Chapter 79 - Nightmare 1_2

"Done!" said Cerene, smiling at me.

This little Fallen Elf just treated the wounds in my forehead.

Is this wound real? No, this wound was just an illusion because right now, I'm in a place that was in the past and I'm talking to someone dead.

I felt pain but still, all of this was an illusion.

"Where's the thank you?"

"... Thank you."

"Your welcome. Now, take a rest so that your fever goes down."

"Rest huh, I won't do it! There are some important things I have to do," I said.

I got out of bed intending to get out of this place. I need to search for clues or something that could wake me up from this illusion. 

Unfortunately, before I could walk out of this room, Cerene pulled my collar from behind.

"Wait, you little girl! You're not going anywhere, I'm not going to let you play around when you're sick. Take a Rest!"

"But I don't want to!"

"There's no other choice then," said the girl who then caught me.

And I didn't know how, in an instant, the little girl tied my hands and feet and threw me to bed in dozens of seconds.

I try to put up a fight but in vain.

I can't win against that little girl!

Why? Why can't I win?

"Let me go!"

"No!" She said sternly.

After that, Cerene left me in this room alone.

"What should I do now?"

I don't need an answer to that question. What I should do next is action! I tried to remove the rope that tied my hands and feet.

Luckily, the little girl didn't tie me up strongly and she tied my hands in front. It allowed me to break free quite easily after I bite off the rope that tied my arm.

"I am free! Now, let's find a way to regain my consciousness and get out of this illusion!"

And my little adventure in this place began.

Gardenia Paradise, that's the brothel's name. This place has three buildings consisting of the owner's house, the residence of courtesans, slaves, and employees, the last is the main building that has six floors where guests come. 

Gardenia Paradise is the best brothel in town. This place was so famous that the nobles also became customers.

This place is vast and I will have trouble finding a way out of this illusion.

Now, what kind of exit am I looking for?

I can't get out even though I've hurt myself. So... do I have to look for a door, a gate, a portal, a Magic Circle, or something like that? I the worse scenario, should I have to die?

No, I don't think so.

In Ark Fantasy Online, to break free from the Debuff, Illusion, one must use a Spell called Dispel or they can use the Healing Spell to remove the Debuff for a moment...

That's true! Healing Spell! Don't I have it!

"[Healing Water Ball]"

...

"Huh? Why not work?"

Why can't I use Spell?

"[Stat Open]"

...

What's going on? Why doesn't everything work!

I try to use magic and open the Stat Screen for some time but it never works!

"I have no other choice then."

I started exploring this place. I moved my legs to go down the hallway and then I met someone.

From the clothes she wore, which were fancy dresses with a notable design and showed a lot of skin, I knew she was a courtesan.

I have no desire to talk to her. Therefore I ignored her, I intended to walk past the woman but I stopped after I glanced at her.

I was surprised!

The woman didn't have a face! No eyes, no nose, no mouth! And after I look at the woman more closely, her movements are so stiff just like a puppet doll.

With a hint of fear, I left the woman alone as soon as possible.

But then, I met another person who was also faceless. I ran back and I went back to meet with another faceless person! This episode kept repeating until finally, I have to accept that everyone in this illusion except Cerene wasn't normal.

Yes, the people here weren't normal! But behind that shortcomings there are advantages! Since the people here are like that, I got an easy time exploring every corner of this place.

I went around and ransack through this place for a few hours but I didn't once find an exit or a clue to get out of this illusion!

"I have to find the exit somewhere else!"

With that words, I left Gardenia Paradise. Moving my legs, I began to check the places around the brothel.

Tens of minutes later, I stood in front of a wall of mist that stretched out to block the streets and to cut through dozens of buildings.

I moved my head to observe the wall of mist and the situations around me closely. The thing I did make me realize was that this wall of mist surrounded this whole place or rather the area around the brothel.

"If I pass through this wall of mist, will I come out of this illusion?"

I wouldn't know the answer if I stayed here. So, I went into the wall of mist to find the answer to my question.

