The stone steps were cool and slightly damp under Ennéa’s bare feet and in the distance the ocean waves murmured and roared like a dull, throbbing headache. Goose-prickles rose on her arms and Ennéa shivered. It was always foggy and unpleasantly clammy by the shoreline but since coming to this Island, there was no one to demand that she bring a coat -- or wear shoes for that matter -- so Ennéa hadn’t bothered. She rubbed her arms now, wishing that she had bothered.

Ennéa reached the bottom of the cove, more a small cave really, and stood by the steps. There was a torch on one end of the cave and before her was a wall covered over with small strange tablets like a mosaic. A haphazard mosaic though to be sure for Ennéa couldn’t make out any sort of pattern or shape the squiggly marks on the tablets were supposed to make.

Took you long enough. Grumbled a voice from somewhere above her head.

Ennéa started and whirled about, looking for the person who spoke. "Hello?" She called out uncertainly. Even in dark gloom of the cave-cove she could quickly see at a glance that there was no one there with her. She craned her neck to peer up the steps but no one was there either. Maybe this was yet another test? Ennéa made a face at the thought; she was getting quite sick of tests.

She waited, tensed to run just in case the cave walls suddenly started closing in. Nothing happened though and after a couple long moments Ennéa sighed and relaxed. Maddie hadn't mentioned a test when she had come back with her weapon, so maybe it was okay? She hoped so, Ennéa had absolutely no desire to face the squishy room part two, the electric boogaloo, while frantically searching for the right tile or whatever to stop the walls. She dramatically sagged against a wall and then winced as a point of rock jabbed into her rear. She rubbed the spot; it was probably going to bruise.

The voice snickered.

Ennéa grabbed the torch off the wall sconce beside her and gripped it like a small bludgeon. Okay she definitely had heard that laugh and if this wasn't a test, maybe the voice was something else. A ghost? She squinted into the gloom, looking for semi-transparent shapes. Her improvised weapon wouldn’t do her much good as all the shades she’d ever encountered tended to be disconcertingly intangible, but the wooden shaft felt oddly reassuring in her hands anyway.

Ennéa peered around. Nothing, not even a stereotypical wispy sheet. This was getting weird. Ennéa tightened her grip on the torch. “Hellooo?” she called. “Who are you? What do you want?”

The moments ticked by but there was nothing but sullen silence. “HELLO?” she called again, "HELLOOOOOOOOOOO??" Still nothing. "You're a jerk, mysterious voice!" She said finally.

Ennéa stuck her tongue out for good measure and then turned to the tablet wall determined to ignore the voice. It's not like ghosts could really do anything aside from slam doors and be creepy anyway. Is this some kind of puzzle? She switched the torch to her other hand and reached out to touch one of the tablets.

“Yowch!” she yelped, jerking her hand away. Touching the tablet was like getting the worst static shock ever. Ennéa shook her hand and spun around in a circle. "Oooh! That hurt!"

The voice was snickering again.

Ennéa's back straightened but she didn't acknowledge the voice. Thankfully the pain from the shock had quickly faded. She flexed her fingers and then grimly reached out to touch another tile.

And received another zap. "Ooooh!" Ennéa bit her lip and hopped up and down until the pain passed.

She then tried another tile. "Owww!"

And another. "Ack!"

And another. "Owwwwww...."

The voice was really laughing now.

Ennéa ignored the voice and instead tried yet another tablet, this time gritting her teeth and trying with all her might to pull it off the wall. She strained for a couple seconds before quickly letting go with a hiss of pain. Ennéa shook out her hand while the voice laughed some more.

Okay, okay. I can't take this any more. The voice said between snickers. Geez, you're really stubborn, aren't you?

"What?" Ennéa snapped, forgetting she was ignoring the voice.

The tablets. The voice said, with exaggerated care as if it were explaining the most obvious thing in the world. You're doing it wrong.

"How am I doing it wrong?!" Ennéa huffed though curiosity and exasperation at the tablets were overcoming her wariness of the voice. "Is it a puzzle? It's a puzzle, isn't it?" She sighed and leaned against the cave wall, this time taking care to avoid any protruding rocks. "So? What am I supposed to do."

Well, for starters, it's this one, up here. Higher up on the wall a tablet with a glyph Ennéa couldn't quite make out flashed and then glowed dimly.

"Oh." Ennéa bit her lip and studied the tablet, trying to figure out how she could reach it way up there without climbing the wall o' a thousand static electric shocks.

Maybe... no, wait. Ennéa frowned. "How do I know if I can trust you? You were laughing at me earlier."

I laughed because you were being dumb. The voice retorted. Besides, it added loftily, I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing with you.

"I wasn't laughing!" Ennéa said.

Just get the tablet already!

Ennéa sighed and looked back up at glowing tablet. She was tempted to just leave but if she did that she'd only have to come back later. If she kept putting it off for much longer Caelius might just disqualify her as a Hunter. He seemed like the impatient type.

But would being disqualified be such a bad thing? Perhaps she could go home. She could see her mother and Tobias again. Life with shadows wasn't so bad. Mostly.

Though then she wouldn't be able to fight. She'd just be a scared, ignorant morsel like the rest of humanity.

