Moments later I open eyes. I was back in my human form and I was lying still in the place where I hit the rock.

"Where's Michelle and the rogues?" I ask Sierra trying to find out what actually happened.

"I'm not sure, I also blacked out the moment we hit that rock."

"Wait, was it all only an illusion?"

"Shoot this is bad Edith! We need to go back now!"

"We can't! We're already half way to Eona's place!"

"Edith! Don't you realise? The fog could affect our hearing, smelling and vision, it's dangerous!"

"But Sierra..." I whine.

"Not buts Edith! We need to get back and send a message to Eona now!"

"Fine."

I swear sometime Sierra act like she's my mother, when in fact, she's my other half.

"I heard that."

"Yeah maybe I meant to say it so you can hear it."

"I'm your other half but I'm certainly not as childish as you are."

I roll my eyes at her. But I got to admit, she would make better choice compared to me in certain circumstances.

Both of us start our walk back to exit this foggy forest. The fog start to get lighter but this eerie feeling that I've felt still isn't gone yet.

"Sierra put your guard up, I can feel that something is wrong."

"Yes I can feel it."

"We should hurry up and get back now, I'm going to run."

I continue running towards our car but we never reach our destination.

It's feels like we're in a maze because I keep passing the same tree over and over again.

We've been walking for hours non stop and I can feel my feet starting to sore.

"This is bad Sierra, what should we do now?"

Before she can answer my question, I can feel the ground below me shaking.

I'm not sure what's causing it by I have a feeling that I'll find out soon enough. Not long after, a creature spawn out from the ground below.

"Oh shit! Moon goddess help me."

It's a giant centipede that stood tall about a two-storey building.

It have a pair of long antennae covered dense hairs. That thing also have mouths big enough to swallow a person whole.

The mouth is shaped like claw and there's some liquid dripping from it.

I'm not sure if that's just its saliva or venom but either way, I'm not letting it touch me.

"Do you think it's real Edith?"

"I'm not sure but I'm not going to stick around just to find out."

I start to run back towards the forest. I silently pray hoping that the centipede is only an illusion.

Fearing for my life, I shift in order to outrun it. Noticing my speed, it screech and crawl even faster and start to gaining up on me.

The next thing I know, I was thrown into the air and I feel hard and can barely stand up.

That centipede stood in front of me ready to deal a final blow. But suddenly, it was stopped by a red hair female.

She use some kind of spell to create what looks like to be a defensive barrier. Wait I know who this lady is.

I shift back and start to clean myself up.

"EONA!"

Both of us have similar red hair and everyone thought that we're siblings. But in fact, both of us aren't.

She didn't respond and keep focusing onto her barrier. The color of her barrier is blue opposite to what her hair looks like.

Somehow the centipede realize that it isn't no longer attacking me but Eona and it stop its assault.

I can see Eona scolding the centipede. Wait scolding? Can she talk to that beast now?

Afterwards she turn her back at me and smile apologetically.

"I'm so sorry for what just happened. She's nice but can be quite wary around stranger." Eona spoke to me.

By the looks of it, she hasn't realize that I'm Edith and she help me to stand up. But her gaze fall onto my hair and her expression change.

"Wait, are you Edith?"

I give her a closed eye smile and nodding, expecting her to hug me since we haven't seen each other for quite some time.

Everything is silent for a few second and I didn't feel anything so I open my eyes. I come face to face with an angry red hair witch.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed Edith? Didn't tell you to inform me beforehand when you want to visit me?"

Before I could reply she continue her endless lecture. I can't talk back to her knowing that I'm in the wrong.

"If you're so dead set on dying let me just kill you myself. Now come here, let me put a curse on you right now."

"Ahhh... Eona please no I'm so so sorry! But I have a good reason please hear me out!" I start to panic.

"You better did now come! Let's walk to my cottage and then, we can talk."

