Chapter 8

The end of dream

Jack wakes up from his sleep with a loud gasp. His heart thumping loudly inside his chest and sweats slowly dripping down his chin. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down from the terrible nightmare he just had where he felt like a caged bird, uselessly watching from background when that demon ripped the girl into pieces. But thank goodness it was just a dream... Or was it? It felt so real, so true and so vivid...

Jack shook his head and convinced himself it was merely a dream and nothing more. With that in mind, he slowly went down from the carriages and catch up with the rest by the trail left behind by Glen- a trail of black feather.


Lottie climbing the staircase inside the mansion with a furious look while grinding her teeth. She's determined to punish John for kidnapping Lily and messing with them. Fang and Dough just silently followed from behind her, knowing well how scary the pink-haired woman could be when her head is boiling. It's better not to question her or anything if they don't want a whip slapped them across the Baskerville courtyard. Glen face was impassive as usual as he walked behind his servants, but inside, he was fuming with unanswered question about the person who has been stamped as the core of the troubles by his servants.

Following Leon, who sniffed Lily's ribbon, they climbed the stairs and into the second floor.

"Mr. John, it seems like my friend has come." Lily said with a nonchalant air while John visibly tensed and put down the tea pot.

"Oh, really? How did you know, Lily?" Lily hummed slightly at his question.

"Umm… I just… have this ability that allows me to hear so faarrrr…" she stretched out both her arms to make it clearer "So I could hear Lottie fuming downstairs." She giggled to herself. "I see…" John smiled to the girl. "So they've come to retrieve you."

"Mr. John, what will you do when they found you?"

"Oh? Humm… of course I'll greet them properly and explain everything."

"But… one of my friends is not very patient. She a bit… well, hot tempered, judgmental and devil-like."

"Really? Then she will get along nicely with my deceased wife. Those traits are just the same."

Jut then, the door to the room banged open loudly to show a pink-haired woman with scary face and pink frilly short dress and red cloak.

"YOU!" she yelled and grabbed John's collar, making the said man gulped in fear. "HOW DARE YOU KINDNAPED LILY YOU SON OF A BITHCH?" she yelled to his face with anger clearly shown in her eyes, making the man's knees immediately went weak.

"W-Wait! Lottie!" But Lily got ignored by the woman, clearly busy with her anger.

"I'M GOING TO PUT YOU THROUGH HELL FOR MESSING WITH LILY! WITH BASKERVILLES! I WILL MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN! I'LL USE MY THORN WHIP TO TIE YOU AND THEN-"

"Lottie, put him down." A calm, deep voice of a man rang through the room and Lottie released John albeit grudgingly, letting the man gasp for air.

Glen stepped into the room elegantly, silently pitying the man who is clearly scared out of his mind. His servant could be scarier than Chains sometimes. After he took his time to catch his breath, John gave the Baskervilles a curt bow that made Lottie's eyebrow twitched.

"Welcome to my house, I'm John Smith, the one you must have been searching for" John looks at Glen and smiled although he was silently intimidated by the man's presence. "And, if my guess is right, you must be Lily's master, Glen Baskerville."

"Yes, I am Glen Baskerville. I want to inquire as to why you kidnapped my servant and lured me here by sending that letter." Glen spoke politely and with too much doses of formality that would make any commoner feel nervous.

"It's alright, I mean no harm. If I do, I could use my wide connection to hire assassins with low price or put traps, but you see there is nothing that even resembles those. In this house, there is nobody else beside me and Lily."

"Then, why did you kidnap our Lily?" Lottie barked from her place in front of Lily, checking the girl for any injuries and ready to kill the man if she found even the slightest trace of any wound.

"It's because I want to tell you the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes…" his eyes become saddened "The truth of what happened 3 days ago

Lottie, Dough, Fang and Glen became silent after John said that. None of them speak up and the room become silent (kata 'oblige' secara literal berarti menuruti/mengikuti/melaksanakan).

" 3 days ago. I know full moon means good luck, so I went that night to the shop. I was in a good mood… my marriage will be at another week, I can't wait to see Collette. I know I have fallen for her, deeply. The morning before he died, he gave me a knife, made of palatine with ancient decoration and especially sharp edges. He said it was an engagement gift for me and for being a loyal costumer. I hang around the shop and talked to Collette about our marriage, and at the late afternoon, I went to work, but I forgot the knife and I returned at the night in order to retrieve it." John sighed and sat down at the beaten chair, looking really tired with bags beneath his eyes.

