With her glance focused on the big pyre set on fire by the soldiers to warm up, prepare food, or defend in case of a surprise attack from the ghouls’part, Sephir looked completely immersed in thoughts.

Though, nobody paid too much attention to this, for the soldiers were already used to Sephir’s way of being: sometimes weird, sometimes too much human. That’s why, if she was among them, they used to treat her like any other soldier, but still, they had respect for her, for Sephir was their princess in the end.

However, even if she seemed to be in another world, Sephir made a quick movement, stretching her back and her hand unwillingly grabbed the handle of the sticker which she took from her girdle to clean it. Then her eyes seemed to be of a doll - wide-open and without blinking while their color, till then of a normal black, suddenly became so dark that almost covered the eyeball and this made the flames „break” while spitting fire ashes in the air.

„What’s going on?” a soldier asked another, spotting the flames acting up, even if no gust of wind was felt around to get it up.

„To be honest, I don’t know,” answered the one asked. Yet, after they looked at each other, both soldiers decided to approach Sephir, for they noticed that she seemed frozen and staring at the fire.

Seeing her eyes, which suddenly took the color of the flames reflected on their surface, the soldiers fell on their butts, frightened, and then crawled back, looking for shelter, as if they saw the devil itself.

Alerted by the soldiers’scream, the other soldiers took the swords out of the scabbards and ran toward them. Others, who were unarmed, ran toward the pile of weapons left not that far from them.

Boor instead, who was not that far from the camp, approached the place in a hurry and motioned to the soldiers to stop. Then, he said: „nobody move! And keep your weapons close. Not the other, but… this place scares even me.”

Then, he carefully approached Sephir, for even if he was used to her strange way of acting, still, he was afraid not to be possessed by an evil spirit, for a lot were living over there.

„Sephir?” murmured Boor, stopped only two steps from her.

The girl instead didn’t even look at him but kept staring at the flames that suddenly turned into a field surrounded by flames: a village of humans was burning while the ghouls were cruelly killing and devouring the villagers while kidnapping the young women and the girls, and simply sacrificing the children that they considered simply preys.

„Beasts!” Sephir suddenly snarled and stubbed the knife into the ground, and her sudden movement simply made the flames split from their body while hungrily eating the woods, and raised in the air as if a huge invisible sword cut their body in half. Then, those tongues of flames, forked at the top, ignited even more in the air, to finally vanish somewhere in the form of lit ashes.

„Who?” asked Boor confused, approaching Sephir more and staring into her eyes. Around them, the soldiers simply froze, and there wasn’t about magic there, but they were simply waiting, breathless, to see what will be next, for not only once Sephir’s changes brought fights after this and they had to fight along with her family to make her come back to her senses.

This time instead was something different, for Sephir had been possessed by her own inner demons: her eyes, mirroring in her father’s glance, suddenly recovered their natural form and color. But this didn’t make her not feel the bitter taste on the top of her tongue, for what she saw in the flames - the ghouls’madness and cruelty, disgusted her so much that she was eager to grab one by the throat and simply decapitate him, just to make him pay for everything he did to the poor villagers.

„Sephir, what’s going on?” insisted Boor, sitting down next to her, for even if she came back to her senses, she still kept staring at the pyre.

„The ghouls! They played havoc among humans, into a village that was not that far from this forest. It seems that some of them spotted one of the villagers when he came into the forest for the wood, not knowing what kind of devil was living in the depths of this forest.”

„Why am I not even surprised?!” snarled Boor, making himself comfortable next to Sephir. „They’ve always acted up, without being afraid of being punished.”

„But, father… is it true that nobody can’t defeat them?” asked Sephir, staring at her father.

Boor instead didn’t look at her. He simply let his palms rest on his knees which he eventually put to his chest while being him who stared at the flames at that moment. However, he couldn’t see the same as Sephir saw, for even if he also had the gift of vision, he wasn’t as powerful as his daughters were.

„Father?” whispered Sephir, making him wince, for right when he heard her voice, he remembered that once, being only a 15 years old boy, he met a few ghouls. And this happened because he didn’t listen to Island not to go further of the realms of ice, for there were a lot of ghouls living in that part of the world where their kingdom was. More, there were a lot in Kiago Forest, being by Tenebre’s side. That’s why he settled down right on the shore of Inlan Diar’s kingdom.

