Chapter 9 - Chapter 9 : Ep. 4 — Mont-Fairy, I

[ 6am, road to ]

We got off the first stop and were were on our way back to Victoria.

— We'll have no choice but to go through the mountains. It's more safer.

Cody yawning, "Let's do this."

────────────────────

[ 5 days later…]

[ bridge to ]

— We're here. The bridge to

— Thank you sir, here's the payment.

Victor handed him a tiny bag full of coins, he grabbed it and turn his wagon to the other direction.

…

[ Mont-fairy. ]

We crossed the bridge and i stepped into the hush of the forest.

Where mist clung to the air like memory. The trees rose like sentinels, tall and solemn, their trunks vanishing into the grey sky swallowed by the fog. Ferns curled at my feet, damp and delicate, brushing against my ankles. Ahead, a narrow path cut through the ferns, leading to a torii gate that loomed in the haze, its form stark and solemn, a crimson echo against the blue-grey veil. It marked more than a passage.

It marked a pause, a moment suspended between two worlds.

— This is a creepy place, Victor…

Victor took the initial step and begin walking, i followed him closely.

— yep. is always gloomy.

The fog thickened as we walked, swallowing the path ahead. The trees blurred into silhouette, tall and still, like we were being watched.

i clung to his arm, fingers curled tight into the fabric of his sleeve.

Small blue. Flickering like fireflies. They hovered just above the ground, pulsing gently in the dark. One drifted close to me, casting a faint glow.

— Does it have a history?…

— Why is it called ?

— Did a fairy die here?

My words caught him off guard, and a laugh slipped out, "ahah..not really.."

— It's called in short but the full name is 'The Mountain of fairies'.

I fixed my eyes on him as he continued,

— There's a legend—a myth where three sisters lived together on this mountain. Their parents died so it was the elder sister who took care of her two younger siblings. In their town, they weren't viewed good. Most villagers feared and hated them because they lived in this gloomy mountain alone. The three sisters remained always together. They only spoke to themselves and were always quiet. People said if you walk through the mountain, you could hear them mumbling in your ears and feel like you're being watched.

i hugged Victor's arm tightly and my leg began shaking.

— They talked using one word and they would say strange things which caused people to fear them.

A chilly feeling run over me,

— One day someone followed them to their home and he discovered something terrible.

[…]

— The three sisters were doing a ritual, the man ran back to the village and screamed saying they were preforming a 'demonic ritual' and they'll kill them all if they don't stop them. Some people were shock hearing him but he continue calming they were using black magic. If you didn't know black magic is strictly forbidden even nowadays. Any form of witchcraft and you'll be burned and executed by the . So the villagers set their house on fire while they were sleeping inside. The entire smoke covered the mountains until the bridge. After a few hours, the burning had died and the villagers watched in silent.

— And guess what.

— What?

Victor smiled,

— 3 animals came from the house : a rabbit, a bat and a butterfly.

— They..were fairies..?

— indeed.

We reached the base of the torii. Up close, its wood was dark with age, streaked with moss and memory. I raised my palm but didn't dare to touch it. We gently cross it.

— We're here.

The heavy fog settled on the ground, the path curved upward leading to a house , swallowed by fog and shadow. Grass, brittle and windblown, brushed against us as we climbed.

The house stood hunched at the top of the hill, its silhouette jagged against the heavy sky. The porch sagged slightly, its railing crooked, and the chimney leaked a thin ribbon of smoke that vanished into the clouds.

"Is this where Eris is..?", i murmured.

hmph,

The closer we got, the more it became visible, "This looks like an abandoned house…Does anyone even lives here?"

Victor knocked on the door, not once but twice.

Knock knock

Then he steps back.

— That's because everyone lives underground.

— Raily's design.

i stood by the porch, and the wood groaned beneath my boots.

— Who's Raily? The owner?

— Or..is she the one who has Eris?!

I jumped, then the porch wooden floor groaned again, louder, sharp, splintering. I looked down. My boots shifted, and the board beneath gave a sickening crack. Before i could move, before i could even grasp, the floor dropped.

It didn't collapse. It opened.

A trapdoor, hidden beneath warped wood and shadow, it completely swallowed me.

Victor turned and saw me falling right through the tiny trap door, before he could make a move, the trapdoor shut— "Anny?"

I screamed. As i fell, i could hear a faint noise, its was Victor calling my name.

────────────────────

— Anny..

— Wait for me…i'll come for you.

i sat on the porch tapping the trapdoor, then the door opened.

— Hello Victor.

i glanced back, the woman stepped into the moonlight. Her veil moving gracefully as she open the door inviting me.

— We were expecting you.

— come inside.

I stood and watched Iriel in silence.

────────────────────

My limbs flailed, heart hammering and then—

I hit something hard. Not bone—breaking, but enough to knock the air from my lungs. Dust exploded around me, thick and choking, i coughed and i laid there.

Stunned, blinking against the haze

Then when i was ready from the shock, i open my eyes. It wasn't dark nor was i outside.

I was in a room. Circular. Strange. I got up gently and slowly, i inspected my body, making sure i wasn't injured. Then i looked around.

The floor beneath me was black and white, patterned like a starburst, sharp lines radiating outward, dizzying the longer i stared. A jagged hole gaped nearby, with broken stone, (I must've come through that.)

My palm stinging. The air smelled of mold and something metallic. The walls were cracked and stained, streaked with green like veins. I looked up, a chandelier hung above me. Its golden arms curling like sharp claws casting warm light reaching certain areas.

In front of me, three doors stood along the curved wall. One was half-hidden behind a heavy red curtain, its velvet folds pooling like blood. Another towered in the center, carved and ornate with a keyhole that looked like it was touched in years. The last one was plain, tucked beside a round wooden table, its velvet folds looked too clean for this place.

— What the hell is this place?

────────────────────

Iriel guided me inside, closing the door shut, i walked with caution

— Why is it so dark?

I swung my arm in the air, checking what's in front of me,

it was empty,

— iriel?

[ where the hell did she go? ]

i called her out, i was just behind her a couple seconds ago.

In the darkness a tiny noise could be heard,

i stood and listen to it

All i could hear was a squeaky sound

"kekeke"

Then in the distance a lantern lit up, it appeared next to a plastic tree.

I zoomed with my eyes,

behind me a voice came, "Up here"

I looked in a quick reflect and a figure appeared on the plastic tree, "over here.."

I blinked and the plastic tree was now in front of me,

[…]

It appeared a child like figure, a little girl sitting on the branch, swinging her feet as a tail hung down

It was a small girl dressed in a cat costume.