Chapter 6--Lost in the Dimensional Maze

‘Me?’ Natsuki and the others quickly looked at the bronze beauty. It was a head shorter than Natsuki, since it was not standing on a platform. Natsuki observed the statue for a moment, but no matter which perspective she looked, the statue seemed nowhere near “like her”.

‘She doesn’t look like Natsuki.’ concluded Tsi Inn after observing the statue.

‘Yes, it does. Look at her eyes, doesn’t she look like Natsuki’s?’ convinced Aaron. This time, Tsi Inn and Natsuki looked more closely at the statue. Aaron was right. The statue had Natsuki’s eyes, or more like Natsuki had the statue’s eyes.

‘Do you feel like it’s offering you something, when you are standing in front of her?’ asked Tsi Inn. Her friends gathered in front of the statue, then nodded their heads.

‘What did she offered? And why?’ wondered Fuyuda. He glanced at the carvings on the wall, they looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere. He left the statue and examined the wall’s designs while his friends continue to look at the statue.

‘I have seen these designs before in a book.’ said Fuyuda, ‘It is telling us the way to get back to our world.’

‘Are you sure?’ Natsuki was happy when she heard that they are finally getting home, ‘How?’

‘It says here,’ Fuyuda paused to decipher the carvings, ‘There is a maze behind the wall, the wall which the statue faces.’

Everyone turned to the wall behind them, they are finally going home.

***

‘How long have we been in here?’ groaned Natsuki. Everyone was tired after trying to find their way out of the labyrinth.

‘Haven’t you find the exit, Fuyuda?’ asked Aaron. Fuyuda shook his head, it was not easy to look through the maze. Aaron, Natsuki and Yan sighed.

‘We shouldn’t give up, guys.’ Tsi Inn tried to encourage her friends, ‘We’ll definitely find the way out of this stupid maze.’

Her encouragement had an effect on her friends, and they continued their quest on searching the maze’s exit.

But after some time of walking, Natsuki had an eerie feeling. It was as if the surroundings were moving. Occasionally, there was a gust of cold wind.

‘Don’t you feel as if something isn’t right?’ asked Natsuki. But just when she said it, a gust of cold wind blew so strongly that they had to cling onto something to prevent from being blown away. Fuyuda and Aaron held on to the sides of the wall. Natsuki and SyaoInn clutched Aaron’s leg whereas Tsi Inn and Yan held Fuyuda’s legs tightly.

To make matters worse, the walls vibrated vigorously. This caused Fuyuda and Aaron to let go of the wall and the five were blown away.
***
‘Oi, Natsuki, wake up.’ Aaron shook Natsuki until she woke up.

‘Where are we?’ asked Natsuki, then she looked around, ‘Where’s Tsi Inn, Fuyuda and Yan?’

‘Looks like we were separated,’ said Aaron, ‘Let’s wait here.’

‘Why?’ asked Natsuki, ‘Shouldn’t we search for them?’

‘Oh, don’t worry. They (as in Fuyuda, Tsi Inn and Yan) had Fuyuda. He can search for us with his eyes. All we need to do is—Natsuki, are you listening?’

Aaron waved his hand in front of Natsuki. Natsuki was staring at the floor, her eyes were blank, and bloody red too. SyaoInn was hissing angrily, its fur was standing. Unexpectedly, Natsuki tried to suffocate Aaron who was right in front of her. Aaron reacted instantly and kicked Natsuki, causing to release her grasp and stagger a few steps backwards. Just then, a sword materialized within her hands. She looked at the sword with a startled expression, but smiled afterwards and turned towards Aaron. Natsuki raised her sword, and charged at Aaron with the intention to kill.

Natsuki’s sword came down on Aaron, but something stood between her sword and Aaron’s face, something long and shiny, with the words “Grave’s Mist” engraved on it. Aaron had summoned his sword and defended himself.

