The Quest.

Julia paced back and forth in the waiting room, her chest rising in panic. Every time a doctor emerged from the intensive care unit, she would already be up hoping it was news about her friend.

"Miss Julia, your friend is awake; she is asking for you." A nurse came to inform her after what seemed like forever, and Julia was already up and moving before the nurse completed the statement.

Although Julia was afraid of how she would find Dahlia, she still couldn't wait to assure her that her friend is alright.

"What happened?" Dahlia asked with questions in her eyes the moment Julia pulled the curtain aside, but Julia hugged her friend hard instead.

"I am glad you are alright; you gave me a scare," Julia said while examining her friend's body and looking at her eyes, but it seems everything is back to normal.

"Quit poking and prodding me; I am fine, but how did I end up in the hospital in the first place?" "You mean you don't remember anything?" Julia asked, her eyes intent, studying her friend's face; she should be scared of Dahlia, but for some strange reason her reaction is otherwise.

"All I remember is that we were discussing my ex-boyfriend's weird fetish, and I woke up to find myself here," Dahlia explained, wanting to understand what had happened.

"I think it will be better to explain this at home; the doctor said it was probably fatigue or you have been overworking yourself lately."

"You and I both know it's not true, but why do I feel like there's something you are not telling me?" Dahlia asked with suspicions in her voice, but Julia only smiled at her.

"Come on, let's go home; the doctor said you are discharged," And with that, Julia helped Dahlia up and out of the hospital.

Dahlia could feel her friend watching her intently, and the attention was making her uncomfortable; she wondered what had happened that made her friend this antsy, and she prayed she hadn't done something terrible.

Dahlia was about to ask a question when Julia zoomed past her shop. "Julia, why are we not stopping at the shop?" Dahlia asked worriedly.

"You deserve a day off, and you are not needed there anyways, while you were unconscious, I already explained everything to Zendaya, she'll take care of the shop and delivery," Julia explained, referring to Dahlia's assistant floral designer.

With that, Dahlia kept quiet all the way to her two-story suburban building, with its neat little lawn and far removed from the bustling of the downtown where her shop is located.

The car screeched to a stop in front of Dahlia's house, and Julia helped her inside. After she was settled in with an iced Coke placed in front of her, Dahlia looked at her friend in question, but it seems Julia would look anywhere but at her.

"Julia, you can't keep avoiding my gaze or evading my question. What happened while I was talking to you?" Dahlia asked, her voice ringing with conviction.

"Haa... Dahlia, I don't know how to say this without you thinking I am crazy; I need to know that you'll believe me all the same."

"Of course, I will believe you," Dahlia reassured, wondering how bad the incident was to make her friend this serious and nervous.

"So... what happened was while we were talking, you were saying something about showing me what a witch looks like, yeah?" Julia stopped and cleared her throat, but Dahlia nodded for her to continue. "I remember that part, but nothing after,"

"Dahlia, you practically became different, a different type of different," Julia said, knowing she sounds confusing even to her own ears.

"What do you mean, different?" "Your... your eyes... they changed to amber, and it was like fire was burning within them, and you see your hair that's scattered all over your face; I didn't undo your bun."

Dahlia was too overwhelmed to say anything; she doesn't know what to think yet till her friend finishes explaining the incident. "Did I undo it? I don't remember doing that," Dahlia put in.

"The point is that you didn't; I just saw your hair flying about your face, and you look magical, like a...witch." Julia whispered the last word softly.

"And when I tried to come near you, I was thrown against the wall just before you lost consciousness, and that's how you ended up at the hospital."

Julia concluded the explanation and let out a sigh of relief before she dropped on the couch. Dahlia did not say anything for a while, just continued staring at Julia, her blue eyes intent before she let out a tired sigh.

"You are serious, are you not?" Dahlia asked her friend, and Julia nodded in agreement. "I don't know, Julia, you are not taking anything you are not supposed to, right?"

"Dahlia, you think I made it up; you think I am lying to you?" Julia asked as she stood up from the couch and started pacing again.

"No, I believe you definitely saw what you saw, but I don't believe that is what happened to me; something is wrong somewhere," Dahlia said skeptically.

"You don't think I was the one who hurt you, do you?" Julia asked again. "You threw me up against the wall for fuck's sake; here, I'll show you my hand."

Julia rolled up her sleeves and showed Dahlia the swollen part of her bruised arm that had happened due to the impact of being thrown against the wall. When Dahlia saw it, she said nothing, just continued staring at it.

~~~~

The three brothers stood by the fireplace, the revelation coming as something of a shock and a blessing to them. "Now that we know she is here, how do we know where exactly to find her?" Tristan asked no one in particular.

"The sword is still glowing; I believe there might be a sign somewhere or somehow," Damien replied, his forehead scrunched in thought.

But Zuriel was looking outside towards the balcony, not interfering in what they were saying. "There," he says to them, pointing towards a horizon of blue light that seems to be coming from a far-off building.

The blue light is shaped in a crescent and not visible to the ordinary eyes, and they all located the source of the light right before it disappeared.

"And from now on, we go on our quest differently, and I will eliminate anybody that tries to stand in my way," Damien warned his brothers and headed out of the house.

But Zuriel only donned the cloak again before settling in the armchair and closing his eyes contentedly. "You are not going to find the witch?" Tristan asked, trying to understand his second brother, but Zuriel remained silent, and Tristan let out a frustrated sigh as he stepped out of the house.