I can assure you that her threat isn't an empty one. There was one time where I steal her favorite cookies, she threaten to grow antlers on my head.

Being a stubborn child I am, I decline. She mutter some words that I can barely understand and I can feel a slight headache.

I force my eyes closed in order to lessen the pain. When I open it, I had receive a pair of antler growing in my forehead thanks to Eona.

She laughed and I start to cry asking for her forgiveness. She finally turn me back to normal and scolded me.

From that moment on, I never ever want to be on her bad side.

We finally arrive on her cottage. She open the door to her house and I enter first. Inside is just like any other normal house hold.

There a fire-place, comfy looking sofa and several shelves filled with books. I head straight for the sofa and rest my head there for a while before I can feel Eona's presence slowly heading towards me.

When she's near I immediately sit straight up, remembering that I still owe her an explanation if I don't want to get any of her curse.

I'll try to lighten the mood and ask her about that centipede so she won't be so angry towards me.

"So what's with that giant centipede?"

"It's my familiar."

I'm shocked knowing that her familiar can take a form of a giant centipede. Usually, a familiar will form a contract with a witch or warlock and served them for life.

They can be conjured using magic circles or passed down from generations to generations. I remember that her mom never had a familiar.

So it must be Eona. She probably conjure it.

"But how can it take that form? Usually a familiar will take a form of dog, cat, toad, etc. But centipede? Especially a big one?"

"I'm not really sure myself but when I was cleaning my front porch, it came to me.

"I can't understand what it saying but I know what it's tried to say. At that moment, I perform a contract with it."

"Rumors have it, that giant centipede have live for more than a thousand years. It used to be a familiar for a witch. Back then, it used to be a normal size creature."

"That witch was practicing black magic and authorities back then found out and march to get her. She panicked and using some sort of concoction to transform that creature."

"She managed to escape but never come back for her familiar. Poor little creature must have been so lonely while waiting for her master to come."

She ended her explanation.

"So the illusion fog, was it you or that thing that put it there?"

"Oh no I'm not that talented of a witch in order to cover such a huge ground on myself. That illusion fog was produced by a pink colored plant that's shaped like a cone."

"The reason that I want to reside here for quite some time is because of that plant. I can't find it anywhere else in the world and it's a native plant that only grow in this area." She continued to explain about that plant.

"Where does it located? I didn't see any of it the moment I enter the forest."

"It hides itself using its ability that's why you can't see them. But I can assure you, we're surrounded by them."

"How about the dead tress surrounding us, was it caused by them too?"

"No, it's because of my familiar. Its saliva contained poison that could kill any living being. I bet when it crawl around it accidentally drop its saliva causing the three to died."

"I see." I reply.

"Enough with all the question. Now speak!"

I distract her long enough, hopefully she's calm now.

"So... no I miss you or are you doing alright?" I ask her.

"Get straight to the point or I'll curse you the next second."

"Right right, I'm sorry."

I start to explain to her from the beginning where K was scouted by the rogue. But for now, I'll make sure to leave out the part where I meet my mate.

We already have too much trouble on our hand right now and I don't want to spent any more time on some thing so trivial such as my mate.

I ended up the part with mentioning Nereus name and I give her a piece of Miles's clothing that I stole during my last visit in the dungeon.

Her face look worried when knowing that we are going to face an unknown enemy. She took the piece of clothing that I show her and ask me to follow her.

We went straight to her basement where she keep all her equipments. She ask me to sit in a chair and she sit opposite of me.

"I will use my vision to find out about Nereus But as much as I want to help you, I can't do it without a sacrifice."

"In this world nothing is free and in order to gain information, you have to sacrifice something personal and important that belongs to you." She continue to explain.

I start to think hard on what can I give. I know about the rule and the look of her face showing that she doesn't like that rule one bit.

However, she know that I know the rule and I'm still here asking her to perform that trick.

That's it I got an idea!

"Please hear me out first then you can protest about it afterwards." I reply.