"What's happening to her? " Xie panicked as he saw Nana levitating at an odd angle as soon as landed on the wolves' ground. Even their landing wasn't smooth. Nana's sudden trance had them to stop mid-route. "Lin, what's wrong with her? We need to call for help, " Xie again. It was a very disturbing scene for a first time witness like Xie. Lin wasn't as as he had seen her like that before. But for Xie, the red haired being, talking in a chorus eyes scary enough to petrify somebody seemed nothing less evil and threatening than Jin's grudge. " Lin, are you even listening? Move away from that thing. Let me get some up. " As he was about to pull Lin back from Nanako's grip, Lin held his hand.
"Shhh! Listen carefully Xie. It's the oracle. " Lin hushed him with a firm grip.
Nana repeated the riddle yet again. This time with severity.Her shape slowly shifted to a fox like and then back, leaving Xie with his jaws wide open. She gradually lost all the color in body and fell right on Lin's open lap.
"Hurry.Lets get her to the infirmary. " Lin ran inside with his Nana in his arms as Xie yelled for the gates to be opened.
The commotion immediately attracted attention and there was a large crowd gathered to watch was coming in. The wolf king and queen were also in the front line, watching.
Boshu too came limping, supported by Roe to watch who had come in such urgency.
As soon as Lin entered. The king panicked.
"Who is that in Lin's arms? Mia? No it isn't Mia. " He pushed the crowd aside and rushed in .
Boshu too strained his eyes to get a clearer view. He was almost over the walls as he leaned for better view.
"Careful.Do you want a couple of more bones to be broken. " Roe reprimanded him.
"Roe Roe, that's Lin's Nana in his arms. But why is she here? She never comes out of her , let alone leave the palace. " Boshu observed seriously.
"Roe Roe? Who is your Roe Roe? " Roe looked at Boshu with such a look it made him duck in , " My name is Roe, you flirty bird. " She hit him on the back of his head.
" Ouch! That hurt, " Boshu complained but they had to immediately rush towards the infirmary to find out what had happened.
As Boshu and Roe arrived, they saw the limp body of Nanako lying on one of the beds and a doing his checkups. Lin was sitting in a corner with his legs fidgeting and his hands over his mouth, as if literally getting a grip on himself.
Xie was standing with his father and mother at one corner explaining the situation. Roe went to join them.
Boshu limped over to Lin and placed his hands over Lin's shoulders.
"Ah! Boshu. You are alright, " He looked up at him. Boshu knew the pain hidden in those eyes well.
"What happened? " Boshu asked.
" It has Mia. " was all Lin could answer. As soon as he uttered those words, he couldn't hold any longer. He banged his hands against the wall behind him and repeated with much , " It has my Mia. "
The wolf king and queen rushed towards them followed by Xie and Roe.
" Calm down Lin, she will be alright, " The king consoled him, clearly thinking he was distressed Nana.
But Lin turned towards him and repeated his lines, as if his vocabulary was stuck in that , " It has Mia. "
The expression on the king's face changed at the mention of Mia's name. He nodded his head said, " I know. "
He then turned to face Lin and held his shoulders with both his hands, "Lin, my boy, what was it your Nana wanted? How can I help? "
" It was a pendant," she said. I don't know how it can help. But she said it would help to fight that . She was very anxious back then to retrieve it from you, hence she had appointed me to it from you in disguise, as I was the only one able to mask my smell with mastery. " Lin at the king and bowed his head to apologize, " I sincerely ask for your forgiveness for the . "
" It's alright. It's alright. Forget about it. Do you know how it looked? If you could show me. " The asked.
"I do, " Lin looked around for something to draw on. He couldn't find anything but instead of for a scribe to bring a pen and paper, he went to the fireplace. He was that desperate.
He took out a few charcoal with his bare hands and put the fire out from them. He then cleared floor with his sleeve and started making the shape of the pendant. As it took shape, the wolf
King's eyes grew bigger and bigger. As soon as it was complete, he exclaimed, " It is the my Brother had given me for safe keeping. "
"Your brother? Brother Jin? When? " The wolf queen asked with curiosity.
The wolf king looked a little uneasy at the question. He didn't even bother to answer it.
" Yes, that's the thing that will help us fight it. Where is it? We cannot waste any more time. " Lin enthusiastically.
But the Wolf king neither moved, nor replied. Looking at that, Xie came forward and urged his , " Father, we need this to save Mia".
