Be careful what you wish for, you'll probably get it.

~Proverb

One had fainted while the rest of Cassey's cronies had sprinted-out in all direction without glancing back. They all disappeared in a heartbeat after Anastasia had fainted for the second time.

Awen scanned the environment while faking her scream that almost like a whispher and after checking the surroundings and had confidence no threat around, she immediately untangled the rope around her and slightly nudge the chestnut beauty, who still motionless on the ground.

"That was creepy. Who's coming?" 

Using her foot Awen nudged again the back of Anastasia when the chestnut beauty didn't respond for almost a minute.

"I can't hear any scream from here. Get up."

In split seconds Anastasia was now sitting, she groaned with the sudden pain on her back briefly touching the area. "Ugh... Everything hurts."

She looked at Awen now touching her neck, begging for what seem Awen could only provide. But Awen rolled her eyes, gritted her teeth instead because of  annoyance at the cunning Anastasia before she turned around to look for her baggy bag.

"Sigh* It's been years since I've done this again yet I still sound genuinely high class. I bet, the old man was smiling ear-to-ear from the afterlife."

There was a brief paused from Awen before she threw the bag of water to Anastasia. Awen Lockhart didn't remember how she introduced or if ever she introduced Anastasia to the old man in the street of Roseriff, she'd just woke up one day someone was already sitting next beside her while listening to random nothing of the old hag.

"I believe, these things should have been addressed while the person is still living not after his death." 

Anastasia's heartbeat stumbled a bit in obvious grief flickered in Awen's voice. Thus, Anastasia simply shrugged the thing with her infamous smile. But before she even say a rebuttal.

"Y-you... for the love of Goddess Aumanda what the f*ck just happened?"

Two sets of surprised eyes slid at Cassey, who was sitting on the dirty ground. Trembling.

Cassey's eyes were glassy full of terror. Even her breathing was unstable. The aura of self-proclaimed queen Cassey was no more, but has been replaced by a terrified girl.

"You can't hear a scream huh?" Anastacia threw a mocking smirk at the smaller lady.

"She didn't scream, she's cursing instead. Talking about blasphemy yes?"

"You..." Cassey pointing a shaky finger at Anastasia.

"Ooh... Did she scare you that bad your highness?" 

There was a playful hint of a smile on Awen face when she said those words. As if to stirred the obvious answer inside Cassey's already confused head.

"You should fear people, wealth and power. You can be a demon if you have those things. But you know what, I prefer to be a Goddess." 

Anastasia flicked her hair, rested her chin on her palm and show her beautiful angles. Then finally winked at Cassey who looked bewilderedly unpleased yet Awen can't hide the crunchy laughter that earned her a sharp glare from both ladies.

"She was once called, the goddess of Mcdougall opera house in Spartus. I thought you were part of Helleria clan? The opera house was famous to aristocrats because of the third rate talents of its members. Hmm... Or perhaps..." Awen mirthless smiled, her eyes had this meaningful gleam towards Anastasia. 

"Aah... Desperate call desperate moves I guess."

Awen instantly received an unforgivable glare from Anastasia, threw back the bag of water that Awen caught in one hand. "What a horrible critic I have here when you haven't had a chance to be part of any."

"Because I wasn't a third rate. If ever I did the act, I'm sure Cassey would be in deep slumber, crumpling her chest because of a heart attack." Awen even acted the way it supposed to be to emphasized her claim, but Anastasia just snorted at her, jerked her chin at the laying priestess beside Cassey.

"Talking about deep slumber, what do you think about Natalie?"

Awen sighed lazily. "Natalie is always a scary cat, she can lose consciousness by just staring at the granny. She can't be included."

There was a point in their lives that Awen and Anastasia had tried to earn a decent living. One of which is acting. That they have excelled exceptionally,  however because of unfortunate circumstances they have decided to leave the opera house with a heavy heart.

Instead they had tried every obtainable occupation even the most unthinkable tasked available. One of which was to search for a lost cat inside the forbidden forest.

