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Wild Arms: To the End of the Wilderness
Chapter Twenty Seven: Way of Illusion
Written by Estrelita Farr

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Back at the hut where Rudy lay asleep, Jack sighed as he knelt by the bed. "Finally we're getting somewhere… time to go, Rudy. Come on… up!" And he hoisted the boy onto his back once more.

"May I… may I come along?" Mariel asked. "I must teach my brother not to give up, just as you have taught me."

Cecilia nodded. "Of course, Mariel."

Hanpan gazed at Mariel in concern. "Are you well enough to go?"

The Elw smiled. "I am. I took some herbs, it's enough to go with you. I may not be able to fight, but I can help you with my herb magic."

Jack grinned. "That will be a help. Let's go!"

Outside, the afternoon sun was warm yet the wind was cool on their skin. Every plant was a vibrant shade of green everywhere they turned, even the grass, a beautiful colour of life, making them wonder if Filgaia was like this a thousand years ago…

As with before, the villagers stared yet avoided them as they passed. None of them would remain close enough for them to ask about the Forest Prison, except for one who waited at the village gates for them.

"Travellers from the decayed world," he said, "Fulcani has told me of your intention to enter the Forest Prison. It is a maze we Elw created to confine monsters, and without a guide you will become lost and wander its depths forever. Please take this lantern, it will light the way for you."

Mariel took the simple metal lantern and gave a bow in thanks.

Past the village gates into the evergreen wilderness, the dark trees of the Forest Prison lined the horizon. When the travellers approached, they cast their gazes upward – the trees rose high, nearly as high as Adlehyde Castle, their dense dark leaves leaving the forest in an eternal night. A black fog filled the air as a shiver ran down the wanderers' back in the cold wind, or perhaps it was that feeling as though something was watching them…

The lantern in Mariel's hand glowed and spread its light around them, enough for them to see the dark leafy ground beneath their feet. Just a few steps ahead, a set of footprints glowed orange as though to show them the way, and behind them, another set glowed white towards the exit to the Elw village. With Cecilia's orb of light above them to brighten the area a little, they followed the orange footprints.

But their trek through the forest was anything but peaceful – perhaps drawn by the orb of light or the lantern, monsters of all kinds attacked. Hanpan lured them away as he streaked around in blue light, while Cecilia tried to defeat them as fast as she could. Sometimes a monster or two went for Jack as he evaded with Accelerator, supported by Hanpan's magic gems from the side, and sometimes he unleashed a Speed Fang arc to reduce the numbers. Mariel helped with herb magic, glowing pink spheres that healed their wounds when she spread them from her mittened hands.

They had to stop often to rest, with Mariel not yet at full strength and the constant battles wearing Cecilia and Hanpan out. With a barrier around them from an activated magic gem ("Good thing we decided to buy some of these after all," Hanpan commented) and a warm campfire, Jack stood guard since he declared he was full of energy and didn't get much action.

And, to fill the silence, Mariel began telling them an old story, a story from a thousand years ago.

During the Great Demon War, the demons had been pushing the Filgaia forces back, even with the humans, Guardians and Elw united. Drawing upon their knowledge of magic and technology, the Elw worked feverishly to create weapons that could turn the tide – the Golems, the ARMs – but, in a twist of fate, the demons stole and used some of these weapons against them.

Fulcani and his colleague Parkersouz then started the Holmcross Project, using research results from their studies of the demons' metallic body. Fighting fire with fire, believing that it could help them win the war.

But, when the first Holmcross was completed and activated in what they thought was a safe environment, it turned onto them. With murderous crimson eyes, it tore through the laboratory and left nothing but fallen bodies and blood behind… even Parkersouz who was the closest to a father it had. And many more lives were lost in destroying the rampaging Holmcross.

In the wake of destruction, with the weight of his brethren's deaths on his shoulders, Fulcani sealed the second Holmcross prototype – then still a tiny child – in the depths of the sea.

Silence.

Cecilia closed her eyes. "I see… so that's why he was so reluctant to help… in his eyes, Rudy might end up like the first Holmcross…"

Hanpan nodded. "And with the Guardian Blade that also went on a rampage and cut Filgaia's life, it's a bad combination if you think about it logically."

"That's because he doesn't know Rudy." Jack ruffled the sleeping boy's hair. "I believe in him."

They nodded with a smile.

