Lory had indeed cooked us a delicious meal, and everyone had gone to bed, only I remained at the campfire. The cooked worm tasted, okay. Lory had asked if I wanted to go to sleep already but, I did not want to yet. I am still busy with processing what happened. Those mirrors, more version of me stood inside that mirror, locked up, or free? One looked like a true adventurer, he had short hair, medieval looking armor, and a huge greatsword of some kind. There was this other guy, he had a dark robe, a skull as a hat, and even a scepter in his hand. I don’t understand what is going on. A voice echoed in my head, “I can tell you.”

“Yeah, right, just shut up.” In the distance, I heard rustling. I got up and grabbed my sword.

Slowly I followed the sound of the rustling in the bushes. We had set up camp near the big tree. The rustling sound was close, I snuck closer. Then I moved the bushes aside and pointed my sword, and in return, I got a sword pointed at my face. Bella sighed, “Damn, Steve, you almost scared the shit out of me.”

I let out a sigh of relief, “What are you doing here, Bella?”

“Just looking for a part of the propeller. What are you doing here? I had expected you guys to have progressed further already. Like, our base camp is one hour from this place.”

I sighed, “Yeah, we got captured, almost sacrificed by birds, a giant worm, you know, bad stuff happened.”

Bella chuckled, “That sounds like fun.”

I laughed, “If you think getting sacrificed and getting eaten by a giant snake worm thing, then be my guest.”

Bella smiled at me, “Where are the others?”

“They are sleeping, we hope to travel a longer distance tomorrow.”

Bella nodded, “Avoid birds it seems, why are you awake this late?”

I shook my head, “I can’t sleep at this time. Why are you awake?”

Bella sighed, “I just wanted to find that damn part before going to bed, I have been looking for the last three hours. I am hoping it did not land farther away, or fell off the edge.”

“Should I help you look, Bella?”

“Are you certain? You have a different quest.”

I smiled, “Well, the others are sleeping, I am awake, and we seemed to have met halfway. The least I can do for scaring you shitless is help you look for that propeller piece.”

Bella nodded, “I already checked over there, you should check over there,” she pointed somewhere.

I nodded, “Alright, I think I have a trick up my sleeve.”

I kneeled on the ground, then I put my hand on the ground. With a few deep breaths, I tried to send red energy into the ground to scan around me. It did not work. I sighed and whispered, “Dude, come on.”

A voice rang in my head, “What, you want me to help find a stupid thingy for Bella? Damn, she still has a hot ass, by the way, can’t we just wait for her to bend over a few times?”

I sighed in frustration, “Just, please put your hand on the mirror, I am not letting you out, but you can choose, rot there, or help me find this damn propeller.”

Agent sighed inside my head, “But, I want to look at her ass some more.”

“Dude, I am not looking at her ass to please you, just help me with finding this thingy.”

Agent grunted, and I could feel some energy leak into the ground. Everything in front of me seemed to turn into a grid, then I saw the propeller piece a bit further ahead, it had buried itself in the sand.

I walked towards the propeller and dug it out of the ground. I called out, “Bella!?”

She ran over and looked at it, “You found it?”

“Yes, it was here in the sand. Do you know, we are very close to the edge?”

Bella nodded, “I know, luckily it did not fall off.”

I smiled, follow me. She shrugged and did so. We came out of the woods, and we looked at the clouds. “Oh, look!” I walked over to some bushes and grabbed some strawberries and checked them with my energy. I sat down on the edge and let my legs dangle.

Bella sat down next to me. I gave her a few strawberries. She looked around, “This is a pretty sight, maybe you should look at it with Lorraine tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that is a good idea, Bella.” I took a bite from the strawberry, it was very sweet.

“Bella?”

“Yes?”

“Hypothetically, what if, the me, from the dream world is still inside of me, like a different person. Would it be able to speak to me?”

Bella looked at me, “No, I don’t think so. It could be if it is magically induced, but normally speaking, you would have loss of memory if this other person would take over. Or perhaps the feeling of someone wanting to possess you. Why do you ask, Steve? Did something happen?”

“Yes, something happened, but I am fine.”

Bella nodded, “I am here for you if you need me.”

“Thanks, Bella, what happens when you die?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“That depends, if you have no favor with the Grand Council, or you serve no greater purpose in the cosmos, you will most likely go to the ethereal vortex. The vortex will take your soul, and you will be gone. The Ethereal Vortex is being picky.”

