Bond of the mind - part two - chapter 7

May woke up again in the darkness. She was completely emotionless. She had grown accustomed to the darkness around her and did not expect it to change. Thoughts of the people who had been there with her raced through her mind, but there was no one there now except for the darkness. It was all very confusing, and she couldn't tell if it was something that had happened or if her mind was playing tricks on her and it was all just a figment of her imagination.

"Are you planning to give up now?" the voice echoed through the darkness. It was the same voice as before. That is, if she had heard anything before. May wasn't sure she had the strength to think about it. Her lips were dry and cracked, and she didn't know if she was more hungry or thirsty. She had reached the point where she would rather it all end.

"This is worse than death," she muttered to herself and tried to get up. She began to move forward in very small steps.

"Why do you want to keep going?" she heard. Many thoughts ran through May's mind, but one of them was really important. Spark, Senna, Mirthana, and Tragir. That was the main reason May wanted and longed to keep going. Everything fell silent. The voice in the darkness said nothing more.

May kept moving forward...

She bumped into something. It wasn't like hitting a wall. It was gentle and familiar to her. She didn't have the strength to raise her hands and find out what it was. She took a deep breath and tried to engage her other senses. She knew this.

"Spark..."

Outside, she could hear birds singing, waking up with the dawn. Mirthana woke up and checked to see if Lilly was okay. She was still sleeping next to her.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Tragir, who was already awake. The forest girl just nodded. The others were clearly not awake yet, so she didn't want to speak unnecessarily. Unfortunately, it was almost pointless. A moment later, there was a loud yawn. Bari woke up and immediately began to stretch. When she seemed to be done, she approached Mari, who was still asleep.

"Mari, breakfast. Mari, get up," Bari repeated, shaking her sister to wake her up. She just turned on her side, but Bari didn't give up, and Mari decided to give in. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at her sister.

"Why? You could stop now..." said Mari, but her sister just grimaced. Mirthana had been watching them the whole time, thinking. It was difficult to tell them apart physically, but their personalities were complete opposites.

"Where are you from?" she asked the sisters.

"Basically nowhere. We were born somewhere, but we don't belong anywhere," Mari replied curtly. Bari moved closer to Mirthana so that their faces were now really close. At first, she just stared at her. After a moment, she smiled and showed her tiger teeth, then turned her head to the side and showed her ear. It was longer than that of ordinary humans, but shorter than that of elves. She also had an earring in the shape of a black crystal.

"We are basically outcasts," said Bali, continuing, "We are half elf and half human, but we don't belong to either side completely, so both humans and elves reject us. Life was hard for us when we were younger."

"We made a name for ourselves among hunters, and as you know, hunters will accept anyone as long as they are willing to do their job," added Mari.

"It must be hard for you not to have a home and nowhere to return to," added Mirthana.

"Quite the opposite. The guild has become our home, and the life of a hunter is more than fulfilling for us. So you could say that our group is our family," Bari replied with a smile on her face.

"If you feel sorry for yourself because of the life you have, you won't get very far, but if you can accept yourself, your life will be whatever you want it to be," added Mari.

This was really something for the others to think about. Especially for Lilly, who had also woken up. She had always wanted to belong somewhere, but she never really fit in among the desert people. She glanced at Mirthana. She already knew what she was thinking and why she was looking at her that way.

The forest nymph just nodded with a smile. At that moment, Lilly felt true contentment coming from deep within her heart.

Everyone in the cave was already awake.

"We'll have to leave soon. It's a few hours' walk to the nearest town," said Mari, adding after a moment, "Where are you headed?"

"To G-gras-trék," Tragir tried to say, but the name was too complicated.

"In that case, we can go together, if it's not too much trouble. The nearest hunters' guild is in the white city, and we have to pick up our reward anyway. Why are you heading there?" asked Mari.

The group thought for a moment about whether to tell them their plans, but in the end they decided to repay their honesty with honesty.

"We have to get to the kingdom of Naarkhu," Mirthana replied.

"Trying to enter the kingdom of the elves is not safe, even if you only want to pass through," added Oyddren.

"Whether they allow us to enter or not, we must go there anyway. We cannot let Sennu just disappear," replied Mirthana. After that, Bari began searching for something in one of the bags they had with them. After a moment, she pulled out several parchments and began to look through them. She took one of them out and showed it to the group. It was a reward offered by the Order of the Sun and Moon for Sennu. The group nodded silently.

"So, a member of your group is really popular," said Bari with a smirk. She then pulled out another parchment. It was from the same period as the previous one. She showed it to the group again.

