Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quick content warning before we begin; this series will contain the following:

→Violence.

→Characters dealing with trauma.

→Near-death experiences.

→Panic attacks.

→Strong language & swearing.

→Diseases.

→Childhood trauma (Emotional abuse, child abandonment, etc.)

→Mental health issues.

→Suicide.

If you're uncomfortable with any of the following, now is the best time to click off. You may still continue if you wish, just know that you aren't forced to keep reading if you're unsettled by anything that may come up. Please also note that these warnings may change as the story progresses.

Thank you for listening!

Chapter Text

...

..Who are you?

What are you even doing here? HOW did you even get here?

...

No answer, huh?

Well, no matter. You resemble an ancestor of mine, so I won't kill you.

Instead, how about we share a story?

Yes, just between you and I.. I'll tell you a tale.

But do me a favour- Don't tell anyone about my existence. If they found out about me, they'd surely execute me.

Do you get that? Good. Now.. Let's begin..

Okay. Now, do you see the ocean I'm pointing to?

Now, before you start going on about how there's nothing there, I'll explain.

Before the Deepfin Moontide had merely just existed as a body of water separating two different places on the opposite sides of the world, there was an island known as Miitopia. It was so lively and filled with many different sights to see, that it felt so much larger than a simple island. It felt like a new planet of their own.

The Miis who were born & raised there lived in peace and harmony, happy to be able to call this place their home. Especially knowing that they were protected and cared for by the deities that provided safety and support.

But suddenly, on what was just a normal day for those pitiful Miis..

The darkness.. It came without warning. Or maybe.. It was a warning in itself.

Nearly every single Mii in sight was ambushed by an unspeakable fiend.. And had their faces- Their most fascinating parts of them- Stolen away.

And to add insult to injury.. All of those faces were plastered onto critters of the wildlife, corrupting them and transforming both the Miis and the creatures into vicious monsters.

The land, which was once a peaceful and beautiful place, was now sent to ruin. Forever..

Or.. Was it?

...

"..Aaaand.. Snap!"

Behold!.. A simple traveler. Ophelia Rosalind was her name. And what a curious soul she was.

She spent a couple years traveling by now. It was admittedly quite lonely, and at times she'd get really paranoid of the new surroundings she got herself in. Thankfully, she could always rely on photography to keep herself calm.

"Wow.. These must be the rock moths! They're so beautiful.." As of now, she's merely walking alone, going wherever the path takes her.

"This place," She glanced around, utterly mesmerized by everything. "It's all so lovely.. What else is there to see?"

Ophelia turned her attention to a patch of small white flowers growing on the grass. The petals were all so tiny and cute- She HAD to shoot a photo.

She angled her camera juuust close to the ground next to the flowers, and angled it upwards to capture a view of the sun as well, before taking another picture. Ophelia grabbed the photo from the bottom of the camera and shook the paper until she could see the actual image.

"Hmm," She carefully inspected every detail on it. It may have looked just fine to someone else, but to her it just looked wrong.

"Ugh," She simply opened her scrapbook and glued the photo onto one of the pages. "All the other photographers do this so well.. What am I doing wrong?"

Ophelia simply sighed before closing her book and putting the camera away, looking back at the moths. But for some reason.. They were all gone. Except for one.

"Wait, what?" Ophelia muttered under her breath, quickly hiding behind a nearby bush. She had to stay safe.

The lone rock moth still managed to hear her (somehow), and immediately turned around, letting out a horrifying screech at her. It sounded vicious; like it was going to attack.

But that wasn't the scariest part. It was its face.

It had.. The eyes of a Mii.

"Wh-What in the world-?!" Ophelia had to stop herself from chucking her scrapbook at it, and resorted to running away instead. Thankfully, the moth didn't try to chase her, but she still ran. She ran a lot more than she had to.

Finally.. She ran a distance safe enough for her. She fell face-first on the grass, catching her breath. But having her nose blocked by the grass isn't doing much to help. At least she's safe..

Once she finally got the strength to move her head, she looked up and saw a sign.

'GREENHORNE TOWN - THIS WAY →' It wrote.

Oh, a town! Ophelia was getting hungry anyways. Maybe she could grab something to eat there?

As if she was never exhausted in the first place, Ophelia got up, dusted herself off, and rushed over to the village. Maybe someone there would understand what's going on?

Chapter Text

Ophelia made her way through the entrance of the village, quite pleasantly surprised at the community. Nearly everybody was happy and getting along and full of energy; as if no one knew about whatever had happened to Ophelia just now.

She then came face-to-face with what looked to be a tour guide. From the looks of it, he didn't look like the most reliable guide in the world, but maybe he could help?

"Woah, you okay?" The guide noticed her state of worry much earlier than she could even speak to him despite his words, he didn't really look like he cared about her. "Bit boring these days.. What's gotten you so panicked?"

"U-Umm, it's-" How would Ophelia say this without sounding like she was insane? "I, uh- Th-There was a moth- Thing- And it had, like, the eyes of a Mii, and-"

The guide chuckled. "Hold on- You're tellin' me you saw a person's face? On a monster?"

There was an uncomfortably long period of silence between them before the guide immediately burst out laughing.

"Pffft- HAHAHAHA! Oh- Ohh, that was a good one!" He literally wiped a tear from his eye. He actually thought this was some big joke. "Don't be ridiculous, traveler; Greenhorne's a nice place. One where you can leave all your woes behind."

"Here, kid," The guide pointed towards the rest of the town behind him. "Do yourself a favour and go talk to the others. I'm sure you just had some kinda nightmare."

He shoved her towards a small stand before going back to whatever he was doing, as if he hadn't even spoken to Ophelia in the first place. How careless of him..

Once Ophelia looked up, she could see an elderly woman humming to herself while dusting off the small shelves in the store behind her. And when she turned to see Ophelia, she still maintained her positive attitude.

"Ah, an adventurer!" The woman exclaimed, clasping her hands together, "Welcome to Greenhorne! Isn't today just be-YEW-tiful?"

"Y-Yes, but-" Ophelia tried to get her words out.

"Oh, why the long face, dear?" It seemed that Ophelia didn't speak clear enough, however. "You can't just go around town looking like that!"

"C'mon, give us a smile! You know you want to," The woman flashed Ophelia a grin as a demonstration. "A smile brings happiness!"

Ophelia eventually smiled back, but it was moreso out of pity and a want to keep this town happy.

After a bit, Ophelia continued walking. However, her attention quickly switched to a young child racing up and down the dirt road, cheering and waving his arms like wings. He looked to be impersonating a dragon, but Ophelia couldn't really tell. Well, until the kid ran into her.

"Wooaaahh! Hiya, lady!!" The child didn't seem to care, though. "Wow.. You're tall!"

Ophelia wasn't actually that tall in reality. She was only around 5'4 in height. Though she couldn't really blame the kid; he's a lot shorter than practically everyone else in this town she's seen so far.

"..Wait, do you know where your parents are?" Ophelia instantly got worried. She doesn't see any sign of this child's parents anywhere. Is he lost?

"Yup!" The child responded, to which Ophelia let out a sigh of relief. "Ma's over there by the fence! She's a bit busy right now-"

"Caleb!" Just as he mentioned her, his mother came running down the street to catch up to him. "You can't just go running off like that, you know!"

The boy's mother glanced at Ophelia. "O-Oh, my apologies.. Were you about to head through?" She asked.

"Kind of," Ophelia was going to talk about the whole moth incident, but she didn't want to put this woman into any more stress, nor did she want to frighten the child. "I'm a traveler. I sorta just got here to explore.."

"I see," The woman replied. She seemed a bit calmer now. "Well, do take care. A-And be careful!"

Ophelia nodded, quickly making her way through the village.

..And as much as she tried, Ophelia couldn't find any answers as to why there was a moth bearing the eyes of a Mii.

She tried asking a couple, yet they were too focused on flirting with each other (For some reason). She also tried asking a guy walking just by the houses, yet he didn't seem to care about anything that she said.

Needless to say, no one helped her.

Ophelia gave up, and was about to leave the town, until she heard a voice call to her.

