Chapter one: The truth is too much!
L's P.O.V.
We make it to the hedge maze as Light's friends brings us around back to it then leaves having too much to tend to so can't stay for long.
Discord appears in front of us. "This is a game." He says. "There are simple rules. No magic and everyone must play or I win." He smirks. "Good luck!" He then vanishes again.
Light looks to us as we flank him. "No matter what we will win against Discord. We can do this together."
We turn to the hedge maze looking determined. "Together." We say in unison as best as we can while moving one foot forward.
Then out of now where like we tripped a trap hedge walls appear between us staring from the right side then moving to the left until we are separated no way to go back as it is blocked off.
"Meet in the center! We'll regroup there!" Light calls.
"Rodger that!" I reply with a small smile.
"See you there!" Matt also replies.
"Meet you in the center!" Halle is the next to reply.
"On it!" Near also adds his own vocal reply.
I begin moving heading down the only way to go.
There are kind of faint footsteps letting me know the others have also begun to move.
I race through the maze trying to get to the center. I turn corners as I look for any signs of the space in the middle that has to be the center or it would be impossible to find. I notice something on the ground making me skid to a stop. I turn to look.
My eyes are not playing tricks on me.
There are three strawberries laying on the ground with part of their stems still.
Suddenly they start rolling away as if they have a mind of their own.
I watch them confused. "What the hell?" I chase after them following them through the maze until I find myself in what looks like a strawberry field with strawberry bushes around as if waiting to be harvested.
The hedge's don't seem to exist here so this means I must be no longer in the maze.
I walk forward glancing around a little. "Where am I?" I know for a fact Light's friend doesn't have a place like this.
Suddenly one of the strawberries fall from the bush next to me followed by others with all bushes giving up at least one that roll into three groups.
There are low snickers as if it's their hello as the three groups roll around me.
"What the?" I question this glancing around a little as the three groups of rolling strawberries move around me in a circle.
One group move up to kind of look like some sort of strange living creature with a mouth and eyes that have pupils as well as some teeth made from the stems of the strawberries. "We are the keepers of the grove of truth." It says. "You may ask us." It goes back to being a pile of strawberries.
The second group raises. "One question. Future or present." It then goes back to being a pile of strawberries.
"But be warned." The third group speaks rising. "That the truth may not always be pleasant." It then goes back to being a pile of strawberries.
"Ok." I say looking a little thoughtful. "I have only a ten percent chance I should trust this place but I have a real bad question." I say then I look to the general area of the groups of strawberries. "What's going to come from this here mission?" I ask.
The three groups stop rolling suddenly then they begin to roll deeper into the orchard of strawberry bushes telling me to follow them.
I do and we come up to a small lake that could be considered a huge puddle instead of an actual lake. I walk up to it and stop at the edge with the keepers of the grove of truth flanking me.
Two on my left and one on my right as they stay risen up in a position they can all see me.
"Go ahead." One says.
"Take a look." Another says.
I kneel at the edge and peering down at the water.
A vision appears on the crystal clear water's glossy surface.
It's of me and my closest friends standing glaring at each other as Light stands in the middle like a middle person between two lines of people though they can all look to others alright.
"This is all a waste of time!" Matt says as his head appears looking in the same direction that his image in the picture of all of us together to slightly cover the picture of all of us together then it vanishes as he is done speaking.
"I hope I never see you again!" Matsuda has the same moment like Matt as the others follow.
"Fine." Near.
"Fine!" Halle.
"It's settled." Light finishes it off seeming to stare right at me like we had a big fight shattering our friendship.
We all run off in different directions then the vision ripples to nothing.
I raise my head in horror. "No." I gasp. "Our friendship over?" I can't believe this!
My friends….. My first friends that I have ever gotten, Watari is my care taker and adopted father, having our friendship fall apart!?
I slightly glance up. "That just can't be the truth." I say.
The keepers of the grove of truth move a little closer making me look to them as I try to look to the one speaking.
"The truth does make your heart ache?" One of them says.
"Sometimes a lie is easier to take." Another says as I find myself staring into it's eyes that have a faded picture of Discord talking looking me in the eyes with hypnotizing eyes as the words travel around me like an echo.
I don't fight it. I don't want my friendship that I care for so much to come to an end. My world swirls like how the eyes I am looking at do. I feel a shift inside of me as something within me changes.
Next thing I know I am being snapped out of my swirling trance by Light's voice saying my name only to find myself facing a hedge maze wall.
The grove of truth has vanished but I don't care about that.
"I'm so glad I found you. I thought I heard talking." He says from behind me moving closer to me then stops and I am sure he is confused. "Who were you talking to?" He asks confused.
"I was talking to….." I pause for a second to decide what to tell him. "Nobody." I say turning to look to Light only to avoid eye contact as the lie slips easily past my lips.
Light looks surprised and then even more confused. "What?"
I move over to stand in front of him. "Nothing." I still avoid eye contact. "We should get going." I begin walking to continue on my way through the maze.
Light hesitates a moment murmuring to himself then laughs as I deduce he believes I would never lie then he joins me as we head on our way to find the others.