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As Regan's eyes darted around, they widened when she realized how much it had darkened. It wasn't completely night but still, she realized they had been staying for a long time here."Damnit," Regan grumbled. "Where are we going now? It's dark."Iris realized, her own eyes widening, "Oh.....but we don't have anywhere to go now. This forest is endless. So we might just stay here.""Stay here?" Regan asked, standing up abruptly. "We can't just stay here, Iris. It's not safe.""I know. But walking in the dark is not safe either."They looked at each other for a moment, pondering whether to stay or leave. But before they could speak, a raspy voice pierced through the air, interrupting their silence."Well, well, well. If it isn't a group of lost souls. What are these folks doing in the middle of the forest?"Startled, they turned to see an old man with a cane standing in front of them. His wrinkled face was filled with mischief and amusement, his long, white beard reaching down his robe, merging with his white hair. Regan's eyes narrowed at the sight, while Iris didn't move, staring at the old man in confusion."What is it to you?" Regan snapped, her tone sharp with frustration. Where did this old man came from? What did he want? Regan noticed how his robes were ragged and how chains and books hung from his long black skirt. He must be a sorcerer or something."I'm just trying to help," the old man replied, a grin spreading across his face."We don't want help," Regan retorted through gritted teeth. "Now get lost and mind your own business."The old man watched them for a moment and then nodded, seemingly thinking to leave as he slowly turned around. But then Iris stood up."Wait!" she called from behind, "How were you trying to help?"The old man eagerly turned, his eyes flickering between Iris and Regan. "Well, you seem lost in the forest, don't you? I could help you folks get the way back to the city.""And what do you want in return?" Regan asked as she crossed her arms, not trusting the old man a bit."What a good question....you might have something valuable to give," he replied, his voice tinged with mischief. "You see, I'm an old wizard. I've sold artifacts for centuries. And I smell magic from wherever it is. And you, dear, are a witch."Regan's expression twisted into a sneer, her eyebrows furrowing. "I don't have anything valuable for you, old man. Now go and leave us alone.""Think wise," the old man said, his voice tinged with a hidden warning, "this might be your chance. The forest is unforgiving. I can teleport you both to the city and there won't be a problem.""And why would you care?" Regan asked again, her frustration raising, "We don't have anything you're looking for.""Maybe we have," Iris interrupted and walked over to Regan, grabbing her arm and pulling her away."Maybe he's going to help us," she whispered."He's not going to help us. He's a liar, can't you see?""He just wants some artifact or something valuable.""And what artifact do we have?!"Iris didn't say anything, knowing they didn't have any artifact or anything valuable to give in exchange.But then, as if something snapped in Regan, she remembered these coins she had found on the railing of the chamber, in his castle. Maybe they were somewhat valuable. She wasn't sure."Wait, I have something," she whispered, her hand searching her pockets for the coins. Thank God, they were there.Iris's eyes widened as she saw the coins. "Maybe these will work," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. They could feel the old man's gaze from behind and when they turned, he was looking at them in anticipation."So? Found anything?"Taking a deep breath, Regan stepped forward, showing one of the coins to the old man, "Is that valuable for you?The old man grinned, revealing his crooked teeth, "Let me see." He approached using his cane. Regan extended her hand, but held the coin tightly.The wizard watched for a second but then his eyes widened and shone with delight. "For the head of the serpent! You're holding the legendary coins of the master! You see now...." he grinned mischievously, "We'll have a deal. You give me that piece and I'll teleport you both to the city.""Deal sealed," Iris said, smiling."No," Regan countered, "how do we trust you? How do we know you're not manipulating us?""Well, sometimes you need to take risks," the old man replied. "And if you don't want help, I won't force you."Regan was still skeptical about it. She hadn't done all that road just to trust a random wizard and then end up to oblivion or something worse. But Iris seemed eager."Cornelia, please. It's our chance.""We can't trust him," Regan replied. "It's too risky."But then, in