"You, there! Are you a traveler?"

Ophelia turned to see what looked to be the mayor of the town. Ah, that's right! She can just explain to him about what happened. She's sure that he would probably know what's going on.

"Um, yes," Ophelia approached him. "You're.. The mayor, right?"

"Of course," Oh, finally. A normal person. "I take it you've spoken to all our townsfolk?"

Ophelia nodded. "Yes, and they're.. An interesting bunch."

"Splendid! Greenhorne's a nice town," Sadly, though, it didn't seem like he knew about the incident either. "Though, I am the mayor, so I kind of have to say that."

That admittedly got a chuckle out of the adventurer.

Out of curiosity, Ophelia glanced up at the sky. Usually in Greenhorne it would be nearly cloudless, spare for a few cloudy or rainy days. And even then, you could still faintly see the sun. But for some reason, the sky was dark. The sun was completely obscured by these dark gray clouds, as if a storm was approaching.

"Wait, what..?" The mayor was surprised, too. However, Ophelia was only worried because she didn't know what was going to happen. The mayor knew exactly what was coming.

And it seemed that the townspeople had also known about this, reacting with horror. Ophelia just glanced at all of them in confusion. What was happening?

However, the traveler quickly got her answer.

A thunderous cackle echoed through the village as Miis cried and cowered behind each other. All of a sudden, the dark clouds made way for what looked to be a fiend made entirely of shadows. He was clothed in heavy cloaks and ragged robes, and his hair resembled that of devil horns.

The cackle rang through Ophelia's mind, and without thinking, she spoke up.

"Who are you?!-" Well, she tried to before the mayor quickly shushed her.

"Who am I?" The fiend had heard her, however, replying in this almost mocking tone. "I am The Dark Lord, Alexander Archambeau! And I have come to wreak havoc on this miserable little world!"

Was.. Was this a dream? This all sounded too awful to be true. Ophelia was literally just trying to have one normal day, and yet this guy arrives and declares that he's gonna ruin everything for everyone.

Actually, wait- Should she think that? This 'Alexander' person definitely looks powerful. Can he read minds or something? Maybe Ophelia should just.. Refrain from insulting him in her head. Just in case.

"And guess what?" Alexander turned back to everyone. "I'm starting with you, people of Greenhorne! It's time you all taste true fear!"

The declaration made Ophelia freeze in place, followed by a chill being sent through her spine. Literally; Ophelia felt her own body getting colder. Oh, what now? Did she die or something? Or was she already dead and this is some weird nightmare she's having before she truly goes unconscious.

"Say goodbye.. To your FACES."

With a mere snap of his fingers, the faces of nearly all the townsfolk were wiped clean off and sent to the Dark Lord's side, one by one. Out of instinct, Ophelia tried to hide behind one of the houses by herself.. Selfish.

After taking a final glance at everyone, Alexander spoke again, "Hmph. This should do nicely for now."

"Now listen here, you faceless freaks!" He spat at the others, his words filled with sheer venom, "Be prepared for a long life of wordless terror, because that's all you'll be used to now!"

"And for those who have been spared," He pointed at everyone else, including the cowering Ophelia. "Take a good long look at your poor little friends.. AND DESPAIR!"

"So long!" He sneered again in that same mocking tone before disappearing with the lost faces, yet to return to their owners.

Ophelia's back hit the wall of the house she was hiding behind as she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She looked down at her hands, which were shaking and sweaty, in an attempt to ground herself. So this wasn't some dream. It was real. It was all real.

However, her anxiousness was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Caleb!" It was that kid's mother she had seen just now. "Caleb, no! Not my baby!"

Ophelia stood up in an instant and scurried over to where she had last seen her. Did this 'Dark Lord' seriously refuse to spare a *child?*

"Oh, a-adventurer!" The mother noticed her in an instant. "You seem like a brave soul.. Please, help me get my child back!"

Brave? Brave?? Ophelia was anything but brave. She was the most cowardly person you could ever meet, and that cowardice leads to her being selfish. She just went traveling because she wanted to break her habit of staying in her house every day, but now she just wants to go back home. Maybe if she just stays in there, no more danger would get to her.

But still.. This mother just watched her own son's face be snatched away. If Ophelia doesn't do anything about this, the child could die. So, what other choice does she have? Ophelia isn't a monster. Or, at least.. She doesn't want to be perceived as one.

"Um.. Sure! I mean, I could try.." She replied.

"Oh, thank you!" A wave of relief washed over the mother. "Thank you ever so much! Please, take this."

She fished around in a small bag she had with her and took out a small purple amulet, decorated with a drawing of a closed eye in sparkling golden ink.

"It's our family's good luck charm. I-I think you would need it." She spoke again, a small smile growing on her face.

"Thank you," Ophelia sighed, taking the charm. She really didn't want to do this, but she had to.

"I think.. I think that the Dark Lord had flown somewhere else.. Maybe you should go explore out of town for a bit?"

"Right.."

Ophelia simply nodded and left the village quietly, clutching the amulet tightly in her hands.

Great. Just great. Having to save someone wasn't on her to-do list, but here she is..

Chapter Text

Ophelia made her way out of the village, looking around anxiously.

"Caleb?" She called out, in hopes of trying to find him. That was his name, right? "Where are you?"

Overwhelmed with worry, she bit the nail of her thumb, trying to keep calm. But that didn't work at all; she just kept glancing in every direction frantically.

She tried to shout again, "Caleb!" But there was no reply.

Did she seriously lose him now? That kid's mother said he was just outside of town, right? Maybe she should just go back. It's not worth it anyway.. Right?

"Aww, is somebody trying to be the big hero?"

That voice.. It was Alexander. As if Ophelia wasn't unlucky enough.

"Y-You..!" She gasped, "Give Caleb's face back!"

"Oh, this little thing?" Alex summoned the hovering, frightened face of Caleb to his side, and chuckled wickedly, "Hmm.. I suppose I can give this to you.. But at a price."

A yellow slime then appeared out of a deep purple mist woven from the Dark Lord's fingertips. Once the fog dissipated, the child's face was immediately plastered onto the creature.

"Ahaha.. How good are you in a fight?"

The monster stared at Ophelia dead in the eyes, making her gulp. It didn't even look that dangerous to begin with, but to her, it looked terrifying. Before she could do anything else, Alexander had flown off.

"W-Wait!" The traveler tried to call to him, "How- How do I?!-"

Without any warning, the monster lept towards her, making her shriek & cower in fear.

"NO-"

Her scream of terror was cut off by the amulet suddenly flying out of her hands, and levitating idly in the air. It let out a faint yellow glow, which seemed to have made the slime back off for a moment.

And then.. Everything went white.

.

..

...

"..Ophelia.."

Ophelia opened her eyes to see a massive blur of colours; shades upon shades upon shades of soft pinks, purples & blues.. It almost put her mind at ease.

"..Ophelia? Can you hear me?"

Oh, right. The voice. She completely forgot about that.

"Um.. Yes?" She awkwardly replied.

"Ohoho! That's splendid! I'm so glad you can hear me," The voice spoke again. "Now, you might not necessarily believe this, but.. I'm sort of a guardian spirit."

"Wh-What?!" Now, that was unexpected.. "But- But that means you're-"

"Please, just hear me out, Ophelia."

"Um.. Right, sorry."

"It seems like you're in a fair amount of trouble, my child," The guardian explained, "Would you like me to help you?"

Ophelia nodded her head rapidly and let out a relieving sigh. Finally, she had something to protect her! She instantly felt a giant weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

"Ho, ho! Excellent, excellent!" The guardian exclaimed, "I- Er.. Bestoweth upon thee the awesome power of the guardian!"

The traveler covered her eyes as a flash of light blinded her vision for a brief moment, before the flash cleared & she could see six inanimate objects laying in front of her. A silver sword, a small wand, a wooden staff, a sharp dagger, a singer's microphone, and a frying pan.

"These, my child, are classes, or better- Jobs, that will aid you in battle," The spirit explained to her, "Just select a job you would like by picking up one of the weapons before you."

