness…” Nick looked up at Brian and half smiled. His eyes, however, were like puddles of water, reflecting the loneliness of his heart, “How nice it must be to be lucky like that…”

Brian chuckled, continuing to eat, “Perhaps, you’re the true lucky one. Pandora came to you.”

Nick took another bite, swallowed, then smiled, “That’s true… I’m very happy that Minako came to me. Because of her, I’ve met so many wonderful people, breathed different air, saw different sights... I’m so glad… I’m so glad because I feel myself becoming something stronger than I used to be, someone worthy of existing... Before there was only darkness… But Minako bathes me in only light. It feels… safe and warm...”

“You keep saying ‘Minako,’ do you mean Pandora?” Brian questioned.

Nick nodded, “In her world, she received the name Minako Mikagi and she said she wanted to be called Minako... I guess, they don’t call her Pandora there.”

“How strange…” Brian paused, “Pandora is Pandora. Do they not view her as a savior?”

Nick glanced at her with his typical gentle smile, “I’m sure she’d share her light with everyone… but I guess not…”

“That is a disappointment…” Brian paused, “She could probably rescue both our worlds from darkness.”

Nick glanced at Brian briefly, “Wouldn’t that be nice? Worlds without darkness that were forever bathed in the light of the priestess Pandora…”

Brian chuckled, “It may be a far off dream, but Pandora can make it so with her wishes. Our savior...”

Nick gazed into the fire. I don’t want her to be a savior… I only want her to hold me in her light for a little longer and stay with me… Only me... “Names are interesting… I remember being called Nickolas, but she called me Nick when I told her my name… And it broke my heart to hear it, but it made me really happy. So I thought that it might make her happy too if I stopped calling her Priestess and called her Minako instead.” He smiled up at him, “I’m sure it would make her happy if you called her Minako too.”

Brian shook his head, “It was strange… I’m always called Brian, but… like you said, hearing her say it broke my heart and made me happy all at once. But I couldn’t call Pandora anything else… Our priestess…”

Minako stirred as her brown eyes found clarity. The conversation of the two demons flicked against her face like the light of the flames. She pushed herself off the ground with her hands and slid across the grass to lean on Nick’s uninjured side.

“So good to see you up, Pandora,” Brian smiled.

Minako smiled and gave a small wave in reply as she blinked, still not quite awake enough to speak. Brian held a fish out for her.

“To eat?” Minako questioned.

“It’s good for you,” Brian smiled, “There’s plenty!”

“It’s the first thing you’ve eaten since yesterday...” Nick chimed in.

Minako twirled it in her hand, “It’s looking at me…”

“There are stranger things you can eat….” Nick smiled.

“Says the demon who ate grass,” Minako shook her head.

Nick shrugged, “My stomach was injured. It’s like herbs.”

Minako smiled at him incredulously, “You’re surprised? Our first night with Howie, you ate all of your dinner, a whole second helping, and half of mine.”

Nick blinked, “You don’t waste food, Minako…”

Brian chuckled, “So you do eat?”

Minako leaned her head on Nick’s shoulder and fluffed the hair at his forehead, “Okay, but you don’t keep eating until you get sick.”

He smiled and touched her cheek gently. “I won’t… But it’s good. You’re hurt. Eat.”

Brian glanced at Minako, then at Nick’s bare feet and tattered pants, before silently handing him another fish.

Nick took the fish and smiled at her, “I’ll eat with you.”

Minako frowned “Okay… I am hungry, but...” She held her nose and took a large bite.

Nick blinked, “Is that how you eat this?” He mimicked Minako and took a bite.

Brian laughed, “Not that I’m aware of.”

Minako moved the stick from her mouth and laughed. “I don’t normally like fish. The smell makes me feel sick...”

Nick pointed to the grass and smiled as he took another bite.

Minako shook her head, “It’s not just like medicine, Nick.”

Brian laughed heartily

Minako smiled, “Do other people get to do this here? It’s fun....”

“Do what?” Nick took another bite.

“Sit out here in the sunlight with friends while eating fish…” she leaned back on her hands and gazed toward the sky, “I don’t like fish normally, but… Here it’s kind of nice… To smile and laugh… To relax...”

Brian bit his lip for a moment and stared upward toward the sky, following Minako’s gaze. The world did seem peaceful, too peaceful for the emerald country.

Minako smiled as she turned her eyes toward Brian. “Brian?”

