Emile blinked and craned his neck forward in the sky. “Hey, Susan, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Susan flapped her wings and leaned closer to her brother. “What?”

“I said, are you seeing what I’m seeing!”

Susan furrowed her brow and stared at the ground. It was pitch-black. In fact, the air between them and the ground was pitch-black as well. “Are you seeing black? If you are, then yep, I’m seeing exactly what you’re seeing.”

“Squint harder, silly,” Emile said. He gestured with his talons towards the ground. “Even if you can’t see it, can’t you hear it?”

Susan turned her head to the side, pointing her ear downwards. “Is that…? Water?”

“It sounds like it,” Emile said and bobbed his head up and down. “Let’s hope it’s actual water and not some kind of poison.”

The two phoenixes swooped down, and after clearing a layer of black mist with their phoenix flames, a giant hole in the ground was revealed. They glanced at each other before nodding. “I’ll go first,” Emile said and took in a deep breath. He wreathed himself with a few rings of phoenix flames before plunging into the hole. A second later, Susan dove down as well.

The two phoenixes gasped. After spending who knows how long in this godforsaken land, they were actually seeing color again! Instead of the blackness that permeated everything, the hole in the ground was colored like a normal cave: the parts that were supposed to be gray were gray, and the parts that were supposed to be brown were brown.

“It’s water!” Emile said. Before Susan could say anything, Emile rushed forward and landed by a running river. It was moving slowly, but it was clear and had a fresh scent. Emile dunked his head into the river and took furious gulps, nearly forgetting to raise his head up to breathe.

Susan landed by Emile’s side. Instead of drinking the water, she watched her brother drink. After she confirmed he didn’t drop dead, she dunked her head into the river as well. The water was cool but not too cold. It seemed to fill up her mana as well. All the stress and fatigue she had accumulated vanished into thin air. She raised her head up and gasped, water dripping down her beak. “We have to bottle this stuff!”

“This is the best water I’ve ever had!” Emile said after he drank his fill. “It makes all the suffering we went through worth it.” He glanced around. “Let’s follow the river and find the source.”

Susan blinked. “That’s not a bad idea,” she said. “I’m surprised.”

Emile rolled his eyes. He ignored his sister’s comment and hopped along the side of the river, going against the flow. “I bet the water comes from a magic source,” he said. “There’s no way water this delicious and refreshing is just normal water. There has to be something special about it.”

“I wonder if we can take it home,” Susan said. “I hope it’s something small, like a crystal or a tablet.”

Emile nodded. The two phoenixes hopped and walked along the river, following it through winds and bends. However, there came a point where they couldn’t advance any further. “What’s this?” Emile asked and frowned. In front of him, there was a purple barrier. The water was freely flowing out of it, but it was clear it was a one-way barrier. Emile pushed at it a few times with his talons before blowing some phoenix flames on it.

“Maybe there’s a mechanism?” Susan asked and looked around. Emile’s flames didn’t seem to be doing anything to the barrier, which was odd. It had been a while since the phoenixes had encountered something their flames couldn’t melt or burn. “Or, maybe, the water’s being generated by the barrier.”

Emile stopped breathing out flames and frowned. “I think you’re right.” He glanced around. “This place is so nice compared to the outside. Don’t you think it’s a bit too empty? Why isn’t there anyone here?”

Susan rubbed her head with her wing. “Who knows?” She stared at the river. “Maybe there’s something at the end of the river?” Her eyes lit up. “Most rivers lead to the ocean, right? If we follow this, maybe we can go home!”

***

“We’re giving up, right?” Blau asked. She was sitting just outside a tent with Helden, Forster, and Ingwer. Inside the tent, Vur and the Recordkeeper were sleeping.

Helden grimaced. “We’re giving up,” he said and sighed. With his knowledge and skills, he thought he’d be able to rule the world. Unfortunately, his expectations were brutally crushed by Vur. “There’s no way for us to defeat him.”

“We don’t have to defeat him though,” Forster said. “We’re here for the woman, not the man, right? I don’t believe they’ll stick together forever. If we wait for the right chance, we can kidnap her and escape.”

“But if we fail, do you think we’ll get off easy?” Ingwer asked. “I’m all for adding a new member to our party, but I don’t think she’s worth risking all our lives.” She frowned. “What if we tried it in a peaceful manner? Give her a chance to join us on her own. If she willingly leaves, the scary man won’t find trouble with us, right?”

“Enough,” Helden said and frowned. He gazed at the three women, making prolonged eye contact with each one before moving on to the next. “Let’s get some sleep first. Since we’ve lost, the fairy should let us sleep in peace.” He frowned. “Hopefully.”

Forster yawned. “Now that you mention it, I’m exhausted.” She lay down on the ground and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was snoring. Ingwer picked up a nearby blanket and covered Forster with it before finding one for herself.

Helden glanced at Blau. “Aren’t you tired?”

Blau nodded. “I’ll go to sleep in a bit,” she said. She stared at the fire and waited. Soon, Helden went to bed as well, leaving her as the only one left awake. She stuck her hand into the bag by her waist and pulled out a knife. With a deadpan expression, she stood up and walked towards the sleeping blond man.

“Hey there,” a feminine voice said from beside Blau, causing the blue-haired woman to nearly drop her knife. Stella appeared by Blau’s side and gestured towards the gleaming weapon. “What’re you going to do with that?”

Helden made a soft sound while rolling over, and Blau shoved the knife back into her bag. She stared at Stella. “With what?” Blau asked. She took a seat by the fire before lying down. “Goodnight, fairy.”

Stella giggled and faded away. “Sweet dreams.”