Ophelia took a gander at her options, clearly confused. Why would someone use a *frying pan* to fight? No judgement, frying pans can deal a lot of damage, but seriously? Out of all things, you can choose a frying pan??

"Um.. Mister Spirit? Do the staff & wand cast spells?" She asked.

"Why, of course it does! They wouldn't be there for nothing," The guardian answered, "But I am afraid you'll have to gain them later."

"How much later, exactly?"

"Well, I assure you that you will gain more strength & knowledge to handle the magical abilities as soon as this fight ends."

"But what if I lose?"

"My child, you mustn't let yourself be overcome with such worry. I believe that you can make it through. All you have to do is just trust in your abilities."

"..Got it."

Ophelia grabbed the wand and spun it in her hands for a bit, before her body had been enveloped in golden sparkles. Once they disappeared, she dawned a dark blue robe with white threading at the ends of her sleeves & gown, akin to a mage.

"W-Wow," She blinked multiple times, just to see if this was real. "Would you look at that.."

"Ho, ho! Wonderful! Just wonderful!" The guardian maintained his jolliness, "Now then, fight, Ophelia!"

In a flash, Ophelia was back in the fields, facing that slime again. She took a steadying breath, and readied her weapon as she nervously glared at the enemy.

The slime suddenly charged right at her, making her instinctively duck. But she was still standing in the open, so her attempt was for naught. For a slime, its attacks were surprisingly strong; Ophelia was knocked down to her knees for a bit after being struck in her stomach.

Once she regained her strength, she got back to her feet, her legs shaking from the attack. She grasped the cloth over her abdomen, wincing in pain, before she lunged at the enemy and stabbed her wand through it. But the slime had mostly absorbed the strike, so it was still standing.

It attacked her again, this time hitting her face, causing blood to trickle down her chin from her nose.

"No, no, no, no..!" Ophelia began to panic, now focused on getting rid of that slime before her nosebleed would become a concern. With all the might that she could muster, she firmly gripped her wand and stabbed through the slime once more, with her weapon piercing right through the enemy's body this time.

The monster recoiled once she let go, and it sunk into the ground before vanishing, leaving behind the levitating face of Caleb.

"C-Caleb," Ophelia gasped as she collapsed to the grass as well, trying to regain her energy from the altercation. She has zero experience in fighting, and she never planned on having to gain any.

"It's the lady! Hiii!!" Thankfully, Caleb himself didn't seem hurt in the slightest. However it wasn't long before he flew off elsewhere.

"Ho, ho!" The spirit's voice returned, "Well done, Ophelia! I knew you had it in you."

Ophelia let out a weak laugh in response, raising her wand in the air triumphantly with trembling hands.

"The child's face is safe now, I'm sure that it has flown back to Greenhorne Town," The guardian explained, "Maybe you should go check?"

"I will, I just-" Ophelia sat up straight. "Will- Will I need to seek medical attention, or..?"

"You haven't necessarily sustained much, my child. Your injuries will gradually heal on their own."

"That's good to hear.."

When she felt well enough, the mage finally got back up and quickly headed back towards the town.

Chapter Text

Just as Ophelia made her way back into the town square, she saw Caleb's face float back to its owner, as the bystanders who were spared watched on in curiosity.

However, any questions they had in their minds were shortly answered once the face finally reunited with its owner.

"Yay!! I'm back!!" The child's energy hadn't drained one bit, as Caleb immediately began jumping around Ophelia as soon as he was back to normal. "Thank you, lady!"

Ophelia couldn't help but smile back at him. "Y-You don't have to thank me," She replied to him, just as she saw his mother rush over to the two.

"Caleb!" The boy's mother almost immediately scooped up her son and held him tightly in her arms, "Are you OK? You aren't hurt, are you?" Thankfully, Caleb confirmed that he was alright.

"Oh, thank you, adventurer!" The mother then turned to Ophelia, "I expected the worst.. I truly cannot thank you enough! Please, take this as a mother's appreciation."

She scoured through her bag again, and grabbed a pouch of gold pieces before handing it to the adventurer.

"Oh my, your nose is bleeding too.. Hold on," The mother then grabbed a couple tissues & a bandage from her bag, wiping the blood off of her face & placing the bandage over her nose. "You should take some extra tissues too.. In case you're still bleeding."

After taking the extras, Ophelia silently thanked her before walking off. Finally, she could leave! Now's the best time to just make a run for it & go back home, where she's safe..

...

..And then she glanced back at the town as she headed for the exit. Hearing the distressed, muffled cries of the faceless, seeing the sheer hopelessness in the eyes of the survivors, just.. The atmosphere of the town as a whole, it.. It made Ophelia feel pity.

Maybe she could try saving one more face..?

Puffing out her chest and putting on a brave expression, she marched out of the village, bracing herself for any more monsters awaiting her. And just as she stepped back out into the fields, she was teleported into that realm where she once met with the Guardian Spirit.

"Ho, ho!" Ironically, Ophelia heard the spirit's voice again. "So the youngster is safe.. How proud of you I am, Ophelia."

"Really? Um, thank you, whoever your name is.." Ophelia didn't expect so much praise just by saving one face.

"However, I do have one more request of you, my child."

"What is it?"

"This may come off as broad.. Nonetheless, I ask of you to defeat the vile Alexander, and save this world!"

"..U-Uhh.."

"My child, I understand how much of a burden this may sound, but I can sense that, with a little push, you can go on to accomplish great things," The guardian explained, "..And you should probably also repay me for helping you there."

"Right! I forgot about that, my bad, I'll do it..!" Ophelia stammered in response.

"Oho! What wonderful news!" The spirit was overjoyed to hear that, & rejoiced. "However, it would be so cruel of me to keep you here forever. Better to bring back peace as soon as possible!"

The mage nodded, just before she was teleported back into Easin Hills.

The majority of her day Ophelia spent getting rid of any other monsters. Most of them were the same rock moths she saw earlier, though she didn't find that moth who chased her at the start of the whole mess, which admittedly peaked her curiosity.

On the bright side, though, she learned enough from her travels that she gained the ability to cast a fire spell! Unfortunately, when she tried to use it, she nearly burnt her hand off, so now she completely refrained from using it whatsoever.

The rest of her day went relatively normal, and seeing that there were no faces from the town in sight, she was about to head somewhere else.. Until two moths appeared out of nowhere and cornered her.

"E-Eh?!" She stumbled & fell back, which only gave them more room to attack her. Her breath shortened as she began to panic. She was completely outnumbered already.

"I-I can't fight these things," She panted, eventually accepting that she was probably going to spend her last moments here, "OK! OK!! I surrender, just- Please, don't kill me!"

"Ho, ho!" That same laugh echoes again, and the butterflies halt in their place. "It seems you've gotten yourself into trouble again, young one."

"Yes! Of course I am!" Ophelia started getting irritated. "Hold on, have you just been watching this whole time?-"

"Fret no longer, my child, help will arrive soon!" As if trying to avoid the accusation, the guardian spirit immediately changed the subject, and spawned a great beam of light down on the earth.

The flash was bright enough to disorient the monsters for a moment, and to make Ophelia flinch. But once the brightness faded..

"SHIT–" The mage heard a loud thud, and then the sound of yelling. "Fuck, I– I think I just broke my arm.."

Luckily, Ophelia found room for her to nimbly escape the two monsters & rush over to the stranger's aid, "Are you alright??" She asked frantically.

"Ughh.. Where am I..?" The stranger sat up on her own, intentionally avoiding Ophelia's help.

The mage examined said stranger's appearance. She had short hair that reached the base of her neck & bore a dark teal hue, dark gray eyes with a yellow butterfly symbol around her left one, and her outfit reminded Ophelia of something a knight would wear. The stranger even had a sword right beside her.

"This, my child, is your new companion!" The spirit exclaimed, "From now onward, she will aid you in your journey! All they just need to do is give themself a name."

"A.. Name?" Ophelia cocked an eyebrow. "Did you.. Just create her?"

"Why, of course I did! Why else would she have the symbol over her eye?"

