Hope

Erigos opened his eyes, they took a second to adjust to his surroundings. Curiously he noticed a forest canopy above him and beneath him a soft forest floor. Rays of yellow sunlight pierced the forest ceiling cascading around him. It felt magical, he could sense arcana all around him. As he sat up and looked around he found himself in the middle of a vibrant forest. He saw forest critters bounding along, birds flying above and the trees gently swaying in a warm breeze. Two yellow-breasted songbirds chased each other through the leaves and rays of sunlight, talking to each other as they did. He heard a crack of a branch off to his right and quickly looked over to see a fawn gingerly stepping towards him, its little nose sniffing in his direction. Its fur was in perfect conditon. He remained still and extended his hand towards the baby deer. It stepped forward, within reach. Bent down and nuzzled his hand. He rubbed it's nose, it was a little damp. Without warning, it dashed off into the forest as something spooked it.

Reactively, Erigos looked over his shoulder to see a large black panther staring right at him ten paces away on a descending branch. He slowly went to reach for his sword, but it wasn't there. The panther stalked closer, its coat shimmered in the sunlight. It was a remarkable creature, elegant yet deadly as he noticed the large paws where inside were most likely sharp claws. He had seen one take down a horse with a couple of slashes. He stood up, taking his time, holding his hands out in an effort to keep the creature calm. "Easy girl,"

It tilted its head slightly as if it had understood him.

"Just like you, I don't want any trouble…actually I don't really know what's going on. Last thing I remember…I was mid-fight with a demon, and now I'm talking to a panther in a magical forest." He shook his head as he realized he was explaining things to a panther. He just had a feeling like he could talk to it.

"Erigos, you have no need to worry, you are safe now." A soft gentle female voice entered his mind. It had a calming effect. There was nothing else around but the panther. He stared at it and it looked back.

"What are you?" he asked.

"The question you should be asking is why are you here?" The panther spoke into his mind again.

"Am dreaming aren't I."

"Not quite, this is very real."

Erigos thought back to the last thing he remembered, it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced then darkness. "I'm dead...so this must be the afterlife?"

"Close, this is a place between life and death, a limbo plane."

"So I did die…can I get back? My friends need me."

"Walk with me." The panther turned around and jumped off the branch, making no sound as it made an impact with the ground, and began to walk into the forest. With each graceful step, the forest would grow under up to meet each paw, and ahead any overgrowth would pull back revealing a clean path. Erigos walked beside the creature as it talked to him. "This is a sacred place, a special place outside of the normal realm and reserved for only certain souls."

"What makes me so special?"

"Because you ask that very question. I have been watching both you and your companions since you all came together." As the panther spoke and walked the body began to transform into an elegant elven lady wearing a dark green forest dress. Her hair white and she had a circlet of vines and flowers atop her head. When her transformation was complete Erigos stopped walking and knelt down because standing in front of him was Silmora, the Goddess of the forest.

"My child, rise." She bent down and helped him stand. He had tears in his eyes.

"I have failed you."

She lifted his chin, "You have served me well and I am immensely proud. Because of this devotion and good you have shown, you may ask my anything I will do my best to answer it for you." She smiled.

A thousand questions flooded his thoughts and he blurted out the first one. "Were you the panther that killed our horse in the jungle?"

The goddess laughed, "Sometimes a panther is just a panther, sometimes it isn't." It didn't really answer his question but he understood her meaning.

He thought about his nexty question. "What will become of my friends?" He said after a few moments.

"It is hard to see, their futures are clouded. But I sense more saddness to come."

"Send me back." He said. "They clearly need me."

Her eyes were saddened. Not because she didn't have the power but because she knew sending him back would affect his friends. "I can, but you won't be allowed to stay once the task is complete."

Erigos didn't have to think twice, "Do it, when Ottothal is dead I will gladly return, choice or not. And if I die again…well then it was meant to be."

The Goddess nodded, "If that is what you wish." She stood to her full height, waved her arms and a magical energy overtook him. His eyelids grew heavy as he drifted off to sleep. The sounds of the forest haven faded and the darkness of sleep overtook him.

It had been a couple of hours since the death of Erigos and Trixia. The locals of Myrona had come out of hiding to help them with their fallen friends and inspect what had just occurred in their generally calm streets. An elderly lady let them recuperate in her simple home. She cooked them dinner, gave up her bed. Her generosity took them by surprise.

"Alissa what did you do to the demon?" Rothox asked. They sat in the home's small living space. Rothox had been wondering where Vorthas had disappeared too after the fight. He finally found what seemed like an appropriate time to ask. Their dead companions were lying on the floor. Alissa just stroked Erigos head. Between her and Julius they had managed to heal the wounds on the bodies but the souls were no longer there. She was no longer crying and the tears had dried on her cheek.

"I think I banished him." She didn't even look up, just stayed focused on Erigos.

"What, how?"

"I just wanted him to go away and then he did."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he can't come back except through a portal and last I checked there are no more portals" Harim said with the hint of a smile. "Alissa banished him back to his home plane."

"Why are you smiling? We lost two of our friends," Rothox said.

"Because we finally have hope. We have the artifacts and we took out Vorthas."

"You don't think he can come back?"

"Not unless there is a secret portal we don't know about."

As they discussed Julius was sitting quietly watching Alissa, when suddenly he noticed something move on his chest. "Alissa, did you move him?" He asked, leaning forward seeing the chest move again, he watched it rise and fall.

"Holy Shit."

"What, Julius?" Rothox asked.

"He…He's breathing."

They all watched as Erigos' chest rose as his body took in air. Alissa stopped stroking his hair, fresh tears of joy rewetting her checks.

"Eri?"

His eyes fluttered opened. She fell on top of him an an attempt to hug him.

"Easy Alissa, easy." Harim warned her.

"Lis?" Erigos said.

She pulled herself off his chest and nodded, wiping away tears, "I'm here but how are you here…you died?"

"I'm not too sure. I woke up in a forset somewhere, it felt so real. I met Silmora and she sent me back." He intentionally kept the last part secret. Erigos went to sit up, his body ached but the wounds were gone.

"Silmora?" Rothox asked.

"The goddess of the forest, she is the my patron diety." He weakly geustured to his bag where the symbol of Silmora dangled, a green staff covered in vines with a yellow eye at the top.

"Rest, we are safe for the moment," Alissa said.

"Welcome back," Harim said, positioning his head over top of his.

Erigos forced out a smile, "Good to be back. Where is Trixia?" He looked around, then he noticed the body. "...No…"

"Eri…we tried to save her but Vorthas was too strong. He would have killed us all."

He had no words.

"Alissa saved us by banishing him. He is gone," Rothox said.

"I…" He had just died, come back to see his dead aunt beside him, he had been through a lot and his mind was struggling to deal with it all.

"Just rest, we can figure out a plan when you wake," Harim said.

Erigos gently laid his head back and closed his eyes. He did not wake in a forest but rather his dreams drifted to his father, to memories of his family, to his adventures with Alissa.