A little less than two hours later, they finally saw light in the distance, a brilliant orange across the clear sky. They had never felt so relieved to step into the sunlight, the warmth washing away the chills that hung onto them ever since they had entered the dark forest. Across the grassy plains, they could see a round wooden hut among the lush trees and plants, and they picked up their pace.

As their boots crunched on the dirt path leading to the cottage, a young man looked up from among the plants, with long hair as golden as Mariel's spreading down the back of his grey robe, brown rabbit-like ears extending downwards from the grey bandanna around his head. He frowned as he approached, as he eyed the visitors.

"Who are–" he began.

"Vassim!" Mariel ran up the dirt path and threw her arms around him.

"Mariel! What are you doing here?"

She looked up, the corner of her eyes glistening. "Please, Vassim! I need you to help Rudy! He's one of my dearest friends!"

"Calm down, Mariel… come in and tell me what is going on." He looked up. "And… your friends, are they? Please, come in."

Inside was a simply decorated room similar to the ones at the Elw village – the red and yellow rugs strewn across the floor, the tree trunks with their branches cut off supporting the roof – though there was a staircase that led to the basement. A basket of vegetables and fruits lay on the wooden table by the door, surrounded by chairs. At the single bed on the other side of the room, once again Rudy was tucked in.

Vassim's eyes widened as he knelt by the bed, as he stared at the metal parts in the wound, at the torn machinery. "The taboo one, the Holmcross… after all these years, he is right here before me…"

"We need Living Metal to heal his arm…" Mariel placed a hand on her brother's arm. "I beg of you, Vassim… will you recreate the Guardian Blade once more?"

"The Guardian Blade?! You want me to deliberately endanger the world a second time, Mariel?!" He clenched a fist as he closed his eyes, a trembling fist. "No, I will not… that weapon would destroy our world. It is out of the question…"

"It is more than a weapon – it is life I ask you to bring back. A living being, neither good nor evil… Vassim, please, you're the only one who is capable of breathing life into cold metal."

His eyes softened at her. "Mariel… my dear Mariel… how you have changed so. Your spirit is much stronger than before…"

A shy smile. "Rudy taught me to never give up. I believe he can change the future, maybe even the minds of the Elw… so please, recreate the Guardian Blade." She drew the broken blade from her bag and held it up to him. "Please, Vassim, we need your help to save Rudy…"

He gingerly took the blade in his hands. "This… is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, a fragment of the Guardian Blade." She looked up at him, eyes strong with determination. "Use it to recreate the Guardian Blade! Let it shine with our hope!"

Silence.

Vassim stared at the broken blade in his hand, then at Rudy. A moment passed, then he took a deep breath and looked up at the others. "Using this fragment, it should not take very long."

"So you'll do it?!" Cecilia cried.

"Yes, I will make the Guardian Blade to heal his arm. But, to do that, I will need the Guardian of Life to revive the metal and the Guardian of Darkness to control it–"

Jack grinned as he held up a fist. "You can count on us. We will get them in no time!"

"But are you able to hear the Guardians' voices?"

Cecilia nodded. "Yes, I am a shaman of the Guardians."

"Then I leave it to you. Here"–he took out a gleaming white gem from a box and handed it to the sorceress–"this is the key you will need to release the sealed Guardians of Life and Darkness."

"Sealed?"

Guilt flashed across his face. "Yes… a thousand years ago when we came here, we made the painful choice to seal both Guardians in separate worlds, so that no one would be able to recreate the Guardian Blade and repeat the destruction we unknowingly wrought upon Filgaia…"

"I see…"

He shook his head, as if to push distant memories away. "The Guardian of Life is at a secret fountain hidden in the Forest Prison, while the Guardian of Darkness is sealed in a magic book called the De La Metalica… though where in Filgaia exactly, I could not be sure."

Hanpan scratched his head. "Well, we'll figure it out when we get back to Filgaia… we can return to Filgaia, right?"

Mariel smiled. "Yes, the gate between worlds will remain open now that it has been activated. You should be able to transfer back to Filgaia similar to the Elw shrine–"

A loud growl came from Jack. His face turned a bright shade of red as he gave a sheepish grin. Everyone burst into laughter.

Vassim broke into a grin. "It seems luck is on your side; I happen to have a good harvest of vegetables today. Stay until morning, the Forest Prison is a dangerous place at night."

