The sun peeked between the clouds. Candramawa did not know that she had been lying on the ground for several hours. She greedily sucked in air until her chest swelled up. She forced her eyes to open. Then sat down on the ground, rubbing her nose that was starting to itch with the dust.
Before the green mist came, the sun was still in the eastern corner, now overhead. Candramawa's shadow disappeared under her own feet. She watched her whole body, making sure only dust stuck to her skin and not her mother's blood.
That was just a dream, she thought. Must be the green mist.
However, the awareness of Jesse did not relieve Candramawa at all. Even though the killer was dead and Felis killed her.
Good grief—Felis!
“Felis!” Candramawa shouted, stood up to quickly find Felis. Where did the green mist take her friend? Candramawa opened the thickets of thorny pandanus, looked down at the roots rising from the ground.
"Felis," Candramawa called again.
This time Candramawa dared to infiltrate into the bushes, with aisikla she pruned every branch that obstructed her view. Then a rustling sound was heard from the most crowded pandan grove. Candramawa stopped, she closed her eyes so she could hear more carefully. Immediately she approached the source of the sound.
"God, Felis!"
Felis was stuck at the top of the thorny plant. One hand extended to the right, one to the other. A swamp snake entwined her leg. Felis didn't move at all.
Candramawa tiptoed closer. Carefully she tore the snake's neck with his aisikla. The snake fell to the ground, still writhing before finally stopping. Candrama then supported Felis' body out of the bush, laying the girl's head on her lap. Considering, should she wait or should she make Felis aware right now.
With two taps on her cheeks, Felis came to a realization. She looked straight at Candramawa who was already smiling. Then blink twice.
"Oh Felis. are you all right?” Candramawa burst in with questions. She was about to hug her when Felis waved for Candramawa to give her some distance.
Felis crawled away from her friend. Her back shaking, the girl vomited. Her Aisikla clattered through the ground, springing out of control.
"We have to eat." Chandrawawa muttered. Remember that they haven't eaten anything since leaving.
Those words were clear enough for Felis to hear. "I just threw up, and you talk about eating." Felis doesn't agree. “I'm so nauseous. It looks like that green mist…” she continued, then the girl vomited again.
"Makes us hallucinate." Candramawa responded, "I think the green residue Garg left for you was the last one." Candramawa scanned her surroundings, then collected the remaining green mist left on the ground and on the wide pandan leaves.
Not bad, he thought. Candramawa put all the residue she got into a glass bottle and kept it in a bag.
Felis nodded. "And even though we've been through it, I still don't have a good feeling."
"Where did the fog take you?" Candramawa asked.
Felix was silent for a moment. Her brows furrowed, as if she wanted to erase her memory. But she couldn't. With short breaths she stared closely at Candramawa.
"My mom."
Chandrawawa held her breath. She opened her mouth, though she didn't know what to say.
“Eat the young wildlings…” Deluna appeared in front of them holding a fawn.
Candramawa flinched. She snorted when she saw who it was.
Deluna threw the half dead deer in front of them recklessly. Felis watched the deer twitch once before stopping moving.
The uninvited guest stared at Candramawa, the corners of her lips curved into a strange smile.
Of course I'm here, you're carrying what's not yours in that bag. Deluna let Candramawa read her thoughts alone. Candramawa shuddered, but she didn't say anything.
Felis suddenly forgot her nausea earlier. She touched her friend's shoulder. Making Candramawa flinch backwards.
“Uh, huh?” Candramawa answered while watching Deluna.
"I am hungry. Can we accept what Deluna hunted?” Felis asked timidly.
"Go on."
Felis immediately turned her back on Candramawa and Deluna.
"We have to talk." Deluna reached out to Candramawa.
Candramawa ignored her. While moving away, she glanced at Felis who was eating happily.
"What do you want?" asked Candramawa.
Deluna looked at the bag hanging on Candramawa's shoulder, stretched out her hand once again. “I came to pick up the book I lent yesterday. Have you read?”
"Not yet," said the girl as she took the contents of her bag. Giving the book in question to old Reeda.
While holding the book, Deluna probed once again at the face of the girl in front of her. She leafed through the book. Candramawa saw how the letters stayed where they were, forming sentences that could not be understood. She laughed inside.
“Marlon is right, you are a smart girl.” Deluna started without ignoring Candramawa's laughter which sounded very loud. She closed the book. "But it's not enough to lie."
"Marlon..." Candramawa mumbled her father's name. Longing for the city of Este sank in her chest all of a sudden.
"Have you told the girl?" Deluna turned to Felis. Felis just swallowed her last bite, accidentally burping before she could close her mouth.
"I don't understand what you are talking about," Candramawa said coldly.
Deluna shook her head, she wanted to laugh, but she didn't. So his lips only curved up halfway.
"You didn't seriously say that to me did you?"
Candramawa took a step back, she started to guard when suddenly the woman attacked her.
But Deluna instead called Felis. "Kid, come here."
Felis approached without asking much. Now they face each other. Forming a two-dimensional geometric shape, everything is still.
"Has your stepbrother broke the news to you?" Delena started.
Candramawa's mind immediately became complicated. Deluna knew she had read the book when the paper containing news about Felis' hometown was nowhere to be found.
