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Description
As the sun began to set, an elf girl named Yulaan headed home with a sigh. She wanted to play just a little longer, but Mama and Papa would worry.

One day while rolling down a hill, (for so did she entertain herself), she went crashing into a small thicket and found herself covered in a dome of white and blue flowers, the sunlight filtering through in thin rays. Delighted by the sight, she made it her personal, secret playground, one that even her only other playmate-- her younger sister-- knew not of.

However, as for her secret friend, Sin, she did not mind disclosing its location to him. Having met the strange little fox-serpent at a very young age, when all the other children had turned away from her, she considered him her closest friend. But she told no one else about him; though her parents had never warned her to stay away from undead creatures, she knew from the other villagers it was the norm to do so, and so she knew she couldn't let anyone discover him.

In any case, it was from this secret grotto she was returning, a little frustrated by the need to go home so soon. But, nonetheless, leaving it of her own accord was better than anyone else finding out about it.

As a thick wall of lush vegetation scrolled by her side, she heard a strange sound. And as the cool breeze of the evening brushed her face, she smelled a strange smell.

'A fire?' The smoke made her eyes water and her nose itch. 'That's weird. Who'd start a fire here...?'

But as she moved on, she did not see a camp. A sudden anxiety panged her heart.

'Is someone's house burning? I hope everyone's okay...' But more so, she hoped it wasn't her house. She was yet a child, after all, and to her the thought of losing her books and carefully collected plushies was very troubling, more so than the thought of losing family or friends, which was such a worry as had never crossed her mind; for whenever the possibility of it arose, she would think, That'll never happen to me. I'm too young.

And so, with the thought of her belongings nagging at her brain, she started at a jog, then a run, as the smoke grew thicker and the roaring louder, her mind too few of days to realize that one house would never make so intense a spectacle.

And then, there it was. The village, up in flames.

The fire poured into her eyes and flooded her veins. Her heart grew cold, as if it had died in her chest. For a few seconds she stood frozen, paralyzed, waiting to realize she had somehow seen it wrong. Then all at once she felt the reality punch her in the gut and send her heart racing.

'No...' Full of fear and despair, she could do nothing but turn and run, desperate to get away. The thought of searching for her family and trying to help them hadn't occurred to her. She just needed to escape this, to wake up.

And so she ran and ran, and as the night grew cold and far too dark to see, it dawned on her that she was not going to wake up. Refusing to let that thought come to fruition, she kept running until her toes would not bend, and her calves grew heavy, and finally her knees gave out from under her.

As she lay on the ground, skin pulsing with thick blood, heart palpitating and teeth chattering, she began to sob and scream.

'What am I gonna do now...?' she thought. For indeed she had no home, and her family...

From within the thicket, Sin's ears picked up her wailing with glee.

"Yulaan?" he called. "Yulaan? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"No," the child choked, "I'll never be okay again!"

"Why, what happened?"

After she managed to briefly explain her situation, Sin feigned a pained look. "Why, you poor, poor child! How ever will you go on? Why, when people see such things, you know they never forget them. Ever does it haunt them, and never do they find comfort. They are driven to madness, or self-harm, or suicide, or all of them, because every time they close their eyes they see it."

She was horrified. "What do I do!? I can't live like that!"

He smiled. "Well, that's where I come in. You see, my fangs have a special poison that can make you forget all about it, and make you happy again, if but for a short time. But in order to give it to you, I must bite you and drink some of your blood. But that is a fine price, I think. Don't you?"

So young and foolish, poor Yulaan fell for every word the little animal told her. She offered her arm, and promptly he chomped down, his fangs piercing the great vein, and his other sharp little teeth tearing into her flesh. It hurt miserably, but she trusted her friend, and awaited the effects of the poison.

And, surprisingly, as he said, the venom did work... Only, it had other effects, as well. Her body grew cold as her vision turned red.

Properly full, he let go and rubbed his belly, licking the remaining blood from his lips, laughing as Yulaan fell over dead.

