p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot stood in the snow as he silently watched the body of Dahlia Hawthorne transform into that of an older woman. Her braids unraveled into long, flowing inky black hair that splayed out against the snow. The prosecutor knelt down behind her and gazed at her chest, smirking as he saw it slowly rise and fall. She would be all right, if only bound to have a splitting headache for a day or two./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Grunting softly, he gently lifted Misty's body up and began walking in the direction of the Training Hall. As he trudged through the snow, Godot pondered what to say to her once she came to. While he had stopped Dahlia, but there was nothing indicating what happened to Maya. A dreadful idea began to form in Godot's mind which was that the spirit had already murdered Maya and was out for more blood during their earlier confrontation. He shook his head, attempting to dispel such a terrible thought./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""That can't be right…" Godot mumbled to himself. If Dahlia had murdered Maya or the young medium was currently dying, Godot was sure he would've heard a noise, whether it was a horrified scream or a cry for help. It didn't make sense to him otherwise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Once he entered the Training Hall, he gently laid Misty out on the floor. He then picked up one of the spare blankets and draped it over her body. The only thing on his mind at that point was finding a trace of Maya Fey, so without hesitation, he left as quickly as he came./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"As he walked out into the cold, Godot scanned the plush blanket of white snow for any sign of the young woman. Upon crossing the bridge heading out from the Training Hall, Godot spotted a set of footprints in the snow which seemed to lead towards Dusky Bridge. Assuming them to be from Maya, he proceeded to follow them until they stopped at the foot of the bridge, or what remained of it anyway. Godot's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the rickety old bridge that he crossed to get here was now gone, reduced to a sole brown plank that partially rested on the ground./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot was positive that Maya had crossed the bridge to escape Dahlia which meant that there were only two possibilities as to where she could be. Either she was at Hazakura, shaken by her ordeal but alive, or worse, she was battling the swift and strong current of the Eagle River. Godot swallowed heavily, trying to fight the bile that was building up in his throat. He quickly pulled out his thermos of coffee and took a swig of it, gazing pensively into the river below./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"It seemed so easy, Godot thought. Keep little Pearl distracted by children's books in Elise Deauxnim's room, and in turn save the life of Maya Fey. He'd believed that it would work, that he'd never need to touch Misty's sword cane at all. Now, however, he was forced to face the ugly truth: that Maya was potentially in danger right now, and unless Pearl learned of her mother's true intentions, it would always remain the case./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot trekked back to the Training Hall in an angry silence, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to say. Once at the door, he heard soft groans coming from inside. He opened the door to find that Misty had woken up. The woman cradled her head with one of her hands, gently massaging it with her fingers as she grimaced./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Ugh…my head…" She groaned. Godot forced a smirk as he sat down in front of her, his arms folded across his chest./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see you've awoken." Godot commented. Misty glanced at him and smiled politely, nodding at him in acknowledgement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Y-yes." Misty said, before clearing her throat, "Now, tell me what happened. Where's Maya?!" Godot's smirk instantly fell, causing Misty to look concerned. He opened his mouth to say something, but to his surprise, he was at a total loss for words. An uncomfortable silence broke out in the room as Godot attempted to find the courage to speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Your daughter's missing. I searched for her, but as far as I can tell, she's no longer on this side." He said, "With any amount of luck, she may have managed to escape to Hazakura Temple, but the bridge is out for now, so we'll need to wait." Misty's eyes grew wide, and she stared at him intensely. Soon, the hand on her head started shaking, and eventually so did her whole body./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""No…em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"no…Maya…"/em Her voice was soft and dripping with terror. Suddenly, she let out a heartrending wail as she collapsed onto all fours, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth gritted in pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. All Godot could do was watch solemnly and sit with her in silent vigil./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Kitten…I'm sorry…/span/emspan lang="EN" He silently asked for forgiveness. It was while he was sitting with Misty that he began to feel an intense pain right above his nose. He rubbed the area with one of his fingers and was surprised to feel something wet. He drew his finger back to find blood covering it, some of it dripping onto the floor./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Shit…" He cursed under his breath. Godot remembered Dahlia knocking his visor off during their fight earlier. It must still be out there, lying in the snow. He looked back at Misty, who was in mourning over her daughter, and resolved to retrieve it later. He already needed to clean up the evidence of what had transpired tonight anyway./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot was disturbed from his thoughts by what sounded like exceptionally light snoring. He looked around and, to his surprise, saw a little girl resting in a corner of the room. Her head laid against the wall and her hair was done up in its signature pretzel loops. It was as if she had been waiting for someone, or em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"something/em, and simply dozed off. Godot's mouth drew back into a hard grimace. He may not have been able to protect Maya, but they could still save little Pearl./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Laurice flung the hospital doors open forcefully. Visiting hours had only just begun, and he was in a hurry to speak to his friends. He was about to rush past the front desk when a voice stopped him in his tracks./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sir, who are you here for?" Laurice turned his head and saw a small, brunette lady with wire framed glasses standing at the front desk. She was looking up at him from her computer screen, an unimpressed frown on her face. Though the lady wasn't unattractive, Laurice paid no mind to this with his response./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'm here to see Phoenix Wright!" Laurice stated. Internally, he noted how weird it was to refer to his friend by his real name. The lady frowned./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sorry sir. Family only." She spoke. Upon hearing this, the corner of Laurice's lips upturned into a smirk, and he cocked his head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Actually, I'm his brother." Laurice corrected, gesturing to himself with his thumb. The lady furrowed her brows together and stared at him confused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You're his brother?" She repeated, baffled by Laurice's "revelation." Laurice hummed in affirmation and nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Yup! You see, he's my adopted older brother! He decided to keep his biological mother's maiden name when we were growing up, so our last names are different!" He clarified. The woman stood there and stared at him for what felt like a long time. Laurice feared that his bluff wouldn't work, but then she sighed wearily and provided him with the room number. He quickly shouted a thanks before running in the direction that Phoenix's room was in. Upon bursting inside, he stood against the wall and took a few moments to catch his breath./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry?" A croaky voice called. Laurice looked up and saw the sorry sight that was his oldest friend. To put it lightly, Nick looked worse for the wear: his face was deathly pale; his eyes were glazed over and bloodshot; his bed was blanketed with tissues, and the actual sheets were hanging off the edge of the bed. In addition, his voice sounded like he'd smoked a pack of cigarettes, and his speech was peppered with bouts of frequent coughs. In spite of all this, Laurice was overjoyed to see that Nick was still alive. He dashed towards the edge of the bed, beaming from ear to ear./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Niiiiickkk! You're ok!" He cheered as he wrapped his arms around him, briefly forgetting his friend's aliment. He was close to bawling upon seeing him alive. In response Nick wheezed his lungs out, but he still wrapped one arm around Laurice's body awkwardly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry…I…" He whispered. Laurice's joy was short-lived, and he began started to chide his friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What were you thinking, man? How could you run off like that? You could've died, and em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I /emwould've been left all alllooone!" Laurice scolded him, a mix of fury and anxiety present in his voice. In spite of their sometimes-rocky friendship, Laurice rarely felt genuine anger towards Nick. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd spoken to him in a comparable manner. Yet, he'd spent the past twelve hours agonizing over Nick's safety; the least he could do was offer an explanation. His friend's gaze was unfocused, and for a moment, Laurice wondered if he was ignoring him. But then, Laurice spotted the slightest shift in moment from Nick's eyes, and he proceeded to look away from the young artist./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I'm sorry. It's just that when I saw Maya looking so terrified…all I could think of was getting to her." Nick explained. He then let out an exasperated sigh and squeezed his eyes shut, "But in all fairness, you could've stopped me you know?!" He rebuked. Laurice's brows furrowed together in annoyance as he glowered at his oldest friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How/em? How could I have done that, Nick?! By the time I knew what was going on, you were already halfway across the bridge!" Laurice argued. Nick rolled his glassy eyes in annoyance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Whatever, Larry…" He harrumphed, whether it was due to his sickness or in an awkward attempt to change the conversation, Laurice wasn't sure, "Anyway, have you seen Pearls?" Nick's voice was filled with concern. Laurice's mouth drew back into a grimace. He made the call last night, and a search party was formed, but they were still looking around Hazakura Temple. It would be at least another day before they'd start rebuilding the bridge. His mentor too had mysteriously disappeared last night, but Laurice hoped that both she and Pearl were in the same place. He needed to believe it, for his own sanity./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'm sorry Nick, I haven't found her yet." He said, "I reported her as missing, and they're looking for her. We'll find her soon, I'm certain." Nick's eyes lit up, and for the first time since Laurice entered the room, he saw him smile although only faintly. He slowly rose up in his bed, in a sitting position, and stared at him gratefully. Laurice wasn't sure why, but his cheeks grew warm upon being so close to his friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry…I don't say this very often but thank you." Nick said. Laurice nodded and smiled back at him. He turned to leave but before he could walk out the door, Nick cleared his throat, "Wait, Larry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hmm?" Laurice looked back; his brow raised quizzically./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""If you go to visit Maya, please don't tell her that Pearls has gone missing. I don't want to cause her any more distress…" Nick said, looking at him seriously. Laurice shifted his eyes, hesitantly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I don't know, Nick…" He trailed off, looking outside the window nervously./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Please, Larry!" Nick exclaimed, causing him to burst into a heavy coughing fit. Laurice held his hands out in defeat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Alright, man! I'll do it, but I can't make any promises." Laurice said. He then quietly stepped out of the hospital room, with his hands in his jean pockets./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Maya had been lying awake in her hospital bed for the better part of three hours. After she came to, she found herself unable to get back to sleep, her mind too overwhelmed by what happened the night before. Despite spending time in a freezing river, the previous night, the doctor had informed her that she'd be fine after some bed rest. Maya was unsurprised to hear this information, as it was rare for members of the Fey clan to catch colds./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"At present, Maya was settled down with a hot bowl of soup in her lap that was provided to her by a nurse. It was bland, and the bits of chicken inside were rubbery, but it was food. The door creaked open, and Maya looked up and saw Larry strut into the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hey Larry." She greeted in a tired voice, lifting her spoon up and waving it back and forth. She dipped it back into the bowl and blew on another spoonful before putting it in her mouth. Larry's face lit up noticeably, and he leaned up against the wall across from her bed, regarding her with a friendly smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hey Maya! I just got done seeing how Nick was doing, and I thought I'd swing by to check up on you!" He spoke. Maya smiled politely./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I'm fine, thanks." Maya affirmed, clearing her throat, "I'm feeling a bit tired, and my throat's a bit dry, but the doctor said I should be fine with a little rest." Larry nodded in understanding and looked up at the ceiling in thought. The room settled into a comfortable silence, aside from the clinking of the spoon against the bowl. Maya let out a relaxed sigh and leaned back into the hospital bed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Um, if you don't mind me asking." Maya gazed at Larry curiously as he began, "What happened last night?" One of his eyebrows was quirked, and he gazed at her worriedly. In response, she shot up, accidently flinging her spoon off to the side and some soup spilled onto her lap as well. In truth, Maya was unable to process what had happened last night, let alone articulate it. One moment, she'd been eating a warm and hearty meal of curry; the next, she was attacked by Sister Iris and was forced to battle the currents of Eagle River in order to escape. Still, the question on its own was harmless, so she took a deep breath and gazed into her soup nervously as she answered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I really don't want to talk about it right now." Maya said, swallowing heavily, "I'm having a tough time piecing it together myself." Larry's expression turned thoughtful./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see…Nick was really worried about you, y'know?" He spoke. Maya's face softened at the mention of her friend, and she chuckled lightly. When she really thought about it, she did faintly recall seeing Nick run towards her. She assumed he was trying to help her, but Maya's mind had been too fixated on getting to Hazakura at the time to acknowledge him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Of course, he is." Maya said, with fondness in her voice, "I'm amazed he decided to run across that bridge." Larry shook his head and smiled in amusement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I know! /emOne minute he's asking about little Pearl; the next, he's trying to get to you!" Larry chuckled. One of Maya's brows rose in surprise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Why would Nick be asking about Pearly?" She inquired. Maya was certain that her cousin had gone up to Elise Deauxnim's room to read books after dinner. Larry immediately covered his mouth and stared at her like a deer in headlights. This only caused Maya's suspicion to grow, and she leaned towards him, her gaze stern, "Larry, tell me what's going on." She urged, her tone growing more forceful./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Larry let out a high-pitched cackle and started stammering, looking at everything but Maya as if in hopes that an inanimate object could somehow help him provide a response. The lack of a proper answer caused all the color of her face to drain, and beads of sweat began to run down her forehead. The world around her started to spin as she began to fear the worst for her little cousin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You don't mean to tell me…she's missing? My Pearly's…missing?!" Her voice lowered to a horrified whisper. It was at that point that Larry stopped his feeble attempts to change the subject and instead regarded her with a solemn expression. His mouth was formed into a straight line, with not even the slightest quirk of his lips. It was a look that exhibited more seriousness than she'd ever seen from the young artist. His silence was disquieting to the young medium, but even if he had said anything, none of it would have comforted her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Pearly…Pearly… /span/emspan lang="EN"Her cousin was all that she could focus on at that moment. