Pryvani stared at the small sleeping form of the human named Zhan. His skin was still pale, and his body was still distressingly thin and sickly… but he was getting better. Brinn had informed her that it was okay to start providing solid food for him, in a very limited amount. Mostly soups and fruits that wouldn’t upset his stomach too much.

It was heartening to see him get better, but it was still very hard to look at him. Every time she looked at his tiny form, a maelstrom of emotions welled up in her; anger at Trell for having done this to him, sadness at what he’d had to endure… and then there was the guilt.

Oh yes, the guilt. The guilt gnawed at her, because it had been his faith in ‘the goddess’ that had gotten him through the ordeal. Faith in her. Faith in a lie.

And soon, somehow, she was going to have to tell him that the goddess he’d relied on in his very darkest moments, the faith that had been his only lifeline… had all been a sham.

She felt tears brimming in her eyes at the thought of what it would do to him. He might hate her, he might even hate himself.

It didn’t matter. She had to tell him, she owed him that much. After that, whatever happened was meant to happen.

Suddenly the little creature gave a small moan and his eyes fluttered open. His face lit up with a bright smile when he saw her looking down at him.

“My Lady.” He murmured as he sat up and stretched his arms above his head.

“How are you feeling today Zhan?”

“I’m feeling much better thank you.” Moving slowly and carefully, he rolled out of the makeshift bed he’d been sleeping on and stood on the table. He was wearing some of the clothes she’d provided, and she was pleased to see how well he was starting to fill them out.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” Pryvani responded softly.

“Shall… Shall I continue my story?” Zhan spoke hesitantly.

“Oh…” Pryvani swallowed the lump in her throat. “Only if you feel it would help. I’m pretty sure I can guess the rest.”

Zhan shrugged. “A lot of the time between when Trell put me in that cage and when I woke up here is a blur… but I will tell what I can recall.”

*.*.*.*.*.*

Zhan awoke suddenly, as if someone had thrown a switch in his brain. He sat up and looked around fearfully, but everything was quiet. The room around his was dark, only being lit by the soft lights that ran along the walls near the floor.

Then, just as suddenly as he’d awoken, a door to the room burst in. He had just enough time to see a large human shaped shadow fill the doorway before the lights in the room flared to life and he was momentarily blinded.

“No time to play just now little one.” He heard Trell’s voice snarl at him as his vision started to clear. “Gotta be getting out of here, and fast. “

She was dressed head to toe in black, and over her shoulder she wore a large black bag.

He watched as the gigantic woman rushed about the room gathering various things into her bag. She tore through closets and cupboards, throwing everything around her in a chaotic mess. When Trell found something she was looking for, it went into the bag. If she didn’t need it, it was chucked over her shoulder to land on the ground wherever it may.

She even began ripping the cushions off the furniture. Zhan was both utterly fascinated and somewhat horrified to watch this whirling dervish in feminine form tear the room apart.

“Damn it!” The giantess muttered frantically. “I know I left it around here somewhere! Where is it?!” With a frustrated growl she shoved over a chair so she could look underneath it. It became obvious she hadn’t found what she was looking for when she kicked the over turned chair across the room. It slid over the floor and banged against the far wall.

She began pulling open drawers and dumping their contents on the floor. There was a metallic clatter and a pile of what looked like eating utensils fell onto the floor and spread out over the carpet. She kicked at it with her toes, but still hadn’t found what she was searching for.

She moved systematically down the line of drawers, dumping out each one until finally, on the second to last drawer, she grinned fiendishly and reached down onto the floor.

“I found it!” She declared, taking a long metal tube in hand. “I won’t get very far without this.” She stashed the tube in her bag, a satisfied smile on her face.

And then, it was done. The room was a mess and Trell zipped up her bag.

“There we go.” The blonde giantess hefted it to her shoulder and stalked up to Zhan’s cage. “Well, my little friend, I’m afraid this is goodbye. Normally I’d eat you right now… but, I did say I wouldn’t kill you. And I’m a lady of my word. I suppose that means I don’t get to kill you.”

She leaned forward and smiled cruelly at him. “Of course, I’m not going to let you free either. I never promised to do that, after all. Which, I guess, means you have my permission to die… the second your body stops eating itself.”

