Chapter 24: Chapter 24

“Serena, is that you?” I ask, looking at the forest nymph standing before us.

Serena gazes at me with her emerald eyes and gasps. She doesn’t say anything and quickly heads over to me instead, as if she wants to inspect me. Not long after this, she begins to put her hands all around me.

“No way, no way, no way!” She utters this in excitement as she circles around me. “You are that brat who is the sister of the tamer princess! Well, technically she is a queen now, but I believe that you are the smarter sister!”

Okay? That is an oddly specific fact. She just remembers me but not my name. At least that’s good.

“Thanks, Serena. I’m happy that you can still recall me.”

Serena scoffs at my words. “Oh please. How can I not? This guy keeps on talking about you to his cat.” She jerks her thumb towards Kellar and rolls her eyes. “Talk about an obsessive trait if you ask me.” She whispers to me before Kellar manages to pull her back with a deeply red face and a scowl.

“That’s enough nonsense out of you, Serena! Go back in the trees!” Seeing Kellar getting flustered left me looking at him with a curious stare in his direction.

“Nonsense? Ha!” Serena throws her head back and laughs at him. “Even in your sleep you-”

“SERENA!” It would seem like it isn’t the first time that Kellar has yelled at her, because Serena doesn’t seem surprised when he screams at her. Kellar takes a moment to calm himself before he finally breathes out. “Can you just…can you just help me fix her up? She has a sore arm. Please?” Kellar adds the last part when Serena just glares at him for yelling at her previously.

“Wait. Your date is injured?”

“Serena, for the last time she’s not-”

Serena completely ignores him as she walks past Kellar. Kellar could only let out an exasperated breath when he followed her towards me. Serena grabs my arm and carefully checks it.

“Just a bruise and a few cuts. Nothing to worry about, really. But if you insist that the love of your life be taken care of, then say no more, friend. My sisters and I will take good care of her.” Kellar wants to open his mouth to correct her again, but I guess that by now he gets the idea that there’s no amount of explaining to do to convince Serena.

“Just…just ignore her words. You know what she is like.” Kellar looks so pitiful and docile when he explains it to me. Nonetheless, he offers me his hand. I stare at it before looking at his face. “Don’t…Don’t think any of this. It’s just that this forest is pretty dangerous if you are not used to living here. You might get separated from us whether you pay attention or not.” He warns me.

“Okay.” I answer, taking his offered hand before giving him a small smile. I don’t know how to act with this version of Kellar, but I do hope that my smile will spark up how we used to be as kids. “Thanks, Kellar.”

“I-”

“Hey, lovebirds!” Serena calls us. She’s already way ahead of us and keeps on waving us over. “Are you guys coming or do you…what do teens call it these days…rather kiss first?”

“SERENA!” This time, it wasn’t just Kellar who shouted at her.

***

Serena is leading us to what looks like a mountain with a cave at the bottom that’s currently leaking water.

“I know this place.” I can’t help but whisper. “I think this place is called the spring of purification, was it?” I turn to Kellar for answers since Serena is busy dancing at the mouth of the cave like a banshee. I believe that she’s calling for her other nymph sisters.

“Yes.” Kellar confirms. “The spring is mainly used so that the evil spirits in this forest will be purified and the peace will maintain. Sometimes it can also be used to heal wounds and such.”

“And all I have to do is bathe in the spring?”

“Correct.”

“That’s such a simple solution.”

“It is.” Kellar agrees.

“If it were that simple, then why would Serena have to call for other nymphs?”

“Call for the wha-” Kellar’s head alertfully turns to where the nymphs are gathering around Serena. Then, as if they sense us looking at them, they slowly turn their heads towards us before giving us suspicious smiles. “Damn that nymph.”

Just as Kellar had breathed out those words, the nymphs began to charge at us. They separated me from Kellar, despite him trying to fight them off.

I must admit that I am at a loss here. I remember the nymphs dragging me off into the cave, and the next, I am being lured somewhere where they help me clean up and change into a tunic so that I can use it to soak in the spring inside the cave. The nymphs begin to sing, hum, and brush out the tangles in my hair, causing me to sigh contentedly.

It has been a while since I pampered myself with this kind of service. Heck, with all the work that I have been going through, I can’t even remember if I actually have taken better care of my outer appearance at all.

“This is insane, Serena. We can’t…you can’t-” I hear Kellar’s voice from a distance, but I cannot pinpoint where he is because my mind is already getting too relaxed from the hair brushing in the water.

“Oh, shut up.” Serena chatises him. “You need to heal up right now. You’re getting weak. If it isn't for the spring water, you’d be dead right now. You hear me? Dead. Like the kind that never wakes up from a dream, not like I know if dead people actually dream or-”

“I get it, Serena.” Kellar snaps at her.

Hearing their conversation, I immediately fix my position. My mind is struggling to be on full alert. I see Kellar is being dragged not just by Serena, but also by the other nymphs as well.

Kellar is shirtless and is wearing nothing but pants on. I suddenly feel conscious of my tunic dress. It’s not like it is too revealing, but I just really feel uncomfortable seeing Kellar without a shirt.

Kellar finally sees me and stops dead in his tracks. “Wait, Serena. Stella is still using the water. Maybe I can wait for her to-”

“Blah blah. Pester someone else with your lame excuses, you brat. Go take a bath. Stella seems nice. I am pretty sure that she won’t mind. Her sister even dragged her husband with her during her first visit here. Who knows, maybe you two will-”

“Shut up, Serena!” Kellar yells and splashes her with water. The nymph just laughs and manages to dodge the stream of water headed towards her.

“Okay, okay. Come on girls. These two want to be left alone on their date.” Serena ushers her friends away, leaving me alone with Kellar, who is now at the far edge of the spring. He isn’t speaking and is averting his gaze from me.

I can’t say I blame him. I am doing the same. This is such an awkward space to have a conversation.

“As soon as you finish, I will have Javi return you to your sister.” He finally says, after a while of silence.

“I’ll leave when you answer my question.” It seems like him speaking, gives me the strength to answer.

“What is it?” He sounds uninterested while washing his face with the spring water, which gives me all the more courage to go straight to the point and ask.

“Why’d you separate your soul?”