I nodded, “And what if someone is important?”

Bella smiled, “Then you will most likely go to Purgatory and you will have a chance to come back to the land of the living to finish your unfinished business. It is a land where the dead and living both can roam, however, die there, and it certainly spells your end.”

I nodded, “Thanks for the information Bella, is Micheal in Purgatory?”

Bella sighed, “Are you probing for more information?”

“No, I am seriously concerned he is going to come for me.”

Bella stared at me for a moment, “Why do you think that?”

“Well, Alice was his lover, right?”

Bella nodded. “And what if he finds out, Lory killed her. He will come after her, and I am not strong enough to stop Micheal.”

Bella put a hand on her chin, “I understand why you are worried, but there is no need to worry, Steve. I am making sure the news Alice has died does not reach him. I have people and contacts out there.”

“Thanks, Bella.”

I heard the voice in my head, “She is lying, he is going to find out, maybe he already knows.” I blinked a couple of times and took a few deep sighs.

Bella looked at the propeller piece, “What kind of incantation did you use to propel your energy towards the propeller?”

“Incantation?”

Bella nodded, “You whispered to yourself before using energy, that is usually done with incantations.”

“Oh, it was just a pep talk to myself.”

“Steve?”

“Yes, you know I lied about my wings, right?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Do you lie about wings too?”

“No, why?”

“Because Haley has wings. She needs to have gotten them from someone, and it is not Lorraine.”

I sighed, “I see, you are some kind of scientist. Yes, I have wings.”

Bella smiled, “I knew it! Can you show them to me?”

“I don’t think I can, they are, evil.”

Bella frowned one of her eyebrows, “Evil?”

“Yes, it is hard to explain, but I feel as if I could lose control if I sprout them. I am not even sure if I can fly.”

Bella let out a little grin, “I understand, you have a little guy in your head.”

“What?”

“Your questions and worries, you must have someone talking in your head. What is his name?”

I sighed, “His name is Agent, am I that easy to decipher?”

Bella nodded, “You are open to me, honest. I wonder why.”

I shrugged, “I don’t know either. For some reason, I just feel, as if I can trust you, as if we have some, deep connection to each other.”

Bella smiled, “Then you won’t mind me doing this.”

“What are you going to do, Bella?” She gave me a shove and I fell off the edge of the sky island, she jumped after me. As I fell, I sprouted my wings and ripped them through my shirt. Bella sprouted her wings and flew in front of me. I panted, “Holy shit, Bella, a little warning would have been nice.”

She crossed her arms while floating in front of me, I could float as well. “I wanted to test your reflex, now tell me, how are those wings evil? They are holding you still in the air. Nice look, by the way.”

I sighed, “They are connected to the thing in my head.”

Bella studied my wings, “I know, and you were afraid to use energy, how did that pan out in the end?”

“Well, I can just use energy.”

Bella nodded as she came closer, she could move her hand through my wings. “That is strange. Now, these wings might have triggered something, but how can they trigger it again, if there is nothing left to trigger?”

I sighed, “You might have a point, Bella. I just don’t know how to fly up.”

Bella chuckled, she flew behind me and grabbed me by my waist and fluttered her wings in perfect synch. She gently put me down near the edge. I saw the woman with black wings stand there, she had a rainbow claymore in her hand. I exhaled, “What are you doing, O?”

She pointed at Bella, “She just tried to murder you.”

“No, she helped me realize something. Go, find your dad or something and tell him nothing of what you have heard.”

Bella walked over, “Who is her dad?”

“Micheal.”

Bella looked at O. They seemed to have a staring match. Bella drew her green sword. “This time I am ready.”

I held up my hand, “I have no idea what is going on here, but fighting does not seem like the right option. Bella did not harm me, O, you should not harm Bella. I am begging you.”

O looked at me and put away her claymore. “Fine, since you asked nicely, I won’t harm her.”

“Since I asked?”

“Yes, you asked, right?”

“Yes?”

“Alright,” she walked back into the bushes.

Bella looked at me, “That was strange.”

“Yes, I have to agree.” I shrugged, “She probably has some daddy issues.”

Bella chuckled and threw me a strawberry. I caught it, “Thanks for helping me realize that my wings are not evil. They are just an extension of my body, even if I am not certain how to use them yet.”

Bella nodded, “Your wings might not be evil, but Steve, I need to give you a warning.”

“Yes, I am listening.”

“Don’t dig deeper because what is hidden deeper below the surface is evil.”