Snow drove up north from Atlantis past another small city. It took them an extra two hours to get there.
They arrived at a veterinary clinic, named Dravel's Magical Animal Hospital. It wasn't a big glamourous animal hospital that one founded on the busy streets of Atlantis city, but small and a bit run down. It was in the middle of a vast farmland, surrounded by rolling open hills. It wasn't that from other homes, but even still, the veterinary clinic was secluded enough that it felt a bit lonely.
The smell of cow dung and even the neighing of horses was apparent. When they stepped out of the car, a blaring number of voices of dogs could be heard barking in a frenzy. But, occasionally, a strange sound of a growling music of a tiger or wolves were present.
It was quite a welcome, startling Dairen. He wasn't used to being barked at by a large group of dogs that sounded close to twenty.
"The vet?" Darien slipped out of the car. They were staring at the area, unsure of why they were at the animal hospital.
"It's one of our sister branches, but this place specializes in taking care of wild injured magical creatures." Snow closed the door of her car, stretching. The long drive had made her legs all stiff and her back in pain. "You could say it's…..a tamer's dream?"
"Tamer's dream?" Dairen wasn't sure what she was implying, even though he was quickly getting everything that she was saying, he was still a bit overloaded with information that seems to pelt him all in twenty-four hours.
"Yes." She yawned, cracking her neck. "People keep magical beast as pets, just like normal people keeping pets dogs."
"Wait, you guys also keep magical creatures as pets?!" The thought of magical creatures as pets startled Diaren, while Snow didn't seem like it was a big deal. She, herself, wanted a Gryphon for a long time but didn't have time to take care of one.
Snow glanced over Dairen, confused. "Just because we hunt dangerous magical creatures doesn't mean we can't keep them as pets as well. Certain creatures are considered illegal to have and not recommended to even keep around because of their brutal nature."
Dairen wasn't sure what to say, mainly because he thought almost all magical creatures were dangerous in the first place from Snow's previous description
"For example, Chupacabra is one of them. You don't want those sleeping near your bed. They are dangerous creatures that hunt down humans. Though a Ceryneian Hind, which is very elusive deer, is another type of creature one keeps as pets. Only a handful of people can afford to keep those as pets."
"Ceryneian Hind?"
"Yes. Have you heard about the Greek Myth?"
Dairen was silent for a moment. "I'm surprised that the Myth and legends are similar to my planet. Are you sure we aren't on planet Earth?" He chuckled. "The only thing that is different is the country names, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Snow asked, confused.
"Almost everything is the same. The names, some cities, the money, and probably the culture. It's almost as if we are in a parallel universe."
"I guess?"
"Never mind, it was just a thought."
"Really," Snow was fascinated by this fact. In certain instances, though she wondered how this was possible, but such strange things wasn't something she could just explain.
Snow started her walk towards the clinic. Pieces of flat wood was neatly piled in rows, creating a dry path that leads to the door. Scattered, bits of colorful broken ceramics were littered on the side of the damaged wood with grass poking in between the cracks. Wooden fences were lined up on the side, while the cows were munching on the grass leaning over the wall. Some watched them go by, but went back to grazing, ignoring them. The only present trees were the two large oak trees that canopy over the building on each side right in front of the entrance.
"Hercules was given three tasks by Eurystheus and Hera, and one of them was to capture the Ceryneian Hind. The hind was considered one of the fastest creatures that could outrun an arrow, but the truth is it can outrun even a bullet. Some say, the Hind could run faster than a DARPA that hits Mach 20, but the truth is we don't know their true speed. He chased the Hind all across Greece, Thrace, Istria, and the land of the Hyperboreans for over a year. Some version stated that he caught the hind while she was sleeping while the other state, she was shot in the leg by Hercules, but the point is, he caught her."
"So, you're saying someone caught such a fast creature?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I don't know." Snow shrugged, she walked up the creaky steps that made loud sounds, every time she moved. It continually set off the dogs, eventually calming down. Even though she wanted to know how such a person was able to tame a Ceryneian Hind, it was considered confusing, almost impossible.
"Did you ask?" Dairen was skeptical of her story, mostly because the way she described the Hind to be as fast as a Mach 20 was unheard of.
