There was no turning back. Nick was determined to question Ryo as to why he had not stopped Aya from dying. In stride, he almost ran for the bridge. But his luck was suddenly changed. The scenery changed. The bridge, the garden as Aya and Ryo evaporated.

Judy?

He turned back but didn't see her. He was alone. In a different setting. This scenario, which was too familiar for his liking.

"It will be a great show to see!"

Anger surged. Nick recognized the voice. His emerald-green eyes went in the direction of his right side to the ghostly figure of Natsuhiko.

At that moment a tlink, followed by another. A melody. Nick shuddered.

"It's time!" a sinister smile outlined itself on the wolf's face.

Nick moved, intending to run and stop the dance, but his wrists were gripped tightly. His knees were forced to the ground. Nick growled and looked at what was holding him down. Two priests. Both with a handkerchief covering their faces.

"Never look away. This will be the first stage of the path of death for the female you love so much."

Judy's heart startled. Nick had disappeared in front of her, as had Aya and Ryo. She was now standing before a huge temple. The entrance smiled at her in a pleasant invitation. Judy swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat with some difficulty.

"Walking over the stone steps, I opened the doors. I knew the pain that would be seared into my skin. As unpleasant as it was, I had to do it. My father insisted. If I didn't do it, society would sacrifice me."

Judy looked to her left side and saw her reflection practically. With a sad expression, Aya forced a smile. Then, her eyes went to meet the violet one that looked at her grudgingly.

"Love hurts when unrequited. But we can always heal with time. However, for love I sacrifice myself. Ryo is everything to me, just as Nick is to you. I'm sorry you have to go through all this, but only then will there be peace here. You have managed to defeat Natsuhiko forever and get Jack and Alisha's soul back."

Wait, did Judy hear that right?

"Everything they went through was an illusion. Although the physical damage remains. Alisha and Jack's inanimate bodies are preserved. Their souls are lost. What you will passed here, is the trace of my and Ryo's memories. Our memories. Everything you will experienced is real. Nick's fears are real. You are not so free from death and may go through sacrifices. The history you will experience will be repeated. But you can change your course. You could walk out of here alive. The four of you."

Judy brought her paws to her muzzle and tears began to stream down her cheeks. That meant that Alisha and Jack had not died.

" Your relief is temporary. Be careful that you don't hurt Alisha's spirit body, or you will hurt the real one. Be smart in your decisions. Support Nick's emotional imbalance and stay focused. However, I am sorry, but my hurt you will suffer. My pain you will feel. My emotions will get the better of you. You will be afraid, doubt, and even decisions driven by ego. But trust your instinct. Trust your potential. Trust your actions. And keep your faith. Once you walk through this door, you will experience everything I have experienced. You will experience everything I went through until my death. It is from now on the moment that you will have to make the decisions. You will be rewarded if you act from the heart. You will be hurt if you act with ego." Aya smiled at her. "Always think of Nick. He will be your great strength." and with that she disappeared.

Haunted by so much information, Judy's legs gave way and she fell to the floor. The tears wouldn't stop, no matter how much she wanted them to. She had a story to experience.

Anguish. Pain. Sorrow. Anger. Helplessness. Five emotions felt in a broken heart. He knew that this was an illusion created to hurt his emotions. But he also knew that scene would happen.

"Aya was a strong rabbit. After the tattoo, she went through the ritual. But what killed her was what followed after." each soft word amused. With each word, Nick's anger surged.

"Wasn't it enough for you what you did to us before with the twins?"

"It would have come if you had died. I didn't think Judy could break the ritual." he placed one of his paws on his chin and rolled his eyes from disappointment that his plan had failed. "That doe is pretty strong emotionally. I thought if I used you as bait, she would lose her balance."

"Your plans have shifted." Nick spat out the words knowing that his doe was a strong-minded female.

"A little, that's right!" Natsuhiko shrugged. "I didn't know how to explore further where to hit her, but the end of my illusion let the weak part of her escape. So why not pick it up that way?"

"Judy doesn't have any weak points."

Natsuhiko laughed out loud. Nick looked at him sideways, annoyed by that unnecessary attack.

"I haven't laughed like that in years."

"I didn't say anything funny."

"I don't know if you play naive on purpose or not. But your female has a weak part yes. And when touched, she suffers and a lot. Aya and Ryo will be the main characters in this story. But you are their reincarnation. Everything they went through; you will go through. The course cannot be changed but avoided. And that change is up to you. Judy, on the other paws, can't help but go through everything that Aya went through, and she knows it. The tattoo and the dance are the beginning of the quest for the emotional break. But the last stage, marriage, is death altogether."

" You are too knowing for this. Your love was for the twins. What is your relationship to Aya and Ryo? What did they do to you to make you want to destroy everything and everyone?"

" Yae and Sae indeed were important to me. In that, don't doubt. My love for them was unconditional."

It was then that the pieces slowly began to come together. Nick didn't want to believe it. Hence Judy warned him about the wolf.

" Natsuhiko what is your connection to Ryo?"

The wolf thought the question was stupid, making a dumbfounded expression. What did it matter there?

"Ryo is not the problem here."

"Oh, sure he is." a mocking smile reappeared on Nick's face. He faced the wolf confidently. "Your illusions are what you wanted them to be, but don't forget that history this time runs in our veins. No matter how many illusions you put in our path, the truth will always come out."

Without delay, the dance, the priests, and the scenery changed again. They were now in the royal palace of the Wilde family. The gold and black door, invited them in. Nick stared at the palace, and it all sounded familiar. The anger he felt, dissipated, giving way to an inexplicable peace and tranquility.

"The palace of the Wilde family. Prince Ryo. Rightful heir to the throne and the one who will rule this village, thus taking away your power of succession. Yae and Sae are the princesses of the most prestigious wolf family in the village. You belong to another. However, the angry gods, have decided to give direction and opportunity to other species." How he knew that, even he didn't know. The words came out of his mouth with great wisdom. Nick was present in body, but his soul was caressed by Ryo's. "Entering through those great gates, I will learn of all the history of my ancestor. And you belong to it. Natsuhiko, you will be able to do anything to get me or Judy killed. But alone, you won't be able to do it."

Ignoring the wolf, Nick turned his back on him and started up the steps. Leaving an enraged wolf behind. The fox brought his paws to the large golden rings and pulled them up. He knew that if he went in there, he would have to live through Ryo's story and with it all the emotions that were involved in that period. But he was determined to end this once and for all, and he was not going to accept that either of them would end up dead so they could get out of there. Taking a deep breath, he entered, letting the gates slowly close behind him.

To be continued…