They looked at it, and Mirthana and Tragir immediately knew why she had shown it to them. The reward on the second parchment was astronomical, and the figure on it was familiar to them.

"I assume you probably know this person too. These rewards were issued at almost the same time. They are from the time when the capital of the kingdom of Ronos, Rhády, was attacked by Darkness," Bari summarized.

The reward on the parchment was for a person named "May."

"I assume you were there. Could you tell us anything about it?" Mari asked.

At first they hesitated, but eventually they decided to tell them their story. So they told them everything that had happened around the capital. They also shared with them their journey to the desert and the land of darkness.

When they finished, there was a deathly silence. None of them could even imagine what they had been through.

"So... according to your information, the elf is currently in the kingdom of the elves. What about the other girl?" Bari asked, her eyes shining. She was literally glowing with excitement.

"We have no idea at the moment. Senna didn't tell us why she left us, but it's probably related," replied Mirthana with a sigh.

"Hmm... I see. It's all a bit unbelievable. You've made it to the land of darkness and you even know the child of Darkness," Mari remarked and continued, "But I believe you, because after all, you have no reason to make something up."

"I must say, you have a really interesting group," said Bari, adding, "Even befriending the child of Darkness. Not everyone can do that."

"I wouldn't call her a friend," added Tragir, snorting. He didn't have the best relationship with her. This made Mirthana and Lilly laugh. They didn't expect anything else from the dwarf.

"So we can go to the city together and then split up," suggested Mari. Everyone nodded in agreement. Traveling in a larger group was definitely the best option.

Everyone jumped to their feet and was ready to go. Mirthana pulled her staff out of the ground and the roots retracted, clearing the passage. There was still some fog in the forest, but the sun's rays were already shining through the branches of the trees. As soon as they stepped out of the cave, two wolves like the ones they had seen before formed in front of Oyddren. They immediately ran further into the forest. It didn't take long for the man to point in the direction that would get them to the road the fastest. So they all started walking. They knew their journey would take some time, and the sooner they got to the city, the better.

The stranger sat in front of his house inside his world. Yin sat next to him, staring at him the whole time. She knew she would soon have to return to her world.

"They'll arrive in the white city today. You'll have to leave soon," he said when he finally spoke.

"Can't we just do it without them?" asked the little girl.

"No. They need to get to Naarkhu and free Sennu. You know very well that we'll need them. The darkness is growing stronger," he replied. Yin just nodded. She had no intention of arguing with him, she just wanted to be with him. After what had happened, she was afraid to leave him alone. Ever since they had let Sennu go, she knew he would send her to help them get her back.

"What about the girl?" Yin asked. The stranger looked at her.

"There's still time," he said, adding, "I have to go. I hope you'll be okay. If anything unexpected happens, retreat." Then he patted her on the head and went back into the house. Yin didn't want to leave him, but she knew that without help, it would be difficult to get to the land of the elves. Entering the forest was easy, but finding their kingdom was another matter. She got up and started walking. A gate appeared in front of her, which closed immediately after she slipped through.

The little girl stood on a rock near the white city. According to her, the group should soon be approaching the city. Now all she had to do was wait until the next day. She could go meet them, but she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.

They emerged from the forest when the sun was already high in the sky. Only now could they see all the white mountains that surrounded them. Ahead of them, they could already see the city, which was indeed built entirely of white stone. Some of the houses were partially connected, and some were even carved directly into the rocks. Finally, the name "white city" made sense to them. From where they stood, it was impossible to tell if there was any movement in the city at all.

"We'll be there soon," Mari remarked. Bari approached the mountain and first rubbed her palms against it. White dust from the mountain remained on her hands. She then rubbed it on her face and exposed parts of her body. The rest of her group did the same.

"What are you doing?" asked Tragir, puzzled.

"It's not necessary, but if you want to blend in without any problems, it's better to cover yourself with this white powder," replied Mari. The trio had no further questions and did the same. When everyone was ready, they set off towards the city. Guards were patrolling the area, also covered in the white powder.

At the entrance gate, they all proved that they belonged to the hunters' guild and were allowed into the city without further questions.

Inside, almost everything was covered in white. Well, everything that could be covered. They soon arrived in front of the guild building. It was almost indistinguishable from the others. However, the name and emblem on it were no different from those in other cities. Inside the guild, everything looked the same as in every other guild. They first headed to the guild reception to register and for the second group to collect their reward. They also booked rooms right away. Then they all sat down at one of the larger tables so that everyone could fit.

They didn't have to wait long, because the guild waitress arrived in a moment, and they could finally order some normal food. It had been a long time since they could afford this, and they were glad to finally be in the guild.

