NOTE!
This is it. The final ending to the trilogy. This epilogue doesn't function like 'A New Day', which was a hint to the Sapphire Spin-off.
Instead, this Ending is more of an inaccurate sneak peak, basically a hint of what's to come in the Violet and Midori Spin-off.
More about the spin-offs will be explained in the very last chapter of this story, which will also be the Scrapped Ideas chapter I have done for every story thus far. Please make sure you read that.
With all this said, please enjoy.
...
The two girls shivered behind the closet door as the sound of their mother's magic ceased, leaving them in silence. It was so quiet they could hear each other's hearts pounding in their chests.
"M... Mum went to f-fight," the one with long black hair whimpered. "M-Midori... Th-that me... Means d-dad is... A-and m-mum might be-"
"Q... Quiet," her sister, Midori, whispered back. The little witch with shorter hair than her sister trembled as she shuffled closer to the tomboy. "M-Mother... W-wouldnt... F-Father w-wouldnt..."
Violet rarely saw Midori so close to breaking down. She was rarely expressive. But the moment their father, Vao, had come sprinting into the castle with terror in his eyes, they knew something had gone wrong. And then he had screamed for Verde, their mother, to hide them. They remembered his words as if he were saying them at that very moment.
'Yin! Yin's back!'
Yin Rose. From what they knew, Yin was their uncle. The cause for their exile, their family living alone and unknown to the world. And just as Vao had always been so paranoid about, staying awake for days on end and spending nearly all of his time patrolling the Fae Wilds and setting traps, Yin had come back for blood.
SMASH!
They covered each other's mouths to stop a single sound from escaping their terrified lips as the bedroom door outside the closet was smashed open, a pair of boots stepping inside.
Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud...
They could hear furniture being turned over and pushed. Yin was looking for them. They didn't dare move. They were never so terrified before.
If Yin had made it here, then everyone was... Their uncles Tim and Chuck, their cousin Alice, Vao and Verde were...
Dead.
Tears trickled down their cheeks when they heard the closet door open, Yin rummaging through the clothes. Thanks to their father's secret door that hid them inside the secret laboratory where he turned himself into a dullahan, he couldn't see them. They heard his boots stop, his hands freezing in place. It struck fear into their hearts. Did he notice the tiny lock in the very upper corner? Did he realize the back panel of the closet was a door?
Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud...
They didn't breathe a sigh of relief as he walked away. They were worried that if they breathed too loud, he'd hear them.
"... That window..."
That voice. It burned into their memory. Yin's voice, mired with hatred for them, was a growl.
"... Did they jump from this high? Maybe climbed down."
Thud... Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The sound of his boots faded down the halls, the girls finally letting out the breath they were holding. Yin was going to search outside for them. As long as he was here, they didn't dare leave the laboratory.
Violet flinched when Midori leaned forward, finally breaking down.
"M-Mother and F-Father..."
Violet didn't know what to do in this situation. Midori had never broken like this before. Not even after the huge fight Vao and Verde had when his laboratory came to light and he disappeared for three days. She had shed tears, but she never openly sobbed. Quietly, the dual-color eyed girl wrapped her arms around her sister, awkwardly rubbing her back gently.
They could hear Yin outside the window, letting out a slew of curses, the bishop finally leaving entirely.
But they didn't dare come out. Not until the sun had begun to set.
...
Two pairs of footsteps crunched the dead leaves underfoot, two more pairs floating just off the ground, transparent and ghostly.
"Watch out. There's a tripwire," the poltergeist pointed out. The halfling crouched down, tugging on it with her finger.
SMASH!
Two logs came swinging down, crashing into each other where a human's head would have been. The troll breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hoo... Good catch, Harold..."
Harold grinned. "Despite my age, I've got good eyes, you know?"
"T... T-to think that c-could have been T-Tanjin...!" The banshee sobbed. Tanjin immediately started trying to console her.
"H-hey, I'm alright Muriel! B-besides! You would have screamed if I was going to die, right!?"
"She screamed a couple hours ago though, Darlin'," the halfling said with a southern drawl. "So someone is goin' to die... Then again, I guess it can't be one of us, since it was so long ago..."
"But then who died?" Harold asked. "Did someone else get caught in these traps? Who built these, anyway? Some of them aren't made to kill right away, but draw it out..."
He had a point. These traps were not only everywhere in the Wilds, but some were designed to leave the victims to bleed out. The halfling shrugged.