"Yes, I even bribe for information." Snow shoulders sagged as she sighed. She wasn't a fan of such a thing, but she wanted to know, but mostly because the guild wanted to buy the information. "He didn't take the bait and said no, stating it's not worth any money to tell such a secret."
Dairen thought it over in what she had said, rolling over on why.
"The amount of money one would get for such an information would be astronomical, and I even heard that he turned all of them down," said Snow, pleased. "I guess that he's protecting them."
"I had the same thought," Dairen spoke, agreeing with her. "They are quite rare?"
"Yes, you could say they are considered…..a delicacy in some countries. While others would use them to make equipment, that is, if you can kill them. But for someone to be able to kill them needs to be lucky or super-fast." Though the thought of killing such a creature wasn't something that Snow ever condoned, especially if it meant destroying a beast that did no harm to society. "And there aren't many out there who are that fast. Honestly, adding that with their magic…..almost ...impossible." This was the truth, even she wouldn't attempt to outspeed a Hind.
"What kind of magic would they be using to consider almost impossible?"
"People assume they are three, actually." She held up her fingers in front, while Dairen was trailing next to her, listening in on her explanation as they are closer to the front door. "The first is amplifying its own speed, which gives it the abnormal speed when in danger. Then the second stacks with the first called Lightning Trail, giving it another boost in speed. Which also gives it a protective coat, so whoever touches them get shocked. Finally, the third ability is unknown. Some people who have even reached this far to speculate it's an invisible skill, but nobody has really got a good glimpse of the third to know what it is. Maybe even teleportation. I don't know." she shrugged.
"That is quite a set of skills."
"Yes, they are quite flitty creatures." Snow stopped in front of the Clinic door, she reached up towards the old knob, turning it as it let out a loud squeak. For some reason, the door got stuck on a carpet that folded over from behind the door. With a frown, she pushed the door, hoping that the carpet would move out of the way. Instead, it didn't budge. "Are you serious?" She grumbled with an annoyed tone of voice, this time she leaned more on the door, using her shoulder to give it a rough push, eventually causing the door to fling open. She stumbled in, almost falling onto her face.
Alarmed, Dairen went to grab her before she fell forward, but Snow caught herself before she fell face first.
"You alright?" Dairen was in an awkward position, his hand extended out to her, but missed, unsure
what to do with it next.
"Yea," Snow shook herself. "I'm alright, thanks." She felt embarrassed, it wasn't often she was impatient.
When she glanced up, she realized that she was in the reception with a few people present. They were staring at her dumbfounded at her sudden entrance. Her cheeks became slightly red, she quickly straightened up, brushing off her mishap.
Her hand grabbed the edge of her shirt, pulling her shirt down, trying to make herself presentable. Once done, she took a good look around her. What she noticed that the reception had slightly changed. The same old brown sofa was still present on the left side that had quite a few torn up edges, but the table and the rug was brand new. It wasn't the dreary-looking place anymore. There seemed to be a bit more color instead of the monotonous brown that she always remembered.
Snow knew the owner, and the owner never liked any other color than brown. But to suddenly see a change, made her wonder if the owner had switched over. Beautiful antique drapes were neatly tied up at the windows; antique tables were placed in front of the sofa desk but next to the reception desk that had a clipboard, pen, and paper to sign in.
The only thing that took up half the room was the L shaped reception desk that had a redhead, freckled face beauty. Her hair seemed to glow with life as if it was burning like fire. Her nose bridge was high, with a heart-shaped face. She wore a simple white doctor jacket with a brown shirt and black pants. Heavy tapping sound was heard, her mind engrossed on the monitor in front of her as she typed quickly.
Snow steadily walked up towards her, eventually coming at the desk. Her knuckles rapped against the counter, catching the receptionist's attention.
"Sylvia." Snow called out to her.
Sylvia stopped typing, turning towards with a half a smile that looks more like a frown. She wasn't pleased to be disturbed at her works.
"Why if it isn't Snow. What brings you here?" Sylvia calmly spoke, her right hand raised up to push back her flaming hair. The moment her fingers brushed against her hair, it burned to life as it caught on fire. Snow could feel the heat from Sylvia's body, her skin tingles with warmth as her surrounding area got hotter.