While Tragir was already drinking from his mug, Mirthana and Lilly went to look at the board with the tasks. There weren't many local tasks. Most of them were from other cities or countries. They didn't have time to do any tasks at the moment, but they were still curious about what was on offer. One task, however, caught their attention. It involved exploring the elven kingdom. They decided to take it. Maybe they would have at least some time for it and could kill two birds with one stone.

When they returned to the others, the food was already on the table. They sat down with the others and began to eat together.

"If you want, we can take a walk around town later. Mari and I already know our way around a bit," Bari suggested.

"We'd love to," replied Mirthana. Lilly was still a little nervous because of what had happened earlier, so she kept out of the conversation.

Soon everyone had finished eating. Mari and Bari stood up and looked at the others.

"Shall we go?" they asked everyone. Mirthana nodded in agreement and joined them along with Lilly.

"I wonder how strong the dwarves are," replied Oyddren, sipping from his mug and placing his other hand on the table. The position of his hand was a clear challenge to Tragir.

He wiped the foam from his beard and nodded with a smile. The challenge could not be refused.

Alfred, as usual, said nothing and did not even stand up. It was clear that he had decided to stay with the other men inside the guild.

Mari, Bari, Mirthana, and Lilly left the guild building and set off to explore the city.

"Why does everyone paint themselves like that?" Mirthana asked after a while. She could imagine that it was so that the people inside would blend in with their surroundings and become almost invisible, but it must be quite difficult to hide like that every day.

"When we first arrived here, we didn't know anything about it and were warned by the city guards," Mari replied, continuing, "Once we overheard someone talking about it. Since ancient times, it has basically been to prevent people from attracting too much attention and to allow them to blend in and stand out in their environment. Heyens and other creatures have always walked this world, so when this was just a small village, it helped people survive. When you look at the mountains from afar, this town is almost invisible because it blends into the surrounding environment. After all, the mountains are completely white. Anything in a different color attracted too much attention, especially in the evening. That's why everyone returns to their homes every evening. Today, everything is more advanced, and people are able to defend themselves against enemies thanks to the presence of hunters. But it has remained a local tradition and has essentially become a rule," Mari concluded. She had to take a breath because even for her, it was too much talking in such a short time.

Bari suddenly took Lilly by the hand and pulled her from stall to stall, enthusiastically looking at everything and urging her to look too. Mirthana wanted to stop them, but Mari just smiled and shook her head. So she let them go.

"I'll be honest with you. You should give up your journey," Mari said, now that they were alone.

She didn't say it because she thought they weren't doing the right thing. They weren't the first or the last to try to enter the kingdom of the elves. However, in most cases, these expeditions did not end well.

"I noticed the task you took from the guild board. Why do you think the parchment is so worn? The answer is simple. There are quite a few hunters who take on that task from time to time, but it has never been successful. That's why it's still there. I've even asked several times for it to be taken down, but unfortunately, it's not just up to the guild. It's more up to whoever assigned the task," Mari continued. She knew that now was her best chance to try to change Mirthana's mind and maybe save a few lives. Lesoženka continued walking thoughtfully without saying a word.

She reached the center of the city, where there was a marble fountain. She looked down at the bottom of it.

"Since I joined this group, I've almost died once. But they never stopped thinking about me and did their best to keep me alive. Don't take this to mean that I think I owe anyone anything. But for me, friendship isn't just a word. Even if I have to risk my own life, this is something that makes sense to me," Mirthana replied without turning to Mari. Mari just sighed.

"You must have a really strong bond. I see there's no point in trying to persuade you any further. You've already made up your mind," Mari added. They stood there silently, watching the water move in the fountain.

Bari and Lilly joined them, and they all headed back to the guild building. When they arrived, loud noises in the form of music, laughter, and shouting were coming from inside. Bari was the first to reach the door. Just after she opened it, she slammed it shut with such force that it jumped out of its hinges.

"We'd better wait a little longer," she said, turning to the others with an annoyed look. The others peeked through the window to see what was going on, and when they saw that there was indeed a big party going on inside, led by Tragir and Oyddren, who were jumping up and down on the table in the middle, they just nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else in this town worth seeing?" asked Mirthana. Both sisters, even though they had already been here, thought long and hard.

"There is something else," Mari said finally, continuing, "Almost since the founding of this city, statues have been carved from chalk every year, and the best ones are always kept for public admiration."

"That definitely sounds better than what we're seeing right now," Bari remarked, and everyone nodded in agreement. So they set off. They walked to the opposite end of the town and stopped in front of the last house, which was connected to the mountain. There was nothing special about it, and compared to the surrounding houses, it was the smallest.