"When I entered the shop... it was a mess... everything was ruined, and that old man... the man I've thought as my own father... he was dead, stabbed through the heart by a knife." John whispered, his tone spoke of horror that he felt. Lottie gulped and braced herself for more, she's never one for scary stories.

"I became scared then, I was afraid that the one who killed the old man would target me. I was also afraid that if I stay, people will suspect me to be the killer, so I ran out. But, I saw two figures on the rooftop. They're so graceful I thought they were dancing... but I found out, they weren't dancing... they were fighting. One of them is pitch-black and he fought with sharp blade... while the other one... fought with magic... "

"Magic?" Lottie asked in surprised tone. "But it didn't exist-"

"It exist." The word was short, and it cut Lottie's speech perfectly as the woman turned to her master who stared at John with narrowed eyes.

"Pardon me, Master Glen?" Lottie asked, surprised

"Magic exists, Lottie. However, people choose to believe in supernatural power or physic power. People who could use magic… sorceress and sorcerer are rare, they are chosen ones. The last one ever seen was two hundred years ago before sorcerer become extinct."

Jack Vessalius panted in exhaustion as he just climbed the stair from the first floor to the top without stopping in a three-level mansion. He came by following the track of black feathers Glen left and the muddy footprints he know belongs to Lottie and the others.

When he finally reached the top floor, he saw a door on the end of a corridor slightly ajar and light was streaming out form there. Feeling curious, he stand in front of the door and saw a elegant man frustrated with his arm on his hand and saw the rest are here. He wants to come in but something they say made him stopped dead on his track.

"So you're saying… a woman, or a witch more specifically, is fighting a demon and one of them might be the murderer of that shopkeeper?" Glen asked slowly.

"Yes." John's head shot up with determination "I even have a proof for that." He stood up from his chair and walked to a broken desk with only three legs and one locker left. Producing a key from his back pocket, John opened the locked and pulled out a gleaming dagger that took away the breath of the four older Baskervilles in the room.

"This blood," he pointed at the black stain of blood over the surface of the blade "Is the blood of that demon."

"Are you sure?" Glen asked as he walked to John and inspecting the dagger on the man's grasp. "For all we know, it could be only a dried blood." He added while he took the dagger from the man and held it in front of his eyes. Without his knowledge, a certain golden-haired young man already arrived in the mansion. Following the footprints on the first floor, he followed it and listened their conversation from behind the door carefully.

"It's the demon's blood." Lottie said from behind Glen, making the master of the household raised one of his elegant eyebrows questioningly at his pink-haired servant.

"And why are you so sure about it, Lottie?" he asked calmly. Lottie gulped, she rarely went against her master and when she do, those gaze with falter her immediately, forcing her back into submission. But not this time. Not this time.

"It's just," she took a step forward and pointed at the black blood on the dagger's surface "The blood hasn't dried up yet and it's thicker than human's blood." She touched the blood and pulled her finger away to show the liquid dripped off of her finger, clearly thick.

"I see…" Glen mused out loud. "You are sure that this dagger is the one that the blue-haired woman used to wound the demon, right?" Glen asked, suspicion still etched in his voice. Behind the door, Jack took in a surprised breath. Blue hair? His mind immediately went to Ellie.

"Jack?" his best friend's voice snapped him out of his thought and he realized dreadfully that everyone in the room now had their gaze penetrating him. Chuckling in slight embarrassment to be caught red-handed eavesdropping their conversation.

"Umm… Hi?" he tried timidly with a nervous grin.

"You've feel better Jack?" Glen asked putting the dagger back to John's awaiting hand and walked to his best friend.

"Y-yeah. It just… I think Collette is in danger." He exclaimed, earning some confused stares from the others in the room.

"What do you mean in danger?" John asked, fright clearly showed in his blue eyes. Gulping, Jack running around mentally, trying to find a way to explain without revealing about his dream because they will ask about why and how, or worse, didn't believe him..