"I'm looking for Heather. Is she in?"
"Heather?" Sylvia tilted her head to the side, thinking about Snows question. "She came in about an hour ago."
"Is she here still?" Snow's eyes brighten at the thought of finally finding Heather.
"Yes. At the usual place." Sylvia's hair started to change in color, turning more orange than yellow. It flickered between a hotter color, eventually turning to red as she flicked her hair backward.
"Thanks." Snow replied pleased. She pushed off the counter, hurriedly heading straight towards the backdoor that was next to the reception desk on the right.
"Try not to cause trouble," Sylvia replied with a frown. Her tone of voice was low, almost had a hint of threatening tone at her.
"You know me ...I don't cause that big of a problem." Snow replied with an uncaring voice. It wasn't like she wanted to cause a problem here. It wasn't her fault that the magical creatures either were afraid of her or immensely liked her. Some even caused inevitable mishaps that she didn't foresee nor want to happen.
"If you say so."
Snow exited out the back door and stepped out to a different view. It wasn't like the front of the clinic where cows and horses were roaming around. Instead, there was a large open fields and many different stalls that were fenced in dividing the areas.
From left to right, the places had a different tone of environment that seemed to be boxed in by an invisible forcefield. The first building was a desert type area, where giant snake-like dragons with green or brown feathered beings were drooped on top of a thick ten feet wide flat rock, basking under the sun. Their heads rocked back and forth in a pendulum as they turned their heads towards Snow's direction. Snow had to cast her gaze away from them, trying not to get lulled by their hypnotizing dance. Eventually, they looked away as they hissed.
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Then not too far away was a rainforest-like area, thickly covered by trees. It was almost impossible to see through the thick jungle leaves and trees. Instead, exotic flowers and fruits hung off the fence, showing that it wasn't the typical forest that people use too. Large flowers the size of a human head were blooming on the side, dangling off the fence as their attractive blue to red flowers opened up, sending out a sweet Caramel like smell.
There were a total of six different buildings and areas, some impossible to know what kind of environment unless one went in to see. Snow walked down the steep stairs that lead downwards to the field of barns and fenced in areas.
Dairen was gaping in amazement at the things around him. He was baffled with the unique items that one never saw in real life that ordinary people would never get to see.
"How ...is this possible?" Dairen asked. He was enjoying the sight before him with awe. "It wasn't like this when we entered from the front."
"A high advanced dimensional spell is cast in the whole area." Snow spoke, they passed the desert area and headed straight towards a sizeable fenced-in pool. "Each area has its natural habitat of different creatures, so they feel more at home."
Snow eventually stopped and leaned over at the edge of the crystal clear pool that reflected off the beautiful blue sky like sapphire. Though Snow couldn't see any creatures swimming in the pool, she knew there were many lurking in the waters.
She rummaged through her pockets, pulling out a gold coin. It was an old coin that felt rough in between her fingers as it was made in the Roman era. One could say it was her lucky coin that she kept with her at all times. Without even deciding if she should throw it in the water or not, she flicked it into the pool without a second thought.
With a plop, it sank into the water, creating a small ripple as it expanded outwards. Snow stood silently on edge, waiting. The rain started to roll into waves as large shadows inside the water began to move.
It didn't take long until the water burst outwards with a creature. A giant fifty-foot dinosaur-like creature emerged. It's triangular-shaped head with beady black eyes loomed over Snow and Dairen, watching them with its sharp teeth hanging out wide open. Gray fish scales decorated it's whole body, while it's long neck with greenish webbed spine trailed down its back as it dropped downwards overhead. Dairen stepped back, for he has never seen such fearsome creature before.
"Betty." Snow spoke pleased at the creature's appearance. "Is Heather with you?"
"Betty?" Dairen spoke appalled at the naming sense that was given to the creature. "What kind of name is that?"
Snow ignored his question. She attempted to read Betty's emotions and body language. She didn't want to cause trouble like last time and upset her. Which she accidentally caused a mini tsunami because she offended Betty, but that wasn't the case now.