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Where on Earth could she be?! /emShe was supposed to be reading books! As if Maya were watching a movie, the events of the night prior replayed in vivid detail: there was Iris viciously hitting her over the head with the cane and potentially preparing to kill her then there was her descent and subsequent escape from the dangerous rapids of the Eagle River. Maya attempted to block out the horrific image that Pearl, for reasons unknown, had gone to the Inner Temple but this only proved to be futile. Right now, her cousin could be trapped on the other side of that bridge at the mercy of someone who had intended to kill Maya. Bile built up in her throat as she started to consider what Pearly could be going through right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Maya hunched over and buried her head in her hands as she began to hyperventilate, her fingernails digging into her hair and her heart pounding out of her chest. Her body shook so hard that the bowl was rocking so hard, sloshing the last of the soup over her sheets. There was also this uncomfortable lump in her throat, like a wound-up coil that was ready to spring into tears. But the only noise that managed to escape her throat were rapid breaths. She could hear Larry calling out to her, but she didn't respond. All that mattered was Pearly, her baby cousin and the last of her family. She had vowed to look after her after Morgan had gone to jail with the hopes of ensuring that her childhood was happier as well as safer than her own had been. But much in a comparable manner that she had failed Sis, she had now failed Pearly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Eventually, Maya started to control her breathing, and hesitantly she looked up at Larry taking notice of the guilt-ridden expression on his face. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide in shock. He proceeded to launch into a slew of apologies for having caused Maya distress. She now found herself having to comfort the young man./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""D-Don't apologize…If anyone should be sorry, it should be me." Maya's voice cracked, and she wiped away a stray tear that had begun rolling down her cheek. Though the apologies had stopped, Larry didn't look consoled at all by Maya's words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Maya, I promise that when we find her, you'll be the first to know." Larry assured, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Maya's eyes lit up, and she placed a hand over her heart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Thank you so much!" Maya exclaimed. Then, she looked down at her newly stained sheets and pursed her lips pensively, "Um…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What's up, Maya?" Larry tilted his head curiously. Maya took a deep breath and shut her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You like being called Laurice these days, right?" She cocked her head and opened one eye. Larry nodded, and Maya smiled at him warmly, "I just wanted to thank you, Laurice. I mean it." His face scrunched up and his nose crinkled as if he were about to cry. Maya was alarmed at first but was soon reassured as she saw a ghost of a smile in his quivering lips./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""emOh Maya/em…" He sniveled. Those were the only words that Larry could muster. After a few more moments, he exited the hospital room quietly, leaving Maya with only her thoughts and an empty bowl of soup as company./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Misty woke up on the tiled mat floor of the Training Hall groggily, her head throbbed, and there was a stinging sensation in her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the blanket that draped over her body. She examined her surroundings, but it seemed as if she were the only person in the shrine. Slowly, she rose up to her feet and rubbed her eyes, attempting to get rid of her tiredness. It took only a few moments for her to start recalling what happened the night before, but Misty attempted to block out those thoughts. She was about to leave the small shrine when she heard footsteps./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Misty's eyes widened in shock as she watched little Pearl walk through the entrance of the Training Hall. The little girl didn't seem to take notice of her, her attention instead directed towards a piece of paper that she was carrying in her hands. Pearl wandered over to an old scroll, one that was painted when Misty had just assumed the role of Master and sat down in front of it in a lotus position. Curiously, Misty tiptoed towards her and overheard her reciting a chant, which she recognized as being the one for channeling spirits./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl!" Misty cried. Pearl froze and opened her eyes. She peered up at the author, her chestnut brown eyes filled with surprise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""M-Ms. Elise? What are you doing here?" She exclaimed. It didn't take too long for Misty to produce an explanation. She had to resort to lying often during her early years in self-imposed exile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I came here to do extra research for a book I'm writing. It takes place on a snowy mountain, so I decided to do some exploring." Misty was lying through her teeth. Pearl tilted her head and searched Misty's eyes as if taking her explanation into consideration. She worried that the young girl wouldn't believe her, but luckily, Pearl nodded and smiled at her thoughtfully./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see." Her gaze returned to the letter in her hands, "I was just reading from this letter Mother wrote. She said that it was important, and I intended to follow the instructions in it last night, but I fell asleep." Misty's eyes widened in realization./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl…would it be alright if I could take a peek at that letter?" Misty asked, struggling to keep her voice calm. Pearl stared at her intensely, her teeth clenched together nervously and her eyes shifting back and forth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I…I guess? I showed it to you last night, but if you want to look at it again, I suppose it couldn't hurt." Pearl said, as she hesitantly handed it over to the older woman. Misty smiled at her weakly as she began to scrutinize it:/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN""Be careful, my dear Pearl./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Once night falls, the nun/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"should be there at 10 o'clock./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"As soon as you hear the lights-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"out bell, you must channel her/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"spirit. Leave everything up to her./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Her name is Dahlia Hawthorne./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"She is our ally and is extremely powerful./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"The whole plan rests on her abilities./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Here is a picture of her. Use it/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"when you channel her./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"I know you can do it./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Once this is completed to fulfillment,/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"burn the letter in the incinerator./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Also, make sure not to/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"tell anyone about this letter./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Gravely roast the Master in the/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"fire of Hades and bring our/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"vengeance to fruition."/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"As she read the letter, her expression quickly turned to one of horror. While she had received a brief summary of the contents from Prosecutor Godot, even that hadn't prepared her for what she just read. Pearl took note of her reaction, and placed a hand gently on her arm, "Is everything alright, Ms. Elise?" Misty smiled at her weakly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Y-yes, Pearl." Misty attempted to reassure, "I just recalled that Dusky Bridge burnt down last night." Pearl gasped in shock, and she fearfully looked towards the entrance to the Sacred Cavern./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What…Mystic Maya…" She whispered, her soft voice filled with worry, "What will happen to you…?" Witnessing the little girl's concern for her younger daughter touched Misty's heart. It reminded her of how close she and Morgan were once, when they were both children and too young to comprehend their respective roles in the clan. At the same time though, she couldn't bear seeing Pearl so upset, so she retrieved a small satchel that she brought along with her and pulled out some books from within./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I know. Why don't we read a couple books while we wait for her?" She suggested. Pearl perked up slightly at the idea, though her smile didn't reach her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'd like that, yes." The two of them then proceeded to spend the morning reading storybooks, with Pearl reading a few aloud on her own. Though Misty enjoyed her company, it was as Pearl was reading that she noticed something peculiar about the little girl. She wasn't sure how old Pearl was, but she seemed to have difficulty reading and pronouncing certain words. It appeared as though Morgan had done wrong by her in that regard, which didn't quite add up in Misty's eyes. While Morgan was never a perfect parent, Misty could distinctly recall overhearing her teach her twin daughters to read many years ago. What changed between then and now?