Lemony stood in that endless black space. It felt like a century had passed, or maybe even more.

  He was just a small shape in a world of nothing.

  The only thing he could see was that one memory playing over and over again. His parents smiling, the crate of lemons, and the sound of the merchant's wagon pulling away.

  He watched his own life like a bad movie. He saw the guards hitting him and the Master's son lying about the murder.

  For the first time, he didn't just feel empty.

  He felt a sharp, stabbing heat in his chest. It was actually hurting him. He gripped the dark ground, his fingers digging into the void.

  I want it to stop, he thought. I don't care if I die for real or if I go back. I just want to be something other than a shell.

  "You've been stuck between life and death, I see," a voice said.

  Lemony jumped.

  In front of him stood a being that didn't make sense. It looked like a god, or maybe a ghost, or even something that wasn't supposed to exist at all.

  It didn't have a real face, just a shape that hurt to look at.

  "Who are you?" Lemony asked. His voice sounded like it hadn't been used in a thousand years.

  "I am no one," the being replied. It stepped closer, the darkness rippling around it.

  "Do you want to stay alive, little lemon?"

  Lemony froze.

  He thought about the cold, the hunger, and the wolves.

  But then he thought about Sissy's face when she looked at him with worry. The fact that he had actually tried to save someone for once.

  "Yes," Lemony said.

  "I want to live."

  The being let out a loud, echoing laugh that shook the realm. "I see! Your wish is fulfilled."

  Before Lemony could say anything else, the being reached out and shoved him. Lemony tumbled backward, falling into a hole that appeared out of nowhere.

  "What!?" he screamed. He fell through the dark, the wind whistling past his ears.

  Wait, if I go back, does it still hurt? Is she still there? I don't want to be alone again.

  "AHHH!!!"

  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Lemony's eyes snapped open and he let out a jagged scream. He sat up so fast his head spun. He wasn't in the dark anymore. He was in a cave that smelled like damp earth and old forest.

  "Lemony! You're alive!"

  He turned his head and saw Sissy in the corner. He blinked, rubbing his eyes.

  She looked... perfect.

  There wasn't a single scratch on her. Even her hair, which the wolves had hacked off, was long and bright again. Her wings looked strong enough to catch a hurricane.

  But, Sissy didn't even wait.

  She jumped across the cave and landed right on him, hugging him so tight he could barely breathe. She started singing a happy, nonsense song and laughing.

  "Why are you fine?" Lemony croaked, pushing her back a little so he could look at her.

  "Why am I fine? We literally fell off a mountain. We should be pancakes right now!"

  Sissy grinned and pointed toward the cave entrance.

  "We were saved by a really kind individual! Fiji! Come here!"

  The ground started to shake.

  It wasn't a small tremor; it felt like a giant was walking outside. A massive shadow blocked the light at the entrance. It was a gigantic rock creature covered in thick, green moss and small flowers.

  "This is Fiji," Sissy explained, her voice full of excitement.

  "He's a Mossback. I dragged us for hours until I literally couldn't move, and then he found us. He has this mosswater that heals anything. He's like a legendary species or something!"

  The giant creature leaned its head into the cave. Its eyes were like big, glowing pebbles.

  "I... Fiji," it said. The voice was deep and slow, like stones rubbing together. It sounded like a kid who didn't know his own strength.

  "What!?" Lemony stared at it. "He can't even speak right."

  "He told me he hasn't talked to anyone in like... forever. So, he forgot how to speak the normal language since he's been down here all alone."

  Lemony looked down at his hands.

  The scars from the ropes were gone.

  The ache in his ribs was just a memory.

  He felt better than he had in his entire life.

  He thought about those hundreds of years in the dark realm---even if it had only been a few hours in the real world, the weight of it was still on his soul.

  I'm actually back, he thought. I'm not a slave, and I'm not a ghost.

  I'm just Lemony.

  He stood up, his legs feeling a bit shaky, and walked toward the massive mossy leg of the giant. Sissy got worried, thinking Lemony might say something mean or try to hit the creature. She rushed over to stop him.

  "Lemony, wait, don't be rude—"

  Lemony ignored her. He reached out and placed his hand on the cool, damp moss.

  He looked up at the giant's glowing eyes and actually smiled. It wasn't a fake smile or a nervous one. It was real.

  "Thank you, Fiji... Thanks for not letting us die."

  Sissy just stood there, her mouth hanging open. She couldn't even find the words.

  This was the same guy who looked like he wouldn't care if the whole world burned down as long as he had a shovel in his hand.

  But here he was, looking at a giant moss monster with a literal smile on his face.

  Not a smirk. A real, genuine smile.

  "You're a pretty cool guy, Fiji. You've got a good heart for someone made of rocks."

  Is he actually being nice? Sissy thought, her head spinning. Did the impact scramble his brain? He's talking like a normal person.

