As the mist turned darker, they saw a ray of light coming right in front of them. Desperate for an escape, the two chased the ray of light. Their heavy breathing filled Eirin's ears as she tightly held Shade's hand. They reached the blinding light, hands clasped together, huffing and puffing. Eirin slowly opened her eyes, and a familiar face greeted her.
Eyes swollen and legs wobbly, Coleen's mouth turned upside down as she suppressed her tears and ran towards Eirin, pulling her into a big hug.
"I thought you guys were a goner."
Eirin caressed Coleen's back after hearing her hoarse voice as she bawled in Eirin's embrace. Her eyes soon landed on the young man standing before them, holding some logs.
"What took you guys so long? Was it that hard to find Eirin?" Link sighed in relief and turned to Shade, but Shade only clicked his tongue and never answered. Shade walked towards the huge rock in the middle of what seemed to be a savanna while Coleen continued hugging Eirin, leaving the teenage girl confused.
The situation caused the teenage girl to wonder how long they made the two wait.
As Shade sat atop the huge rock, he roamed his vision. The huge rock stayed in the middle of the vast land with nothing else to see but trees at the edge. He raised an eyebrow, questioning Coleen why she continued to cry as if someone died.
"You can't blame us. You two have been gone for five days," Link explained after putting down the logs. "I was about to call the academy for help if you guys didn't arrive earlier," he added, leaving Shade and Eirin speechless.
Five days? It didn't feel like more than a day for them, but it's already been almost a week. Knowing that gives Eirin shivers down her spine as she looks back. She could still hear the eerie voice inside the forest calling out to her.
A bird then flew out of the forest, making them stare at it as it got farther away. Eirin blinked thousands of times after a thought flashed through her head.
"What about the Phoenix? We still need to bring it to the academy, right? To stop the plague." It was her first mission; she could not let herself fail drastically. "I think we should just continue with our mission. The school needs the cure, and I think no one got hurt anyway."
Eirin said those words while Coleen was still hugging her, as if afraid of letting go. It was peculiar. Even Link, who's been Coleen's dear friend since childhood, found it odd for the young girl to be attached to someone else.
Link tried to pull Coleen away from Eirin, but the girl continued sobbing even after being parted, leaving Eirin baffled.
'What's going on with her?' Eirin wondered. She couldn't stop feeling bad as she watched Coleen cry her eyes out.
Link sighed and brought out something from his bag. "This is the map that shall lead us to the hidden village of Dalry," he said with Coleen still sobbing softly beside him, making Eirin steal glances at her. The indifferent and wary Coleen McGuffin is crying in front of them. Who wouldn't be surprised?
"I think that's it. We should go."
Eirin flinched after Link and Shade stood up. She blinked three times after not hearing anything due to not paying attention. The teenage girl was so distracted by Coleen's outburst of emotions that the only thing she could do was follow the three from behind as they walked the path towards the village.
"Here. You two must be starving."
Link passed slices of bread to Shade and Eirin as they wanted to avoid bothering to sit and wait for cooked food. The mission is more important than their grumbling stomachs.
Eirin squinted as she protected her eyes from the sun's bright light. It was as if she'd been deprived of light for too long since she entered the Lively Grove, and now, she couldn't get used to it. Eirin walked behind the three with a heavy heart, but her eyes soon met Coleen's, who kept glancing back at Eirin.
Before Eirin could mutter a word, Link stopped upon reaching a small wooden entrance towards the village. There was a wall beside the wooden door made from old logs. They could see mushrooms growing out of them, causing Coleen to shriek. Link looked at Eirin and Shade before he opened the door. The creaking sound made Coleen cling to Link's arm. As they entered the village, no glimpse of a human was sighted. The three continued walking, and Eirin observed the surroundings, and it was apparent that the houses were all made from wood.
All windows and doors were closed, but they could oddly sense someone looking at them.
The four students walked the path between the houses, trying to find someone to talk to and ask for information. As they explored the village, they heard someone whispering into the air, thus causing Eirin's forehead to crease as she leaned toward Link.
