It was chaotic with many muffled screams and animalistic snorts, but luckily Libitina had swiftly erected a wind chamber around the activity. Under the curtained windows and the muffled chamber, Libitina and Tudor tragically attempted to calm the giant furball down. Neither of them escaped its sharp claws and by the time the wombat had quietened down, the couple was both worse for wear.
Libitina heaved a sigh of relief as she vainly attempted to comb her hair with her fingers and make the baby hair stay away from her face. Finally, she asked the mysterious wombat a question.
"What's your name?"
"Master can name me —"
"No no no no no. I shall name you…Willow." The last naming experience with Tudor was still haunting her.
"Master, is Willow the name you've given me, like how you named Tudor? It's pretty," Willow's nose twitched, and she looked at her curiously. "Master, where's the others?"
Libitina looked at Tudor before answering the wombat awkwardly.
"I…haven't gotten all of you back yet. Be patient. Um, Willow, how about you introduce yourself?"
"Ahem…Let me think," the little wombat bowed its head clumsily before looking at them with its beady eyes.
"Hi Master, my name is Willow and I wield the power of the land and sands. I call upon the power of the hills and swamps and mould the earth to the will of the spirits. Thank you for taking me back." The little wombat bowed clumsily, although its short neck made the bow barely noticeable.
Libitina thinned her lips 'Cute…But aren't I the Master of them all? Then why am I not adorable as well?'
Then, she noticed what Willow said.
"Wait…Willow has the power of the earth…? Isn't the destruction caused in Enzak a consequence from monstrous plants? Is there a connection here?"
The owl and wombat exchanged a glance with each other.
"Master," Tudor quipped, "Perhaps when Master went out of control, you did not only activate me through your blood but also triggered Willow's powers through your emotions. Since Solomon City was close to the Capital, Willow might have sensed your agitation and established a temporary link with your magical imprints in Enzak. That's why it was the vegetation that got mutated and rampaged."
"But why didn't Tudor get... activated? Go mad? Is this how we are going to term it now?"
Tudor and Willow shrugged.
"Maybe it is because you were more inclined towards nature?" Tudor suggested. "Master, were you always in contact with greenery or vegetation before the outburst in Enzak?"
The gardening!
Libitina gulped. "Yes, yes, I was…I was in charge of maintaining the garden in Enzak when I was in town, and I spent a few hours there every day without fail…"
Did this mean that she truly was the reason why Enzak fell so badly? Because she had been gardening?
'You've got to be joking with me,' Libitina thought.
"Well, Master, even if you did not go mad with Willow's powers two and a half years ago, you would have gone mad with mine," Tudor chirped happily and rearranged his feathers nonchalantly. "Master, you know what I am capable of!"
'Yes,' Libitina thought wryly. 'That's why Gregory always said to control my powers with Tudor, because while wind can seem weak, it can trigger the most disasters and move the most rapidly in causing chaos. Instead of monstrous plants, Enzak would probably have welcomed monstrous hurricanes and thunderstorms and fires if I had went berserk with Tudor'.
Libtina fell silent as she tried to absorb this information. Enzak has been a long time ago, and reconciling new facts with a past she tried to forget was difficult.
"This brings back bad memories, doesn't it, Tudor?" Libitina smiled sadly, the scar on her face making her look more depressed.
The two little creatures looked at her worriedly.
"Ah, Master! Willow has something for you!" the wombat suddenly slapped Libitina's thigh excitedly. It then climbed up her laps to reach her face, causing Libitina to stiffen visibly as her claws got close to her head.
"Master, place your forehead on mine!"
Libitina glanced at Tudor, but he just looked at her encouragingly.
She took a breath and gently pressed her forehead against the furry head.
She was not expecting much, but her experiences with Tudor and magic with Gregory should have taught her better. Immediately, the scenes around her changed and distorted and rearranged themselves into an unrecognisable landscape, and Libitina found herself standing on a wide green field.
The prickly grass beneath her bare feet tickled, and the wind swept her hair messily, bringing along a scent of fresh lemon and wet soil.
'Where am I? Tudor! Willow!'
She tried calling out the names of her fellow souls but the air was calm and quiet, before her ears detected a sound.
In the distance, a youthful cry had travelled to her ears, and she turned to look at its source. A small blonde boy with chubby cheeks ran in the grass vigorously, panting but cheerful.
"Arrie! Arrie!"