45

The night passed with Regan awake. She knew she was going to have dark circles and be tired in the morning, but she didn't have the luxury to sleep in such a dangerous forest. It was only a few times, she fell into such a light slumber that she didn't even feel. 

The storm raged for some other hours and then, it seemed to calm down. Regan stayed outside as well, her mind racing.

She thought about her parents and Artemis's words about Sirius's deal. His deals were the last thing she cared about right now. As soon as they'd leave, she'd start the proper search for her parents, if there was even a chance for them being alive. She didn't know how, but she'd find a way.

As dawn approached, the remnants of the storm finally subsided, leaving behind a damp and refreshed forest. Regan, tired but determined, woke up her companions for the rest of the journey.

Artemis soon got up, frowning at her surroundings. She groaned in disdain, not believing in herself that she had slept there, "Cornelia, I'm sorry....I said we'd take turns but I...." Artemis said, an expression of guilt over her, "What about you Liv? Did you sleep the whole night as well?" she turned to Liv with an accusing stare.

Liv's expression took a guarded turn as she quickly rushed to defend, "I apologize, my lady. Lady Cornelia said she could guard better."

"Never mind. It's not a big deal," Regan said carelessly. "Now let's go and not waste time." Artemis nodded and got herself ready.

Liv dressed up as well. They stepped out of the cabin, making sure that there was nothing left.

Regan turned back once more and put out the fire. She was reluctant to do first, but then thought a fire in a hut, in a forest, could be dangerous.

After the storm, the forest had a slight difference. The tree leaves had turned into a blue color and the grass was a mixture of green and purple. They kept walking and came across a river with a bridge.

The river was flowing effortlessly, its serene sounds a stark contrast to the storm that had taken over. They stepped on the old bridge, which rested flatly just above the river.

"We're on the right path" Artemis told them.

Regan and Liv nodded, following her. They went further and further, Regan's muscles hurting from the previous night's fight and escape. The tall trees seemed to shrink in length and the grassy soil was also turning rocky.

"Here," Artemis stopped on her steps, turning to them, "Let's cover our heads as much as possible and put the masks on. We must not attract any attention."

Liv did as she was told while Regan was confused, "Do I have a mask?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Your hood has it inside," Artemis replied.

Regan checked her hood and nearly got her neck out of place, from trying to find the mask. The mask was tied to tied so it was easier to use it, but harder to find it. It was black and thick, but still breathable material. It covered Regan's face and let out only her eyes. The hood on its own, covered her hair, so only her eyes remained uncovered.

Both Artemis and Liv covered the same way and they continued on their walk.

"I've always thought," Regan began as she annoyingly was holding the mask out of her face to breathe properly, "you're more suspicious when you try to look like some mafia, than when you try to look common."

"What's a mafia?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's just.... let's say, Sirius is like a mafia. Or mafias are like Sirius."

Artemis and Liv exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not grasping the concept of a mafia. Regan sighed, removing the mask from her face momentarily.

"It's like.... someone or a group of living beings who are involved in organized crime, like illegal activities and such," she explained, feeling a bit awkward trying to convey the idea.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "Organized crime? I don't see the reference."

Regan smacked her forehead with her hand, "Never mind. Forget about it."

Artemis shrugged and continued walking.

Soon, they met with a huge chain link fence. Its heigh was tall, reaching the tallest oaks.

On the other side, there were still trees, just less dense. Regan could also see some buildings from far.

"So, behind this gate, it's the so-called city?" she asked, confused.

"Yes," Artemis quickly replied.

"And how are we going to pass?" Regan asked again, "We're gonna climb up there?"

"No, it's an opening somewhere....," Artemis trailed off as she walked near the fence, "Yes, here," she pointed down at a small door made of the same chain link.