“That’s difficult to say,” Brian answered, “None of the countries are really at peace, so it’s difficult to confirm people could potentially enjoy these comforts… And if they could, it would seem like they would be too afraid of the state of these war ravaged countries… among other things...”

Minako nodded and turned back to the fish in her hand, “I guess that makes sense...”

Brian turned to her, “I’ve heard that Pandora gets three wishes if she obtains and opens the box. What would you wish for, Pandora?”

Minako put her hand to her face and stared back at the sky, “I want Safaiananpou to have peace and I want Renee back… Other than that, I haven’t really considered it…” She shook her head, “That’s not true... The last one, I think I’d ask for something for Nick...”

Nick turned to her in surprise. “For me?”

She smiled, “In the beginning, I only wanted to go back to Renee and our world. And that still seems possible… but harder…” She lowered her head, “But all these things I’ve experienced and seen only happened because I came to you and we left that darkness. Anything to make you smile.” She put her hand on his cheek and rubbed her thumb against it as she smiled . “So when Howie said I could wish for anything, I wanted you to have that last wish if I can, for anything you want.”

Nick blinked, but then his lips curved into a gentle smile. He shook his head and ran his hand through her hair, “You hold on to it, in case you need it. Anything I want is already in the box or…” He pulled her closer and leaned his head on hers, “Or you already gave it to me…”

“Nick…” She pressed a small kiss to his cheek, then beamed at him.

Brian coughed lightly. “There was one other thing, Pandora…”

Minako turned to him with a smile, “Brian?”

“Somehow, we must escape Emeradotouhou. It’s too dangerous for us to stay here. We can’t use the gate we came in, because I’m sure the emerald general has soldiers out looking for us, but… There is one hidden gate that lies between Safaiananpou and Emeradotouhou that is virtually empty.”

Minako sat up straight and blinked, “How come no one uses it?”

“In order to pass, your heart must be judged.”

She leaned forward, “How?”

Brian put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. “They say it is weighed for its purity.”

“To judge your sins…?” Minako blinked as she took another bite from the fish, forgetting her aversion to the smell.

Brian nodded and shrugged, “Something of that manner. It is also said that a woman must accompany you, so most of the travelers don’t use it regardless in case that requirement is true.”

“They’re afraid of their impure hearts?”

Brian shook his head, “Travelling during these times is dangerous. Most people would not set foot outside their own town.” Brian leaned back on his hands, “Traders are usually the only ones who travel in their own country, let alone through the others.”

“Why did you leave your city?” Minako questioned, then turned to Nick briefly, then quickly back to Brian, “I know why we left, but why did you?”

Brian chuckled a little, “Well, in this time when people search desperately for something constant, the clergy is needed in vast areas.”

Minako smiled, “Then you’re a priest?”

Brian nodded, “Yes, I am a priest. In this world, there is something missing and everyone wants something to fill that void…” Brian fingered the beads at his neck, “Religion is a good choice, don’t you think?”

Minako held on to her knees and rested her head on top of them, she smiled a little. “There is something missing… Something everyone is searching for desperately… In my world, I think that there was something we treasured a long time ago…”

Brian rested his chin on his hands and stared intently at Minako as she spoke. It was like reading a book for the first time, just when all its secrets were about to be revealed. What was her world like? What did the people do? What did they want? What did they dream about? Was it a world of only darkness? Death? War? Destruction? Or did the people there experience happiness? And love? Did they get to have hope? Were they filled with light? Nick turned toward her also. She rarely said anything about where she came from. All I know is that a girl from her world is named Renee and Minako desires to be with her desperately. And that the women from that world all dressed alike in strange lightly colored clothes, apparently…

Minako took in a breath, “It was something that always made us smile… There is light, but when I went back it was cold… It’s heartbreaking that it disappeared and no one even remembers it… Something we all long for… More than anything…” She raised her head and smiled again, “I suppose it is like our box. Something we can’t remember got sealed away and we’re all searching for it desperately.”

Brian blinked, “In your world… Something got sealed away too?”

Minako nodded.

“Do you know where it is?”

Minako shook her head as her eyes grew downcast, “It’s hidden somewhere, maybe not in our world at all… Someone is hiding it from us… But, maybe… Maybe it doesn’t want to be found…”

Nick frowned, “Why would you say that?”

“When I was little, I got lost once. My mom searched for me all over town. I wanted her to find me, so I searched for her too. We finally found each other, because we were both looking for each other…” Minako stared up at the sky, “If something or someone really wants to be found, it's searching for you just as desperately as you’re searching for it…”

“An item can’t go looking for you though,” Brian shook his head, “Our box does not have legs or a voice.”

