The students arrive at the Mist Cavern and as they get off the school bus they are instructed to assemble in front of an Inn, which was not too old but not new at the same time.
"Everyone is allowed to take a tour of the market place for exactly two hours only" the class
teacher shouts through the loud murmur of the students.
"But Ms. Beatrice only two hours?" some students groan in disappointment.
"Two hours is more than enough! Now disperse and one more thing" she says taking a
short breath "All of you will assemble at the Mahogany Inn on time understand?!"
Of course the students were too agitated to listen to her, some even started their
exploration.
"Students these days" she simply sighs out before stepping into the Inn.
"Blair! Let's go to that stall I want to eat that" Dakota points to a nearby stall.
"You want to eat now?!"
"Yes! Yes! please!" Dakota gives her friend a puppy dog look.
"Okay let's go" she has no choice but to give in.
"Yo Pres!" a familiar voice gets their attention.
"Raizo! I have a name you know!" Blair clicks her tongue in annoyance.
"Nah! Pres is like my sweet nickname to you" he winks at her.
"I'll pull out your eyes through your glasses" she retorts.
"Poor Raizo always getting laid off" Dakota pulls his leg.
"Hey! Don't make fun of me!" he pouts.
"Where is Stephen?" Blair looks behind Raizo.
"Hey guys!" Stephen comes up behind Raizo" had to take a call, sorry for making you all wait."
"At least let us know where you go...you know", Blair looks away. While Stephen gives her a questioning look.
"What I mean is...it's easy to get lost on trips and...we are friends so..." Blair bites her lips nervously.
'Seriously prez, it's written all over your face', Raizo looks at Stephen and Dakota 'these two are idiots so it's not surprising they don't notice', he sighs out thinking to himself.
"I totally agree with prez!" the spectacled boy chimes in.
"Oh, okay..." Stephen scratches the back of his head.
"No problem! But keep in mind!" Dakota pipes in restlessly, she then nudges Blair pointing towards the previous destination they were about to set off to, "food here I come!!!"
"Oh! of course! We'll be going that way you guys.", the class president let's herself be dragged away by her hungry best friend.
"Where?! Don't leave me alone Pres!" Raizo says looking at her dramatically. She simply
turns and walks off with her hungry best friend.
"Ah I think I'm invisible huh Raizo?" Stephen monotonously comments. Raizo realizes and
looks at his friend while grinning like an idiot then slings his arm over his shoulder casually
"Ya know I didn't mean that right?" he laughs it off.
"Yeah right!"
"Ah don't get upset now" Raizo leans towards Stephen
"Yeah yeah alright don't get any closer!"
Rei was in deep thought as she went through the events that happened a week ago. A week
ago Dakota had asked permission to go on the school trip. Well it wasn't the school trip that
was the problem rather it was the place she was about to go. This morning she had to bid
her daughter farewell to the place she dreaded the most and yet keeping a stone in her
heart she let her go. Anxiousness took over her and her mind was troubled by the fact that
she would be away for two nights and a day from her daughter. Her thoughts were
interrupted when she felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulder. Her body jerked in
surprise at the sudden contact, she swiftly turned back to find the owner of those hands.
"I didn't mean to scare you, forgive me" a look of apology visible in his face.
"Klaus it was you?" she breaths in relief "It's alright" she gives him a weak smile.
"You're worried about Dakota aren't you?" he says sitting beside her.
"Yes that's true I am very worried" she glances at him then continues "That place...It's not
safe there and yet I let her go..." Rei looks down in regret.
"Nothing will happen Rei, look if we stopped her she would find it suspicious and she is still wearing the pendant so she will be alright" he reassures her. Rei silently nods her head in agreement managing to put on a smile on her dejected face.
"Well then, on the way home from the market I came across a store selling fresh cream buns and then I thought of you" he looks away in embarrassment.
"Cream buns?" she looks up at him in surprise.
"It's your favorite...so I bought some. I'll make some tea and then we can have it together", he rushes towards the kitchen.
'Klaus you always remember every little detail, how can I ever repay your kindness', Rei
thinks to herself and while watching him rush out, a memory hits her, the first memory of him and her.
The last thing she could hear was a voice that echoed in her head and then she blacked out.
After what seemed like long hours of sleep she started regaining her consciousness and
slowly parted her eyelids to find herself in a strange surrounding. "Are you feeling better?"
she heard someone behind her. Startled she quickly gets up but soon regrets it as pain
takes over her back, she holds onto her shoulder to find it bandaged. She takes in deep
breaths, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position.
"It's better if you lay down or your wound might open up and-" the speaker gets cut off mid
sentence.
"Where am I? Who are you?" her head begins to throb, she holds onto her forehead trying
to calm down and suddenly it clicked on her that her baby wasn't with her, she whipped
her head back facing the person that spoke to her.
"My baby...where is she?" Rei tries to get off the bed but her body wouldn't move she was
too weak and the wound on her back prevented her movements. The person behind her
rushed to her aid.
"Calm down, she is safe and sleeping in the other room" he calls out to his acquaintance to
bring the baby into the room. Seconds later an old man enters the room with a baby safely
nestled in his arms.
"My name is Klaus Winters" he introduced himself and then continues to introduce the old
man "this is my uncle, he nursed your wounds".
"Hello, my name is Francis" he says placing the baby beside her, she quickly responds by
taking her baby into her arms. He then exits the room saying he would be preparing
medicines.
"What is your name?" Klaus inquires.
"My name is Rei and this is my daughter" she answers him then goes on to ask "What is this
place?"
"This is place is called the Mist Cavern I found you in the forest while collecting herbs for
my uncle....you just fell from the sky... How did you?"
Rei didn't know why but she felt a little safe around Klaus and she felt she could confide in
him so she tells him everything about her, from the time she was being chased till she fell
from the sky, she even tells him about her encounter with the old couple and how they
saved her baby from an untimely death.
"When I was about to fall I found myself afloat a golden layer...was that you by any
chance?" she blinks
"Yes you see I'm a Spell Overlord..." he courteously replies.
"Does this dimension have special abilities as well?"
"It's very rare...there are only few who are exposed to such powers and abilities…this place
is quite different to the place you have come from."
"I see" she looks at her sleeping baby.
"So...will you be going back to your dimension?"
Rei closes her eyes and breathes out pausing in thought.
"Sorry I shouldn't have asked that...well you should get some rest now" he says beginning
to walk out of the room.
"It's just...I don't know..." Rei speaks making him stop in his tracks, she goes on "I don't have
anywhere else to go and I have no place to return to now..." the last few words stung her
heart as images of her home and her husband flashed before her eyes.
"Well...if it isn't a problem...you could live with me…I live alone anyway" Klaus says his back
turned to her.
"I don't want to impose on you Mister Winters" she insists.
"You are not... and please call me Klaus..." he looks back at her with a smile. Rei felt warmth
in her heart as she sincerely thanked him for his kindness.
"Rei?" she snaps out of her reverie finding Klaus sitting opposite her, he places a cup of tea
before her.
"You're spacing out on the cream buns...poor cream buns they are getting disappointed" he jokes.
"Klaus..." she laughs out.
"Rei…everything will be okay..." he smiles at her reassuringly.
"Yes everything will be okay" she replies then thinking of Dakota she says to herself 'be
safe and come home soon we are waiting for you'.