"What?.. Hey, are you even listening?!"

No answer.. Ophelia was left with the new girl now. Shaking her head, Ophelia turned back to the moths as the stranger got to their feet & grabbed the handle of the sword. The mage charged at the monsters, urging for the stranger to help her. And, albeit confused, they agreed.

The stranger firmly gripped the hilt as the butterfly approached her, and swung the blade up to slice one of its wings. The sword was surprisingly heavy for her, and it nearly slipped out of her hands.

Ophelia briefly glanced over her shoulder to check if the new person was alright, and turned her concentration back to the enemy she was fighting.

Dread pooled inside of her as the moth inched closer, and in a moment of self-defense, she unintentionally fired that spell she just learned, burning both the butterfly & herself.

She let out a small "Ack," and dropped her wand as soon as the monster fell to the ground & whatever face that was attached to it flew away. Her hands were stinging from the pain, and her fingers were a light red from the spell.

It wasn't long before the stranger slain the moth as well.. And they instantly dropped their sword beside the wand.

"That thing's fuckin' heavy," The stranger sighed. Does this person ever stop swearing? "So, uh.. Why're you here again?"

"Well, um.. That spirit guy? They want me to save the world." Ophelia responded, shaking her hands in an attempt to get rid of the pain.

"Good for you, then..? I remember hearing a voice that told me that I was 'destined to be here' or whatever. Then I fell from the sky and that wasn't fun.."

"How- How are you even alive?"

"No clue.. The grass here's like, really long. Maybe that's what saved me?"

"True.. Oh, right! Do you have a name for yourself?"

"..I guess.. Natalie Moss? That's the only thing I can think of.."

"Cool! I'm Ophelia. Rosalind. But just call me Ophelia."

"Great," Natalie stood up and stretched before helping the mage to her feet as well. "So, if you're off to save this place, can I join you?"

"Go ahead!" Well, at least Ophelia has someone to protect her now. "If you were literally created to help me, then I think it's only logical."

"Hmph," Natalie was somewhat glad that they were able to come along, since, well, where else is she supposed to go?

"Okay, uh.. Onward!" The mage tried her hardest to look excited for the adventure, even taking Natalie's hand & pointing to the path in front of her to fit the part.

Chapter Text

For a while, Ophelia and Natalie trailed down the path of the hills. Without all the monsters running amok, it was just as beautiful as ever. After checking to see if the coast was clear, Ophelia lightly nudged her new companion.

"Hey, Natalie," Ophelia grabbed her camera from her bag. "Wanna take a picture?"

"Don't see why not," Natalie replied as Ophelia raised the camera to view the both of them. A click could be heard, and the photo slid out of the bottom.

Ophelia shook the photograph for a second until the contents were visible. The sun was just beginning to set, and the faint glow that shone through the clouds that obscured it paired with the seemingly endless fields gave her a sense of.. Freedom. It felt relieving, almost. Maybe it was she was just so anxious for the entire day.

Speaking of the sunset, it's been a long time since Ophelia started walking down this road with Natalie. It won't be long before it'll get dark..

"Huh.. You feelin' tired yet, Lia?" Natalie yawned.

"Lia?-" Ophelia didn't realize the new nickname for a moment. "Oh, I get it now."

"Yeah, Ophelia's somethin' that I'll probably forget in the next five minutes, so.. Y'know."

"That makes sense.. And uh, yeah. I'm.. Extremely tired."

Ophelia then noticed a small building in the near distance. She squinted a little, before she could see it clearly.

"Hey, an inn!" She exclaimed, pointing to the inn in front of her. Finally.

"Praise to the deity of well-placed inns," Natalie joked in response, smirking a little at their own pun. The both of them hurried towards the building, and wasted no time meeting with the innkeeper, who was taken aback by how abnormally excited they both were.

After checking in at the front desk, the two of them were guided to their room, and were amazed by how well-kept it actually was.

"Huh," Natalie laced her fingers together and rested them behind her neck. "The room's a lot larger than I thought."

Ophelia didn't say anything, she just flopped face-first on one of the beds in the room. Welp, guess that's hers now. After a bit of time spent getting ready, Natalie went to sleep as well.

...

..What.. What time is it?

Ophelia groggily sat up in her bed, her back aching from the new sleeping space. She rubbed her blurry eyes before stretching her arms out, running her fingers through her tangled strands of hair shortly after.

The mage stared out the window. It's still dark out.. She must've woken up at a really early hour.

Ophelia forced herself to climb out of bed, feeling her feet hit the ground. She stood up, and since she had just adjusted to laying down, she could feel herself carrying her upper body's weight.

She walked closer to the glass window. The sky was painted a dark teal, covered in gray clouds. It was quite a pleasant view; Ophelia always had a liking for nighttime skies. It was a shame that she couldn't see the stars-

..Huh?

Ophelia heard something.

It was hard to tell what it was, but the more she waited by the window, the closer the sound got. She didn't want to turn around. If whatever was behind her saw her face, it might attack. However, she did anyway.

But it wasn't some monster that found its way into the inn. It was blood.

Ophelia recoiled in simultaneous disgust and horror as a giant pool of deep red blood slowly crawled underneath the door and into the room, inching closer every single second. She tried to get away, but she was only met with her back hitting the wall. She couldn't go anywhere.

The mage could only watch as the many trails of scarlet crept towards her, waiting eagerly to drag her down into the abyss beneath it. The imagery alone wasn't enough; Ophelia swore she could hear a voice, too. It wasn't just one, actually- There were thousands of people whispering on top of each other. All of them coyly egging her on to succumb to the crimson eternity.

"Join us," Those voices echoed endlessly.

Endless enough to drive her insane. The more she heard it, the less she could think. The words clouded her mind and-

"Yo, Lia!" Suddenly, everything came to a halt. It was just a bad dream. "Wake up!"

Ophelia awoke again, this time at a much later time in the morning. The sunshine's fluorescent orange glow and the comforting warmth it cast contrasted starkly with.. Whatever had just happened. However, no amount of morning light could remove the cold sweat on Ophelia's face.

"You alright? The entire morning I could hear you tossin' & turnin' like you just found a spider right next to you." Natalie bluntly asked.

"Um- It's fine, it was just a dream.." Ophelia muttered. It felt weird talking about that nightmare to someone she barely knew. "..I'll be alright, though, I swear."

"If you say so," Natalie turned to face the exit. "There's a cafeteria down in the inn's lobby. You feel like grabbin' a bite?"

"Yes, I'd like that.. Just let me get ready first."

"Right."

"So.. Those butterfly things drop honey once they're dead, yeah?"

Breakfast flew by, and the two girls were back on their adventure. Right now Natalie & Ophelia were trying to figure out how fetching grub works.

"I think so," Ophelia had zero clue how a monster just magically drops food ingredients before dying, but she still went along in the conversation. "Hey, I wonder if we'll find any faces from the townsfolk I told you about yet..?"

"Oh, yeah! Nearly forgot about that," Natalie stretched her arms out as they spoke. "I betcha 100 gold there'll be someone here."

And just like that.. Natalie was right.

The levitating face of what looked to be that guide from the entrance of the town suddenly appeared in front of them both. For the first time, he seemed genuinely scared & confused.

"Huh? What??" His eyes darted frantically around the area. He didn't even get the chance to realize what was going on before a giant silver moth spawned just beside his face as it stuck itself onto the monster. The moth was twice the size of the usual ones that both adventurers had seen, and much stronger too.

"..I was kidding." Natalie retorted at the sight.

Sighing, Ophelia readied her wand, aiming it at the enemy. She really didn't want to do this, but she had to.

It felt like hours had passed since the fight began. Thankfully after putting up with it long enough, an intense feeling of relief washed over the mage as the moth lost flight & fell over backwards; it had been defeated.

Once more, Ophelia felt all the energy she had being drained out of her. She nearly felt her legs give out again, just like when she was faced with that slime.

"You did great, Lia," Natalie wiped the sweat off of her forehead; she seemed tired as well. "Let's go back to that town. Where was it again?"