  Fiji let out a low, rumbling sound that seemed like a chuckle.

  "Food... I find food," the giant rumbled.

  He turned around slowly, his massive footsteps making the cave ceiling shed bits of dust. Lemony actually stood there waving at him until the mossback disappeared into the forest of the abyss.

  Once the giant was gone, the cave got really quiet. It was just the two of them, sitting in the dim light of some glowing fungi on the walls.

  The silence was heavy. Sissy kept glancing at him, then looking away.

  Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Lemony... why did you smile?" she asked.

  Her voice was small.

  "You always said you didn't have feelings. You said you were just a tool. How can you just sit there and grin after almost dying?"

  Lemony looked down at his hands, his smile faltering a bit. He tried to laugh it off at first.

  "I don't know. Maybe hitting my head on a rock finally knocked a gear into place. It's not really a big deal."

  "It is a big deal," she said, looking him straight in the eyes.

  "Tell me the truth. What happened to you while you were out?"

  Lemony's expression changed. The light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a dark, heavy look, even though a small, sad smile stayed on his lips.

  "I was in a dark place. It felt like I was there for a hundred years," he started. His voice was low, vibrating in the small space.

  "I saw my whole life on loop. I saw my parents trading me away for a box of fruit. I saw every time I was hit, every time I was called trash, and every time I had to bury someone I knew because they were just 'used up.'"

  I realized that for my entire life, I haven't actually been alive. I was just a shell that moved when it was told to. I didn't have emotions because if I felt anything, the pain would have killed me a long time ago. I had to be empty just to keep standing."

  He took a shaky breath, his fingers tracing a scar on his arm that was now healed.

  "I lived as a lemon my whole life. Something to be squeezed until there's nothing left and then thrown in the dirt. That's all I ever was."

  Sissy felt a lump in her throat. She looked at the ground, feeling terrible for even bringing it up.

  "I'm... I'm so sorry, Lemony. I didn't know it was that bad."

  "It's alright," Lemony said. He looked up at her, his eyes shimmering.

  "Have you ever cried, Sissy?"

  Sissy felt shy and rubbed her arm.

  "Yeah. Plenty of times. I even cried when I thought you were dead back there on the rocks."

  Lemony nodded slowly. A single, clear tear finally escaped his eye and ran down his cheek. He looked up at the cave ceiling, watching the drop fall.

  So this is what it feels like, he thought. It's actually warm.

  "That's the first time I've cried in years," he whispered.

  He looked back at Sissy and saw that her own eyes were welling up.

  He let out a weak, dry laugh. "Why are you about to cry? I'm the one who had the rough life, remember?"

  He reached over and picked up his red coat. It was torn and stained with dried blood, but he held it like it was made of gold.

  He looked at the entrance of the cave, thinking about the climb back up, but then he saw Sissy's expression.

  She wasn't laughing back. She was looking at him with so much pity and kindness it made him feel exposed.

  "I can't even imagine it," she said.

  "The pain you've been holding onto... Lemony, I know you're trying to be brave, but you don't have to be. You want to cry. I can see it. You want to cry so hard it hurts."

  Lemony blinked, feeling confused. Why is she even saying that? I already dropped a tear. Isn't that enough?

  "Let it out," Sissy said, her voice cracking.

  "You deserve to let it go. You don't have to be a shell anymore."

  I deserve it...? Lemony thought.

  The words hit him harder than the ground ever did. No one had ever told him he deserved anything other than more work or a kick in the ribs.

  The dam finally broke. It wasn't a choice. It wasn't something he decided to do.

  His face crumpled and a loud sob ripped out of his chest. It was a horrible, raw sound---the sound of a decade of misery finally coming out.

  He covered his face with his hands, but the tears just kept coming, hot and fast. He sat there, shaking, sobbing into his palms.

  It hurts, he thought through the crying. It hurts so much to feel this, but it's real. I'm actually feeling something.

  He remembered every time he wanted to scream back at the guards.

  He remembered the cold nights in the Pamon mansion where he just stared at the wall.

  He had been told that crying was for the weak, and that he'd be punished if he made a sound.

  But here, in this cave, there was no master.

  There were no guards.

  He finally let himself be weak.

  He finally managed to cry.

  As he sat there, gasping for air and wiping his eyes, he realized the emptiness was being washed away. He was gaining his heart back, piece by painful piece.

  Lemony finally let the last of the sobs out. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his tattered red coat, his eyes red and puffy.

  He felt exhausted, like he had just run a marathon, but his chest didn't feel like a hollow cave anymore. He looked at Sissy and gave a small, tired nod.

  "Thanks, Sissy," he said.

  "I mean it. I think I really needed that."

  He had spent his whole life around people who treated him like furniture, so having someone actually care about his soul was a weird, new feeling.

