From a distance, the sun rose. Light spilled like ink from what seemed to be the edge of the world, if it ever existed. Such soft and gentle colors banished the darkness itself. It only left shadows that attached themselves to their master. 

One of them was Malin, crouching beside the collapsed soldier. The force behind the kick he had suffered from wasn’t to be underestimated. It was already a miracle that he was still alive, though the same thing couldn’t be said about his you-know-what down there. 

“Hey, wake up,” Malin said while poking that man’s cheek with his index finger. 

No response so far. Malin just kept doing what he did, each poke stronger than the previous one. 

The Witch’s cottage became a ruin. The building itself wasn’t exactly gone. Enfir had saved it using his ability. But to say it was still that same humble and comfortable abode would be an overstatement. No rooftop, only worn down planks that creaked and walls which fell apart with the slightest push. 

The garden outside survived. In a way, it was a miracle that it did. The contrast between the hollow and abandoned cottage and the mesmerizing sight around it looked ethereal. It was a scene worth to be eternalized on a canvas using the most exquisite paints. 

Malin had also scoured the place only to find nothing. Well, it wasn’t exactly nothing, but more like nothing significant, as every item he took notice of was either a household item or cooking ingredients. Besides those, a few apparels, and the usual furniture found inside one’s residence, it was exactly that.

Nothing.

To a certain degree, however, whoever had lived there–Pierrot and that someone else–must have lived a peaceful life. 

“No wonder they lived here,” Malin muttered to himself. Then he sighed. “I would do the same. Away from everything else that this pathetic world offers. What do you think, Enfir?”

“I have no opinion on such matters.”

“Well, at least you know where I’ll go after I retire.”

The moment his index finger became numb, Malin changed to his middle finger, this time poking even harder. The more it went on, the better his chance to create a permanent dent on that soldier’s cheek. 

“By the way, is he really just unconscious?” he asked. “I would believe it if he were actually dead.”

Having stabbed that man many times, Malin grew tired and instead stood up. He looked towards another soldier standing on the side. 

“Hey, you!”

His shout startled that soldier. “M-me?”

“Yes,” Malin answered before pointing at him and the unconscious soldier, alternating between both of them. “Switch with me. I’m bored already.”

He seemed to be confused. Never in his life had he received an order like this, so he didn’t know what to do. And to be fair, Malin wasn’t his boss either. Following his instructions shouldn’t be his utmost importance. 

“Come on. I will put on some good word for you.”

That was all he needed to hear before he changed position with Malin, poking at his comrade for too long than he wanted to. 

Malin took this opportunity to stretch. His body, from his head to toe, felt bliss as he did that. 

“Are you going to kill him?” Enfir, having stood beside him this entire time, asked. 

“You mean that soldier?” 

Enfir nodded.

“Nah, it’s not his fault. They caught us off guard after all,” Malin answered. “Well, what should we do now? There’s no way my client isn’t pissed now.”

“Are you annoyed?”

“Kind of, yeah. I still can’t believe they tricked me like that. When I thought I had them like cornered rats already, they managed to slip by. Heck, they might even be better than cornered rats! Haahhhh, what a blunder, what a blunder.”

Enfir looked at his boss’ face one more time. “Then can you say that without smiling?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“It’s creepy.”

Upon hearing that, Malin’s grin widened. 

“You really don’t mince your words.” Malin cracked his head to the side. “So, your creepy boss forgot where he should go now. Do you remember, Enfir?”

Without the Witch he was looking for, they had no reason for staying. Besides, more or less, he was still a hired mercenary. There was another responsibility that he had to fulfill, whether or not he liked it. 

Enfir opened a map he had hidden under his cloak. On it, they could see three continents that made the Land of Cydonia, though they only focused on the center one–the continent they were at now, the Altia Continent. And to guide Malin’s sight, Enfir pointed at one city in particular. 

“Shit, it won’t be a short journey then,” Malin said before yawning. “To think I haven’t slept for days at this point.”

“There’s no time to mess around then. Hey!” he shouted at the soldier who was still poking his friend. For some reason, he seemed to have fun doing that. “Ask the others to carry him with you. We will go now!”

“Y-yes, Sir!”

Malin sighed. He failed his mission because of interference from an ordinary guy. Being outplayed like this wasn’t his plan, but it wasn’t exactly a disappointing one. After all, he had thought that it would have ended all anticlimactically. 

Thus, with that move at the end, Pierrot had defied all of his expectations.

So rather than being disappointed, he found it very much amusing. 

His smile said it all. 

“Just wait for me, Sir Pierrot. I’m sure we will meet again.”

***

Clip-clop.

Clip-clop.

Clip-clop.

This rhythmic sound continued as a companion on Pierrot and Helena’s new journey. The night had exchanged its cold for the morning’s warmth.

It’d been a few hours since their successful escape. The horse had been galloping at full speed without a single break. Now, it was tired and could only walk even slower than a human’s pace. Yet it was stubborn, not wanting to stop, serenading the surrounding landscape with every little footstep. 

As they looked around, colors were also returning with the absence of darkness. Each palette painted one part of the world one at a time. 

The light brown hue of the sand beneath them. 

The various tones of green that surrounded them. 

The orange color that bled from the east. 

From afar, grayish mountains were hidden by fluffy clouds.

And some flowers here and there added more variety to the eyes. 

