Coleen's eyes went wide as Link shielded her from the warm wind from the explosion of the crystal.
"How dare she trap me in that fucking place!?"
Coleen's forehead creased. Until now, she hadn't truly grasped what Link meant about Shade being with them. Shade's eyes blazed with anger as he stretched his neck and cracked his knuckles. His furious gaze soon locked onto Link.
Shade scanned the new surroundings, raising a brow at the unfamiliar scenery.
"Where are we?"
His brows furrowed at Link's slumped form, a flicker of concern warring with growing irritation. "What the hell happened? How did we end up here? And what the hell is Scarlett Jenkins playing at?" His voice rose with each question, a clear sign of his escalating frustration.
Link's gaze dropped to the ground, unable to meet Shade's intense stare. He mumbled, his voice barely audible, "We needed reinforcements. We… we have to tell the Queen about Dalry village immediately."
Shade raised an eyebrow. "Where is Luxfield then?" His tone made both Link and Coleen flinch, and Coleen's grip on Link's arm tightened.
"We left her behind."
Coleen gulped and soon froze as Shade's left eye began glowing crimson. She instinctively hid behind Link, shame burning in her cheeks.
"Calm down," Link urged, his voice strained.
"I am calm. Why would I not be?"
Despite his words, the agitation in Shade's voice was undeniable; even Coleen wouldn't dare argue.
"I don't understand why either, but Eirin's in good shape. She's with Miss Jenkins because apparently that's what Miss Jenkins needed. Eirin's presence."
"Why the fuck would my teacher need that girl's presence? She doesn't have anything to do with this world."
Link couldn't retort, as he too pondered the reason Scarlett Jenkins wanted Eirin to stay.
"If my teacher said she needs reinforcements, you two better hurry."
Shade ran in the opposite direction back towards the Lively Grove, and Link could only shout his name. The young man could not understand the turmoil within him. His body felt as if it were on fire, and his heart thumped so loud it threatened to leap from his chest at any moment… but he had no idea why.
Cold sweat broke out, and he could feel it trickling down the back of his neck.
'What the fuck is this?'
Shade could feel nothing else but the creeping, weird sensation in his heart, as if an invisible force was telling him that if he didn't go back to the village, it would be the end of his life.
"What's this? You've come back?" Naoi, the Lively Grove's guardian, called out. "Where are your companions?"
Shade ignored the voice and continued running, splashing through the muddy terrain and dodging every attack the forest threw at him.
"Well, someone's in a hurry."
Naoi manipulated the vines, grabbing Shade from behind, tripping him and sending him sprawling to the ground. His face covered in mud, causing Naoi to laugh out loud, teasing the young man.
Flames engulfed Shade's body, his eyes glowing crimson as he burned the vines that held him down.
"Don't get in my way if you don't want to be burned to death."
The young man's flames grew, almost devouring the entire forest if not for Naoi's quick action to create a straight path for the young man, ushering him away before he could destroy everything.
"Seriously! Why is this generation filled with crazy bunch!" Naoi screamed as soon as Shade was out of sight.
As the young man ran, his chest tightened and sweat dripped down his neck. An awful feeling, inexplicable and chilling, clung to him.
Meanwhile, Eirin was letting out cold sweats as she walked beside Scarlett towards the main source of the miasma. Her head swamped with questions, but despite that, she kept quiet.
"Do you feel curious about what I'm planning to make you do?" Scarlett's voice sounded indifferent. Her voice was flat, devoid of the subtle warmth or frustration she'd shown Link and Shade.
"Do you not fear that I might murder you instead?"
A huge lump formed in Eirin's throat. Her hands trembled, a shiver running down her spine and her knees grew weak. Yet, she forced herself to meet Scarlett's gaze.
"I can't deny that I am afraid," she admitted, her voice steadier than she felt, "but if I could offer the slightest help, I would gladly do it."
Even though she didn't have a clear reason, Eirin felt an undeniable compulsion to stay and help.
Scarlett's green eyes glistened. "You never change."
They entered the cave of darkness, eventually reaching a humongous gate leading into another chamber. The teenage girl then mustered the courage to ask what they must do, to which Scarlett gave a vague answer.
"You shall understand when you see it."
Eirin's eyes followed Scarlett as she touched the stone gate with her bare hand, making it glow, but soon followed by the deafening sound of the door grinding open.