Hordes of monsters like on that training mission, or the death pony from their very first test. The thought of facing them again and other, worse monsters than even that made the small knot of dread twist in Ennéa's stomach. If she had her weapon then she'd have to fight the goat lady.

Stop fretting, you mote! The voice cut through her thoughts. Are you scared? Is that why it took you so long to come here?

"N-no!" Ennéa said defensively."I just... didn't feel like it."

The voice sighed, exasperated. Look, you need me, just like how I need you. I've been waiting here allllllllllllllll this Jack-damned time for you and just you. And it was BORING. So let's go already! CHOP CHOP!

Ennéa started. "Wait, what? You were---"

COME ON!! The voice bellowed.

Ennéa quickly ruled against trying to climb the tablet wall. The wall across from it though had a lot of craggy jutting rocks, as she had discovered earlier, they could work as easy hand holds. She could do it, easy-peasy. Ennéa nimbly started climbing, feeling smug that she hadn't worn her shoes after all as the rocks were damp and slick. She reached near the top of the wall and looked across to the glowing tablet.

The cove-cave really wasn't very large and she truly wasn't very high up nor very far away from the tablet wall.

Or at least it had seemed that way on the ground. Clinging high up on the wall, the tablet on the opposing wall seemed much further away. The ground too for that matter. Ennéa bit her lip, suddenly reconsidering the wisdom of her idea.

Don't be scared, you can do it! The voice called encouragingly. Ennéa realized it was coming from the tablet.

Ennéa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Be brave." She muttered to herself. She then pushed off the wall and leaped across.

Her reaching hands scrabbled on the edge of the glowing tablet and clung on. Ennéa whomped against the rest of the wall and scrunched her eyes shut, waiting for the resulting shocks. None came however, the rest of the wall didn't react. "Huh."

Good job! The voice said approvingly within her head.

Ennéa didn't have much time to think or react beyond that because the tablet in her hands shifted and then popped away from the wall. "Ahhhhhh!" Ennéa yelped and scrambled to get a better grip on the wall. She couldn't and fell with a hard thud to the stone floor below.

"Oooof!" For a moment Ennéa just laid dazed and staring up at the cove's ceiling. The fall had knocked the wind out of her. "Unnngh." She rolled to her side and coughed and winced; undoubtedly she'd have more bruises to go with the one on her rump. "Owie..."

There was something across her lap. For a moment, Ennéa thought it was the torch but the wooden shaft was far too long. It clattered to the floor when she moved.

Hey, watch it! It was the voice.

Ennéa blinked and then gripped the wooden handle. It was an axe, exactly like the one in her dream. Ennéa turned it curiously in her hands, marveling at it. The weapon was heavy but not unmanageably so. In fact, it was so well balanced Ennéa found she had swung the curved metal axe head around without really thinking about it.

In her mind she felt the sweeping gust of large leathery wings, like a bat's or perhaps a dragon's?

Pffft! I'm not a fat-a** dragon. The voice was scornful. Don't you know an Ahriman when you see one?

A huge single eye peered at Ennéa behind her own eyes. It was slit-pupiled, like a cat's eye only far, far, larger and the iris was deep iridescent blue like an insect's shell or a butterfly's wing. Something about the eye's unwavering gaze seemed piercing and terrible, and yet Ennéa found herself looking calmly back.

"You're a giant flying eyeball?" She asked curiously.

Ennéa felt the creatures chagrin. What? No! We're -- oh, here. There was a flurry of images within Ennéa's head. Huge leathery bat wings spread wide and darting, swirling, twisting gracefully in the air. Sinewy legs and sharp claws, proud extended tails, and single eyes all colors, shimmering, beautiful, and deadly.

"Neat!" Ennéa said.

The Ahriman inside her head sighed. Just 'neat'?

Ennéa shrugged. "I still think dragons are cooler. Or ooh! A friend of mine got a four headed serpent!"

You're killing me here, Pinkeye.

"Sorry?"

Ugh. Look, never mind. The eye in her mind crinkled up a little, as if it were forcing a pleasant smile. My name is Baraz.

"You're a guy?" Ennéa asked.

YES I'M A GUY! Baraz said exasperated.

"Oh okay, sorry." Ennéa smiled sheepishly. "I thought so by your voice but it's hard to tell with just an eyeball -- I didn't want to assume."

.....What's your name? Baraz gritted out.

"I'm Ennéa! Good to meet you, Baraz." she said cheerfully.

The axe in her hand glowed and then shrunk into a small bracelet with a blue slit-pupiled glass bead, like a large cat's eye marble. Ennéa, Baraz said solemnlyI'm your weapon, you're my Hunter.

With equal solemnity Ennéa fastened the bracelet around her wrist. It felt warm and reassuring against her skin. Perhaps having a weapon wasn't so bad after all. "Thank you Baraz. I'm ---"

Yeah, yeah. The ahriman interrupted. Can we get out of here already? You kept me waiting long enough.

"Oh, sure."

I'm so tired of this stupid cave and all this stupid fog. Hey, aren't you cold, Pinky? Just looking at you makes me feel cold. Wear a coat next time, geez.You're no good if you get sick.

Ennéa smiled and scampered up the steps.