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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The next morning, well-fed and in high spirits, Jack, Hanpan and Cecilia set out for the Forest Prison while Mariel stayed behind to help her brother prepare and watch over Rudy. Back among the tall trees, the black fog around them, they strode with hands on their weapons.

Jack heaved a loud sigh as though to cut the silence. "I hate this place… gives me the creeps."

"Me too," Cecilia admitted. "But I would go through it again if it meant saving Rudy. I hope the Guardian Blade will help heal his arm…"

Hanpan hopped over to her shoulder and patted her on the head. "I'm sure it will, don't worry about it."

The swordsman grinned. "You know what's ironic? All of us treasure hunters have been searching for the Guardian Blade for a long time… who would believe it if we pointed at Rudy and told them, 'You're looking at it'?"

The others laughed.

They continued along the dirt path, with the lantern and Cecilia's orb of light illuminating the area around them. Occasionally she reached into the abyss where the Guardians resided, asking for their advice, and they guided her towards the far end of the forest.

There, at the end of the path, was a large rock in the shape of a demon's face, the two holes above like upturned eyes, the large hole below like an open fanged mouth – the sight of it sent a shiver down the wanderers' backs. From within the mouth, a sphere of white light shone feebly, struggling against the black shackles around it. When Cecilia held up the key Vassim gave them, the shackles disappeared, and the white sphere floated past them.

They followed after the white sphere as it led them along the dirt path further into the forest, occasionally disappearing between the trees to reveal a secret path. They had to stop when monsters attacked, sometimes taking long enough to lose sight of the sphere, but they always found it patiently waiting for them a few feet away.

They soon arrived at a wide clearing, one that was not covered by black fog unlike the rest of the Forest Prison. Gentle sun rays shone between the leaves onto the pond, the watery surface gleaming as though made of crystals. As the sphere floated above the pond, its light grew brighter and brighter, a brilliant white light in the shape of a horse. The Teardrop crystal responded with an equally brilliant white shine, as a gentle voice flowed into Cecilia's heart.

"We exist to protect life… and life is the source of possibilities. One with life should cherish the possibilities to achieve – that is why it shines. If you wish to build the future, wield my power… in the name of Odoryuk, the Guardian of Life, your life will lead to the future."

The light separated into several white spheres that circled around Cecilia before disappearing into her. In the great Guardians' abyss, she could see a graceful white horse – no, a unicorn – prancing lightly as the silver spiral horn shone, the golden mane and tail gleamed, the red scarf around the neck billowing as though filled with wind.

Cecilia smiled. "Thank you, Odoryuk."

Now that they had the Guardian of Life, they began their search for the Guardian of Darkness, but the only clue they had was that the Guardian was sealed in a magic book in Filgaia called the De La Metalica. With no other leads, they returned to the Elw village, trying to ignore the stares that followed them, and initiated the transfer back to Filgaia.

Back in the familiar world of dry, barren wastelands, the first they did was to return to Adlehyde and update Emma on their situation. The latter gave an approving nod and said, "Good. Keep me posted."

After that they visited Master Anje at her makeshift office at Adlehyde Castle to ask her about the Guardian of Darkness and the book it was sealed in.

She thought for a moment. "The De La Metalica… I recall seeing that title at the library in Curan Abbey."

The sorceress nodded. "Then we'll need to go to Curan Abbey. But, Master Anje… may I ask for permission to bring Jack and Hanpan in with me? I know only women are permitted to enter the abbey, but I can't do this alone. I need their help."

Jack and Hanpan gazed at the sorcery mentor with shining, hopeful eyes.

Master Anje shook her head. "I really appreciate your work in protecting Filgaia from the demons. But parents leave us their daughters because they trust we will raise them in a very principled environment. As a teacher of the abbey, I cannot betray their trust." She smiled at their disappointed looks. "Therefore, I will allow it only if a staff member accompanies you."

Cecilia gave a deep bow. "T-thank you so much!"

After Master Anje wrote them a letter of introduction, the wanderers set out for Curan Abbey, a few days south from Adlehyde Castle Town. On the way Cecilia told them a little about her childhood at the abbey – studying Crest sorcery in classes, chatting with friends at mealtimes, the mischief her classmates got into while dragging her along… it had been barely a few weeks since she left, yet it felt like a long time ago.

"So we get to see where you grew up, huh?" Hanpan said. "Sounds interesting!"

