The summer sun was bright, too bright. It stung at Mephisto’s eyes as she quickly rushed through the open flower fields, appreciating the beauty but seeking somewhere to escape the heat. Away, away she pressed onward, taking to the sky in a flurry of black, soaring over the Sunsurro Fields and toward the swamp once more. It wasn’t that the dark warg disliked the sunshine… only that this particular day was far too warm for her liking. Humidity hung in the air too, curling the ends of her mane and bringing a sheen of sweat to her opaque frame.

As she makes her way into the tree laden swamplands, there is an immediate sense of relief that washes over the Pegasus. The air turns cooler, pungent earthy smells rising from the gurgling water, silence enveloping the area. It is a place which brings her peace, much like the oceanside cliffs at sunset. As she lands and begins to walk along the edges of the murky water, Mephisto allows herself time to take in her surroundings.

Summer had touched this place too, bringing blooms to the lilypads and new-life to roost. Fish skittered where her feet touched the water, and a particularly playful river otter rooted through leaves along the banks in her wake. She heard the quiet honking of a mother mallard to her ducklings in the distance , and when the darkness settled in the right places, tiny fireflies blinked with golden light. With a smile, the dark Pegasus marched onward, deeper into the swamp than she’d ever ventured before, curiously discovering all that the dark kingdom had to share.

It is here, deep within the brambles and brush, that a curious sort of structure lays hidden in the glade. The Hospital was not a place the warg had known of previously, spending most of her time either with the Halcyon barracks or gliding over Novus’ coastline. As she walks through this place, something pulls at her, leaving an itching sort of sensation along the back of her neck which suggests that she is somewhere which is not what it seems. And yet, the mare does not immediately find the hidden entrances, even as she follows the lily plants winding paths.

A purr sounds nearby, and the dark mare’s head tilts slowly toward it, astute blue eyes searching for the source. In her peripheral vision, there is a flash of movement, which draws a quicker turn, as she struggles to make out the form of a lemur-like healing helper. Shivering with unsettled confusion, Mephisto finally speaks to the seemingly empty glade, not knowing that there were truly eyes everywhere – even watching her now.

"What is this place?” she murmured, settling among the blossoms to wait for what came next.

She hadn’t expected her question to be answered, for Mephisto had thought she was the only creature here.  It was a foolish musing, now that she thought about it, heart fluttering in her throat as she startled at the man’s voice.  She turns to gaze at him, drawing in his appearance with studied observation.  Her cobalt eyes roam unabashedly over him, resting briefly on the scarf which knots at his neck, before she clears her throat to address him.   “You don’t know the half of it.”  Magic, that is.  For Mephisto had seen firsthand the strange magic in this world.  It flowed through her veins, raw and untamed, something dark and wild.

She does not elaborate, but simply falls into step beside the male, exploring with a quiet curiosity.  The Pegasus keeps her wings tight against her frame, though every inch of her is poised to flee, not entirely trusting of this new and strange world the two had stumbled upon.  She knew most parts of Terrestella now, having spent a considerable amount of time roaming its craggy peaks and exploring its secrets.  For a time, she had even lived in this very swamp, during the months she had strayed from the citadel and the Halcyon units, trying to learn to harness the magic within her.  Of all the places in their land, she knew the swamp to be the most mysterious.

Some claimed that there were healing properties to the water here, and she knew that many healers felt drawn to this land.  Rumors had even suggested there was a hidden hospital in these parts, and as they stepped through rooms and through twisting halls in the trees, she had to wonder if the rumors were true.   “Are you Terrestellan?”  She didn’t know the male, and yet he did not smell like a stranger.  He had the scent of familiar places on him, even though she couldn’t remember meeting him or even seeing him around.  The warg hadn’t always been the most present here though, so it was entirely possible they had never crossed paths.  What little time she had spent in the capital was during her training, with days filled running drills and practicing combat.  It hadn’t left much time for socializing.

