The third loved, Unclear, was our next destination, after I read the response email to mine last night.
Thank you for contacting me,
I've heard that you are interested in my relations with the last king. I don't know why you'd contact a representative from their government email to ask about this, but here is what I have to say." The beginning of the email from Release read, the fourth loved. "Thats a long nightmare, and it's true, from what I remember which is not a lot. I've always loved being there for people, that's why I became a representative. Having this all come from kenosee is something that pains me a lot now. I forgot about the old king, fully released the stress of him from me. Wasn't the right idea I guess, or my choice. I saw much more than was described in the nightmare. The real Āpala was sick, not a romantic. He was obsessed with the closeness of a relationship and strictly the closeness, not mutual love, but what it stands for. I can't ever believe that he'd actually end up with that girl, they must be perfect for each other if they did. She is probably just as obsessed. I hope this helped, and I would like to meet in person, but I won't have that amount of time for the foreseeable future. Since you are a new adventurer in Fayha, stay safe and away from Festival if you can. Wait to fully solve the crude king's kenosee till there aren't disappearances, or if you'd like me to work this out after the disappearances.
With care,
representative two-ten of the Festive Kingdom of Fayha.
"Hmmm." I guess he'll be last last.
…
We headed back to Festival. When we got there it was around one pm. People were preparing heavier than when we left, excitement filling the air. I was also excited for the competition, but I have two things to finish first. Though we slowed down just enough to look around as we walked.
"The next loved life is one of the most affected by the curse." Delusion said.
"Unclear." Stella said.
"She has had an uneventful life, scared of decisions and outcomes. So she has lived an on-the-line life."
We got to a block with an average stone building. Light festivities decorated it, but most decorations matching Fayha were in the windows. Each window belonged to a senior citizen in the retirement home. We asked for visitation with Unclear, passing a note to give to her. They read the note too before giving it to her.
They came back, sceptical looks on their faces and staring Delusion up and down. We were accepted and walked to a room in almost the middle of the building, but farther from the door. We knocked.
"Come in."
We opened the door and followed the voice. A set of four brown eyes and just as brown hair decorated the full water dragon's face. She sat. Delusion's body glitched and she turned away, tears forming in her eyes. Stella went and grabbed her hand.
"You wanted to talk about Āpala? And the nightmare myth?"
"Yeah."
She sighed. "Recently people had the dream with me involved a bit. They knew I am this third loved, but you called me Unclear. So whatever my part is that's what my name has been deemed?"
We told her the story, getting her caught up. Her face was still the entire time. She looked around. Delusion's body glitched again, her eyes shutting and tears streamed down her scars.
Unclear smiled. "I did find him cute, but I'd never date him. He was taken for by heart too. I always thought he had something on his mind, I guess it was Kenna. Sorry, do I say Limerence or is that fine?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Call me Erika though." Delusion corrected.
"Ok, Erika. Āpala I really didn't know too well, we were in the same friend group, hung out everyday, talked everyday. I'm not sure I really knew him though, especially now. Oops, unsure. Haha." She gave a gentle laugh. "After I met him and he said that, I was lost for a long time. I didn't know what I wanted, didn't know if college was right if my major was right. I let the wave take me and just went with what was in front of me, missing the timing and letting another wave take me under and to a new shore to run out again." Delusions tears fell heavier as her body wouldn't stop glitching. She put a hand on her head, and tears hit the floor.
"Could you give us a minute?" Stella took Delusion out.
"Yeah, make sure Erika is alright." She said to me as I shut the door.
We shut the door and walked the still glitching delusion outside. Her body slowed and stopped as the door to the outside opened.
"Are you alright?" Stella asked
"Yeah…"
"What's happening?" I asked.
"I-I don't know. This is just my body. It's not made of magic, but…" Delusion's face swelled and tears streamed back down her scars.
"Don't worry. You can take a break and we will go talk with the rest of the love." Stella said.
"Y-you shouldn't. I-I need to be there for the rest of the people like me."
"D- Erika, can I ask you some questions?"
"If it's about if I still like Āpala, then yes. I'm head over heels for a man six feet in the grave. I kinda don't wanna lose this curse because it's the last thing he gave me. It's my bitter interaction with him."
"These glitches, they look like what Jace does. What is it? If its not magic, then what is this?"
"I."
She stopped talking. The tears took one extra second to fall. Her body became still.
"Failed Priestess, but it doesn't mean Āpala didn't still birth me."
"Alright? What is a failed pri-"
"I've said too much." Mixed in with her tears, small blood drops fell from her face covered by her light brown bangs.
"Ok."
We calmed her down, the spasms continued at a slower rate farther from the room. We spoke through the door to Unclear. We let her say her entire life out, let her speak where she stood still. Let her speak where she let waves hit her. Delusion's body would pick up spasms from time to time, then calm down. We spoke about her life back to her. Her failures to move still let her live her life like a normal person. She was scared of decisions but she had to make some to get here.
"The nurses station is in the center of this building. Did you know that?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, of course I know that."
"The closer rooms mean people who require the most treatment. You're closer to the end of the building than the center. To add to that you're a full dragon. It doesn't take just time to achieve that, but effort."
Slow sobs echo from the other side of the door. "You made decisions, decisions and hard actions you didn't even know you made. You breathed when the waves hit you. You never drowned, they couldn't drown you."
"Water dragons are immune to drowning." I added.