Minako laughed a little, “No, I suppose it doesn’t… But if you really are searching for something desperately, it seems to call out to you, I guess it's like it wants you to find it.”

Nick frowned again. Calling desperately… “What about the box?” He leaned over, “Aren’t we searching for that desperately? Does it call us?”

Minako shook her head, “I don’t know… When I imagine the box, all I see is red…”

Nick blinked, “Why ‘red’?”

Minako turned her head slightly, “I don’t know… I know it’s not the color, maybe it’s something red… Like blood?”

Brian put his hands to his face and pondered, “So whenever you imagine the box, you picture death…?”

Minako shook her head, “Blood isn’t the only red thing. Apples are red, cars are red… Almost anything can be red... Maybe blood makes the most sense if this search is hard… And because there’s already--”

“C-cars?!” Nick interjected, “What’s a car?”

Minako laughed, “It’s a machine. In my world people use it to go places. It’s like a cart, I guess… Except it runs on its own and isn’t pulled by a horse.”

Brian blinked, “Your world must be full of sorcerers… Everything is so… animated.”

Minako laughed, “No, no. Technology just got better.”

Nick put his head in his hands and groaned. Carts that ran on their own? They were red? Technology? What was this weird place Minako came from? The sorcerers there must have been extremely powerful! He felt a sharp pain in his head and winced as he opened and closed his eyes slowly, trying to regain control of his body.

Minako continued to laugh, “I’m sorry, this is too much for you, isn’t it?”

Nick blinked and took a breath, “No, I’m okay… But speaking of sorcery…” He reached into his tunic and handed Minako the orb. He smiled, “Most of our stuff is gone, but I saved this for you.”

Minako smiled as she grasped the orb and she pointed it toward Brian. It gleamed with sapphire light. “Shield… and…” The waited for the next character to appear, “To travel…” She smiled, “You are who you say.”

Brian laughed. “Is this some sort of demon locator device?”

Minako nodded. The orb suddenly sparkled with bright light as a new character appeared on its surface. Both demons leaned over to read it with her. “To heal…” Minako blinked, “Scale…” The glowing subsided.

“Scale?” Nick questioned.

Brian gasped, “If that’s some sort of demon locator, then it must mean the demon is at the gate crossing where the heart is weighed!”

Minako held the orb close, “The fourth cardinal demon is located in the direction we’re headed?!”

Brian stood and nodded, reaching for his hat. “But they may leave shortly… We’ll have to hurry!”

Minako stared up at the darkening sky. “But, it’s almost night…”

Brian doused the fire with the remnants of the fish’s water in his hat and turned his head from them. “I didn’t want to tell you… I was afraid you would worry…” Brian clenched his free hand into a fist, “The general found out we were hiding here…”

Minako gasped.

“I put up a ward to protect us, and I managed to wound him, but…” Brian swallowed, “But if we do stay here until morning, we could get killed. I’m weakened from the ward and Nick is still wounded… As are you, Pandora...”

Minako put her hands to her face. That fearsome general, his blows were like ice… He was so strong and his eyes were filled with only hatred… Minako’s hands shook. He found us? And Brian was hurt too…

Nick stood up as well. “Then we have no choice. We’ll have to leave now.”

Brian turned to him, “Can you manage?”

Nick nodded, “I’ve had most of the day to rest and the food really helped me a lot. Thank you, Brian.”

Brian beamed. “I’m glad I could help.”

Minako stood up, “It’s okay, if we have to leave, we should! Besides, the first character for the demon was ‘to heal’ so that means that he may be a doctor! He can help both of you get better!”

Nick nodded and unfurled his wings. They trembled slightly as they flapped.

“Is it really safer to fly?” Brian questioned, clutching his staff and putting his hat on his head.

“Safer?” Nick asked, “I don’t know, but we’ll get there faster.”

Brian nodded and flapped his wings as well. He used his foot for leverage and launched himself from the ground. He looked down on Nick and Minako, “I happen to know the way to the gate from the air, so we should get there in no time!”

Nick nodded and grabbed Minako’s waist.

“Hang on!” Minako exclaimed, “Are you sure you can carry me?!”

He tightened his grip on her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Let’s go!” He used his foot for leverage as well and pushed off the ground. The rest really had helped. It’s easier to fly now and I can lift Minako and speak. He held Minako close as he followed Brian toward the gate where the heart was forced into judgement. Even as the darkness crowded around them, the stars began to shine in the black sky. They were the lights to guide them away from the city.