Betty lowered her giant head that was the same length as Snow's whole body. Dairen gulped, he froze. Snow couldn't help but smirk at Dairen's reaction. Most of the people who met Betty would have run away, while a handful would freeze up like Dairen. Only a select handful would have gone into crazy fascination of meeting Betty, and Snow was classified as one of those people.
"Betty, have you seen Heather?" Snow asked, staring straight into Betty's eyes, unflinching.
Betty snorted, puffing out water and snot on Snow's face. Snow cringed at the sticky water that covered a part of her skin as she frowned. Betty chuckled in her own way, pleased at Snow's disgruntled reaction. If she knew any better, she assumed Betty did it on purpose every time. Honestly, she believed Betty did.
Betty made a low growl like a grumble. She then cast her gaze downwards into the waters, where Snow's gaze followed. A small shadow started to emerge, eventually showing a clear image of Heather in her natural form.
Dairen gasped in awe when he saw Heather. Even Snow was proud of her friend's form and natural beauty.
Heather's silver hair had a tinge of greenish-blue when under the water that gave it shimmer. The unearthly beauty would mesmerize anyone. She was wearing a thin two-piece blueish-green swimming suit that only covered a portion of her top half, though it looked like she was wearing nothing at all. Her long hair wrapped in front, covering most of the swimming suit.
Her lips were rosy as she seemed to have a natural blush that accentuated her features, even making her eyes large and mesmerizing. What was the most unusual feature about her was her lower half, it was a fishtail. Bluish-green with accented silver lining on the tip of her scale that sparkled under the sunlight. It was sleek and smooth, moving powerfully under the water.
Heather swam over towards the edge of the pool as she leaned over. Her fishtail splashed behind her, annoyed when she saw Dairen. But quickly, she gave a delightful smile when she saw Snow.
"Snow!" Heather replied with a cheery smile, pleased that her best friend was here. "I was wondering where you were. I waited for you all night, and you didn't come back, so I left to get some rest."
Snow folded her arms in front of her, shifting her weight from one side to another. "You could have called or may be picked up the phone when I called you."
"Sorry. I was here the whole morning helping out. The animals needed an extra hand after Rom and Terra was off on sick leave today. I was busy all day until I got a few moments to spare to swim."
"You do tend to go to Lala land when you are here swimming. Hell, trying to get you out of the water is super difficult."
Heather snickered. "You know me too well." She rested her head on top of her arms, giving her a more an alluring view. Snow knew very well that mermaids had an enchanting power that would lure any man into the depths of the water when their full form was revealed. Even their voice became a lure like a sirens, giving off a different tone of bell-like voice.
Any man would have fallen head over heels in second, and Snow knew instantly from Heather's strange behavior that she was up to something. Heather eyes fluttered as she gazed at Dairen, giving him a musical chuckle like a giggle.
Dairen gulped, taking a faltering step towards her in a daze. He took another, his eyes transfixed on Heather, but something was holding him back as his actions were faltering as if they were fighting against the magical pull that Heather was emitting.
"So, this is the guy, huh." Heather gave a coy smile that told Snow instantly she was up to no good.
Snow reached out and snatched Dairen shoulder backward, causing him to stumble backward as he woke up from the daze.
"Heather. Really?" She spoke in a disgruntled tone. Not liking what Heather was trying to aim at.
"What? The problem would have solved if he had been drowned." The lure of her bell-like voice was gone and instead replaced by a vicious tone. She crossed her hand in front of her, causing her chest to tighten. Her words were harsh and cold, snapping Dairen entirely out of trance.
Snow was able to pull him back roughly as he was at the edge, almost ready to spill in. If she was a second too late, she knew that he would have fallen in and drowned.
Heather was a magical creature: a mermaid, to be exact. Snow knew what Heather would do to keep the secret of magical creatures safe from humans, even going as far as killing someone.
"Heather." Snow hissed, pulling Diaren behind her. "You promised me you wouldn't do that."
"What?" Heather pulled herself out of the water, letting the droplets of water run down her perfect figure. "You know just as much as I that he's dangerous. A Sleeper, who had seen this side of the world, will get us all killed!" She threw up her hands in front of her. Water splashing everywhere.
