Joe didn’t quite know how to react to the compliment (…it was a complement, right?), but eventually decided that it was a tad more interesting to be called a madwoman rather than a ‘girly’. The old hag seemed to be generous enough to call her ‘Joanna’ right now, but the girl knew better than to hope that it would last very long.

“I never really got the answer to my third question, madam Sandy.” She said instead.

Sandy hummed thoughtfully.

“Very well. Since it is quite impossible for you to know the deeper details, Joanna, I shall skip right onto the main point. You were right when you suspected that there is something else in this world, that which is the root cause for the existence of magic.”

“I bet it’s those shitty bubblebirds again…” Joe could already feel the irritation itching in the back of her mind.

The witch laughed. “Not quite. The word you are looking for — is Scaledfolks.”

What?!

“Scaledfolk—? Ah, I see! It’s something like a fish!” The girl cocked an eyebrow. Dammit! She was so focused on the birds and plants that she had completely forgotten to account for the aquatic life of this world!

“Pfft! No, no. It’s not a fish either.” Sandy snorted, amusement dancing in her eyes. “It’s neither a fish, nor a bird, nor a plant, nor animal. Think of them as small humanoid creatures, invisible to the mortal eyes, with insect-like wings and a penchant for causing mischief.”

Oh? Why did this particular description sound so oddly familiar?

“I think your lot calls them fairies.” Lady Joanna supplied. “Or elves. Or pixies; it doesn’t matter. These creatures fit the description from those in your folklores and children’s fairytales, do they not?”

Ah, yes. Now that she thought about it, there was that song of travelers that spoke of the fairies and their ancient lands. Joe wondered if the origin of these songs came from the Scaledfolk themselves. It was strange for her, racking her brains over some fantasy creature that existed in the natural realm of this world. Back in her own world, people would have laughed in your face if you so much uttered something so nonsensical.

“Well, of course. In your world, basically anything that’s outside of human understanding are dismissed as fantastical creatures of the imagination.” Came Lady Joanna’s flippant observation.

Joe had nothing to say to that. It was like waking up from a long, long dream, only to find that all those imaginary creatures and the monsters under your bed had existed in reality all along. Or maybe this was the dream. And she was still dreaming.

Maybe this was a dream that she’d never wake up from.

“As for where the magic comes from, you can probably guess.” Sandy went on, “These creatures— these scaledfolk spread their tiny scales in the air around us as they breathe. I do not know the exact composition of these scales, but what I know for certain that they are the sole cause of magic in this world.”

Joe stared at the witch disbelievingly, half skeptical and half in wonder. The details sounded too fantastical to be true. It was the kind of thing you wouldn’t expect to find in an easygoing video-game plot. She doubted that the creator had put so much though in it.

But then, the witch of the west hadn’t really existed in the game either. Joe was beginning to believe that there was a lot more to this screwed up world that met the proverbial eyes.

Out of nowhere, the chaotic voices and swirling colours of Sandora popped up in her mind. And Nero’s first words about the enchanted forest rang in her ears.

‘No matter how beautiful or dazzling it looks from the outside, the forest of Sandora is no place for an ordinary human to trespass into.’ That, and his mysterious warning at the beginning — ‘Then they drag you to the other side, milady Joanna.’

“Let me take a wild guess.” Joe eyed the witch cautiously. “These Scaledfolk— they reside right here, in the ever-autumnal forest of Sandora. That would explain the hallucinations that I had faced when I was lost in the forest. Those voices, they belong to none other than the mischievous Scaledfolk.”

‘I’m right aren’t I?’ She’d almost asked, but then caught herself in time. The girl realized that she would need to careful so as not to phrase anything as a potential question.

The witch nailed her with a long stare, as if appraising every cell in her scrawny-ass body. Joe fidgeted under the watchful eyes, suddenly more acutely aware of her own disheveled appearance than ever.

“I have two things to say.” Sandy eventually replied. “One, that you are absolutely right. The Sandora is the home to all Scaledfolks in Triciella. And it has been that way since forever. Two, I am still somehow veeery curious as to how you managed to survive those hallucinations and returned…shall we say, intact.”

Joe flinched. In-Intact?

“Let me preface it by saying that I don’t want to scare you, Joanna.” The old hag said, but the lopsided smirk on her pale lips indicated that she couldn’t care less. “However, all things considered, you shouldn’t even be here in the first place. A normal, mortal human has zero chances of escaping the Scaledfolks. The Sandora is their home turf, and in this enchanted place, no one is stronger than the Scaledfolk themselves.”

“You do not realize how lucky you are, do you?” Joe didn’t, so she swallowed nervously.