***

But Yulaan didn't stay dead. About a week later her rotting carcass twitched.

"Uggghhh...," she croaked. "Sin?"

He was nowhere to be found. She stood up. 'Why am I so cold...?'

Suddenly, the memory crashed into her skull. With a groan, she fell to one knee. As Sin had said, the image of the flames haunted her psyche, driving her to loud tears. 'I need this to end,' she wailed to herself. 'And I need somewhere to stay... since my home... is gone...'

Some hours later she managed to calm herself enough to begin looking for him. After all, surely Sin would be able to help somehow. "Sin!? Where'd you go!?"

Desperate to find him, she started into the woods, not yet realizing the condition of her body. Happening upon a small family of goats, she hobbled over. "Excuse me--"

They screamed as soon as they saw her. "UNDEAD! UNDEAD!" they shrieked, running away before she could say anything more.

'Undead?' And with terror did she realize what they said was true. Already had her flesh begun to peel away. 'Of course... It's because Sin bit me... Why didn't I ask him if there was some other way!?' In any case, however, she still thought that maybe Sin would know a cure, or could at least offer her a place to stay.

After scaring off a few more people and animals, she at last fell down and started to cry. 'No one's gonna trust me...'

Then she heard footsteps on the trail. She gasped and hid in the thicket, not wanting to scare anyone else away. But as she watched, she saw that it was a human wizard, also an undead, in a deep red robe. Hoping one of her fellow undead would be more friendly, she scurried into his way.

"I-I'm sorry to trouble you," she said, "but... Do you know a black fox-serpent named Sin? I need to find him..."

He chuckled. "Know him!? I'm one of his students. My name is Lust."

"I see... I'm Yulaan. B-but what do you mean, student?"

"You don't know? Sin is a master of black magic and other such dark arts. He trained me some time ago..." His voice trailed off as he stared wistfully into the forest.

"Okay, but do you know where he is?"

"Hm...? No, not at all," he laughed. "Sorry, kid."

She looked down with a groan. "You need his help, don't you?" She nodded.

"Well, what do you need from him? Maybe I can help."

"I need to forget...," her voice trailed off.

"To forget? Yes, I can do that, easily. Hold still for a moment."

Desperate for some comfort, she clenched her eyes shut and stood stiff as a board.

The wizard chanted some eerie incantation, energy building in his staff, then a few seconds later, abruptly whacked her on the head with all his might.

After he did this, she felt the magick pouring down her blood vessels. For a second it seemed as if it had driven out all her pain, save for a terrible knot on her pate, and at last the haunting image was burned out of her head. But immediately after the rush faded away, her flesh broke out in terrible, itching boils.

Lust cackled loudly. "Well, you asked for it. See ya later, kid," he laughed down the trail.

Now she was absolutely miserable. Just to get one boil to stop itching she would have to scratch until it bled, and they healed quickly, the itching starting up right away. And that's not to mention the ones she couldn't reach.

In despair, she started her search again, but this time even more people were scared away by her appearance.

'I don't get it. Why are they so scared of me?'

At last she saw another undead wizard in the way, this one appearing as a black, anthropomorphic wolf in a long black robe.

"Excuse me! Please, wait!" At this he turned with a stern look, his tiny red eyes boring into her.

With a gulp, she explained her plight. "So, if you know him, can you tell me where he is?"

The sharpness of his gaze dulled, ears lowering. "No. I don't know where he is. But I was a student of his, as well. I could help you, if you'd like."

Once more desperate beyond reason, she said, "Yes, of course! Thank you, Mr...?"

"Hate." And with this he stepped forward, and cruelly bludgeoned her. Once Yulaan was left a bloody mess, he sneered, and continued on his way.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, she sat up trembling, now in yet greater pain, covered in blood and bruises. 'If only there were some way to make people trust me... I can't go on like this much longer...'

