Rainer's head had hit the tree so hard that she felt her head spin, Did that blast just come out of her she asked herself as she got up on her feet. Her eyes nearly fell from their sockets as she saw Tony laying on the ground unmoving. She ran towards him and placed his head on her lap as she taped his cheeks softly.
"Tony, hey Tony, wake up," She called out softly.
She was relieved that he was breathing but she was also worried that she didn't hurt him badly,
"Oh, the agony, it hurts so bad, I knew you never liked me but I never knew that you would try to kill me, " Tony wined like a child. Rainer almost rolled her eyes up to her brain seeing her friend's childishness.
"Next time I promise that I won't miss," Rainer said, moving away and letting Tony's head fall to the ground.
"Your evil," Tony wind, sitten on the ground,
"And I thought you knew,"
"Haha, very funny. Oh yeah, by the way, what are you doing here? are you lost?" he asked raising a brow.
"No, just heading to complete my assignment," Rainer said, getting up from the ground followed by Tony.
"What were you sent to get," Tony held Rainer's hand with his expression serious,
'The desert, do you have a problem," Rainer pulled her hands away from Tony's.
"Yes, Rainer!! that place is a no-go area and here you are marching toward it. I'm sorry Rainer but I can't allow you to do that," Tony said firmly,
"Well I'm sorry, but I have to go, if I don't Mindy and grandma would have to stay in this nightmare for another extra year. And if you want to make things harder, then I won't hesitate to fight you," Rainer said looking dead into his eye,
Sigh," Fine then, I won't win if I try forcing you. I'll follow you, to be an extra eye for you," Tony said, with his shoulders slumped in defeat.
'Thank you,"
Rainer was happy to have Tony as her friend and her smile was enough to show it. They both walked together chatting like always keeping each other company. The more they walk the more the environment changes and the heat increases.
" I wonder why they call this place the cold desert, it should be called the desert of the underworld, what do you think,"
"Same, but I don't feel the heat," Rainer said honestly
"Is that a girl thing or what? Umm Rainer, very soon you would leave for the humans' realm, while I have to stay here, and I don't know when we would meet again, so I want you to have this," Tony removed a silver chain that had a moon-like pendant embedded with few diamonds that reflected the sun rays.
"Isn't that the last gift your dad gifted you before..."
"Yes it is, and now an given you, and don't refuse it. Okay, whenever we met again you can give it back to me, I want it to be that whenever you look at that moon you remember me, let it be your moon in the dark,"
Tony said those words with so many emotions in his eyes. He had always been there for Rainer through all her good and bad times and leaving after so many years felt hard not just for him but also Rainer.
"Okay, but I should also give you something, take this," Rainer removed one of the ruby earrings that dangled from her ear and placed it in Tony's hand before closing it. "This is my gift,"
Tony smiled as he looked at the earring, " Your mom's right, I'll treasure it," he said before putting the chain around her neck.
"Fit's like a glove," he said,
They both walked side by side coating and making plans for the future. But the heat was growing stronger by the second it was like they were walking into an open oven willingly. Tony began to sweat like a microwaved turkey while Rainer wasn't affected. The environment they were in had no grass in it, they were getting to the desert but the heat was almost unbearable.
"Why don't we just teleport to the desert and get the sand why do we need to walk there? I can already see the vultures waiting for us the die,"
"Oh, Tony we're almost there just a little more. And this is probably going to be the last time ill cone here so let me admire the view,"
"Admire a wasteland, the heat must be getting to you."
" Stop whining it's not even that hot anyways,"
"Rainer watch out!!
Tony pulled Rainer towards him. Rainer was taken aback by his sudden reaction. She looked in front of her and realized that they had gotten to the valley of poison and that she had almost stepped on a poisonous rock.
The valley was like a black part between the desert and the forest. The valley is just a dark land that is covered with dark, poisonous sandstone and rocks of different shapes, and sizes.
The land stretches far, but one could still see its end. Even the air in the valley was deadly. Many deadly animals duel. There is also a small river that flows from the village through the forest, then through the valley to join another river. The river was sparkling and tempting, but the river was still as deadly as the valley.
"Thank you,"
"Rainer, I think we should just teleport from here because I don't see any way walking through the valley of poison is fun, and the air here is not healthy at all," Tony suggested, and this time Rainer agreed to it.
Tony held Rainer's hand, and in a blink of an eye, they had appeared in the desert. They weren't too far into the desert because they could still see the Valley of Poisons not too far from where they were. The desert was intensely hot, and the air was quite dry; there was no surviving plant or animal that could be seen, unlike the forest. Rainer was wounded by what her granny meant by the unseen beauty.
"Please, Rainer, take the sand you need; I'm already starting to feel my skin burn from the heat," Tony said in a pained voice. Toney's skin was already red with some blemishes; his lips were already dried, and his eyes looked tired. If he stays there any longer, he may indeed become lunch for the vultures if they can make it to his remains, if there are any.
"Yes, I'm on it."
Rainer quickly let go of Tony's hand; she brought out a container from her pocket and quickly packed the sand she needed. She tried ignoring the strange spark she felt as she touched the sand. A gently sanding wind passed by, making her shiver—not in fear but for a strange reason.