Ophelia smiled through her exhaustion in response. "It's just behind both of us.. Let's head back."

As the two girls made their way back to the town, the mage couldn't help but agonize over that dream she had the night before. Yes, it only happened once last night, but it felt so.. Specific? Detailed? Whatever word could be used to describe the feeling of the entire thing.

Was it really just a dream? Or was it some kind of premonition?

The idea frightened her. Why was she getting roped into another situation like this? She was already tasked with the burden of literally saving the world, so what now?

Out of desperation for some kind of comfort, she glanced over to Natalie, who was walking in front of her.

The mage rubbed her forehead with one hand, hoping that she'll be alright somehow during this adventure.

Chapter Text

Helloooo?

Hiya. It's me again. Ophelia and Natalie make quite the team, don't they?

Ahaha.. Sorry. I can't let you go now, the story's just started.

Oh, what's with that look? If you would've known the full tale, you wouldn't have come here. That mentality won't get you anywhere, you know that?

Whatever, it doesn't matter now.. Nothing ever mattered. Just let me get back to the story.

It hadn't been long before both heroes were back in the inn they found before. Ophelia was busy sorting out the photos in her scrapbook, trying to reorganize it.

She'd always write the dates of when she took those photographs on the back of the parchment, and thankfully she carried a pen in her bag at all times, just to be sure.

She rearranged everything from the first photo she ever took (Which was a picture of the bedroom in her childhood home, at that time she was still testing out the features) to the most recent one (The picture of her & Natalie). Every photo held a special place in the girl's heart.

Sadly, though, that train of thought Ophelia had was shortly interrupted by a thud coming from the mess hall.

Ophelia immediately ran towards the room over where she met the entrance of the hall. Come to think of it, the thud sounded like it came from a window.. Although she can't decide that– She was a whole room over.

Scurrying into the area, the mage immediately found her friend standing by the table, letter in hand, and with an injured owl with its right wing damaged laid down neatly on the surface.

"N-Natalie?" Ophelia was taken aback, quickly rushing over to the owl. "What- What even happened here?"

"This guy just crashed right into the damn glass," Natalie retorted, "It dropped this letter, too!"

"Well, hurry up and help it!" Ophelia paced around the space, opening & closing the cupboards in an attempt to find anything that could be used as a bandage. "Natalie, can you go search for something? Please??"

Doing as told, Nat hurriedly left the hall & ran into hers & Ophelia's respective room. She looked up & down across the area until opening the drawer belonging to their shared nightstand, which had a small box containing a bandage wrap.

Nodding to themself, Natalie grabbed the package and went back to the mess hall, handing it to Lia.

"Thanks," Ophelia panted out of relief as she opened the package & grabbed the wrap, covering the wounded wing with as much caution as she could take. "I-I'm not a medical professional, so.. Sorry if it's not good."

"No prob, I dunno shit about this kinda stuff either." Natalie replied, scratching the back of their neck. Whether that was a good thing because Ophelia had someone to relate to or a bad thing because they were both clueless was undecidable.

Ophelia gently helped the owl to its feet, and was about to guide it to the nearest open window, but stopped herself when she realized that the bird probably couldn't fly right now. So, until it's fully healed, it needed to stay with them. Probably.

"Uhh.. Nat, are there any places that the owl can rest?" Ophelia looked over her shoulder to face her friend. The nickname was an accident; it practically slipped out of her mouth.

In response, Natalie moved past Lia to check the view through the glass window, and saw a little market off in the distance of the meadows. "We could try goin' there," She said, "If it's just some random shop, then we could find somethin'."

"Good idea," Ophelia replied, "But someone should keep watch of the owl."

"I'll do it," Natalie raised their hand slightly in reply. They clearly didn't feel like going out right now, which was understandable– She had to handle an injured bird.

"Oh, Natalie, what does the letter say?"

"Here. Not sure I read it yet, either."

"Thanks!"

Taking the parchment, Ophelia unfolded the letter & read through the contents:

Dear Ophelia,

Once again, I'd like to thank you for helping my son. You didn't have to go out of your way to potentially endanger yourself to save him, and yet you still did. You're a very brave person for doing that.

To be honest, I only really am saying this to you right now because I have so many worries that it's hard for me to sleep at night. And because I can't sleep at night, I'm writing this instead.

However, I still feel like I haven't thanked you enough for your kindness, so please take this gift. You deserve it.

Judging from how the letter was written, with the mentioning of the author's son and how said author is constantly stressing over things, Ophelia came to the conclusion that this letter was written by Caleb's mother. With three pink tickets taped to the bottom of the paper! How cool.

But Ophelia didn't have the time to question it now. She had to find something for the owl to rest on!

After a long while of running, Lia finally stumbled her way into the market, staggering up against a wall and leaning her upper body against it, catching her breath She probably shouldn't have run all the way here, but she still did. Bad idea, Ophelia.

She reached into her bag to find the change she was given by that mother she helped a while back, and nodded to herself once she felt her fingertips brush against the pouch.

Now.. Where could it be?- Oh!

As if lady luck smiled upon her, Lia spotted a dark gray cage with a cushion on the bottom in one of the aisles. It probably wasn't the best thing for the owl, and Ophelia felt a bit cruel for having it rest in such a confined space, but it looked like the only option available.

Just as she selected the cage & purchased it, the mage was about to turn around & hurry back before she felt a tug on her sleeve. Great. How many more spontaneous events must happen to her in one week?

"Um, hello," A somewhat worried voice appeared from close behind her. When she turned around, she was met with a young man close to her age. He had light green hair, tan skin, emerald eyes, and an outfit akin to a priest's. "I.. I apologize for bothering you, but I think I've lost my novel somewhere. May you find it for me?"

Ophelia wondered why this stranger didn't just go search for it himself at first, but he looked pretty tired, so she pitied him.

"Alright," She responded, "What does the book look like?"

"I-It kind of resembles those antique books in old libraries," The stranger answered, "A dark brown cover, timeworn pages.. Something like that."

"Got it. Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me."

Ophelia immediately went on the lookout for this book, searching up & down the market. She assumed that the novel was hidden somewhere in there, anyways. Still, though, there was no sign of any book in sight.

However, she eventually stumbled across the lake sitting just beside the shop. Sadly, that's where the novel was located— At the bottom of the lake.

Lia let out an exasperated sigh. This was definitely the last place that stranger wanted the book to be, and she did not want to just dive into a random lake that could be hiding some kind of monster, nor did she want her robes to get all soaked, but it had to be done.

Reluctantly, she dipped her left leg into the water, and then the right. Thankfully, the waters were shallow, so she didn't have to dip her entire body in. Crossing her fingers, she bent her knees, grabbed the book, and sped out.

She tried to get back to the stranger as quickly as she could, because she didn't want to meet eyes with any townsfolk that gave her suspicious glances nearby.

"Hey," She gasped once she got back, waving her hand that held the book so the stranger could see it.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I just- I just ran— All the way here.."

"I.. I don't think you needed to do that."

"..Sorry."

"It's nothing to apologize about. And, um.. Thank you for returning the novel to me."

"You aren't mad? That, like.. The book fell in the lake?"

"No, I.. It's probably my fault. I last read it by the lake, so.. It may have slipped out of my hands on accident. I'll be more careful next time."

"Oh, uh.. Okay."

"..Say, do you like reading too?" The conversation was just about to devolve into awkward silence before the stranger saved the chat.

"Sometimes..? I'm not the reading type, but it helps me calm down, so.." Ophelia mentally kicked herself for saying something like that as a response.

Thankfully, the stranger didn't really seem to mind. "What genres do you usually read?" He asked.

"Anything that catches my eye, I guess," Lia shrugged. "What about you?"

"I guess I enjoy stories that capture deep, emotional elements.. Things that delve into deep psychological topics always— Oh, I-I'm sorry. I forgot to ask for your name.."

"Right! My name's Ophelia. And you are?"

"Um.. Xavier. Xavier Estrella."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Xavier. Do you know where you're heading?" Ophelia didn't really know why she asked that when the answer was probably clear.

