Chapter 6 Five

"Blend to the crowd and act as an ordinary passer by." That's the instruction Mariya received along the way. As a response, she nodded respectfully and as if thankful to the new method to follow. Not long after, the underground portal can be seen nearby.

Dana told her that it is the only way out and that she need Dana to operate such safety trail. "And don't let anyone suspecting you," she added with a wave of hand. "If ever someone will going to ask about you, tell them you are related to me so that they will stop questioning your identity."

Long after, Mariya murmured the important thing to make herself comfortable and less suspicious. "I am being chase and I need her assistance. Whatever the reason there be of our entangle fate, that's a thing for tomorrow." She keep to herself that realization as she follow Dana's lead. But then she cautiously thought, "Do I really deserve such bother from a soul's reader?" She is doubtful to who really Dana is, what's her real intention, but then she has not to iniatiate something that may find offensive such as that. But above all, she couldn't find the reason to be save by totally stranger earlier in the fog. However, if Dana is a soul's reader, then why adress her as a futureless witch?

Mariya has been asking Dana about it, but Dana just fell in silence, refuse to talk. And because Mariya has to survive the unfamiliar world, she has to follow the soul reader and navigate the world further. But as she follow Dana, she get confuse to how she is save earlier when the fog becomes heavier. Dana is just a tiny girl but has the strong will to achieve the duty that assign in her. It shows when she furtherly instructed Mariya to not makes noise and not ask openly to people she bounds to meet.

"And lastly..." Dana halted as the entrance show in the way, and as if reminded her for the last time, she continued while taking the consideration of everything, "Be safe and comeback after you observe the village. Remember you should not wander outside the village if you don't want to be found out or sense by something or someone that terrifying to the extreme."

Mariya knows that she wouldn't do that, but she smile to assure Dana. For her, what Dana said is a terrifying one, as if she experience everything she said. Feelimg greetful of everything, she smiled, "Thank you for taking care of me earlier. I'll make use of your instruction so worry no more about me." As she left those words, Mariya felt an intense premonition that she has a need the assistance of this woman. Dana is such a great person she meet for the first time.

Mariya felt any type of presence that intensify the feeling she don't understand, as she finally get out to that secret portal, strangely, she feel the familiarity of everything. Her blood boiled in excitement, and her beat faster.

Trying to supress the feeling, she faced back to Dana with a satisfying and respectful expression. "Many thanks, Dana."

Dana waves her hands as she stood remained to where no one could notice, as if where she stodd was on another world or dimension and was away from where the bustling place that Mariya find familiar to. Mariya shrugged the confuseness in her heart. Now that she finally at the heart of the Village, there something to the presence she sense that familiar for some reason, but can be wait for sometime.

"I have to familiarize the place," she said as she breathe in deeply.

Greeted by the crowd, she thought to act cautiously after Dana leave everything to her possession. Obviously, Dana needs her as much as she was. Familiarizing the Village is one thing, and everything is the so-called trapped that lurking for anyone who is not originay resided at this Village.

But strangely, in this Village, no one notice you if you blend to the busy market. Mariya learned from the soul reader about that method, but how its effective is such strange. From there, Mariya keep her presence hidden, her aura that intense only powerful entity can sense.

Just like Dana's instruction, she said with uttered confidenence the moment some freaking woman ask her identity, as if this woman see through her very bones the secret lied therein. "I, Mariya, am related to the soul reader! Who are you to stop me and ask that nonsense?!" However, the woman suddenly lose the lights in the eyes and shiver. Moment after, the woman avoided Mariya as if didn't question Mariya's identity earlier.

Mariya gasped but sighed in relief. She just thought that what the strange happen is due to Dana's status as soul's reader. And that everything is in Dana's control, so she don't have to think about everything that happened deeply. But then, she realized that almost everyone do the same, as if she begun to be invisible or just an ordinary passer by that not worth attention of. And Mariya, as cautious as ever, find everything suspicious and shiver to walked as hurry that she can msuter and leave the bustling place, the market.

Eyes flickered coldy, she thought, "What's with this soul reader status, anyway?"

There's nothing much happen after leaving the bustling place. Mariya observe the Market from afar and only then she realized that everyone seems hiding something. They avoided everyone eye as much as they can, as if afraid for something. That realization relieve her suspicious, she realized that not only her eyes, the gazes it contain have receive such terrifying sensation.

This people treat each other as if they don't know each other and get to the business done is something that sigh her worry out. But still, she's a stranger in this place. When she thought everything is just as common as it seems, there she notice as she leave the bustling, crowded place...

In the distance... someone is being chase!

If she thought the noisy place can be tenseful, she got it wrong. Silence has something to offer to those who's alone. Mariya then feel a panting of a silence heart that fight to be heard. Mariya thought that the silence is a trap as she saw creature hidden at every part of the Village that was deadly quite. But the familiarity of the presence that being chase become intense, it crawling and even climb from trees to trees sometimes that almost seem like teleporting from one place to another. The intensity of the heartbeat though is feel at rest and quite align to what Mariya had at the moment. Until she find herself at the woman shoe; runaway from those quite creature hidden in every direction that she could possibly turn.

Darkness fell as she witness those red eyes again, staring straight to her now in terror gaze. Then there's eerie sounds that keep repeating before those monsters get in her way, stumble her heart to throb like crazy as she fell from the jump over the tallest trees that she thought will catch her in any way. And then she remember where she is and why she has to make them pay.

"Think you won, think you can flood my blood in this world of unknown!" She stood straight as knees find strength and mind find the piece of reason to believe she can get justice on her own hands. "But don't let your hopes high, Monsters." Eyes led to those red eyed creatures who strolled as they sense the intense presence that she couldn't contain anymore. Mariya's eyes becomes more sinister as she added, "I came not to being chase...but to make you pay for what you did!" Lips tremble, remembering the bloodiest night she lose the most important part of herself. "Just like you have done that night, your blood will flood this village and not mine!"

But as she has the strength to give the Monster what they deserve, she hear whisper after the panting of heart that made her wake up and found herself lying at stranger's arms. "Are you alright?"

Mariya notice the messy hair of the man, as if tenseful and being chase by something unknown. Or simply run from those nobody that easily avoided.There even sweat form in his forehead and fell without notice. And the way the man panting from breathe to breathe, Mariya realized that the man was being chase. And then it hit Mariya, ask politely, "Are you...looking for assistance?"