Illusions

Mia could now go in and out of the barrier with ease. Nothing bad or strange had happened yet, so she had decided to explore the area a little further. Her appetite too seemed to have increased exceptionally. She was feeling hungry most of the time and everytime she had to look for a specific type of fruit that she dreamt of.

"Is it you who keeps showing me these strange fruits? Or is my imagination running wild" She was talking with her baby bump yet again.

What was stranger was she did found those weird fruits as she strolled around the ridge and the adjacent valley. And every time she would think " I sure am lucky. I would die of starvation if I hadn't found it" . She would then gobble away with pleasure as if no one was watching. But everytime she ate those fruits, a pair of tiny eyes did spy on her from afar. Yet she was completely unaware of that.

That day too as she strolled further away from her safe spot inside the barrier, she felt a sense of joy. It felt like freedom. Though she knew that it was for her own good that the barrier was there, the loneliness was eating her away from inside.

"We will take a little detour today after we find our fruit. Alright? " She was again talking with her baby bump.

She looked around as she walked. Suddenly her feet fell on something very slippery and she went down with a thud and slid for what seemed like a few miles. As soon as she stopped she was panting heavily to catch her breath and wondering where on earth did she land herself.

As she looked around she found several reflections of herself all around. But they weren't actual reflections. They were more like moments from Mia's life being played all around. Each frame was from a different time in her life. She stood up slowly, brushed off the dirt as she marveled at those sights. There was an entire Hall way of those. When she peered infront to check, she couldn't find an ending. She kept gazing at those and moving forward without once looking back. She didn't realise that as she walked ahead the level of the slippery translucent liquid beneath her feet kept slowly increasing. Soon enough after moving forward for what seemed like half an hour, she realised that she was submerged till her waist in that liquid.

As soon as realisation struck, she looked back, hoping to find a way out. But as soon as she looked back, the liquid rushed forward to completely engulf her . She tried shouting loud for help but nothing came out of her voice. It was as if she was muted. The liquid reacted like quick sand. The more she struggled to get out the quicker it was to submerge her. Soon enough it rose beyond her height . She felt as if a cool breeze swept across her forehead as she went into a blissful slumber. Her struggle gave way to tranquility and her anxiety became peace.

In her sleep she saw all her memories, her life being played backwards. It went upto the time she came out of her mother's womb and then everything around her went blank. While her life was being played, she saw a glimpse of her biological father, the wolf king, for the first time. She instantly knew it was him as she resembled him completely from head to toe. She saw him washing his face in a wild fountain. She had come upto him as he had seen her peeking from behind a tree. He had called her to him. He had taken a natural liking towards her instantly. They had chatted about random things and the wolf king seemed very unlike his reputation infront of her. He was gentle, laughed with her and even caressed her. But he had to leave as his soldiers came to call him. She saw how her mother had panicked.

She had forbidden her from talking with him if they ever met again. Mia didn't understand the reason then, but it made sense now. Her mother had even moved out of that town the very next day. She had never met him ever again. In fact she had forgotten about this little encounter of theirs' with time. Only now that she saw the vision that she got reminded of it all over again. It was really a happy one. She remembered how her mother had apologized in her death bed about keeping her father's and her family's identity away from her. She had said that it was to keep her alive. If anyone from the wolf Clan, specifically the chief Queen knew about her, it would pose a threat to her life. Her mother assured her that whatever she did was to protect her.

Mia believed her even though she missed the feeling of home, family, she was very happy with her mother. She had worked really hard to bring her up single handedly. But now she was worried about herself. She couldn't help the thought that she might face the similar fate of being abandoned. Even worse than abandoned, she and her child, might not even have a future at all. She might never be able to see her Lin any more. With all these still going on inside her little head, she fell into a pleasant sleep. The one that erased all. Every trouble, every doubt. Her mind was now the likes of that of a blank canvas.

********

In between

The situation in the human world was not good either. Though everyone knew the curse brought in doom along with it, no one knew exactly what trials and tribulations it brought. The last time it was heard , it had ushered in the great war resulting in the deaths of thousands. However this time around the clans seem to manage to stay calm . However the common people couldn't rest assured and lived in uncertainty and fear.