"Well... I have this..." Jack stopped himself before he could tell them about his dream. He can't tell them because they will not believe him, and even if they do, they will ask how and he won't be able to answer that kind of question "…Assumption that Collette might be in trouble. Remember when the demon said 'I'll be back and revenge you'? I think he's aiming for Collette to get revenge. I can't explain much but I just really had this feeling we need to go to the shop and see Collette"

"And how if it was false?" Lottie asked Jack disbelievingly "What if she only tried to lure us into a trap?"

"Then I'll take the responsibility." Jack answered sternly.

No one said anything; they still stared at him disbelievingly. Although, it was a logical assumption to say the demon went after Collette for some reason, they still a little afraid if it was false. Glen, who knows Jack maybe better than the said man knew himself, broke into a smile and petted Jack messy hair like one would do to a puppy. Well, Glen treated him like a pet far more often than not, so Jack is mostly used to it.

"I trust you. If you said it with that expression, then it couldn't be false." Glen said and dropped his hand from smiling young man.

"Thanks!" he smiled. He knew Glen would believe him like always.

"Mr. Smith, I know what he said might be unbelievable, but it could be true. If you cherish your fiancée you must come with us." Glen stated.

"Of course! Let's go to Collette! I will not let anyone- or anything- harm her!" John answered with burning determination.

"Then it settled. We leave now."


The night was beautiful. Silence and eeriness ran through the mansion. The moon was half-covered by the cloud, but its glimmering shine passes through the cloud.

Collette held a golden chandelier on her hand, walking around the mansion with sadness shines through her brown eyes. She couldn't sleep, not without her beloved father' presence, checking again and again too see if she has fallen asleep or not. She thought it was annoying back then, but now she will do anything just to see her father's face peeking through her bedroom door with a gentle, loving smile he always wore.

So she woke up, light up a random chandelier in the shop and walked through the shop. Doors by doors, rooms by rooms, every flicker of memories ran through her mind, leaving tears to be shed from her eyes.

The living room where her father used to tell her stories from the ancient books when she was young, the kitchen where her mother who already passed away long ago will serve delicious food and they would eat together while laughing, and finally the study room where her father would spend most of his time signing papers and researching many weird and ancient stuffs.

Feeling tears streaming down her cheek, Collette put down the chandelier and went out to the garden. She remembered when her father would take her here and play until the day becomes dark and they're satisfied with fun and laugh. Standing in front of a fountain, Collette finally let herself sob.

"Father…" she whispered sadly, letting a tear slip down. Dwelling in her own sadness, she didn't realize a demon perched on the tree behind her, ready to attack and brings Jack's nightmare into reality.

The book of body reversal that belongs to him and he valued above all is now in the belonging of Collette. He wants the book back in order to complete his revenge plan to Alyssa. Maybe he could lure her out by doing this. It would be killing two birds with one stone. However, he must be quick before she could realize his plan and destroy it.

Seeming out of nowhere, the demon launched itself to Collette, landing hard on her. Finally realizing the danger she was in, Collette screamed and struggling to break away from the demon, but it knocked her out with one swift hit to the back of her neck.

"Got you now…" the demon whispered huskily and raised its claw.

"Flame Arrow!" before the demon could make any scratches on her skin, a flaming arrow hit the demon, making fall back and cried out in agony.

A gorgeous navy-blue haired woman appeared and quickly snatched Collette and rested her against a far wall. Before her consciousness completely faded, Collette saw the face of her savior. A pair of beautiful blue eyes staring down at her, burning with brevity.

"You…" the demon hissed as Alyssa turned to him with a smirk.

"I've been looking for you, you disgusting creature. I know you said you'll get your revenge on me, but using others as bait is the lowest and most pathetic way that rotted brain of yours could think of."

"I was only trying to get my book back nicely" the demon hissed "But then she struggled against me and screamed. After all, it was best if she's not alive to tell the story about us. Humans couldn't be trusted. You, of all people, should understand that."

"Indeed. However, doing this is equal to breaking our vow." She holds out her hand and chanted. A spiral blue aura formed on her palm.

"Like I care…" the demon grinned as it readied its claws.


The sound of a rushing carriage arrived in front of the shop and everyone jumped down from the carriage. One glance to the broken glasses and loud sounds of thumping, thudding, broken sounds and something bursting loudly was enough to warn them that Jack's assumption was right.

