Upon arriving at what appeared to be a village, Valeriane was cautious and had Ellys do a quick reconnaissance now that they were close.
They moved to a spot with some elevation so Ellys could see better. Even Cassian picked her up and put her on a small tree for a better view.
Cassian himself, with his good eyesight, wanted to see what it was all about.
"There's no one there. There's no movement, and even though we're some distance away, there's no sound either. But that smoke..."
He noticed that, even though there was nothing in sight, with his good eyesight he could still see a little of the faint smoke coming from the center of that ghost town.
"Lys, can you see anything?"
"It's empty. There are no signs of life or anything... but the mana—"
"Yes, Little angel, if you're going to say again that it's like a knot or something, it's useless because I don't understand it. And I'm a mage!"
"..."
"Don't listen to him, Miss Ellys. We have to take into account that he said the mana in this place is not normal. Well, since you didn't find anything, and Sir Yefeng doesn't detect anything, I think it's okay to go."
The tree wasn't that big, and they listened to Ellys' words, who, like Cassian, came to the conclusion that it was indeed an empty village.
If you ignored that strange smoke, she—who said she could see through things—was more accurate than Cassian. He took her and climbed down from the tree.
..
.
"T-this is wrong. We have to get out of here."
"Hee~ What's wrong, Little Dragon? Don't tell me you're scared. Who's the coward now?"
"Shut up! I'm not scared, but something's wrong here... and, hmph... anyway, this place isn't worthy of someone of my lineage. So we have to leave."
"No. It's too late. Even though the situation doesn't seem right and something's wrong, today has been a complicated day, to say the least. We'll use this same dwelling, we'll eat and then sleep."
"Ugh! Well, if you say so, I guess it's okay."
They had entered the village through the gate in the wall. It was not closed and seemed to be in good condition. In fact, as they walked through the village, the group noticed that all the structures seemed to be in good condition.
It seemed that people were still living in them, and if it weren't for Ellys being able to see through them and the deathly silence, they might have believed it.
But the further they went, the more strange things they noticed, such as some places that appeared to be businesses with open doors, and inside, there were still things in good condition, especially in a butcher shop where the meat that was still there looked fresh.
This made him realize that it was not a normal situation and not just an abandoned village. They continued exploring and finally found the source of the faint smoke Cassian had seen.
It was a giant bonfire in the center of the village. It looked like it had been used recently and was abruptly extinguished.
Even so, Valeriane made the decision to use one of the houses despite the disconcerting situation. It had been dark for over an hour, and there were few options.
They occupied a house, and when they saw the food that had been burned because it had been left on the fire, along with everything else, it felt as if the villagers had simply disappeared, making Celestine dislike the situation, but that did not change the plans, and Celestine could only accept it.
..
.
"Phew, I'm full. It's been a crazy day, I think I'm starting to feel sleepy."
"How can you be so carefree?"
"What? Are you really scared, little dragon?"
"N-No, but you didn't want to come before, because now you seem so calm."
"Well, before, it felt like there was a monster that only gave you the option to surrender. But if there's an empty town, it's no big deal.
There are no footprints or anything, but since everything looks recently used, maybe it's a ghost town or something."
"Ugh! And that's not bad? I mean, they're ghosts, they could be dangerous... well, for you guys, since with my lineage—"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Well, ghosts are easy to deal with. You know? When I was a kid, my mom used to take me to cemeteries where there were ghosts."
"Wait, Luna... ghosts exist?"
Everyone had gathered around and lit the fireplace. In fact, it was already prepared and just needed to be lit, which Celestine did with a small sigh.
They sat close together on a rug made from the skin of an animal Cassian didn't recognize, and ate the rest of the two fruits -which must have been from two triplets- and some fruits they found along the way.
That was all, since they didn't even find any animals along the way, only insects.
After eating, everything felt calmer, although Celestine still seemed a little alert to her surroundings and began to argue with the very relaxed Naelune, who seemed to be falling asleep at any moment.
Their conversation caught Cassian's attention, who still didn't really understand what this ghostly place was all about until they literally started talking about ghosts and questioned their existence.
"Huh? Isn't it obvious? As long as there is mana and will, ghosts will exist."
"Oh, so that's it!.... What happens is that in my world there is no mana, so they don't exist, although there are people who say they do, I've never seen one."
"Wait Cazzy!!. Wait a minute there!. I think I misheard you. No, you must have misspoken. Did you say there was no mana in your world?"