Finally she managed to find yet another wizard passing through, this one an elf like herself, but with long, blonde hair and deer-like antlers.

She hobbled over and fell at his feet. "Please... Please help me..."

Looking down his nose, he pulled his luxurious green robe closer and backed away a few steps. "Fine, if it'll get you out of my way."

"Sin... Do you know a fox-serpent named Sin? I need to find him... please..."

"Sin? I haven't seen that old furball in ages. Hm... But you do look miserable, and I really must be going... Here, I'll help you." He muttered a strange and eerie incantation, as Lust had, but this time summoning a bottle full of some kind of sweet-smelling nectar into his hand. He poured it over her head.

At last, the physical pain subsided. Yulaan stood. "I... I feel better! Thank you so, so much! Tell me, what's your name?"

"Vanity, student of Sin," the elf said. "Now, really, please get out of my way."

With a smile Yulaan tore through the woods in her search, happy to finally be free of her pain. But then she sat down by a river to drink.

Immediately she started in fright at her reflection; if she had looked undead before, the current state of her countenance took the cake. A terrible rot had overcome her body, her face hideous and contorted with decay.

With a groan she sat back, so much confusion and sorrow swirling 'round her little head. 'I just need a break...'

Some time later she saw another wizard napping (and looking quite comfortable) under a tree, this one's appearance like a big, fat cat. Approaching him cautiously, she saw a name inscribed on his staff; Greed.

"Um... Excuse me, Greed... Please, wake up. I need to ask you something. It's very important!"

He groaned, rubbing an eye with his wrist. "Huh...? Ask me something...? Okay... but make it quick..."

"There's a fox-serpent named Sin who lives in these woods. He's my friend, I need to find him. Please tell me you know where he is."

"Hn...? Sorry, little one... I don't know... Nobody knows where he goes... You can't find him... He finds you... I got lucky when he decided to take me on as a student..."

Yulaan sighed heavily.

"Say, kid, you don't shound so good... Uh... you need a little help there...?" he slurred.

"Of course! But so many people have fooled me today..."

"Don't worry... I'm not a trickster... Just a Good Samaritan... Look, I have a little cake here... Eat it..."

Reluctantly accepting the treat from his paw, Yulaan took a small, hesitant bite.

It was delicious.

Breathing in the rest of it, Yulaan suddenly felt all her troubles fade away. But this high immediately began to fade with the aftertaste in her mouth, and as they dissipated, so did a sudden ferocious hunger bore into her belly.

"Thank you so much, sir! May I have another?" she begged.

"Nope... That was my last one..."

But already she was in physical pain. "Do you have any other food?"

"Huh-uh... I ate it all myself..."

Suddenly, it dawned on her that she had been tricked yet again. In a huff, she stormed away to the backdrop of Greed's wheezing laughter.

"Sin's students are all so terrible... I need to tell him as soon as I see him. He'll straighten them out."

Then at last, some hours later, as nightfall began, she collapsed under fatigue and hunger in the forest. Finally Sin appeared.

"Yulaan!? You look terrible! What happened?"

"Your students," she said. "Lust, Hate, Vanity, and Greed. I went to each of them for help, and all they did was trick me and hurt me."

Sin laughed. "So you've met them all already? Yes, I've taught them well..." Her heart lurched.

"And the best part is, you never realized I tricked you, too," he laughed.

Yulaan's eyes widened. "No..."

"That's right. I'm the one who burned down your village." He burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Didn't your parents teach you not to associate with the undead? And now you are one! And not even the greatest wizard in this forest can undo my curse on you. Heehee! Be seeing you!" And he bolted off into the thicket.

Yulaan cried very sorely, writhing on the forest floor in such agony, until at last she fell asleep.

She woke up early the next morning, finding herself once more covered in boils and aching, the memory burrowing into her skull, on top of her hunger pains. 'I'm gonna die,' she thought, 'or, at least, I hope I die soon. I can't take this anymore...'

