The moon hangs in the sky of the city of Este. The shape is round, the color is pale. While the wind brushed finely between the pine needles. Blowing only the red clouds—slowly closing the moonlight behind the old tree.
“Full moon of red mist,” Felis whispered.
Beside her, Candramawa looked at Alfrore's red eyes. A rumble in his chest—hopefully only he heard.
“I remember twenty years ago. When Garg found you here. Right here." Candramawa pointed at the ground. Right under the foot of that forked pine tree.
Felis turned to the girl next to her. Then in Alfrore's own eyes. At that time she was still too young to remember. However, hearing her story from Laureen and Candramawa was enough to make the girl feel there.
"Candramawa..." Felis started, "For all the things you've done to me so far—"
"Don't thank me Felis."
Felis shook her head. “I apologize for troubling you.”
Chandrawa smiled. She took a deep breath. She feels relieved to have got here. To their destiny. Laureen tapped the branches that held her together. So that Alfrore knew, this was the safest time to let go of his best friend.
"Then what now?" Candramawa wondered. "Should we dig? Or will Alfrore leave it to us?”
A red mist full moon is happening. And she didn't have any clue about the appearance of the Quartz Bell.
"Let's just leave the Quartz Bell here," said Felis, looking down.
"Pardon?" Candramawa could not believe what she heard.
For everything she's done so far—and Felis just ends it?
"The coalition no longer has Candramawa. We no longer need a Quartz Bell to make things okay. Because now everything is fine.” Felis explained what she meant.
“I told you, my niece. This Reeda really doesn't know anything.” Markus voiced from up in the tree, where Alfrore had tied him up.
“Shut your mouth, Markus! Let them solve their own problems.” Lauren snapped.
Candramawa looked up, trying not to respond to her uncle's instigation. “Felis, the Quartz Bell is ours. We can do anything with it. We will bring the nation of Lumons to a better state than what you see now.” Candramawa faced Felis, she put her hands on the girl's shoulders. She wanted Felis to know that the Quartz Bell was everything they needed. But it seems the Reeda girl doesn't totally agree.
Candramawa chuckled, she shook Felis' body in exasperation. “This Bell can do anything. We can bring Garg back to life, Mrs. Furla, Genta, my father!” Candramawa spoke quickly, “Don't you want your people to live again? They are innocent. They were killed because of the Coalition's greed. My uncle even made a window display out of their aisikla. We can bring them back here with the bells!”
"Hey, I'm the one who supports you Candramawa, why are you even scapegoating me? The Reeda nation died because of their own mistake. And I-"
Candramawa didn't wait for Markus to finish his story. She released the aisikla around the man's neck. Then her uncle did not speak again. Laureen covered her mouth in shock. Candramawa sighed. As if nothing happened, she continued his conversation with Felis.
"Don't you want to meet my mother?" Candramawa approached Felis. Lifting the chin of the girl in front of her, caressing her lips with the tip of her thumb.
But Felis backed off. She no longer recognized the girl in front of her. “How do you know if they want to come back here? What if these too-long lives were the bane of the Lumons? What if they never want to come back here? How are you going to account for that? By killing them one more time?” Felis snapped at Candramawa.
"That's not true Felis. That is not true." Candramawa did not accept.
“I saw it for myself, Candramawa. Bringing the dead back to earth means overstepping fate and the destiny maker itself.”
Chandrawawa was silent for a moment. Between the strands of her hair blown by the night wind, her brown eyes flashed with disappointment.
"I thought you would support me Felis."
“I support you, Candramawa but…”
"No, Felis."
Felis approached Candramawa, wanting to calm her down. But suddenly the ground around them shook violently. Rumbling sounds filled their ears. The two girls faltered on their feet, and then fell to the ground.
They crawled looking for each other, then held hands. Their eyes kept watching the crack in the ground that was getting wider and wider. While trying to stand up and not slip there.
From within the recesses of the ground, a white light emerged. The intensity is high—like being able to light up the entire city of Este for a week. Felis narrowed her eyes. She held the other girl's hand so she wouldn't fall there. But Candramawa instead let go of her hand from Felis, recklessly jumping to the light source.
“Candramawa!” Felis screamed in horror. Candramawa sank into the light.
And… “Blaaaarr!!” Darkness reappears.