Inside the wall of fog, I continued walking forward. Tens of minutes later, I finally saw the light! I speed up my pace and it won't be exaggerating if I say I'm running.

I will finally be free!

That sentence kept repeating itself inside my head as I headed towards the light!

However, never did I expected that when I entered the light, I would return to where I was, to the path I walked before I entered the wall of mist.

"Damn it!"

I screamed and ran back into the wall of mist. And yes, tens minutes later I returned to where I was before.

I gave up on the wall of mist and started ransacking the buildings around Brothel.

In the end, after I spent hours exploring every corner of this city and repeatedly passing through into the wall of mist, I still hadn't found a way out of this illusion!

I was exhausted and decided to sit on a bench in front of a shop to take a rest.

"What should I do next?"

As I thought of the answer to that question, two faceless men approached me. In the blink of an eye, I learned they were city soldiers from the clothes they wore.

"What do you want?" I asked when they are standing in front of me.

...

They didn't answer, just stood still in there. And even though they didn't have eyes, for some reason, I felt they were looking at me.

Their presence and the things they did scare me a little bit and made me feel so uncomfortable. So, I decided to leave.

However, shortly after I took the fourth step, one of them caught and seized my left hand. A few seconds later the other one seized my right hand.

What they did next was dragging me to come with them.

"What are you guys doing! Let me go!" I made a protest and tried to get away from their clutches. 

Bitter for me to say, this little body couldn't provide any meaningful resistance. All I could do was shouting the words, "I said let me go!"

In the end, they took me back to Gardenia Paradise. They put me in a small jail that usually being used to punish slaves.

"Argh!" I cried out as my body hit the floor.

The two faceless men threw me inside the small jail without feeling. Then they locked the door and left me.

And even though I shouted, "Get me out of here!" They didn't stop. A moment later their figure disappeared behind the door.

For the next few tens of minutes, I tried to escape.

Yes, I don't have to say the results of my efforts.

I gave up and sat in the corner of the room. I hugged my leg and buried my face to my knees.

"Look at this, the naughty little girl gets the punishment she deserved."

The sound made me raise my head. There, outside the bars, Cerene looks at me.

"What do you want?" I asked, feeling a little annoyed.

Why is this illusion here?

"You're so cold, Lite. I'm here to see you and I bring food for you," she explained. 

Then, she placed three loaves of bread and a bag of water on the floor close to the bars.

"Get lost! I don't want to see you again!" I screamed.

The little Fallen Elf froze. At the same time, she opened her eyes wide. She woke up from her daze a moment later.

Then, she made a sad smile, a smile I've never seen before.

"Maybe your wish will be granted, Lite. Someone wants me tonight. I'm sure, once I sleep with him, he'll fall in love with me and make me his wife."

And I screamed. "I don't care!"

"Hmph! If you continue to behave like that, I won't help you anymore, nor will I visit you after I become the wife of this man named Scott Bell."

My body jerked, my fox's ears and tail stood upright as I heard the name. Spontaneously, I approached the little girl.

"Don't go! Don't serve that man!"

"Why the sudden change?" She asked and smiled. "You were cold with me earlier and now you're begging me when I say I'm going to be a bride? What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to be someone else's wife! I want you to always be with me!"

"You selfish little girl," she said then made a sad smile. "I have my dreams, you know that? I can't always take care of you. And even though it hurts me, you have to grow up, Lite. You can't be a kid forever."

"I'm an adult!"

"Yes yes, you are a grown woman." Cerene nodded. "The night is coming soon, I have to prepare myself. I'll visit you again tomorrow."

"No! Cerene! Don't go!"

I asked the girl to stay. However, she keep walked away. I looked at the little Fallen Elf carefully and I realized, she become a puppet.

"No! Don't go! Cerene! Come back here! Don't go to see that bastard! Cerene! Cerene!" I shouted as hard as I could while trying to open this small jail door.

My screaming is meaningless.. Cerene kept walking away and eventually disappeared from my sight.