The moment the gate fully opened, a wave of putrid air washed over Eirin, acrid and metallic. She clapped a hand over her mouth, a gag escaping her, the stench burning her nostrils like sulfur mixed with stale blood.
"What are you waiting for?"
Eirin covered her nose, tears welling in her eyes. She gulped before following Scarlett inside. Scarlett held a gas lamp, and as the fire flickered, bringing light to the dark chamber, Eirin's eyes widened.
In the middle of the dark and damp room was a man tied with chains. His body was battered and covered with bruises. The awful stench must have been from the blood staining the ground and the walls.
The teenage girl scanned the entire room, seeing nothing but blood all over. Her forehead creased, then her amber eyes glowed as she quickly looked back at the man in the middle. A purple trail surrounded the bruised man.
"Just like I speculated. Your eyes still can see the flow of miasma," Scarlett said, her words hinting at satisfaction. "Now, I know you want to be of help."
Eirin nodded. Despite the peculiar feeling lingering in her stomach, she followed Scarlett's every instruction. She raised both her arms and pretended that she was pulling something in the air towards her palms.
"Pull harder!"
The teenage girl grunted as she clenched her fists, feeling a strange force throughout her arms. Her glowing eyes soon witnessed black mists, or what they called miasma, moving towards her hands, floating right above her head in a circling manner.
"Since you awakened the wind element, it is possible for you to control the air in this area tainted with miasma."
Doubts filled Eirin's head. There was no way she could do something so difficult with her newly acquired ability.
"I—I don't think I can do this longer." Eirin struggled, feeling her arms cramping from the force she was exerting.
Just as she was about to speak again, she saw the cold indifference in Scarlett's eyes, terrifying her and causing her to look away.
"If you cannot do that longer, then you must stay in this chamber and just continue breathing," Scarlett said in monotone. "Whatever you do, do not stop breathing."
Those words sounded ridiculous. Why would Eirin forget to breathe?
The sound of Scarlett's high heels clicking on the ground echoed through the entire chamber as Eirin watched her walk to the exit.
Eirin sighed, but her eyes soon widened upon realizing something.
Her mind reeled. 'Aren't miasma bad for humans? Isn't that why the Phoenix sent Link and the others back to the academy? Then… why only me?'
"This is the only way to save this village. You must sacrifice something in order to gain another," Scarlett said without looking back.
"By sacrifice, does that mean… me?" Eirin huffed. "Wait!"
The last thing Eirin saw was the light vanishing from her sight, leaving her with nothing but darkness. Her heart started beating faster, anxiety consuming her as the darkness swallowed her whole. Realizing this could lead to her death, she bit her fingernails, gasping for air despite fearing the effects of the miasma.
"Feya!"
Eirin called her pixie companion in panic, but no matter how many times she spoke her name, there was no response. It must have been due to the barrier Scarlett placed all over the place to stop the miasma from leaking out.
Nothing could get in, and nothing could get out.
The teenage girl did not know any of that, thus making her wonder if the world really couldn't hear her anymore.
Eirin jolted after the unconscious man suddenly screamed for help, crying and begging that he didn't want to die in such a place. She could hear the ear-shattering screams reverberating throughout the chamber. Her heart pounded so loud, but she couldn't close her glowing eyes, as they enabled her to see the miasma forming in the air.
The teenage girl covered her nose to lessen the miasma she's inhaling, but there was no way out. The more she struggled, the more energy she felt flowing through her body. This only brought more questions rather than answers.
Why does she feel energetic rather than losing energy?
"Am I being addicted to miasma like those villagers?" Eirin stared at her hands. "Am I going to die?"
The teenage girl could feel her arms growing stronger to the point that she could destroy the door if she wanted to, but she wasn't fully aware of it.
The unusual strength only made Eirin scared. "Please, I don't want to die here," she muttered into the suffocating air.
Despite the energy flowing through her body, the more she stayed in the chamber, the more feverish she felt. After feeling good, her body temperature rose, and it was as if her heart was about to burst.
Blood dripped from her nose, causing Eirin to look at the man who had already calmed down. Her hand trembled as she wiped the blood off, but even after doing so, the blood continued coming out until she coughed blood clot.
"Is this for real?"
Eirin stared at her hands covered with her own blood. Her body trembled, and her heart began constricting, causing her to fall on her knees. Her coughs worsened, but there was no way she could ever understand the situation.
It was as if her life flashed before her eyes.