Chapter 23: ward

'Where...am I?'

I tried to take in my surroundings, yet none of it felt familiar. It appeared that I was in a shady room. Sunlight was shyly permeating through the glass pane that was on the wall behind the bed I was laying on, but the light wasn't sufficient for me to recognize where I was.

Until it all hit me, like a splash of cold water.

I was in the woodland mansion. So, everything I had seen in those last few days wasn't a dream... Today was the day where I'd get a tour of this building, and I'd be introduced to the illagers' lifestyle.

'Is this even something I want to bother with?'

The answer to that, was no, I didn't want to, but I basically had to. Going along with the flow was the best option I had, until a better alternative would miraculously fall out of the sky for me...

Groggily, I stretched my entire body, only to find that, even with an entire night's sleep...I was still tired. Perhaps some walking would do the trick? I stepped out of the room after putting on my old clothes, and now that it was morning, and the visibility was better, I was taken aback by just how breathtakingly large this building was.

The ceiling was ridiculously tall, as if giants used to roam in these halls. It must've been around ten or so blocks high. The hallway itself was quite wide, too. Sunbeams were trickling through the windows, landing sideways on the floor.

I wanted to admire the sight more, but a grumble coming from my stomach snapped me out of my daydreaming. I hadn't eaten anything in a while. Ordinarily, I'd eat somewhere like a dining room, but was there even a place like that nearby?

A slight murmur was coming from downstairs. Everyone else had probably woken up. That was about as good a start as any to finding an eating place. As I made my way down the hall, and around the corner, I bumped into Matilda.

"Ah, good morning! Good to see you didn't oversleep~" she remarked with a smile.

"Good morning."

"Slept well?"

"Well enough," I started off saying. I then proceeded to ask her about a suitable place to eat.

"Oh, you haven't had breakfast yet? How convenient! We can start the tour early, by showing you the dining room, what d'ya say?"

I agreed to her proposal and followed her downstairs. The stairs that connected the third floor with the second, were not a continuation of the stairs that connected the second floor with the first. Rather, the two stairways were half a hallway's length apart.

As a result, while on our way to our destination, we had to pass by the latter stairway, which had quite a bit of traffic. Pillagers were ascending and descending in groups. I couldn't tell whether they were disorganized or not.

Regardless, we didn't stray from the hall. As we turned a sharp left corner we continued down a wide, open corridor that was marked by two thick wooden pillars. Within it was the entrance to the room we'd been looking for.

When I stepped inside, I was met with the sight of a decently sized room, that held three makeshift tables, with three chairs each. Along the back, was a serving counter. The birch floor was no longer covered by carpet, and an oak chandelier was hanging from the ceiling.

Unlike in Cornelia, where the tables were constructed out of a pressure plate that was placed on a fence post, here, the tables' surface was made out of oak planks, while the edges were marked by upside-down staircases, which left enough room for one to slide their legs under.

Furniture aside, the dining room was very spacious, and the distance between the tables made for a light atmosphere. There was a decent handful of pillagers sitting at the tables. Considering how I was unfamiliar with the environment, I let Matilda take the lead, once again.

She led me to a table that had one of its chairs occupied by a pillager.

"Hello, there, Henry! Mind if my friend and I take a seat?" she asked in an easy-going tone. Henry responded affirmatively. I was surprised how easily these beings were able to distinguish one-another. In the pillagers' case, it was even more impressive, considering how they all wore the same uniform.

As we sat down, I took note of a few patrons that opted to eat something they had packed with them, instead of ordering something from the waiters, or going to the serving counter. I decided to do the same. The witch followed.

"Hey. Newcomer. Do you like the place?" Henry asked.

"It's fine," I replied, in between bites.

"Good. Now that we're all settled in, are you in the mood to start our casual little interview?" Matilda asked quizzically.

'This again?'

"Why are you so insistent, anyway?" I questioned.

"Why, it's because you're one of the only humans left alive! Seeing your worldview is a huge opportunity! Oh, and you're our teammate, I guess, so we should get to know you better... That too."

I contemplated for a moment, before answering with a shrug.

"Fine. I can't promise I'll answer everything, but go ahead," I noted, as I took a loaf of bread out of my inventory.

"You got it. Let's start with something less important; how does the fact that zombies have such similar facial structures to you, make you feel?"

"I...never gave it much thought, to be honest."

She gave me an incredulous look. Couldn't really blame her. She moved on.

"What did you experience when you cheated death with the totem of undying?"

"Cheated dea- Wait, how do you know that happened!?"

I realized that I raised my voice, which attracted the attention of people who were in the room, but that couldn't be helped.