They all rushed to the back garden where the sounds were coming from and was shocked to see Ellie fighting with the demon from yesterday while Collette are unconscious on the far wall.

"Collette!" John exclaimed before rushing to where the girl is.

They both fight in incredible speed, jumping and fighting from here and there. Lottie, Lily, Dough and Fang watched in amazement at the fight between Ellie and the demon. Even they're very good at fighting and fast too but they're more impress because Ellie is faster, cunning and powerful as she numerous time throw a lot of magic power.

"This is your last day!" the demon yelled in excitement as wind accumulate in its palm, and he send it to Ellie in the form of an invisible whip which chase Ellie, who jumped gracefully into the air to dodge the attack. Clasping her hand in front of her chest, Ellie began to chant,

"Listen to me, Hephaestus! Flame Rain!" and from the empty air around her, small, flickering flames appeared and becomes raining down upon the demon beneath her. Jumping back quickly, the demon countered the attack with dozens of wind daggers, the fire and wind met in the middle of the air although some of the flames survived and reached the ground.

Ellie landed on the ground gracefully, but she doesn't have much time to take a breath before the demon dashed to her with its claws exposed and ready to kill. With a small 'tch', Ellie kicked the demon's arm before the claws could touch her as she stood on one of her hand and the other to use magic. Without any words, because she'll be doing a minor magic, Ellie touched the demon's arm briefly before she did a perfect back roll and watched as water engulfed the demon's arm that she touched.

"What the-"

"Freeze!" Ellie ordered as she stood up and stretched out her hand to the direction of the demon and the water that engulfed the demon's arm turned into ice. The demon's howl of shock brought upon a satisfied smile on Ellie's petal lips.

"Why you-! Eat this!" the demon yelled and sent more wind daggers to Ellie's direction, and she quickly run to the side, letting the dangerous little things hit the wall behind her and left marks.

"Everyone! Get into the shop for cover!" Glen shouted out the order as he saw the battle gets even more intense. John slid Collette into his arms and picking her up, running to the direction of the shop. While then, Ellie landed on the ground in front of a tree and jumped again, making the demon slashed the tree and it thumped down to the ground and dust swirling in the ever-moving air.

Jack heard a thud and a familiar groan of pain. He glanced back to meet with the sight of John on the ground with an unconscious Collette.

"I summon you, Zephyrus. Destroy the enemies on my path with your mighty wind!" chanted the demon. Ellie, noticing what the demon trying to do, chanted a protection spell for herself, hoping she would be quick enough to save herself from the summoning magic the demon used.

"Phanta Rein!" the demon shouted, and the wind around him quickly picking up, becoming a twister all around them.

"Shield!" just on time, Ellie was able to create a barrier. But then her eyes caught the sight of John and Collette, vulnerable in the middle of the extreme danger.

"Mr. John!" Jack yelled as the wind gets closer to the man. By reflex, he ran to John.

"Jack!" this time, it was Glen who yelled out who noticed what Jack did and ran after the golden-haired man, but he internally know that he would not be there quick enough to save his friend. Jack knelt in front of John who held Collette tightly in his arms. The wind was coming quickly and Jack closed his emerald eyes with his arms spread open, waiting for the inevitable pain to come, but nothing actually hit him.

Opening his eyes, Jack was greeted with the sight of falling black feathers and the fact that he was savely cocooned inside Raven's wings with Glen panting beside him.

"You idiot!" Glen hollered "You could have got killed, rushing in like that!" Glen was rarely angry, and when he did, not even the ever-cheerful Jack dare to reply. The demon realized what happened and it crouched on the rooftop with one arm frozenated.

"Black-winged Chain… Glen Baskerville…?" the demon whispered in disbelief. Noticing something, the demon jumped away as a beam of fire burned the spot he just perched at. Using the wall to dash to the direction of the demon, Ellie prepared a blue magic on her palm.

"Rural Ice!" The magic immediately trapped the demon inside a thick ice. "Glen Baskerville! Now!" she yelled as the demon slowly falling to the ground.

"Now that everything has been going to this kind of turn…" Glen gritted his teeth "…no more turning back! Raven!"