Stepping into a nearby room, she is taken by an array of instruments splayed across a simple bench.  Though unfamiliar, it is not a stretch to think they might have been medical devices.  Further, against a wall, she finds a small table cluttered with books, crystal vials, and a golden set of scales.   “I think this is the hospital.”  Her words hold more certainty now, as she flips through the pages of a nearby journal, finding impressively detailed anatomical drawings within its pages.   “The court is known for its’ healers, but I wasn’t sure that the hospital was real or simply a rumor.  In all the time I’ve wandered through this swamp, it’s a wonder I haven’t found it before…”

She turns back toward the door, her gaze falling on a helper who now stood in the doorway, watching their intrusion curiously.  For a moment, the warg meets its green eyes, her own gaze warm and unthreatening.   “It’s okay, she murmurs softly.   “We aren’t here to cause any trouble…”  Flicking a glance at her companion, she tried to judge his expression, whispering under her breath for only the male to hear.   “That is, I’m not… I presume your curiosity is simply that?”  She is not unkind, simply curious as she questions his intentions.  After all, Mephisto had never been one to blindly trust strangers, even those who appeared to know Terrestella as she did.

What she wouldn’t give for her life to be boring.  Mephisto chuckles some under her breath at his words, the sound dark and rich, as a touch of warmth enters her eyes.  She liked him.  Despite his awkwardness, there was something about him that brought a sense of peace to the mare.  So she largely ignores him as she explores, comfortable enough in his presence to turn her back to him as she rifles through the rooms of the hospital, eager to know more about it.  

Officially, I think, I am, ah, Deluminian? Is that the correct term?  He answers her question and she nods in understanding without turning from her task.   “There is much beauty in the Dawn Court.  You’re fortunate to have such a lovely home.”  While it didn’t have the appeal to her that Terrestella did, the mare had found herself in their northern neighbor’s lands many times.   “Are you familiar with the great library there?  I’ve spent many nights there, learning about the histories of Novus.  And, about the magic.”

While there wasn’t much written about Tempus’ magic, loosed upon the world, what she had found were many theories.  Most of them pointed to the mysterious island as the source of the magic, a place she had explored in search of answers, time and time again.  But her searches had ended in disappointment, Tempus always staying one step ahead of prying and questioning mortals, toying with their lives with little regard for the consequences.

He mentions the stars, and she turns to study him a bit closer this time.  “They say the stars are brightest in Caligo’s realm, and the mountain tops bring astronomers and causal star-gazers alike to their peaks.  If you are truly curious to know about the stars here, I would suggest a trip to Denocte.  There is a tribe in the Night Court known as the shed-stars, said to be descended from Caligo herself.  I’m told they can read the past, present, and future in the stars.  That some sing and make the stars rise and fall with their voices alone.”  Even if it wasn’t true, there was a certain poetic romanticism to the thought, one which a pragmatist such as herself didn’t buy into.  Still, she could see the wonder in such a thing, and if the magic was any indication, perhaps the stories were truer than they seemed.

When he raises a question about the hospital, she stands poised to answer, but they are interrupted by a helper.  They pose little threat to the creature, who seems to find comfort in the scent of Terrestella upon their hides, turning back to her tasks and chittering to others who peeked out from the brambles of branches above.  The helper turns to look at them, as if asking for them to follow, which the dark warg does, following into an easy pace beside the primate.  

“The hospital in Terrestella is unlike others of its kind.  This is the only trauma hospital which exists in Novus, the place where healers come to train and perfect the art of their craft.  Its halls have seen the deadliest of wounds, and for those injured in battle, there is nowhere more trusted or more safe for their care.”  At least, this is what she has heard of the place, and as they wind deeper into the tree, it’s easy to see why the place is deemed the best.

They work their way into the heart of the canopy, where the hospital seems far busier than the rooms they had previously explored.  Helpers and healers alike are busy here, treating to wounds of all types.  They triaged the sick, filtering the most severe cases into large operating rooms, tended to by the eldest and most experienced surgeons.  Trainees tended to the minor cases, applying salve with gentle hands or twisting bandages around open wounds.  For all the bustle, it is a wonder the place stays so well hidden, Mephisto mused.

And she turns to stare at her companion, curious to see what he thought of the mysterious hospital in the trees.