"Yes, I.. There's this café just on the other side of the town. I always go there to read on days like these. But considering the state my book is in.. I may have to cancel."

"Yeah.. Again, I'm— Really sorry for what happened to the book."

"It's alright. I should be leaving now.."

The mage nodded, waving at Xavier for a moment before both of them went their separate ways.

Chapter Text

Carefully placing the owl in the cage, Ophelia pet its head before leaving it to rest. She was back in that inn, and thankfully the owl was still alive.

"Y'know, now that I think about it," Natalie commented, looking at the bird for a second, "I.. I don't think the guy wants to leave. It seems pretty happy here."

Ophelia then smiled at an idea she had. "We could adopt it! I'm sure no one else would mind, right?"

"Yeah.. But what if it does wanna leave?"

"Then we'll let it go. I mean, as long as neither of us grow too attached to it, haha.."

"I guess so.. Hey, what should we name it?"

Ophelia thought to herself, and.. Nope, she had no clue of any interesting name to call it. She simply shrugged in response.

"Well, you did help care for it when I was gone, and you were the first one to find it, sooo.. I think you should do the honours!" She answered.

Natalie walked over to the owl again, absent-mindedly running a few fingers along the iron cage it slept in. They said, "The innkeeper told me he used to work with birds. Apparently this owl's a girl."

Then they tried brainstorming a bunch of names that would fit a female owl, before coming up with something.

"I guess Velvet would work?" Nat added.

"It does!" Ophelia grinned. "I actually really like that name.. Thanks for the idea, Nat!"

"No prob," Natalie closed their eyes and nodded back at her.

The rest of the day went by surprisingly fast. Most of it was spent traveling with Velvet, defeating monsters, and resting in the nearest inns the two girls could find. Nothing too special.

However, as night fell, Ophelia felt a sense of dread take over her.

She remembered that nightmare she had clearly. What did it even mean? Was it just a dream, or was it trying to send her some kind of message? It was probably a dream, but the way it played out just felt.. Odd to her. Lia just hoped that she was only overthinking.

Hey, maybe the dream's just a manifestation *of* her overthinking? That's a possibility, too. Things like that can happen.

Either way, Ophelia laid down in her respective bed, quickly nodding off out of exhaustion. She could only hope that this night wouldn't involve anything like that dream again.

Meanwhile..

Natalie couldn't sleep. They tried, but restlessness kept overtaking them. So, Nat got up & left, lightly petting the sleeping Velvet's head as she passed by. For a moment, she glanced at the amulet, resting on a nearby dresser in the two's shared room. Shaking her head and looking down, Natalie simply left.

She didn't want to think about that spirit right now. They already caused her so much confusion. Natalie headed to the reception, opening the front door and walking out into the moonlight.

She explored the area around her for at least 20 minutes, making sure the inn was still in sight. On the way, she was met with a random streetlight in the middle of a nearby park. Well, 'random' probably wouldn't fit; there were many other streetlights lined up neatly in a row alongside it. However, this was one of the very few who's light was still on.

The warrior reached out their arm to the base of the lamp, gripping onto it with their right hand and walking in circles around it. The slight 'swinging' feeling of her body made her feel.. Free, in a sense.

She could see the ends of her hair being illuminated beneath the soft glow, and she could feel herself bathing in the warmth emanating from the light. This feeling of freedom.. It felt addictive. If she could, she would find a way to switch those streetlights back on and she'd run free underneath them all. But alas, she only has this one.

And then.. They came to their senses.

What time is it? How long did she stay out here? The walk itself was already 20 minutes long, but what about now? Natalie needed to hurry back.

And hurrying back she did— As soon as she made her way into the inn and entered her & Ophelia's room, she- Wait, what?

Natalie's shoulders dropped slightly. There, the mage sat on her bed, her back against the wall, hyperventilating. She didn't seem like she was having a full-blown anxiety attack, but she still looked panicked.

"Lia?" Natalie lowered her voice a little, but still remained direct with Ophelia. "What- What happened?"

Eventually, Ophelia recovered from her distress, latching onto Natalie's arm to ground herself back to reality. Natalie felt even worse for leaving the inn now. "It— It was another dream. I-I'm sorry." She exhaled.

"No, no, I should apologize," Natalie shook her head. "I- I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk, and I should've— Just.. Don't apologize, 'kay?"

"..Alright.." Ophelia sighed. She didn't want to go back to sleep, and Natalie could tell by her expression.

"Do you.. Wanna talk, or..?" Natalie scratched the back of their neck. They didn't know how to handle this.

Ophelia merely nodded in response.

"..October 11th," She began, shortly before clarifying, "Uh.. It's my birthday."

"A-Anyways, this year, it'll be my.. Second birthday without my family? Or maybe third.. I can't tell." She chuckled slightly. "I can't believe it's been over a year since I first started going places. Time flies by, huh?"

"I've been spending my time taking photos of things I've seen during my travels and scrapbooking them. I've been planning on creating this big, colourful scrapbook of my experiences, so when I get home I can show them off to my parents! I-If I can get home in the first place, that is.. Haha.." She added.

"..Parents.." Natalie suddenly murmured underneath her breath.. Before going quiet. Silence then filled the room as the two girls awkwardly glanced away from each other. Thankfully, the warrior eventually broke said silence.

"So, about the birthday thing," She pondered to herself. "Ugh, this is gonna sound dumb, ain't it?"

"What is it, Nat?" Ophelia asked.

"What.. *Is* a birthday?"

"Oh, did the Guardian not tell you?"

"Not really.. I think they forgot."

"Well, uh— A birthday is.. The day you were born, basically. Usually on those days, there's a celebration from your fami— Your loved ones every year." Ophelia explained. She nearly said 'family', but stopped herself, knowing that the warrior didn't even have one. Although, 'loved ones' may not work much better as a substitute.

Natalie looked out the window with a sense of longing; clearly deep in thought. Ophelia couldn't help but pity them; having been just created, they couldn't even celebrate a proper birthday.

..Or, maybe they could?

"You were made on the 14th of this month, right?" Ophelia asked.

"Yeah," Natalie glanced back at her, her eyes glinting for a second.

"Then.. That can be your birthday! July 14th."

"I.. I guess it can."

Even in the darkness, Ophelia could tell that Natalie was able to see the soft smile she had. The mage felt happy that somebody took the time to listen to her. After a few more minutes spent chatting, Lia felt ready to go back to sleep. She felt thankful that she didn't have any other dreams this time.

Morning went by fast, just as many others had gone. The majority of it was spent trying to help Velvet heal. The process went by surprisingly quickly, with the little owl already starting to walk again.

Neither Ophelia or Natalie planned on even leaving the inn today, until they heard the doorbell ring. When Ophelia rushed over to answer it, she was met with.. Xavier?

"Ophelia," Xavier said. Looks like he remembers her. "Um.. May I come in?"

"Of course," Ophelia smiled, allowing Xavier to enter.

"Who's this?" Natalie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nat, this is Xavier! I met him yesterday when I was trying to find that cage thing for Velvet." The mage tried her best to sound friendly, for Xavier's sake. He was probably really confused right now.

"Huh. Nice to meetcha then, Xavier," Natalie crossed her arms, failingly trying to sound approachable. "..I'm Natalie."

After that, uncomfortable silence filled the space between the three. Neither one of them were social butterflies.

"..Well, um.." Xavier tried to continue this very awkward conversation. "I.. Suppose I'm into nature and such. And reading. I'm sorry, that was unprompted.."

"Hey, man, don't apologize," Natalie simply replied, glancing over to Ophelia in hopes of her having a way to continue this.

And continue she did. "Yeah, I get that.. It's really relieving to know that I'm not the only socially awkward one here." Lia added, chuckling lightly.

"I-I see," Xavier responded coyly, looking away as his bangs partially hid his face. After another hot minute of stillness, he spoke again, this time sounding less reluctant to speak. "I heard you two were on this quest to defeat a certain evil, so.. I hope it's no bother if I join you."

"Oh, of course!" Ophelia's eyes lightened up. "We'd love that. Thanks for offering." She definitely had doubts that she could defeat the Dark Lord with just Natalie to help her.

