When I embarked into this fungal cavern, I needed a lot, and so I learned vigorously. The more that I understood, the less that I wanted.

I present them with magic seeds and elixirs; bright fruits and fresh vegetables; knowledge from across the world. They shrug, and turn back to transmuting flesh into sadness. Boredom.

I turn down the radiance of the star in my lantern, so as not to waste it on blind eyes.

The lion-maned girl with the wooden mask rather enjoyed the bees I keep around for company, so she created one of her own; all buzz and sting but the colors are a little joyless. She even tucked one of my symbols behind her ear for safekeeping.

I stretch my vision around her glowing, nude form, to see an equally naked winged man, laboring to drag a turtle shell over to me.