The dark and mysterious forbidden forest that no sane man wanted to venture.

Rumors had said you could be the unfortunate dinner of monstrous and unimaginable creatures if you ever went inside while old-wives tails said there was a cursed powerful spirit sleeping beneath the heart of the dark forest. 

The reason why creatures had to linger inside as gatekeepers, keep the dark spirit undisturbed for the whole eternity because once the spirit rekindled to the physical world, great misfortune would befall for whoever wakes her.

But the sound of money, gold, and silver, and the triple pay than any other was much more substantial than the scary tails in the kingdom. Especially if the lion-like cat to search for was the beloved and favored cat of one of the most powerful Master clan inside Roseriff Kingdom. That has been rumored to be more powerful than the royal family.

But as if Anastasia and Awen were cursed or the star of bad luck was shining in them, tailing them in every task they do. Eventually, they will go back in the street empty handed, often times with painful scratches on their faces.

"You imprudent witch!"

Anastasia and Awen flinched. They immediately looked away when they saw the flaring and teary eyes of Cassey. The smaller girl was beyond mad, clenching the side of her robe as if it was Anastasia or Awen she was strangling.

"Y-you were just bluffing all along?"

"It was acting." Anastasia corrected Cassey, but she regretted it after she saw the offended girl.

Cassey's chest was bumping up and down she was on the verge of hysteria. And a little too exaggerated for nothing. Both girls thoughts.

"My father, the head of Helleria Clan would hear about this insolent." Cassey briefly laugh. A sarcastic one and quickly wiped her flushed cheek. "Goddess, you say? Hell, if someone like you will be goddess, then I would summon a demon and plead to turn me like them."

They shivered.

Not because of Cassey's words but because they felt a sudden shift in the air. In a blink of an eye, the cold surroundings turned freezing cold. 

Their breaths were materializing in the air, and there was something odd moving that kept them restless.

For the first time here in the shrine the red robe suddenly became useless under this unbelievable cold even though they were to clenched it closer to themselves. No one tried to voice out their thoughts when the questions were written on their faces. 

What's happening?

~*~

Awen blinked a few times trying to fix her vision. Uncertain if her head was playing tricks on her because of the sudden freezing cold.

But no.

The black-smoke like figure that kept moving in the air, says otherwise.

It has unsettling movements that made Awen's heart disturbed, especially every time it will come closer to Anastasia and Cassey. As if it was trying to find something while the two girls seemed oblivious.

"Anastasia are you seei--"

The three girls nearly jumped when the lying Natalie began to show movements. However, Natalie was having a sudden fatal convulsion.

Slowly Natalie's crumpled robe was tightening on her body because of her own uncontrolled twisting, turning her limbs into painful angles, no man could ever endure. And she was clenching her teeth, producing a grunt or sob or somewhere in between.

They didn't know how long it took when Natalie's body become unrecognizable.

The three girls were left dumbfounded can't do anything because they'd been nailed on the ground. It seemed there was unknown force in the air blocking them from moving until Awen saw the shadowy figure again, but this time, it was enveloping the entire body of Natalie.

"Natalie stop this nonsense this instant!" 

Cassey tried to sound braver than she used to be despite being impossibly scared. However, they all gulped when Natalie suddenly stopped with unrelenting stillness.

And from there, everything turned into impulsing silence. 

Until Natalie began to move again, stretched slowly her head in the three girls direction. 

The traced of her tears was visible on her cheeks with now angry visible purple veins. The pain on her now contorted face was obvious, evident.

But Awen, Anastasia and Cassey's heart seemed to stop. Cold sweats became their clothing when Natalie's lips broke into a terrifying and haunting smile. 

Natalie then cocked her head. Opened her now completely black eyes and spoke.

"Priestess"

They froze. 

The blood in their faces disappeared. It wasn't Natalie. It wasn't a girl nor a man's voice.

The voice was mixture of several voices. Low, deep and huge. Indistinguishable voices as if they were echoing, laughing or whisphering from underneath the ground.

Yet one thing was for sure, Natalie did not sound like human.