The Carnival of Time was a little over a fortnight away by now. Sable finished stacking the freshly cut wood near the barn. Her eyes went to the night sky and the looming shadow overhead. Menacing yellow and red eyes stared back at Termina as something descended from the heavens. In fact, Sable could not recall the last time she had seen the moon travelling west with the arrival of night. Lately she had struggled to fall asleep at night and had barely touched her food at meal times. Those ominous eyes in the sky every night, it only reinforced just how insignificant and pathetic she was. Out of frustration she raised her axe once more and buried her anger into the wood before her. There were still a few more logs to carve up before the pile was done.

Around the front of the barn, the wagon was packed and ready to go. Cremia overlooked the necessary documentation as she double checked the order she was going to deliver. The sound of wood cutting echoed from behind the barn. It seemed to happen more frequently since Onox and Veran mysteriously left at dawn. Sable had kept quiet about what had happened and practically threw herself into helping around the ranch. The only explanation she received was from Iris, who merely indicated that she and Sable had a disagreement with Onox.

Nevertheless Cremia had come to appreciate Sable's help and her diligence. That kind of attitude was just what the ranch needed at a time like this. Mysterious occurrences such as broken milk bottles, spooked cows and destroyed fences were coming more frequent with the carnival's approach. Cremia was not deluded in slightest about who the culprits were, however now was not the time to confront them about it. Not with the carnival so close and the worrying news she had received from her friend Anju. It was fortunate that at least Sable was there to help with the repairs.

Cremia wandered around the back to find Sable cutting wood. She waved to get her attention and said "I have to make a delivery to Clock Town, would you like to come and help me? Also it'll give you a chance to spend some time in town."

Sable wiped the sweat from her brow and nodded "Alright, I've been meaning to go to town at some point."

They walked back to wagon, Sable jumping into the back of it with one swift leap. Cremia called out to her sister who was frolicking nearby "Romani! I'll be back after midnight. Keep an eye on things and don't spook the cows again with your stray arrows"

"Okay sis! You can count on Romani" cheered her younger sister

Cremia tugged the reigns of the wagon setting the horses off at a steady and calm pace.

Romani waved her sister off before scurrying away towards the Cucco hut. She entered it carefully to ensure no baby Cuccos would escape, Grog would never forgive her if she did. He appeared to be out of the hut tonight, although Romani never knew where he went. The enclosure for the Cuccos was a large fenced off area with plenty of perches and shelter. Hut really was inaccurate, it more like a palace for the little birds.

Iris was sitting calmly in the centre of it all and trying to meditate while sitting upon her broom. However being surrounded by adorable chicks did not really help with concentrating. She had managed to located the main enchantments of the training ground in this dirt patch. Despite the fact it was now a home for Cuccos, the magic that was cast into the earth had never dissipated. So far she had been able to get a few centimetres off the ground, she had not yet become confident enough to shoot off into the sky like Koume and Kotake.

"Witchy" called Romani "Witchy, how are you?"

"Don't call me Witchy, my name is Iris"

"Cool! You're actually hovering now!" cheered Romani "And besides, you are a witch so I should call you Witchy"

Iris felt like a fool as she sat on her broom still apprehensive and rigid out of fear from the thought of falling. She had already taken a few tumbles during her training.

"I still don't know how to turn with this thing so I'm not a real one yet," she reluctantly admitted "Not to mention this is utterly terrifying."

"It's alright! Romani believes you can do it!" cheered the little girl "Stop being afraid, you can do it! You're already making it float. How hard could flying be?"

Unbeknownst to Iris, the broom was already pacing around in circles while hovering a little higher. Romani laughed with glee, soon enough she would actually see a real life witch flying around.

The scenery passed in a quiet flow as the wagon travelled down the main road. Termina field surrounded them from all sides as the clock tower rose from the horizon. Oddly enough it felt a little too quiet. No monsters were prowling in the night, no bandits even attempted to steal their cargo and perhaps most strangely, the wind was not blowing. Termina was holding its breath that night and the uneasy silence froze over Sable and Cremia as they travelled towards Clock Town.

