"If you summon me so urgently, I will have to come!" Xylia heard Kaelara's voice carried by the rustling wind in the forest, but she couldn't determine the direction it was coming from. She looked around, but couldn't see Kaelara anywhere. "I need you... please help me, please!" Xylia's voice was laced with tears.
"I would definitely help you, but..."
Xylia's eyes widened as a severed head emerged from the tree beside her,where she sits on her knees. She began to tremble with fear. "Don't be afraid, it's me, Kaelara. I've ended up like this because I tried to fulfill your wish."
As Xylia looked closer, she saw the tree branches moving beneath the severed head like a snake slithering through the air. "I had no idea my punishment would be so severe. I didn't know the dragon god would bring me to this state for not fully completing my punishment."
Xylia took two steps back, her voice shaking with fear. "What happened to you?"
"The Dragon God did not spare me either. He punished me with a hundred-year sentence. When I asked what my mistake was, he said I had misused the power of the wish dragon.'Look, the one I considered my family has given me such a severe punishment.I had only 2 years left to complete my 100 years of penance, but I was interrupted from my meditation because of you. Now, I am incomplete. I can neither fully protect the Wish Dragon nor demonstrate my powers. Without a body, I am nothing. I can neither create the Wish Dragon's guardian nor fulfill anyone's wishes.Now, I will not let you go." (Kaelara's branches wrap around Xylia's neck, holding her in a tight, snake-like grip.)"
"I'll gi....ve you fo....od if yo...u rele...ase me n...ow!" Xylia gasped, struggling to break free from Kaelara's tight grip.
At the mention of "food", Kaelara's eyes grew wide with excitement. Saliva began to drool from her tongue as she eagerly asked, "What? Food? Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" She looked around impatiently, her gaze darting back and forth.
"Where is my food? Where is it?" Kaelara demanded, her voice laced with desperation and hunger.
"If y..ou lea...ve me the...n I w...ill be a..ble to gi..ve you fo..od."
As soon as Kaelara released her, Xylia coughed and said, "I'll give you your favorite food, but you must save Henry's life."
Kaelara burst into loud laughter, finding the proposal amusing. Xylia's expression turned fierce as she shouted, her anger and desperation boiling over. "Do you think this is a joke? Is it funny to put someone's life in danger?"
"It is a joke because without a body I cannot help you. If I have to help you then I will have to be with my body which is not possible."
Xylia's face contorted in distress as she asked, "No, will Henry be okay?" She placed her hand on her forehead, overwhelmed with worry. "What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"
Kaelara offered, "I can help you."
Xylia's gaze lifted, her eyes locking onto Kaelara's as she asked, "How?"
Kaelara began to explain, "When I enter someone's body, all their diseases vanish. They become incredibly powerful, unmatched by anyone. And if I enter your lover's body, he will become like that too, but—"
Xylia didn't let Kaelara finish, interrupting eagerly with "I agree, I agree."
Kaelara continued, "But listen to the whole condition. This will only happen until I regain my own body. I can enter someone's body at will, but I can only return when that person wills it."
Without hesitation, Xylia agreed, her decision made in less than a minute. Her concern was solely for Henry's well-being.
"Very well, this is the only condition under which I will do this. And in return, you must clearly understand what you owe me."
"Please," Xylia said, opening the back door for Kaelara to get in. As Xylia started the car and began driving, she noticed a strange phenomenon. The farther she drove, the more the streetlights flickered and went out. Even the gentle rustling of the wind through the trees ceased. Curious, Xylia glanced in the rearview mirror at Kaelara, who was stay with her eyes closed, quietly muttering something under her breath.
Xylia pulled over to investigate, trying to listen more closely to what Kaelara was saying. However, she couldn't understand the words, as Kaelara was speaking in a language Xylia didn't recognize.
Xylia didn't dare say a word, fearing Kaelara's mysterious powers. She silently restarted the car's engine and continued driving. Her apprehension grew as she merged onto the highway, and when she entered the city, her fear reached new heights. As she drove, the lights around her began to extinguish, one by one, as if something was draining the power from the entire city. The darkness seemed to follow her, and Xylia's anxiety intensified with each passing moment.
Xylia drove in silence, her mind consumed by a single thought: Henry. She was solely focused on his well-being, her worries and concerns centered entirely on him. No one else mattered in that moment; her every thought was dedicated to Henry's safety.