Jack grinned. "Hey, we might learn what you're like as a kid! Who knows, maybe we'll have a good story to tell Rudy when we get back!"

She jumped. Uh oh, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring them after all.

The tall stone walls of Curan Abbey loomed into view. The gatekeeper smiled and welcomed Cecilia back, then disappeared indoors with Master Anje's letter. A moment later, a familiar nun emerged.

"Why, if it isn't Cecilia!" she said. "Have you been well?"

Cecilia gave a quick bow. "Yes, Sister Mary. It's been a while."

"Indeed." Her eyes went to Jack and Hanpan. "And these are your companions?"

"Yes. This is Jack, and this is Hanpan."

Jack gave a short wave of a hand in greeting, and Hanpan said, "How do you do?"

"I see." Sister Mary smiled. "It seems you have finally found friends to share your burden, Cecilia."

The thought brought a smile to Cecilia's face. "Yes… these two and one more, and a few others as well. I'm really glad to have them in my life."

"I'm happy for you. Come, I will escort you to where you need to go. The library, is it?"

But, as soon as they entered the building, a huge crowd greeted them.

Cecilia's former classmates shrieked as they pulled her into a massive group hug, chattering at the top of their voices, exclaiming at her now-short hair and travelling clothes that were different from the frocks she used to wear, complaining at the sorcery classes that had gotten more difficult after she left… her mind whirled at the words, mouth open but unable to answer before the girl spoke.

Jack and Hanpan snickered from the side, only to find wide eyes gawking at them. From the open doors to the classrooms, from the upper floors, from the open windows of the dormitory… although they were all adolescent girls, their eyes shone, and the treasure hunting duo couldn't help but to feel like a small rabbit in the eyes of hyenas.

Finally, when a few teachers and nuns sternly herded the students back to class, the chaos ended. The wanderers breathed a sigh of relief. With the hallways finally empty – though they still caught a girl peeking at them every now and then – Sister Mary led the way to the library where Cecilia had often studied, especially the night before exams. After a while of searching, they found the De La Metalica in the magic section.

Upon scanning the pages, Hanpan muttered, "This talks about forbidden alchemy from the Great Demon War… and they put this in a public library full of inquisitive students?"

Still, it was just a book. Even when Cecilia brought the key nearer to it, it just sat there. Wasn't this the Guardian seal they were looking for?

They soon found out why from the librarian: most of the books in the library, including the De La Metalica, were replicas. The originals were deemed too dangerous to be in the open, so there was a story about them being in a sealed library…

A thoughtful look came to Cecilia. "Could it be…?"

Sister Mary nodded. "I will accompany you to the courtyard."

Through a hidden door in the courtyard and past a stone door with the carving of the Teardrop was the sealed library. A hidden temple with brown brick walls, lit by blazing barriers at the edge, where Cecilia had once entered to release the seal on Water Guardian Schturdark. At the bottom of the spiral staircase, past several hallways was a large hall filled with shelves upon shelves of books.

"WOW!" Hanpan's eyes shone as he looked up. "Books! Books everywhere!"

Jack picked him up by the scruff of his neck. "Hold your horses, pardner… remember what we're here for."

Dangling from the hand, he crossed his arms with a scowl. "Right… and how are you planning to find the book without at least going through the cover? Use a compass?"

A grin. "We do have a Guardian compass, don't we? Hey, Princess! Can you find the book with the Guardian in it?" When a frown came in his direction, he added, "Uh, pretty please?"

Cecilia sighed, then reached into the abyss. Following the Guardians' voices, she went to a particular shelf, climbed the stepladder and pulled out a black-and-gold book. As she placed it on a nearby table and flipped the pages, the words seemed no different from the replica they had read earlier. But when she drew Vassim's key from her bag–

Flash.

They jumped and stepped back.

One page flipped on its own. And another, and another. Then a whole flurry of them, seemingly going on forever… but instead of words, power spread from the book.

The wanderers stumbled, their consciousness fading. Their eyes closed against their will as the pages drew them in.

Flash.

They disappeared, and the book closed gently as it landed on the floor.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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When they opened their eyes, they had to shut them again at the swirling purple magic circles everywhere, the purple runic characters blinking at the edges. All these purple coupled with the pulsating red walls made them feel a little dizzy.

"Ugh…" Jack shook his head. "The heck with this place?"

