"I'll be back," Link said making Eirin look at him as he made his way to where Eleanor went. Eirin then remembered that Cali's looking at her.
"Come again?" Eirin's forehead creased as she doubted her sense of hearing after what Cali said. "I-I don't understand. Could you repeat that?"
Cali moved closer to Eirin. "I see a spirit lingering around you," she said. "It has a vibrant color of pink."
Eirin froze and gulped. "I— "
"This is ridiculous. I'm out of here." Shade cut Eirin off as he walked away from the two. "Just call me when Link's back."
Cali's cold eyes followed Shade as he walked upstairs. She did not say anything else as she shook her head and left the living room, leaving Eirin all alone and confused about the spirit that Cali said.
'What was that about? I thought she'd say something else.'
Eirin sighed as she lay back down on the sofa. "Vibrant color of pink, huh?" The teenage girl stared at Ava's pink bracelet. "That's Ava's color."
The teenage girl waited for her grandmother to come back as she stayed staring at the bracelet. "This feels like you're here with me, Ava," she whispered into thin air. The longer she waited, her sleepiness attacked, and she soon fell into deep slumber.
"I might not agree with this, but I cannot risk the life of my granddaughter."
Eirin's sleep was disrupted by the noise she heard around her. 'What's going on?' Her eyes were still half open as she got up from the sofa. "Grandma?" she called out, making Eleanor turn to her with panic in her eyes.
The other three were standing in front of Eleanor, looking awkward, yet serious.
"Dear, you must prepare to leave soon," Eleanor said with no other prior information. "There might be other people after you, and we cannot let them get what they want."
Eirin blinked her eyes thousands of times. "W-What?" The atmosphere in the air was telling her something serious happened while she was fast asleep.
"I have prepared your things and already sent them there. All you must do is bathe and follow them."
Eirin turned to Link who was smiling at her while standing beside Eleanor. She wondered what made him smile so happily like that. Despite the questions Eirin had, Eleanor forced Eirin to prepare and take a bath for their departure. It wasn't the usual bath Eirin would take.
Eleanor placed something like a potion on the bathwater that turned it into a vibrant purple color, which baffled the teenage girl, but she was still forced to dip herself into the water.
'What's with this? Where are we going anyway?'
There were tons of questions lingering inside her head, but seeing how anxious her grandmother had become, Eirin could not open her mouth anymore. As soon as she was done, she saw the three others waiting for her.
"I could not answer all your questions, but there are answers waiting to be found. You must seek them on your own," Eleanor said. "Sometimes the answer you get might not be what you expect, but you must promise me this. You must never forget your reason."
Eirin could not understand why her grandmother muttered those words. "Aren't you coming with us?" she asked without letting go of Eleanor's hand.
"I will not be able to go with you." A melancholic smile formed on Eleanor's face as she caressed Eirin's cheek. "But do not worry, my student shall prepare a different path for me. That way, you'll be safe."
Eirin wanted to ask questions, but seeing the look in Eleanor's eyes made her unable to do so.
"Before I go, would it be fine to call Bright?"
The thought of leaving her friend without saying anything made Eirin feel bad. Bright had comforted her through her depressing time, and she didn't want to just disappear from his sight.
"Sure, dear. But make it quick. We do not have enough time."
Eirin rushed to her room while holding the telephone. Her heart thumped loudly as she dialed Bright's number, but it only kept ringing.
"Why aren't you answering?" she muttered as she started biting her fingernails. She wondered why she felt so anxious about not being able to say goodbye. What excuse must she use to keep it a secret from Bright Goodwin?
"Hello? Eirin?"
"Bright!" Eirin could not control her voice. "I need to tell you something," she quickly said."
"Hey, hurry up will you."
The teenage girl heard Shade's voice outside her door.
"We don't have all the time in the world for your little chit-chat."
Eirin rolled her eyes after hearing that and thought, 'Shut up.'
"Ei? What's going on?"
Bright's husky yet gentle voice, and the fact that it was so close to Eirin's ear, made the teenage girl flinch.
'Right, he must be sleeping since it's still 1 in the morning. Now I feel bad for calling,' Eirin thought as she took a deep breath. "I just want to say thank you for comforting me," she said.
"What's with that? You don't have to thank me for something like that," Bright chuckled, and his voice sounded like music to Eirin's ears. "Was that the only reason you called? Is there a problem? Do you want me to see you right now?"
The teenage girl's heart couldn't calm down as her grip on the telephone tightened. "I… I'll be leaving." Silence followed what she said as if Bright waited for more. "I'm sorry if I couldn't say it to you in person. It all happened so fast, and my grandmother just decided earlier."
