Episode 6

I was just sitting there, eyes wide open.

"Suck it in already..." Tokiya mumbled.

(That guy! I'm seriously going to kill him one day!)

"Tokiya, you need to give her time! How can she just accept it when this is too sudden?" Momoi scolded.

"Wait, the woman was calling the name Haruka. Does that mean, my name is Haruka?"

Both Momoi and Nagi nodded their heads.

(Guess I know my name now...)

"Soo... umm... What's the mission for today?" I tried changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah. It says that we have two days to free the spirit trapped in the abandoned forest located in the kingdom of Lunalia. And I honestly have never heard of a spirit in the forest, I mean what in the world?" Nagi spoke with a bewildered expression.

"Well, why don't we start searching then?"

"Yeah. It's best not to waste time. Let's go." Momoi stated.

We all got our things ready and then we took off. It was a really tiring journey, but we still kept walking. After a long while, we finally reached a kingdom called Lunalia.

"Wow! This place is amazing!" I squealed, looking around the place in amazement.

The city was gorgeous. The sunlight shone on all the moon pieces on the buildings, reflecting beautiful streaks of light. Everything was colored in shades of dark blue, to shades of sky blue that almost looked like white.

"Yup! You know, they even sell moon piece jewelry!" Nagi exclaimed.

All I was able to do was stare in awe at the amazing scenery. Even the men and women wore elegant dresses filled with diamonds glistening in the sun.

"So, where is this 'abandoned forest'?" I asked while quoting the words with my fingers.

"I'm not so sure really. Tokiya, do you have any idea?" Momoi asked as she looked at him.

"I think it's a couple of blocks away..." He informed as he put a hand on his chin.

"I guess we'll just have to keep walking." Nagi motioned from a little ahead.

So, we just kept walking and walking, aaannnd walking...! But finally, we saw a bunch of green trees and bushes on the outskirts of the city.

"That's it, the abandoned forest!" I abruptly shouted.

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We steadily approached the forest and that's when I saw a sign stuck into the moist ground.

"Don't you dare step foot in this forest! If you do, Death will follow you wherever you turn... Beware and enter at your own risk..."

I read as I looked at the sign. The message was written in a really creepy handwriting. Wait, it looked like it was written in BLOOD!

"Guys... Look at that..." I pointed at the sign with my trembling fingers and continued with a shaky voice, I think it's written with... blood!"

"Who cares... We can't let a stupid sign prevent us from completing a mission..." Tokiya replied, not seeming interested whatsoever.

"But what's the point if we end up dying in there? We'll just get erased and permanently die!" I shot back.

"We still have to try!" Tokiya rebuked angrily.

"You guys go. I'm not letting myself die forever!" I shouted and turned my back towards the others.

"Haruka, no. We're not going without you." Momoi made me stop in my tracks.

"No! I don't want to die again...!" My voice was still shaky from all that was happening around me.

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After that, I just left them. At first, Momoi and Nagi didn't like the idea but later, they reluctantly went deep inside the forest.

Tokiya's POV

(Urgh, that Haruka is so annoying! Honestly, she has to make a big fuss over everything...!)

"Tokiya, are you okay?" Momoi asked as I walked in front.

I didn't even feel like answering but I did anyway.

"She's so annoying..."

"C' mon Tokiya! You guys are partners. You have to get along sooner or later." Nagi shrugged.

I just ignored him and kept walking. I don't even know why she had to be my partner in the first place. I don't think we'll ever get along... Suddenly, there was a weird noise coming from somewhere. It sounded like a little girl, crying.

"*sob* *sob* I don't get it anymore... Why am I treated this way... " The girl whispered to herself.

We searched around the place to find where she was, and we managed to find her sitting behind a bush.

"Huh. *sniff* Who are you...?" The girl questioned as she turned her face towards us.

Her eyes were swollen and her nose was red. It clearly looked like she was disturbed.

"I think you're the spirit we're looking for, " Momoi replied.

"No...spirit... No, noo! You're not going to kill me like my mother!" The girl shouted as she tried pushing us away.

"No. Calm down, we're not going to hurt you!" Nagi tried to comfort her.

She was about to run away but Momoi held her by her arm and tried her best to explain the situation clearly. She still looked like she wasn't convinced though.

"Calm down little girl. Just tell us what's bothering you, we're not going to hurt you." Nagi spoke in a calm voice.

Then we finally managed to bring her back to her senses.

"OK, I'm sorry. I just... panicked that you were going to kill me...like my... my... mom... *sob* *sob*" She covered her face and started crying again.

"It's okay. Don't worry, we're not going to kill you. And do you by chance know who killed your mom?" Momoi asked her.

"No..." She shook her head lightly.

"She must be the trapped spirit." Nagi whispered.

"She has to be." I nodded.

Later on, we asked her a bunch of questions to determine if she was indeed the trapped spirit. Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer to anything. And just then...

"Hey! We need to find the daughter fast!!!" A male's voice rang throughout the forest.

"Yes, sir!" Another male replied.

"No... No, no! They're here for me! They're going to kill me too!" The girl exclaimed in a shaky voice.

She got up and ran away without saying anything else.

"No! Wait, don't run!" Momoi shouted as she tried grabbing her but she was too late.

"Hey, sir! I heard a voice from over there!" Someone's voice rang out.

"Tsk! They found us..." I whispered under my breath.

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