To fuel the fire, there were rumours about plague breakouts, earthquakes, unexplained weather phenomenon, wild fire and more. When Mia was still living in the human world, she herself found such strange phenomenons surrounding her.For days at a length she couldn't sleep as one nightmare after another haunted her. She often saw an elderly lady pointing at a certain direction to run, but before she could go an enormous beast would pull her down the abyss.

At one point she was too afraid even too fall asleep. When she would feed the birds like she usually did, they would all end up dying. She saw with her own eyes an entire flock choke to death in horror. When she ran and his inside a cave it trembled and rumbled. As she would stand on top of a hill she would see the land slide from beneath her feet.When she went to the river one time to catch some fish, out of nowhere, a gigantic whirlpool formed right where she was.

Never has anybody seen or heard about a whirlpool at the shore,but it had become part of jer reality. The most horrifying was when she had seen an elderly man shivering from cold at the roadside. She went to him and put her cloak over him, but he opened his eyes with a shock, blood trickling down it , and ran blindly towards the cliff and jumped over. Mia had never seen something so horrendous.

There was another time when she had been running for awhile.Thirst had made her lips chapp.When she had found a clear stream she had jumped inside it and started drinking but immediately the water turned to blood. The entire stream turned red. Even the sip she had taken had the after taste of blood in it. She didn't know where to run. How to hide, until Lin came back for her. Now as she was frozen in the strange liquid, she finally had some peace of mind. Even when she was in the ridge, she was too lonely. But now it was as if all her worries were gone.

The ruler in the human kingdom had issued and independent investigation about the matter too but they had very little development. The clans were way too powerful to let them know what was actually going on between them. The king had long discussions with his subordinates. Most had nothing much to offer but one of the ministers spoke up.

"My Lord,with your permission,I would like to talk about something that might be a little bit unsettling for the Hall, but as we all know desperate times, call for desperate measures" He said.

"Feel free to speak" The king urged.

"Though I have no doubt the clans might be able to solve the curse problem, but we must keep our back up ready, just in case" The minister continued.The king nodded in agreement.

"I suggest we send a convoy to coven in the South. Explain the situation and ask for help" He said in a rush and fell silent as the entire room looked at each other.

"The mer-witches you mean? " The king asked rather surprised.

"Yes my Lord" He said.

"Why would they even agree to help us? " Said one.

"Do you realise what you are asking? There has one been a handful of people who have returned from the southern lands unharmed. The coven is a vicious place filled with vicious creatures. Dying due to the curse would be much more pleasant than being torn and devoured by these sirens" Another one gushed out in anger.

"But isn't it better to do something than nothing. Never has an official convoy been sent to their lands. We do not know but it might be received with positivity by them" Another minister let out his opinion.

The king heard all the points silently and at last said "I will consult about the matter with someone else and then we will decide what to do and how. Till then every platoon keep your eyes and ears sharp and report immediately. You all are dismissed now" He retreated to his private chambers after the announcement.

Mia in her trance like state saw the elderly woman yet again. But this time around the dream was much more realistic. It wasn't scary anymore. Mia could even control own walking pace. It felt more real than reality. The woman sat under a beautiful tree and called Mia to join her. Mia could touch her dress, her hair, feel the sun. But she knew she was submerged. Nevertheless she followed the woman's command and joined her . She smiled at her and offered a strange looking fruit. Mia felt hungry so she eagerly took a bite.

"Uuuummmm.This is so good. I have never tasted anything so delicious ever before. Thank you" She said with appreciation.

"Do you like it? " The woman spoke for the first time. She had a melodious voice. Mia nodded in agreement enthusiastically.

"I am glad you like it. You will not feel hunger for a hundred years after you eat it Mia. " She smiled as she looked at Mia. Her statement made Mia a little awkward which she noticed " Make yourself comfortable Mia darling, we have a lot of talking to do" She smiled again and motioned Mia to come and sit beside her.She had no better of a choice so she too obliged with a smile. The two of them sat beneath the beautiful tree, eating the beautiful fruit, looking up at the beautiful mesmerizing yet strange sky.