Chapter 23: CHAPTER 23: PHASE 2 – SCOUTING

The world really does look huge from this perspective. I really shouldn't take my height for granted anymore. I wander out of the cave to meet up with Alex and Gabriel. I wonder if they will notice.

"It seems like you have met my sister in the cave, Viola," Gabriel says as I walk out of the cave.

"I did. Mother is still as warm as she was when she was still alive."

"M-my Lady? Is that you talking?" Alex questions looking down at me.

I transform back into my human state and smile at Alex. "It sure is! Cool, right?"

"How did you do that?" Alex asks as he begins to dart around my body. "Are you hurt? You didn't get lost in the cave, did you?"

"I am just fine, Alex. By absorbing the magical energy inside the cave, and with the guidance of my mother, I was able to accept my other half and become a fox." Noticing my uncle at Alex’s feet, I crouch down in front of him. "Thank you for showing me the way to the cave. Is it okay if I come by sometimes to get more magical energy?"

"You are more than welcome to come to the cave. You are my niece, but more importantly, you are the new Guardian of Eshea Woods. You have more than enough authority to come and go into the forest as you please."

"Guardian of Eshea Woods? What is that?"

"Magical creatures blessed with the ability to turn into humans are automatically designated the title 'Guardians'. This is because they are able to mediate on any action regarding the city and these woods since they can communicate to both the creatures living here and the people living out there. Of course, Guardians don't really do anything important unless we are threatened by the city which rarely ever happens. So for now, it's just a title of formality due to you being able to turn both human and fox."

"Ah, okay, I understand. Don't worry. I, as the mayor's shadow and the up-and-coming strongest leader of Eshea, won't let anyone bring harm to the forest. I am all in the know in this city. Nobody of importance can do anything without me hearing about it."

"That's very reassuring, Viola. Oh, and another thing. Don't be a stranger. Okay? You also have family here in the forest. We might just be a bunch of foxes, but you are still related to us through your mother. If you ever need anything, just know that we are here to help."

"Okay. I will make sure to come visit you when I have some free time."

Satisfied with my answer, Gabriel smiles at me and hops back onto my chest. "You two should head out now. It's getting pretty late. The forest can be a tricky place to leave if you get stuck here at night."

I nod, and the three of us begin our descent out of the forest. After what felt like five minutes, we make it back out into the city behind the warehouse. Gabriel and I say our goodbyes, and the fox scurries back into the forest, disappearing between the bushes.

"It's been quite the eventful night. Hasn't it?" I ask Alex who stands beside me.

"Well, eventful for you maybe. To me, it looked like you were talking to yourself." Taking in the fresh summer night air, Alex glances up at the moon that's partially covered by clouds. "Nevertheless, it seems like you have had some personal development. What could be more eventful than that?" Alex looks at me after I don’t immediately answer. "My Lady? Are you okay?"

I don't say anything.

Something catches my eye while Alex was talking. Something small and white which makes it stick out in the night but just barely noticeable. I subconsciously walk over to it, making Alex follow behind me. As I got near it, the small spot got longer and longer. When I stand right next to it, I finally realize what it is.

It's snow. The snow my father must have been talking about .

"Alex, do you see that?" I ask, pointing at the large line of snow in front of me.

Alex gives me a puzzled look. "See what, my Lady?"

So only I can see it. Will I be able to find what I have been searching for if I follow the snow? Wait... how am I able to see the snow in the first place? It has never shown up before me when I was looking for it. Is it because of what happened in the cave? Did absorbing the magical energy enhance my vessel capacity? I really should---

Before I could finish my thought, my legs give out on me, and I collapse onto the sidewalk.

"My Lady! What's wrong?"

Alex raises my head and scans my face. He notices me breathing, so he assumes that I must have fainted from the long walk and the sudden event in the forest. Gently picking me up, Alex carries me back to the Winter Estate.

"What happened to Master?" Delic asks as he takes me from Alex's arms.

"She collapsed on the sidewalk. She must have been exhausted from the ordeal."

