26 The Place to Find Inner Peace

"Where is she?!" A question startled them while they are having dinner at the table.

It was Jeruzen who had just woken up and run down the stairs.

"She already left before we even know it." Marjorie said while holding the bowl of soup she was about to serve. "Why don't you sit and have something to eat to boost your energy?"

"Let's call this a celebration! Eat and drink as much as you can!" Balthazar announced.

Jeruzen walked down the stairs with his hand inserted on his pocket and head bent down. He noticed something inside his pocket. It was the feather of Hatysa he got a while ago.

He took it out of his pocket and stares at the feather with a transparent smile on his face.

"Big bro!" Chaneri called him to come and join them on the table.

They have a feast around the table with laughter and cheering. Mizuki volunteered to play some music. He played something lively and energetic to match the mood of everyone. He was happy as well, that explains the smile written on his face.

After all those years of being alone and thriving to live all by himself, finally he found a new family. A family that will surely accompany him through everything. A family he wants to protect at all cost.

The feast lasted for about three hours and everyone went to sleep. However, Mizuki was having a hard time to put himself to sleep. He jump out of his bed and sat on the window while watching the brilliant moon above.

"Meow!" Moonlight purred behind him.

"Come here, kitty." He called the cat.

It immediately climb up and sit on his lap. He continues to gaze upon the moon while brushing the cat's fur with his own hand.

Suddenly, the floor behind him released a creaking sound to which he immediately checked and saw Maku standing behind him.

"Why are you not asleep yet?" Maku asked him. "Is there something bugging you out?"

"Nothing, I just want to watch the moon a little bit longer before I'll go to bed." He said.

Maku approached him and sat beside him at the window. He took the cat from Mizuki and put it on his lap and latter brushed the cat's fur with his fingers.

"I know you're lying." He confronted him. "Come on, you can tell me. I am here to listen to you."

"Earlier today when we're infiltrating the empire, I found out that it was the king whom I saw seven years ago when my village was burnt down. What's bugging me is that what he said earlier."

"What did he say?"

"He mentioned something about me being a prince. Maybe he must be mistaken my identity as someone else."

"Or maybe, you really are a prince." Maku boldly said. "Do the Lunarians have any hierarchy or royals?" He asked.

"No, I think not." Mizuki answered.

"Maybe you're right, it was just a mistaken identity."

Their conversation paused a while until Maku spoke again.

"Okay, let's do this." He grab Mizuki's hand and hold it firmly. "Close your eyes and think of a place where you find inner peace, where you feel comfortable."

"Seriously?" He giggled.

"Yes, come on."

"Okay, okay." he closed his eyes and think. "I think of the Forest of White Secrets. I see water nymphs, the dryads, the tree where I live in."

"Do you want to go there?" He asked out of nowhere that baffled Mizuki.

"Are you serious?" He asked.

Maku nodded and gave him a toothy grin. "Guess what do I have?" He took out a teleportation crystal out of his pocket.

"Where did you even get that?" Mizuki asked.

"I got this from Jeruzen when he was unconscious at his room."

"You stole it?!"

"Who said about stealing, we're only borrowing it. Now hold this." He put the crystal on Mizuki's hand.

"Are you really serious about this? Balthazar might---"

"Don't worry about father, I've got this." He interrupted what Mizuki was saying.

"How does this work?" he asked while holding the crystal in his hand.

"Think of that place again and picture it out."

Mizuki politely obeyed Maku and did what exactly he said.

"Then pronounce this incantation, "Ianuae Magicae"."

"Ianuae Magicae!" Mizuki uttered they said incantation.

Before he even knew it, they have already teleported to the outskirts of the forest.

"You can open your eyes now." Maku said.

As he opened his eyes, he once again saw the waterfall where he had fallen together with his grandma and the silver-blue lake below it. He could hear the gushing sound of water as it ripples over another.

"So this is the Forest of White Secrets. Not bad even though it doesn't look like much of a forest." Maku said as he watched the waterfall and the lake closely. Mizuki chuckled before him that made him wonder why. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"That's not the forest. That is." He pointed towards the direction at their back.

Maku turned around and saw the huge yet uncommon trees before him.

Upon the return of Mizuki, the water nymphs emerged from the lake and welcomed him. The dryads came out as well from being hidden in the shadows of the forest. The surroundings became lively and bright. Fireflies and other bioluminescent creatures in the forest came out to give light.

Maku couldn't believe what he saw. This forest sure is full of wonders. He witnessed supernatural and rare creatures that he had only seen in books before. The two of them marched through the forest until they reach its heart. There lies the lagoon where most of the water nymphs and dryads gather.

"Why does this forest called the Forest of White Secrets?" Maku asked.

"Because this forest were full of secrecy that the spirit denies to share with humans." Mizuki answered. "That's why there is not a single human that made it out of here alive just like what the lore says and no one attempts to enter." He added.

"How come you lived?" He wondered.

"I am still an innocent child back then, there is no way I would desire to be greedy about the forest. Aside from that, the water nymphs took me in and raised me as their own." He explained.

After a few lapse, they stopped at the edge of the lagoon.

"This is where I found your father unconscious. Lucky for him, I was here to save his ass." They both laughed.

"Mizuki." A voice called him out of nowhere.