She watches the bustle of the hospital, drawn by the activity of it.  The place was alive and vibrant, with a sense of urgency and efficiency that the warrior in her could appreciate.  She moves aside as a nurse clears her throat beside her, bumping into Atlas for a brief moment as the woman scurries past and begins to treat a patient.  While they are not ushered on, Mephisto feels a sense that their presence was more a hinderance to the operation than a help, and so she moves along from the heart of the hospital, back the way they came with a quiet nod to the helper who had showed them what secrets the healing halls held.

“I hadn’t seen this place before, only heard about it… honestly, I couldn’t even know if they were true.  For all the times I’ve been to these swamps, I never knew it existed.”  It was a wonder, really, for there was much to see in the boughs of the canopy.  A part of her is sad to leave it, but she knows that duty would bring her back to Terrestella’s court, her eyes needed to watch and be ever aware of the threats which may press upon them.  Marisol had entrusted their people to her care, and Mephisto’s dalliances to quell her curiosity did little to advance their safety.  Still, it was good to know about the hospital, she decided, descending the stairs until her feet find the murky ground of swampland once more.

“It is nice to meet you, Atlas the map-maker.  I am Mephisto, Warden of the Dusk Court.”  She nods to him, the sound of her title still strange on her lips, a smile following the nod.  But she was not ready to leave the man, not yet.  For he had seen far more than she, had many stories the once-spy would yearn to know.  Namely, where he’d come from… for it was clear that Novus was a new place for the wanderer to see.  For a moment, she reminisces on what it was like for her, when she had first come to this place.  When the world was new, the magic unknown, the lands still holding wonder and surprise.

“What other places have you seen and mapped?  I know there are many worlds beyond this one, with different lore, different gods, different faces.  I myself have lived in a few before here, though it seems a lifetime ago.”  And it had been – for so much had happened to the mare between the time when she was born and now.  She had wandered alone through the wilderness, finding her way to the Riftlands, a place where magic broiled and turned the landscape at whim.  She had made one home there, then another, and then everything she knew had folded in on itself, darkness swallowing them whole.

But she had led a rich life… a full life.  And Mephisto had so much more she wanted to know.

And she turns to stare at her companion, curious to see what he thought of the mysterious hospital in the trees.

As they walk away from the hospital, her companion looks back with something akin to regret on his face.  He expresses his desire to stay and learn more.  ”You should…” she offers with a soft smile.   “Now that we know it’s here, I’m sure you could find your way back.  There is always a need for healing…”  She trails off, shivering slightly as she thinks of all the bloodshed she has seen in life.  Too much… far too much.  For in every part of the world touched by mortals, there would be conflict.  It was simply the nature of the living, to want and be driven by greed.  Greed would keep them from ever having enough of their stations in life – it would drive every war and conflict , that want for more.  

“There is a healer in our land, Elena… she would be a good place to start.  I’m certain the hospital would accept all the help they could get.”

The two walk away from this place, leaving the helpers to their tasks as the mood between them changes.  She is surprised by the sudden shift in Atlas, stopping to watch him as he stumbles over the story of his past, obviously painful.   “I’m sorry.”  Her voice is earnest as she nods in understanding, for not all parts of their world were as welcoming as Novus.  Too many places she’d wandered through had sounded just like his home, driven by unsavory motives and power-hungry leaders.  

“I won’t lie and say that things have always been peaceful here, but there is good to be found in Novus.  You’ll find that it’s a land of opportunity and duality.  Whatever you seek, you’ll find… the good, the bad.”

He asks what all she’s seen, and Mephisto sighs, considering.   “I have not seen enough of Novus to know all of its secrets.  What I know is that it is a land ruled by the gods, that the magic which runs through many of us is weaved in the land as much as in our blood.  You will find, in the sea, the island which is rumored to be the source.  

The Courts are each unique in their own right, with their own values and cultures.  Delumine has always been welcoming, and Denocte is always ripe with entertainment and fortune telling.  Solterra though, I’ll admit to be a bit of a mystery.  I simply haven’t had as much interaction with our desert-dwelling neighbors.  They tend to isolate more than the rest, whether by intention or simply their nature.”

And whether for business or pleasure, she did not say… for her travels were a bit of both.  It was her duty to know about the possible threats to Terrestella, which would drive her to know more of Solterra even, in the days and weeks to come.   “Tell me, where will you go next?”