~The Lake of Tears~

Disclaimer: When I own RC:9GN, you'll see when a new episode comes. For now, I don't own it. Got it?

A/N: I hope you like this chapter! Sorry for the delay and I will apologize if there are any mistakes, errors, and/or typos!

…..

The Lake of Tears was probably the most chipper place in all of the Land of Shadows. Too bad it was also the most miserable place.

The Lake of Tears was huge lake with dark-blue, crystal-like waters. On one side of the Lake of Tears, there was a mysterious, breath-taking forest called the Forest of the Lost. One the other side of the lake, there was a colorful, beautiful meadow called the Meadow of the Blinded. Five rivers flowed in and out of the Lake of Tears, each river different than the other. The Lake of Tears was made of the tears all the beings of the Nine Realms have shed. Each river represents each type of tear a being of the Nine Realms has shed.

The first river was called the River of the Damned. Its waters were midnight-blue, and peacefully flowed throughout the Land of Shadows. But, the River of the Damned was made from the tears of the damned. The water could send anyone into a state of depression and despair. Only the water from the Spirit World could take away the affect of the River of the Damned.

The second river was called the River of the Broken. Its waters were sea-green, and flowed around the Lake of Tears like a moat. The River of the Broken was made of tears shed by those who were broken and lost inside. The water made anyone reveal their dark side and reveal all their deepest, darkest thoughts. The effect could last from a few minutes up to a few months.

The third river was called the River of the Tortured. Its waters were murky and black as night. The river was made of the tears shed by those who been tortured physically and/or mentally. A single drop of the water could make you feel pain for days. But, take a full drink? No one has lived to tell what happens.

The fourth river was called the River of the Hopeless. It looked harmless, with its milky-white waters flowing throughout the Land of Shadows. But, this river was fed by the tears of those who have felt hopeless or have lost faith. The River of the Hopeless has no effect if you were to swim and/or drink from it, but you could hear the voices of the hopeless when you near the river.

The fifth and final river was called the River of the Frozen. Its waters were ice-blue and frigid. The river's name is quite deceiving. It was fed by the tears of those who have sacrificed for the ones they loved and ended up suffering. Its other name was the River of the Sacrificed or the River of the Suffering. Whatever it was called, no one dared to go near the river.

They all stood in front of the River of the Broken, staring at the Lake of Tears. Carrie stepped forward, but Natalia grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Careful, Crescent," Natalia said. "That's the River of the Broken."

"Great," Carrie muttered, "how are we supposed to get across?"

"Is there a ferry?" Ally asked. "Or, perhaps—"

"Why don't we go over that bridge over there?" Avril asked, pointing towards a bridge farther down the riverside.

The bridge was made of dark red bricks, and it arched up above the water. There was a sign near the bridge, with a rusted iron pail hanging on a hook that was on the sign. The group walked over there, and saw the sign read "PAY THE TOLL OR DROWN IN THE RIVER OF THE TORTURED".

"That's very blunt," Randy commented, dryly. "But what's the toll?"

Avril looked into the bucket and saw it was full of flowers. She frowned and huffed.

"The toll is fucking flowers?" Avril asked, growling. "Okay, where is the owner of this bridge? I would like to have a word with him: face-to-wolf paw."

"Right here," a voice hissed.

Everyone jumped in surprise, and turned around. Standing on a bridge, there was a boy. The boy had messy, raven-black hair and pale white skin. His eyes were like the River of the Broken, sea-green and had a shattered gleam in them. He wore a pure black toga and a halo made of briars floated above his head. On his back were large, ebony angel-like wings. He had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at them.

"Damn," Alice said, dreamily. "Who's the hot-looking fallen angel?"

Ally smacked Alice's arm while Avril glared at the blonde.

The angel grunted, amused. "I am Dante, a water spirit of the River of the Broken," he said. "So…who is the one who insulted my choice of what kind of tolls I accept?"

Ally and Alice shoved Avril forward, causing the dark-haired girl to growl at them. She stood up, dusting the dirt off her. She placed a hand on her hip, while twirling her dagger with the other.

"I did," Avril said. "And, I had enough of all these challenges and obstacles. We'll get you the stupid flowers and be on our way!"

"Feisty one, aren't you?" Dante said, dryly.

"I'm also consider sassy, tough, bad-ass, and a really scary bitch," Avril shot back.

Dante narrowed his eyes, and pointed towards the meadow.

"That is the Meadow of the Blinded," he said. "I want three of you to go there and get me a bouquet of Bloody Roses. When you give them to me, I will make sure you have safe passage as you pass the Lake of Tears and to the destination you desire."

"No problem," Alice shrugged. "We just go and—"

"The Meadow of the Blinded is dangerous," Natalia said. "Whoever is naïve or has not had their innocence taken away; they will be blind as they walked through the meadow. Only those who are broken, lost, or know what it is like to have sacrificed it all to protect those they care about will not be blinded. So, Alice you can't go."

