“What’s wrong, Anya, do you know her?” Zephyra noticed Anya’s odd expression and quickly asked.
Anya didn’t answer at once. After a moment’s silence, she replied, “I’m not sure. Give her some water. She looks severely dehydrated—I have questions I want to ask her.”
Anya couldn’t believe it—running into this familiar face in a place like this was simply inconceivable.
Could it be that this secret realm was built according to my dreams?
But when she turned to glance at Zephyra’s loud and brash demeanor, then took in the strange Northern Border scenery all around, the thought quickly faded.
Everything would be clear once the Cloaked Girl woke up.
Anya unscrewed her canteen and cautiously let a trickle of water touch the girl’s parched lips.
The moment the coolness met her lips, they quivered uncontrollably, and her brows instinctively furrowed, as if she were trapped in some uneasy dream.
“Hey, I guessed it right!” Zephyra suddenly clapped her hands, her eyes brimming with confidence. “This girl—could she be the Iris you’re always talking about?”
Anya shot her an exasperated glare, then bent down and gently lifted the girl whose features so closely resembled Iris. In a softer voice, she said, “Let’s head back to camp first. It’s not safe here. If any Magic Beasts catch our scent, we’ll be in big trouble.”
“What a killjoy!” Zephyra pouted in open displeasure. “Why the sudden mystery? I was all set to show off my skills, and now I don’t even get the chance.”
“Princess Zephyra, there will be plenty of chances to show off, right? You can display your talents in our Human World and have everyone bow before you in awe. But for now, shouldn’t we deal with what’s right in front of us? Tomorrow morning we can head straight for the Human World, doesn’t that sound good?” Anya coaxed, making Zephyra’s spirits lift visibly.
Zephyra floated with pride at Anya’s words, her little face beaming with smugness as she put her hands on her hips and laughed, “No wonder you’re my Exclusive Assistant! You’re always so thoughtful. Let’s go back, then!”
“Shh—” Anya quickly gestured for silence. “Princess, we’re still in the woods. If you’re this loud, every Magic Beast nearby will come running.”
With that, Anya cradled the white-haired girl in her arms and set off—she definitely didn’t want to get dragged into trouble.
Zephyra coughed awkwardly and hurried to catch up.
……
The three returned to camp, where Anya rekindled the campfire. The Northern Border night was bone-chillingly cold, and the girl in her arms shivered the whole way, clearly half-frozen.
Anya settled the girl near the fire and sat down beside her, giving her more water. Staring at those familiar features, she found herself lost in thought.
Too much alike—she looks just like Iris!
Even the faint Gardenia Fragrance on her was exactly as she remembered.
Anya was dazed, old memories swirling endlessly in her mind.
“Hey! What are you daydreaming about?” Zephyra’s voice yanked her back to reality.
Anya turned and saw Zephyra eyeing her in confusion. “I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. What were you thinking about? Oh, and how much farther is it to the Human World tomorrow?”
“It’s nothing.” Anya shook her head, tossing more wood on the fire. The flames crackled and jumped. “About a day’s journey left, I think, but…”
Her gaze fell on the sleeping girl beside her, and the words caught in her throat.
“But what?” Zephyra pressed.
“It’s nothing.” Anya’s expression was a little dazed. “You go to sleep. I’ll take the second watch tonight and wake you in the morning.”
Seeing Anya unwilling to elaborate, Zephyra lost interest in pursuing it. There’d be plenty of new things for her to experience in the Human World anyway.
She scooted closer to the fire, and soon her gentle snoring could be heard.
Anya looked at the Cloaked Girl beside her, then at Zephyra’s sleeping form, and let out a quiet sigh.
From what those two interrogators said earlier, it was clear that the Cloaked Girl couldn’t return to the Northern Territory.
And if she really had any connection to Iris, there was no way Anya could just ignore her.
Even if this world might be an illusion, she couldn’t just turn away from a face she’d yearned for day and night.
Besides, maybe she was the key to leaving this place.
With that in mind, Zephyra’s journey suddenly seemed a lot less important.
Anya stared at the flames for a while, unconsciously crushing the branch in her hand. She glanced over at Zephyra, an apologetic look in her eyes.
……
The next day at noon, the glaring sunlight woke Zephyra. She opened her eyes in a daze—the fire had long since burned out, leaving only a pile of warm ashes.
But Anya and the Cloaked Girl were nowhere to be seen. On the ground, only a scribbled note remained.
“Sorry, Princess Zephyra. I have urgent matters to attend to and can’t finish the journey with you. Keep heading southeast and you’ll reach a human town. Safe travels.”
Zephyra scratched her head, muttering in confusion, “Where’d they go? Why’d they leave such a bunch of strange symbols?”
She had no idea that when Anya wrote the note, she’d completely forgotten that, as someone from the Dragon Clan, Zephyra couldn’t read human writing at all.
Zephyra stared at the markings on the ground for ages, her eyes wide with worry.
“No way, two living people just vanish like that?” The more she thought, the more confused she got. “Didn’t they say they’d wake me up this morning?”
“Could it be…” Suddenly, Zephyra’s face changed as if she’d hit upon something vital. “I know! It must be those two assassins’ boss. They sent more people after Anya and the others when they didn’t return! This is Anya’s distress signal before she got captured!”
“That’s right, it has to be!” She clenched her little pink fist, cheeks puffed out in anger. “They must be afraid of me and didn’t dare wake me up to fight, so they went after Anya instead. How despicable!”
“Anya, just wait—I’ll definitely rescue you!” Zephyra’s eyes were filled with resolve. She dusted herself off and set off at a gallop—in the exact opposite direction of southeast.
……
“This heat is unbearable.” Anya had been carrying the Cloaked Girl for most of the day before finally finding a patch of shade to rest.
But the girl on her back still showed no sign of waking. She’d been like this since Anya gave her water yesterday—it seemed she hadn’t had a proper rest for days.
Anya sighed, gently setting her down, mentally planning to find some food.
She only had a little food left from yesterday. Without more, they could last maybe two days at most.
Standing, she was about to check for rabbits or wild fowl nearby.
But she’d barely taken a few steps when a faint sound came from behind her.
Anya’s alertness spiked instantly—she turned around at once.
She saw the Cloaked Girl, who’d apparently woken up at some point, tiptoeing away in the opposite direction, trying to slip off quietly.
Anya clicked her tongue and raised an eyebrow. “So you were just pretending to sleep the whole time? Am I really that scary?”
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