But as the sun rose, she noticed a scent in the air, one not commonly smelled in the woods; frankincense and myrrh.

The sweet, warm scent gave her a feeling of calm. Looking up, she noticed a glowing white figure heading down the trail, the sun behind him; a person in a white robe with a yellow cord tied about the chest. Whoever it was, his face was hidden under the shadow of the hood.

This one gave a different aura than the others; his felt light and clean, like fresh linen, or a cool breeze. Yet Yulaan looked back down, curling up on the ground, no longer having the energy to ask for help.

His footsteps stopped. Slowly, he started over towards her.

"What are you doing there?" he asked in a layered voice, the three parts harmonizing together like harp.

She didn't respond.

For a moment he stared at her, before muttering some brief incantation. This one did not sound eerie; it was almost like a lullaby, each layer of his voice taking a different part.

Yulaan cringed as she felt her body shift back into its previous state, hunger pain fading, until at last she realized she was no longer miserable. In fact, even the horrible memory which had stained her mind released its stranglehold, and looking at her hands, she found them cured of their undeadness.

With that, he turned to continue on his way.

"W-wait!" she cried, shooting up. "Don't go! Who are you? How'd you do that?"

But he ignored her. She scrambled onto the trail and started after him.

"Wait! Please! Who are you? Where are you going!?"

The longer she followed him, the farther away he seemed to get, no matter how fast she ran. At last, before he got out of earshot, she cried, "Why'd you help me? What did I do?"

Finally he stopped. "You didn't do anything. I just felt sorry for you." He continued.

That was it? She hurried after him. "But, wait! I have to thank you somehow."

"There's nothing you can do to help me, daughter."

Daughter? She walked on in silence now, realizing he didn't seem to be getting farther away anymore. 'I need to know where he's going, at least.'

Around mid-morning they began up a hill that grew steeper and steeper towards the top. To her amazement, even as it became nearly 90 degrees, such that she needed to stop walking and start climbing, he continued on without a problem, walking up the wall as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Finally reaching the top at noon, the sun blazing brightly in her eyes and forcing her to clench them shut, Yulaan's trembling arms threw her up over the ledge. Noticing something else very bright in front of her, the light of which did not hurt her eyes, she opened them.

Her jaw dropped. Before her was a city of pure gold with gates of pearl. The man she had been following stood before the gates, and slowly they opened for him.

"Do you want in?" he asked, turning to face her for the first time since she began her pursuit.

"Of course!"

"Then go in."

She blinked, looking from him to the guards which stood on the other side with drawn swords.

"Don't worry about them. I'm their King; they saw me give you leave to enter."

Their King!? In an awestruck daze, she wandered into the city. All about it were streets of gold and mansions of ivory, massive crystal statue-fountains, plants a lusher green than she had ever seen, a sheer blue sky which lacked a sun, and all sorts of people and animals living in perfect peace and harmony. Some of the fountains contained white lotuses in their basins, and about the columns of the mansions grapevines and ivy curled and flourished. There were no gates, not even any doors. And each lawn was a garden of sorts, full to bursting with beautiful flowers, and trees and bushes in full bloom.

For a moment she stood in awe of the sight.

"Do you want to stay here?" the King asked.

Of course; she had forgotten all about her need for a home. Yulaan nodded.

"Then follow me."

And so they walked through a winding road to a massive diamond castle. Passing by several large fountains and a garden full of all kinds of strange plants she didn't even know existed, they entered the mighty stronghold, legions of winged soldiers inside.

"I'm granting this girl citizenship," he stated, this time the voices each carrying a different tone; one gentle, one authoritative, one somewhere in between.

Immediately two of the winged people flew over, one carrying a bottle of oil, the other a white stone.

The King poured some of the oil over her head; "I the King declare this girl a citizen of Heaven." Taking the white stone from the other winged man, he gifted it to her. "And this is your new name."

Smiling from ear to ear, she read it to herself; Valkea.