"Maybe the three of us could become some kind of epic trio," She joked, "Like, The Three Amigos!"

Xavier let out a small laugh before continuing, "With that being said.. There's said to be a disturbance in the Northernmost point of Easin Hills. I've thought about going up there to see for myself.. But I'm too scared to go alone."

"Wait.. Does that mean..?" Ophelia thought to herself, her eyes widening. It might have been a bit of a stretch, but could the face of one of the townsfolk be there? Would've it already been stuck to a monster? Was that monster already wreaking havoc?

"Shit— We gotta get going, then." Natalie spoke up, rushing over to Velvet and lightly taking the cage with the owl inside of it. The now party of three (plus Velvet) quickly gathered their belongings and set out.

"So, this is the place?" Natalie's eyes darted around at her surroundings upon reaching the supposed destination.

"I think so," Ophelia answered. She hadn't been to this part of the hills in a while; she forgot how chilly it could get sometimes, even in the warmer months. Probably because it was close to the frigid mountain range of Powdered Peaks. 

"Yes, this would be it. We just need to walk a little further, then-" Xavier's guidance was suddenly interrupted by a dark fog forming itself before him.

Velvet jumped up in her cage as Natalie hurried to protect her. She wasn't letting this poor owl get hurt again.

"Wait, it's..!" Ophelia scoured through her bag to find her wand. Once she did, she anxiously brandished it toward the mist. She's seen this before. In the town, and just before she fought that slime. She knew exactly what was going to happen.

That sickening laughter echoed throughout the area as the familiar face of the dreaded Alexander materialized & made his return.

"Well, look who I'm met with, once again!" The fiend declared as Ophelia's stance became less defensive and more of an attempt to cower behind the very thing that brought her this far. "You just keep turning up like a bad penny, don't you?"

"Alexander!" Ophelia yelled, trying her best to sound brave, "We finally found you— Prepare to taste defeat!"

The Dark Lord cackled in response to Ophelia's flimsy attempts at intimidation, "Oh, really now? Even after all this time? How cute."

With a single snap of his fingers, a larger-than-life orb of magic spawned before the trio. "Let's dance!" Alexander let out another laugh as the three of them huddled together. For Ophelia it was out of a hope that the fiend wouldn't notice her, for Natalie it was her trying to protect the group, and for Xavier it was just because he was confused & scared. Clearly, this wasn't what he meant before.

Lia let her fear consume her, and she ended up scurrying behind the others to hide behind them. Bad decision.

But, then.. In the midst of sheer hopelessness, a miracle occurred.

"Halt!" A voice shouted from the distance, instantly grabbing Alexander's attention as a bright beam struck the orb & caused it to disintegrate within seconds. "Hold it right there!"

"Who dares..?" The Dark Lord pointed his finger at his surroundings as he hissed; his fun was ruined, right then & there.

As the stranger who saved the group made their presence known, Ophelia curiously poked her head out from behind Natalie & Xavier.. Much to the latter two's irritation when they realized the mage essentially used them as a meat shield.

The stranger dawned on a robe, similar to Ophelia's, with a dreamy and light gradient of white & turquoise, matching this sliver staff she brandished. Her hair was a light auburn that reflected the sunlight, tied up in a ponytail. One of her eyes was a cloudy gray, and the other was a rich amber, with golden tears streaming down from it. Despite that, though, she didn't seem down in the slightest.

"So, you're the supposed 'Dark Lord' I've been hearing so much about." The woman smirked for a moment before she shot Alexander a cold glare.

"You won't be getting your way much longer," The stranger raised her arms, and a force field of magic materialized all around her, causing the tendrils of her hair & the tips of her clothes to levitate. The barrier of light made her look like an angel, and in a way, she was one. She literally saved Ophelia & the others from certain death. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Alexander scoffed, seemingly giving up. "Hmph, I suppose I'll let this slide. Just this once!" The hint of irritation in his voice made Ophelia feel.. Proud? Maybe it was because somebody actually managed to anger him without consequences.

"Bye for now!" However, he still disappeared with that same laughter following him out.

After the fiend made his exit, the stranger turned to Ophelia just as she came out from behind the other two. "Ah, that was quite the predicament, wasn't it?" The woman smiled again, as if nothing happened, "How do you do?"

"Wow, I-I.." Ophelia gazed up at her in awe. She still couldn't process that someone so powerful would just save someone like her right away. "I don't know how.. Thank you." Lia managed to utter out.

"Aha, you don't need to thank me," The woman shook her head. "I should introduce myself, hm? They call me Luna Concordia. I'm a traveling mage."

"Wait, you're a mage too?" Natalie spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh? Does the long-haired brunette here also practice magic?" Luna glanced at Ophelia again as she responded, "My, I didn't expect to run into somebody who has something in common with me."

"Uh— Thanks, but like.. I could never be as strong as you." Ophelia semi-joked.

"Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you on a quest to defeat that Dark Lord?" Luna put the pieces together regarding Ophelia's journey with relative ease. "I'm sure that you have some kind of hope that you'll find your inner strength."

"Inner strength..?" Lia was confused.

Luna's smile grew warmer. "I sense a small flame within you. Just keep tending to it, and it will eventually bloom into something you'd never expect yourself to see." She answered, "Stardust flows in our veins, you know. Don't be afraid to let it shine."

Ophelia just awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. The compliment made her feel both grateful and embarrassed. "Right," She simply said.

"If fortune is on our side, I'm sure we'll cross paths again!" Luna gave the trio a slight wave as she walked off.

Chapter Text

"So.. Was that the fabled Great Sage?" Xavier whispered to himself as the three continued their search.

"Who?" Ophelia glanced at him after overhearing his thoughts being spoken aloud.

"The Great Sage," Xavier explained, "The.. The people in town often speak greatly about her. She's said to be capable of powerful magical abilities, a-and that she even defied death itself. Although that last one is probably just a rumour.. That must've been her."

Ophelia's eyes lightened up. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! My parents told me about her a couple of times, but they just believe that her existence is some myth." She wished she could've gotten a picture of Luna. Then, she'd come back home and show her parents that she's real.

"She really is inspiring.." Xavier pondered aloud.

"I know! Like, 'You won't be getting your way much longer!'"

"'Not if I have anything to say about it!', right?"

"Best part— Alexander couldn't even dish up a comeback!"

Natalie, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly shot a glance at what was in front of them, and spoke up.

 "Hey, look! Another inn!" They said, running up to the entrance and waving at the others to follow.

Once they all entered, checked in, and headed to their assigned rooms, Ophelia stood by the window with the antique charm in hand. She never really got a chance to admire how beautiful the amulet was. That mother said it was an heirloom for her family, so why did she just give it away so easily?

"Ho, ho!" Speaking of the charm.. The Guardian Spirit's voice caught Lia's attention. "It seems you are making Xavier Estrella feel welcome. How splendid!"

"Ah, uh.. Thanks." Ophelia smiled awkwardly.

"Hmm, I believe I called another person to enter the inn with him.. I wonder what happened."

"Really?"

"Indeed. I'm sure Xavier would have found her familiar. Perhaps she'll be arriving soon."

"Alright.. Thanks, again."

Ophelia laid the pendant down neatly on the windowsill before heading down to the mess hall to eat. She was starving; she hadn't eaten at all since yesterday.

"Lia! Hi," Natalie sat at the table, awaiting her. They already finished eating, but judging by the way they piped up at the mage's presence, they seemed excited to see her.

"Hi Natalie," Ophelia smiled as she sat down beside her. "Uhh, what's left? I'm, like, extremely hungry.”

“Did you even eat at all last night?” Natalie joked slightly.

“..No.” Ophelia's voice went quiet, and her face reddened a little out of embarrassment.

Natalie sighed, grabbing what little leftovers she had left on her plate and giving them to Ophelia. “Lia, you shouldn't starve yourself.”

“I- Well—” The mage shrugged awkwardly. She was about to say something else, but she knew that just a simple ‘I forgot to’ wouldn't convince Natalie, even if it was the truth.