"I assume the statues aren't very big," remarked Lilly, who had hardly spoken the whole time, but whose initial enthusiasm was beginning to wane.

"Appearances can be deceiving," replied Mari, looking at Lilly importantly. Then she opened the door, stepped inside, and the others followed her.

She was right. It was breathtaking how spacious it was inside. They walked past pillars of various sizes, depending on how they copied the ceiling. There were several hundred different statues, and these were truly the best of the best. Guards were constantly patrolling the area. Chalk wasn't valuable, but these statues were priceless to the locals.

All four walked around at a distance, eagerly examining everything. Mirthana was amazed that these valuables were left accessible to the public, but then again, they all belonged to the townspeople, and the guards were only there to prevent anyone from deliberately damaging them.

They had almost reached the halfway point when one of the guards ran up to them.

"You must return and leave this area," he announced. The twins immediately nodded in unison.

"It's starting to get dark outside. We'll have to get back to the guild before it gets completely dark," Mari explained as they returned to the beginning.

"Maybe we'll have time to go through it all someday," Mirthana said with a sigh.

Soon they were standing in front of the guild building again. When they entered, it was clear that everything was over. There were only a few hunters and Alfred, who was still sitting in his place.

"You didn't have to wait for us," Mari said when they reached him. He finally got up and headed for the rooms.

"It's strange how he's still silent," Lilly remarked.

"Whenever he speaks, it's either a blessing or a curse. He's decided not to speak at all and can only be heard during combat. It's powerful magic that makes his life difficult. Even so, he has to be constantly careful about what he says so that it doesn't have a negative effect," explained Bari.

So they all headed for their rooms. After saying good night, they all disappeared behind their doors.

Mirthana and Lilly were already ready for bed when something bounced off their window. Lilly decided to check it out. As soon as she opened the window, someone jumped inside. It was a small figure dressed in a black cloak. She stood up inside, took off her hood, and black hair immediately peeked out. It was none other than Yin, who was tired of waiting.

"Hello!" she greeted loudly with a big smile on her face.

"It's good to see you again," Lilly replied.

"Hmm... you don't look surprised at all," Yin remarked, a little disappointed.

"I've been in your presence before, so I can tell by the darkness inside you. You've been watching us for some time, haven't you?" Lilly continued.

The little girl just grinned at that.

"Why are you here?" asked Mirthana.

"You didn't think it would be easy to get to the elves, did you?" Yin replied, looking important.

"So he sent you again to help us?" Mirthana continued.

"Exactly. Tomorrow I'll be waiting for you at the edge of the forest when you leave the city," the girl concluded. With a smile on her face, she wrapped herself in her cloak again and jumped out into the darkness. Lilly and Mirthana felt a little safer knowing that someone was watching over them from the shadows, but at the same time, it made them nervous. After all, they felt as if they were constantly being watched. In the end, they decided to go to sleep. They needed some rest after all.

They woke up early in the morning and headed together to the room where Tragir was supposed to be. After knocking for a while, the door finally opened and a sleepy dwarf came out, still looking as if he was not feeling well after the previous evening. On the way to the guild hall, they told him what had happened the night before. Tragir didn't seem surprised at all and was more interested in what he would eat before their journey.

When they finally sat down at the table, the sisters appeared, along with Oyddren and Alfred. They greeted each other and then sat down with them.

"So, are you finally leaving for the elven kingdom today?" asked Mari. The group nodded in unison. They looked determined.

"We discussed it yesterday and decided that we don't have anything else to do at the moment, so we've decided to accept the task of exploring Naarkhu," Mari announced and continued, "If it's not too much trouble, we'd like to join you."

None of them had expected this and were surprised and pleased at the same time, because they had enjoyed traveling together and everything was easier in a larger group. Mirthana, however, was a little hesitant. She knew that Yin would be waiting for them.

"We'd love to, but you have to expect that someone will join us outside the city," Mirthana finally replied.

"All right," agreed Mari, shaking the forest woman's hand to seal their temporary alliance. After eating, they split up to make sure they had everything they needed before setting off, agreeing to meet at the southern gate of the city.

When Mirthana, Lilly, and Tragir arrived at the gate, the others were already waiting for them.

"Ready?" Bari asked with a broad smile on her face. Everyone nodded. Together, they set off out of the city. First, they had to cross a mountain pass before reaching the forest near the border with Naarkhu.

"I think you should know who's waiting for us," Mirthana said during the journey.

"I assume it's probably the child of darkness you mentioned earlier," Mari guessed. The forest nymph nodded in agreement.

"I wonder how strong that girl is," Oyddren remarked.

