Winter Wonderland: The Powerful Locket (Completed | Revising)

Chapter 7: The Attacked

Chapter 7: The Attacked

AIRA

Nang makauwi kami sa bahay, sinalubong kami ni Lola Georgia. Grabe ang pag-aalala niya nang makita niya kaming tatlo na may mga sugat.

"What happened to you? Where did you come from?" Grandma asked as she approached and examined our wounds.

"It's all my fault," Josh said with a bow.

"If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in this state," Lee added.

"I'll talk to both of you about this later," Grandma said.

Grandma guided me to my room on the third floor, and we sat together on the bed. I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes.

"Aira, your grandfather and I have been worried sick. We went to the battleground to find you yesterday, but you weren't there. We waited for hours, but you never showed up. We returned home, and it took us all night to wait for the three of you, but not even your shadow appeared. And now I find you this morning with injuries?"

I sensed the anger in Grandma's voice, and I could tell she was struggling to control herself. This was the first time she had been so angry with me.

"I-I'm sorry," I whispered.

"We couldn't sit still at home since last night. I kept wondering where you three had gone. Did you know I almost went to your mother in the city just to find out where you were?" I couldn't help it; my tears welled up and fell freely.

Grandma wiped away my tears. "Look at what's happened to you; you're all injured. We're not strict with you, Aira. We allow you to do as you please, but what happened today? Do you think your Grandpa and I would be happy to see you like this?"

"What if this had reached your mother? By chance, she would never let you go to Wonderland again. She would keep you away from us. Is that what you want?"

"Aira, we promised your mother that you would be safe here in our world."

My pain subsided, and my wounds began to heal as Grandma used her power. I wiped away my tears and looked into her eyes.

"I trust that you're safe because you have your guards with you. I believe in your ability to protect yourself, especially with your power to generate force fields. But what happened? They couldn't even protect you?"

"L-Lola, it wasn't their fault—"

"Listen carefully, I understand if they're innocent, but their primary responsibility is to protect you. They brought you back with injuries, and thankfully, they weren't too severe or complicated."

I continued to cry, and my tears flowed freely. Grandma held my hands, her anger softening.

"Next time you leave, please tell us where you're going so we don't worry. Can you tell me where you went?"

"We were training in the battleground yesterday, and then we went to Winter Forest. Lee mentioned that his enigmatic bracelet was missing, so we helped him look for it. Many unexpected things happened, and we ended up in different places," I explained quietly.

"That place is very dangerous because she's the keeper of the portal located there. It's not easy for anyone, even wernals, to reach that place."