Valeria gasped for air, but she knew that the motion was pointless. Her spirit had detached from her body and she now stood in a world that blazed with Light and brilliance. She felt as if she’d fallen into Nile’s eyes and was now surrounded by crushing power.

The creature who’d greeted her in the bowels of the forgotten castle smiled with a surreal face. She seemed human, but only in the shape of her physique. Her skin glittered as if she were made entirely of living Light. Her eyes blazed like a Hallowed’s and her voice trickled visible waves through the air. “Welcome to the Ether,” she said with an extended hand.

Valeria wasn’t so stupid as to touch this creature in this world of hers called the Ether. She stared at the offered hand until it was rescinded.

The creature giggled. “Don’t worry, saffron child. I wouldn’t harm you.”

Valeria blinked at the creature with doubt creeping through her veins. She rolled her wounded shoulder, the only part of her spiritual body that didn’t gleam with the golden swirls of this place. “Even if I’ve been tainted?” she asked.

The creature frowned at the wound and stepped closer. Valeria didn’t back away. “Malice has grazed your soul,” she observed, “but I can help you.”

“How?” Valeria asked. “If you can help me fight the Dark, then I want to learn.”

The creature smiled. “I am Light, child. If you wish to fight the Dark, all you must do is make a pact with me.”

Valeria clenched her jaw. “What kind of pact do you propose?”

The creature hummed thoughtfully and stroked her chin. Her skin rippled as if she were made of golden water. “Scourge your soul with my power, and grant me a window into your world.”

Valeria didn’t trust this creature, even if she very well may have been the source of Tree Mother’s power. This creature wished for a connection with the physical world, and if Valeria agreed to this plan, she could unleash something that was meant to be locked away. “Why do you need me?” she asked. She risked the creature’s power and stepped closer so that their spirits sizzled against one another. “You’ve tried before, haven’t you?”

The creature grinned. Her brilliant eyes sparkled with delight. “You’re a smart one, saffron child.” She nodded. “Yes. I’ve spread my power through the ground for thousands of seasons, but I’ve only managed to touch the roots of a single tree.” Her smile dimmed. “That proved folly.”

Even if this creature was dangerous, Valeria growled. “Tree Mother cared more for me than you ever have.” She thrust a finger into the darkness that lingered on the edges of this golden domain. “Where were you when my family was slaughtered? Where were you when the angel came?”

The creature frowned as she flowed around Valeria. “I tried, sweet child. I gave Tree Mother all the power she could hold, but it wasn’t enough to save you.” Her finger trailed over Valeria’s shoulder. “That’s why I’ve brought you to me. You must bring me into your world so that I may banish the malice.”

Valeria resisted the urge to move away. “If I agree to be your conduit, what will I get in return?”

The creature hissed with delight as the world around them ebbed into brilliance. “You’ll gain power over the Light itself.” Her gaze swept over Valeria with approval. “You’ve already tasted Tree Mother’s sap. It burns in your veins. I can help you control it.”

Valeria fought against every instinct that told her to run. This creature was Light in its true origin form. It had no soul or purpose other than to fight the Darkness. Such unerring focus could prove dangerous, but it was a risk she had to take.

“And of the Dark?” she asked. “Will you eliminate it from my veins?”

“No,” she said forlornly. “It is because of the Dark that you can survive this power I offer you. There must be ice to temper the flames.” The creature frowned. “The Dark is a pitiful creation. It’s my fault it exists. Light is me, and I am Creation, and even Darkness is an entity that I have inadvertently Created. Where there is Light, there must be shadows. It’s coalesced where there is suffering and separation from the Divine who have created me.” She curled red-hot fingers around Valeria’s arms. Even in her spirit form, raw power burned and sizzled through her. “Help me balance the world, saffron child. Darkness has found a foothold in your realm and I must remedy my mistake. I must face it in your world. There is no one else. You are tainted, but you have survived with Light yet inside of you. You’re the perfect conduit for my mission.”

Valeria drew in a deep breath and filled her lungs saturated heat of the Ether drowned in Light.

She envied this creature, in some ways, to have such unadulterated focus. She, in turn, felt conflicted and lost. She battled with grief and sorrow, and in turn fed the wound of Darkness in her body and soul. Perhaps with the help of this creature, she could stop her sorrow. She could burn it out until nothing remained, and then Nile would have no reason to sacrifice himself for her. She’d become a weapon and rain judgment down on those who failed her.

“Do it then,” Valeria said before she could change her mind. “Fill me with your power, so that I may help you eradicate the Darkness that has overtaken my world.”

The Darkness, Valeria thought, was more than the obsidian shards that speared across her world. The Darkness was in the hearts of men and angels who’d taken everything from her, and she was going to purge it from the world.