“There’s a dragon heaven and hell?” Ere asked, mostly curious and somewhat taken aback.
“Heaven and hell are all relative,” the Master said, though he, again, didn’t really answer the question.
Before meeting Ere and spending so much concentrated time in the presence of one such as him (though Rui was absolutely sure there was onlyoneEre in the entire universe across the history of time), Rui would never have thought much about it.
Now, she noticed how the Master never gave clear answers. Questions led to more riddles. But she’d always known that he hated being asked questions to begin with. That was likely why he took away Ere’s voice the first time around.
“But that is not the point,” the Master continued hastily as Ere opened his mouth to ask more questions.
“The fact remains that you failed in your quest. You did not bring back the Jewel of Dreams.”
“The Eye is not the Jewel?” Rui asked, confused.
She’d been so certain this was the prize. Why else would the portal have opened once they acquired the Eye? Why else had they been practically led by Fate to the tournament if not to win the Eye? Nowhere along the way did her treasure hunting senses alarm her that she was going down the wrong path.
“I have said so more than once,” the Master grumbled with no small hint of impatience, his mustache twitching with displeasure.
“Then, pray tell, whatisthis jewel we’re supposed to retrieve,” Ere bit out with hands on hips, showing his own frustration.
“It would have been helpful if you provided a map with an X marking the spot.”
The Master narrowed his eyes at Ere, which didn’t bode well for her new friend, Rui immediately knew.
Sure enough, when Ere next opened his mouth, a kitten’s mew came out.
This time, he seemed unsurprised by the Master’s trick and merely rolled his eyes. He spewed out a series of what Rui supposed were vicious curses, if his facial expressions were anything to go by. But unfortunately, they all came out as the sweetest, gentlest kitten mews.
The Master blithely ignored him and turned once more to Rui.
He waved his hand flippantly, and she immediately transformed into her human form, dressed once more in the formal attire she’d worn when she came to the Celestial Palace to answer the Jade Emperor’s summons.
“I do not enjoy craning my neck to look at you, dragon,” the Master said, meeting her eye to eye now that they were of similar height.
“Have you learned what you needed to on this adventure, child?”
Rui blinked at him, even more confused.
“I do not take your meaning, Master.”
“You are a treasure hunter. Did you find your greatest treasure?”
Rui immediately thought of Wolfe.
“I did.”
The Master tilted his head slightly in silent query.
“I lost him,” she whispered.
“Did you?” the Master asked, not unsympathetically.
“You said that none of us can stay in the past, or the fabric of the universe will tear irreparably,” Rui recalled.
“Hmm,” the Master hummed noncommittally.
“And he cannot come to this world, or the same would occur.”
“Hmm.”