  He stood up and started stretching his limbs, his bones popping in the quiet cave.

  Sissy wiped her own eyes, trying to look tough again, and asked if he was ready to figure out a way back to the top.

  "Fiji actually said he knows a way out of here. A path that doesn't involve dealing with the Malphas or climbing through the clouds," Sissy mentioned, her wings fluttering.

  Lemony didn't even hesitate. He shook his head.

  "No. We're going back up. The others are up there, and those wolf bastards are still running around. I'm not leaving those guys behind."

  Sissy sighed, but she didn't argue.

  She knew he was right. Just then, Fiji rumbled back into the cave, carrying some strange glowing berries. He stopped and stared at them, his pebble-eyes blinking.

  "Eyes... leaky?" Fiji asked, sounding concerned.

  "We're fine, big guy. We're going back. Up the mountain. To the Peak," Sissy explained, reaching up to pat his mossy arm.

  Fiji tilted his massive head. He looked sad, or as sad as a rock can look. He didn't want his new friends to leave, but he understood.

  "Mountain... tall. Good luk... small. Live."

  They left the cave, stepping back out into the freezing air of the abyss.

  Above them, the Peak of the First Rib stretched up so high it literally disappeared into a thick layer of gray, swirling clouds. It looked impossible to climb.

  Lemony squinted, looking at the sheer cliffs.

  "Okay, genius. How the hell are we supposed to get back up there? I'm a cat, not a mountain goat. My claws are good, but they aren't that good."

  Sissy smirked, stretching her wings. They looked vibrant and strong, the feathers shimmering like oil on water.

  "Who said anything about climbing? I'm just going to fly us up."

  Lemony stared at her like she had grown a second head. "Are you kidding? Can you even fly that high with me on your back?!"

  "I can try!" she chirped, sounding way too happy about the prospect of a heart attack.

  "Are you trying to get us killed again!?"

  "We just got healed! I don't want to go back to the dark realm because you wanted to become a bird!"

  "Yehehehe!" Sissy laughed. Before he could run away, she lunged forward and grabbed him by the waist.

  "Wait! Wait, wait, wait—!"

  She didn't wait. With a massive flap of her wings that kicked up a whirlwind of snow, she shot straight into the air.

  Lemony let out a scream that was definitely not masculine.

  The ground dropped away so fast it made his stomach do a flip-flop. Sissy wasn't just fluttering; she was soaring. She grit her teeth, her eyes locked on the clouds above.

  I have to be better, she thought, her muscles burning. I have to be a scout like my sister. I won't let the wind beat me this time.

  She hit the cloud layer at full speed. It was blindingly white and freezing. Lemony felt the g-force pulling at his face.

  "Am I going to die!?? Is this the end!?? Sissy, you brat, put me down!"

  He actually passed out for a split second from the sheer pressure.

  When he opened his eyes, they had broken through the clouds.

  The sun---or whatever passed for light in this realm---hit them for a moment before Sissy tucked her wings and dived.

  They plummeted toward the snowy ledge of the Peak.

  At the last second, she flared her wings, slowing their descent just enough to slam them both into a deep snowdrift.

  Lemony tumbled out of the snow, coughing and hacking. He looked like he had been through a blender.

  "What the hell was that!?" he screamed, shaking snow out of his ears.

  "You almost killed me! Again!"

  Sissy stood up, shaking herself like a wet dog. She looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

  "Oh, stop crying. You're back on top, aren't you? And look, you didn't even throw up while I flew. I'd call that a win."

  Lemony growled, pointing a finger at her.

  "I am never, ever letting you carry me anywhere again!"

  "Sure you would," she said, laughing. "Now come on, grumpy. We have a base to find."

  Lemony stood there for a second, catching his breath while the freezing wind whipped his red coat around. He looked toward the distance, then back at Sissy. His face wasn't empty anymore. It looked like he actually had a plan.

  "I'm not going back to the base yet. I have someone I need to find first."

  Sissy tilted her head, her wings giving a confused little flutter. "Someone? Who else is even out here besides wolves and bone-trees?"

  "Just someone," Lemony replied. He didn't want to explain the gut feeling he had, or the weird pull he felt toward the snowy plains. He just knew he couldn't go back yet.

  He started jogging away, his boots sinking into the fresh powder. After a few yards, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder, giving her a big, clumsy wave.

  "Bye!!! Try to stay alive without me, please!" he shouted.

  Sissy watched him go, a real smile spreading across her face. She didn't yell back or call him a jerk this time.

  "I'll try! Don't get eaten!"

  She watched his red coat become a small dot against the white landscape.

  For the first time in centuries, the air didn't feel quite so heavy. They had survived the fall. And now, they were actually going to do it. They were going to leave this place once and for all.

  Lemony ran through the snow, his lungs burning but his heart feeling light.

  I'm coming for you, ancient beast... Malphas!