ECHOES OF FORGOTTEN

Chapter 8: Where Dreams Become Measurable PART III

"So where's the exit?" Mira asked

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. "...Good question."

"Can't your dead tulips show us the exit since they took you to me?"

I considered that. Then I looked around. Gray trees. Gray mist. "It seems they are out of my control."

Mira nodded. "So your evolved power is seeing dead flowers wherever they feel like it."

"Apparently."

As I was opening my mouth to say something smart, a shout came from a distance.

"HEEEELP!"

Mira and I froze. A pause. Then another shout echoed through the trees. "PLEASE! HELP ME!"

I frowned. "We should go help."

"We should, but we are in a scary forest."

"But we want to become Wardens."

"Fair."

Another scream echoed through the trees.

"PLEASE! SOMEONE!"

Mira and I exchanged a glance. Then we ran towards the voice. Branches slapped my face. Roots tried to trip me. The forest seemed personally offended that we were moving quickly.

"WHY," I gasped. "DOES THE EXAM REALM SEEM SO HOSTILE?"

"To build character?"

"Who decided that?"

"Whoever decided that this year's exam should be so deadly."

The screaming grew louder. Soon we burst into a small clearing. And immediately stopped.

A girl sat on the ground trying to defend herself from something she couldn't see. A girl with bobbed black hair and clothes that practically screamed high-ranking noble.

Her hands were raised. Her expression was furious. And she was currently swinging a stick at absolutely nothing.

"Stay back!" she shouted.

"...Is she fighting the wind?" Mira asked.

"No-"

Before I could say anything more, my feet carried me forward before my brain could object.

Because I could see it.

A ghost. A man clad in crimson armor stood behind the noble girls. Long black hair spilled down his back. His face was hidden beneath a cracked helmet. And in his hand a wooden sword. Not a real blade.

Thunk.

The branch collided with the wooden sword.

For a moment, everything stopped.

The noble girl froze. The ghost froze. I froze.

Then I looked down at the branch in my hands. "...Huh."

The ghost looked at the branch. Then at me. Then back at the branch. I got the distinct impression that he was just as confused as I was.

But before he could come out of his confusion and attack again, I took the girl's hand and started running. "Mira, run."

As we were running mira says. "Was that a ghost? One of the Duke's warriors?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I thought you couldn't touch ghosts, or what they hold?"

"So did I."

We continued running. Branches whipped past us. Roots tried to assassinate us. The realm remained committed to making my day worse. Behind us, the clearing had gone silent. Which somehow felt more threatening.

Mira glanced over her shoulder. "Is he following us?"

I risked a look. The ghost warrior still stood in the clearing. Watching. Not chasing. Just watching. "No."

"Then why are we running?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "...That's a fantastic question."

We slowed to a walk

The noble girl immediately bent over. "I hate both of you."

"We saved you," Mira said.

"I hate you slightly less than the ghost."

"That's fair," I said.

The girl straightened and brushed dirt from her expensive-looking uniform. Dark hair. Perfect posture. An expression suggesting she had never touched dirt before today. Definitely a noble. The kind that probably whose servents had servants.

She pointed at me. "You."

I pointed at myself. "Me?"

"You can see my father's warriors."

"Your father... As in Duke Craven?"

"Yeah."

"You are Lilith Craven?" Mira basically shouted.

The noble girl winced."Please don't shout my name."

Mira immediately lowered her voice. "You are Lilith Craven?" she whispered loudly.

"That isn't better."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Can you both stop?" I say.

Mira pointed at Lilith. "She started it."

"I literally said three words."

"Three very noble words."

Lilith closed her eyes. For a moment, I thought she was counting to ten. Then twenty. Then perhaps reconsidering all her life choices. When she opened them again, she pointed at me. "You."

"Me."

"You blocked one of my father's warriors."

"Apparently."

"That's impossible."

"Trust me, I know."

"No, you don't." Lilith took a step closer. " Not even my father can physically interfere with them.

I blinked. Then looked down at the branch still clutched in my hand. Then back at Lilith. Then back at the branch. The branch offered no explanation.