a swift move, Iris snatched the coin from Regan's hand and approached the old man. Regan watched with wide eyes."Fine. And how does this teleport thing works?" she asked.The old man chuckled, his wrinkled face stretching with amusement, "I'll call a portal for that.""Call the portal first," Iris requested."Fine, fine. I'll call the portal. But....you didn't end up having only one coin, did you? And unless I get another one, you're not entering the portal." With that, he chanted something under his breath and a bright, shimmering portal appeared in the air, swirling in white colors. Iris watched in awe, touched the portal but winced in pain."Ah, but that's the catch," the old man chuckled darkly. "You can't just enter the portal without anything in exchange."Iris glanced back at Regan, pleading her to comply. Regan was unsure and suspicious. But the look on Iris's face was undeniable."Listen here, old man," Regan said as she stepped forward, her voice low and threatening. "If you're playing some game, I swear I'm going to make you pay." Her palms glowed in fire, but the wizard remained unfazed."I see your potential, young witch," he said, his tone serious now, "But I said earlier. I sell artifacts and other trinkets. And what your friend is holding is a valuable asset. A portal is something easy for me to do."Iris walked over to Regan and tried to convince her to give the wizard another coin. Reluctantly, Regan agreed. The old man smiled as Iris handed him the coins. Then, he waved his hand around the portal and turned at them both."Your time is limited shortly. Once it ends, the portal will vanish. Good luck and farewell!" he said with a grin as he turned and disappeared behind the woods without another word.The girls exchanged glances, pondering whether to enter or not."I'm going to enter," Iris said, sounding more brave than she intended to.With a heavy sight and a prayer, Regan took Iris's hand and they both entered the portal, disappearing into the void of the nowhere.They materialized into an area that Regan had never seen before. It was a city, filled with skyscrapers, their lights glinting into the night. The people were more human-like, and the air was filled with sound of soft music. Regan couldn't believe she and Iris had come here, had gotten out of the forest, and the wizard had really helped them."Wow," Iris breathed as she looked around. "That's so beautiful.""Yes, beautiful. But where are we going now?"The question hit them both in surprise. Regan knew she didn't have anywhere to go, but she had a goal. And as for Iris, her place was in the North. But was she willing to go there? And most importantly, how would she go?"I-I don't know," Iris stammered. "Is it possible to go anywhere though? Like the North?""There is space travel to the North," Regan replied. "But I have no idea where it is."Iris's expression was thoughtful for a moment, but then she looked at Regan, "Well then, I'm stuck with you. Wherever you go, I go.""I want to find my mother," Regan admitted. "I can't get you in much more trouble. But where are the others? Where could they be?""I have no idea," Iris replied. "I don't know if I'll ever find them. "But where am I supposed to go? I'm going to follow you and help you find your mother. Just like you helped me raise the rebellion in my homeland.""But-" But before Regan could finish, a loudspeaker echoed around the square, hissing right into their ears. They didn't get it, but as soon as they saw people running around frantically, they knew something was off."What's going on?" Iris asked, looking around."I don't know," Regan answered."THEY ARE COMING! The yaaxils are coming!" a woman yelled at them. The girls froze, their hearts racing."What? What does that mean?" they asked in unison.But they got no answer. And before they could do anything, a large mass of people running caught on them, and they were forced to run with the crowd."Hey! What the hell?!" Regan exclaimed, shocked by what was going on. She realized she wasn't holding Iris's hand and lost Iris quickly from her eyes. She got stuck inside the crowd, her anxiety levels up."Iris!" she yelled, her panic palpable. She didn't seem to be anywhere. How did she disappear that fast?The crowd forced Regan into a narrowed alley, making it look even narrowed. Regan couldn't understand this apolitical behavior, but it was probably some creatures like those she had encountered with Artemis. Thankfully, she didn't encounter them in the forest. But she didn't have time to think about that now.Iris was losing and Regan felt as if she was going to throw up or suffocate. She hated having others close, let alone a bunch of people crushing on her.She tried to fight her way out of the crowd, pushing