Mirage - Shall We Date Wizardess Heart' Fic

Chapter 61: The East Forest

The forest was cold, the rustle of pine trees against one another faint. The air was cool and damp. The full moon's light made the snow-covered forest glow eerily.

When Aurora got to the entrance of the East forest, previously forced by Shadow, four ninja-looking guys were already standing there like lead soldiers, holding onto the arms of an agitated girl, apparently a student from the academy.

"Aurora!" Liz shouted as she struggled to get herself free. As she was getting harder and harder to control, one of the men took the matters into his own hands and smacked her between her neck and shoulder, making her instantly fall onto her knees. "Ugh--!"

"Please, PLEASE!" Unconsciously and quite forgetting of her own condition, the naive wizardess turned her head back and begged the man holding her hostage to stop them. The thought of them hurting her friend made the hand she pressed to his chest tremble."I'm here. I'm the one you want. Just let her go!"

He shook her hand with a very firm grasp, "You're mine, alright. But, you don't have what I need right now. So, if you want your friend to come out unscattered from all of this, you'll start walking." then, leaned in and softly whispered in her ear. "And, you know I'll hurt her if that means I'll get you to cooperate."

Hearing his words made her chest feel tight. Aurora hesitated at first but quickly complied when she saw him calling out to his phantom minions.

"Good. Now," Seemingly way more satisfied that she was starting to show herself more submissive towards him, he released her wrist and shifted his attention back to the group by the forest entrance. They immediately brought the student back to her feet and forced her to face the party leader."If your friend would be kind enough to show us the way, that would appease me very much."

Aurora and Liz shared a look for a moment. A sudden chill ran down her spine just from imagining what he would do if they didn't take him where he wanted to go so badly.

"It's okay, Aurora." She smilingly reassured the other girl, closing her eyes next and seemingly focused her attention on something Aurora didn't quite get.

~ Sprikuenall Kohdu... ~

"I can hear it." Her voice was low and coarse. As she said that, the pink creature on her shoulder, the one that constantly followed her around, started humming to some strange tune.

"Hear what?" She wasn't able to keep up with their line of thought.

With a jagged smile, he smirked back at her in response, "The very song that will take us to the Tower of Sorrow."

"What?" She got herself into this huge mess-free willingly, and now things seemed a little too far confusing for her.

"Yes. There's a saying amongst the students regarding the East Forest and the tower." Liz replied as she turned towards the path ahead of her, "The three mages who are meant to protect the Tower of Sorrow, enchanted the East Forest with the magical power to confuse and misdirect all who set foot in it." then further explained, "All who enter the east forest will be disillusioned and 'fall prey' to its powerful magic as it is covered with a powerful spell and inhabited by all sorts of dangerous creatures prowling around." and tersely concluded,"That is all for further protection of the tower."