“Those aren’t mere hallucinations, girl. They are designed to drive a person mad. Madder than a rabid dog, you get it? It all starts with faint voices. Then illusions, hypnotic colours and hallucinations of all kinds. Eventually, you won’t even be able to look away. It’s like a moth being drawn to a flame. I have seen people bleeding through their eyes and mouth. I have witnessed people carving away at their own skin in feverish madness.”

Joe suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. The maddening, swirling illusions were still fresh in her mind. She wondered what would have happened if Nero couldn’t find her. What would have happened if she had remained stranded there for days at end?

Sandy’s eyes were merciless. “I do not mince my words, Joanna. In this forest, you either die a dog’s death, or you merely become an empty husk. Then you would remain in a vegetative state for the rest of your miserable life.”

‘Ah, yes.’ The girl thought darkly. ‘The perks of being a dumb villainess.’

But she could not afford to be trapped away every time by some strange, invisible creatures just for the sake of their shits and giggles. If those Scaledfolks were the origins of magic, Joe had to able to outwit them.

“Here’s my next question, Sandy.” She stared at the witch straight into her grey eyes. “Tell me way to survive the illusions of the Scaledfolks. Or the way to somehow delay their effects on the mind, long enough for a person to be able to escape the forest. There must be a way, seeing that you have been comfortably living here for decades without going mad!”

“There’s no immunity against the enchanted illusions.” Sandy replied evenly. “Humans fall victim to the Scaledfolks, because the illusions invade their thoughts. The more you let those invade your thoughts, the more you get dragged under. There is a marginally better chance if you have company, although it won’t make a difference in the long run.”

“Eh? Company—?!”

The witch tapped her fingers absentmindedly. She had a habit of doing this a lot, Joe realized. The girl had been under the impression that the constant tapping-fingers-on-the-tabletop was a ploy to intimidate her.

“As I said before, you get dragged in by the illusions because they invade your thoughts forcefully. You cannot even think of anything else at that moment. However, in the same vein, if there is something that could steer your thoughts to a different direction, something that you feel too strongly about— enough to let it fill your mind entirely and think of nothing else at that moment— the illusions may cease to work.”

“You have experienced anger in your life, yes? We all do. But have you ever felt a pure, unadulterated anger towards something that completely consumes your mind? Or a relentless feeling of all-consuming hatred? The desire for vengeance? Or bloodlust? Strong negative feelings like that tend to focus your thoughts elsewhere. Think of it this way: if you’re too driven by such emotions that cloud your mind, then you cannot spare any thoughts to your trivial surroundings, can you? The illusions won’t work that way.”

Joe realized it in bits and pieces. “In other words, a massive distraction…!”

“You can put it like that, yes.” Sandy shrugged. “However, it is almost nigh impossible to keep your thoughts constantly focused on a strong emotions like that. Thoughts do tend to stray, after all. But if you have company, a partner who could keep talking or distracting your thoughts away from the surroundings, the illusions do not affect you immediately. It is not a foolproof solution; it can only delay the enchantment of the Scaledfolks. And moreover, as time passes, eventually your companion themselves may succumb to illusions. We are humans, not machines. We cannot always control what goes in and out of our minds with pin-point precision.”

“Hence, we are not invincible.”

Sandy finished her explanation and rested her sharp, steely glare back in full-force upon the unsuspecting Joe. “And yet, somehow, not only are you alive, but you’re perfectly unscathed with no traces of physical and mental wounds on you.”

The girl swallowed apprehensively.

It suddenly dawned upon her, the reason that she had been able to escape the enchantments of the Scaledfolks. Her companion, Lady Joanna, was not a human in the first place. The villainess merely existed as a separate spiritual entity in her head, and hence did not fall victim to the illusions. Knowingly, or maybe unknowingly, Lady Joanna had kept prompting her to talk about her past, about her precious old world.

That was the thing which had worked as the distraction.

The strong emotion that had consumed her mind back there, Joe realized, was homesickness. Nostalgia. And possibly, grief. The insane, mind-numbing thought that she might not be able to return back to her world. It had squeezed her chest and wrenched open an empty chasm in her heart, but it had also saved her life in the forest.

“Ah, yes! Yes! Praise me more!” Lady Joanna had a cheshire grin on her face. “I saved your arse, Joe! I do deserve it, yes?”

Joe would have cracked a smile as well, if the witch of the west wasn’t watching her movements like a hawk. “Do tell me, miss human Joanna Stuart, what or who exactly saved you back there?”

And all of a sudden, Lady Joanna went deathly still inside Joe’s mind.

“I don’t think there was anyone in the forest that could have helped me.” Joe eyed the witch cautiously.

The woman raised a fine brow, as if asking: you think that you can get away with such a lie?