She stood up straight and walked towards the door. She turned and blew Zhan a kiss. “Bye bye little friend. Enjoy your victory. Too bad your ‘goddess’ never came to save you.”

And then, just as suddenly as she’d arrived, she was gone.

Zhan sat at the bottom of his cage, leaning against the side in a daze. He was locked in a darkened room, trapped in a giant cage high above the ground. A part of him began to think this was it, time to give up and let himself die.

No. Zhan shook his head and stood. There wasn’t any way he was going to give up now. Not when he’d come this far and endured so much. The blonde giantess was gone, he could make his escape.

He just had to figure out how.

Okay. He took a deep breath. The first thing he needed to do was figure out how to get out of this cage. In the dim lighting let off by the lit baseboards Zhan felt along the wall of the cage until he found the door.

Reaching up he felt for the latch, unfortunately he couldn’t quite reach it, and every time he tried to climb up to it, he slid right back down again.

Frustrated, Zhan began to pace back and forth, trying to think. After a few minutes of pacing, he began to notice that his movements were causing the cage to gently sway back and forth. Curious, Zhan dashed to the far side of the cage, and then turned around and darted back to where he’d started.

The swaying was a bit more violent now.

Zhan grinned. This was probably a stupid and dangerous idea, but it was all he had.

With as much energy as he could muster, Zhan began to run back and forth between the walls of his cage, a little faster every time to build up more momentum. Every time he returned to his starting point, the cage swayed a little further out than it had the time before.

After about a dozen laps, he began to throw his shoulder against each wall, causing it to swing out a even further on each pass.

Back and forth, back and forth each time getting a little further out. Then suddenly, Zhan felt himself flying up in the air as the cage suddenly slipped off the hook it had been hanging on.

He momentarily felt a feeling of weightlessness as the cage fell. Then he slammed into the bottom of the cage as it hit the ground. The wind was knocked out of him. The cage bounced into the air and slammed onto the ground again, falling onto its side.

Zhan lay on the ground, dazed and winded, trying to get his breath back. His head pounded; his back and every limb in his body ached from the fall. Carefully he surveyed himself. He didn’t figure he had any limbs broken, which was fortunate. He could only hope none of his other bones had gotten damaged. Or his organs for that matter.

After several minutes of recovery, he gingerly rolled onto his front and pushed himself to his feet. He had to pause as his head throbbed and his vision- already poor because of the low light- swam. Then, without warning his insides heaved and he emptied the meager contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Groggily, he made his way to the nearest wall of the cage and began feeling for the door. Perhaps now he’d have an easier time getting out.

Unless the cage had landed with the door side down, of course.

Carefully he felt around the cage until he located where the door used to be. Finally, Zhan had some luck on his side, the fall made the door to the cage pop open. Cautiously, he climbed out of the cage and dropped down to the floor, feeling every muscle and bone in his body ache from the impact.

But at least he was free.

Moving very slowly, Zhan made his way towards the lights that ran along the baseboards of the walls. Once he reached the comforting light source, he sat down and leaned back against the walls.

The first thing he would need to do would be to find a source of food. However, it wouldn’t be wise to go roaming about in the enormous room at night when he couldn’t see a thing. It would be much safer to wait until morning and hope that his tormentor Trell really had gone away for good.

After doing his best to find a comfortable position (no easy task considering his whole body ached) Zhan curled up to sleep until morning came.

What felt like a minute later Zhan’s eyes opened as rays of sunlight slapped him in the face. He sat up slowly, rubbing his aching head and blinking bleary unfocused eyes.

He was still alive, and there was no sign of the giant demon woman.

The next step, as he had realized the night before, was to find food and water. He knew his pack was somewhere inside the room, so that was a possibility.

Using the wall to support himself, Zhan slowly climbed to his feet and looked around at the chaotic mess the giantess had left in the room before departing.

With a resigned sigh, Zhan began the trek across the vast carpeted floor in search of something to keep himself alive until he could figure out a way to escape the room he found himself imprisoned in.

He ranged across the carpet, collecting crumbs and scraps of food that he found. Every bit of food he discovered was carried back to the cage, which he was using as a home base, and deposited in a pile.

It was a sad sight, and he wasn’t even entirely certain that everything he found was actually edible.

