"We apologize for the disturbance," Blanc said, bowing deeply. "We will take our leave, as you requested."
The beasts said nothing. Their dark, glowing eyes remained fixed on them.
"Brother," Kael said, a tremor in his voice, "something's wrong with Celine. She's like… You were earlier. Lost."
Blanc turned. "Celine?"
She didn't respond. Just stared, wide-eyed, at the magnificent giant beasts below.
"Celine!"
"Yes?" she replied faintly, her eyes still locked ahead.
"We must leave. We're not safe here."
"There's no danger," Celine whispered. "We're safe. Can't you feel it?"
A breeze danced through the valley. The voice returned, softer this time, as the deer got on her feet and watched her.
"The poor child… she is too weak to resist it. Take her and leave. Far enough, and she will return to you."
Blanc's jaw tightened. "Why did this happen?"
"Our voice is ours to hear."
"What does that mean?"
"Leave us be," the voice sharpened, as the eagle narrowed his eyes, "or we will make you."
Blanc turned to the twins. "Kael. Lune. We keep moving. If she won't walk, push her."
"Got it," Lune nodded, and they began the slow retreat from the clearing.
"We must stay, my dear! Don't take me from this!" Celine cried out after only a few steps, twisting around to keep the beasts in sight.
"Brother, we can't push her," Kael panted, clearly at his limit.
Blanc exhaled sharply. "For Vita's sake…"
He grabbed the rope with his left hand. "Leave her to me."
The twins backed off, falling into step behind her. They had no choice, tethered by the rope as they were.
"Why are you doing this?" Celine said, turning toward Blanc. "Did you lie to me?"
"Lie? What lie? I never lied to you," he said, pulling the rope steadily.
"You lied about loving me. Otherwise, you wouldn't drag me away from this place," she hissed. Her voice trembled with fury. It chilled the twins to hear her speak that way.
"Brother…" Lune whispered, unsure whether to stop or keep moving.
"Celine," Blanc said, trying to keep his voice level. "Get a hold of yourself. That wasn't a lie. But this... this isn't you. Can't you see what we just witnessed? Do you not realize?"
"Magnificence," she said. "And you're stealing it from me."
Blanc sighed through his teeth. "So be it. Keep walking."
For minutes, she resisted. Cursing under her breath, digging her heels into the dirt, and dragging her feet.
But as the beasts' glow faded behind them, and the wind carried off the last memory of the haunting hum, her resistance began to fade too.
Eventually, she stopped. Blinked. Once. Twice. Her eyes slowly cleared.
She was awake.
The anger fell away, replaced by a stunned sort of silence. She remembered the things she had said and thought.
As if watching herself speak and being unable to stop it. Shame burned her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, to apologize.
But only a stammer came out.
Blanc didn't stop. He knew she had returned, but they had far to go. And he needed to put distance between them, the Iron Line, and that valley before his siblings collapsed completely.
There will be time for him to talk with Celine. But that time was not now.
They kept on walking in complete silence and darkness once more, each lost in their own thoughts, except Blanc, who threw all the things he wanted to think about aside just so he could focus on his surroundings.
He failed earlier. He would not fail again.
After nearly an hour of steady walking, they finally reached the lake.
It was quiet and familiar. The first real stop on their new beginning. For Blanc, it was the exact distance he needed. Far enough from danger, finally, able to let Kael and Lune rest.
"We stop here," he said.
"Kael, Lune. Here's a sleeping bag, filled with straw. It's big enough for both of you. Crawl in and try to sleep. You've done well. I'll wake you once the sun rises."
"What about you, Blanc?" Kael asked, taking the makeshift bed from him.
"I'm not tired. Don't worry."
Then, turning to Celine, he added gently, "And you… My love. Can we talk?"
"Y-yes," she said softly. "Lead the way."
"Don't leave us," Lune said quickly, her voice small and anxious.
Blanc gave her a smile, though the darkness kept it from her fully. "Don't worry, Little Lune. We're just going a bit further off. Enough not to disturb you. I'll light a torch so you can see us. But try to sleep, alright?"
"…Alright," Lune nodded. She untied the rope, slid into the straw bed beside her brother, and closed her eyes.
They walked in silence along the lake's edge. The torch Blanc carried flickered in the breeze, casting long shadows that danced between the trees.
Behind them, Kael and Lune slept, or at least tried to, curled in the straw-filled sack, safe for now.
Blanc kept scanning the darkness, listening. Every twig snap, every breath of wind was a potential threat.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down again. The earlier event was a failure. One that luckily did not end in danger. One that he was not able to afford to happen again.
Celine, beside him, said nothing. But her silence was different.
She wasn't watching the woods. She was staring into the flame. Still. Distant. And somewhere behind her eyes, a storm raged.
Why had she said those things?