"Well why not?" Alice asked. "I'm pretty sure I'm not that innocent because I want to watch Randy and Nomi have the frick-frack!"

"We know that, honey," Ally said, rolling her eyes. "What Natalia is saying is that you're too naïve. If you go there, you'll be blinded. I can't go there, since I still have my innocence."

"Even though you read lemons," Alice teased, earning a flick in the ear from the brunette.

"I'm going," Avril said. "Since, I'm not naïve nor am I innocent."

"I can't go," Natalia grumbled. "I have to keep my innocence, or else Father will go nuts."

"I can go," Carrie muttered. "And, don't ask!"

Everyone looked at Randy and Nomi. Nomi stepped up, raising his hand.

"I'll go," Nomi said.

No one argued. Avril, Nomi, and Carrie started walking off towards the Meadow of the Blinded. Little did they know a harder task was at hand.

…..

Avril, Carrie, and Nomi wandered through the Meadow of the Blinded. Despite the dreariness of the Land of Shadows, the Meadow of the Blinded was actually very bright and pleasant. The skies were cyan, with fluffy white clouds floating along. The grass was bright green, with different colored flowers dotting the ground. Cherry blossom trees were scattered everywhere.

"Damn," Avril said. "This place looks amazing. It's a shame Alice couldn't see it. She would've gone crazy just looking at this."

"Natalia would've love seeing this too," Carrie sighed. "This is why I hate this place. The innocent and the naïve could never walk through here without getting blinded."

"Yeah, I hate this place even more," Avril grumbled. "Now, where the hell do we find Bloody Roses?"

"I don't know," Nomi said. "Perhaps we have to split up?"

"Good idea, Conikos," Carrie said. "Avril, you go north. Nomi, go to the west. And I'll go east. We meet back here by the poppies in ten minutes."

With a nod, they split up. Unbeknownst to them, two shadowy figures followed behind them. The figures were humanoid, probably female. Their long, curly hair was silvery white and floated around like flames. Their skin was deathly pale and had an ethereal glow. They wore long, black gossamer dresses and silver shackles on their wrists and ankles. Their eyes were milky white, with tears rolling down their cheeks. They were called the Wisps, a race of beings that roamed the Land of Shadows.

"For Lady Morgana," they hissed. "Destroy this quest and get the Chosen One!"

…..

Avril felt like she was being watched. No, she knew she was being watched. The Land of Shadows was filled with monsters that could jump her and fight her to the death. It was times like this that Avril wished she could forget that this was her first quest.

As the dark-haired girl walked, she held out her dagger, Unity, in front of her. Her eyes darted around, checking to see if anything was off. Even though she was just a newbie, the way she fought and acted made it look like she has been doing this for years.

'I'm a Hood,' Avril thought. 'My family are hunters, archers, and flipping werewolves! It's probably in my blood, or part of my instincts, or something!'

Avril stopped, and leaned against a willow tree. The sky started turning orange, probably meaning the sun was setting back home. She was surprised that she called Camp Walker her home. Ever since she stepped foot in Camp Walker, Avril was longing to return home. She wanted to be back in Hayward, with her family and living a normal life. But, Avril knew she was only kidding herself. There was no way she could be normal now. She was a Dimension Walker; a being with powers and a responsibility. There was no way to become normal again.

"What a pity," a voice whispered. "Life was so much simpler when you were normal, wasn't it?"

Avril straighten up, and pointed her dagger at a being in front of her. The humanoid being had long, curly hair that was silvery white and floated around like flames. Its skin was deathly pale and had an ethereal glow. The shadowy figure wore long, black gossamer dress and silver shackles on its wrists and ankles. Its eyes were milky white, with tears rolling down its cheeks. The figure was female, no doubt. That didn't help Avril ease up.

"What are you?" Avril asked, keeping the dagger pointing at the female's neck.

"I am Miseria," the woman rasped. "I am a Wisp, or a Dark Fairy. I spread misery and depression wherever I go. I especially will spread it to you, since you just ooze misery…"

Miseria grabbed Avril's wrist, and Avril's eyes turned milky white. The dark-haired girl let out a scream, and she fell to the ground.

…..

Meanwhile, Carrie was walking through a field of French lavenders. The smell of the lavender made Carrie remember the French countryside she used to visit with Papa.

Carrie hated thinking about the past, but she did for Natalia's sake since the girl loved thinking about old home in Venice. The purple-eyed girl remembered her old home in Paris. Her home was an apartment above a bakery called "Gourmandises", owned by Mademoiselle Rose. Mademoiselle Rose would always give her crêpes and petits gâteaux for free or when she was sad. Mademoiselle Rose was like the aunt she never had.

Then, there was her dad. Henry Crescent was a struggling artist and street magician. He was a kind man, with salt and pepper hair and warm hazel eyes. He worked part-time at the bakery and sold his artwork on the streets. Carrie lived as a middle class girl. She ate full meals, always had enough clothes, and had some dolls to play with. Though, that was her old life as Collette Lauren Crescent.