"Hm, I thought I was the interviewer here. Anyhow, I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're referring to, dear," she stated simply.

"The totem. How do you know I used it?"

"Oh my, easy there, pal. Us illagers have our ways of obtaining info..."

Upon hearing that, I chose to push the subject.

"On that note, how did Eva know I was going to need it?"

She was in the middle of eating some mushroom stew, so she took her sweet time before replying.

"Pfft...'Know'... We're not psychics! Giving you that totem was just a precaution," she responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Could you elaborate?" I asked in a calm, yet serious manner. The other pillagers that were sitting nearby were getting a little apprehensive, yet the witch seemed oblivious.

"My dear, if it weren't the villagers that would do you in, it would've been the ravager. Thanks a lot for that, by the way! Do you have any idea how much of a pain those are to make?"

"That doesn't concern me."

"Whatever..."

The silence that ensued was heavy. I didn't know why, but I was feeling irritated. Almost as if I was being made a fool of. Had that been their plan all along? Using me as a test subject? Everything I had gone through... Everything I'd lost... Just a part of their ploy?

...

Eventually, Henry spoke up.

"To answer your question, our boss insisted the totem of undying was given to you. She didn't tell us why."

I nodded along. That reply helped me calm down a bit. Matilda looked at me expectantly, after putting down the bowl. With a quiet sigh, I explained to her the role the artifact played in my execution and its aftermath, which she then proceeded to write down on her notebook.

"Thank you for answering," she said with a nod. "Let's leave it here, for now. I don't want you to get too pissed. Are we all done?" The two of us replied positively.

"Alright. You should probably head to the entrance, Steve; you'll get your tour soon. I'll be there shortly," she added before leaving the dining room.

I grunted in acknowledgement. As I was about to make leave, too, Henry interrupted me.

"You know, you're pretty lucky that our boss has taken such a liking on you."

His knowing look only served to perplex me further.

"Don't give me that look... Boss is reasonable and fair with us most of the time, but she can definitely get strict whenever we don't manage to meet her expectations. You're lucky that you're on her good side...although, perhaps it isn't really luck that plays the biggest role with that."

"I don't follow."

"I think you will eventually. Farewell."

"..."

I left, and soon found myself back in the hallway, and down the stairs. My internal efforts to calm my mind were shot down by a sudden yell coming from my left, as I reached the bottom step.

"Heads up, boy!"

I saw an axe thrusting at me, and I instinctually jumped back. Had I been a moment slower, I could have gotten killed right then and there. It wasn't just my reflexes that saved me, though. I was just about to brandish my sword and counter, but before I could get the chance, a huge jaw emerged from the floor, and chomped down on the offender. When the jaw finally gave out, and the axeman stumbled out, a sharp voice rang from the entry way.

"Vincent, what the hell is your problem!?" Eva stepped in.

"My problem!? We've got a fight left to finis- Woah!"

"Idiot!" They had grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "What was the one thing I told you not to do?" she spat in a surprisingly controlled volume.

"Boss, I-"

"Are you deaf, or are you stupid?"

"But, boss-"

"Silence! Go to the barracks and rethink your actions," they continued sternly.

"...Alright, boss. I'll do just that." Upon hearing that, the evoker released their grip, letting the so-called vindicator drop to the floor with a loud *thud*. As he walked out the entrance, he turned to face me.

"This isn't over," he growled, and exited.

I was left in shock, venom brewing in my mind.

"Forgive me for his insolence," Eva quietly added.

I nodded, not trusting my mouth to conceal my thoughts.

Matilda descended down the stairs and approached us, carefree.

"Hi, boss. Did I miss anything? I felt a tremor."

"Vincent..." Eva responded simply. The witch snuck a glance at me.

"...Yeah, I'm not surprised. So, did you attack him?"

"...Unfortunately, it had to come down to that... In any case... Steve, are you ready to start the tour now?"

"...Yes."

"Let's go!" The witch declared and got a head start. We started from the left side of the building (from the perspective of the entrance). When we turned a right corner, and continued down a hall, we were met with two entryways across each other.

The one on the left led to the forge room. The forge room was fairly long, and made almost entirely out of polished andesite. A worn anvil was resting near a deposit of lava. On the other side of the hall, was the entrance to the - significantly smaller, flower room.

Inside the flower room and across its entrance, was a cobblestone counter, on top of which were five clay pots. Each pot was host to a unique kind of flower. They had had purple, white, or blue petals. I hadn't seen any of them before, so I didn't know their names. Matilda was eager to tell me them, though.

"From your left, you have an Allium; an Azure Bluet; another Allium; a blue Orchid; and lastly, an Oxeye Daisy!"