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"After a few hours, the two of them ran out of books. Misty suggested going outside in order to keep Pearl occupied. She hated the idea of hiding her true intentions from the young girl, but it was unavoidable. Misty watched over Pearl as she rolled a snowball around, beginning to build a snowman./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prosecutor Godot approach her. He was a strange man, Misty thought, with an addiction to coffee and a penchant for overly cryptic metaphors. Before the events of the day prior, there was only one thing that she knew about him which was that he had been romantically involved with her oldest daughter in the past. At present, the coffee loving prosecutor was walking out of the Inner Temple Garden, his visor now reattached and his expression unreadable. She checked to make sure that Pearl was out of earshot as he stood next to her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She looks so happy…" Misty mused, sighing wistfully. Seeing little Pearl at play brought back memories of simpler times in Kurain Village back when Mia was a little girl. When it snowed, her oldest daughter would often insist on playing out in the snow all day and only come inside for a cup of her mother's hot tea. Misty smiled nostalgically as she thought of how Mia's face would often be tinged a rosy shade of pink. There was also a lingering sadness associated with this memory. Misty had failed both of her daughters on several occasions: Mia's murder and the resolution of DL-6 being among them. Now, she wasn't sure how she would approach Maya if they ever crossed paths again. Her reminiscing was disturbed by a loud clearing of the throat, and she looked over at her accomplice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She does." Godot agreed, "It's time." Misty raised a brow at the prosecutor's cryptic words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""How do you mean?" She asked. Godot looked up at the cloudy sky, his slow breaths producing faint wisps in the frigid air./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""That little girl still has no idea. She needs to be notified." He explained. Misty looked taken aback./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Surely, you can't be serious? She's only a child!" Misty barked. Worriedly, she looked back at Pearl to make sure she hadn't been startled by her exclamation. Thankfully, Pearl's attention seemed purely concentrated on her snowman. She was currently rolling a smaller snowball on top of the base. Misty sighed in relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""True, but she doesn't know what she nearly did last night," Godot started, "And as long as that remains the case, your daughter is akin to a lamb in a wolf's territory." Misty frowned at his words. She was loath to admit it, but Godot did have a point. Maya already had her life attempted on once, and knowing Morgan, it wouldn't be too long before she conspired to have her killed again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Yet, conflicted feelings arose as she thought of Pearl, the young girl unknowingly tricked into murdering someone she clearly loved. Misty didn't know how she could look into those innocent chestnut brown eyes and warn her about her mother's deceitful nature. She wasn't sure if there was anyone who could. Misty was well aware of the bloodshed between the branch and main families that had persisted since the beginning of their family's history, yet this was too far. She sighed heavily as she looked up at the sky, wishing that the clouds could provide her with guidance as to what to say./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'll…think about it." She stated, her voice uneasy. Godot grunted in frustration but made no attempt to argue with her. Misty directed her attention back towards Pearl, who was now rolling a tinier snowball onto the snowman. She managed to push it on with success at first, but much to her dismay, the snowball rolled off of the snowman's "torso". She rushed to where the ball landed and attempted to put the snowman back together. However, in doing so, she accidentally pushed the "torso" off and her snowman fell apart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Night had fallen at Eagle Mountain. Though the rest of the world was asleep, Pearl was still wide awake. Earlier, she had retrieved two of the spare blankets and placed one on the ground, laid down on top of it and pulled the other over her body. Though her situation was much more comfortable than it was the night before, she found herself watching the ceiling, her gaze unwavering. She was kept awake, not only out of concern for Mystic Maya, but also because of her desire to follow her mother's final wish; one that Pearl had regrettably failed to complete not once, but twice now. Pearl gripped the sheets tightly as a cold breeze suddenly wafted from outside, her breaths coming out in short, shallow bursts./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"At present, Pearl was all alone in the dilapidated shrine. Ms. Elise had left earlier, saying that there was some important business she needed to take care of. She promised the little girl that she'd be back soon, but hours had seemingly gone by with no trace of the kindly author. Pearl flipped over onto her stomach and noticed that the orange and pink hues of dawn were settling into the sky./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Resigned to her inability to get to sleep, she got up from her makeshift bed and stumbled over to the letter she had abandoned earlier. She sat in front of the scroll and was about to start reciting the chant for channeling spirits when she began to remember w Ms. Elise had reacted earlier. The author had seemed horrified by what she was reading for reasons unknown to Pearl, and when asked, had quickly changed the subject. It seemed suspicious to Pearl at the time, but she didn't have any reason to believe that Ms. Elise bore any ill intent./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Pearl turned the letter over in her hands and read it carefully, her fingers scrunching up the edges. No matter how hard she tried though, nothing seemed off./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Then, Pearl heard footsteps coming from behind. She looked behind her and saw Ms. Elise entering the shrine, wearing a grave expression on her face. This puzzled Pearl, but she was even more puzzled by the author sitting down on the tiled floor and motioning for her to come over. Pearl followed her silent instructions and sat down in front of her. It was upon closer inspection that she could better see the perturbed look on the older woman's face, her eyes refusing to meet Pearl's gaze. Pearl was unsettled by the author's behavior; she opened her mouth to express her concern, but she was soon cut off./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl, there's something you need to know." Ms. Elise spoke, she sucked in a deep breath and released it into a heavy sigh. Pearl placed her hand on the woman's arm, hoping it'd bring her some relief; but judging from the lack of change in her expression, it didn't seem to do much, "Your cousin has gone missing. She's been missing for the past two days, in fact." Pearl jolted in shock./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What? What happened to her?" Pearl cried. The author was once more silent. She shifted her eyes nervously as she responded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She was attacked, and in order to escape, she crossed Dusky Bridge." The older woman revealed, "But that's not all. You see, your cousin was attacked by a spirit named…Dahlia Hawthorne which is a name you've seen recently, I'm sure." Pearl's jaw fell agape as her mind went blank./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""B-but, that's not possible! Mother said she'd help the Fey clan!" Pearl squeaked. Ms. Elise looked down, her eyes shut tight, and her mouth drawn into a serious frown./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sadly…it's true; she manipulated you into following a plan that would remove Maya from the position and install you as Master instead." Ms. Elise said, "And the reason that I know this is because…my true name is Misty Fey, Maya's mother, and your aunt. A month ago, I was contacted and notified of this plan which brought me to this temple." Pearl opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Words escaped her, though the questions on her mind were countless. She gazed into her eyes, desperately looking for any sign of jest, but to no avail./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"After Ms. Elise, or Mystic Misty rather, had divulged all that information, an uncomfortable stretch of silence settled between them. Pearl tried to make sense of all of it, that maybe the older woman was mistaken./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Yet, something about what her aunt revealed did ring true in Pearl's mind. It hadn't even been two years since her mother went to jail and though hesitant at first, Mystic Maya had told her the truth about what had happened. When she went to visit her mother on death row last month, Pearl desperately hoped that she was trying to repent. That she really did want to help the Fey