(Madelyn"s POV)I was cold and had a nasty headache. It"s what I felt when I woke up. Everything around me felt foreign and unusual. I was surrounded by stone walls and floors colder than I was. The bed wasn"t as soft or comfortable as the Academy. So, I may no longer be in Esnia. Maybe Solidarity Spire? It"s where they kept Steven when he was in a coma.
My headache was getting the best over me and kept me from standing up. Young Mi comes in shortly after and sees writhing on the bed.
Young Mi: "Madelyn? Oh my, are you alright?"
Madelyn: "It—hurts. Young Mi my head hurts!"
Young Mi: "Here…"
She walks over to me and places her index on my forehead. I heard something click and suddenly the pain vanishes and I"m able to think more clearly. I sigh in relief and Young Mi pulls me in for a hug.
Young Mi: "It doesn"t hurt anymore now."
Madelyn: "Thank you…"
It felt strangely relaxing to be in her arms. It felt like I was a child that sc.r.a.ped their knee on the pavement and mom is holding her baby close. Maybe it wouldn"t be so bad to see Young Mi as a maternal figure as she"s always acting like one.
Young Mi: "Hey… about that time at the homestead. I"m sorry for attacking you."
I almost forgot about what happened at the homestead. Even though I know she tried killing me, I can"t bring myself to be angry at her. Young Mi might be using some kind of "mind control" magic to keep me from doing so.
Madelyn: "I"m not mad."
I got out of her hold just in case but I really wasn"t feeling any anger.
Young Mi: "Still, I"m sorry…"
Madelyn: "Well, would it be fine if I called you "mom?"
She looks at me, puzzled. After a moment of realizing that I was serious, she begins to giggle.
Young Mi: "Yes, it"s fine."
We went outside and I quickly realized that we weren"t in Solidarity Spire. A little bit of an explanation and I find out that we"re inside a castle, on another isle, near Sefre. A lot of the halls were large, long, and in need of a remodeling.
Maybe some polished tile, fresh paint, and more lighting would make this place elegant.
Young Mi makes a right turn and we enter another hallway full of empty rooms. I was counting each door we walked past and at the end of the hallway, I counted 37 with more considering I almost lost count. This place was definitely built for some kind of small community.
After another left turn, we enter a shorter but very tall hallway where everyone else was gathered. I smiled widely when I saw them. Lilith was just as excited as I was and we run into each other"s arms as if we were best friends.
Madelyn: "Lilith? Ahaha~ I"m actually glad to see you."
Lilith: "I was scared that you"d be stuck like that. I"m glad you"re finally awake!"
Dai-tai and Niroja casually walked up to us. They both looked happy that I was alive and also looked like they wanted to join with the hugs.
Dai-tai: "We want in too."
Of course, it didn"t seem so bad to have a group hug. It seemed like everyone was here except for Rayna and Steven. They"re probably up to no good if they"re together but I guess it"s not my business. I want to figure out what went down first.
Madelyn: "What happened when I was out?"
Young Mi was the one that brought me up to speed. I was impressed with how fast and efficient Twilight moved in just a couple of hours. They even brought Steven"s master over to Esnia then over here. Though, it really won"t matter if she"s leaving as fast as she arrived.
Madelyn: "They took Steven..? Where is he? What about Rayna?"
Young Mi: "Rayna has been taking care of him single-handedly. We put him in another room nearby."
Madelyn: "Really? How come I was placed at the end of a couple of hallways?"
Young Mi: "The Magi that brought us here did that. They wanted to separate you from us while you were out; just in case.
Yeah, just in case I turned into a freaking witch!
All of us followed Young Mi to the opposite side of the castle to one of the larger rooms. It was another empty one but Rayna was here nursing Steven as he was resting in a cot.
Madelyn: "Hey, Rayna."
She turns around and sees all of us. Her jaw dropped when she realizes that I"m finally up and moving around.
Rayna: "Madelyn..? Madelyn?!"
Madelyn: "That"s me."
Rayna: "You nearly gave us both a heart attack when you collapsed."
On the cot, Steven struggles to sit up and grasps his head in pain.
Madelyn: "You alright?"
Steven: "I feel hungover. What the h.e.l.l did I do?"
Rayna: "Nothing, you were unconscious for 10 days."
Steven: "Err~ f.u.c.k!"
Madelyn: "Does your head hurt too?"
Steven: "It does!"
Young Mi does the same thing she did to me and places her index on his forehead. After a second, he collapses back on the cot and laughs in relief.
Rayna: "Do you need a hand?"
Steven: "No, I"m fine. How did you do that, Young Mi?"
Young Mi: "It"s leftover magic from the Magi. I"m just sucking it out of you."
He starts looking around and realizes that we"re no longer in Esnia.
Steven: "Wait, where are we?"
Young Mi: "Aktas, another isle on Twilight."
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Steven: "Is this a hospital?"
Young Mi: "It"s a castle. We—I"ll have to settle you in slowly."
Steven: "Where"s Joan?"
Rayna: "With Loremaster Hugo."
Rayna and Young Mi look at each other expectantly. It"s as if they know something and they don"t know who should speak. I chose to speak up, encouraging them to speak.
Madelyn: "What"s wrong?"
Rayna: "There"s one more person that needs to wake up."
Young Mi: "Her."
Madelyn: "Her?"
Young Mi: "This is something a few people need to do."
Rayna: "Madelyn, would you help us real quick?"
Everyone was in league with each other and when I looked to Dai-tai and the others, they started to avoid eye contact with me.
Madelyn: "Sure?"
Steven and I were the only ones that were in the dark. I started feeling a little nervous because of it. What if we"re in trouble? Worse yet, we might"ve dug ourselves a hole we can"t crawl out of.
Steven: "What are we doing?"
Rayna: "Well, it"s better if you see it yourself."
Rayna led the 2 of us out of the room and down a couple of rooms. With how many rooms are in this place, I"m surprised she can keep track of which room to go to.
After entering the empty room, another woman I"ve never seen lifts her head from the cot. Her eyes widened with shock and 2 black feline-like ears spring up from the top of her head.
I had to be dreaming!
Are these the cat people I"ve heard so much about!?
At first, I was skeptical but—
WOW!
When she spoke, the pieces started to come together and I realized that I did know who she was.
Cat Girl: "Steven..?"
Steven: "Kanna..!? Is that really you?!"
Kanna!
Steven"s master!
My master!
It"s really her! Exactly as I imagined!
Silky black hair, a simple black spring dress, and an aura the emits innocence.
Madelyn: "Why didn"t you just tell him she was here?"
Rayna: "Steven worked hard just to be with her. I think having a surprise was a good idea."
For the first time seeing a Nekomata, it really is as great as I hoped it would be.
Madelyn: "It really was."