There wasn't a chance I'd remember these names, but the witch appeared to be into flowers, at least. Regardless, that concluded the left wing of the first floor.

Moving on to the right wing, and passing by another flower room, we ended up in another one of those wide chambers with the two pillars, which acted as a hub to other sections. A room on the left, housed an artificial tree and river, while one straight ahead had a wool statue of an illager's upper body. It was holding a torch.

"What's this about?" I asked. Unlike previously, Matilda appeared hesitant to explain. Instead, it was Eva who answered.

"While you could say it's meant to represent any illager, I was actually thinking of my mentor when I built this. He was the one who...passed down his powers to me..." they explained. As I was mulling over her statement, something felt off.

'Built'? Eva had the ability to build? How? I was under the impression that only humans could do that. The villagers certainly didn't have such luxury. Were the illagers just not limited in that regard? Yeah...maybe that explained it... I additionally wondered how much of this place was built by Eva but didn't voice either question yet.

We'd soon be done with the first floor. Of course, there were quite a few rooms left, but the tour would only showcase sections that I was permitted to enter. With that thought, we approached the last room they'd show me from the first floor. It was on the same side of the hall as the statue room.

As we stepped in, I was met with an eerie chamber made of cobblestone. Haunting, high-pitched sounds reverberated off the walls. Along with those, were also sounds similar to the howl of the wind. In a way, it reminded me of the Nether's ambience. We stepped closer.

The back wall had a few iron bars and an iron door, both of which allowed the light coming from inside the cell to pour out. Eva suspiciously urged me to take a look. I complied but remained alert. The sound source was probably locked inside, but I couldn't imagine what its appearance was. Whatever it may have been, I doubted it would be friendly...

When I peeked, I saw... a bunch of small, flying, humanoid creatures, that were glowing blue. All of them made eye contact with me, and one of them even rushed at the bars, emitting a soft, high-pitched sound, that slightly resembled a gasp. I took a step back, as it flew toward me. Its wings jingled as they flapped, until it came right up to my face.

I examined this creature closely. It was indeed small and human looking – especially its face, but it had an aethereal aura around it. Its skin was glowing a light blue. Its short hair was an even lighter shade of blue, close to white. Its eyes, though expressive, were completely white, like a stray's. It was wearing a long, deep blue dress, that had rips near the bottom. Lastly, its wings reminded me of a capital F, only with obtuse angles.

"What am I looking at?"

"These babies are called 'allays'. We can't tell you much else; all you need to know is that they exist," Matilda elaborated. "C'mon now, there's still plenty of mansion left."

The two exited the room, and I slowly followed.

...

We arrived on the next floor. The second floor was mostly comprised of technical rooms, all of which were on the right wing, which had a longer hallway compared to the previous floor. Such rooms included a small library, which was about as large as the flower room, containing a total of three bookcases and a single table with a flower on it.

Another room, which was rather sizeable, was split into two levels, the lower half of which had a fenced combat arena. There was also a large conference room with a long table, and plenty of seats. In addition to the previous library, there was a second one, with multiple aisles. Lastly, after the few bedrooms, was an observatory, which had a wide window, marked by a birch arch. Potted flowers were prominent in all of these rooms.

Last, and probably least, the third floor only held another medium-sized library, a map room, and the rest of the bedrooms. By the time the tour was over, it was afternoon.

...

'This place must be a nightmare to clean...'

As the tour came to an end, I couldn't help but wonder:

"Why did you show me all this?"

My two escorts glanced at me, and while I couldn't see Eva's expression, Matilda looked weirded out.

"What do you mean, dear? Don't you think you should know how to navigate around here?" the witch quired.

"I do, but why would I ever need to go somewhere like a flower or a conference room?"

Matilda contemplated for a moment, before replying.

"Well, boss thought it'd be a good idea to introduce you to our living habits. Maybe then you'd see that we're not monsters that get their kicks out of terrorizing the Cornelians. Except for maybe Vincent..."

Before I could reply, Eva spoke up.

"Have you ever wondered why we have such a rivalry with them?"

"I was told your tribe was one of violent brutes. Can't say you've done much to change my mind."

"Figures they'd only give you their side of the story," Matilda muttered.

"Look," Eva started, "between us, I can't say we haven't done our share of mistakes, but what you just said is but a twisted fraction of the truth. There are many things that led to this schism between us. For instance, the villagers aren't the most accepting folk..." they said with a serious tone.

"Accepting? Of what?"

"The different. The distinct. Anything that goes against their status quo."

"I don't get it..."

"Boss is telling the truth," the witch chimed in. "Everyone here has been negatively affected by them for that reason."

I didn't respond, letting Eva elaborate.