"They say everything is quiet because of that thing in the sky." Cremia did not turn to face Sable as she kept steering the horses "No one knows what that is, but rumours from lunatics suggest the moon might be falling. Apparently it'll be here by the carnival." She took a deep breath and brushed her bangs behind her ear "So why are you so down lately?"

Sable replied cautiously "How do you know I'm down? We've only known each other a few weeks."

"You're awfully quiet and while I appreciate your help, I get the feeling you're not doing too well."

"I guess not."

"Well, I think you should talk to someone, it's going to poison you if you keep it in."

"Thankyou Cremia."

"For what?"

"For actually caring."

Cremia smiled to herself as they curved with the road to arrive at their final destination. The wagon came to a halt outside the eastern gate of Clock Town. Sable remained on guard in case another Garo attempted to attack her. Her travelling companion appeared oblivious to the invisible threat as she leapt to the ground with a clipboard of papers. "Wait here, I need to talk to the guys inside"

"Alright" nodded Sable then looked to the Stone Towers in the distance.

Their crudely carved existence spoke to an era of lost knowledge. The barren stone walls of the valley only added to the mystique of the secrets hidden within. Even though her mind was gripped with a darkness she could not shake, a part of her still desired to explore those towers. It was the only thing that made sense to her now and it was possibly the only reason as to why she even crawled out of bed each morning.

An hour later the wagon was unloaded and the delivery to the Milk Bar was complete. Cremia flicked through her papers and nodded to herself "Seeing as we finished a little earlier today, why not take a break? I need to visit a friend anyway"

"Alright Cremia," said Sable "What time do you want to meet back here?"

"How about eleven? Should give use plenty of time to sort our business."

Sable nodded back as they parted ways through Clock Town. The Stock Pot Inn had not changed much since Cremia last visited a year ago. It seemed to be one of the only constants in town. However she knew she had to pay a visit given the news from Anju, her childhood friend. Cremia did not know what comfort she could offer Anju and was still unsure as she entered the inn.

"Cremia," said Anju's mother as she entered, the middle aged woman was behind the front counter "Long time no see."

"It's good to see you again," Cremia bowed her head a little "I came to see how Anju was doing since Kafei-" she could not even finish the sentence as the very uttering of that name ignited a fiery wrath in Anju's mother.

"That little bastard proposed to her and then just ran off. The wedding is coming up soon and he must've got cold feet. If I ever see him again I'll hang him up to dry!"

"So where is Anju?" asked Cremia nervously.

Her anger subsided a little, she sighed "In her room"

Cremia headed upstairs before Anju's mother could go on another tirade, then again it was justified given the circumstances. Cremia still could not believe it as Anju and Kafei had been obviously attracted to one another for as long as she could remember. She hesitated for a moment then knocked on the door of Anju's bedroom.

"Come in" called Anju.

She entered to find Anju at her desk madly sewing. The bride to be was making her gown carefully as she cut the templates and pinned them to the rolls of fabric. Parts of it were strewn throughout her bedroom and awaiting to be sewn together.

"It'll look beautiful when it's done," Cremia marvelled at the drawn design on a nearby wall "Anju… are you alright?"

Anju looked to Cremia with tears running down her cheeks "I'm fine…"

Cremia hugged her tightly and they remained like that for a few minutes as Anju bawled. As she wept, Anju kept sobbing "I know Kafei will come back! I know he will! So I have to make sure my mask and my gown is ready. He will come back for the carnival."

North Clock Town was devoid of adults as it was a sanctuary for children to play. Sable stood before the tunnel opening doubting if this was indeed the Great Fairy she sought. It was common knowledge that there was a Great Fairy in town, but she doubted if it was a genuine one. It seemed more fitting that an adult dressed in a costume would pretend to be one for the sake of the children. Now that she thought about it, she never did once enter the tunnel to see the fairy in question.

