Chapter 5

Mariya lose on the road. Since reaching the ground and spared by something unknown, she have searching for the way out of ordinary. And most importantly, the search for a nearest populated places have to be underway. She thought this unknown and unfamiliar world will be easy to navigate, much to her disappointment, fate play great sync of games to her. 

However, she has to believe that the world is populated. If not, then she's digging her own grave. Though she is sure that they exist in that unfamiliar world, those being who she going to punish has not to be understimated.

As the time passed, the walk feel so endless. She beginning to doubt the world when it feel like unhabitabe, almost empty and thus, only trees, insects and monster that she couldn't communicate and dare to with was the one who populate the world.

“Am I searching the right way...?” The person who told her about this world also instructed her to just believe the breeze of wind. That's why she's been headed the path where the fog goes to, which mean the wind goes to that direction as well. However, as the time goes by, a feeling of strange envelope her.

The fog becoming intense, as if those in the mountain peak couldn't at all let her have a smooth journey, and thus, she was followed wherever she go. 

Her slow and careful step becomes unbelievably fast and roughly at the moment passed. If ever the fog will be like of that from what she experience in the mountain, she couldn't just jump even if she want to, because she already in the ground. But she could do the unbelievable just to reach the desire destination. 

“I have to ran...” she thought. But before she could such that, she feel a presence that so intense for her to even grasp. The same presence she felt earlier. “Was I being watch...?”

Mariya almost freak out, but then the time have passed but she has not yet in danger. Strangely, she starting to feel safe for unknown reasons and almost starts in her track. The intensity of the presence has the familiarity of it that makes Mariya feel something inside. One thing she realized is that the presence is not at all alone, the other one has the natural intensity but has nothing to do of what she was feeling. 

“But did I really being spared...?” Across the ease, she also feels goosebumps. And then it hit her and her face brightened when idea cross her mind. Voice hopeful, she murmured, “If the truth was that I was ave by the stranger, then there must be a pupolated place nearby! And the reason that there's no single soul nearby might be some secrets that I'm not familiar with...”  

Nonetheless, Mariya has to stay alert by the increasing intensity and density of the fog. Even the wind feel like crawling, leading the fog somewhere in a heavy manner.

Somewhere that she sure to be a populated places where those being can be located. “I have to trust that woman...”

She felt delighted by the thought of it, and then there's comes the eerie yet familiar sounds. It as if came from anywhere, her heart throb like crazy when realization hit her!

“Monster...” she said when a howl, carried by the wind, almost crack her ear bones out. Se manage to stop the bloodshot in her eyes, look around with vigilance. 

A memory about that night flash like that of a harsh and heavy light. Before she even realized it, the very fog devoured her whole existence. She thought on capturinvg the unlike being who run faster to where she stood, the same being who gotten themeselves free after the absurd thing that they have done to her. Then she felt those heavy footsteps in the distance, followed by the familiar intensified aura that seems have an enmity of those being, and yet her heart felt heavy to the extreme as she fought the heaviness of her eyes.

“Bloody...” she will never forget, “...eyes...” 

For her, they are the craziest of creature that she wish to never exist once she set her mind to it. She will wipe out their bloodline, their wickedness that knows no limit. 

Until darkness put the end of Mariya's bloodshot eyes, the feeling of a cemented-like fog bump on her back. Everything is...silence. Yet, her heart is in chaos; sorrow and regrets what put the revengeful will to cease at the moment.

Time passed. Mariya wake up in haze. Looking around, an unfamiliar thing come to view. What's more in her confussion is that the room where she find herself wake was filled with crytal balls and accessories that she couldn't understand about. The light blended that keep her eyes in check, and the feeling of vigilance to where she was not yet fully comes to mind.

As she adjusted her vision, she realize she wore clothing that not as dirty as she remember her clothes is. It is plain white that cover almost all her body parts, not even her finger shown that weirder her out.

She alerted when she heard a bang on the floor. 

“What...?” she gasped and widened her eyes. Suddenly the floor open before she could finish her words and the woman's head appear at the center of the floor that was hung open on so sudden fashion. 

Before Mariya freak to her wits, the woman show her whole self and smile as if doing great on surprising. “Do I startled you?”

“No,” Mariya said trying to store her disturb heart, yet her voice was shaky to the max. Looking at the woman, she keep her suspicious aside. “Who are you...?”

“Dana,” Dana replied and close the open floor. Facing Mariya, she confidently added, “And I am soul's reader!”

Mariya couldn't anymore contain herself, chuckled in a bizzare fashion. “You think it's time to joke?”

“Who has anyway?” Dana scanned around as if searching for the one who has a time to joke around. “I don't see anyone who joke around here, are you?” 

“Let's say you are'nt joking around,” Mariya try to accept what she heard and just get to the point, “then how I'm ends up here; where this place located at the same time?” She stole a glance at the floor as she ask those question, realized it was the only portal to outside. “And why the door is at the floor...?”

Dana fell in silence for a second. “Are you fine now?” 

“What...do you mean?” Mariya feel a chills down to her spine.

“You looks like having trouble realizing things,” Dana revealed, intently staring. Then later, voice with suspicious and worry, Dana glance the floor as she added, “Are you not familiar to an underground portal?”

“Underground...portal?”

“It is the portal where only the chosen one can enter,” Dana replied with a srerious tone, keep aside other emotions in face. “It is in my duty to take care those chosen one. And that's include...you.”

Mariya point to herself. “Me...?”

Dana look around, thinking deeply. “If those who after and chase a weak, this room and the soul's reader find their purpose.” Dana let out a sigh, remembering how she visited by the mysterious woman in her dream and instructed her to find someone who is being chase as of this moment. Dana explain further, “This room especialize for safety of someone who is being chase. Just like in your case, and thus makes you...my Chosen.”

Mariya's head starting to burst into confussion. “I don't understand at all!” she exclaimed.

Dana give her 'are you for real?' look before heave a sighed. “I don't know what happen to you and where you came from, but one thing is for sure and was safe to assume that you need my assistance. Don't you?” 

Mariya gotten more confuse. “And what that suppose that mean?”

Dana lips switch, eyes flicked to put more patience in her face. “You need me, a soul's reader!”

Moment later the crystal balls emerge from many to a single one, a bigger and clear one to see. Dana close her eyes while cold hands tightly grip on Mariya. 

Mariya tremble, and yet let the confussion aside. She scan the room and every time she blink, the space gotten widen. The room gotten spacious as ever! The dim light beginning to iluminae. It shone brightly; blinded Mariya to close her eyes with Dana.

At the very moment, darkness fell the ground. The crystalize ball blink out different color thrice a second as it show up to where the Soul's reader stood. It lights trying to rose from the tenseful dark but couldn't defeat the dense that attracted to the ground. Sense the panting of the Soul's reader who trying to understand the dark, crystalize ball countlessly blink. As it continued, Dana see something like blood, a darkest blood that throw anyone who dare to enter its ground. 

As if being thrown, Dana flow away from the hold of Mariya's hand. That was Mariya witness as she open her eyes. 

“Dana...?” She feel so weak yet confuse to what happen, she even worry if Dana is fine as she flow about. Literally to what Dana trying to let her see, Dana was upside-down to the wall. 

Mariya couldn't contain her laugher anymore after thinking that Dana is not at all in pain. As she pointed her finger to Dana, she ask in unlikely fashion, “Is that a trend to a soul's reader?” She emphasis the words that she won't believe as truth.

Dana smirk, stood straight while eyes focus to a confuse yet bound to be mystery to a soul's reader like her. “Yes,” she replied in a playful voice, “It's a trend, Futureless Witch.”