CHAPTER 137

A spectral hand appeared on Emily's shoulder. It was made of shadows, and when it squeezed, she sat up straight and looked around.

"Everything okay?" Amymone didn't even look up from her book.

"Yeah, just a cold chill up my spine is all." She closed the book and looked into the sky. Her blonde curls draped over her back and shoulders and caught the sun's light, creating the illusion that she was surrounded in a golden aura. "Say, Amy, I was wondering something."

"Wait." Amymone held up one finger while she finished the page she was on. At the end of her fingertip, a large maple leaf uncurled itself, and she tucked it into the book to mark her place. "Okay, what's up?"

"You ever wonder where a portal from your tree would go?" Emily looked over at the large oak tree that was about twenty feet from the edge of the fountain. "Only special trees can be used as portals, and once they are linked, it's permanent. But your tree can be any type of tree, right? So, you could probably become a portal tree."

"And?"

"It's probably nothing, but...now I wonder. You and your tree are the same entity, in a way, which means your tree is sentient. It was just a weird idea I had, that maybe your tree could be used to open a portal to somewhere else, like the greenhouse. A place that's been folded away from the world."

Amymone bit her lip in contemplation, her dark eyes looking up as if she was trying to access files buried deep inside of her brain. "Huh. You know, I'm not sure. I mean, based on how the tree portals work, the logic makes sense, but you would need to have a pretty clear image of where you were going."

"I see." Emily opened the journal once more to look at a picture of a tower that had been drawn inside of it with great detail. "Interesting."

Yuki's hand was now crushing Mike's. Rather than chastise her, he placed his free hand on her wrist and gave it a squeeze.

"Just memories," he reminded her.

"But why?" Her voice had an edge to it, so he pulled his hand free of hers and wrapped his arm around her. She was cold to the touch, but he held her anyway.

"She's a restless spirit. She's trying to show us something." He really hoped it was important, and that they weren't just headed to a sticky end. The smoke rolled through again, and he took a deep breath of anticipation. Whereas the memories might be painful for Yuki, he was already getting some answers to questions he didn't know that he had.

Emily appeared before them, standing in a room he recognized. It was the hidden room in the tower, and a dark figure hovered in the middle of the room. It was the shadow man, and he was holding his hand out to her.

"She will die, you know? They all will die, but the fox means something more to you, doesn't she?" The shadow's form was frayed along the edges, as if a single errant thread might cause him to unravel. "I'm offering you experience and knowledge for such a small price."

"I'm not sure." Emily's arms were crossed. "It's a piece of my soul. What will happen to it?"

"It will be very safe with me, I assure you. It won't even hurt. It'll be a part of you that you don't even realize is missing." A grin spread across the shadow, which created an opening in his head like a comical stick figure. "As of now, you are destined to fade from this world, never having advanced to the next stage of the game. You are one of the last players, which means you have a chance to win it."

"I want to know more about this game. I keep having these weird dreams about it, but they never make any sense."

The shadow nodded. "Every Caretaker's journey is different, and some of them never once heed the call. And should you win, then you could be looking at the ultimate prize: immortality. Centuries to spend with your beloved, maybe even the power necessary to extend her lifespan as well."

"Immortality comes at a price. That's one of the first rules of magic." Emily had stiffened up, withdrawing from the shadow.

"That is correct. However, this game pre-dates the rules of magic. It creates a loophole, as you would call it."

Emily bit her lip, then looked at the stairs behind her. Mike imagined that she was picturing Yuki, asleep on their bed and blissfully unaware of what was about to happen next.

"I can feel your love for her. It is a warmth that I crave for myself, but will never know unless you pay the price." The shadow's tone had shifted, and he was now pleading. "One small piece is all it will take, and you can have forever with her if you want."

"I... I..." While Emily debated her response, Mike felt Yuki tighten her grip on him. He squeezed her back, causing a sob to break free.

"I accept." Emily held out her hand, and the shadow took it, and a dark tone played that caused ripples to spread across the scene, changing it so that they were now in the Library. Emily was by herself, and was frantically pulling books down from the shelves.

"No, I will not. I will not!" She was shouting at nobody that could be seen, and then her face twisted up and her eyes turned black.

"But if you don't, you will never be able to save her or the others." She was speaking again, but her voice was different now, deeper and more threatening. "She would want you to have it, to use its magic to complete your spell."

"No!" Emily shrieked and grabbed at her face, her hands curled up. It looked like she was about to claw her own eyes out. "I can't do that to her! I've already left her in that tower for so many years, I..."