Sick of doubting herself, she decided to find the answer herself and entered the tunnel. Soon enough the stone and darkness parted to reveal familiar white polished stone. The fountain was similar to all the others she had seen. An archway circled the small pond of rippling water and the walls were lined with small stone edges. The walls themselves appeared to be nothing more than darkness illuminated by a bright orange glow dancing with rain.

The water of the fountain wavered as a celestial form solidified from the fluid with a mesmerising laugh. It was another beautiful woman with her body wrapped in vines and leaves. Her hair was bright orange and floated around her form. Her flame coloured eyes looked down upon Sable.

"Welcome Gomess child, what wisdom do you seek from me?"

Sable was utterly shocked "Wow… you're actually a real fairy!?"

"Yes, why would I not be?"

"Guess it's just… your fountain is so easy to find."

The Great Fairy giggled "That's refreshing, it's been a while since I had a good laugh. What are you here for child?"

"I wanted to know about this fused shadow," Sable held up her pendant "How do I awaken the dragon's soul?"

"A dragon's soul is a rare gift to a Gomess, they aren't won over easily."

"I know, so what must I do?"

"You must prove true courage to the dragon"

"But how do I do that?"

"No one really knows, the task is different for every person. But you'll know when the time has come." The Great Fairy outstretched a hand as the light danced around Sable. The light glowed and melted into her form. The fairy explained "Just a little thing to wake that dragon up. Don't worry, keep following your journey and all will become clear."

Sable bowed to the Great Fairy as she turned a left the fountain. The sound of laughter dancing in the air vanished into a whisper as the fairy disappeared. The fused shadow now felt warm against her chest, like something had finally awakened within it.

Through his telescope, Shikashi had no doubt in his mind that the shadow looming over Termina was the moon. The red eyes were a new feature and the alabaster shine had vanished to reveal cold dark stone. There were rumours of an imp wearing a mask sighted about Termina. The emergence of such a being suggested it was perhaps a catalyst to this peculiar cosmic abnormality. He retreated from the telescope, blinking a few times as he cracked his back. He sighed to himself "May the Giants save us."

The sound of his front door opening and closing roused him from his discovery. He descended from his observation deck to find Sable in his home. He immediately hugged her "Welcome back child, Gorko, Koume and Kotake have kept me well informed but it's a delight to see you again," he stood back from her and smiled "You've certainly matured into a fine young woman now. But what's the matter? Why do you look so sad?"

Sable knew she could not hide anything from him, he had raised her after all and knew most of her behavioural ticks. She confessed "I've been following my curiosity through Termina and uncovering a lot of things, what happens if you learn something that you don't want to know?"

Shikashi bit his tongue over his current discovery "What did you find out?"

"Is Termina real or is it just a playground for the wild deities?"

"Ah, that old theory about Termina being a realm of lost souls," Shikashi folded his arms over his chest "What is it that you're concerned about though? Is that really such a bad thing?"

"If I believe it, then it's like we're not even real. What more is that there's another world beyond this and… and we'll never see it."

"And yet here we are, living day to day lives as all living things do. Just because we live in different circumstances, it doesn't mean that we have no right to live." Shikashi consoled her "Knowledge is a double edged blade that dispel fears with truth, but sometimes the truth can be hard to accept. Do not feel like you're alone with this burden, you are not to first to learn of this truth and certainly not the last." A gentle smile wrinkled his withered face "At the end of this day, is this not a beautiful world to live in? Everything has its place and this is ours. But it is always hard to realise what gives our lives meaning, that is something that only you can decide."

Sable smiled for the first time in weeks, although his words were severe there was a calming wisdom to them.

"Now, a lot of time has passed since we last spoke and I'm sure you have plenty of tales to share with me." Shikashi walked over to their small kitchen "How about some coffee?"

Sable followed "That sounds great, but I got to meet my friend back in town at eleven."

"No problem, we have plenty of time to catch up, so how goes the research?"

The next few hours passed almost instantly as they discussed their respective projects. As the wagon rolled back towards Romani Ranch, Sable felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was pleasant to not feel the burden of doubt circling over you like a bird of prey.