Heather had a point; Snow understood the danger behind a Sleeper running around knowing the secret of the magical realm.
"He isn't a Sleeper."
"How is he not a Sleeper?" Heather asked, confused. "He looks like every other Sleeper I have met down the street."
"It's a bit complicated." Snow wasn't happened at all. If she could erase his memory, it wouldn't have ended up this far.
"Do tell."
"He isn't from this planet."
"Hah?" Heather asked, stupified by her answer. "You jest, right?"
"Do you think I'm lying about this?" Snow crossed her arms, giving her a solemn expression.
Heather looked over at her friend, seriously, before she answered. "No."
"I'm trying to figure out why too."
"Then why haven't you erased his memory?" Heather blurted out. She gave Dairen a glare. With a click of her tongue, she looked at him in disgust.
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"It doesn't work. You remember, A-L-I-E-N." She quickly replied. Realizing that they just spilled everything to Dairen, but she didn't care as much anymore. It was all going to be erased eventually, even if it wasn't from her. "I thought that's what you wrote the message and told me to meet up with you guys later."
"Yes and No." Heather flicked her hair back. Her tail splashed against the water like a cat flicking her tail in annoyance.
"That was Mr. Jay's message. I just wrote it down."
"So, it wasn't you?"
"Yep. Why would I leave a message? Normally, I would have blown up your phone with a call or a text message, but I knew you were okay last night, so I didn't call. Your bracelet on your arm that I gave you cued me in. Plus, Even I wouldn't know what he wanted either. You know me. I'm just the messenger."
Just when Heather was finished right after, Dairen spoke up. He was entirely out of his daze, eyeing Heather in suspicion. One could tell that he wasn't pleased with everything that he was learning from Heather.
"Wait, can we talk up a bit." He held up his hand, still dazed. He was doing very well to resist, which surprised both Heather and Snow.
"You guys wanted to erase my memories?" He was hurt that he found this information out the hard way, but thinking about it, Snow knew this was going to happen eventually.
"Yes. Why wouldn't we?" said Heather, not caring about Dairen's emotions.
"I…." He wasn't sure what to say as his shoulder seem to slump.
"Think about it. Every time a Sleeper has had a glimpse of the magical world, problems followed after. It's not a small problem, you know. Most of the time is big, meaning either an innocent creature is killed from misunderstanding or you guys agitate a dark creature and cause a wide-scale destruction."
"I wouldn't do either-or." Dairen was offended by Heather's remark. "The only thing I have done is to stumble in on the store. After that, so far, nothing had happened."
Heather clicked her tongues, annoyed. Snow understood Heather's words very well. There were too many bad things happening around Sleeper's humans that it became a liability and waiting for three days, anything could happen.
Still, she wasn't going to attempt murder to get things back to the way it was. It was against her Morales, especially when she respected innocent life.
"Guys. Guys. Enough." Snow spoke, breaking up the heated glare from the two. She then turned her attention to Dairen.
Taking in a deep breath, she situated herself. Her eyes and expression became stern, knowing full well that she needed to tell Dairen. The cat was out of the bag, and there was no stopping it.
"Look. I'm sorry for not telling you, but we have our reasons. Having a Sleepers human like you roaming around and getting into trouble is a big liability."
"Like I said, I'm not the type to go look for trouble, nor am I a Sleeper."
"That's not the point. The point is once you see this side of the world, it means you will continually see the reality of everything. That put you at a serious risk of dying because you probably unknowingly stepped into some creatures or worse dark creatures territory. Being naïve doesn't save you, you know."
"Yes, I know that perfectly well." Dairen was starting to get annoyed. "Still, I would have liked it if I wasn't seen as some naïve fool who would go around causing trouble. From your multiple warnings, I understand that this is a dangerous world."
Snow could tell that Dairen didn't like the way they were saying all this to him, but what could Snow do. Getting him up-to-date now was imperative. Maybe even this scare tactic would make him want to forget, but Snow wasn't so sure. It didn't work the first time, probably not the second. She was sure of it.
"I know you don't know me, but mutual respect would be appreciative."