Description
As the sun began to set, an elf girl named Yulaan headed home with a sigh. She wanted to play just a little longer, but Mama and Papa would worry.

One day while rolling down a hill, (for so did she entertain herself), she went crashing into a small thicket and found herself covered in a dome of white and blue flowers, the sunlight filtering through in thin rays. Delighted by the sight, she made it her personal, secret playground, one that even her only other playmate-- her younger sister-- knew not of.

However, as for her secret friend, Sin, she did not mind disclosing its location to him. Having met the strange little fox-serpent at a very young age, when all the other children had turned away from her, she considered him her closest friend. But she told no one else about him; though her parents had never warned her to stay away from undead creatures, she knew from the other villagers it was the norm to do so, and so she knew she couldn't let anyone discover him.

In any case, it was from this secret grotto she was returning, a little frustrated by the need to go home so soon. But, nonetheless, leaving it of her own accord was better than anyone else finding out about it.

As a thick wall of lush vegetation scrolled by her side, she heard a strange sound. And as the cool breeze of the evening brushed her face, she smelled a strange smell.

'A fire?' The smoke made her eyes water and her nose itch. 'That's weird. Who'd start a fire here...?'

But as she moved on, she did not see a camp. A sudden anxiety panged her heart.

'Is someone's house burning? I hope everyone's okay...' But more so, she hoped it wasn't her house. She was yet a child, after all, and to her the thought of losing her books and carefully collected plushies was very troubling, more so than the thought of losing family or friends, which was such a worry as had never crossed her mind; for whenever the possibility of it arose, she would think, That'll never happen to me. I'm too young.

And so, with the thought of her belongings nagging at her brain, she started at a jog, then a run, as the smoke grew thicker and the roaring louder, her mind too few of days to realize that one house would never make so intense a spectacle.

And then, there it was. The village, up in flames.

The fire poured into her eyes and flooded her veins. Her heart grew cold, as if it had died in her chest. For a few seconds she stood frozen, paralyzed, waiting to realize she had somehow seen it wrong. Then all at once she felt the reality punch her in the gut and send her heart racing.

'No...' Full of fear and despair, she could do nothing but turn and run, desperate to get away. The thought of searching for her family and trying to help them hadn't occurred to her. She just needed to escape this, to wake up.

And so she ran and ran, and as the night grew cold and far too dark to see, it dawned on her that she was not going to wake up. Refusing to let that thought come to fruition, she kept running until her toes would not bend, and her calves grew heavy, and finally her knees gave out from under her.

As she lay on the ground, skin pulsing with thick blood, heart palpitating and teeth chattering, she began to sob and scream.

'What am I gonna do now...?' she thought. For indeed she had no home, and her family...

From within the thicket, Sin's ears picked up her wailing with glee.

"Yulaan?" he called. "Yulaan? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"No," the child choked, "I'll never be okay again!"

"Why, what happened?"

After she managed to briefly explain her situation, Sin feigned a pained look. "Why, you poor, poor child! How ever will you go on? Why, when people see such things, you know they never forget them. Ever does it haunt them, and never do they find comfort. They are driven to madness, or self-harm, or suicide, or all of them, because every time they close their eyes they see it."

She was horrified. "What do I do!? I can't live like that!"

He smiled. "Well, that's where I come in. You see, my fangs have a special poison that can make you forget all about it, and make you happy again, if but for a short time. But in order to give it to you, I must bite you and drink some of your blood. But that is a fine price, I think. Don't you?"

So young and foolish, poor Yulaan fell for every word the little animal told her. She offered her arm, and promptly he chomped down, his fangs piercing the great vein, and his other sharp little teeth tearing into her flesh. It hurt miserably, but she trusted her friend, and awaited the effects of the poison.

And, surprisingly, as he said, the venom did work... Only, it had other effects, as well. Her body grew cold as her vision turned red.

Properly full, he let go and rubbed his belly, licking the remaining blood from his lips, laughing as Yulaan fell over dead.