Mia's name made the king react. He looked at all the faces staring at him with hope. But he his head low, as if ashamed and finally uttered a few words with difficulty, " I am sorry. I do have it. I lost it a long long time ago. "
********
Alternate reality
" Welcome Mia, hasn't been that long has it? And you are already here. " The Tree of spoke as Mia stared at it with wonder.
" No, I am not here. Not yet. I mean I am here, I don't know how. But it isn't time yet for me to to you. " Mia was looking around trying to figure out why she ended up there.
" Oh! You say you are not here yet. Alright. Then why are you here now? " It asked.
Mia looked with no answers. " Perhaps you needed some answers, " I pressed.
Answers. Yes. She needed a lot of them. Mia immediately moved forwards. But as soon as she her mouth to ask about the thing that had kidnapped her, Mia remembered she only had more question left from last time. And that she had saved it for the mer-people . She backed off .
The Tree of knowledge seemed to have sensed her hesitation and laughed out loud.
" Don't be scared. This isn't in reality. We do not need to adhere to rules here. You will still have one solution left for yourself when you do visit me physically.In the real world. " It said.
" Then is this in the Dream dimension? " Mia asked.
" No it's not there. " Was the blunt reply.
" But.... ",Mia was going to ask more about it but remembered she had other urgencies, " What that thing that captured me? Where is it keeping me? "
" Umm, that thing is someone very very close to you. If you could think properly, I think you will the answer yourself. " It said.
" I know it looks like my father... But.... " Mia was going on but quickly changed the topic as she starting to feel and hear a familiar sound of grumbling that came from the one that had her. " Just tell me where it is keeping me and how do I get out of there? Mia asked in a .
" It is keeping you inside its lair. In its tower of isolation. " The tree answered. It seemed like it could sense what Mia was sensing. It too seemed uneasy at the soft growl like grumbling, getting near.
"As for how you could get out of there Mia, I don't have an answer. However you could try in that Mirror Glass over there. It is said to reflect one's true strengths. Their true selves.
Perhaps it might be of help to you. It will be sometime till we need Mia again. Till then take care.
" The scenario in front of her changed immediately and the Tree of knowledge vanished from sight. She went forward in the direction the Tree of knowledge had instructed and came face face with the Mirror Glass. It was neither a mirror nor a glass. It was a wooden wall that stood between nowhere like a door. Mia looked carefully at both its sides. Nowhere could she find a of anything that reflected. The light in the place was also dim, unlike where the tree of was, bright and lively. Mia running around it in a circle desperately trying to find anything as the growling in the grew louder.
Then suddenly as if to tear the sky, a light from within her struck the clouds above. It reflected the wooden wall and then back on Mia. Right at that moment, something magical happened.
The light refracted into a thousand shades and engulfed the area. The wooden wall slowly into a reflective surface and Mia could clearly see herself inside it. At first she could see a reflection of herself . Then the reflection is divided into two. There were now two Mia at herself from the wall. One of them had distinct wolf-like features. Mia stared at her in . It looked very much like Roe. Sturdy and agile.Then there was the other Mia. As looked at it, its fish-like features became more and more prominent. It morphed until it the mer-women Mia had seen in the vision, shown by the mer-boy inside the waters.
Mia had her jaws wide open. What was that supposed to mean? Why did she look like the mer- ? Mia went forward to touch it. She stretched her hands and so did the mer-Mia. They their hands at the surface of the Mirror. And immediately Mia was pulled back from her state.
Before Mia could open her eyes, she felt the hot breath of her loathsome captor. His filthy smell Mia as she held her breath. It hovered over Mia like a canine smelling its prey. It's a , slimy drool falling all over Mia's clothes. Mia could not believe somebody with a human-like could actually behave in such a beastly manner.
She could feel her hands going cold and heat building up at the back of her neck. There were droplets forming over her upper lip line , her nose and forehead. The beast was now her fingers. Almost pressing it hard enough to break it. But Mia dared not make a . She could not bring herself even to open her eyes and face it. It placed both its knees Mia's outstretched thighs. Mia let out a scream in pain. But she closed her mouth , biting own tongue as she realized it was amused at her pain. It was enjoyable when Mia showed of weakness. It enjoyed Mia's agony. And Mia wasn't willing to give it that. The beast harder over her thighs as it bent over to force both of Mia's hands backwards. Mia bit down her teeth trying to stop her howl from coming out. As if the jaws biting her legs 't enough, now the beast was mauling her thighs with its knees and was about to break hands as well. Mia tightened her chest and clenched her fists, bracing herself for what was coming.