Woodland Village

Thea, Riz, and the two strangers arrived in a village that seemed like a ghost town because of the thick fog covering it. The streets were empty and the houses had their doors and windows closed. There were lights from the streetlamps and houses but not a single fairy was walking or hovering outside.

Carved on the arc above the gate, Thea could barely read Woodland Village. They entered the first house from the gate. It has two floors and the entire yard was brimming with medicinal herbs.

Ayhan opened the front door and stepped inside the house. Though the house seemed empty, the air was warm and smelled like medicine. Thea smiled as she remembered the house of Gia.

Ayhan passed through a corridor and entered another door. There were two beds inside. Asuren carefully put Thea down on the bed near a window covered with thick curtains.

"Thank you," Thea smiled.

Asuren quickly looked away, covered his right eye, and swayed. He would have collapsed on the floor if Ayhan did not catch him.

"You're tired. Get some rest."

Asuren slowly walked out of the room.

"You should go after him," Thea was worried. "Riz and I only need a few hours of sleep."

"I'll call Mother. She can help with your burns. Just wait here."

Thea nodded while Riz covered her body with a blanket and had quickly fallen asleep.

Thea was still worried about Asuren and thought that it would keep her awake. But as soon as her back touched the soft and warm bed, sleep had quickly claimed her.

^###########^

Asuren scrambled out of the village while covering his right eye. His head throbbed with blinding pain and a chilling voice pounded in his brain.

Take her to me!!!

Asuren ignored everything and focused on walking until he found a cave. He settled in its deepest corner and closed his eyes. He tried to drown the voice of the Evil Witch with the sound of water droplets echoing inside the cave.

The chilling voice became distant and, after what felt like an eternity, it had been completely muted.

Asuren kept lying on the cold and wet ground. Repelling the Evil Witch was always exhausting his strength.

He wanted to get up and find a dry and warmer spot in that cave but his body had no more energy to move. He just closed his eyes and let his body get some rest.

^#############^

Thea jerked awake from a bad dream. A powerful wind gust had captured her and choked her to death. The wind felt familiar, like the wind that she had sensed from the two silhouettes they encountered. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her neck. She remembered the wind blade of the blood-soaked stranger grazing her skin, but she could not find any wound on her neck.

"They have a great healer here," Riz was sitting on a bed adjacent to hers. "Our burns and the cut in your neck healed quickly. They did not even leave a scar. But our wings are still damaged. Lady Kamia said that it will take at least a week to heal," her eyes shifted from Thea to the open window right next to her bed.

Thea noticed only then that, like Riz, she was covered by a thick blanket. There was a fireplace in the room, but the air still felt a bit chilling. Outside, rain was lightly pouring, making the sky looked darker and depressing.

"I hoped to see the moon and the stars," Riz gazed sadly at the dark sky. "But Ayhan told me that it rains almost every day here in Nightfall Realm."

"If we stay here for a week then maybe we can see them," Thea smiled.

"Stay here for a week?" Riz raised an eyebrow at her. "How about your father? Once they learn that you are already out of the chrysanthemum bud, they will look for you. Do you want the entire Daybreak Realm to suffer because of your anxious father? How about Sel and Gia? They are probably terrified with our sudden disappearance."

"Did you try communicating with them?"

"I did but there was only static. It must be the Deadly Barrier. It is messing with our signal. We can't stay here for a week, Thea. We need to go home as soon as we can."

"You jumped on that barrier and risked your life to follow the seal bearer. Why do you suddenly want to return and leave our target here?" Thea raised an eyebrow at her suddenly suspicious friend.

"Ayhan told me that they are also chasing a seal bearer. It also crossed the Deadly Barrier and dragged two of their friends to Daybreak Realm," Riz answered and quickly added, "We can chase that one and leave the sneaky seal bearer to their hands."

"I still don't want to waste our effort in pursuing that sneaky seal bearer," Thea sighed. "But… since Asuren and Ayhan helped us survive here in Nightfall Realm, we should also make sure that their friends stay alive in Daybreak Realm. We should get going. Where are those two?"

"Outside," Riz slipped out of the bed. "Let's go."

"No need for that," Ayhan entered the room. He was carrying a tray of freshly cooked dishes. "You should eat something before leaving. Mother put some rejuvenating herbs in your drinks to further help with your recovery."

"Thank you, Ayhan," Thea moved out of the bed, took the tray from him, and glanced at the door. "Where is Asuren? I should also thank him for carrying me."

"And your mother too," Riz added. "Lady Kamia mended our wounds and allowed us to stay here until we are fully recovered."

"There is no need for thanks. Your quick recovery is enough for my mother," Ayhan remained standing right next to the doorway. "As for Asuren, you cannot see him now. His mind gets chaotic at times. He needs to isolate and calm his mind. I'm sorry for what he did earlier, Thea."

"I understand your friend," Thea smiled. "We passed through the Deadly Barrier and lived. As far as I know, only seal bearers can do that. Though I am grateful that Riz and I are still alive, I am also surprised with what happened. I can't believe how lucky we are. You said that this realm is dangerous for seriously injured fairies like us. We could have encountered monsters, but we crossed paths with you instead. Now here we are, already recovering."

"You have no idea how you survived that barrier?" Ayhan seemed a bit disappointed.

"No," Thea shook her head then confidently added. "But if we did it once, we can do it again. We can cross that barrier and live. Your friends too. I'm sure they are alive. We will find them for you."

"Right," Ayhan let out a nervous sigh. "Riz already told you about my friends."

"I also informed her about the seal bearer that dragged your friends to Daybreak Realm."

"I hope you find and destroy that seal bearer," Ayhan clenched his fist. "I am also hoping that you will find our friends alive. The seal bearer that took them wants Asuren to follow them there but we cannot let the sneaky seal bearer you mentioned roam free here in Nightfall Realm and cross paths with the Evil Witch. That will be a disaster."

"Evil Witch?" Thea asked.

"As the name implies, she is a dangerous fairy that knows plenty of wicked tricks," Ayhan explained. "She is the other reason for you to get going. I'll just inform Mother that you are leaving. You should eat first and drink your medicine. Let's meet at the front yard in an hour."

^#########^