and shoving them away but it was useless. Her frustration reached its peak and she decided to use her powers instead. She summoned a shield over herself, pushing the crowd away and giving herself some space to breathe. The crowd stumbled on the backs of each other, some falling to the ground and some yelling even more in terror.She looked around, searching for Iris. The alley was between two shining skyscrapers, still as narrow as ever and the crowd was panicking. There was no sign of Iris"Where did she go?" she muttered under her breath, as her pace quickened and she was finally out of the narrowed alley. But suddenly, she heard a growl behind her.Her breath hitched as she slowly turned back, and there they were. There were five of them, standing in torn and dirty clothes. Their eyes were yellow, their foreheads had spikes, their hair was long and wild. Their arms and hands were full with claws and their teeth were sharp and pointed. The yaaxils. They were looking at her, their gazes full of hunger and anger."Stau away!" Regan snarled. The crowd looked at her, terrified. Without wasting any time, Regan struck the monsters with flames and tried to push them away from her. The yaaxils were fast and strong, but they were also hurt easily by the fire. They tried to reach her, but Regan kept attacking them, not giving them a chance.The air was filled with smoke and screams. Everyone was running out of the buildings, trying to escape the chaos. Regan didn't know how long she could keep this up, but she knew she didn't have where to go either.Suddenly, one of the yaaxils lunged at her, its claws tearing through her sleeve and scratching her arms. Pain seared through her as she stumbled back. The creature advanced, its yellow eyes fixed on her. Regan's heart pounded in her chest, and she felt a stab of fear. In a response, she struck the creature with a hot flame, scorching its face and forcing it to retreat.She noticed there were more of them. They were grabbing the kids forcefully and they were trying to kill the cilivians. Regan's blood boiled and she hit them all with what she had. She saw the monsters burn but she couldn't care now. She was killing them but she couldn't let others die either.Suddenly, the monsters started to be taken down by bullets. She turned back to see it were armed men shooting at them. Her breath hitched when she realized that it was Sirius's army and she could be caught as well. The armed men seemed to be handling the monsters.So, instead of waiting time, Regan sprinted away in a run. She ran without looking back and she ended up in a big square with rocky paves in heart shapes. Some were red, some lemon and some aqua.Somewhere in front of a white tall building, she saw a yaaxil creature struggling with a child. The creature was trying to kill the child. Regan quickly unleashed a burst of flame to the yaaxil and threw it away. The child landed on the ground, crying.She quickly ran to the child and it was a little girl. She looked so small, like five or something. She was crying. Regan took her from the ground and held her in her lap, trying to calm her down. The girl had eyes like a deer and long black hair. Her skin was pale, with a few freckles."Shh, don't cry," Regan whispered. She didn't know what to do but soon, a woman approached them. The little girl yelled 'mom' and slipped from Regan's hands. She ran to her mother and they hugged each other tightly. Regan felt as if she was going to cry. She was happy that they were happy and had found each other.Then, she continued to run, having no trace where to go or what to do. She didn't know the place and she was alone. Iris was lost and Regan didn't know where to look for her. She thought for once to turn back, but then saw how the armed men were spreading through perimeter.So, she did the obvious. She ran straight with all her strength. The skyscrapers grew rarer and rarer and the pavement was turning to green dense grass. Regan feared going to another forest, since the trees were also getting taller and denser. But she didn't have where else to go, so she continued on her tracks.She ended up into another forest. The air in the forest was crispy clean, filled with the sounds of crickets and frogs. Regan cursed under her breath, deciding not to go further. She didn't want to get stuck there as well.So, she turned behind and sat down on a near bench for a moment. She had to collect her mind, to think of a plan to find Iris. But she had gone too far from where they were and she had no idea now."Regan?" A female voice suddenly called behind her. Regan flinched, although the voice was kind of.... familiar. She turned back and saw a woman in black hair and emerald eyes. It was Seraphina.