The black Chain followed its master's order and opened its beak and blowed out blue fire that is dangerous, for both Chains and humans. With an ear-shattering howl of pain, the demon was killed by fire and by ice…


Collette slowly opens her eyes and found herself lying on a couch inside he room.

"You're awake, Collette?" The voice asked softly, and for a split second she thought it was her father checking on her, but all hope was shattered when she saw John sitting beside her.

"You!" She snapped angrily as she stood up albeit a little unsteadily "What are you doing here?" She asked angrily and pushed him away as he tried to grab her arm to balance her.

John took a step backward, surprised by his future fiancée statement.

"Collette we can explain" Lottie spoke up, hoping to avoid any misunderstanding and argument between the couple. Collette turned her face to them, her eyes filled with unshed tears as she recognized that all the Baskervilles and Jack are in his room.

"You... You bring him here? How dare you!" she yelled loudly as her tears beginning to drip down her face.

"He's here because he's worried of you as your fiancé. Please understand Miss. Collette." Glen said with a calming tone, trying to reason with the upset young woman.

"Fiancé? He's no longer my fiancé ever since he killed my father!" she cried out, shocking John who's face darken with sorrow, knowing that Collette blamed him for her father's death/

"Correction; The demon killed you father" Ellie finally spoke up after listening and getting tired of how easily humans misunderstand each other and how quick they blamed others for misfortunes in their lives without any proofs..

"Your father… he did that in his own free will, that's why he died. His death wasn't a burden to be put on John's shoulder." Ellie said in calm, unwavering tone. But Jack still could hear traces of sadness from her voice and it made him stare at the blue-haired woman as she continued.

"He… what?" Collette asked in shock "He did it on his own-? Just who are you?" Collette finally asked the question that has been rotting in her heart. Closing her eyes for a few second, Ellie bowed slightly to Collette and quickly straightened up again.

"Allow me to introduce myself, then. My name is Ellie, Ellie Harrington. I am a traveler, and your father… he was a friend of mine." She explained.

"Harrington… does that mean the man who died in the sea was your father?" John asked in slight shock. Ellie glanced at him and frowned, as if remembering something painful to her and her fists clenched.

"…He is." Her answer was only above a whisper, but it was loud enough for everybody to hear and the new brings them another round of surprised silence.

"You see… the day before your father was killed, I was visiting him after my long trip. As I say I'm a traveler. I travel from town to town, place to place. When I got there you're busy meeting up with your friend. It was a quite late at night and we discuss many things. I came to his shop to buy an antique book. But then that demon" said Ellie pointing to the dead demon, and Collette was shocked and scared to see the remaining body that slowly decaying into dust. "Came in suddenly and attacked me."

"Attacked you?" Jack's loud exclamation cut through the air as the attention was directed to him. "Just what did that demon want from you?" he finished lamely, trying to hide his embarrassment to cut in so suddenly. While the other was busy paying attention to a now blushing Jack, nobody saw how Ellie bit her lips, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"…about that, let's just say we have mutual dislike and killing intention." She finally said out loud and continued her story before Jack could ask another question that might bring her down.

"I was fighting with that demon while your father hid away, but the demon suddenly used an illusion attack that caught me off guard. When he took that silver knife and almost stabbed me… your father saved me by using his own body as my shield. I take that advantage to strike the demon back, but he went up to the roof and I fought him, but he escaped and so I've been looking for him quite a while. But now I managed to kill this imbecile and the reason the demon attack you because you had something that he thought belongs to me." Collette narrowed her eyes, when Ellie was done and asked,

"Something… that belongs to you…?"

"I believe you found a book with hard blue cover that already looks very old in that scene. That book is mine, while his are with me. It seems like we got them swapped when we fought on the roof, and, naturally, he think that his book are with you" then Ellie looked at the demon and smiled "What a fool" said Ellie arrogantly with a mocking tone.

While then, Collette was just standing in the middle of the room, speechless over the information. She could feel her heart breaking, sadness and frustration building up inside of her and she could feel that her vision was blurred with tears.