***

But Yulaan didn't stay dead. About a week later her rotting carcass twitched.

"Uggghhh...," she croaked. "Sin?"

He was nowhere to be found. She stood up. 'Why am I so cold...?'

Suddenly, the memory crashed into her skull. With a groan, she fell to one knee. As Sin had said, the image of the flames haunted her psyche, driving her to loud tears. 'I need this to end,' she wailed to herself. 'And I need somewhere to stay... since my home... is gone...'

Some hours later she managed to calm herself enough to begin looking for him. After all, surely Sin would be able to help somehow. "Sin!? Where'd you go!?"

Desperate to find him, she started into the woods, not yet realizing the condition of her body. Happening upon a small family of goats, she hobbled over. "Excuse me--"

They screamed as soon as they saw her. "UNDEAD! UNDEAD!" they shrieked, running away before she could say anything more.

'Undead?' And with terror did she realize what they said was true. Already had her flesh begun to peel away. 'Of course... It's because Sin bit me... Why didn't I ask him if there was some other way!?' In any case, however, she still thought that maybe Sin would know a cure, or could at least offer her a place to stay.

After scaring off a few more people and animals, she at last fell down and started to cry. 'No one's gonna trust me...'

Then she heard footsteps on the trail. She gasped and hid in the thicket, not wanting to scare anyone else away. But as she watched, she saw that it was a human wizard, also an undead, in a deep red robe. Hoping one of her fellow undead would be more friendly, she scurried into his way.

"I-I'm sorry to trouble you," she said, "but... Do you know a black fox-serpent named Sin? I need to find him..."

He chuckled. "Know him!? I'm one of his students. My name is Lust."

"I see... I'm Yulaan. B-but what do you mean, student?"

"You don't know? Sin is a master of black magic and other such dark arts. He trained me some time ago..." His voice trailed off as he stared wistfully into the forest.

"Okay, but do you know where he is?"

"Hm...? No, not at all," he laughed. "Sorry, kid."

She looked down with a groan. "You need his help, don't you?" She nodded.

"Well, what do you need from him? Maybe I can help."

"I need to forget...," her voice trailed off.

"To forget? Yes, I can do that, easily. Hold still for a moment."

Desperate for some comfort, she clenched her eyes shut and stood stiff as a board.

The wizard chanted some eerie incantation, energy building in his staff, then a few seconds later, abruptly whacked her on the head with all his might.

After he did this, she felt the magick pouring down her blood vessels. For a second it seemed as if it had driven out all her pain, save for a terrible knot on her pate, and at last the haunting image was burned out of her head. But immediately after the rush faded away, her flesh broke out in terrible, itching boils.

Lust cackled loudly. "Well, you asked for it. See ya later, kid," he laughed down the trail.

Now she was absolutely miserable. Just to get one boil to stop itching she would have to scratch until it bled, and they healed quickly, the itching starting up right away. And that's not to mention the ones she couldn't reach.

In despair, she started her search again, but this time even more people were scared away by her appearance.

'I don't get it. Why are they so scared of me?'

At last she saw another undead wizard in the way, this one appearing as a black, anthropomorphic wolf in a long black robe.

"Excuse me! Please, wait!" At this he turned with a stern look, his tiny red eyes boring into her.

With a gulp, she explained her plight. "So, if you know him, can you tell me where he is?"

The sharpness of his gaze dulled, ears lowering. "No. I don't know where he is. But I was a student of his, as well. I could help you, if you'd like."

Once more desperate beyond reason, she said, "Yes, of course! Thank you, Mr...?"

"Hate." And with this he stepped forward, and cruelly bludgeoned her. Once Yulaan was left a bloody mess, he sneered, and continued on his way.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, she sat up trembling, now in yet greater pain, covered in blood and bruises. 'If only there were some way to make people trust me... I can't go on like this much longer...'

