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dotsuitarehompoLocation: Southern Village
Helena dispersed together with the light, leaving behind a richly colored, old piece of tree bark.
Mitile: W-Where did Helena go…Did you use some kind of magic to make her disappear?
Rustica: Not quite. She was never here in the first place. Or at least from the time she got substituted…
Helena’s Father: What…does this all mean…
Shylock: The Helena we saw isn't actually her. It was a fetch of her soul.
Helena’s Mother: A…fetch…?
Shylock: The “Helena” that was going on a rampage earlier, was in fact, this old tree bark. It's simply been enchanted to look like her by some peculiar magic.
Nero: See here? Now that the illusion’s gone, my wound disappeared too.
Akira: (That’s why he said it didn't hurt at all…)
Shylock: There are rare cases where spirits and fae abduct children of both humans and wizards and leave behind these so-called “fetches” to take their place.
Snow: Indeed they do. There are countless reasons as to why they would want to keep children by their side. Be it to love and dote on them or to use them as their servants.
Helena’s Father: No way… Are you saying she’s been kidnapped by those ghosts!?
Helena’s Mother: She’s still enduring so much pain all this time…Why is such a horrible thing happening to her… Oh, dear…
Her parents' heartbreaking grieving tugged at our hearts.
Rutile - Mitile: …
Searching for the words he wanted to convey, Rutile approached them and firmly held their hands.
(Rustling)
Rutile: Helena’s dear mother and father…
We will definitely bring Helena home to you, safe and sound. So please, wait for her just a little bit longer.
Helena’s Mother: Oh…Mister wizard…
Cain: Yeah. We’ll make sure to bring her back in no time!
Mitile: While you wait for her, make sure to cook all of her favorite foods. She’ll be starving for sure by the time we pick her up!
Mitile, Cain, and everyone else gave heartwarming words to comfort the parents.
Snow then took the bark from Shylock and pointed at the highest mountain that could be seen from the village.
Snow: Upon inspecting the leftover magic on this bark, I believe the spirits responsible for this reside in that mountain. It's plausible that they've taken Helena there as well.
Helena’s Mother: Is that true..!?
Everyone exchanged looks at one another and nodded in agreement.
Helena’s parents regained a bit of their composure and deeply bowed their heads down to us.
Helena’s Father: Thank you! Thank you so much for being willing to help us…!
✾ ✾ ✾
Location: Sky (Cloudy)
Nero: This must be where our little miss got taken to, right? These are some freakin' huge clouds though…
After flying for a while, we arrived at the mountain Snow had pointed us towards.
Straddled on Nero's broom, I looked down at the mountain only to find that its peak was covered in a thick blanket of clouds.
The altitude was so high it made the air feel paper-thin; no human would be able to get up here.
Akira: It’s impossible to see the peak due to the clouds blocking the way…
Cain: Would've been nice if we could use some magic to make it more visible...
Shylock: It would be best not to do that. You wouldn’t want to disrupt a place where spirits dwell, lest you end up suffering harsh consequences.
Worst case scenario, you might never be able to escape the fog once you venture inside.
Rustica: He’s right. We should stick close together as much as possible so that we won’t lose each other.
Just like sharing an umbrella in the pouring rain, we should relish our precious time together.
Chloe: Geez... I’m more worried about you since you always get yourself lost. Just don’t leave my side, okay?
Rustica: Hehe. Thank you, Chloe.
Mitile: Umm, brother, can I fly next to you? I’m scared of getting lost…
Rutile: Definitely! Let's fly together, Mitile.
We made sure to stay together so that we won’t end up getting separated. I held tightly onto Nero’s clothes so that I wouldn't fall off.
Cain: Alright guys, let’s get going.
Cain and Shylock took the lead and guided us through the clouds. We trailed close behind them, careful not to lose each other.
✾ ✾ ✾
(Thunder)
Chloe: Oh gosh…! Was that a thunder just now? It’s so windy, the weather can be really unpredictable…
Rustica: Indeed it can. This is rather strange, however. The wind is so sharp, yet the clouds aren’t moving at all.
Akira: (I do wonder if the clouds will break up soon... If I’m not careful, I’ll end up losing sight of everyone…)
My body stiffens at the thought. Noticing this, Nero turned to me.
Nero: You good? I’m aware yer not used to these kinds of things. If something’s bothering ya, lemme know right away, ‘kay?
Akira: Thank you, Nero, I will.
(Strong wind blowing)
Mitile: Woahh!?
Suddenly, a thunderous gust of wind blew by, spewing out at us the tree branches and leaves it had picked up.
Mitile: Brother…!
Rutile: Everything's gonna be fine! C’mon, get behind me so that the wind doesn’t blow you off…!
(Strong wind blowing)
(Fade to white)
We desperately continue venturing into the clouds despite the gale that's so strong we can't keep our eyes open.
But not before long, at last, we reached the ground. There, we were greeted by a sight we've never seen in our lives before.
(Fade into new location)
Location: Forest of the Spirits (Day)
Chloe: Huh…What is this place…!
Shylock: This must be…
Beyond the clouds lay a mystical and ethereal landscape one could only see in fairy tales.
Fields adorned with all kinds of flowers, with a luminescent creek that reflects the vivid azure of the sky and flowers flowing in the middle.
Mitile: How pretty…
Cain: To think that such a place existed beyond those clouds…
Rustica: A genuine paradise amidst the clouds. It’s so beautiful one might start wondering whether they’re dreaming or not.
The skies are heavenly high and the azure flowers are in prime bloom. Just like Rustica had said, it was a true paradise.
Akira: (But then, I wonder why…)
(Despite all this beauty, I feel slight emptiness in the bottom of my heart…)
Rutile: …
Mitile: What’s wrong?