Bright had a short pause before speaking. "When will you leave."
"It's today."
"What? What time? May I go meet you before you leave?"
"Hey! I desperately want to leave now."
Eirin rolled her eyes as she took another deep breath after hearing Shade knock on the door with complaints coming out of his mouth.
"What was that? Who was that?"
Eirin sighed and could not answer. "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving right now."
"W-What? When will you come back then? Where are you going?"
Questions that even Eirin doesn't know the answers to. "I… don't know."
"Will you be able to text me? Or maybe send some letters?" The desperation in Bright's voice made the teenage girl feel guilty. "I really don't want to lose communication with you." His voice sounded so dejected that Eirin felt her chest tightening.
"I will try to send you a letter if I can. It's a faraway place, and I don't know if there's a way for us to communicate."
Bright felt overwhelmed as he bit his lower lip and said, "Would it be fine for me to wait for you?" Eirin knew exactly what Bright meant by those words.
"No… It will be better for you to forget about me since I might or might not come back."
Eirin didn't wait for Bright's response as she hung up the phone. She knew it would be harder for her to leave if she continued hearing Bright Goodwin's voice. She stole a glance at the window before she walked out of the room. Her distress caused her to ignore the man standing outside her door as she walked down the stairs where the others were waiting.
"I guess, I'm ready?"
Link picked up his bag and smiled. "Shall we go now?" The three followed him after Eirin bid Eleanor goodbye and promised that they would meet soon.
'I don't even know where we'll be going and what will happen to me,' Eirin thought as they walked out into the dark of the night. She followed the three as they walked along the familiar path towards her school.
"Stop," Cali said as she raised her hand, making Eirin bump into her back. "I feel a whirlwind of mana coming," she said as she looked up to the dark and starry sky.
Cali's eyes glowed with her hand raised and she sprinkled snowflakes into the sky. "That will do for a while. We must hurry," she said and grabbed Eirin's arm.
Eirin wondered what they could be running from. Why were they being sneaky and stealthy?
They all ran towards North High School, Eirin's school. The stillness of the trees around the school grounds made Eirin's forehead crease. It was in the middle of the night, and she could only hear their footsteps as they trespassed into the hallways. No wind, no voices, no anything. Just their footsteps.
"The door might still be open," Link whispered, breaking the silence between all of them as he kept looking at his watch. He led the way to the auditorium while holding a flashlight to brighten their path.
As they entered the auditorium, there were few lights open, and Link rushed to the storage room. They walked into the middle of the stage, and Eirin glanced at the audience's seats. It reminded her of that day, her dance recital.
"It's not here!"
Cali quickly shoved Eirin away from the lights that at once fell right where she was standing.
"What's going on? Are the æons after us?" Link asked as he stared at his watch again.
Eirin froze as a huge shadow-like being appeared in front of her, Shade burned it into pieces, but the shadow turned into a black mist and charged Eirin.
"Move."
Cali created a huge wall of ice, not giving the black mist a chance to be able to touch Eirin. "We can't stay here any longer."
"Tsk." Shade clicked his tongue as he grabbed Eirin's arm. "Let's meet at the other door." He ran as fast as he could with Eirin following her because she didn't have a choice as she was being dragged by Shade.
"Run faster will you!"
"I'm doing the best I can!"
They shouted at each other, but whenever the shadow-like being started to seep into Eirin's body, Shade would quickly turn around to burn them away.
"Why is this happening!?" Eirin exclaimed.
They ran hand in hand, and Eirin could feel her palm getting sweaty. 'I should be thankful that this guy's wearing leather gloves,' she thought as she chased her breath until they reached the forest behind the high school.
"Where are we going?"
"There they are! Let's hurry." Link pointed to the deepest part of the forest. "Cross the border now!" he said in a rush, and with that, Shade pushed Eirin towards the huge Molave tree near her. It was as if falling into an abyss, she closed her eyes and screamed.
"Why are you screaming? Stop being dramatic."
Eirin felt herself fall on her butt, and she could not believe her ears after Shade said that. He looked unbothered about what he did, making Eirin scoff as she shook her head.
"Where is this anyway?"
Eirin rubbed the dirt off her skinny jeans and looked around. It was still the same forest they went into, except that there was a little road beside the tree and a sign for a bus stop.
"Why is there a bus stop sign here?"
Before her question could be answered, Link and Cali appeared out of nowhere, making Eirin stumble and fall on her back.
"Are you okay?"
Cali at once caught her and their eyes met. Eirin's amber eyes blinked lots of times as she muttered, "What in the world?"