"I thought you loathed dirt," Regan said, a hint of amusement in her voice, since the entrance was so small that they would have to crawl through it. Artemis glared at her before turning her attention back to the door. She reached for the handle and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Of course it's going to be locked," Regan rolled her eyes, "What's the point of this strong barrier if it has a opening?" She walked near it and an idea struck her. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Artemis raised an eyebrow, taken aback.

Instead of answering, she put her hands on the fence and held the bars for some seconds. As in response, the bars melted away, creating the appropriate opening. The melted metal dripped to the ground, making a mess.

"Whoa," Artemis and Liv both exclaimed in surprise, "How did that work?"

"I don't know," Regan shrugged, "I haven't done it before either.

"No, I've seen things like that but here....Sirius has done terrible things to people who have fire powers."

"So you're saying there are so many people with fire powers?" Regan asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Of course," Artemis replied, "It's just that their essence and origin is different."

"I see," Regan nodded, "and didn't he think someone could melt this?" she gestured at the chainlink.

"That's what I'm saying. There's no one left here with fire powers. He didn't have to worry about making the chain fireproof. They were beasts anyway."

"I guess I'm a beast then," Regan muttered.

"No, I didn't mean it for you. I meant-"

"No, it's okay. I don't know what I am," she muttered. "I thought I was human but...."

"What is a human?" Artemis curiously interrupted.

"A human is a being," Regan answered, her expression turning thoughtful, "We're beings too. We all are the creation of God."

"What is God?" Artemis asked.

"God is the one who made us all. He is everything. He is the reason why we exist. We are all God's creation. He's magnificent," the red haired replied, her voice raw with emotion and devotion.

"Oh, I know that," Artemis said, coming in realization as well, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

"I'm very glad you do. Let's try move past that fence," Regan said and then took a deep breath, leaning down. They all could fit through. When they stood up, a strong rush of wind blew, leaving Regan's hair and face totally exposed. She didn't know why they had to disguise like that. As if they had done a crime.

They began to walk again , the dense trees turning to a sparse forest, the buildings growing more prominent in the distance. Regan felt a rush of excitement. She still couldn't believe she was in an alien world, in a land that no human knew. 

As they got closer to the town, the ground beneath their feet grew harder, and the grass gave way to cobblestone. The buildings that Regan saw were like nothing she had ever seen before. They were tall and majestic, with intricate carvings and glowing lights that emanated a warm, inviting glow. Their shapes were different-from cuboids and pyramids, to spheres and cylinders. The trees stood tall too, their leaves purple and blue.

The streets weren't empty at all. She saw aliens and they were nothing she had seen before. She looked at one of the aliens in detail, it looked like a male. Instead of arms, he had tentacles and weird shaped legs. He was dressed in what looked like a suit but was made of some sort of fabric that shimmered in the light.

"Cornelia, the mask," Artemis reminded her. 

Regan put on the mask, still eyeing all the aliens. There were some that looked like humans, with features like those she already knew. Like Artemis and her servant for instance, who looked nothing like aliens. They weren't even paying attention, their expressions unreadable.

Regan's heart raced with fascination and awe as she saw even more aliens. Some had more than four eyes and some resembled mythical animals. But these were probably pets though. Females on general had cat or deer-like eyes, scales and long hair that was either blonde or purple. And their clothes were timeless. Some were clad in modesty, some in revealing clothes. It was like there was no time at all, no history, no culture, no current. Everyone seemed to be how they wanted to be and at least no one was minding them attention.

"Cornelia, you act like you've never seen creatures before," Artemis remarked, her voice muffled by the mask, "you're going to attract attention if you keep staring like that."

"This is insane. Incredible," Regan said, her eyes wide with wonder, "This is....I don't know what this is. That's nothing like Earth. For better or worse, I don't know."

They continued to weave through the bustling streets, dodging floating vehicles and peculiar beasts of burden that pulled carriages filled with goods. These looked totally medieval. Regan tried to not look but all she did was look, missing the silent converses between Artemis and her servant.

"We need to buy something to eat. The ride is long," Artemis said.

"Ride?" Regan asked but didn't get an answer.