"Maybe it's the Guardian's trial," Cecilia suggested. "I remember the Guardian of Darkness is also the Guardian of Illusion."

He groaned. "Illusion? And maybe tricks? This is great…"

"Stop complaining and get going," Hanpan said. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can get out of this place."

Standing under an arch atop a stone platform, their only way forward was a narrow path that crossed the swirling purple, that branched and led to many other arches. A stone slab stood nearby with the words, "Without being frightened, without being influenced, without fear of the abyss, just go forward."

Without an idea what it meant, they shrugged and followed the path to another arch. However, the moment they stepped inside, they found themselves back at the slab.

"The heck?" Jack said.

Once again they went along the path, entering a different arch this time. Same thing.

Again and again they found themselves back at the stone slab, even after entering all the arches.

The swordsman frowned. "What's going on here? We're just following the paths and we keep coming back here."

Hanpan crossed his arms as he gazed at the slab. "Hm… it has something to do with this."

"'Just go forward'?" Cecilia echoed. "Maybe we're not supposed to make any turns?"

They followed the path once more, then stopped at where it turned. It was then they realised there was another stone platform with an arch in the distance.

Jack grinned. "'Just go forward', was it? Then this must be the answer! Gerominoooo!" He sped forward, sheathed sword raised.

Hanpan gave a squeak and hopped from his shoulder onto Cecilia's.

"Look out!" the sorceress gasped as he reached the end of the path.

But he didn't fall. He continued running forward on an invisible path, crossing the swirling purple, and landed on the next platform with a proud stomp.

"Oh, yeah!" he cried. "What a rush!"

Hanpan shrugged. "I guess literal straightforwardness works sometimes."

When they stepped through the arch, the platform they appeared on had a stone slab with carved words different from the previous, marking the start of the next puzzle. When they solved that, another puzzle. And another, and another.

But with Hanpan around, solving these puzzles didn't take long. One required them to rearrange five books according to the numbers in their titles. One required them to traverse a staircase twice, jumping down in between. Another required them to go through arches in a particular order, according to the words carved into them.

Just as Jack was starting to curse at the never ending puzzles, they emerged on a stone platform that was larger than the ones before, with a pulsating purple magic circle beneath them.

The Teardrop began to shine. Cecilia held it up, and in response, a sphere of purple light shone above them.

"Enter the world of De La Metalica," a deep, strong voice flowed into her heart. "I am the Guardian of Darkness and Illusion, I am Duras Drum. My trial is to test your knowledge and wit, which you have passed and brought you thus far. My secret dark ceremony is now given to you. However, forget not – knowledge is power, not good or evil save for how your spirit guides it. With this ceremony, the care with when and how to use it is the real knowledge."

With that the light separated into several smaller spheres that circled Cecilia once before disappearing into her. As she closed her eyes, she could see a tall humanoid figure with full purple armour, with clawed limbs, a shelled back from which dragonfly-shaped wings of yellow light extended, and two protruding claws from his shoulder blades that reminded her of the claws of a beetle. She clasped her hands together and whispered, "Thank you, Duras Drum."

"We've got both Guardians now!" Jack cried. "Let's hurry back to the Elw Dimension!"

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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As much as they wanted to hurry back to Rudy's side, they could only spend the days idling away aboard the Sweet Candy as they sailed from Adlehyde to Rosetta Town. Not only Jack, even the other two felt like they would go mad from all the waiting, so much that Cecilia summoned Wind Guardian Fengalon and Water Guardian Schturdark to speed up the sailing. And it worked, allowing them to dock an entire day earlier.

They ran the rest of the way as much as they could, striking down monsters without even sparing them a second glance, not caring even when the Elw villagers stared at them. They ran all the way to Vassim's cottage, only for their knees to buckle just shy of a few steps to the gate, gasping for breath. Mariel and Vassim burst through the front door to help them to their feet.

"Cecilia, Jack!" Mariel cried. "What happened?"

"We… we got the Guardians!" Cecilia said between gasps.

Jack nodded. "Get started, quickly!"

Vassim shook his head. "I will, but come in and recover your breaths first."

Inside, the wanderers' eyes narrowed at the sleeping Rudy, who was thinner than they remembered. Tears welled up in Cecilia's eyes, Hanpan hopped over to pat him on the head, and Jack muttered something about stuffing him with food when he woke up.

"Now that we have both Guardians, we can begin." Vassim closed his eyes. "Life Guardian Odoryuk and Dark Guardian Duras Drum… please answer my call."