When the light passed them, they became colorful. It appeared as if there were an invisible brush from above. That hand guiding it moved very gently, confident in what it put on the canvas. 

The world was performing its miracle, and Pierrot and Helena had the entire first row seat to themselves.

Helena in particular couldn’t take her eyes off this scenery. 

It should have been the same, Helena thought. From one part to another, she had seen them before within her sanctuary inside the Whispering Forest. Those flowers, which had bloomed the definition of beauty itself, were everything Helena found in the word beautiful. 

But without trees blocking her sight–beyond the wall that had sheltered most part of her life–everything felt so surreal. One word couldn’t possibly convey the emotions rushing through her now, but if she had to choose, it would be–

“Pretty….”    

Pierrot heard it but gave no comment. Instead, he looked to the side as well, compelled by the dazzling light which shone upon them. And at last, once the ray hit them, they were basking in the first morning sunrise–the first time outside for Helena. Her hair glowed alongside it. 

“Helena, if you’re tired, you can sleep,” Pierrot said. 

“It’s okay. I want to take in this view a little longer.”

“Okay. Ask me in case you need anything.”

“Will do. Thank you.”

For the most part, the journey was peaceful. Birds were chirping away, greeting the morning with full spirit. On the other hand, Pierrot couldn’t. His body was so heavy, and drowsiness crept into his consciousness. So, seeing Helena still had some excitement within her was quite a surprise to him. 

He wished to find a tavern or an inn soon. In the worst-case scenario, they had to sleep on the road. Not only would it be dangerous, he was certain that when the day entered the afternoon, the sun above them wouldn’t be that kind to them. 

Pierrot kept looking around when Helena broke the silence. 

“So, where should we go now?” she asked. 

As her words became a fleeting sound amidst the wind, the hand clutching Pierrot’s shirt tensed up. Helena wasn’t aware of her own actions.

“If it’s possible, I want to go back to my village,” he said. “I want my family to know that I’m still alive.”

The image of Caria Village emerged in Helena’s head. Although she had never seen the place before, knowing the gentleness behind every Pierrot’s action, she wouldn’t be surprised to see how welcoming the place would be.

At least she hoped that being the case.

“T-then….”

Can I come with you? 

Her voice faded away. Those words were already on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter them. Something stopped her–it could be the burden of pressuring Pierrot or the fear of rejection, but her voice wouldn’t continue.

Helena understood where she should belong. A Witch like her would just be a hindrance. The threats hadn’t exactly disappeared yet. Arguably, it became even more dangerous. It would only take a slight mishap on her part for her identity to be exposed, casting danger on Pierrot as well.

So Helena knew it would be better to give up. Asking for more was beyond her right. Unless she got an invitation, she felt content with what she had got so far.

Yes, that would be–

“Do you want to come with me?”

–an unexpected yet pleasant surprise that Helena thought she had heard wrong.

“....”

“Helena?”

“....”

“Umm, did you hear me?”

“Sorry, can you repeat that?” Helena said. 

“To my village, do you want to join? There aren’t many people there, but it’s peaceful.”

“Can I?”

“Why do you think you can’t?”

Helena spoke with a dejected smile. “Because I’m a Witch.”

“That’s not a problem. We can hide it better next time.”

Next time–mere two words, yet Helena couldn’t get them out of her head. They echoed, refusing to leave. 

“So, of course you can. It’s a bit of a long journey, though. Are you–”

“I-I don’t mind!”

Her sheer excitement was conveyed well enough as she accidentally yanked Pierrot’s shirt top hard. The collar almost choked him, and the sudden chaos startled the horse too.

“Sorry!”

If Helena had pulled his shirt a little longer, there would have been a horizontal mark stretching across his neck. As soon as the pressure gripping his neck disappeared, Pierrot inhaled as if it were his last breath. 

“J-just be more careful next time,” Pierrot said, his voice still hoarse for a while. Only when his breath steadied did he talk again. “And it will be a quick visit, too. We still need to find your master.”

“But that isn’t something you should trouble yourself with.”

“It’s fine. I’m not the type of person who can stay indoors too long, after all.”

“Is that why you always went outside for a walk?”

“It also serves as a workout.”

Helena chuckled. Even when they weren’t in her sanctuary, their conversation flowed as usual, with Pierrot having a response to each of her comments. She was glad that the feeling of familiarity was still there. 

“But really, please don’t bother yourself. I’m sure that my master is also fine somewhere.”

“Still, you want to see her, right?”

“That’s….”

Pierrot turned his head to the side, just enough for his peripheral vision to see Helena. “Don’t worry. We can still talk about it again later. You don’t need to decide now. I just want to tell you to not be hesitant when you’re around me. For now, however, let’s find a place to rest.”

“....Yes, that sounds good.”

Once again, they stopped talking. Helena somewhat felt one of many burdens hanging onto her heart had been lifted. And after realizing that, everything around her appeared to be even prettier than before. 

After traversing this flat land for a while, they joined the crossroads. They began to see other people, though they could easily count the number using their hands, one hand even for Pierrot.

It was a relieving sight for Pierrot. That meant they were near a populated area, so he pressed forward with ease while Helena’s head wobbled up and down. Fatigue slowly affected her. 

It didn’t take long, though. Just half a kilometer away, they stumbled upon an inn. 

Garam’s Inn was the name.