Finally she managed to find yet another wizard passing through, this one an elf like herself, but with long, blonde hair and deer-like antlers.

She hobbled over and fell at his feet. "Please... Please help me..."

Looking down his nose, he pulled his luxurious green robe closer and backed away a few steps. "Fine, if it'll get you out of my way."

"Sin... Do you know a fox-serpent named Sin? I need to find him... please..."

"Sin? I haven't seen that old furball in ages. Hm... But you do look miserable, and I really must be going... Here, I'll help you." He muttered a strange and eerie incantation, as Lust had, but this time summoning a bottle full of some kind of sweet-smelling nectar into his hand. He poured it over her head.

At last, the physical pain subsided. Yulaan stood. "I... I feel better! Thank you so, so much! Tell me, what's your name?"

"Vanity, student of Sin," the elf said. "Now, really, please get out of my way."

With a smile Yulaan tore through the woods in her search, happy to finally be free of her pain. But then she sat down by a river to drink.

Immediately she started in fright at her reflection; if she had looked undead before, the current state of her countenance took the cake. A terrible rot had overcome her body, her face hideous and contorted with decay.

With a groan she sat back, so much confusion and sorrow swirling 'round her little head. 'I just need a break...'

Some time later she saw another wizard napping (and looking quite comfortable) under a tree, this one's appearance like a big, fat cat. Approaching him cautiously, she saw a name inscribed on his staff; Greed.

"Um... Excuse me, Greed... Please, wake up. I need to ask you something. It's very important!"

He groaned, rubbing an eye with his wrist. "Huh...? Ask me something...? Okay... but make it quick..."

"There's a fox-serpent named Sin who lives in these woods. He's my friend, I need to find him. Please tell me you know where he is."

"Hn...? Sorry, little one... I don't know... Nobody knows where he goes... You can't find him... He finds you... I got lucky when he decided to take me on as a student..."

Yulaan sighed heavily.

"Say, kid, you don't shound so good... Uh... you need a little help there...?" he slurred.

"Of course! But so many people have fooled me today..."

"Don't worry... I'm not a trickster... Just a Good Samaritan... Look, I have a little cake here... Eat it..."

Reluctantly accepting the treat from his paw, Yulaan took a small, hesitant bite.

It was delicious.

Breathing in the rest of it, Yulaan suddenly felt all her troubles fade away. But this high immediately began to fade with the aftertaste in her mouth, and as they dissipated, so did a sudden ferocious hunger bore into her belly.

"Thank you so much, sir! May I have another?" she begged.

"Nope... That was my last one..."

But already she was in physical pain. "Do you have any other food?"

"Huh-uh... I ate it all myself..."

Suddenly, it dawned on her that she had been tricked yet again. In a huff, she stormed away to the backdrop of Greed's wheezing laughter.

"Sin's students are all so terrible... I need to tell him as soon as I see him. He'll straighten them out."

Then at last, some hours later, as nightfall began, she collapsed under fatigue and hunger in the forest. Finally Sin appeared.

"Yulaan!? You look terrible! What happened?"

"Your students," she said. "Lust, Hate, Vanity, and Greed. I went to each of them for help, and all they did was trick me and hurt me."

Sin laughed. "So you've met them all already? Yes, I've taught them well..." Her heart lurched.

"And the best part is, you never realized I tricked you, too," he laughed.

Yulaan's eyes widened. "No..."

"That's right. I'm the one who burned down your village." He burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Didn't your parents teach you not to associate with the undead? And now you are one! And not even the greatest wizard in this forest can undo my curse on you. Heehee! Be seeing you!" And he bolted off into the thicket.

Yulaan cried very sorely, writhing on the forest floor in such agony, until at last she fell asleep.

She woke up early the next morning, finding herself once more covered in boils and aching, the memory burrowing into her skull, on top of her hunger pains. 'I'm gonna die,' she thought, 'or, at least, I hope I die soon. I can't take this anymore...'

