As the footsteps of Lila and the voice of the Crystal echoed in the cave, Lila couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to the Crystal, besides obviously being an object of great power and importance. Questions swirled in her mind. Could it be a powerful mage bound to a crystalline form? She had heard about mages and the ways of the arcane from Maya before, but she had never witnessed any of them for herself. This was the first time she even saw magic. Was this even possible with magic? Or maybe it was the village god they prayed to? Only God would be able to do this, right? As they made their way towards the exit, she kept listening attentively to Crystal's playful chatter. Although she sometimes couldn't make sense of what it was saying.

"Surely this crystal can't be God," Lila assured herself. "God wouldn't talk like this."

"As a matter of fact, God could talk like this if it wanted to," Crystal suddenly pointed out.

Before Lila even had a chance to be surprised, Crystal continued, "Yes, I can read your mind too. When we first made contact, we formed a link, lassie. No takebacks, though, got it?"

With a puzzled look, she slowly opened her mouth but shut it back just as quickly. She was too stunned to say anything about this reveal. One single detail got her attention, though. After contemplating for a while, Lila finally asked with a shocked look on her face,

"God is real?!"

Crystal was genuinely shocked after hearing what this girl just asked. Out of all the questions she could've asked, she asked the most obvious one.

"Who knows kiddo? Maybe it is, maybe it is not. I ain't all knowin' y'know?" Crystal said. "And also, you just learned that you formed a bond with a talking crystal, which can also read your mind, but that's the question you ask? Do I look like a priest from there?"

Lila could almost taste the amusement the Crystal had in the tone of its voice. If it had a mouth, it would probably be giving a wide grin at the moment.

"And before you ask I don't have a name. Just call me Crystal, no need for formalities or pet names."

"Okay, Crystal, I got it. Before anything else, can we get out already? It's late, and I don't want to make others worry too much. Besides, I just can't wait to show you to everyone! Oh, you must see the look on Elias' face when we get back. Also, you can see, right?" She asked, full of excitement.

"Yes, I am capable of that ability. Anyway, let's go, my dear, lead the way."

Lila and Crystal steadily made their way to the exit. Having exited the cave, moonlight shone on Lila's pale skin, whereas the light of the Crystal seemingly dimmed upon leaving the cave, turning into a faint blue hue instead of the bright blue color it used to be.

Staying in a damp cave made Lila appreciate the fresh air of the mountain. Taking a deep breath, "Aaaah, finally. Nothing beats fresh mountain air, right, Crystal?" she said, looking at Crystal as if she were waiting for approval.

With not-so-hidden annoyance, "I don't breathe, Lila. I am a crystal, after all. Just because I can see doesn't mean I am fully capable of other humanly functions," answered Crystal, openly mocking Lila for her question.

If it had any eyes, they would probably be rolling, or so Lila thought.

"Wha... Why are you being mean, Crystal? It was just a ques..."

Right before Lila could object to Crystal's obvious remark on her intelligence, Crystal hushed her. "For now, think about what you want to say, and don't make any noise. I sense people approaching."

"Slowly make your way to those bushes over there and hide," it continued with a worried tone.

As if she were about to object to her parents, Lila crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows,

"They could be my people too Crystal," Lila thought, "They must have been worried sick and came here to search for me." She concluded.

"It doesn't matter, just hide for now. They would be shouting your name if they were looking for you, wouldn't they? You're a smart girl, you know better."

After listening to Crystal, Lila agreed with its conclusion. She slowly made her way over to the bushes and carefully put her backpack flat on the ground. She hastily took out the green blanket she brought along and wrapped it around herself. She was actually good at being sneaky, as she played hide and seek with her friends back when they were kids. She got so good at it that they could never find her whenever she hid, making her quite boastful when it came to hiding.

After witnessing what just happened, Crystal could not hide its surprise,

"Oh my, you actually know what you're doing, Lila,"

Throwing a furious gaze at Crystal,

"I'm surprised you know the concept of hiding Crystal. As far as I can see, you're still giving off a blue light while we are hiding. Could you please turn it off for a while, pretty please?" Lila thought.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Embarrassed, Crystal quietly toned down its glow to the point where it wasn't noticeable unless you were right before it.

"See? It wasn't so hard, was it? And right on time, I can see the light of their torches getting closer. Now, let's see how this plays out. I bet they're from my village."

As Lila and Crystal hid behind the bushes, the group approached the entrance of the cave. There were at least 10 soldiers and a couple of hooded figures in the group. One thing they all had in common was that they all bore the same winged lion insignia on their left chest. Within the group, a specific hooded figure clearly stood out from the rest with his gold-adorned cloak and tall stature.

"The force field is gone!" Claimed a hooded figure in utter disbelief.

"What should we do, sire?" One of the other hooded figures asked.