"What ordeal?" questions Xander as he follows them to my room.

Alex hesitates to explain. He knows it's not his place to talk about something like this without me giving the go-ahead. However, he also knows that the two guys in front of him won't be able to relax until they know what happened.

"She awakened her other half," Alex reveals.

"What do you mean other half?" Xander pries as he opens the door to my room.

"She has awakened the fox blood within her."

"And what does that have to do with what happened to her?" Delic inquires as he lays me down onto the bed and changes my clothes.

Alex goes on to explain what happened behind the warehouse and the cave.

"So she can turn into a fox now?!" Xander concludes stunned from the overload of information.

"Not only that, but she can also see things."

"See things?" asks Delic, tucking me into the bed.

"Before the Young Lady collapsed, she wandered over to the other side of the road. She pointed at a wall and asked me if I saw something. I didn't see what she was pointing at other than a wall. She fell silent for a moment when I didn’t answer, then fainted."

"This does seem like something we need Master awake to explain, but for now, let's let her sleep. We can ask about it in the morning," Delic states, pushing the twins out of the room.

As everyone leaves, the night grows quiet.

The daily routine of getting up, washing, and eating continues once again the next day.

"My Lady, will we be joining you for morning practice?" Alex asks as he sits down next to me.

"Of course, you two will be joining me. It may be a weekend, but training never stops."

The trio awkwardly eats their food. I take heed of their anticipation and speak up.

"I'm assuming that Alex explained what happened last." The three of them nod their heads. "Is there anything you would like to ask?" I add.

Alex glances over at me and takes a sip of his coffee. "Actually, I wanted to ask you what you saw last night," he starts.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, you pointed at a wall and asked me if I saw anything. I couldn't see what you were talking about, so I thought it must be something only you can see."

"I saw snow," I blatantly say.

"How did you manage to see snow? It's almost the end of September. It would be another three or four months before natural snowfall occurs," Xander states, almost spitting out his eggs.

I take a moment to think about it. "It's snow only a Winter Vessel can see. My father told me it will lead me somewhere as long as I follow it."

"And where do you think it will lead you?" Delic questions, crossing his arms.

"It will lead me where I want to go but don't know how. I think as of right now, it will lead me to the mages responsible for the kidnapping of the twins' village."

Xander jumps from his chair. "You really think so?!"

"I can't say for sure, but that's where I feel like it wants to lead me."

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The loudness of the room subsides as Xander sits down.

"So we are one step closer to finding our village," Alex comments almost in tears.

"I intend to follow the snow at night in my new fox form," I add.

"Won't it be dangerous to go alone at night?" Alex mentions as he wipes the inching tears from his eyes.

"I won't be alone. Delic will follow me in his spirit form. Xander will follow using his Shadow Movement. You will stay guard at the house and keep searching for clues in my father's office. There might be something I missed since I have been half asleep checking some of them."

"Why can't I go with you, my Lady?"

"While your Serpent Wave is great for weaving around buildings, you won't be fast enough to follow the three of us. Shadows are everywhere especially at night which will allow Xander to move quickly. I will be running at full speed, and wherever I am, Delic will be right beside me if he follows in his spirit form."

"Ah... o-okay."

Noticing Alex’s upset expression, I set my hand on top of his. "I'm not going to leave you out of this mission. That you don't have to worry about. The three of us are just going to scout the area."

Alex grabs my hand and nods after I reassure him of what’s going to happen.

"You can let go of her hand now, you know," Delic says, glaring at Alex.

"And what if I don't want to? Are you going to monopolize her again? You know what happened last time," Alex teases, bringing my hand to his lips. He kisses my hand and side-glances over at Delic from the corner of his eyes.

"Okay, okay," I meditate, sliding my hand out of Alex's grasp. "No fighting. If you want to duel it out, do that in the training hall. Not in my room."

Delic sulks in his chair, begrudgingly finishing his breakfast.

After breakfast, Delic takes me to the training hall while the twins are cleaning up the table. I find Edward sitting on one of the benches reading the newspaper, so I walk over to him.