She remembered each word. And how cruel they were. Like someone else had spoken through her, using her voice. But it had been her.
The embarrassment she felt now was unbearable. Blanc hadn't deserved it. Not him. Not the one who was now carrying all the weight of Kael and Lune's lives.
Even if it was clear to her, he did not wish for it. And what had she given him in return? Accusations. Bitterness. The worst of herself.
No. Not the worst of herself. Not truly her. It was them. The beasts. The spell they cast on her. It had to be.
Didn't it?
Blanc reached out, took her hand. "My dear? Hey, Celine. Are you still with me?"
She jumped. "What? Sorry. Were you saying something?"
"For a minute now." His voice was low. "You kept staring into the flame. Are you alright?"
"I-yes. I think so. Blanc…" Her words stumbled over each other. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said back there. I don't know what came over me. I've been acting strange since… since the valley. It wasn't really me. I would never-"
"Hey." He squeezed her hand gently. "Breathe. Don't panic."
She stopped. Met his gray eyes, lit soft and steady by the torch.
He wasn't angry. Not even hurt, it seemed. Just there. Calm.
She took a long, shuddering breath. Then another. Slowly, her body relaxed.
"Better?" he asked.
She nodded, brushing hair from her face. "Much. And… I'm sorry."
Blanc tilted his head. "For what?"
"For my words. It wasn't really me." She replied. "I would have never said such things to you, believe me, please."
"I know," Blanc said softly, turning his face towards the lake near them.
"And I… what? You know?" Celine continued, before processing his words.
Blanc nodded, "Yes, of course I do. I was the one who lied because of the spell I was in, wanting suddenly to go there. I did not lie, not me. But I spoke it all the same. Putting you and them all in danger."
"But I said some bad things…" Celine muttered, surprised by Blanc's admission of guilt.
"And I made you say them." Blanc began explaining. "Tell me, Celine dear, are those curses and the amalgamation of names you made me, what you really think about me?"
"No, of course not," Celine replied.
He offered her a smile, "Then there are no further issues."
"But, wait, we cannot just shrug it off like that. I wanted to apologize for an hour now." Celine exhaled, annoyed by Blanc's sudden stoicism. She felt like a fool who worried about the wrong things, after all.
"I will not stop you. If it helps you, get it off your chest." Blanc replied, turning towards her.
She sighed before facing him straight, "I apologize for the harsh words I said to you. I swear to the Vita, I did not mean any of it."
"A kiss would have sufficed as an apology. Really." Blanc muttered.
"Bastard…" Celine sighed as a small smile crept on her face. Just as she jumped on his arms and locked lips with him.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Blanc muttered through the kiss they had, since Celine forgot about the wound he carried.
"Vita! Sorry…" Celine said, getting off as soon as she could.
"That certainly made me wide awake," Blanc concluded, patting his shoulder lightly, "But I did not really want you to stop it just because of it."
"Should I continue then?" She asked, placing her hands carefully around his neck.
"It would surely make me forget what we've just seen. That and what we've left behind at home." Blanc concluded.
"What were those anyway?" Celine asked.
Blanc looked at her worried, "Did you not realize what they were?"
"No. Not really." Celine replied.
"A creature or creatures of True Vita. I'm not sure. But what I surely know is that I want to forget about it." Blanc replied.
"We can talk about it another time, then," Celine said. "Let me help you forget your worries. But there is an issue with that as well."
"What issue?" Blanc asked.
"They might hear," Celine whispered, pointing with her head towards where Kael and Lune slept.
"They were exhausted. I doubt it."
"And what if I really am pregnant? Or get pregnant tonight?" Celine asked.
"I sure hope you are not nor will become pregnant. I would love to become a father. But not now. Being pregnant in the wild does not make for a good time for you or your health." Blanc replied.
"Do you value my well-being that much, huh?" Celine smiled, lying Blanc on his back between the leaves. Hidden behind the trunk of a tree.
"More than my own life," he said to her as she got on top of him, before locking lips once more.
And so they spent part of their night, hidden between darkness and wilderness. Before Celine went to sleep as well in her makeshift bed, she was carrying with her.
Only one remained awake, even after all that had happened. Blanc. Who kept watch as he stared at the lake in front of him, listening to all.
He was tired. He could sleep for days if it came down to it. But he would not dare to do it now. Not now, when lives stood on his shoulders.
His life got thrown on its head. His and that of everyone around him. Two weeks ago, he would have laughed if someone told him this was his future.
But here he was. In the wilderness, trying to survive. He and three others. The rest, left behind. Or so he felt.
He wished he could forget it. Just for a few hours, as he did earlier. But no matter how much he enjoyed it. No matter what he did or focused on, after a while, the thoughts and guilt crawled back into his mind.
Because of that, he started praying at the Vita, wishing for it to keep his family present with him, and the one who remained home, safe. Alive.