When he finally looked into Sephir’s eyes, she could read the concern in them. „You also fought with them, right?” she asked him in a whisper.

„Right, Sephir. But in contrast to you, who fought with them being an adult already, I met them while being only a boy, a kid who didn’t know to wield a sword. Not talking about that I was unable to use my power then.”

„Then? How did you manage to escape then?”

„Dike! He helped me that day, for he had the habit to visit us once in a few years and that moment was the time when he used to come on the Realms of Ice to see us. He saved me right at the moment one of the ghouls bit my arm with all the force he was capable of and tried to drag me after him. Actually, I still have the scars of his teeth,” and he showed Sephir some old scars on his arm, something rounded, next to the elbow of his right hand.

„Ionas!” murmured Sephir, staring at the flames as Boor did at that moment.

„No. I don’t know why, but Ionas has no power in front of the ghouls. I think that not even Dike knows the reason why Ionas becomes a simple weapon when a ghoul is around. I remember that Dike fought with his empty hands with them then, for although they were mad and thirsty for my blood, yet, they couldn’t face such a huge power as a titan as Dike has.”

„I would have liked to see this,” murmured Sephir, smiling.

Her words instead amazed Boor a lot. „Why?”

„Because… I would have learned more about facing these beasts with my empty hands,” she said, without watching him.

„Carefully with what you want, Sephir. Not the other, but it can turn out to be real. More now when we are around them,” said Boor ironically.

Sephir looked at her father, happily smiling: „and you’ll have thus the chance to get back your own, especially for those scars that are still on your skin.” After that, she stood up, moving away from the camp.

„Which way?” asked Boor, following her by a glance.

„To find out more interesting stories,” the girl made a joke and motioned with her head toward the sky.

Looking over there, Boor saw Palar pierced by thunderlights, meant to illuminate the girl’s path while heading in the same direction as she was. „These two are born from the same womb,” murmured Boor. „Where is the mad one there you can find the clown too,” and he reproachfully shook his head.

Finally looking at the soldiers, he saw them in the same position, waiting for his command to let them free, even if they saw Boor calmly talking to Sephir. Yet, they knew her well, as they were aware of her madness. That’s why they preferred to wait for Boor’s command. „Free!” Boor told them, understanding the reason why they had stood like that while he had talked to his daughter. And when he finally realized all, he slapped his forehead, for he completely forgot that he forced his soldiers look like frozen statues for a long while even if there wasn’t any danger around.

„Should I follow her?” Boor heard his commander's voice, Āṇmai, right behind him.

„Not necessary. As long as Palar is around her, Sephir is safe, for Palar can be defeated only by Aḻivu, but he’s too far away from here. Yet, it won’t be a bad idea to be careful that night. Not the other, but I still feel itches on my back and everything because of that damn forest. I’m sure that they are still eyeing us.”

And this was true: the ghouls, left there by Tomai to watch the forest, were still in the same place, barely breathing and staring at Boor’s camp. Thus, they made everything be felt even harsher than it really was and even the air was difficultly to breathe.

***

A thunderlight, out of control and fallen from Palar’s paunchy belly, set fire to the dried field which Sephir was crossing at that moment while heading toward a small valley which she knew that was not that far from Succubi Forest and from the place where they decided to camp that night.

The grass quickly ignited and started to burn with tall flames, heading more and more in the distance, toward the same place where Sephir and Palar were heading. Thus, the flames were also threatening to set fire on the cereal fields which had been cultivated by humans, but yet abandoned eventually… for causes unknown for the majority of those who saw them, but reason still well known by Sephir.

„Careful with the fire of your heart, Palar! I don’t think you want to scorch the ground before the big war, don’t you?”

„Let’s say I’m just using the scorched earth policy,” made Palar a bad joke, and a softly laughed as if coming out of an empty barrel, has been heard around. Yet, seeing that his joke didn’t make Sephir laugh, the cloud cleared his voice and a quick rain fell over the surroundings, cooling them and extinguishing the flames. „Now it’s better!” Palar murmured eventually.

Yet, under the light of the thunders that pierced his body, when they finally stopped on the small hill that was at the end of the field, like a barrier between it and the valley, looking down, they saw black scorched soil all around. And… suddenly, Palar gasped in amazement. „What’s this? It’s for sure not because of me! I hadn’t been here for a long while!”

„I know, Palar. It has been the ghouls,” murmured Sephir while staring at that dried place.

