"I've got to meet her todweus sLShe's the only key to finding Arthalia. Didn't think I would meet her again in my life." She smiled sadly and her grip around her mobile tightened.
She glanced at her watch before sticking out her hand for a cab near the road. A taxi driving on the way stopped and boarded her in.
"Please take me to the 4th street near the Bluewoods Club ." She informed.
The driver was startled at her request. "But ma'am, that place is really dangerous."
"I already know what it is like. Just drop me off there, please." She requested.
The driver nodded hesitantly and drove away. After a 20 minutes ride, the cab halted at an area which seemed abandoned and unusually quite. It was kind of dark even though the sun was up already. It gave off an eerie vibe. The BlueWoods Club was closed and it seemed like they didn't have any customers over a decade. The door of the club was scratched and cracked and one of the hinges were gone. The "welcome" board hanging on the door was half broken. It seemed like the door would collapse at any moment. The windows were all boarded up and spray painted words were visible on the boarded up windows and the walls all around the area.
Ae Rin got out of the cab and the driver rolled down the window. She lowered her head to the window's level and handed him the money.
"Ma'am, are you sure you came to the right place?" He asked again anxiously.
"I will be alright. Please be on your way, sir." She reassured him and smiled.
The driver wanted to warn her one last time but decided to mind his own business and drive out of there while he still has the chance. Her smile faded away as soon as the cab was out of sight.
She walked around a corner of the BlueWoods club and took a deep breath.
"Here I go." She kneeled on the ground and placed both palms on the ground and closed her eyes. The ground below her started glowing bright pink and she was immediately engulfed by the earth beneath her.
The next moment she felt something very cold and uneven beneath her. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a pitch black and extremely cold place. Since there was no light, she couldn't make out 'what' exactly was she standing on.
"What in the world am I standing on? Why is it soft and uneven? It's so stinky too. I'll need some light." She mumbled to herself. She produced a big ball of fire from her hand which was hovering over her palm. The red and yellow light of the fire lit the place around her. She gasped in shock when she looked at her feet.
A disfigured and mutilated face lay beneath her feet. She immediately jerked her feet away. When she finally looked ahead, she saw huge heaps of dismembered bodies and blood all over the place.
"Why did she even kill all of these people?! Wait, they aren't even humans..." The stench coming from the bodies made her cover her nose.
"They are my servants. I killed them because they were disloyal to me." A girl's voice called out from behind.
Ae Rin turned around to see her 'old friend' standing there. Everything she wore was black. Her skin was the palest of all. Her dark purple hair was braided and neatly kept over her shoulder to the front and her eyes were lifeless grey. Her black lips curled up as she approached Ae Rin with a pleasant smile.
"How long has it been since I last saw you? 5 decades? So, how've you been, sister?" The girl clasped Ae Rin's hands into hers. It was weird enough that SHE was welcoming her like that but Ae Rin ignored it.
"Better than before at least. What do you do now that you're free from father's control?" Ae Rin asked.
"Why are you taking interest in my life after 5 decades?" The girl chuckled.
"Because you're my sister. I can't forgive you for what you'd done but I still care about you." Ae Rin replied.
The girl stared at her blankly with her emotionless grey eyes and then crossed her arms, " You came here for a reason, right? What can I do for you?"
"Do you know... how to get to Arthalia?" She asked carefully.
"Of course I do. But why do you suddenly want to know about that?" She frowned. "They're after me and soon will search for you, too. Azura asked me to go to Arthalia to find... answers." Ae Rin explained.
The girl shuddered slightly with a hint of fear in her eyes, "For the sacrifice? I am already well hidden in this country. They won't possibly find me out here... "
"Look. They have already made their first move on me by attacking my friend. It's better if you come with us, please. I don't want you to die like him." She pleaded.
"Right... L-Like him.. I don't wanna die.." The girl's eyes twitched and her lips were slightly trembling.
"Yeah, so come with me. It would be better for both of us. " She smiled warmly.
The girl bit her lips in confusion, as if she didn't know what to do. But she also couldn't refuse her sister's offer.
"Okay, I will come. I will tell you how to get to Arthalia." The girl smiled wearily.
"Thank you, Cherry!" Ae Rin sighed in relief and hugged her sister.
"I told you not to call me Cherry. My name is Iris." Iris frowned.
"But I can't help it!" Ae Rin laughed.
"Oh, right, I need you to meet someone else. He will come with us to Arthalia." Ae Rin smiled as she let go of her sister.
"Who?" Iris tilted her head.
"Ah, you will see when you go to my house." She smiled asuringly.
"Is he a human?" Iris glared at her.
Guilt spread across Ae Rin's face and she remained silent. It was clearly a yes.
"You know how much I hate humans, don't you? They make my blood boil! " Her hands balled up into fists.
"L-Look, it will be alright. Just meet him first. I think both of you will be great friends." She placed her hand on her shoulder asuringly.
"We'll see about that."