"I must ask you in advance not to provoke her in any way," said Mirthana, her voice urgent. Everyone nodded, but the wood nymph continued to stare at Bari.

"All right, all right. I won't try anything," Bari replied with a smirk on her face, adding, "With you people, there's never any fun."

The group managed to cross the pass without much difficulty and were slowly approaching the forest, which at first glance seemed endless. From the edge of the forest, the trees looked natural, but it was clear that they were gradually getting taller. Finally, they began to enter the forest. Mari went first, but after a moment she turned around to check if everyone was there. Her expression immediately changed.

"So, you're the one who doesn't talk?" Yin asked Alfred, who was walking last. He was frozen to the spot when the little girl suddenly appeared and stared at him with golden eyes and an amused expression.

"I feel like you're afraid to talk to me," Yin remarked. A moment later, however, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Lilly," the little girl replied and turned around.

"Hi, Yin. You shouldn't scare people like that," Lilly remarked. Mirthana was already close to them, but Tragir preferred to stay a little further away and just nodded in greeting from a distance.

"I just came to say that I'll keep my distance from you for now. After all, it's not just you, so you can have a little peace and quiet," said Yin, smiling again. But now it was a different smile from before.

"Okay. We'll feel safer if you keep an eye on us," replied Mirthana. The little girl hugged Lilly lightly, then jumped back into the shadows and disappeared. Mari, Bari, and Oyddren stood frozen between the trees. Only when the little girl disappeared were they released from the pressure of the darkness that had been weighing on them while she was there.

"Are you all all right?" asked Mirthana, who noticed the others. It took a moment for everyone to relax and take a deep breath.

"I have to say, for a moment there, I felt like I saw death itself..." Mari finally replied, still looking shaken. Oyddren remained silent, and even Bari didn't say anything this time. Once everyone was able to continue, they set off again on the path that led through the forest.

May was afraid to open her eyes. She was afraid she would be alone in the darkness again. She felt a large paw wrap around her and pull her closer. It was a pleasant, warm feeling she had almost forgotten. She began to cry.

"You're safe now, my child," the voice sounded so clear now. It was Spark's voice that had been talking to her all along. May didn't answer for a long time, just sobbed. She finally felt safe.

"W-what happened? Where am I?" May asked when her mind calmed down.

"We are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. That's exactly what the afterlife looks like. We died together, so we ceased to exist in that world," Spark replied in a warm voice. Hearing something like that would upset anyone, but May accepted it. She had suspected it for some time. She was happy. Happy that Spark was with her.

"What about Senn and the others?" May asked.

"They're alive," replied the female dog. The girl looked at least partially satisfied. She was glad that everyone was still okay.

"But you'll probably never see them again. You can't go back there," Spark said. These words confused May. There was something in them that didn't make complete sense to her.

"Is there any way I can see them?" she asked. Spark let her go, put her paws on the ground and her head on them so that she could now look the girl straight in the eyes.

"Yes," replied the female dog briefly, watching May closely with her eyes.

"Yes, but the price is too high," Spark added.

"What exactly does that mean?" the girl asked.

"You now have two options," the female dog outlined, and after a deep breath, she continued, "You can return to your world and stay there, or you can continue in this world. You cannot live in both, however."

"You must decide for yourself."

After school, Tara met her grandmother again, who was already waiting for her at the school gate. Together, they set off for the hospital. It didn't take long before they arrived. Finally, they stood together in front of the door to her sister's room. Tara entered.

May was sitting on the bed, stroking Spark, who was lying on her lap.

"May!" her younger sister cried out and ran to her. She threw her arms around her neck. The girl groaned slightly in pain, but she was happy to see her sister again. When Tara finally let her go, she hugged her grandmother as well. They were both clearly surprised and excited that May had finally woken up after such a long time. They talked for a long time, but when visiting hours were coming to an end, they had to say goodbye again.

"We'll visit you tomorrow with the rest of the family!" Tara promised, and then she and her grandmother left the room together. May needed to rest for a while and closed her eyes. She didn't wake up until it was completely dark outside. Spark, who was still lying on top of her, was awake and staring at her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" May heard the female dog's voice in her head. The girl just nodded silently.

Spark jumped off the bed and sat down on the floor. Behind her, a gate appeared that resembled those in the other world. It opened wide, and a bright light shone from within. May slowly moved to the edge of the bed and carefully stood up on her legs, which were still weak...

Tara returned home and immediately told everyone the big news. She was so excited that she couldn't wait for the next day, and right after dinner, she got ready for bed so that the next day would come quickly and she could visit her sister again, but this time with everyone.

She had no idea that today was the last time she would see her sister...