Dark Divide ✓ [WLW]

Chapter Three - Opposites Repel

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𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐕𝐘𝐋𝐘𝐍 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐀𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄, the first thing she noticed was how dry her throat was. She felt absolutely parched, like she'd swallowed the entirety of the Barren Desert in her sleep. Her skin danced with licks of fire, burning the crimson smoothness as she forced herself to sit up and wipe a hand across her sweat-slicked forehead.

The next thing she realized was the fact that she hadn't a clue where she'd ended up after falling unconscious.

The pain that had clamped at her gut had subsided, lessening into a dull throb that only flared when Evylyn moved. But it was replaced with a dizzying headache, incessant thirst for water, and an aching body.

Looking beside her, a wax candle provided her with enough sparse light to take in her surroundings. She picked up the candle, wax dripping onto the base in uneven clumps as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She was laying in a bed, and the blanket draped over her was scratchy and made of wool. Kicking it off, she sat up straight. Everything was dark, but the flickering light of her candle was enough to dimly illuminate the dully beautiful room.

Two small wardrobes sat next to the bed, made of dusty, weathered wood. And the only other thing Evylyn could see was a plethora of decorative plants scattered around the room, sitting in cracked clay pots.

Before she could process anything, a head poking through the open door ahead of her startled her to the point of nearly dropping her candle. She fumbled for the base, and the flame went out with an incensed hiss as acrid smoke rose into the air. Sighing, she readjusted the candle's base as she glanced towards the door.

Her... visitor didn't seem to mind her clumsy moves, however, as they bound into the room. "You're awake! I thought I heard something moving in here."

The woman jumped onto the bed in one swift motion and lit a hanging fixture above Evylyn with ease. A warm, amber glow immediately bathed the room, and Evylyn could see this woman really liked the color green. The walls were a deep green, the blanket curled up next to Evylyn was the same shade as moss, and the overabundance of plants was far too much green.

"Do you need anything? Water? Food? Another blanket? Looks like you didn't like this one," the woman said, picking up the blanket with a dimply smile before letting it fall back onto the bed. "You know, I was starting to think you wouldn't wake up!"

"Who are you?" Evylyn croaked, wincing as three simple words burned at her throat more than they should've. It was painfully obvious this girl wasn't out to hurt her–unless she was a coveted mastermind waiting for Evylyn to let her guard down–but Evylyn didn't think she needed to prove that by practically screaming.

"Me?" The woman blinked owlishly before tilting her head. "No one's asked me that in a long time. You know, I was starting to forget my name!"

When the woman's radiant grin was met by Evylyn's blank stare, her smile did not falter. Instead, she leaned forward, a little too close to Evylyn.

"Name's Vareia!" she said, wiping a hand on her green pants. They looked soft.

"And... where is this?" Evylyn asked, slowly blinking as she tried to wrap her head around all this. The unfamiliar texture of the blanket, the warmth of the room, this... Vareia practically yelling... it was all overwhelming, and certainly not helping Evylyn focus.

"Oh, this is my cabin."

Evylyn looked at Vareia, absorbing the woman's appearance. She had pale green skin, flecked with an incredible amount of freckles that almost looked like dirt. A messy mop of brown curls adorned with flowers nearly hid Vareia's two antlers, which were interwoven with vines and flowers. She had the permanent markings of a Valeriak hunter drawn onto her face–two dark green lines from the outer edges of her eyes that trailed down to her rounded jaw. She was a demigoddess.