‘Rita, Natasha, I will kill you both with my own hands if you are not dead already.’
Aurora had no idea why her two companions thought that it was a good idea to follow after her inside the forest. Aurora had specifically told them not to follow after her.
The only thing that was keeping Aurora from going back and dragging those two out was the fact that they were sealed into their human selves for now. The corruption Aurora felt would not be able to affect them.
But still, the fear of losing those two centered itself around Aurora’s brain.
“Should I go back now? I should have a look in on Rita and Natasha.”
That was Aurora’s plan and she instantly turned around to go back. But Aurora had not made it two steps out when she felt the ground shaking.
It was trying to throw Aurora off her feet and Aurora had to try hard not to fall.
Aurora twisted her body to match the moments of the shaking earth when she felt it stop shaking. That shaking seemed to be only a momentary thing.
So Aurora decided to try again and turn back but the same thing happened.
‘Is the forest trying to prevent me from going back? It only shakes when I turn back.’
Aurora had only tried a few times but the similarities were too much to ignore this outcome. The forest was actively trying to prevent Aurora from moving outside.
“Should I force my way out of here?”
Aurora wondered out aloud. There were a lot of eyes watching Aurora but she had no idea if they were judging her or looking for an opportunity to kill her off.
Aurora tried to blast her way behind her but the magic disappeared into the space. Aurora tried again but the abyss decided to push back at her.
It seemed like the abyss itself was telling Aurora not to turn back. This was the first time something like this had happened to Aurora.
What made it even more surprising was the fact that Abyss seemed to be coxing Aurora to keep on moving ahead. Its force had been gentle and calming.
‘What should I do now? Do I have no other but to move forward? I don’t like this.’
Aurora hated her situation but it felt hopeless. Trying to go against the Abyss was not a good idea.
“Don’t fight the feeling or something bad would happen. Just keep on moving.”
The call came from one of the shadows tailing Aurora. She tried to spot who spoke to her but there was no one behind her.
There was no one around her either but the feeling of being watched did not stop.
“The only way to get out of here is to find the mother. If you failed to find her then you will be stuck here like us.”
“But mother doesn’t like disobedient children so you should be careful.”
“Right. Mother was also in a bad mood a few days ago so be careful”
The more Aurors heard about this ‘mother’, the more curious she became. But even her curiosity was not enough to overcome her worry for her companions.
‘I guess I have to keep on moving for now. I should focus on finding this ‘mother first.”
Aurora knew she was in a difficult situation where she could not choose her path. This was the price she had paid for her choice of leaving her companions alone.
But in her defense, she had thought that they would acknowledge her words and keep her out of danger.
Aurora was filled with worry when she felt it. It was a sense of familiarity when Aurora sensed the nearby soul. Aurora was sure she had felt it before but she could not remember where she had felt that could before.
‘Should I follow after that soul? I am worried about Rita and Natasha but I cannot do anything to help them for now. Besides, they have not contacted me yet so things should be alright for now.’
Aurora was torn but curiosity won in the end.
If what these shadows said was the truth then Aurora needed to hurry up and finish her exploration.
It did not even occur to her that her companions had not called her for help because they were too busy not to. And this would be something Aurora would regret all her life.
But for now, Aurora was contented to stay back and explore the cave. She allowed her senses to guide her toward the hidden vault.
And then Aurora opened the vault and stepped inside.
It was all blue, a space filled with water and wetness. The night sky was being reflected in the dark lake which converted into a molten pool of stars.
“It’s so beautiful. I wonder who made this place. It doesn’t feel like a natural place.”
Aurora walked closer to the lake, her eyes taking in everything around her. She tried to spot her reflection in the pool but paused as soon as her eyes met her pool counterpart.
But Aurora had only leaned in to see herself when she felt someone push her into the pool. One second she was out, the next she was in the water.
She didn’t even hear the words of encouragement coming out in a familiar voice as she sank into the water.
“Good luck Aurora. I hope you have a pleasant swim.”
Ava’s familiar face was reflected in the water and an innocent smile made itself home on her face.
“I guess it’s time to pay a visit to that other pair. They sure know how to cause trouble for me.”
Ava left the scene and there was no evidence left behind of what she did. There were many things Ava had done in her life which would brand her as a traitor and this was one of those things.
But Ava did not feel guilty for what she did. After all, it was all for the sake of her grand plan.
===========================
“So, did you get the answers you wanted to find Clove? Has your heart settled down now?”
Clove looked up toward Zoe’s yellow eyes. The zodiac was waiting for her reply but Clove did not have one for her.
The past few days had been a rollercoaster ride for her but it was finally time for her to head back.
The tower needed to plan for the upcoming abyssal games and they needed Clove and Quince to participate as their representatives.
As much as Clove did not care for them, she also knew she needed the tower’s help in achieving her goal and completing her soul.
As for finding answers? She had a lot of her memories back so the answer was ‘yes.’
“You do not need to know what is going on with me. I promise that my condition will not hinder my resolve. I will help you out if you help me out.”
Clove had remembered a lot of her past life which had helped her accept Zoe’s help. But those memories had also ignited a long-forgotten feeling.
“Good. Then, I want to ask a favor of you. A long time ago, someone managed to make away with one of my treasures. The owner of such treasure would die soon but I want my treasure back. So I want you to help me sneak in and steal it.”
Clove considered Zoe’s words but they did not sound that difficult.
p?(??)? ?o??? “If it is something from the tower then there is no need for you to sneak in. I can get it for you.”
Clove had a lot of power and authority. It would be better if she was the one who requested to ‘borrow’ the thing Zoe wanted. It was not like Lady Minerva was going to say ‘no’ to her.
But instead, Zoe shook her head.
“No. That item is something I need to retrieve personally and it is not in the tower. I need to get into those abyssal games to get that item because it will be one of the prizes. Will you be able to get me in or not?”
Clove felt surprised at Zoe’s insistence in this matter but she ultimately decided that it had nothing to do with her.
Smuggling Zoe into the Abyssal games was not difficult for Clove. And Clove also had no reason to say no.
“Alright. As long as you promise not to cause trouble for me or expose me, then I can help you out. I don’t care about these games either way.”
Zoe gave a small smile back but she did not explain any further what she wanted from Clove. The talk also fell silent after that and Clove left pretty quickly/
It was only once she was gone did Zoe turn toward the small pool of water, only to watch Ava push Aurora into the lake.
“I guess Ava got impatient and decided to take matters into her hand. I don’t know how those fools don’t see what a devil she is but they will pay a price for it soon enough. I should not concern myself with this.”
For once, Zoe would turn her head away and pretend she did not see anything. Whatever plan Ava had, Zoe wanted no part of it.
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