Felis looked directly at Candramawa. Even if she didn't say anything, the way she closed her mouth and the way her eyebrows arched were enough to make any other girl frown.
"I'll tell you later," said Candramawa asking for time.
"Why?" Felis was already curious.
"Because the news is not too important for you, Felis. At least that's what Candramawa wants to say." Deluna lights the fire.
“Deluna, shut up!” Candramawa shouted. She felt stripped by Felis' gray eyes. She finally gave up. "Okay." Candramawa held Felis' hand.
Felis waited, but not a word came out of her friend's mouth.
"The Weesa Village is on fire." Deluna cut in.
Felis glared at both of them, in turn. Swept away Candramawa's hand.
"No," Felis whispered.
"Felis..." Candramawa wanted to calm down.
"Since when did you know about that?" Felis hunted.
Candramawa looked down in fear. "That's not necessarily true."
“Is this why we have to run? From the beginning you knew my mother was in danger? What was in Marlon's letter? And you didn't tell me until today, and you told me to keep running, and you—” Felis panted, now she can only rely on Deluna even though she doesn't like it. "Who did it?"
Before Deluna answered, Felis remembered the hallucination of the anomalous fog.
"Fuck!" she spat.
Felis walked in the opposite direction to their earlier plan. She wanted to go home, right now.
Candramawa chased her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Chandrawawa stopped her. Felis turned around roughly. Forcing the two of them to meet.
“Este, I will kill that man,” said Felis. The scene presented by the green mist just now repeated itself in her head. Her gray eyes succeeded in making Candramawa panic.
“Who do you want to kill, Felis? You don't know the truth. You can't just kill like that! Remember who you are!”
"Nonsense!" The red dot appeared again in Felis' pupils, as well as the golden red aisiklas that filled each knuckles of her hands. She easily made the other girl fall to the ground.
Felis had felt guilty, but she was again reminded by the image of how her mother was killed. Seeing Candramawa's face, she felt like she was burning again.
"Get out of my way, I want to go home."
"I will not allow you!" Chandrawawa wakes up again. Face Felis bravely. Her clothes were torn, a few drops of blood began to flow from each gap.
"I don't want to hurt you Candramawa, don't test my patience."
"We are being pitted against one another. Please understand! They will hurt you! They can kill you too.”
"They? Your father mean?"
“Regarding that, there is one thing you need to know.” Candramawa wanted to intervene. On the one hand she clearly felt threatened, Candramawa accidentally released an aisikla to the ground. Make Felis alert.
“It's clear now. None of us can endure patience.” Ignoring Candramawa, Felis continued on her way.
"I said stop!" Chandrawawa snapped. A sword from the icicles disappeared, stuck in front of Felis' feet.
"Do not force me!" Felis attacked Candramawa.
Several times Candramawa was able to avoid the attack. But in return, she didn't want to.
"Where are you going?" Deluna asked Felis from afar.
“Este!” Felis answered quickly.
At the same time Candramawa woke up. She stood still. For a few seconds he could hear nothing but how her brain was thinking, taking all the things that were connected together and tying them together as one unit. Este! Why had she never thought of that.
“Este, Est, East.” Garg repeated the sentence over and over again.
The young Candramawa was engrossed in chewing the sweet licorice root. They sat together under Alfrore.
Meanwhile the baby, the old tree really liked it. He made a swing out of his own twigs. Rocking the baby until it snores, her name is Felis.
"What are you talking about?" Ask Candramawa
"Este comes from the word Est, East!" Garg answered in an excited tone.
"Our city."
“Yes, this town is called Este! Although it is located in the west, the word means east.”
"Yes, it is." Chandrawawa responded. She thought it was too late for Garg to know the meaning of the name when he was this old.
In the past, Candramawa always read the word Este with the first letter E as if to spell evolution, emotion, elusive or energetic. Then Marlon will be happy to fix it. Repeating the same word, 'Iste, Ist' until now he remembered.
"That means we're not going anywhere, The bell, we're not going to look very far."
"Why look for a bell?" Candramawa was interested, but she was even more confused.
“Never mind…” Garg suddenly sounded indifferent. He tore a piece of paper from inside the book. Then close it.
“Bring this. Save them well. For you and Felis.” Garg conveyed the paper he had folded to Candramawa. Then he took the pipe. Condensed dried thyme in it and inhaled deeply.
"Listen," said Garg to Candramawa.
“My Felis, it is your responsibility. You must take care of her.”
Candramawa looked closely at Garg, then nodded.
And an aisikla blade disappeared, penetrated into her right chest. Candramawa fell down. In front of her, Felis smiled with satisfaction, saw her covered in blood and almost gave up.
"Felis," called Candramawa.
Felis turned back. Leaving Candramawa to die alone.
Her body was tired, Candramawa couldn't move at all. Cold spread throughout his body without choosing. She guessed this was the end of her life. While Deluna walked past the dying girl. Candramawa couldn't understand the look in her eyes.
Then, Deluna stopped, turned and bent over Candramawa's body. With two hands she pulled out Felis's aisikla.
Chandrawawa grinned. She couldn't hold back her tears.
"Now, die peacefully."
Before closing her eyes, Candramawa prayed, "O—Owner of Heaven and Lord of Hell—" Candramawa did not finish. Candramawa closed her eyes.