"Forgive me." Ellie said with her head bowed "I never intended for your father to be a victim. However, I do appreciate your father's courage. He was brave, kind, nice and a loyal man." She ended her speech and patted her on the shoulder, trying to prevent her from crying. But Collette was an ordinary human, and she fell to the floor when her knees isn't strong enough to hold her up and she sobbed into her arms as John pulled her into his embrace, trying to comfort her.

Everyone feel sympathy for the poor girl except Ellie because her face is impassive as ever, but nobody said anything for a long time.


"Thank you for everything, if there anything I could do for you in return please name it." John spoke with a tired smile as he escorted Ellie, Glen and Jack downstairs where the other Baskervilles are waiting "And don't worry about Collette, she'll be fine because I know she's a strong lady." John added as they reached the first floor

However, even John are right there with them, Ellie know that his mind is on his fiancé, crying alone in the bedroom upstairs after demanding a time of privacy.

"That was nice of you to say that" Lottie smiled, as she walked to the direction of the carriage, making John sighed in relief as the woman who scared the wits out of him will be gone and he wished he doesn't have to encounter her ever again. If he did, though, he wished he wouldn't be at the wrong end of her wrath. One time was traumatic enough.

Without any further words but a polite nod from Glen, they all leaved John and went back to where their carriage was. When they're out of sight John closed the door with a relieved and happy smile, believing that everything would be alright from here on.

The carriage was stopped a bit far away from the house, and because they were not in a hurry to get there, Jack decided he could have a chat with the gorgeous blue-haired woman who walked beside him.

"Thank you for coming Ellie, but how do you know that Collette was in a trouble?" Jack asked her with a bright smile that made Ellie frowned at how quick the man could become a cheery fluffball just after a horrifying battle.

"I've been tracking that demon and I realized something with his last word. He probably wants the book back and silence the only witness he know- the daughter of the shopkeeper. But then again, demons are such terrible liars" she explained with a small huff of annoyed breath at the end.

"Wow, Ellie. How did you know so much about demons?" Asked Jack in surprise and slight awe. For a split second, Ellie's eyes widened in surprise before she gained back her composure and stared into Jack's gorgeous emerald eyes and noting that they have a nice gap of distance with the others, thanks to their chat. It would be enough for them to be inaudible to the rest of the group.

"I'm a sorceress." Ellie answered with a nonchalant tone as Jack was clearly shocked beside her. "Naturally, I have many enemies that want me dead. That demon is just one of them."

"Is that so…" Jack mumbled, trying to simply accept the information that was given to him. "But isn't dangerous, Ellie? To have many strong enemies like that demon? Do you have someone to help you?" Jack asked in a slight worried tone.

"It's fine." Ellie answered as she pushed back some strand of her hair to the back with her hand "I'm already used to it. Plus, it's not like I have anyone to confide in, so no one to help." She added and even though her face shown no expression, Jack could faintly read the loneliness and sadness in those eyes.

"Then you can confide in me!" Jack exclaimed cheerfully, making Ellie stopped dead on her track and stared at Jack like he have grown another head. Her expression clearly read: 'What the hell did you just said, dumber?'

"Well, Ellie have no friends, right? Then I will the first one!" he grinned at her as he intertwined his fingers behind his back and leaned back slightly. "I will not betray or leave you alone, Ellie! Because we are friends from now on!" It might be the light playing tricks on her eyes, but somehow Jack looks shining in the twilight sun that shined behind him.

"…you… idiot…" Ellie mumbled as she turned her head on the other side so that Jack will not see it.

"Eh? Why? I just want to be your friend, Ellie. I don't want you to be alone anymore." he replied back.

"Even if you did, someday you would leave me too… it would be some decades and you will not be visible anywhere anymore." Ellie whispered.

"Hum? What did you just said, Ellie?" Jack leaned his face to hers, making the navy-haired woman turned her back to him.

"I said we have to part ways here. Go quick or you would be left by your friends." Ellie said facing him in a stern look , making the golden-haired man obeyed at her and wave before he back to Glen when the Baskerville made a motion for him to be quick from the carriage.

"Okay, then! Bye, Ellie!" Jack waved to her as he jogged to the carriage where Lottie is already fuming with impatience. When he glanced back, he could see no more of the woman he just befriended with.

"Maybe…" Jack thought "She's not as hard as she seems to be. Maybe I could be her friend after all." With that thought in mind, he raced onward.