Zhan cast his eyes skyward. “Goddess, if this is your will, I can accept it. I know that you must have driven the demon that tormented me. Watch over me, please.”

He noticed that the room was becoming darker, so he gathered a few scraps of cloth and made a makeshift nest for him to sleep in.

The next day, he decided he would begin searching the walls for any method of escape. So he divided the massive room in sections and chose one to explore thoroughly.

So he traveled along the wall, bit by bit, until the sun started going down and he returned to the returned to the cage for a very meager meal and sleep.

The next few days passed this same way. Zhan trudged along the walls of the room mindlessly. He had begun to forget what it was he was looking for. His body was growing weak and his thoughts scattered and unfocused. But he kept searching for… something.

He just couldn’t remember what.

Another day dawned, he couldn’t remember which this was because he’d lost track at twelve. Zhan rolled out of his nest of scraps and crawled towards his pile of food, which was disappearing fast. He selected a single crumb half the size of his fist and popped it into his mouth. He chewed the dry, stale bit slowly before forcing it down his throat.

He blinked slowly and turned away from his spot, slowly shambling towards the wall to continue searching… always searching.

His limbs shook from the effort of walking. His body was getting weaker every day, but this was the only thing he knew. He had to keep looking.

He reached the wall without even realizing it, and began running his hands across it. Suddenly, as if someone had flipped a switch, Zhan became lucid again. He knew where he was and who he was, and what he was doing. He looked up and found himself standing in front of the massive doorway.

He was seized by a sudden madness. Not the slow plodding delirium he’d been lost in before, this was as if his mind were a caged animal.

“HELP!” He screamed, pounding on the door. “PLEASE LET ME OUT! IS ANYBODY THERE? OH GODDESS, LET SOMEONE HERE ME!” He screamed until his throat was raw, pounded and kicked the door until his fists were bruised and bleeding, and then continued to pound on it even after that. For hours he vented his fear and rage on the door.

He wondered if maybe he was being punished. Perhaps the Goddess was angry that he’d trespassed on her home and this was her way of showing it. “Please… Goddess…” He begged desperately. “If I have done anything to earn you wrath… I’m sorry. I’ll, I’ll do anything, just… just let me out.”

But the door didn’t move, and his only response was silence.

Finally he collapsed onto the ground, his body a quivering sick mess. The sun had set and he no longer had the energy to move, he passed into the blackness of unconsciousness.

The next thing he knew, the sun was up. He could no longer stand, so he dragged himself back to the cage. He tried to eat, but could barely choke down food. Eventually he curled up into a ball and his mind fell into delusion.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Pryvani blinked as the tiny human suddenly stopped recounting his story. “Zhan? Is everything all right?”

“I…” His brow wrinkled in confusion. “I’m sorry, my lady, everything else after that is… it’s a blur.”

Pryvani smiled understandingly and nodded. “It’s okay Zhan.”

“I do remember one thing though. I remember your voice… you told me everything was going to be fine. That you’d take care of me.” Zhan smiled happily. “There was a part of me, deep down that knew my prayers had finally been answered.”

Pryvani smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m… I’m glad that you heard me…”

The young human peered up at her. “Is something the matter, Goddess?”

The Titaness blinked, and Zhan lowered his head “I’m sorry, that’s none of my affair…”

“Zhan, it’s all right.” Pryvani murmured, reaching down to stroke his back with the tip of one finger. “But the truth is… There’s something I need to tell you. Something you need to hear.”

Zhan’s brows knit in confusion and he sat on the edge of the bed. He gazed up at her and Pryvani knew she had his complete attention.

She wasn’t sure whether to be happy about that or not.

“Zhan… I don’t exactly know how to tell you this, but… you’ve been lied to. I’ve… I’ve been lying to you.”

She glanced down at Zhan, afraid of what she’d see. The human looked thunderstruck. “I… I don’t…”

“The fact of the matter is… I’m not a Goddess. I’m mortal, the same as you. I just live longer than you do. I’m from a race of beings called Titans. My name is Pryvani.” She spoke quickly, as if she hoped that by shooting the words past him, he wouldn’t be able to catch them all.

She looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap, afraid to look him in the face.

“That’s… not possible.” Zhan finally spoke after a full minute of silence. “Are you testing me? I don’t understand this.”