"Good morning, Edward," I greet, waving at him.

"Ah! Good morning, Lady Viola," Edward answers, setting the paper down. "What would you like to work on today?"

"I have something I want to try out. I won't tell you what it is yet, though."

Edward lets out one of his hearty laughs. "You know that you can't pull any secret moves on me, Lady Viola. Nonetheless, I like your determination. We will begin whenever you're ready."

Before heading out to the middle of the training hall, I warm up a little with Edward. I get into the fighting stance he taught me and wait for Delic's whistle. Not even a second after the whistle sounds, I turn into a fox and dash around Edward kicking the back of his knees to make him fall down. I turn back into a human and grab Edward's wrists before he could recover from his fall. I then twist him around and lock his arms behind his back.

"Time!" Edward yells amidst his confusion. I let go of his wrists, and he rolls back over in order to sit up. "What did you just do?" he asks while he rubs his wrists.

"I wanted to see how fast my fox form would match up in a battle with someone who is unsuspecting," I reply smiling.

"What do you mean 'fox form'? Did you awaken your mother's blood?"

I continue smiling and nod my head. Edward wraps his arm around my neck and rubs my head with his fist.

"Look at you learning new things, pipsqueak," Edward jokes.

"Hey, be careful!" I warn, laughing at Edward's sudden amusement. "I'm fragile. Remember?"

"Oops! That you are," Edward says, letting go of me while still laughing. "You know that surprise trick will only work once. The moment whoever you're fighting knows what you can do, you need to have a second plan of action ready to go. Let's try again. Now that I know what you can do, let's simulate a battle of what you should do next."

"Okay," I answer pumped and ready to test out my new skills.

Morning training draws to a close with Alex, Xander, and myself worn out and exhausted.

"You boys have gotten better since you started training with the Young Lady last week. Keep this up, and you will be able to fight with no problem."

The twins, too tired to speak, throw their thumbs in the air.

Delic approaches the three of us and bends over. "No time for laying around. There is still more to do."

"Easy for you to say when you aren't the one training," the three of us say glaring at Delic.

The day rolls by like any other day. I check the garden, meet with the cooks, scan the inventory, do a perimeter check, and work on finalizing the documents for the warehouse. By the time I blinked, night had tumbled over the day and shrouded us in darkness.

"We all know what our roles are, correct?"

"I'm on lookout duty for oncoming threats," Xander answers.

"I'm on guard duty to ensure you don't get hurt," Delic replies.

"I'm on digging duty for any new information," Alex finishes.

"Perfect. Let's make this quick and quiet. We don't know how far the facility is that's holding the villagers. We also don't know how strong the mages are that are inside. Don't do anything that will attract attention. We are just there to scout out the place"

Delic and Xander nod.

"Be safe, my Lady," Alex says, grabbing my arm. The look of worry fills his face.

"I will," I assure him. I look out at the moon and take a deep breath. "Let's go."

The three of us disappear from Alex's sight into the darkness that holds many untold mysteries.

After almost thirty minutes of following the never-ending winding of the snow trail, we are led to the other side of the city close to the outskirts. The snow trail stops in front of a small building that looks like an old candy shop. I take a step forward when I hear a faint sound. It sounds a lot like... groaning. Whatever is going on, it doesn't sound like someone is enjoying their candy.

I grab onto the door handle and slightly turn it. A constant beeping sound rings from the building the moment I crack the door open.

"We have to go, Master," Delic warns.

I try to run when bursts of electricity zap the ground near my feet, causing me to fall. Xander then hops out of my shadow, picks me up, and hops right back in only to appear next to Delic.

"Are you okay?" Xander asks, checking my legs.

"Mm. I'm fine. Let's just go home before anyone comes outside."

"Understood," Xander answers.

He clutches my hand and drags Delic closer into the shadow. Xander uses his Shadow Movement to send the three of us back to the house through Alex's shadow.

Surprised by our sudden arrival, Alex helps everyone up. "What happened?" he questions.

"Scouting was successful. That's what happened," I remark, smiling.

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