One. Two. Three—

Tabby counted each step as she strode into the shadows.The darkness embraced her, umbral tendrils wrapping around her limbs like fingers, tugging at her to urge her forward. She offered no resistance. Wisps of deep violet and verdant hues danced in the black ether, offering scant light. They swirled about – over, under, to the left and right – demarking, in the most nebulous way, a tunnel, a path for her to follow. A hundred steps in, she noticed a void in the distance, a black hole in which none of the faintly glowing wisps existed.

Her footfalls made no sound in this unnatural gloam, though whispers could be heard to either side of her, erratic and accusing, hissing out imprecations in a hundred unknown tongues. Though Tabby could understand nothing of what they said, their words stung with the petty annoyance of tiny insect bites. The corners of her mouth twitched, dragged downward into a slight frown by unbidden thoughts, by doubts bleeding from the meager wounds left by those esoteric barbs.

She drove herself forward – five hundred sixty three, five hundred sixty four – until she stood at the void, a plane of nothingness hanging before her, barring her path. The void rippled like inky water, and a voice boomed, not in her ears or her mind, but in her blood and spirit.

Daughter, came the voice, deep and resonating, its tone and timbre both familiar and unknown. Welcome.

Before Tabby could stop herself, she asked, “Daughter?”

You are the Daughter of Chaos. Enter.

A hole tore open in the center of the void plane, twisting and expanding like the aperture of a camera lens until it revealed a vast chamber beyond, a round amphitheater with dozens of rows of smooth marble benches in descending concentric rings encircling a recessed arena. Overhead was inky black like a night sky, and in that darkness hung a thousand scintillating motes of light shimmering like distant stars. The room, bathed in a strange ambient glow, looked too large to fit within the spire, larger than any colosseum or concert venue she had ever visited. A singular path, gradual stairs between the benches, led from the entry to the arena floor, and Tabby followed it numbly as she took in the scope of the tremendous hall.

“What is this place?” she asked as feet left the last step. She cautiously walked toward the center of the sunken platform.

What is any place? the voice responded. It is the sum of your various perceptions.

She turned as she walked, casting her gaze about. “Why am I here?”

A soft thrum reverberated in the distance from all directions at once. Do you wish to return home, Daughter of Chaos?

“I mean, of course I do!” she exclaimed. “And why are you calling me ‘Daughter of Chaos’?”

Judge for yourself, it said, and fathomless shadows fell, the points of light above winking into nothingness. The thrum drew louder, more insistent, sweeping inward toward her, then a shaft intense radiance ignited before her like a spotlight. Standing in its center was a woman of a height with Tabby, platinum locks brushing past bare shoulders. She wore scant clothing, and a smirk played on her painted lips.

Ava.

Then another light, and a third, and more until familiar faces surrounded her. Will. Shar. Clayton. Nera. Mr. Zen.

“What’s going on h—” she began, but Ava interrupted her.

“When we met each other, you stumbled all over me,” she said. “I fell for you because I saw you falling for me, but when you learned what I was, you turned me away. Why?”

Tabby wheeled to face Ava, her face a mask of shock. “I—” The words caught in her throat. “I never meant to hurt you, Ava. I just want something that’s – gah! Is it wrong to want something just for myself?”

“Despite the fact that we love each other, you chose not to build a life with me. Is this what you want, this separation?”

“Your feelings for Ava are sin,” Will interjected, his tone harsh. “Sin deserves punishment. You’ll be judged for the choices you make today, Tabby.”

Tabby gawped at her boss. “Will—?” she gasped. He’d never spoken to her this way, never used his faith as a cudgel to bash at her. She spluttered out a response. “N-no, no, that’s not right. That’s not you, not something you would say!”

“Do you need to have me all to yourself, babe?” Ava continued.

“I n-needed—”

“You needed an easy way out,” Clayton huffed. “Always the path of least resistance. Never challenging yourself, even when you have the opportunity.”

Tabby spun, desperately seeking answers in the eyes of others. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to escape. “Nera…?”

