36 The Yuflis Forest

"Ry! Are we expecting new comers today?" A lady stepped out from the tent at the exact middle of the place. She has her hair tied up in a messy bun and her clothes are somehow worn out like most of the faeries right here. She approached us. "Who are you?" She asked.

I nudged at Harris. "Uhm... We were kinda lost, we were wondering if you can tell us directions."

They looked at each other and mumbled words which we cannot hear. She looked at us hesitantly but decided to ask us a question. "Are you trying to cross to the light realm?"

Is it a good thing to answer them honestly? "Uhm..."

"Kinda." Harris answered.

"Lets talk inside."

"Wait. They might be... enemies." The man who called her said.

"Enemies? What? No! I mean... We're on a neutral side. Like... we will neither hurt you nor help you. You know... We just want directions and get to the other side of the realm. That's all we need. So..." I spoke up.

"Let's talk inside." The lady repeated. "Where do you came from?" She asked us when we are inside the tent.

"Uhm..."

"We're both from Cravit." Harris said.

"Cravit? Oh! Cravit from the light realm. What I mean is when you lived here in the dark realm." She said.

"We didn't." Harris replied.

"What? Then why are you here?" She looked surprised.

"We were lost." I told her.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"Let's see if we get you right. You happened to climb off the border trying to find your way home?" The man asked us.

"Why is everyone telling us that we climbed off something?" I asked frustrated.

"You did not?" I sighed exasperatedly.

"We did not!"

"Then how'd you got here?" They asked simultaneously.

"By the forest!" Me and Harris did the same.

"How?" The lady exclaimed.

"By feet? We walked the woods? And then suddenly we're in dark realm?" I raised an eyebrow at them.

"That's impossible!"

"How come no one believes us Harris?" I said.

"What you're saying is impossible." The lady repeated.

"Yeah. No one gets past the Yuflis forest. It's guarded." The man supported.

"Well, we didn't see any guards." I told them.

"The nature!... Is the guard, young woman." The man told me.

"What do you mean?"

.

.

"What's your names?" The lady asked us.

"I'm Natalia and this is Harris."

"I'm Rylie and this is Rojen." We shake our hands even though I'm confused of what's happening right now. "I think your intentions are pure." Oh sure you do. We've been telling you for hours.

"So can you tell us now which way should we go?"

"You should stay for tonight." Rylie said.

"No. What? No!" I exclaimed.

"We're taking you with us." She replied.

"Taking where? Why?"

"To the light realm."

"You also going?" She sighed after my question. "What?" The more we talk, the more confused I get.

"You could stay here in this tent." She told us. "Rojen get them something to eat. Don't worry, no poisoning happening."

"We. Are. Not. Staying."

"Too bad that's the only choice you have." Then she left.

"Harris!" I looked at him asking for answers.

"I guess we have to stay here for now."

"You can't really cross realms right now." Rojen spoke.

"Why?" I asked him.

"We tried. The walls are extremely guarded right now."

"What? I thought- when was it- I mean..." I can't find the right words to ask.

"They say you could cross realms without problem, was that a lie?" Harris questioned.

"It wasn't, until a few weeks ago."

"What? Why?"

"Light palace realm order." Our palace? Who ordered it? The king? The crown prince?

"Why?" Harris noticed my discomfort.

"No clear reasons. But rumor has it that the Prince of dark is missing. They think the lights are hiding him."

"Then why did the light palace ordered the borders to be closed? Are they admitting to hiding the dark Prince?" Harris is right.

"No. Another rumor is, recently, number of light faes are found dead near the border. They were accusing the dark faes being seen coming there more often." He mentioned us to sit at a chair in front of him.

"Do dark faes not cross realms often?" I nodded at Harris question.

Rojen snickered. "Light faes are too afraid to go to dark realm and dark faes are not so welcome at the light realm."

"Then why are you here?" I asked him.

"I was born here... My mother is a light and my father is a dark." Oh that's possible.

"You're going to the light realm?" Harris asked.

"I always wanted to. But when I finally got to go, the doors are closed. You know... Life here in this realm... Is worse than you think. It was better when I was young. But the progress is like... backwards." I never imagined life on this realm. I remember Lumine and Zeno. Is this why they decided to cross realms?

"But what are you doing here in the middle of who knows where? Are you camping?" I was curious since the moment we saw them here.

"This is not what you call camping young woman."

"You live here?"

"No."

"Then what?" I almost yelled at anticipation.

"We are waiting." I closed my eyes while I sighed trying to calm myself.

"For what?"

"We're going to the light realm."

"What?" Harris cut in.

"Like you, we're going to the light realm. We're waiting for the right opportunity. The walls are just minutes away from here."

"Why don't you just go by the forest?" He rolled his eyes with my question. What?

"I told you it's impossible. It's guarded by nature."

"I told you we just did!"

"That's what I want to know. How?"

"Well... We walked and... We're lost. And then we're here."

"When did you came?"

"It was the 13th when we got lost." Harris answered.

"What? You're telling me you were lost for more than a week and you still look fine like that?" Wait. Let me process what he said.