"I dunno... Do you think it has somethin' to do with why Lord Vao sent us here? About that Light and Dark he said he sensed?"
"Most likely," Tanjin replied. "... Guess we should hurry, then..."
They moved through the trees, dodging the seemingly endless traps laid out. It wasn't long before the ground started to rise as they ascended the hill, stepping into the massive clearing. Muriel let out a quiet whimper.
"N-no more t-traps..."
"Toldja we weren't gonna die, Sweetheart!" The halfling smiled. Muriel seemed to feel a bit better as they crested over the top of the hill, revealing the large crater. A decrepit castle stood in the center, the doors smashed open.
Once just a few hours ago, the castle and the ditch were covered by an illusory lake. But now it was gone, and the caster would never cast a spell again. They didn't know that. Curiously, the nonhumans descended into the crater, staring at the castle.
"I heard there used to be a kingdom here a very long time ago," Harold said almost wistfully. "Before the Church was founded, that is... I wonder if this is what's left of it."
Tanjin sniffed the air, his shoulders tensing. "... I don't think it's entirely abandoned. I smell blood - and it's fresh. I think we know what Muriel was screaming about now... Look, it's all over the ground."
As they stepped to the doors, before they could step inside the castle, they paused, stopping in their tracks.
They could hear sobbing. Instinctively they looked to Muriel, who wasn't crying. She was just dabbing at her teary eyes with a handkerchief. They turned their heads to the direction of the sound. It was coming from just around the side of the castle. Quietly they crept towards it, peering around the corner.
Two little girls had their backs turned to them, the one with long hair wielding a shovel as she filled a hole with dirt. The nonhumans looked at each other before approaching, their footsteps catching the attention of the girls.
The witch immediately jumped behind her sister, the girl with the shovel trembling as she held the tool in front of her like a weapon, their eyes wide with fear. Something that all four of them were used to by now.
"Now hold your horses for just a moment," the halfling said gently. "We aren't here to hurt you...?"
She trailed off, locking eyes with the girl wielding the shovel. It was a different fear from what she had expected. The girls weren't afraid of them because they were nonhumans. For those four, they could recognize it.
It was the fear of someone who was being hunted.
The girl dropped the shovel, backing away with her sister before they fell to the ground, the nonhumans approaching. The halfling crouched down in front of them, extending a kind hand.
"Just relax, muffin... My name is Rinys. What's yours?"
Violet didn't take her hand. She only stared at it as if Rinys was holding a live grenade.
"V... V-Violet... V-Violet B-Branwen..."
Harold blinked, leaning to Tanjin. "Hey... Isn't that the last name of our Lord...?" He whispered. The troll nodded quietly.
"Must be the Third Vao's kids, then... But then Muriel's screams means..."
Their voices had been too quiet, they had been standing too far away, for Violet and Midori to hear them. But Rinys did. The halfling frowned, lowering her hand and staring at the freshly filled holes.
"... Are those...?"
Violet and Midori looked away. It confirmed their suspicions. The Third Vao had been murdered. From the grief in their eyes, Violet and Midori couldn't be the killers.
Rinys chewed her cheek thoughtfully, giving them a patient stare. From what they knew, the only other option could be someone from the Church. It was known throughout the kingdom that the Third Vao was a wanted criminal now.
"... The Church... They did this, didn't they...?"
Midori peered out from behind her sister, shakily nodding her head. "Y... Y-Yin..."
Rinys blinked in surprise. From what the First Vao said, Yin wasn't violent like this. But then again, he was also a member of the Church, according to Jack and Ruby. It wouldn't be too far-fetched.
The nonhumans looked at each other, silently deciding on what to do. If Violet and Midori were alone here, then they had nowhere to go. If they were left here, they'd starve to death if they didn't learn to catch food. But such a thing wouldn't be necessary. Rinys turned back to them, holding out her hand again.
"... Would you like to come with us? We can take good care of you," she cooed. "You might even have a chance at getting a little payback..."
It wasn't manipulation. Rinys was telling them the truth. Violet and Midori saw this, the girls hesitantly reaching for the halfling's hand, their trembling fingers grabbing her small palm. Muriel and Harold helped them to their feet as they began to walk, Rinys explaining their destination.
"We'll take you back home and I'll whip you up something nice and warm to eat," she said softly. "In our big cozy town of Grimmore..."