"All done, Tony, now let's go," Rainer said, but there was no response.
She turned around, and to her horror, Tony was nowhere to be found. She looked around and realized that she was nowhere near the valley of poises. How did she get here? And where was Tony?
"Tony, Tony," Rainer called, but there was no response. She was lost, it was getting dark, and she was alone.
****
"Rainer!, Rainer!!"
Tony called out for Rainer, who was just standing right in front of him a moment ago but had mysteriously disappeared after he closed his eye due to the little sand that enters his eyes. the only things he saw were her spell book and the little container that was lying on the floor. Rainer could not cast a spell without her spell book, so where was she? He thought to himself. Tony looked around but couldn't find his friend.
He began to feel an intense amount of pain all over his body. His eyes began to spin, but he stayed strong for his friend. But he also knew that if he stayed there any longer, she would die, and he knew that he could not find Rainer all by himself, so he went back to the village to ask for help.
*************************
Rainer wandered through the dried land that seemed not to have an end. It was getting dark and scary, she prayed that her friend finds a way to find her before any deadly animal dose. Walking she began to feel her legs go tired. Her eyes wept the land and she saw a figure that was walking further away into the horizons. With her last strength, she began to run after it,
"Hey, please stop, I'm lost," but the person didn't stop, but walking kept walking further and further until the person disappear into the horizon. Exhausted she fell to the ground, she looked up but the person was long gone. Feeling fear creeping into her heart her eyes began to water but she closed her eyes ruffly fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.
With newfound strength, Rainer looked up with determination shining bright in her eyes. But as she lifted her head she sported someone looking right at her, it was her grandmother. With a heart full of joy Rainier began to run as fast as she could toward her grandmother. As she came closer to her mother she jumped and grasp her in a hug but as soon as she did she fell backward holding her abdomen.
The person who she thought was her grandmother ended up being a dead, dried-up tree. Looking down at her hands that were socked in blood Rainer fell to the ground. Her eyes were beginning to betray her and soon they did.
******
"Rainer, Rainer,"
That very familiar voice kept on calling out for Rainer, who had been unconscious for many hours. Rainer's eyes fluttered open, revealing her beautiful hazel eyes, but then she closed them still feeling sleepy, but that same familiar voice kept on calling her name like a broken record. Rainer's eyes finally opened, but she shut them quickly due to her eyes trying to adjust to the afternoon sun.
Rainer quickly stood up from the ground, where she had been lying for a long time. She looks around for the source of that very familiar voice, holding the chain on her neck tightly she prayed it to be true. Finally, her eyes landed on Toney, who was smiling at her from a distance. But then he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. Rainer didn't want to follow him; she didn't want what happened earlier to repeat itself, but then again she also didn't want to stay there any longer, so she took her chances and began following him.
"Toney, wait up." Toney, just slow down. Rainer called out, but the truth was that Toney wasn't even walking fast; his pace was slow and steady, but Rainer, who was running after him, couldn't meet up.
Rainer continued chasing after Toney, trying to get him to turn around even once, but Toney never did; he just kept on walking and walking. Rainer was almost out of breath, so she stopped to catch some air, but when she looked up, Toney was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and realized that she was right back where she had disappeared from; she saw her spell book lying on the ground, but what gave her goosebumps were the words written next to it.
"Rainer, hold on to the moon around your neck and wait for me; not even death can separate us...
"What does this mean?" Rainer asked herself, as a lone tear fell from her eyes,
She quickly wiped it away, not understanding why her body was behaving the way it did. A voice in her head was telling her something very ugly, but she shook it off like the devil on her shoulder.
Rainer managed to teleport across the valley of poison, but she didn't have the strength to do that again, so she began her journey on foot. She walked for hours and hours without taking a break. She began to feel faint, but she kept on moving. She finally made it to her village. She noticed the weird gaze she received from people, but she didn't care what they had to say; all she needed was food and water.
She made it to a public tap that was crowded by people; she didn't care who she loved at that point or how rude she looked; she just went to the tap and drank directly from it; she poured some water on her head and washed her face; she gained a little strength. But suddenly she was pulled away from there.
"I'm sorry for drinking straight from the tap; I was so tired and hungry that I forgot my manners, haha." Rainer laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but the people looked more shocked than angry at her.
"You're alive?" she heard someone ask.
"Yes, I am," Rainer answered innocently, and before she knew it, she had appeared in a different place.
She was at the witch queen's palace, and Rainer began to realize that no one was happy to see her. Rainer stood there for a few minutes, and with every minute that passed, the room became more crowded with people, who kept on murmuring to themselves. Rainers became uncomfortable; by everything that was happening, she knew she was in trouble but she couldn't point out her offense. Her mind kept on moving from one assumption to another; the pressure was becoming too much for her to take, and the suspense was killing her.
Finally, the queen walked out. Rainer smiled at her like always, but the moment her gaze fell on her, Rainer saw for the first time hatred and anger in her eyes. Rainer instantly swallowed the lump that was in her throat. Rainer didn't feel scared when she saw the ugly glare from her stepmother and sisters, but seeing it from the queen made her shiver.