The Teardrop glowed. Two spheres of light formed – one white and one purple – then shifted into the shape of a unicorn and a humanoid.

A nostalgic look washed over the Elw's face, and he gave a deep bow. "It has been a while. Once again, my sincere apologies for sealing you a thousand years ago…"

"It was our choice as well," Odoryuk said.

Duras Drum gave a nod. "And now you summon us once more. Is it for good, or for evil?"

Vassim looked up at them. "I ask for your help again, this time not to forge a weapon but to save a life. Please, lend me your strength."

The Guardians responded by turning into spheres that circled around him.

Closing his eyes, he clenched a fist. "I pray that this time the sword I forge will not be one of destruction, but rather one to protect the world…" He glanced at his sister, who nodded at him. "I shall recreate the Guardian Blade. In doing so, perhaps I can create hope for the future."

And, with shoulders squared with determination, he descended into the basement with Rudy in his arms and began work.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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Night passed, turning into day, then into night once more. The sound of a hammer striking an anvil rang throughout, strong, resolute. Unable to focus on anything but on their comrade, the wanderers waited around the table, occasionally pacing the floor.

Then, finally, footsteps.

They sprang to their feet, gazing hopefully as the Elws emerged with perspiring faces.

Vassim gave a tired smile. "The surgery was a complete success. The new, improved Guardian Blade has been successfully implanted as his new left hand."

Mariel smiled. "He's sleeping soundly now, but he should wake up in a day or two."

Everyone broke into a cheer, with Cecilia crying, Jack laughing and Hanpan hopping up and down with a squeak. Suddenly all their fear, all their worries for the past few days had melted away, as though they were never there. Their comrade was saved… that was all that mattered.

More time passed as they waited for Rudy to wake up. They all took turns to keep watch, waiting and waiting… yet he remained asleep. The air heavy, the smiles gone, everyone gathered in the cottage as they gazed at the boy in the bed – the same way he had been for the past week since the operation.

Jack frowned. "It was a success, right? So why isn't he awake yet?"

Silence.

Mariel glanced at her brother. "Vassim?"

A moment before the blacksmith responded, "It was a flawless surgery. Mariel's medicine is working well. There shouldn't be anything wrong…"

"Then shouldn't he be up by now?" Hanpan asked.

"Yes. If he is not awake yet, the only reason I can think of… is that he does not want to…"

"What…?" Cecilia shook her head. "Are you saying he refuses to wake up?"

"It is what I think. He has been forced to face the truth of who – or rather – what he is. This may be hard for him to accept… he might be hiding from this knowledge."

Silence. Everyone closed their eyes.

"I can understand why…" Jack sighed. "I would be the same way if I had just found out that I'm not who I thought I was…"

Vassim nodded. "He must decide on his own whether or not this is something he can live with. If this is indeed the case… we will just have to be patient and wait." A clenched fist. "Still, it makes me feel helpless…"

The others gazed at Rudy and gave the smallest nod. As if unable to watch, Jack turned away and stepped outside. Vassim turned as well, locking himself in the workshop.

Hanpan hopped onto the bed and patted Rudy on the head. "I think he will be fine… we have to believe in him, or he won't return to us." A moment passed, then he hopped back down and joined Jack outside.

Mariel clasped her hands together. "I wish I could take away all his pain and sorrow…"

Cecilia nodded, and clasped her hands together as well. The tears welled up in her eyes at the pain her heart felt.

She might not fully understand what he might be feeling, but the pain of being looked upon as something different from others – a noble, in her case – that was a feeling she knew very well. She wished she could talk to him, to comfort him… but what could she do to make him hear her prayer…?

.

End of Chapter Twenty Seven: Way of Illusion.

Author's Note:

Duras Drum was originally the Hades Guardian in WA (which made me go "?"), while in WAACF he's called the Evil Guardian (which I didn't like the sound of, especially since he says knowledge is neither good nor evil). Since an NPC in WAACF calls him the Dark Guardian, I decided to make him the Guardian of Darkness! Of course, I did my research and found there is a Guardian of Darkness called Leitea Salk… but he's in WA2, not WA / WAACF, so I think I'm still justified in this case. xD

But man, I miss having Rudy in the team already. Maybe that's why I didn't like the Forest Prison or Duras Drum's dungeon too much. :(