clan, Mystic Maya included. But it seemed as though she was wrong to believe in those words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Now, she wasn't sure what to do with herself anymore./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Grunting softly, he gently lifted Misty's body up and began walking in the direction of the Training Hall. As he trudged through the snow, Godot pondered what to say to her once she came to. While he had stopped Dahlia, but there was nothing indicating what happened to Maya. A dreadful idea began to form in Godot's mind which was that the spirit had already murdered Maya and was out for more blood during their earlier confrontation. He shook his head, attempting to dispel such a terrible thought./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""That can't be right…" Godot mumbled to himself. If Dahlia had murdered Maya or the young medium was currently dying, Godot was sure he would've heard a noise, whether it was a horrified scream or a cry for help. It didn't make sense to him otherwise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Once he entered the Training Hall, he gently laid Misty out on the floor. He then picked up one of the spare blankets and draped it over her body. The only thing on his mind at that point was finding a trace of Maya Fey, so without hesitation, he left as quickly as he came./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"As he walked out into the cold, Godot scanned the plush blanket of white snow for any sign of the young woman. Upon crossing the bridge heading out from the Training Hall, Godot spotted a set of footprints in the snow which seemed to lead towards Dusky Bridge. Assuming them to be from Maya, he proceeded to follow them until they stopped at the foot of the bridge, or what remained of it anyway. Godot's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the rickety old bridge that he crossed to get here was now gone, reduced to a sole brown plank that partially rested on the ground./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot was positive that Maya had crossed the bridge to escape Dahlia which meant that there were only two possibilities as to where she could be. Either she was at Hazakura, shaken by her ordeal but alive, or worse, she was battling the swift and strong current of the Eagle River. Godot swallowed heavily, trying to fight the bile that was building up in his throat. He quickly pulled out his thermos of coffee and took a swig of it, gazing pensively into the river below./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"It seemed so easy, Godot thought. Keep little Pearl distracted by children's books in Elise Deauxnim's room, and in turn save the life of Maya Fey. He'd believed that it would work, that he'd never need to touch Misty's sword cane at all. Now, however, he was forced to face the ugly truth: that Maya was potentially in danger right now, and unless Pearl learned of her mother's true intentions, it would always remain the case./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot trekked back to the Training Hall in an angry silence, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to say. Once at the door, he heard soft groans coming from inside. He opened the door to find that Misty had woken up. The woman cradled her head with one of her hands, gently massaging it with her fingers as she grimaced./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Ugh…my head…" She groaned. Godot forced a smirk as he sat down in front of her, his arms folded across his chest./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see you've awoken." Godot commented. Misty glanced at him and smiled politely, nodding at him in acknowledgement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Y-yes." Misty said, before clearing her throat, "Now, tell me what happened. Where's Maya?!" Godot's smirk instantly fell, causing Misty to look concerned. He opened his mouth to say something, but to his surprise, he was at a total loss for words. An uncomfortable silence broke out in the room as Godot attempted to find the courage to speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Your daughter's missing. I searched for her, but as far as I can tell, she's no longer on this side." He said, "With any amount of luck, she may have managed to escape to Hazakura Temple, but the bridge is out for now, so we'll need to wait." Misty's eyes grew wide, and she stared at him intensely. Soon, the hand on her head started shaking, and eventually so did her whole body./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""No…em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"no…Maya…"/em Her voice was soft and dripping with terror. Suddenly, she let out a heartrending wail as she collapsed onto all fours, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth gritted in pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. All Godot could do was watch solemnly and sit with her in silent vigil./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Kitten…I'm sorry…/span/emspan lang="EN" He silently asked for forgiveness. It was while he was sitting with Misty that he began to feel an intense pain right above his nose. He rubbed the area with one of his fingers and was surprised to feel something wet. He drew his finger back to find blood covering it, some of it dripping onto the floor./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Shit…" He cursed under his breath. Godot remembered Dahlia knocking his visor off during their fight earlier. It must still be out there, lying in the snow. He looked back at Misty, who was in mourning over her daughter, and resolved to retrieve it later. He already needed to clean up the evidence of what had transpired tonight anyway./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Godot was disturbed from his thoughts by what sounded like exceptionally light snoring. He looked around and, to his surprise, saw a little girl resting in a corner of the room. Her head laid against the wall and her hair was done up in its signature pretzel loops. It was as if she had been waiting for someone, or em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"something/em, and simply dozed off. Godot's mouth drew back into a hard grimace. He may not have been able to protect Maya, but they could still save little Pearl./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Laurice flung the hospital doors open forcefully. Visiting hours had only just begun, and he was in a hurry to speak to his friends. He was about to rush past the front desk when a voice stopped him in his tracks./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sir, who are you here for?" Laurice turned his head and saw a small, brunette lady with wire framed glasses standing at the front desk. She was looking up at him from her computer screen, an unimpressed frown on her face. Though the lady wasn't unattractive, Laurice paid no mind to this with his response./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'm here to see Phoenix Wright!" Laurice stated. Internally, he noted how weird it was to refer to his friend by his real name. The lady frowned./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sorry sir. Family only." She spoke. Upon hearing this, the corner of Laurice's lips upturned into a smirk, and he cocked his head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Actually, I'm his brother." Laurice corrected, gesturing to himself with his thumb. The lady furrowed her brows together and stared at him confused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You're his brother?" She repeated, baffled by Laurice's "revelation." Laurice hummed in affirmation and nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Yup! You see, he's my adopted older brother! He decided to keep his biological mother's maiden name when we were growing up, so our last names are different!" He clarified. The woman stood there and stared at him for what felt like a long time. Laurice feared that his bluff wouldn't work, but then she sighed wearily and provided him with the room number. He quickly shouted a thanks before running in the direction that Phoenix's room was in. Upon bursting inside, he stood against the wall and took a few moments to catch his breath./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry?" A croaky voice called. Laurice looked up and saw the sorry sight that was his oldest friend. To put it lightly, Nick looked worse for the wear: his face was deathly pale; his eyes were glazed over and bloodshot; his bed was blanketed with tissues, and the actual sheets were hanging off the edge of the bed. In addition, his voice sounded like he'd smoked a pack of cigarettes, and his speech was peppered with bouts of frequent coughs. In spite of all this, Laurice was overjoyed to see that Nick was still alive. He dashed towards the edge of the bed, beaming from ear to ear./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Niiiiickkk! You're ok!" He cheered as he wrapped his arms around him, briefly forgetting his friend's aliment. He was close to bawling upon seeing him alive. In response Nick wheezed his lungs out, but he still wrapped one arm around Laurice's body awkwardly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry…I…" He whispered. Laurice's joy was short-lived, and he began started to chide his friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What were you thinking, man? How could you run off like that? You could've died, and em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I /emwould've been left all alllooone!" Laurice scolded him, a mix of fury and anxiety present in his voice. In spite of their sometimes-rocky friendship, Laurice rarely felt genuine anger towards Nick. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd spoken to him in a comparable manner. Yet, he'd spent the past twelve hours agonizing over Nick's safety; the least he could do was offer an explanation. His friend's gaze was unfocused, and for a moment, Laurice wondered if he was ignoring him. But then, Laurice spotted the slightest shift in moment from Nick's eyes, and he proceeded to look away from the young artist./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I'm sorry. It's just that when I saw Maya looking so terrified…all I could think of was getting to her." Nick explained. He then let out an exasperated sigh and squeezed his eyes shut, "But in all fairness, you could've stopped me you know?!" He rebuked. Laurice's brows furrowed together in annoyance as he glowered at his oldest friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How/em? How could I have done that, Nick?! By the time I knew what was going on, you were already halfway across the bridge!" Laurice argued. Nick rolled his glassy eyes in annoyance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Whatever, Larry…" He harrumphed, whether it was due to his sickness or in an awkward attempt to change the conversation, Laurice wasn't sure, "Anyway, have you seen Pearls?" Nick's voice was filled with concern. Laurice's mouth drew back into a grimace. He made the call last night, and a search party was formed, but they were still looking around Hazakura Temple. It would be at least another day before they'd start rebuilding the bridge. His mentor too had mysteriously disappeared last night, but Laurice hoped that both she and Pearl were in the same place. He needed to believe it, for his own sanity./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'm sorry Nick, I haven't found her yet." He said, "I reported her as missing, and they're looking for her. We'll find her soon, I'm certain." Nick's eyes lit up, and for the first time since Laurice entered the room, he saw him smile although only faintly. He slowly rose up in his bed, in a sitting position, and stared at him gratefully. Laurice wasn't sure why, but his cheeks grew warm upon being so close to his friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Larry…I don't say this very often but thank you." Nick said. Laurice nodded and smiled back at him. He turned to leave but before he could walk out the door, Nick cleared his throat, "Wait, Larry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hmm?" Laurice looked back; his brow raised quizzically./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""If you go to visit Maya, please don't tell her that Pearls has gone missing. I don't want to cause her any more distress…" Nick said, looking at him seriously. Laurice shifted his eyes, hesitantly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I don't know, Nick…" He trailed off, looking outside the window nervously./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Please, Larry!" Nick exclaimed, causing him to burst into a heavy coughing fit. Laurice held his hands out in defeat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Alright, man! I'll do it, but I can't make any promises." Laurice said. He then quietly stepped out of the hospital room, with his hands in his jean pockets./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Maya had been lying awake in her hospital bed for the better part of three hours. After she came to, she found herself unable to get back to sleep, her mind too overwhelmed by what happened the night before. Despite spending time in a freezing river, the previous night, the doctor had informed her that she'd be fine after some bed rest. Maya was unsurprised to hear this information, as it was rare for members of the Fey clan to catch colds./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"At present, Maya was settled down with a hot bowl of soup in her lap that was provided to her by a nurse. It was bland, and the bits of chicken inside were rubbery, but it was food. The door creaked open, and Maya looked up and saw Larry strut into the room./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hey Larry." She greeted in a tired voice, lifting her spoon up and waving it back and forth. She dipped it back into the bowl and blew on another spoonful before putting it in her mouth. Larry's face lit up noticeably, and he leaned up against the wall across from her bed, regarding her with a friendly smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Hey Maya! I just got done seeing how Nick was doing, and I thought I'd swing by to check up on you!" He spoke. Maya smiled politely./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I'm fine, thanks." Maya affirmed, clearing her throat, "I'm feeling a bit tired, and my throat's a bit dry, but the doctor said I should be fine with a little rest." Larry nodded in understanding and looked up at the ceiling in thought. The room settled into a comfortable silence, aside from the clinking of the spoon against the bowl. Maya let out a relaxed sigh and leaned back into the hospital bed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Um, if you don't mind me asking." Maya gazed at Larry curiously as he began, "What happened last night?" One of his eyebrows was quirked, and he gazed at her worriedly. In response, she shot up, accidently flinging her spoon off to the side and some soup spilled onto her lap as well. In truth, Maya was unable to process what had happened last night, let alone articulate it. One moment, she'd been eating a warm and hearty meal of curry; the next, she was attacked by Sister Iris and was forced to battle the currents of Eagle River in order to escape. Still, the question on its own was harmless, so she took a deep breath and gazed into her soup nervously as she answered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I-I really don't want to talk about it right now." Maya said, swallowing heavily, "I'm having a tough time piecing it together myself." Larry's expression turned thoughtful./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see…Nick was really worried about you, y'know?" He spoke. Maya's face softened at the mention of her friend, and she chuckled lightly. When she really thought about it, she did faintly recall seeing Nick run towards her. She assumed he was trying to help her, but Maya's mind had been too fixated on getting to Hazakura at the time to acknowledge him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Of course, he is." Maya said, with fondness in her voice, "I'm amazed he decided to run across that bridge." Larry shook his head and smiled in amusement./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I know! /emOne minute he's asking about little Pearl; the next, he's trying to get to you!" Larry chuckled. One of Maya's brows rose in surprise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Why would Nick be asking about Pearly?" She inquired. Maya was certain that her cousin had gone up to Elise Deauxnim's room to read books after dinner. Larry immediately covered his mouth and stared at her like a deer in headlights. This only caused Maya's suspicion to grow, and she leaned towards him, her gaze stern, "Larry, tell me what's going on." She urged, her tone growing more forceful./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Larry let out a high-pitched cackle and started stammering, looking at everything but Maya as if in hopes that an inanimate object could somehow help him provide a response. The lack of a proper answer caused all the color of her face to drain, and beads of sweat began to run down her forehead. The world around her started to spin as she began to fear the worst for her little cousin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You don't mean to tell me…she's missing? My Pearly's…missing?!" Her voice lowered to a horrified whisper. It was at that point that Larry stopped his feeble attempts to change the subject and instead regarded her with a solemn expression. His mouth was formed into a straight line, with not even the slightest quirk of his lips. It was a look that exhibited more seriousness than she'd ever seen from the young artist. His silence was disquieting to the young medium, but even if he had said anything, none of it would have comforted her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Pearly…Pearly… /span/emspan lang="EN"Her cousin was all that she could focus on at that moment. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Where on Earth could she be?! /emShe was supposed to be reading books! As if Maya were watching a movie, the events of the night prior replayed in vivid detail: there was Iris viciously hitting her over the head with the cane and potentially preparing to kill her then there was her descent and subsequent escape from the dangerous rapids of the Eagle River. Maya attempted to block out the horrific image that Pearl, for reasons unknown, had gone to the Inner Temple but this only proved to be futile. Right now, her cousin could be trapped on the other side of that bridge at the mercy of someone who had intended to kill Maya. Bile built up in her throat as she started to consider what Pearly could be going through right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Maya hunched over and buried her head in her hands as she began to hyperventilate, her fingernails digging into her hair and her heart pounding out of her chest. Her body shook so hard that the bowl was rocking so hard, sloshing the last of the soup over her sheets. There was also this uncomfortable lump in her throat, like a wound-up coil that was ready to spring into tears. But the only noise that managed to escape her throat were rapid breaths. She could hear Larry calling out to her, but she didn't respond. All that mattered was Pearly, her baby cousin and the last of her family. She had vowed to look after her after Morgan had gone to jail with the hopes of ensuring that her childhood was happier as well as safer than her own had been. But much in a comparable manner that she had failed Sis, she had now failed Pearly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Eventually, Maya started to control her breathing, and hesitantly she looked up at Larry taking notice of the guilt-ridden expression on his face. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide in shock. He proceeded to launch into a slew of apologies for having caused Maya distress. She now found herself having to comfort the young man./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""D-Don't apologize…If anyone should be sorry, it should be me." Maya's voice cracked, and she wiped away a stray tear that had begun rolling down her cheek. Though the apologies had stopped, Larry didn't look consoled at all by Maya's words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Maya, I promise that when we find her, you'll be the first to know." Larry assured, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Maya's eyes lit up, and she placed a hand over her heart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Thank you so much!" Maya exclaimed. Then, she looked down at her newly stained sheets and pursed her lips pensively, "Um…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What's up, Maya?" Larry tilted his head curiously. Maya took a deep breath and shut her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""You like being called Laurice these days, right?" She cocked her head and opened one eye. Larry nodded, and Maya smiled at him warmly, "I just wanted to thank you, Laurice. I mean it." His face scrunched up and his nose crinkled as if he were about to cry. Maya was alarmed at first but was soon reassured as she saw a ghost of a smile in his quivering lips./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""emOh Maya/em…" He sniveled. Those were the only words that Larry could muster. After a few more moments, he exited the hospital room quietly, leaving Maya with only her thoughts and an empty bowl of soup as company./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Misty woke up on the tiled mat floor of the Training Hall groggily, her head throbbed, and there was a stinging sensation in her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the blanket that draped over her body. She examined her surroundings, but it seemed as if she were the only person in the shrine. Slowly, she rose up to her feet and rubbed her eyes, attempting to get rid of her tiredness. It took only a few moments for her to start recalling what happened the night before, but Misty attempted to block out those thoughts. She was about to leave the small shrine when she heard footsteps./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Misty's eyes widened in shock as she watched little Pearl walk through the entrance of the Training Hall. The little girl didn't seem to take notice of her, her attention instead directed towards a piece of paper that she was carrying in her hands. Pearl wandered over to an old scroll, one that was painted when Misty had just assumed the role of Master and sat down in front of it in a lotus position. Curiously, Misty tiptoed towards her and overheard her reciting a chant, which she recognized as being the one for channeling spirits./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl!" Misty cried. Pearl froze and opened her eyes. She peered up at the author, her chestnut brown eyes filled with surprise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""M-Ms. Elise? What are you doing here?" She exclaimed. It didn't take too long for Misty to produce an explanation. She had to resort to lying often during her early years in self-imposed exile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I came here to do extra research for a book I'm writing. It takes place on a snowy mountain, so I decided to do some exploring." Misty was lying through her teeth. Pearl tilted her head and searched Misty's eyes as if taking her explanation into consideration. She worried that the young girl wouldn't believe her, but luckily, Pearl nodded and smiled at her thoughtfully./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I see." Her gaze returned to the letter in her hands, "I was just reading from this letter Mother wrote. She said that it was important, and I intended to follow the instructions in it last night, but I fell asleep." Misty's eyes widened in realization./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl…would it be alright if I could take a peek at that letter?" Misty asked, struggling to keep her voice calm. Pearl stared at her intensely, her teeth clenched together nervously and her eyes shifting back and forth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I…I guess? I showed it to you last night, but if you want to look at it again, I suppose it couldn't hurt." Pearl said, as she hesitantly handed it over to the older woman. Misty smiled at her weakly as she began to scrutinize it:/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN""Be careful, my dear Pearl./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Once night falls, the nun/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"should be there at 10 o'clock./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"As soon as you hear the lights-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"out bell, you must channel her/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"spirit. Leave everything up to her./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Her name is Dahlia Hawthorne./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"She is our ally and is extremely powerful./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"The whole plan rests on her abilities./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Here is a picture of her. Use it/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"when you channel her./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"I know you can do it./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Once this is completed to fulfillment,/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"burn the letter in the incinerator./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Also, make sure not to/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"tell anyone about this letter./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"Gravely roast the Master in the/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"fire of Hades and bring our/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN"vengeance to fruition."/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"As she read the letter, her expression quickly turned to one of horror. While she had received a brief summary of the contents from Prosecutor Godot, even that hadn't prepared her for what she just read. Pearl took note of her reaction, and placed a hand gently on her arm, "Is everything alright, Ms. Elise?" Misty smiled at her weakly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Y-yes, Pearl." Misty attempted to reassure, "I just recalled that Dusky Bridge burnt down last night." Pearl gasped in shock, and she fearfully looked towards the entrance to the Sacred Cavern./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What…Mystic Maya…" She whispered, her soft voice filled with worry, "What will happen to you…?" Witnessing the little girl's concern for her younger daughter touched Misty's heart. It reminded her of how close she and Morgan were once, when they were both children and too young to comprehend their respective roles in the clan. At the same time though, she couldn't bear seeing Pearl so upset, so she retrieved a small satchel that she brought along with her and pulled out some books from within./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I know. Why don't we read a couple books while we wait for her?" She suggested. Pearl perked up slightly at the idea, though her smile didn't reach her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'd like that, yes." The two of them then proceeded to spend the morning reading storybooks, with Pearl reading a few aloud on her own. Though Misty enjoyed her company, it was as Pearl was reading that she noticed something peculiar about the little girl. She wasn't sure how old Pearl was, but she seemed to have difficulty reading and pronouncing certain words. It appeared as though Morgan had done wrong by her in that regard, which didn't quite add up in Misty's eyes. While Morgan was never a perfect parent, Misty could distinctly recall overhearing her teach her twin daughters to read many years ago. What changed between then and now?