„The ghouls? Did they again act up in the lands of humans?” asked the cloud in a thundering voice that made the valley resound.

„It looks like, for… better the wolves became domestic dogs than these demons stop hurting someone.”

„I know some manageable wolves,” mumbled Palar. But when he spotted Sephir’s reproachful glance, he snarled: „yeah, yeah, it’s time to close the bag with bad jokes. I got it.”

And Palar really kept silent, slowly floating not that much above Sephir, who finally sat down and stared at the valley.

Suddenly, as if that place talked to her, Sephir saw what really happened when the ghouls attacked that village: it was still day around, even if the sun was about to sink to the horizon. People were doing their daily routine - some of them were gathering the hay, some of them took care of the animals, one villager was milking his goat while an old lady threw some corn to those few chickens seen in her yard. The only ones who fully enjoyed the evening were the children, who were happily laughing, running along the streets of the small village, carrying some sticks in their hands which they used as horses.

But time is cruel sometimes: it brought there the silence when it was so much happiness around. And, as if they had felt the danger, the children stopped, kept silent, and looked in the distance, toward the place where Sephir and Palar were at that moment, and that sudden silence of the children made alert the adults, who first looked at their kids. Then when they finally spotted their glances focused somewhere at the horizon, they also looked over there and… froze.

Unwillingly, Sephir turned her head and looked behind her, in the same direction the villagers were looking, in her vision. Thus, she saw the field behind her bathed by light, and she also saw… the ghouls, rushing toward the village. She spotted their black and stained with blood and mud nails, she saw their sharp fangs thirsty for tasting more blood, she saw their mad glances, looking for prey, as she saw the dust put above the blood over the ghouls’skin… a sign that they didn’t clean their body after the last banquet they had.

This made Sephir swallow hard and she bent her body in front, covering her head with her arms as if she was attacked at that moment and, acting like this, she was trying to protect herself, because those dozen of ghouls that were heading straight toward her suddenly jerked in the air, behind them showed up black wings similar to the bats, and they passed over her, finally attacking the village.

Then she heard a sharp scream… it was the humans’laments, their frightened shouts, and roars, and thy also heard the ghouls’scary laughter while they slaughtered every single alive soul seen there, to finally set fire to that village, to burn the traces of their mad banquet.

And… when she has been finally capable to look in front, Sephir saw the village burning. She saw the ghouls enjoying their meal while part of them was already heading away from the village, carrying girls and virgins on their shoulders, taking them as prisoners. Sephir also saw Tomai in front of those ghouls who were leaving the village, and she saw a beautiful young girl on his shoulder, a virgin with blue eyes and blond hair that was fighting with him to escape, sobering that even the sky lamented his pain.

This made Sephir suddenly jerk to her feet, controlled by the mad emotions that took over her at the moment Tomai passed by her and she saw him upset because the girl on his shoulder tried to escape. That’s why he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed it till she lost consciousness. But yet… Sephir knew that he didn’t kill her.

„What happened to those virgins, Palar?” Sephir asked the cloud, still staring behind the ghouls that were about to enter the forest.

„They are still their captives, but… many of them have been forced to become their wives and the mothers of their children, even if many of those children are monsters in their mother’s womb,” said Palar sadly, staring at the village in flame, for the cloud was able to see the same thing as Sephir, even if those were her visions and not his, and this happened because they were strangely connected.

„Another question yet… how did Tomai get the power over Succubi Forest?”

„How if not cruelly fighting?! Before losing his head when you cut it, Tomai’s brother was the leader of the ghouls that lived in that forest. But… without their head, those ghouls became rebellious and tried to get more territories. That’s why they attacked the villages around the forest, but also other evil spirits, even if those spirits were their allies. Thus, Tomai found out eventually about this: that there was a rebellion in the Succubi forest as he found out about his brother’s death. That’s why he gathered his army and attacked them. Well, at first Tomai only tried to make them react, for those ghouls were his brother’s fellows, but when he saw that he won’t make it eventually, he simply exterminated the fork-ghouls and took the throne. And… it’s how Tomai’s reign started. But… to be honest, he’s not better than his brother and the other mad ghouls.”

„How could be it differently, Palar? They have the same blood flowing through their veins and the same madness in their heads. But… it’ll come the time when they’ll be submitted, if not exterminated, and then yes… they’ll be forced to bow in front of death itself, of Maranam or of those who’ll cut Maranam’s head eventually in the war that’s approaching. Thus, no evil soul will manage to survive. Only if they fight along with us against this Maranam.”