"Well," I said, "that's concerning."

"Concerning?" Lilith repeated. "You just did something that should be impossible. We should be best friends."

I blinked. "What?"

Lilith folded her arms. "You heard me."

"I rescued you from a ghost."

"Exactly."

"Most people say thank you."

"Friendship is more useful."

Mira gasped dramatically. "Did a noble just speedrun an entire relationship? And she already has a friend"

"She can have two."

I stared. Mira stared. Lilith stared back with complete confidence. As though asking someone to become your friend thirty seconds after meeting them was perfectly normal.

"That's not how friendship works." I said.

"Why not?"

"Because it takes time.

Lilith frowned. " That seems inefficient."

Mira pointed dramatically. "See? Noble."

"I noticed."

Lilith ignored us. "You saved my life."

"It was a wooden sword."

"It was still attached to a ghost."

"Fair."

"And you can see my father's warriors."

"I think other people can see them too."

"And you blocked one."

"Accidentally."

Lilith nodded. "You're becoming more useful every minute."

I gasped. "Mira, did she just compliment me and insult me at the same time?"

"That was absolutely a noble compliment."

"I don't like noble compliments."

"Nobody does."

Lilith looked genuinely confused.

"We can talk about friendship after we exit this scary realm. How about that?" I say.

Lilith considered that. She nodded. "A reasonable compromise."

I blinked. She had agreed. "Did you get your artifact?"

Lilith's expression immediately changed. "Yes."

"So now we have to find the exit."

"Right," Mira said.

"Good," Lilith said.

None of us moved. A long silence followed.

Finally, Mira pointed at the forest. "So...Lilith, do you know the way out?"

"No."

"We're doomed," Mira said. "Lys..."

"So, Lys is your name?" Lilith said.

"Oh yes, we didn't manage to exchange names. Mine is Lysandra, and this is Mira." I say.

Lilith nodded. "A pleasure to meet you both."

Mira stared. "We nearly got killed together before exchanging names."

"That seems slightly backwards," Lilith admitted.

"Slightly?"Mira repeated.

I sighed. "Can we focus on the important part?"

"The exit?" Mira asked hopefully.

"The exit," I confirmed.

Then, out of nowhere, tulips start growing again. Bright blue ones.

"That way," I say.

Lilith blinked."That way? Why?"

Mira nodded.

"Tulips!"

Lilith slowly looked around. "Where?"

"Are those the tulips that brought you to me?" Mira asked.

"Yes."

"We have no other ideas. So let's follow Lys ghostly tulips."

Lilith picked the bridge of her nose. "I have known you two for less than an hour."

"And?"

"I am already tired."

"You sure you wanna be our friend?"

"I like being tired," Lilith said.

The three of us began walking. Or rather, I followed the tulips. Mira followed me. Lilith followed because she apparently decided that thrusting invisible flowers was preferable to wandering aimlessly.

The tulips continued appearing ahead of us. One bloom. Then another. Then another. Always just far enough ahead to keep us moving.

Then a door. A big metal door with inscriptions from the gods.

The three of us stopped. Even Lilith looked impressed. The door stood alone in the middle of the forest. No walls. No building. Silver symbols glowed across its surface. Ancient. Beautiful and slightly intimidating.

"Well," Mira said. "This looks like the exit."

Lilith nodded.

Before we could do anything more..

"You''l have to fight me before you can exit." A male voice said.

A figure stepped out from behind the door. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Blue hair. Perfect posture. Expensive armor.

Lilith froze."Brother,"

The man nodded.

Mira stared. Then stared harder."He's much more beautiful up close,"

The silence that followed was profound. Kael blinked.

Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose.

I looked at Mira."Mira."

"Yes."

"You said that out loud."

"I know."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "If we're about to die, honesty seems important."

Kael actually laughed. A calm, pleasant sound. "I like this one."

Mira straightened proudly. "I knew it."

"However," Kael continued, "only Lilith may pass."

The pride vanished. "...Excuse me?"

To be continued.