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"After a few hours, the two of them ran out of books. Misty suggested going outside in order to keep Pearl occupied. She hated the idea of hiding her true intentions from the young girl, but it was unavoidable. Misty watched over Pearl as she rolled a snowball around, beginning to build a snowman./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prosecutor Godot approach her. He was a strange man, Misty thought, with an addiction to coffee and a penchant for overly cryptic metaphors. Before the events of the day prior, there was only one thing that she knew about him which was that he had been romantically involved with her oldest daughter in the past. At present, the coffee loving prosecutor was walking out of the Inner Temple Garden, his visor now reattached and his expression unreadable. She checked to make sure that Pearl was out of earshot as he stood next to her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She looks so happy…" Misty mused, sighing wistfully. Seeing little Pearl at play brought back memories of simpler times in Kurain Village back when Mia was a little girl. When it snowed, her oldest daughter would often insist on playing out in the snow all day and only come inside for a cup of her mother's hot tea. Misty smiled nostalgically as she thought of how Mia's face would often be tinged a rosy shade of pink. There was also a lingering sadness associated with this memory. Misty had failed both of her daughters on several occasions: Mia's murder and the resolution of DL-6 being among them. Now, she wasn't sure how she would approach Maya if they ever crossed paths again. Her reminiscing was disturbed by a loud clearing of the throat, and she looked over at her accomplice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She does." Godot agreed, "It's time." Misty raised a brow at the prosecutor's cryptic words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""How do you mean?" She asked. Godot looked up at the cloudy sky, his slow breaths producing faint wisps in the frigid air./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""That little girl still has no idea. She needs to be notified." He explained. Misty looked taken aback./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Surely, you can't be serious? She's only a child!" Misty barked. Worriedly, she looked back at Pearl to make sure she hadn't been startled by her exclamation. Thankfully, Pearl's attention seemed purely concentrated on her snowman. She was currently rolling a smaller snowball on top of the base. Misty sighed in relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""True, but she doesn't know what she nearly did last night," Godot started, "And as long as that remains the case, your daughter is akin to a lamb in a wolf's territory." Misty frowned at his words. She was loath to admit it, but Godot did have a point. Maya already had her life attempted on once, and knowing Morgan, it wouldn't be too long before she conspired to have her killed again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Yet, conflicted feelings arose as she thought of Pearl, the young girl unknowingly tricked into murdering someone she clearly loved. Misty didn't know how she could look into those innocent chestnut brown eyes and warn her about her mother's deceitful nature. She wasn't sure if there was anyone who could. Misty was well aware of the bloodshed between the branch and main families that had persisted since the beginning of their family's history, yet this was too far. She sighed heavily as she looked up at the sky, wishing that the clouds could provide her with guidance as to what to say./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""I'll…think about it." She stated, her voice uneasy. Godot grunted in frustration but made no attempt to argue with her. Misty directed her attention back towards Pearl, who was now rolling a tinier snowball onto the snowman. She managed to push it on with success at first, but much to her dismay, the snowball rolled off of the snowman's "torso". She rushed to where the ball landed and attempted to put the snowman back together. However, in doing so, she accidentally pushed the "torso" off and her snowman fell apart./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Night had fallen at Eagle Mountain. Though the rest of the world was asleep, Pearl was still wide awake. Earlier, she had retrieved two of the spare blankets and placed one on the ground, laid down on top of it and pulled the other over her body. Though her situation was much more comfortable than it was the night before, she found herself watching the ceiling, her gaze unwavering. She was kept awake, not only out of concern for Mystic Maya, but also because of her desire to follow her mother's final wish; one that Pearl had regrettably failed to complete not once, but twice now. Pearl gripped the sheets tightly as a cold breeze suddenly wafted from outside, her breaths coming out in short, shallow bursts./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"At present, Pearl was all alone in the dilapidated shrine. Ms. Elise had left earlier, saying that there was some important business she needed to take care of. She promised the little girl that she'd be back soon, but hours had seemingly gone by with no trace of the kindly author. Pearl flipped over onto her stomach and noticed that the orange and pink hues of dawn were settling into the sky./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Resigned to her inability to get to sleep, she got up from her makeshift bed and stumbled over to the letter she had abandoned earlier. She sat in front of the scroll and was about to start reciting the chant for channeling spirits when she began to remember w Ms. Elise had reacted earlier. The author had seemed horrified by what she was reading for reasons unknown to Pearl, and when asked, had quickly changed the subject. It seemed suspicious to Pearl at the time, but she didn't have any reason to believe that Ms. Elise bore any ill intent./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Pearl turned the letter over in her hands and read it carefully, her fingers scrunching up the edges. No matter how hard she tried though, nothing seemed off./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Then, Pearl heard footsteps coming from behind. She looked behind her and saw Ms. Elise entering the shrine, wearing a grave expression on her face. This puzzled Pearl, but she was even more puzzled by the author sitting down on the tiled floor and motioning for her to come over. Pearl followed her silent instructions and sat down in front of her. It was upon closer inspection that she could better see the perturbed look on the older woman's face, her eyes refusing to meet Pearl's gaze. Pearl was unsettled by the author's behavior; she opened her mouth to express her concern, but she was soon cut off./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Pearl, there's something you need to know." Ms. Elise spoke, she sucked in a deep breath and released it into a heavy sigh. Pearl placed her hand on the woman's arm, hoping it'd bring her some relief; but judging from the lack of change in her expression, it didn't seem to do much, "Your cousin has gone missing. She's been missing for the past two days, in fact." Pearl jolted in shock./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""What? What happened to her?" Pearl cried. The author was once more silent. She shifted her eyes nervously as she responded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""She was attacked, and in order to escape, she crossed Dusky Bridge." The older woman revealed, "But that's not all. You see, your cousin was attacked by a spirit named…Dahlia Hawthorne which is a name you've seen recently, I'm sure." Pearl's jaw fell agape as her mind went blank./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""B-but, that's not possible! Mother said she'd help the Fey clan!" Pearl squeaked. Ms. Elise looked down, her eyes shut tight, and her mouth drawn into a serious frown./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN""Sadly…it's true; she manipulated you into following a plan that would remove Maya from the position and install you as Master instead." Ms. Elise said, "And the reason that I know this is because…my true name is Misty Fey, Maya's mother, and your aunt. A month ago, I was contacted and notified of this plan which brought me to this temple." Pearl opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Words escaped her, though the questions on her mind were countless. She gazed into her eyes, desperately looking for any sign of jest, but to no avail./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"After Ms. Elise, or Mystic Misty rather, had divulged all that information, an uncomfortable stretch of silence settled between them. Pearl tried to make sense of all of it, that maybe the older woman was mistaken./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Yet, something about what her aunt revealed did ring true in Pearl's mind. It hadn't even been two years since her mother went to jail and though hesitant at first, Mystic Maya had told her the truth about what had happened. When she went to visit her mother on death row last month, Pearl desperately hoped that she was trying to repent. That she really did want to help the Fey clan, Mystic Maya included. But it seemed as though she was wrong to believe in those words./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN"Now, she wasn't sure what to do with herself anymore./span/p