Chapter 4

Before the sun could rise, Harley and Chang'e woke up earlier than the others and had searched for food and water that they could bring with them.

"It's too early for this, Harley," Chang'e whined while rubbing her eyes.

They walked past huge-trunked trees with their branches spread widely which covers almost the entirety of the forest's floors.

"Is this really a good idea, Harley?" Chang'e asked out of nowhere.

"What is?" Harley replied, wanting her to be more specific with her question.

"Us going deeper in the Enchanted Forest. We're still too inexperienced to real life-threatening situations, ain't it dangerous?" she asked with her hands fidgeting. She does want to go with them in this adventure but saying what she thinks might make them hate her.

Harley thought for a moment and considered her point. He could also feel Chang'e's hesitation in asking that so he tried to be as nice as possible so he won't hurt her feelings.

Now that they're in this nowhere of the forest, holding grudges against each other has no place for them if they want to make it out all alive.

"We already made it here," he stated. "And you do have a point of us being inexperienced. That means we're prone to death situations. But I think we'll work things out if we fight together. Wouldn't it give you a chance to test your powers to a real fight?"

Chang'e nodded her head in agreement. Her powers are still not in her controls, testing it would help her master the techniques but she remembered the words of her master.

"If you let your powers control you, you are a failure as a mage. It is the mage who controls the power, not the other way around."

"I hope we'll get back alive together," she simply said, burying the words of her master at the back of her mind.

After a while, they both found a fruit tree and picked its fruits. Chang'e initiated to fetch some water for the group.

"Let's get back before they'll panic due to our absence," Harley said to break the long silence that has covered them both.

On the other hand, Nana felt the heat of the sun on her skin which forced her to wake up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around and saw the empty space beside her. She looked at her side and saw another empty space beside Harith. She sniffed and could smell the faint scent of the other two mages. Her eyes wandered around the place before the fact that they're in the wild had sink in her mind.

"They're gone!" she exclaimed which woke the others up in panic.

"Chang'e and Harley are gone!" Nana added as she summons her boomerang. All of them stood in their fighting position.

"Can you sense something different?" Harith asked. The two other girls shook their head in response.

"What are you guys doing?" Chang'e asked as they show themselves holding some food.

Nana swings her boomerang and it disappeared and jumped onto Harley's arm.

"I thought you were gone!" she said angrily as she hits him right on the head.

"Hold your horses, cat elf," Harley said as he grabs her clothes by the back and got her off from him. "Have your fill so we could continue our journey."

"How are we going to know if we have reached the heart of the Enchanted Forest?" Lolita asked as she grabs some food.

"We'll know when we see it," Harith replied.

As they continue to walk deeper into the woods, they started to talk about the creatures that resides in that forest.

"Is it possible for us to bump into ghosts?" Chang'e asked as she shivers in fear. After the halloween party she attended when she in her nursery days, ghosts have been out of her cute-and-must-see list.

"Ghosts?" Harley gasped. "You believe in those paranormal things?"

"Ms. Lunox talked about them once," Chang'e replied. "She said it's hard to identify them for they take different forms to lure their victims."

"Can we not talk about that?" Lolita said uncomfortably. "It's creepy."

"Wait," Harith said as he stops. The others stood behind him.

Harley looked at the direction where Harith has fixed his eyes on and noticed an unexpected smoke rising above.

"Harith, let's take a peek," he instructed, "You stay here."

The two boys sneaked from one tree to another and got nearer to the location where the smoke is coming from. The place is quite dim, the dense trees covered it, giving no chance for the sun's rays to pass through them. As they peek behind the tree, they heard a woman humming.

"Hmmm...Hmmm... When the sun can't reach you, Hold out and reach for it on your own," the woman sang so sweetly that she entices the two boys to keep their eyes on her as she picks some fresh fruits from the trees.

They also saw a small house where the smoke is coming from.

"Someone lives in the forest?" Harith whispered.

"That's suspicious, don't you think?" Harley asked.

"Let's go back to the others. It would be risky if we show ourselves to an unknown woman. She might be dangerous," Harith suggested. Harley nodded in agreement but when they turned to their back, their hearts seemed to have almost leapt out from their chest.

"My, what are young boys doing here?" a beautiful woman asked. Her complexion is absurdly white, almost pale. Her pale blonde hair falls down to her lower back and her blood-red lips are truly remarkable. She is currently holding a jar filled with water but Harley thought that something is wrong.

He looked back at the place where the fruit trees are and saw the same woman still picking some fruits while humming a song.

"We look exactly the same, right?" the woman said with a smile as she gazed at his eyes. Harley gulped and nodded as a response. Harith did what Harley had done and it dawned on him, the woman humming and the woman in front of them are exactly the same.

"We're sisters," said the woman. "Come, let's get inside the house. It would be a disrespect not to entertain some guests for we rarely see people around here."

"Thank you for the offer but we decline. Harith, let's go," Harley replied, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"Sister!" the other woman waved at her sister and upon seeing the two boys, she was a bit astonished. She ran towards them and gave her sister a hug before turning her attention to the two boys.

"We have guests?" she asks, quite confused.

"Yes but it seems they're in a hurry," the woman replied. "We must not be on their way. You two have a safe journey."

"Wait!" the other woman stopped the two as they turn their back and was about to leave. "I... I just baked some pie. Won't you take a bite of it?"

Upon finishing that statement, the two suddenly whiffed some delicious and savory smell of pie. Their mouth watered in no time.

"We...We'd take a bite," Harith changed his mind for he couldn't resist the smell. The two women smiled happily and led them into the house. As the door creaked open due to it being an old wood, Harley and Harith were quite amazed at how classic the interior looks like. The furnace is lit up making the room warmer. There are two chairs facing it and at the corner is a small kitchen with an open window beside it. At the opposite corner is a small staircase going to the second floor. There are few scented candles lit up to make the room brighter and smell homey.

"By the way, I am Dearg (Dah-ruh-guh) and my sister is Due (Du-ah). We lived in this place for a long time. Make yourselves comfortable as I prepare some tea," Dearg said as she ushered them to the table.

The two boys seem to have forgotten something but they chose to be entertained rather than think of something they couldn't recall.

"You two look extremely alike, is there some characteristic that could differentiate you from her?" Harith asked in curiosity.

Dearg got the pie from the hot furnace and placed it on the table. Its smell is mouth-watering. She also served some tea for the two.

"Due has several scars on her arms. I don't have any," the beautiful woman replied. Her sister came and sat across Harley. She showed the small scars that are quite visible.

"Where'd you get them?" Harley asked.

"Dearg was in trouble before. She was about to fall on a thorny bed of vines. I helped her but the stones on the cliff were quite sharp they made cuts on my arms," Due replied with a small smile as she recalls the memory.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard familiar voices from the outside.

"Why do those voices sound familiar?" Harith asked himself.

"Ah, there are kids going around, playing and shouting. Anyway, help yourselves with the food and tea," Dearg said as she finished slicing the pie into four equal parts. Due volunteered to fill the plates of the two boys and nodded at them so they could eat comfortably.

A/N:

The character, Dearg Due, is not mine. Credits to the rightful owner.