Pryvani sighed. “No, Zhan, this isn’t a test. It’s the truth. I couldn’t lie to your people, not any longer. The truth is that the ‘goddess’ is a role that has been played by countless women in my family, for generations. I’m merely the latest to wear the mantle… and the last.”

“But, Goddess…”

“Pryvani, Zhan. My name is Pryvani.”

“What purpose does this test serve?” Zhan seemed to ignore what she said, as if he couldn’t hear her. “Have I not been faithful? Have I displeased you?”

Pryvani felt tears of heartache and frustration burn in her eyes. She couldn’t blame him for not being able to see. That, too, was her fault.

She reached into her desk drawer and drew out a small silver needle, which was about half the length of her finger and a small cloth bandage. She brought both of these to the tabletop on which Zhan stood.

She brought her hands down to his level. “Watch, Zhan.”

Without hesitation, she stabbed the needle into the tip of her finger and squeezed it until a fat red drop of blood fell onto the table top in front of where the little man stood. She then pressed the bandage to her fingertip.

She watched him closely, to judge his reaction. For the first few seconds, he didn’t move, Pryvani wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He stood completely still, staring at the drop of blood in front of him. Then, shakily, he knelt down and reached out to touch the viscous liquid. His hand came away covered in red.

His entire body shuddered and his eyes widened in shock. His mouth worked silently, as if he was trying to form words that weren’t coming.

His eyes suddenly snapped up to hers. The confusion was gone, replaced by horror and, (Pryvani felt her heart wrench,) anger.

“This is blood.” He growled, holding his red-stained palm up accusingly. “This is blood, and a goddess doesn’t bleed and THIS IS BLOOD!”

“Zhan… please calm down…” Pryvani spoke gently, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.

“How…? How could you do this to us? We trusted you! I TRUSTED YOU!” The little human was breathing heavily, close to hyperventilating. “Everything… all of it… it’s all been lies!”

Pryvani nodded her eyes downcast. “Yes. It has.”

“Why?! Were we just toys to you? Were we just a bunch of silly little creatures for you to toy with and then discard when we were no longer a fun game to play?” His voice was rising to a fevered pitch. He began pacing back and forth agitatedly

“Zhan please calm down!” Pryvani pleaded desperately. “You’re still not well! You’re going to harm yourself.” This was exactly what she was afraid was going to happen. She should have waited to tell him, but it had just …happened. And now she had to deal with the fallout.

“I can’t… I can’t believe this, after everything I went through! Everything I endured! Sacrificed! All because of you! Because I BELIEVED IN YOU! And it was all… all just a lie.”

Pryvani felt like each word was a knife in her heart. “No! It’s not like that Zhan, please… just…”

“How can I trust you? How can I believe a word you say PRYVANI?!” Zhan spat the name like it was a curse word. “You’ve been lying to us for generations. Why should you start telling the truth now?!” Zhan was trembling from head to toe. His face was flushed and he was hyperventilating.

“Zhan!” Pryvani reached out for him, but the little human backed away, shaking his head. He bent over double, hands on his knees and took several deep gasping breaths.

“Just… stay away… please…”

Zhan fell to his knees, and then collapsed the rest of the way onto the floor. He laid there for a moment, completely still except for his shuddering breaths.

Pryvani’s heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to remain outwardly calm.

“Zhan? Are you all right?”

No response.

“Zhan… please say something.”

The human’s shoulder twitched, but that was the only acknowledgement she received.

Pryvani fretted for a moment, wondering if she should call Brinn for help.

“Please…” She heard the tiny man whisper suddenly. “Just leave me alone.”

Pryvani sighed, a dull ache in her chest. “All right then, Zhan, I’m going to go. Please, try to get some rest. I’ll… I’ll bring you some food later. You’ve got to eat… to keep up your strength.”

Hesitatingly, she reached out and took the tiny human into her hands. He gave no resistance to her whatsoever. She lifted him off the table and, taking his bed in her other hand, carried him over to her desk.

Unsure if it was a wise move or not, she placed him inside of a glass terrarium. She didn’t want to treat him like a pet, but she also didn’t want to leave him any method of injuring himself. Treating him like a pet seemed the lesser of the two evils at the moment.

After all, he already hated her.