“Anyways, about those tickets we got from the letter..” Nat quickly changed the subject.

“What about them?”

“Xavier told me that they're these coupons for outings. 100% off discounts, I guess,” Natalie skimmed through the coupons and read the locations on them, “There's a few for these café trips, and one for.. Stargazing?”

“Shounds cool,” Ophelia's voice was muffled slightly from the leftovers, “I mean, I'm not the type of pershon to jusht sit and shtare at-”

She paused to swallow her food. “Sorry— I'm not the type of person to just sit & stare at the sky for a while, but.. I dunno, I just like the idea!”

“You think I'll actually be able to see the stars, though?” Natalie added, “I can barely find one.”

“There are areas where you can see the stars clearly, I think. It's usually the streetlights and stuff that obscure them.” Just as Ophelia said her response, a knock could be heard down in the lobby, followed by the ding of a bell not long after.

The three party members rushed over to answer it, with Xavier standing in the front. As the door opened, a girl around the same age as the party awaited them. She looked beautiful; long, light blue hair that resembled a clear sky, dark yet warm & welcoming eyes, and an adorable pop-star uniform. Or, that's what Ophelia interpreted it as.

However, she seemed more focused on Xavier than anyone else.

“Oh my Guardian! Is that who I think it is?” She exclaimed, leaping into Xavier's arms, “Xavier, it's been so long! Where were you?”

“L-Liane, you shouldn't–” Xavier got her off of him. “—I don't think you should be here. It's dangerous.”

“It's fine, Xavier! I heard of an adventure and I wanted to come along. Simple! I just didn't expect you to be here, ehehe!” She looked at the other two. “I'm Liane Walker! I bet you've already heard of me, though.”

“..Wait,” Once Liane introduced herself, Ophelia recognized her. “Dumb question, but.. Are you Lazuli Lapis? You look a lot like her.”

Lazuli Lapis was one of the most well-known idols in Greenhorne, and the leader of the band ‘Dear 1999’. Plus, in an interview she did say that her actual name began with an L. Was this really her? Ophelia couldn't begin to imagine having a famous pop star on her team.

“Yep! That's me!” And somehow.. Lia was right. “Oh my Guardian, it's so refreshing to finally hear someone get my stage name right. People still call me Lapis Lazuli. Don't they know it's backwards on purpose?”

“Oh, and this is Xavier! But I'm guessing you already know him. He's my bestest friend! Like, ever. We've known each other since we were kids, did you know? He's, like, the greatest friend anyone could POSSIBLY have.” Liane continued, “Wait– Am I talking too much? Sorry, bad habit.”

Natalie took a moment to process everything Liane just said. “I.. Sure. Yeah.” They replied.

“Um.. Anyways..” Xavier cleared his throat. “I'm assuming everyone is prepared to set out?”

“Yep. If Velvet’s ready, then I am,” Natalie shrugged before temporarily leaving to get Velvet. The owl seemed a little better now. Her wing was still bandaged, but she didn't need the cage anymore and was able to walk. However, Natalie still brought said cage for protection purposes.

Velvet let out a small yet content hoot as the party left the inn once again.

“..Hey, Lia?” Natalie was the first to speak up during the walk. “Uh.. Maybe don’t immediately try to hide behind us when there's danger nearby?”

Ophelia's face reddened in embarrassment. “Ah— I, um.. It was a subconscious response. Kind of. Sorry. I'm so sorry–” She apologized.

“–It’s fine, Ophelia. Just for future reference.” Natalie sighed.

“I would recommend you refrain from apologizing so much as well,” Xavier chimed in, “I read somewhere that it can lead to suppression of one's inner emotions and needs. And then, that would lead to–”

“Hey, look!” Liane cut everybody off, excitedly pointing at something near her feet. She knelt down to grab it, got back up, and held the object in the air like a trophy. “It's a banana!”

“..Good for you?” Natalie raised an eyebrow.

“Liane, don't!” Ophelia immediately tried to get the banana out of Liane's grip. “You just randomly found that on the ground; that thing might be poisonous!”

“Ophelia, we will be fine,” Xavier placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her, “Do you see that tree? It likely just fell out.” He took the banana afterward, quickly examining it.

“Well.. Can't we just, I dunno– Pick a banana that didn't fall? That thing's probably all mushed & bruised..” Ophelia stammered.

Suddenly, before anyone else could reply, Natalie gasped.

"Guys," Natalie raised their arm to protect the others as they stopped in their tracks. "That's..!"

A faint rumble could be heard, slowly growing louder & louder until a giant boulder came into view, shaking the ground the group stood upon and causing them to fall over. Ophelia looked up weakly at the boulder, and it wore the face of one of the townspeople.

Natalie was about to set down Velvet before two floating cloud-like creatures swept her up in the cage and tossed her around carelessly as the poor bird squaked for help.

“No!” Liane shouted, readying her.. Microphone?

As everybody else prepared themselves for battle, Ophelia steadied herself and glared at the cloud that currently held Velvet captive. She aimed her wand in a specific angle so her incoming spell wouldn't harm the owl, and in a rare moment of bravery, she shouted “Fire!” As a ball of flame shot directly at the monster.

The cloud writhed in pain, nearly dropping Velvet in the process. However, it let out a downpour of rain where it levitated, extinguishing the fire and healing itself.. Much to Ophelia's disbelief.

“It’s fine! We got this,” Liane tossed her mic at the enemy like a boomerang, managing to hit all three monsters in sight before the microphone ricocheted right back into her hands.

This didn't go without consequences; the boulder rammed itself into Liane, the width of the rock hitting Xavier as well.

The pop-star fell to her knees, clutching the area over her ribs as Xavier rushed over to her side.

Xavier was injured too, but as soon as one of the clouds prepared to attack Ophelia, the cleric slid in-between them both just in time to save her.

“Don't give in!—” He shouted shortly before he took the hit from the cloud.

“Xavier,” Ophelia gasped, “Oh my Guardian, Xavier, you're a lifesaver–”

Ophelia's gratitude was cut off by Natalie firmly slashing her sword onto the boulder, causing a deep scratch mark to appear on its hard surface.

While the boulder was distracted, Liane tossed her mic at the enemies again, this time hitting them harder. The cloud holding Velvet ended up defeated because of her.

Liane hurried over to grab the cage, but was knocked back by the other cloud shortly before it hoisted Velvet back up again.

Xavier returned to his spot, the banana still in hand, opened it, and took a small, curious bite out of it. It seemed to be in good enough condition to eat. Oddly enough, the fruit made him feel better. Upon finishing the banana, he quickly regained the energy to fight again.

Readying the staff he wielded & eyeing the remaining cloud, Xavier pierced the weapon through it shortly before the monster vanished. However, Velvet was still stuck on the enemy's side.

Only the boulder was left standing; guarding the owl like a golden trophy.

As much as the party tried to lay their attacks on it, the rock just didn't seem to die. Now with the group of four exhausted from the fighting, the boulder before them used their distraction to its advantage and nearly crushed Ophelia.

The mage fell to the ground, clutching her arm, which was severely damaged from the attack.

"Lia!" Natalie ran over to her and grabbed her arm, trying to get a closer examination of the wound. Ophelia's arm wasn't broken. Probably. Natalie didn't know this stuff. "Are you– Are you okay?!"

"I-I'm—" Ophelia gasped, coiling in on herself and gripping onto the grass, making it harder for Natalie to look at the injury. "I-I— I can't–"

The warrior began to panic before she suddenly felt Liane take off Natalie's cape & wrap it tightly around Ophelia's injured arm. "That'll work," Liane said as Xavier knelt down beside the mage, "Let's just hope it'll stop the bleeding."

While the others were busy tending to their friend, Natalie turned to face the boulder. And, angry at both themself and the monster, they acted on impulse; taking a strong leap into the air and slicing down on it. While it did finish off the fight, Nat stumbled down on the grass, hurting themself in the process.

Velvet hooted happily as the rest of the party walked over to finally claim her back. She was safe.. Everybody was safe. Thank goodness.