Upon hearing this, the Golden Hooded Figure rushed inside the cave without saying a word. The rest hurriedly followed him, leaving the soldiers outside. Meanwhile, Lila and Crystal observed the events from their hiding spot.

"They're not from my village, Crystal. They're soldiers. How come they're here? The nearest outpost is almost a week's worth of travel from here."

"I don't know, and that doesn't matter right now. I'd rather not reveal either of us since this lot does not look like the jolliest of folks. Let's get back to your village quietly."

Crystal also added, "By the way, what did I win?"

After observing the soldiers for a little while longer, Lila grabbed her backpack before slowly backing away from the bushes.

Success

The soldiers did not notice either of them leaving.

Backing away quietly from the bushes, they went into the thick forest as discreetly as they could. After putting some distance between themselves and the cave, they saw an ominous crimson flare shoot up in the sky, followed by a blinding flash of light.

Lila had a bad feeling about this. She did not know why, but she could feel her stomach twist, enough to make a full-grown adult sick. Cold sweat ran through her forehead, and every single inch of her body could feel that there was something terribly wrong.

"Let's make haste. Don't worry, they're gone. I can't sense any of them anymore," reassured Crystal in an unfittingly cheerful tone.

"How can you be so sure, Crystal? What was that all about in the first place anyway?" Asked Lila without slowing her pace.

"It was Long-Range Teleportation. They most likely teleported somewhere far away," informed Crystal.

As Crystal remembered she had no knowledge of the arcane, it continued, "Long-Range Teleportation is instantly going from one place to somewhere far away. But for it to work, you need a set destination and a teleport stone."

Lila would have been astonished by something like this if she wasn't entirely focused on her village and others' safety.

There was an uneasiness in the air; even the crystal could sense something was not right. The fact that they saw no light coming from the village when they saw it halfway along the way only reinforced this feeling. Lila knew deep within that she should be ready for something gut-wrenching, but how could she prepare herself? That village was her whole life. Her family, her friends, her elders—everything she knew and loved was in that remote mountain village. She was not a religious person, but she prayed and hoped with everything she had for them to be safe. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, they got close to the river where Maya gathered herbs. Lila hoped Maya would happily greet her with a wave like she always did, but it was futile. There was no one there. Come to think of it, even the wildlife around the village seemed to have disappeared.

Soon after leaving the river behind, they finally arrived at their destination. There were no lights, and no signs of life; it looked like an abandoned village. The whole village seemingly disappeared into thin air. Lila thought maybe they all hid from the soldiers; maybe they were all safe…

Sensing what transpired in the village, "Maybe you should stay here and let me check it out, Lila. Who knows? Maybe they were looking for y..."

Before the crystal could finish its sentence, Lila ran to the village. She saw someone standing in the village square. Yes, that must be it! After the soldiers left, everyone began to come out of their hiding spots. Then she froze…

She saw Maya standing in the middle of the village with something sharp coming out of her mouth. Her gaze was empty and lifeless. Making sense of what she saw, Lila let out a scream full of pain, falling to her knees. Maya was impaled on a sharp wooden log, starting from the bottom to the top. She began to cry hysterically on her knees in front of the mutilated body of the village priest. Screaming, clawing, and embracing herself.

"This can't be real... This is a nightmare; this isn't real..."

These were Lila's thoughts as her wail echoed through the thick of the night. As her eyes were full of tears, she could barely see the objects on the ground near the unsightly body of Maya. She wiped her tears away and noticed what they actually were.

Heads.

The beheaded heads of her townsfolk. All bloodied, expressionless, and full of scars. She saw her parents' heads, all bloodied and severed from their bodies. Next to them, she saw someone else. Her mind went blank. No thoughts ran through her mind as she crawled to the bloodied head of her sweetheart. Her only friend and only love was bodyless and expressionless. They cut his bright yellow hair, and his cute face was barely recognizable. She gathered the heads of those three and hopelessly hugged them, her eyes unable to cry as she had run out of tears a moment ago. She stood there on her knees, her face blank, expressionless, and broken.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind: Well, don't worry, Lila, I say they're in a better place now, ain't they?" Crystal joyfully exclaimed.

"Fuck you..."

"Now don't be mad, lassie. Imagine what would've happened if they had taken them alive. Wouldn't want that to happen, oh no, certainly not," Crystal continued.

With her eyes suddenly full of hatred and contempt,

"Fuck you! This is all your fault! None of this would have happened if I hadn't found you" Lila screamed.

Hearing this, Crystal decided to silence itself. With nothing else to say, it just reactivated its bright glow. The scope of the scene was finally revealed. Everyone in the village, save for Lila, had been brutally murdered. All that's left are the lifeless heads, the unsightly body of an impaled priest, and a broken survivor, along with a talking crystal.