She changed her name to Carolina Laura Crescent, which an idea from a woman she met on the streets when she and Natalia were running away. Carrie kept her name, like Natalia. But, the woman said that if she was running away, that she should changed her name so no one could recognize her. She said her name could be Carolina Laura Crescent, and Carrie instantly loved it. It wasn't until Carrie was older she found out that the woman was her mother in disguised and told Carrie to go by the name Deamata wanted to give her.

On the subject of her mother, Carrie didn't know what to think of their relationship. Yes, Deamata was her mother, but the woman was a goddess. Even though the goddess of magic was always at camp, Deamata was busy with dealing with camp matters and arguing with her brother, Overseer. Carrie somewhat resented her mother. But, the goddess always managed to show Carrie that she loved her.

"What about your father?" a voice asked. "Are you forgetting he is still missing?"

Suddenly, something grabbed Carrie's shoulder and forced her to turn around. A female figure faced her. She had long, curly hair that was silvery white and floated around like flames. The woman's skin was deathly pale and had an ethereal glow. The shadowy figure wore long, black gossamer dress and silver shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were milky white, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"A Wisp," Carrie muttered. "Who are you?"

"I am Culpabilité," the Wisp said. "I spread guilt and self-blame wherever I go. I will spread especially to you, since you simply ooze guilt…"

Culpabilité tighten her grip, and Carrie's eyes turned milky white. The daughter of Deamata let out a scream, and she fell to the ground.

…..

Nomi stood in front of a field of roses. Everything seemed to be going great for Nomi. He had an easy walk, faced no monsters, and met a Shadow Fairy that told him where the Bloody Roses were. Now, all he had to do was find the Bloody Roses, regroup with Avril and Carrie, and head back to the others.

The rose field was about the size of a large valley. Roses of different kinds and colors spread across the field, either in groups or by themselves. Some roses were purple, like Randy's hair. Some were black as ebony. Each one was a different size, and they all had their own different scents. But, the roses he was looking for were crimson like blood and had ebony thorns oozing with red liquid. Nomi cursed under his breath as he almost tripped over something.

"Watch where you're going!" a voice exclaimed.

Nomi froze, and turned around. A girl, no older than sixteen, sat in among ghostly white roses. She sat in lotus position, glaring up at Nomi. Her eyes were ice-blue, with the whites of her eyes light purple. Her skin was ghostly white, and her lips were the lightest shade of blue. The ghost girl had long, curly hair that was dark purple with light purple highlights. She wore a long-sleeved, medium purple dress that reached down to her thighs, with a golden chain belt. Golden shackles were on her wrists and ankles, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Uh…my apologies," Nomi apologized, sheepishly. "Are…are you okay?"

"Of course," the girl said. "Why are you asking?"

"You're…you're crying," Nomi pointed out.

"No I'm not," she said. "It's just how we Dark Fairies are. Well…I'm not exactly a Dark Fairy."

She looked away, mindlessly playing with the chains of her shackles.

"I'm Fedeltà," she said. "I bring luck and good fortune to those who are loyal. Those who break their oaths and are not faithful, I bring them bad luck and terrible fortune. Unlike the other Dark Fairies…I'm nice…"

Nomi sat next to her. "Do all Wisps have shackles?"

"Yes," Fedeltá said. "They are bound to the Land of Shadows. I, however, am bound to the Spirit World. I'm only here in the Land of Shadows because I like hanging around the Meadow of the Blinded. It's the only place where people won't make fun of me…"

Fedeltá lay down, staring up at the sky. Even though she said all Dark Fairies cry, Nomi somehow knew the tears she was shedding now were real. The Japanese frowned, and laid down next to her. He stared up at the sky, marveling on how similar it looked to the sky back home. The sky was orange, mixed with pink and purple. Ghost butterflies fluttered over their heads, and the gentle breeze blew through the meadow. It was calming, reminding Nomi of his old home.

"Even the most beautiful and peaceful place in the Land of Shadows can hold dark and evil creatures," Fedeltá said. "You mortals should be wary."

"Of what, exactly?" asked Nomi.

"Ladri di anima, shadow creatures, the Mist of Misery, the Chaos Pearls, the Bloody Roses—"

Nomi raised his hand. "Hold on," he said. "Bloody Roses are bad?"

Feldeltá nodded. "Yes. Why? Are you searching for some?"

Nomi nodded. "Yes! My friends and I need them to pay a toll."

The fairy pursed her lips, and stood up. Nomi quickly got up, standing next to her. The fairy quickly walked ahead, with the Japanese following after. Feldeltá led Nomi to where the Bloody Roses were located. Nomi could only hope Carrie and Avril were all right.

…

Italian and French Translation

Miseria (Italian) = Misery

Papa (French) = Dad

Gourmandises (French) = Sweet Delights

Petits gâteaux = cupcakes

Culpabilité (French) = Guilt

Fedeltà (Italian) = Loyalty