"Thanks…"
Sobs came from inside the room. She repeated her thanks again and again. It was around four a clock when we finished and visiting hours had ended.
…
"She's too far to go to her. Also in a dangerous place too." Delusion said.
"Where?"
"Kingdom of egoswords."
"Wow. How can we even confirm the curse with her?"
"Well, her family." Delusion said.
"You know where they are?"
"Losely. But she is the second loved, tons of information on her out there."
"Wouldn't Limerence have a ton also?"
"Kenna's parents abandoned her at eighteen, and had warned her growing up that they would. Taking all that, a guaranteed abandonment, no wonder she'd ask Āpala to destroy all public records. She was the secret Queen of Fayha from forty forty-seven to forty ninety-six."
"She died at eighty?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Āpala hadn't spiraled too much from that, surprisingly. Even Paukena seem- ed to only be motivated by her mother's death."
"Thats an odd way to put it." Stella said.
"I guess. Anyways, it won't be easy to see them."
"I'd assume a bunch of people ask about the nightmare." Stella said.
"We can't even attempt to clear it up, so it's not too much of a detriment."
…
We arrived at the house of Ludus. It was three hours train ride towards Tober, the other direction from the mountains. They lived far out in the rural areas of west Fayah. The fastest we could get there would take another hour and it would be extremely late. I stressed out as we drove out in a car we ordered. I repetitively check my phone. Seven, seven, seven, seven… Wait. the timezones. It was still six in the part of Fayha. I sighed relieved.
We pulled into the neighborhood. It was decently normal, almost Mila looking architecture. Cookie cutter houses with only slightly different materials. It was obvious what house was theirs when we walked up the sidewalk. Signs screaming to not talk about the crude king. Metal fences half the height of the two story house. Security cameras pointing almost everywhere.
"Theres no way they talk to us…" Stella sighed.
"ABSOLUTLY NOT! LEAVE US ALONE!" a man with short straight black hair and a skinny build yelled from the porch. "READ THE FUCKING SIGNS- ARE YOU KIDDING ME AND REALLY DRESSING UP AS THE FUCKING STORY TELLER!"
"Woah calm down. She isn't-" he hurled a bag of trash at Stella from over the fence.
"Let us talk, we aren't-" Another trash bag came down, missing me like it missed Stella.
"We would-" Stella screamed as he threw a rock at her.
I stretched my arm out and caught the rock. Flames bursting from my hand, the heat melting the rock. I turned, staring the guy in his eyes. He fell down and into the door. The door opened and he hit his head on the floor behind him. Another person came out. She was older than the man, maybe forties where the man was thirties. She had straight black hair just like the man and Ludus. She was also tall.
"Why, harass us? There is no gain in it."
"If you'd-"
"We're here to talk about a curse put on Enna from Āpala. Not a conspiracy but evidence we have in the form of the seventh loved, Delusion." Stella pointed down at the nearly five foot Delusion.
The older woman scowled, looked up at the sky then behind her into the house. "Fine." She let us into the gate, but stood on her porch still.
We explained the entire story, leaving out Ludus entirely and what was known about Unclear. Her face grew more and more softer as we spoke. Me and Stella at this point were perfectly, one-for-one, mimicking Delusion's narration of the crude king's nightmare. We even acted out Āpala running to Limerence, me tackling Stella to the grass. We then informed them on the other loved and what we've hoped to help with.
"Well… She's not here. I-" The stern man's voice cracked. "I don't wanna lose my mom."
"What if we want her to live forever?" The woman asked.
"Her dream was to explore the entire world, knowing she can't die is like giving her her dream. She'd be like the President of Mila, immortal."
"That dream of hers truly isn't from will." Delusion's body glitched as my words came out.
"B-but… that's going to make you guys murders for doing this."
"In a round about way."
They both went silent, thinking about this decision. "Mom said Āpala was always intriguing to her. If she'd dated him for a few years after she'd be Queen instead of Paukena after he died. But she also liked him a lot even when she was with our dad. It was her secret." the woman said.
"She said our dad really only held her back, she wanted to always have that freedom, but she was swept off her feet more than a couple of times."
Delusion froze, then glitched heavily. She coughed and turned away from the two. Violent distorted coughs erupted from her like static. Blood pooled out of her mouth and onto the grass.
"Woah, is she alright?' The woman hopped down and came to check on Delusion with us.
The glitching fit spiraled for thirty seconds, before calming down. She vomited blood one more time, then turned to the woman.
"I-I need to leave."
Delusion pushed the woman away and headed out the gate. Me and Stella coming after her. Her body glitched more and more violently as she walked. Every few seconds the wrath amped up, with her entire body glitching out for a few seconds. When she would reappear, she had a single horn shooting out the top of her head. It was flat rectangular with a half circle cut out in the middle. She fell to the floor and held still, her body struggling to stay intact.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know." I panicked and texted Jace fast.
The distorting stopped abruptly. Her horn glitched out and her normal light brown hair was back.
"We… haven't achieved anything."
Her voice wasn't coming out completely comprehensible. Before it was every now and then it distorted, now every word it would crackle and break. She turned to us, grabbing at her throat which was now layered with more cracks, dried blood between the cracks.
"Something isn't right." She fell over, passing out.
Me and Stella panicked more, I went and tried to feel her pulse, but got nothing.
"Is she dead!"
"I don't know, she's not human or dragon, remember?"
"Ahhhh!"