***
Felis took longer to adjust her eyes to the surroundings. An instant ago, white light filled this city with unbelievably high intensity, a second later it all disappeared into darkness.
The girl sat up and rubbed her eyes so that the sensation of a flash of light that disturbed her vision would immediately disappear. Slowly when she was able to adjust, Felis scanned the surroundings. While adjusting the rate of heart and breathing.
The first thing she saw was her biological mother. The woman was sprawled right on the tree roots sticking out of the ground. Felis approached there. Turned her body, then stroked Laureen's cheek while calling her name.
But the woman didn't move at all. Her eyes are still closed. Felis checked her breath and pulse. After learning that Laureen was still alive, she let her in there. Her mother was just asleep, very soundly.
The second. “Alfrore.” Felis was standing right in front of an old pine tree. The tree still has two branches. The tree is still standing where it is. What makes it different, is just the absence of a soul.
His bloodshot eyes turned into two dark holes. The tree no longer magically moved. The branches were cracking in the wind—with Markus still up there. lifeless. The girl jumped up, uncoiling the man's corpse. Carry him down and lay him on the ground.
"See what you're doing, Candramawa," Felis whispered before turning around.
From the cracks in the ground, Candramawa crawled up. The body is dirty. Her clothes smelled burnt. The light smoke from the surface of her skin evaporated into the air.
She was holding something that was almost transparent. The shape is full round like a full moon. Its diameter is only about fifteen centimeters. Every time Candramawa moved, a strange tinkling sound filled Felis' ears. The sound was so far away, but also so full in her head.
"We did, Felis," Candramawa exclaimed happily.
Felis stayed where she was. She looked at the girl without saying anything.
“Aren't you happy? Now the Quartz Bell is ours! We will make the Lumons the most powerful nation. We will unite Seeka, Reeda and Weesa. We will revive them." The girl spoke too excitedly. But, after seeing Felis' face, Candramawa was immediately disappointed.
“You are not happy? You don't want to support me? I did this all for you Felis. For our nation!”
Felis shook her head. "You did it to yourself, didn't you?"
Candramawa lost her smile. She looked down for a moment, then faced a woman who was only three meters away from her.
"I took care of you all this time. Twenty years Felis. I taught you many things. I'm the one who kept you alive to this day. I got you here. Now, you want to master the Quartz Bell yourself?” Candramawa felt betrayed.
Felis bit her lower lip in thought. After a while, she spoke, “All right, Candramawa. I only ask one thing. After that, you can do anything with that bell of yours.”
“Just tell me what you want Felis. Garg? Furla? Oh! You want Genta to come back here?” Candramawa was starting to sound like Markus. Her face was full of smiles but kept envy.
Felis was silent for a moment. “I want Alfrore to come back to life.”
Candramawa's smile just disappeared. “Impossible,” she said, “all this time what has been making the tree move is this bell. How is it possible to revive it and master the Quartz Bell at the same time?”
"That's your problem, Candramawa. I have no problem with whatever decision you make. I only ask for one thing, and you don't want to grant it, "said Felis.
“You are asking for the impossible!”
"It is not impossible Candramawa. Do you think that Bell is more important than Alfrore?”
Now Candramawa is silent.
“Well, then. Looks like we have to defend our will desperately.” Felis wasn't bluffing.
From her two hands aisikla appeared like a sword. Candramawa did the same. Aisikla appeared from one of her hands. The other hand wouldn't let go of the round object.
“You think you can win with just one sword?” Felis asked innocently.
She stepped forward, slashing her aisikla from the side. Candramawa fends off Felis' attack. She wouldn't let Felis win in their last battle.
“I gave up on you all this time Felis. But today, don't dream.” Candramawa sneered.
“So you took advantage of my existence to obtain the Quartz Bell? How cruel.” Felis didn't back down at all. She's not afraid to lose. What she was afraid of was, that the illustration she saw in the green mist would actually happen.
That Lumons' life was not a gift from the God of Hell.
Lumons are the fate of the Sky Gods.
Like the stars were separated from the earth, the earth was separated from hell.
With a reason.
Quartz bells are made for a reason.
Found to fulfill a reason.
Weesa, Seeka or Reeda.
Longevity, magic, and survivability.
Is punishment.