Nera laughed, her voice haughty and mocking. Her wings unfurled, spreading out into their azure glory, feathers stretching beyond the bounds of the shaft of light ensconcing her. “I never really cared about you. I just liked the attention you gave me. Your idealization of who I am was intoxicating, and not true at all.” She drew her wings back in. “You don’t actually know anything about me.”

Ava strode over to Nera’s side, her spotlight following along with, merging with the aura surrounding Nera. She slid an arm around the winged woman’s waist. “Do you not realize that the ilk I run with are the same as me?” she asked, and the two women laughed derisively.

“Vanity,” Will intoned. “All is vanity.”

Tabby sought refuge in Shar’s eyes, but the woman snorted, chittered something in the language of the Y’suru, then added, “I don’t trust you, Tabby, not after what you did. If you want me to trust you again, you’ll have to earn it.”

Her words struck Tabby like a punch to the gut, and she reeled. Staggering back, she dropped to one knee, head hanging, locks of sun-bleached hair framing her face. She could dismiss the others’ words. Yes, they stung, and maybe some of them held a grain of truth. But the Tabby knew her Y’suru friend felt strongly the very words spoken in this strange place. She let one tear fall, then a second, but cuffed the rest away with a swipe of her palm.

“I… I didn’t do anything to you, Shar,” she said in a low tone as she rose slowly to her feet, her words growing in volume until they reached a booming crescendo that echoed through the amphitheater. “I never asked Moki to threaten you, never wanted her to threaten you. I didn’t— do— anything!” She felt untempered pneuma flow through her, drawn from somewhere within the spire itself, growing until she could no longer contain it. Power burst from her, a magenta blast arcing outward like a ring of lightning with her at its epicenter.

The world came to a sudden stop and, one by one, the spotlights winked out until Tabby stood alone with Mr. Zen. He remained inscrutable under his hooded cloak, but he inclined his head, nodding past her.

Clack-clack! came the sound of high heels against stone. Tabby turned slowly, as if moving underwater, her eyes going wide as a tall demonic figure approached, imposing and beautiful. Ice gripped Tabby’s spine, its chill radiating out along her limbs, all the way to her fingers and toes, and she tensed, unsure what was to come.

“Tabitha, darling,” Ruinica said, her voice dripping with a sweet, venomous nectar. “You’ve caused me no small amount of troubles. The least you could do is admit what you really want.” She extended her arms as if offering an embrace as she stepped closer. “Me.”

Tabby held up one hand as if to ward off the woman – as if that could ward off the woman – and shook her head. “Rue, I never meant—”

“I never meant this, I never meant that. Is that all you can say for yourself, dear girl?” Rue took another step toward Tabby, and the young woman shrunk back. “Please. I can teach you to stand up for yourself. I can give you the tools you need to be the strong woman you deserve to be. All you have to do is worship me.”

You have that within you already, a voice growled inside her. You are the wolf, not the lamb. I have seen this, and know it to be true.

The thought – the words, the sensation – took hold of Tabby, and she straightened. Her eyes flashed with azure light. “No, Rue. I—”

“You what, Tabitha?” Ruinica interrupted. “What excuses will you make now, what reason do you have to reject me?”

“Enough! This farce is over!” Tabby shouted. “I am the wolf!”

A form rose up behind the demon, majestic and ominous, a mountain of muscle and white fur, eyes burning with a sapphire light mirroring Tabby’s own. The great white wolf snarled and pounced, bearing Ruinica to the stone floor, its teeth gnashing, jaws snapping. It tore the effigy of Rue, the representation of Tabby’s fear, into shreds, bits of flesh melting into wispy curls of smoke before fading away. Then it padded over to the young mage, touching its cold nose to her cheek.

You are the wolf. I am the wolf, it said. We are the wolf.

“Miss Truepenny,” came Mr. Zen’s voice from behind her. “Your trial is over. It is time to return home.”

And without further warning, shadows enveloped her, dragging her downward.