“A hint?” Jillian curiously replied, raising an eyebrow at her fellow exile. Following his explanation, it seemed that Gerald believed that the Withering could indeed be destroyed within the allotted timeframe if only they had the missing link – the Grand Master’s secret. The witch was uncertain of this; how much of this was simply a result of Gerald’s own desperation, a manifestation of his desire for it to be truth rather than actual truth? Had the Grand Master not stated already that his very own death clan had tried and failed to accomplish the same goal, presumably with the knowledge that these two lacked? Jillian did not share her companion’s belief, but maybe she simply lacked the desperation – or the vision – to see with eyes unclouded by doubt.

While he talked, her expression showed uncertainty; uncertainty what to do, and how to feel. Piercing green eyes stared through Gerald’s grim visage, and they beheld vistas of pain and hope. Before, she felt little desire to continue this conversation with the demon, having all but given up on witnessing an outcome that would be favorable for her, but now as she listened to his words coated in their unusual tone – soft, perhaps even pleading – as he spoke of the untold lives they would save if they took the risk, the faster router, Jillian could not help but almost feel responsible for the lives lost if she were to turn down this offer. Was her soul worth more than that of millions of other Rodorians? Doubtful, but that was not what pushed her over the edge.

Gerald understood their situation as well as she did, and reflected it as such: his choice was an easy one, for he had nothing to lose, while hers was a hard one, for she had everything to lose – everything she had left at this point anyway.

“I can’t do it alone, but I won’t ask you to risk a sacrifice like that. If you think it isn't worth it, we'll find another way. I'll accept your decision either way.” His words touched something inside of her, a small part that would feel compassion for this man who had laid bare his innermost desires and secrets, yet asked nothing in return and was willing to quietly accept refusal, and thus his own doom. It was trust and respect in its purest form – and how many times had she asked him to trust her?

And what of her? Did she trust him? What good would her soul do if she too caught the Withering – a not unlikely scenario, as nobody was safe? And what of her dreams? Could she really hope to become a sorceress of legend if she was unwilling to take a risk like this even if it could brand her as the destroyer of the plague – a heroine of the land? Could she hope to learn the most powerful and forbidden of sorceries if she was afraid to wager even her own soul on a bet with a demon lord? She stood at the precipice. Had burned all the bridges behind her, and the future was clouded in the smoke and ashes. 

[i]I can’t do it alone.[/i] Gerald’s words rang in her mind over and over as she contemplated her situation, gazing intensely at the necromancer. [i]Can I?[/i]

“This, it’s your dream, isn’t it?” she asked in a hushed tone, closing the gap between Gerald and herself so that they were only a breath apart. “If we succeed, then you can live, and we’ll be heroes.”

[i]We can’t unmake the past, but we can determine our future[/i], she thought.

“Gerald,” Jillian began, as her eyes began to glisten with moisture, “It’s my turn to trust you now. But – but you owe me my dream too.”

She grasped his hand, her meager fingers clenching tightly around his as she turned to face the lake. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered that the Grand Master had said something just then, but she had not listened. It did not matter anymore.

“I accept your terms, [i]demon[/i],” she announced with confidence, though her voice trembled ever so slightly, and Gerald could feel her hand shaking as it squeezed his own, “If we cannot overcome this plague in two weeks then you can play with my soul when I die. If we can, then you are obliged to ask nothing but our success in return. Now, do what you were summoned here for, and tell us what we wish to know!”