„I doubt that they are good soldiers, just as I doubt that they can fight by the Good’s side. But… it’s also well known that one never knows something certain. Thus… we can face some surprises,” murmured Palar, suddenly sweetly yawning.

Then, the cloud closed his eyes, calming thus the thunderlights that stopped piercing his body. Also, this made nature around calm down, just the images seen by Sephir vanished, for she had already found out what she wanted to find out, and this meant that she could have some rest… even if it was for a short time only.

So, she lay on the ground, looking at the sky completely covered by black clouds controlled by Maranam, on which no star was seen. Though, it didn’t bother Sephir too much, who cleared the sky in her head, put her hands under her head, and fell prey to dreaming. Thus, she saw Fenrir staying next to her, having the same position she had at that moment while she was with her head on his chest, hearing the calm beating of his heart, and having her eyes closed.

***

In the same position as Sephir lay on that field, Fenrir was under a huge tree, staring at the branches of the tree under which he decided to spend the night, for even if the night was black like pitch and one could cut it with a knife, such denser it was, the young wolf still had good eyes to see through it.

Suddenly, he saw a firefly flying through the branches and he has been so amazed seeing it. That’s why he stood up and looked around. Thus, he saw Arion sitting on a big aerial root, a few meters from the place Fenrir was, supported with his back against the trunk of the tree on whose root he sat and… making fireflies that were exiting his palm, stretched in front.

„This one seems to love joking,” the wolf snarled, reproachfully shaking his head. But… he has been even more amazed while yawning and this made him wide-open his eyes when he saw the famous blue gelatinous material appearing in Bestla’s hands, who was standing next to Arion, supporting her back on the same tree and, slowly moving the gelatine from one palm to another, the girl managed to form a few mirrors… here and there among the trees.

The People of Siar, each of them standing or sitting where they found a comfortable place while looking for rest, broke out seeing the splendid image of the fireflies reflected in those mirrors, something that made the nature found on the other side of the mirror seem as if brought from a fairy tale, from worlds where peace is the master of those places, being a friend with harmony and beauty.

„Awesome,” murmured Nathaniel, smiling while being sat next to Yellen, who was sleeping. Then, the young man looked at his sister and painful sight, for despite that both Bestla and Samaya told him that Yellen was fine, he was still preoccupied, for she didn’t awake. That’s why he eventually said: „come on, Yellen, I think you’ve slept enough. I think it’s the perfect time to open your eyes and also see the beauty reflected in Bestla’s mirrors. I’m sure that you’ll be more than happy seeing it, for… except for the beauty of the Waterfall of fireflies you haven’t ever seen other magical worlds, other universes that also amaze me - the one who always thought that there isn’t magic in this Cosmos.”

„She saw worlds even more beautiful than this one,” the young man heard Samaya’s voice not that far from him and when he looked over his right shoulder he saw her a few steps from him, heading toward the place where he and Yellen where because they decided to halt there while Samaya, Mago, and Malon went to check the surroundings if they are sure.

„You’re back,” Nathaniel said in a half a voice.

Samaya said nothing instead. At least not right after being next to him. She first bent and checked Yellen’s pulse, and only then did she sit next to him. „Yes, we are back,” she eventually said.

„And… is it quiet over there?” and Nathaniel’s question made everybody attentive and look toward there, without leaving the place where they were standing or sitting.

„Mmm, it’s quiet,” answered Malon instead of Samaya: he and Mago took another road to turn back to the camp, for they decided to split up while advancing through the forest to check it because something deep inside them told them that there might be dangers that they didn’t ever expect. That’s why investigating a bigger territory it’ll be a very good idea.

„But I’ve seen some traces in the Eastern part,” said Mago. „They stop however about 5km from here, next to the river. It seems that Maranam crossed the river on the horse and entered the other part of the forest. But… I didn’t dare to enter alone there, especially unarmed and during the night.”

„And you did well. We don’t know who we have to deal with, even if we know his name,” said Arion, who stood eventually up and part of the fireflies followed him, for even if Arion stopped „creating” them, his magic was closely related to them and was somehow forcing them to be always behind him. „What interests me is to find out why exactly he took the Eastern road and not the Northern one where we are going.”

„The Succubi Forest,” murmured Samaya and everybody watch her. „Dad, uncle Lodur, Gaea, and titan Island entered that forest… not that long ago.”