Snow knew she was pushing hard, honestly, she felt a bit of guilt, but the words weren't coming out of her mouth. It wasn't simple, Dairen needed to go back and live his healthy life without the magical world. It just was too dangerous.
"Look." Snow harden her heart. She knew she couldn't swing towards the feeling of guilt. He needed to go back one way or another without a single hair on his body harmed. This she had silently agreed in her mind and resolved to make it happen. "I am sorry I did not tell you, but your memory will get wiped. This world isn't for you." the words were harsh and cold. She could see his expression crestfallen at what she had said, and her heart tighten at guilt.
"I understand." His expression completely changed, becoming silent and cold. He turned around and left, heading back out of the hospital and to the car.
Heather and Snow were alone together. Heather didn't care as much about what Dairen or Snow had said and was cleaning her nails.
"Did you had to resort to such drastic action?" Snow replied with a hiss, angry that Heather was the one who spilled the beans in the first place. She wanted to keep him ignorant for a few more days and let him enjoy the world before his memory was taken.
"What needs to be done is done. Plus, you were the one who twisted the knife with your words." She waved her hands. "This is better for all of us. Him knowing what or who we are spells disaster. You know what humans would do if they found out what I am. They will kill me to get a piece of my flesh to gain immortality." She snarled in disgust.
"That's in the eastern culture, Heather." Snow frowned, her hips shifted weight. "We are on the western side of the hemisphere. Mermaids are looked in more favor of love stories and some strange tales."
"You know as well as I; it doesn't matter which part of the world we are in. People all eventually find the rumor and hunt us down. Just like how they killed my family." She gritted her teeth. Her gaze became fierce, and her hand balled into a fist. "Resorting to cannibalism to gain immortality, seeing us as another fish on a plate." Her words were diced in venom, where even Snow could feel a deep hatred of the human race.
"Yes, but he doesn't know that now. Don't give him a reason to hate us." Snow attempted to get her words through Heather anger, but she was still raging in anger. "You need to calm down Heather; your power is spiking."
The power around Heather seemed to fluctuate; the water rippled and moved back and forth. Large waves started to form, making Betty grunt towards Heather in protest at her.
Heather saw what she was doing, she reeled in her power, eventually making the water calm down around her.
Betty lowered her head towards Heather. She nuzzled her, calming Heather down even further. She reached up towards Betty and stroke her head, letting the smooth scale run in between her fingers.
"I'm sorry for what had happened to the past, Heather. I really am, but we can not blame the entirety of humanity like they are our mortal enemies. You know, just as well as I, the awakened humans are part of that big picture. They're not all bad. An awakened human saved your life when the Sleepers came to raid your home."
Snow knew that her words were like knives, but when it came to Heathers one-directional view, it was hard to get her out of that mindset. She knew that there was a lot of good in this world, and she knew she was an asshole in being rude to Dairen. She regretted that he had done nothing wrong so far, and blaming him for the entirety of the Sleepers human race wasn't fair. Hell, even though she was not a Sleepers, she was considered in the category of an awakened human because of her family bloodline.
Heather was finally calm, the raging torrent in her eyes became settled, bringing back the Heather Snow knew the past Twenty-six years of her life.
"Your right." Heather sighed, but there wasn't a full compliance of regret of what she said to Dairen.
"Not all Sleepers and awakened humans are bad. Just like your father, who had saved my life. Thanks, Snow."
"Your welcome." Snow gently smiled. She came over, bent down to give her friend a much-needed hug. The old memory of Heather's family dying was still fresh in Heather's heart, and Snow knew that it would stir up dark emotions. "But you keep forgetting, he isn't of this world."
"Yea…"
"Now, I came to talk to you about a few things ...mostly about last-"
Suddenly a loud high pitch scream could be heard, coming from one of the separated forests. The area had a large clouds pushing out from the thick evergreen forest, causing it to look like it was on fire. People were running away from the evergreen forest, while some were heading towards it with tranquilizers and guns in hand.
"What did I tell you…... Sleepers always bring trouble." Heather spoke in a displeased tone of voice.
Snow, on the other hand, cast her gaze towards that direction and noticed that Dairen was in the crowd. All she could think of was the words: Damn it