ch 14. Grandma and Illusion

Grandma Light, is one of the oldest maids that Timothy has known since he was a baby. She was one of the earliest people Timothy knew and one of the very few that Timothy could call closest family.

Grandma Light decided to resign from her job at the castle when Timothy was ten years old, saying that her old body could no longer serve the royal family. But now seeing Grandma Light with her wrinkled face but walking with such strength, maybe there is something more that is hidden behind her resignation.

"What are you doing here, Grandma?

How did you find me? " Timothy asked.

"Ho ho is still such a hasty child.

Get some rest first, Timmy. Granny will get you something to eat.

Then, we can talk. " Said Grandma Light as she left the house.

Confused and still feeling hurt in his shoulder, Timothy decided to obey and rest his body. Timothy thinks about the possibility of how Grandma Light could appear at the moment when he needs her the most, but no matter how he twists his mind, there is no normal explanation for that. Grandma Light might have been sent as a secret guard for him, but Timothy thought that was too farfetched.

Soon after, Grandma Light came back with a tray of food and a few glasses of water. She lit up the room with a few candles around the room after she put the food tray near Timothy's feet. The food is just a simple meal that consists of normal chicken meat, but Timothy still enjoys it. It easily became one of the best meals he ever had.

After Timothy finished with his meal, he asked Grandma Light about her whereabouts.

"Where did you go, Grandma?

And how could you find me here? "

Grandma Light only gave a mysterious smile, but didn't say anything at all. Her eyes begin to look emptily, away from Timothy, as if she is trying to remember something.

"The White Fox that you tried to hunt, Timmy, they are not that dangerous.

You just never really deal with illusion beasts, which is why they can best you in a fight. " Said Grandma Light.

"You see, the White Fox is cunning and they love to attack in group. But their bodies are mostly only as strong as the common fox.

Their illusion,ss however, can sometimes become so realistic it can make contact with reality. They do that by combining their power, all of them, including their Alpha and the power of the prairie.

To defeat them, just kill one fox. One less fox means no more realistic illusion. " Explain Grandma Light.

Timothy didn't understand why Grandma Light said all that. He thanked her for the information, as that would help him on his quest, but he wanted to know about her.

"Thank you Grandma Light.

But can you tell me how you got here?

How did you find me? "

"Oh Time, my kind hearted boy.

Always ask about others and put yourself in second place.

After you defeat the Alpha, can you please take its core and keep it?

Grandma believes it will be very useful to you soon. " Said Grandma Light.

"Why do you always avoiding my question?

Answer me Grandma! Answer me! "

"It is time for you to go.

The prairie needs you to clean it. " Said Grandma Light.

Soon after Grandma Light said that, the room where they were in suddenly filled with blinding light. Timothy closes his eyes in surprise. He tried to open his eyes but was unable to do that for some reason. The only thing he knows when being blinded is that Timothy can still hear Grandma's voice.

"I believe in you.

Together we can do great things! "

*****

In the dawn of the day, Timothy opened his eyes.

He is laying face up on the grassy floor of an unknown forest. As Timothy sits up, he can see the Prairie of Illusion not too far in front of him. Its green tall grass giving off a fresh air of a morning vibe while the rising sun of dawn illuminate it. If not for the near death experience Timothy had last night, he might have considered the prairie as a big part of heaven.

Timothy stood up and began to stretch a little. He can feel that his left should is a bit sore, but with a little movement, the soreness quickly fades as if it was just a dream.

Timothy looked around him, thinking about how he could sit here safely when he was about to die yesterday. Timothy found his sword was embedded right beside him, strong and alone while reflecting the morning sun light.

Timothy remembers that he was in a village, where he met his long lost maid he loved so much as a child. Grandma Light is more than a maid. She was Timothy's "shadow" parent who taught him to be a good person, long before his parents even realized his kind hearted nature.

"What a strange dream.

But it feels so real, like I was really there. " Timothy said out loud.

He knows that he is alone right now, but he just felt like saying it. As if he is trying to tell his dream that he recognizes its presence and feels thankful for it.

Timothy checks on his body once more, making sure that he is ready for the hunt. His wound is all healed, surprisingly, and his mental condition is somehow very good. Timothy also didn't understand why he was in such a good mood despite the previous experience.

After he is ready, Timothy once again enters the prairie with confidence. Timothy can remember what Grandma Light said about the White Fox. How killing one of them will ruin their perfect illusion. What Timothy had to do was find one fox and kill it.

Timothy once again walking in between the tall grass. His steps created a rustling noise on the grass, loud enough to cover any other sound but not too loud to disturb his focus. Timothy is using all his senses and skills to find a single fox.

*****

Another five hours is spent walking aimlessly in the prairie with no clue about the white fox or the end of the prairie. The prairie is like an endless stretch of grass field with nothing else to see. Timothy begins to feel his mind getting dull and hazy.

Wauf!

A White Fox suddenly appeared in front of Timothy face, with its claw ready to slash at Timothy's face. Timothy quickly pulled his head back while jumping away to dodge the White Fox in front of him.

The fox didn't waste its time and quickly jumped back into the tall grass, hiding its body and presence skillfully. Timothy summon his Soul Weapon and quickly slashed at the grass near him, cutting it short to allow him a wider range of view.

Soon a few fox heads appeared from between the tall grass, showing their sharp fangs in a form of threatening formation. Timothy is preparing himself for battle, but his hazy mind somehow slows his reaction speed.

Jumping out from the tall grass, a horde of foxes with their claws and fangs ready to tear Timothy apart. Slow to respond, Timothy can only look with despair on his face as the horde of foxes rushing at him.

Then suddenly, Timothy notices that most of the foxes appear to be a bit blurry, with only a few of them appearing to be real. From these few, one of them is running at Timothy and about to bite his left arm.

Responding more to fear than skills, Timothy slashed randomly at the incoming fox. The fox didn't expect Timothy to attack and failed to dodge, which resulted in its body separated in two from shoulder to tail.

As soon as the fox died, suddenly the horde of foxes disappeared, leaving only a few confused White Foxes. Meanwhile, Timothy could feel his mind clear and then remembered what Grandma Light told him.

"To defeat them, just kill one fox. One less fox means no more realistic illusion. "

One of the foxes was dead and now the other foxes didn't know what to do. the foxes were never really trained to act independently. Timothy took the initiative this time. He rushed at one of the foxes with his weapon ready. The fox reacted by creating an illusion of a giant magic beast in the shape of a snake, but since Timothy knew that it was an illusion, he easily ignored it.

Timothy rushed into the illusion and easily ran through it, finding a terrified fox frozen in its spot. Without waiting any further, Timothy slashed his Soul Weapon and split the fox's head into two pieces.

The other foxes begin to get terrified. They quickly run away while woofing at each other. Timothy knew that letting them leave would be a bad move, as they could return anytime soon. But Timothy planned to follow them, find their nest and defeat their Alpha. After that, it will just be a matter of time before he leaves the prairie and reports his success.