"Some were shunned for having different characteristics, like eye or skin colors. Others had conflicting political ideologies, which led to them either getting banished, or downright executed. That blacksmith friend of yours escaped that fate, for they were liked among the people. Others were deemed 'unproductive' for the community, for various reasons. Then, there are some special cases..."

They tilted their head towards Matilda, before resuming.

"They have a particularly strong distaste for witchcraft, but that's a fancy word used to describe anything magic-related they don't understand. You two can understand, right?"

Matilda nodded slowly and solemnly. It kind of reminded me of Emily, in a way. That said...

"I don't believe you. There has to be something you did that you're omitting, because it would make you look bad."

Upon hearing my claim, Eva turned their entire body toward me.

"What makes you say that?" they wondered.

"The fact that they still accepted me and my partner, despite that we're entirely different species," I answered, resolutely.

"Then why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"If they are as accepting as you claim, how could they banish you, after everything you did for them?"

I thought about their question for a bit, and all that sprang to mind were images and sounds of my last day in Cornelia. Glares; cries; screams; roars; even silence. And that's when I figured out the answer.

"Because...in a way...what happened was my fault..."

It was easy to blame the illagers, or even the villagers, but in the end, had I been stronger, or more careful, this wouldn't have happened... None of this would.

"That's not true," the leader reassured with surprising tenderness. "You couldn't have known that this was going to be the final outcome," they continued. I didn't speak, and Matilda appeared to be deep in thought.

"After doing so much for them, they would have forgiven you if they cared. They probably didn't consider you useful anymore, or maybe thought that prophecy of theirs wasn't worth it."

"…"

"...I think it'd be best if we called it a day, don't you agree, boss? It's almost sunset."

"Right. We've done enough for today. Have a good rest, you two," the evoker wished, before leaving the two of us alone. The witch asked me how I was feeling, to which I responded with something generic, before I was left alone.

...

I don't think there had ever been a time where I felt more conflicted than I did at that moment. If Eva's claims were true, that'd mean that most things I had known about the villagers, were lies. If they weren't, then that meant I was truly guilty...

I stepped into my room and tried in vain to drift off to sleep.

…

...

I woke up in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason. Yet, try as I might, I couldn't nod off again. After some fruitless attempts to sleep, I found myself tossing my blankets to the side, getting off my bed, and going for a walk.

The carpet was doing a remarkable job at muffling my footsteps, so I didn't have to worry about being spotted. Even though I was awake, I felt like I was daydreaming, simply going wherever my legs were leading me.

Soon enough, I was standing in front of the cell, which was now quiet. The allays had fallen asleep. Some of them had huddled together, resting on each other's shoulders. Others had curled on the floor individually. One of them, however, was awake.

Upon seeing me, it flew up to me. Something gave me the feeling it was the same one from before, but I couldn't be sure. I marveled at the creature before me, a strange feeling brewing inside me. A weird kind of...fondness?

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The sudden voice made me almost gasp in surprise. I spun around and saw Eva leaning against the wall.

"What?"

"I...had a feeling I'd find you here..."

"How so?" I asked, lightly annoyed.

"Because...you've always been empathetic, and kind...and a little soft sometimes...ha ha..."

I needed a second to let that register.

"I'm sorry, what? What are you talking about?"

"Does...my voice not sound familiar to you, at all?"

"...No?"

I heard them draw a shaky breath, as they placed a torch on the wall, and raised their hands up to their hood. The barely noticeable trembling of their fingers indicated they were anxious. Their index fingers curled around the fabric, gently pulling dow-

"Well, do you remember me now?"

I was so shocked, my words rolled off my tongue in stammers.

"Y-you're...a...human!?"

Her expression turned downcast.

"No, no, that's not the answer I wanted to hear...Do you seriously not recognize me?"

I took a better look at her. She was a young woman, with light ginger hair, done in a ponytail that was hanging on her shoulder. She had fair skin, and green eyes that matched the hue of an oak leaf. In my estimation, we were exactly the same height. Even with all those details, however...

"I'm sorry, but...I don't."

She looked at me with a sad glance, before speaking up again, placing a hand on her chest.

"It's me...Alex."

...

A/N: Sorry for the long chapter, but this wasn't really something I could split in half. Now, as I proceed to ignore those last few scenes, let me tell you a few things about the mob vote of 2021!

For personal reasons, I couldn't participate in the mob vote then. I didn't even see the mobs until after the results were in. But, man, I'm so happy the Allay won. Without it, this story would've been a heck of a lot more boring. Not to mention, story aside, the little mob really grabbed my heart. It's helpful, and cute: A perfect combo.

That's basically it. Thanks for reading!