Fenrir jerked to his feet and quickly approached his sister. „What about… Sephir and the rest? Where is Sephir now?” but even if the concern has been felt in Fenrir’s, the others smiled. Even Samaya smiled, looking at her brother.

„She’s fine. Like the rest. Actually, she’s dreaming about you right now,” she joked and this made everybody laugh.

Embarrassed by his sister’s word, Fenrir unwillingly touched the back of his head, slowly moving his fingers through his hair, as he used to do each time he didn’t know what to say. Eventually, he muttered: „maybe it’s like you say. I was just… asking!”

Suddenly, Bestla’s cheerful laugh has been heard behind them and everybody looked at her. Seeing them staring at her, she innocently asked: „what? I found it funny… hearing my brother-in-law’s answer. Not the other, but that… I was just asking… leaves room for a lot of… meanings. I beat that if he could do that, he would have been with her right now… flying like the thought to the cosmos.”

Fenrir only grinned, showing his fangs, for even if he cared about Bestla, her sharp jokes weren’t something he liked.

„Seriously though: why the four titans have decided to enter the Succubi Forest?” asked Malon. „As far as I can tell that’s a place roundabout by many and from far away actually. And here we can also include the powerful spirits.”

„Why? From what I’ve heard about that Succurti is that they've been exterminated by Sephir and her crew not that long ago,” said Nathaniel while approaching them.

Samaya followed him and, one by one, people started to gather around them. „Only Succurti has been killed by Sephir. The rest of his people have been killed by Succurti’s brother, Tomai when they tried to become their own master and started a rebellion.”

„And… how did you know this one?” asked Bestla in amazement, hiding the gelatinous form in her pocket and the mirrors vanished then. The fireflies instead were still seen around. „Sephir didn’t know about this. I’m sure.”

„It has been Sephir who told me about this. She sent a vision to me while I was still in the forest. She tried thus to tell us that they are ok for the moment, even if the four titans entered that devilish forest.”

„Yet… if what Malon says is true, then inside that forest is dangerous,” said Arion thoughtfully. „Even if they are strong and as far as I recall the ghouls are afraid of titans, yet, I think that they took a too big risk entering there.”

Hearing the word „ghouls,” people start to agitate, for even if they never met the ghouls personally, they all heard about their cruelty and that no prey ran from their paws.

„Even so: it seems that dad decided to try to make them fight by our side,” said Fenrir, grimacing, for he just like Arion considered that action risky. „At least I’m calm knowing that uncle Lodur is there and he took Alabar with him.”

„Allow me not to agree with you, Fenrir. Let’s not forget that Succubi Forest is well known for its property of being a „shield” against magic. And… those caught inside it must fight only using their bodily power and not count on their supernatural ones,” said Samaya.

„We are talking about Alabar and Bayer, sister,” insisted Fenrir. „I don’t think that something earthly can stay against two powerful instruments of the Cosmos.”

„Me instead I agree with Samaya. Now more than ever with Maranam free and heading East. Thus, he can any time take another road and also enter Succubi Forest. Then… it’ll be dangerous for sure.”

„Then? What should we do?” asked Mago. „To turn back we can’t.”

„It’ll be useless, anyway,” murmured Nathaniel. „Let’s not forget that the majority of us are simply humans and as far as we know the ghouls love the sweet flesh of men. Especially the tender flesh. Being there we can make things worse than staying here.”

„Nathaniel is right. And… I think that we can’t do anything at the moment. Just be here and wait for news from them. And… as I know my dad and the other titans… they won’t give up easily. We should trust them,” added Samaya.

Yellen’s moan instead interrupted that unexpected council and everybody looked at her. She instead didn’t awake: she only turned on one side, squeezing her fists as if she had a nightmare.

The first one to approach her has been Nathaniel, who right away touched her forehead: „she’s burning all! I don’t understand how the fever could increase so much! While I’ve been next to her, she has been fine, calmly sleeping.”

„She hadn’t a fever when I touched her,” said Samaya confused. Then, as if she remembered something, she suddenly turned and looked at Bestla, and both girls said at the same time: „Yātrīkar!”

Hearing them talking about the Devilish Virgins, everybody stared at each other and started to whisper about their concern, for if Samaya and Bestla mentioned that name it meant that Yātrīkar might be close to them, lurking at their camp.