"No, I didn't misspeak. There is no mana in my world. Didn't I say so? In my world, there are no gods, no mana, and no monsters. In fact, today is my first day seeing all those things."
"Hey, I think there's something wrong with this place. I'm hearing strange things... Little Knighwt, Little Angel, did you hear what she said correctly?"
"...Hmm. Is that impressive?"
"Yes, it is. If I understand correctly, it means that Sir Cassian has not practiced any combat or breathing arts."
"Well, if those things are for improving mana, right? They don't exist in my world, because even if they did, they would be useless."
"Hey, what's with those lukewarm reactions? What I'm hearing here is that Cazzy here is strong without having practiced any arts or breathing!"
"Well, I think it's because of my skill. By the way, why did your mother take you to the cemetery? I'm curious."
"Hey, Cazzy, I feel like you're downplaying this too. Does everyone in your world have a skill like your 'Perfect Body'? Are they all powerful like you even without mana?"
"Huh? I don't think so... Is that possible?"
"Well, in my world, everyone can adopt aquatic characteristics, and today I found out that it was a skill. It seems that everyone in my world has a skill. That's why I thought it could happen in yours too."
"Mn... no? In my world, others are... well, normal. If that's the skill that gives me this strength, I guess I'm the only one."
"What, no manna, no skill? So how did your world prepare for the Prophesied Day?".
"No, we were prepared. We have no mana, we have no gods, and we didn't know what was going to happen. So... even though we have what you might call weapons, few people have them... well, it was a total mess before that black crack swallowed me up."
"Ah, hmm, sorry, I shouldn't have... mm, ah! You asked why my mother took me to the cemetery when I was a child, right? It was to practice my enchantment with ghosts, that's why I'm not afraid. Even evil spirits are no big deal."
"Huh? Why with ghosts?"
"Well, my mother said they were a sure check that I was using it correctly, because if the enchantment works and the ghost is enchanted with me, it disappears, since its unfulfilled desire to find love has been fulfilled. By the way, it's a special cemetery that my family made, where only those who suffered from unfulfilled love in life are buried."
"Hey, there are so many things wrong with that, I don't know what to say... or is it just me? Is that normal in your world?"
"No, Sir Cassian. There was definitely more than one thing wrong with everything she said, including desecrating the dead."
"Hey, it's all legal! We ask for consent in advance before they die. What's more, they come themselves because they fear they won't find peace after death. And as a bonus, we even give their living relatives some benefits for this."
"Hmm... I still feel like something's wrong. Well, never mind. But what are ghosts? Since they exist, they must know what they are, right?"
"Hmm, well, I never really studied it in depth, but as far as I know, they're something like the persistent will of the soul, sustained by mana. Hmm, things about spirits, souls... I don't know that much. Why don't you ask Angelito? If I'm not mistaken, you're a Sephirion, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"Heh! I knew it! And here I am, again, being careful not to mention that you were missing a wing. Well, I think it will grow back soon, since you already have something in mind, don't you?"
"(≧﹏≦)"
"Huh? Can your remaining wing grow back? I thought that's how they normally were."
"Well, Cazzy hasn't seen an angel other than her. Anyway, if you want to know what a ghost or spirit is, ask her. If I'm not mistaken, that ritual she was doing earlier was so that her soul, which is said to be special and can cure poisons and other things, would influence you. They've been studying souls along with magic for generations. Isn't that right, Angelito?"
"...It was a secret..."
"Huh?"
"...That was a secret of my family. How do you know?"
"What? Really!?... damn... my mother told me as if it were common knowledge.ehem.... I mean, you don't have to worry, I don't think many people know about it. I mean, I know because my family is close to royalty. I mean... you probably know since I'm a blue-haired mermaid, right? Hmm, although you, being a Sephirion too..."
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. You don't have to worry! I can keep secrets. Look, my cousin once told me that she's not attracted to men even though she's engaged to seven, and I've kept that very well. There's also the fact that my aunt—"
"Stop!"
"Um... I mean, my point is that I found out because of my status, and because... well, my mother is in that line of work. Besides us, and well, besides my father's family, who are whales, I don't think anyone else knows, so don't worry."
"Still... how?"
"How should I know? My mother told me. Anyway, with Varnorr coming, I don't think it matters. I mean, look at everything we've seen today, it's on a whole different level. Maybe what makes our families and stuff special isn't such a big deal anymore, don't you think? Look at Cazzy, she just shattered all my preconceptions, and she's not even from Varnorr."
"...haah~,Alright, I understand.."
"Well, I'm glad this doesn't ruin our great friendship!"