The entire situation unnerved Joe. Sandy had a different, calculating look about her right now, the kind that would send alarm bells ringing in your mind. The girl had a niggling suspicion that it was very unwise to show all her cards to witch right now. Beside, judging from the way Lady Joanna had clammed up inside her head, Joe was willing to bet that the villainess didn’t want her existence revealed to the witch either.

Joe realized two things in quick succession. One: Even though the witch had been an outsider like her, she probably didn’t have the original video game Sandy living inside her head. Since the old woman didn’t know how Joe had survived in the forest, she was definitely unaware that the original Lady Joanna Winsten was currently freeloading in Joe’s mind.

Two: There was no need to inform Sandy about Joe’s own circumstances. Besides, it didn’t sit well with the girl to give away the villainess’ identity without her permission.

It could only mean one thing— Joe was a different case than the witch. Sandy was undoubtedly an outsider, but that didn’t mean that her uninvited life in this world would have been the same as Joe. And furthermore, the girl was pretty certain that Sandy was already in cahoots with Nero. Joe was grateful to the man for all he had done, but constantly being left out of the loop annoyed her to no end.

And a small part of it always left a squirming sense of discomfort in her gut.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honestly.” Joe answered nonchalantly. “It’s true that I had experienced the hallucinations in the forest. But I had been pretty angry back then as well. I was impatient to get out of the forest. I am still impatient to get out of this world. I was suffering from exhaustion, stinging injuries and hunger back then. My feet were hurting like hell.”

She boldly lifted up her chin towards the witch. “Hmm, I dunno — that does seem like a lot to be distracted about.”

The witch pressed her lips in a thin line, obviously unsatisfied with the answer. ‘Don’t think that I buy your nonsensical excuses’, her eyes seemed to be saying. But thankfully, the woman did not prod her any further.

Joe had to withhold a massive sigh of relief.

“Ahem! I more or less understand the bit about the Scaledfolks now.” She cleared her throat. “But be that as it may, I believe that you still haven’t covered everything yet, Sandy. Apparently, the things you’ve said till now are merely a way to delay the effects of illusions. However, you, on the other hand, have been living here quite comfortably for a while, and you do not seem to be suffering from similar hallucinations at all.”

Joe narrowed her eyes at the impassive witch, hand resting on the hip. “Well? I believe that I owe an explanation about that.”

“Cocky little twat.” Sandy huffed a laugh into her fist. She shook her head with a wry smile, as if unable to believe that she let herself be talked down by a girl less than half her age. “But yes. There are things I purposefully left out of my explanation, because they aren’t going to be of much use to you, Joanna.”

I’ll decide about that, thank you— Joe thought with a spike of annoyance. “No matter. Tell me.”

“The Scaledfolks, you see, are not usually fond of humans. I believe that has been very obvious throughout the story.” The witch said. “In fact, there aren’t many things in this world that they are actually fond of. Naturally, any unsuspecting human that might trespass in their territory would become their victims. And unlike humans, no land or gold or political power can sway them. They no do not negotiate on trivial terms.”

“However, if there’s one thing that the Scaledfolks would respect— it is one of their own blood. They are inherently selfish, but on the flip side, they would do anything for their own kind. They have their own kingdom, and their own rules. You must know— those that abide by the rules and those that share the Scaledfolk blood will have their full, unconditional protection in this forest of Sandora.”

Joe stared at the woman, unimpressed. “So you’re saying that a Scaledfolk would only care about another Scaledfolk. That’s super obvious, dammit! That doesn’t explain anything! That doesn’t really tell me how you —”

A sinister thought slithered unbidden into her mind.

The girl abruptly snapped her mouth shut and scrambled backwards from the witch. Her face had gone ghastly pale. The dry smirk on Sandy’s mouth only made it worst. Joe was now shaking like a leaf, eyes widened in disbelief.

“Y-You—!” She held up a trembling finger towards the witch. “Whoa! D-Don’t tell me, all this time— you— ! You have been a Scaledfolk all along!”

There was a loud snicker in the room. Sandy doubled over and clutched her stomach, her wrinkled face quivering with mirth. Nero looked sideways and coughed into his fist. Joe could have sworn that the man was trying to hold his laughter. Indignation and embarrassment washed over her face. Why again, dammit?! Here she was, this close to pissing herself, and these two crackheads were treating her like their own damn private joke!

She couldn’t decide whether to feel threatened or foolish.

“Hahaha! No— Not me, you idjit!” Sandy eventually stopped laughing with some effort. “I am as human as it gets. You have the right train of thought, Joanna, but it’s not me who you should be suspicious about.”

Joe straightened up cautiously, her eyes scrunched in confusion.

“It’s my master, Ivy. She was a Scaledfolk of this forest— a pretty weird one too! But it is to be expected, you see? After all, she was also the previous Witch of the West.”