But as the sun rose, she noticed a scent in the air, one not commonly smelled in the woods; frankincense and myrrh.

The sweet, warm scent gave her a feeling of calm. Looking up, she noticed a glowing white figure heading down the trail, the sun behind him; a person in a white robe with a yellow cord tied about the chest. Whoever it was, his face was hidden under the shadow of the hood.

This one gave a different aura than the others; his felt light and clean, like fresh linen, or a cool breeze. Yet Yulaan looked back down, curling up on the ground, no longer having the energy to ask for help.

His footsteps stopped. Slowly, he started over towards her.

"What are you doing there?" he asked in a layered voice, the three parts harmonizing together like harp.

She didn't respond.

For a moment he stared at her, before muttering some brief incantation. This one did not sound eerie; it was almost like a lullaby, each layer of his voice taking a different part.

Yulaan cringed as she felt her body shift back into its previous state, hunger pain fading, until at last she realized she was no longer miserable. In fact, even the horrible memory which had stained her mind released its stranglehold, and looking at her hands, she found them cured of their undeadness.

With that, he turned to continue on his way.

"W-wait!" she cried, shooting up. "Don't go! Who are you? How'd you do that?"

But he ignored her. She scrambled onto the trail and started after him.

"Wait! Please! Who are you? Where are you going!?"

The longer she followed him, the farther away he seemed to get, no matter how fast she ran. At last, before he got out of earshot, she cried, "Why'd you help me? What did I do?"

Finally he stopped. "You didn't do anything. I just felt sorry for you." He continued.

That was it? She hurried after him. "But, wait! I have to thank you somehow."

"There's nothing you can do to help me, daughter."

Daughter? She walked on in silence now, realizing he didn't seem to be getting farther away anymore. 'I need to know where he's going, at least.'

Around mid-morning they began up a hill that grew steeper and steeper towards the top. To her amazement, even as it became nearly 90 degrees, such that she needed to stop walking and start climbing, he continued on without a problem, walking up the wall as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Finally reaching the top at noon, the sun blazing brightly in her eyes and forcing her to clench them shut, Yulaan's trembling arms threw her up over the ledge. Noticing something else very bright in front of her, the light of which did not hurt her eyes, she opened them.

Her jaw dropped. Before her was a city of pure gold with gates of pearl. The man she had been following stood before the gates, and slowly they opened for him.

"Do you want in?" he asked, turning to face her for the first time since she began her pursuit.

"Of course!"

"Then go in."

She blinked, looking from him to the guards which stood on the other side with drawn swords.

"Don't worry about them. I'm their King; they saw me give you leave to enter."

Their King!? In an awestruck daze, she wandered into the city. All about it were streets of gold and mansions of ivory, massive crystal statue-fountains, plants a lusher green than she had ever seen, a sheer blue sky which lacked a sun, and all sorts of people and animals living in perfect peace and harmony. Some of the fountains contained white lotuses in their basins, and about the columns of the mansions grapevines and ivy curled and flourished. There were no gates, not even any doors. And each lawn was a garden of sorts, full to bursting with beautiful flowers, and trees and bushes in full bloom.

For a moment she stood in awe of the sight.

"Do you want to stay here?" the King asked.

Of course; she had forgotten all about her need for a home. Yulaan nodded.

"Then follow me."

And so they walked through a winding road to a massive diamond castle. Passing by several large fountains and a garden full of all kinds of strange plants she didn't even know existed, they entered the mighty stronghold, legions of winged soldiers inside.

"I'm granting this girl citizenship," he stated, this time the voices each carrying a different tone; one gentle, one authoritative, one somewhere in between.

Immediately two of the winged people flew over, one carrying a bottle of oil, the other a white stone.

The King poured some of the oil over her head; "I the King declare this girl a citizen of Heaven." Taking the white stone from the other winged man, he gifted it to her. "And this is your new name."

Smiling from ear to ear, she read it to herself; Valkea.