Into the World of Twisted Wonderland Pt 2

🐍 Schemer of the Scalding Sands: Chapter 38 🐍

Angel slowly opened her eyes, wincing a bit at the bright light around her. She groans as she slowly sits up, seeing the familiar sparce greenery in front of her, reaching out towards it, seeing that her hand was pitch black. She looked at it in confusion, only to be shocked to see that something black slowly started covering her. She looks at her hands then look at the pond in front of her, remembering about the last time she was in it, seeing that last time it was very effective to heal her. She gets up to stand, wobbling a little as she takes a step forward to the pond, slowly but surely getting close with each step. She stops at the edge, seeing her reflection of the unfamiliar person in front of her, with black eyes, black spots in her hair, and cracks over her face, but she didn't have too much time to think about it. She carefully put her foot in the water, the cool feeling starting to spread within her as she slowly starts to sink, trying to feel a bottom before putting her other foot in the water. She felt her foot hit something, assuming it was the bottom of the pond, and put her other foot in it. Once her feet where in the pond, she felt the cool feeling instantly coursing through her, letting her relax as she walks to the middle of the pond, feeling the water slowly covering her as she walks. Once she reached the middle, she stopped, seeing that the water came a little over half her body and sighed. She looked down and look at her reflection, seeing that she was slowly but surely becoming normal again. She closes her eyes, lowering herself in the water, letting the water rise up to her face and slowly lay down, floating in the pond as she let her mind wander. That man from before, what he said, what she thought, even the scenes she's seeing...What was it? Who was he? What does he know...? She thought back on the strange dream she had a few days ago. He showed up, but the way he was commenting sounded like he knew more than meets the eye. Plus, that dream...it felt somewhat familiar. That kid...looked a little like her. The memory slowly appears in her head, remembering how crestfallen the kid looked after being yelled at, and she remembered feeling disappointed at the scene. Why did she feel that way? Why did that scene feel so familiar? Was it something she missed? The questions plague her mind, but the familiar sharp pain come to her, preventing her from trying to remember it. She opens her eyes, seeing that she was welcomed with bright light and stare at what she assumed was the sky. Her eyes wander around, seeing that she spotted a familiar figure looking at her, and she looks at them, starting to plant her feet back in the water, standing up.

"I see you have already gotten used to using the pond, despite it only being your second time using it," Mentor says as they stare at her. She looked at them, and a thought popped up. Should she ask about before? They did appear at the right time when she was unconscious, but would it be rude to ask? Would it seem like she's accusing them? She didn't want them to think that she didn't trust them, they've been helping her all this time, and she didn't want to break that trust. Mentor looked at her thinking. "Is there anything you want to ask, little?"

The question throws Angel off, not really expecting them to ask the question, but what she's heard from the others, when she's thinking about something, it is quite noticeable on her face, something she needs to fix on, she makes a mental note. "Um...what...before...what was that?" She cautiously asks, hopefully not to offend the person in front of her.

Mentor becomes silent at the question and Angel looks down in shame after asking. Maybe they feel offended at the question after all...? She thinks as the silence continues, being more awkward by the second. Mentor sighs after a while, getting Angel's attention, as she looks up at them. "Do you briefly remember the time that I told you about a Purifier in the past?" Angel closes her eyes in thought as she recalls a conversation about them and slowly nods. "Apparently, it seems that he has made himself known in your life, a problem that I did not expect."

Angel looks at them in confusion, processing their words. "He has...? But...what have I done?"

"You have been helping those with overbolt," they answered. "He has a certain disdain for Purifiers after his incident and have lived so long based on that feeling. Usually, those who goes through overblot pass from the exhaustion of their magical reserves, but he was...different." They stop, trying to find the words to say. "Everyone that he helped with overblot instead made him grow in power, taking that overblot as his own and manipulating it as his own magic. He was able to make the thing that kills people into a strength that others cannot imagine, but..." They fall silent, trying to find the next words to say. "With a power like that, consequences had to be made."