‘Aargh!’ SyaoInn bit Natsuki’s leg. Unfortunately, SyaoInn was kicked and it hit against a wall, then blacked out. Aaron saw a loophole, seized the golden opportunity he had, and struck Natsuki on her head with his sword, not using the sharp part of his sword. After that, Natsuki fainted. Once she fell to the floor, Aaron’s took a deep breath.

What’s wrong with Natsuki?

‘Hehehe…Hehehe…’someone giggled. Aaron looked upwards, sitting on one of the walls, is a little boy wearing oversized clothes. That boy had been sitting there for some time, watching the two friends fighting each other.

‘Who are you?’

‘I am the Fairy Between Dimensions.’ said the little boy arrogantly, ‘I make sure that nobody simply travel between dimensions.’

Aaron tried his best to surpress his laughter. A fairy? He looked more like a little beggar wearing an adult T-shirt which he found in the rubbish bin.

‘Where are your wings?’ asked Aaron and he finally laughed out loud. The fairy felt red in the face, and hit Aaron’s head indignantly.

‘I don’t need wings to prove that I’m a fairy. My name is sufficient to prove my identity.’

But Aaron was not convinced, and laughed even loudly. The fairy hit Aaron by the head again, Aaron stopped laughing.

‘You are the one who caused Natsuki to go berserk, did you?’ Aaron’s seriousness returned.

‘Hehehe. Yes I did.’ A smile appeared on the little boy’s face, ‘Did you notice anything different on that friend of yours?’

Aaron shook his head.

‘Look closely.’

Aaron looked at his friend who was lying on the floor, then looked at the Fairy, and shook his head.

‘Urgh, you tin head! Look at her neck!’ and the Fairy grabbed Aaron’s head and turned it so that Aaron’s eyes would lye directly on Natsuki’s neck. Something was missing from her neck…

‘Where’s her necklace?’ Aaron finally noticed it.

‘Your friend would lose her consciousness if the necklace is not on her neck. It’s somewhere in the maze, you must find it. If not, hehehe…’ The fairy disappeared.

At that moment, SyaoInn woke up. And Aaron it everything that happened after it fainted. SyaoInn nodded as he poured his story. Once Aaron finished his story, he carried Natsuki on his back and said, ‘Alright, SyaoInn. Do your job.’

SyaoInn stared at Aaron blankly.

‘Don’t you know what your job is?’ SyaoInn shook its head.

‘Your job is to sniff out the location of Natsuki’s necklace! Don’t cats have a keen sense of smell’ SyaoInn stared at Aaron and laughed (in cat language).
***
‘Fuyuda, have you located SyaoInn and the others?’ enquired Tsi Inn.

‘They aren’t within my range.’

‘I hope they weren’t moving.’ said Yan.

‘I felt uneasy just now. Something bad might have happened to them. We have to find them ASAP.’ said Tsi Inn in a worried tone.
***
Aaron sat down and sighed. He had been searching the maze blindly for hours, or days. But he could not find the weird shaped necklace. He looked at his unconscious friend; the Fairy’s words still reverberated in his mind. That weirdo might be lying, but he must be telling the truth, since Natsuki wasn’t herself. In the corner of his eye, Aaron noticed that Natsuki’s finger was twitching, without having a second thought, he hit her head with the sword Natsuki used just now (it was actually blunt beyond measure). And Natsuki fainted again.

‘Come on, SyaoInn. Let’s move. I don’t want to do this to Natsuki again.’ he said.
***
Fuyuda, Tsi Inn and Yan were walking through the maze. Fuyuda looked everywhere for his other friends, but his efforts were futile. Tsi Inn had an uneasy feeling, and it kept bothering her. Something must have happened, she was sure of it.

‘Haven’t you fou—ahhh!’

‘Tsi Inn!’ Fuyuda and Yan looked behind them, but Tsi Inn had disappeared.

At that very moment, Fuyuda had trouble looking through the walls of the maze, there was something blocking his vision. Then he realized that the passages were sealed by four walls, he was alone. Yan was missing too, even though Fuyuda could sense that her aura was nearby.

‘Yan! Where are you?’