Follow the Butterflies

The full moon shone bright white. Its light bathed the city, blending with the deep blue of the starry sky. A pleasant breeze was blowing through the air.

Charlotte, Alysia, and Leif were in the tallest building in the town. It was a stone tower with a pointed top and an arched opening that offered a view in all four directions.

Suri was with them, her eyes closed.

“Keeping this spell active since yesterday has used up all my Magica, so once I cast it…”

She took a deep breath.

“Pure Magica. Dawn Chain.”

A purple fire began to burn in the forest. It was so vast that it seemed to reach the sky. Instead of smoke, it released purple-pink butterflies.

“Northeast, about 1000 meters from here,” Leif announced.

Suri fell to her knees, but Charlotte and Alysia helped her up.

She was gasping. “Let’s return with the others.”

They met outside the temporary orphanage. Arthur and Gerald hoisted Suri onto their shoulders.

“I’m sorry, but this is my limit.”

“Don’t you worry, we’ll take care of it.”

“Zoe…”

“I’m on it.”

She took out her pocket watch, which was already running. The hands were turning counterclockwise. Immediately, three cards appeared.

“I left them on for over an hour. The protection period and the return to their current state should last a long time.”

Charlotte and Leif accepted without hesitation.

“I don’t need it, Hufgens.”

“I understand your feelings, Lens, but this is not a small matter.”

She held out her hand with the card between her fingers.

“I'll cover you. On my family's name, I have no hidden motives.”

Reluctantly, she took the card.

“I don’t understand why we have to stay,” Gerald complained.

“We still don't understand what the hero is trying to do…” She paused. “We'll stay here to protect the children.”

“Understood, Miss Suri,” the prince said.

“Remember, just check the area. If you see anything strange, come back, and if you see any sign of the children…”

“We know. We’ll inform and wait for help.”

“Cover each other's backs. My fire and butterflies will also watch over you.”

They simply nodded.

“Now go. That pig won't take long to burn to a crisp.”


The three of them ran out of the city. They followed the trail of purple fire and butterflies. They didn't speak, to conserve energy. At some point, they were forced to enter a dense forest because the fire was coming from inside it.

“We’re near. I can smell lavender.” Charlotte informed.

Alysia came to a sudden stop. Leif followed her. Charlotte tried, but she fell face-first.

She motioned for silence and pointed ahead.

On the ground lay yesterday's beast, sprawled out. The fire was slowly dying down. They realized that the beast wasn't actually burning, but that its body was turning into those butterflies fluttering all around.

“What now? There’s nothing else.” Charlotte whispered.

The three of them scanned the place.

Nothing. Just trees and more trees.

“It was obvious it couldn’t be that easy,” Alysia grumbled. “Let’s return. I’m getting tired of forests.”

“Wait, look at the butterflies.”

They were flying around a point, between two large trees. Their pink and purple hues shone brightly in the darkness of the night.

“Let’s go and check.”

“Wait.”

Leif quickly stopped Charlotte. He took out his wand and scattered its sparkling dust.

Charlotte noticed that Leif's hands were shaking. 

“Mirage Magica. Lure.”

Gradually, a little white bunny formed in front of them. Leif's illusions were almost perfect. The only thing was that they looked a little ethereal and translucent.

“Go!”

The pale bunny jumped directly to the point where the butterflies were still dancing. Its movements were incredibly accurate. From a certain distance, it looked like a normal rabbit.

“What are you doing? You’re going to expose us.”

Leif ignored Alysia and continued with his plan. Finally, the rabbit reached that point. Within seconds, a bunch of roots sprouted from below. They tangled it and dragged it underground.

“What was that!?”

Charlotte took a few steps backward, terrified.

“The hero really hates animals,” Leif said sarcastically.

It was terrifying. The rabbit just vanished, without a trace or a sound.

“That confirms it. There must be something there.”

“And now, how do we get there?”

“What? Shouldn’t we go back and inform Suri?”

Charlotte realized the two of them were looking directly at her. She felt a weight on her shoulders.

“I-I…” she stuttered.

Suddenly, the memory of the children from yesterday came to mind. With a heavy heart, she made a decision.

“L-let’s check some more.”

“Alright. What’s the plan?”

Charlotte paused to think about it. She quickly scanned the whole place.

“Let’s climb a tree.”

And so they did.

“We can see better from here.”

“There’s something right there.”

Leif pointed to the spot that those butterflies loved so much.

“What? There’s nothing there.”

“It’s a perfect illusion, Magica disguise. Perfectly in line with the surroundings.”

Leif was fascinated.

“I didn't know the hero could use Mirage Magica, too.”

“Neither did I.”

“And you’re not surprised?”

“I’ve seen it before.”

“What do you mean?”

“An old friend…”

Alysia looked downcast.

“He could use different kinds of Magica.”

“Fascinating, I never heard anything like that.”

“There are very few people—”

“I got it.”

Charlotte wasn’t paying attention and interrupted them.

“We just have to be invisible.”

Alysia and Leif looked at each other.

“Those roots cannot attack us if they can’t hear, see, or sense us.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Leif, can you make us invisible?”

“Not totally, but I can do it.”

“That’s enough for me.”

Leif took out his Magica tools again. He sprinkled dust on the three of them and cast a spell.

“Mirage Magica. Disappear.”

He was right. They became more transparent than invisible, but when they were still, they were almost undetectable.

“Miss Alysia, bubbles.”

Alysia stared at her and raised an eyebrow.

“We need three Magica Water spheres like those bubbles that appear when you’re cleaning something with soap, and then they explode and sound funny…”

She stopped when she felt her teammates' eyes on her. She cleared her throat.

“Anyways, instead of letting them hit us, we'll dive right into them.”

“That would suffocate us.”

“It’s just for a moment. You've learned to control them, right? Put them right there.”

Charlotte pointed at the butterflies.

“That sounds so stupid.”

“We’re already invisible. Being inside water will muffle any sound, and since they are made of water, they can be mistaken for clouds.”

“It makes sense.”

She sighed. “Fine, get ready.”

“Aqua Magica. Soft Sphere.”

Alysia managed to guide her companions into their respective spheres. It took a great deal of effort for her to include herself, but she finally succeeded.

She kept her spell active and, with great focus, kept them in the air and heading toward the butterflies. As soon as they were above them, Charlotte gave a signal. Alysia simply nodded and broke her spell.

Leif, who was in the lead, fell as gravity pulled him down. His body shattered the illusion and the entrance to that strange place. Charlotte fell afterward, but her friend's body cushioned her fall. Alysia, relying on another spell, fell unharmed.

“Stand up, we’re in enemy territory!”

Charlotte, feeling a little dizzy, stood up, clutching her head. It took Leif a little longer, but after a few seconds he regained his composure.

The whole place was silent. A few candles lit the room.

Strangely enough, it was a small, empty room with polished wooden walls and floors.

“That’s all?”

“No.”

Leif walked forward until he reached a wall. He began tapping the wall with his hands. He tried several times until his hand pierced through a corner of the wall.

“Great work, Leif!”

“Wait!”

Leif checked the other three walls. In some places, his hand also passed right through them.

“Four invisible walls. Four different roads.”

“That means only one is correct?”

“I assume that.”

“What should we do now?”

“I think it’s better to retreat.”

“No!” Charlotte yelled. “We’re so close, w-we need to save those children.”

Soon the butterflies flew into the room. They fluttered around and began to dance near the south wall.

“See, Suri is helping us.”

Leif stood in front of her and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Captain…” He paused. “If we choose wrong, we could end up dead.”

Charlotte remained silent.

“It’s your call, Captain.”

The three of them stood in front of that wall.