"Do you think they know something about the Phoenix?"
A loud thud burst in their ears as an old man with long white hair reaching the ground appeared before them while holding a cane to support himself. Eirin grabbed onto her chest due to surprise as she instinctively moved closer to Shade Cromwell.
The old man stared at Link's clothes and said, "Students of the Senerra Academy, what business do you have in our small village?" His tone gave such hostility that Shade immediately raised a brow.
Eirin flinched as she moved behind Shade Cromwell after the old man stared at her body and even gave her a look from head to toe. Link noticed the teenage girl's action, but he put a smile on his face.
"We have come for a mission the Queen gave us."
The old man raised an eyebrow as he stomped his cane to the ground. Two men with dog-like ears appeared behind the old men.
"Ah, yes. The Queen who had forsaken this land."
Link gulped upon hearing such words from the old men. He wanted to finish the mission without casualties but couldn't read the old men's empty brown eyes.
The old man stole another glance at Eirin before saying, "Follow us."
Even though hesitant, the four students looked into each other's eyes before following the old man and his two male companions.
"Uhm, if I may ask, are you the village's chief?" Link asked as they entered one of the biggest houses in the village.
"How rude of me. Karĩmi that is my name, and you are correct, young man. I am this village's chief." The old man led the students inside the house. "I wonder, what is this mission the new Queen had given this time?"
Link's forehead creased. 'This time?' he thought. He tried to hide his suspicion with a smile. However, his hesitation caused the old man to stare at him with those piercing eyes. No one could blame the young man; this old man surely gives you the creeps.
"We are searching for someone."
The old man flinched, and the corners of his mouth quirked up, his eyes disappearing due to his smile. "Who is it you are searching for?"
Link swallowed a huge lump in his throat. The fact that Coleen's been hiding behind his back as those two men gawked at their two female friends made it hard for him to maintain his composure. He is smart enough not to fight with someone whose abilities they don't know.
"I'm afraid we cannot say it as it is confidential, and I apologize for that."
Link immediately pulled Shade away when he noticed his eyes gawking back at the village chief's companions.
"I must also apologize for coming without warning, but I promise we shall do our best not to disturb the village in any way."
The old chief smiled and shook his head. "Do not worry. Despite our reputation, our village welcomes you, dear students. Please, come with us and celebrate the village's 90th anniversary."
Link looked at the others, waiting for their opinion. He immediately turned to the old chief after hearing someone click their tongue, but the old chief only smiled, waiting for their answer.
'Was that my imagination?' Link thought as he held Coleen's hand.
"Well, then. We shall prepare a room. You lads must be exhausted from your travels." Unlike how he greeted the students before, the old chief's voice sounded gleeful.
Link turned to his friends. "I think we should call it a day." He noticed Eirin's limping leg and Shade's messy appearance. It could be one of the reasons why the village chief was wary of them in the first place. "We appreciate it, good sir."
The students followed one of the village chief's men back into the village. Unlike before, people with the same animal-like ears roamed around, but there were still no signs of humans. As they walked into the said lodging, it was unusually empty.
"These children are the chief's guests. Give them room to stay in," the man who accompanied them said to the receptionist, the only person inside. The man then eyed Eirin and Coleen. "Treat them with care."
Eirin felt shivers down her spine. 'What a creep.'
As soon as the man left, the receptionist, a woman in her 20s with short brown hair reaching her shoulders, stared at the youngsters with no emotions in her deep green eyes. Unlike the man and the other people outside, she did not bear any animal characteristics.
Eirin tilted her head. 'This person appears to be human like us... but what's with her eyes?' she wondered.
"Welcome. What can I do for you?"
Her words sounded like she didn't listen to the man.
"We need rooms for the night," Link said.
The woman stared at her notebook and said, "There are no available rooms," thus making the students look at one another. How could that be possible when the whole place lacks any other presence?
"But since you are the chief's guests, follow me."
The woman's monotonous tone made the teenagers uneasy, although they had no choice.
'Welcome indeed,' Eirin thought as she sighed.