Day: 3660

Days Left: 1820

Lives Saved: 20

Corinna's body slumped onto the porch, dropping immediately like a heavy and lifeless weight. It was all a blur, Lili didn't know how far away she was, but she made it in what seemed like an instant, and Corinna's unmoving body was before her. In her panicked state, Lili almost went to hold her, to carry Corinna in her arms, before she jolted back from the intense heat of the celestial, the blue light emanating from Corinna's body flaring from the contact with the wooden porch, steam billowing out. Lili yanked off her captain's jacket and used it to manoeuvre the celestial off the wooden porch safely without burning herself and onto the stone street, before she collapsed before the body.

Words could not escape, only the undiscernible sounds of struggles of breath, of the sharp pain and twists within her stomach and chest. She dared to reach out, so desperately wanting to, to feel for a pulse or sign of life, and instead had to resort to crouching down low to Corinna's mouth to hear breath, but Lili's own erratic heartbeat was so loud, thrumming in her eardrums, that she had no idea if Corinna was just unconscious or-

Lili looked up, seeing the front door to their home half off its hinges. Was Corinna too late? Did it need to be entirely off? She glanced around, trying to catch the enigmatic monster responsible, to see if it would now come for her too in her moment of grief, but there was no black dog, no Grim Fairy. With an agonising cry, Lili tore the front door completely off. She did not know if this would help now, but at the very least, it would make sure that it would not happen again to either of them.

The world passed by, Lili had already abandoned the city, everything that was happening around her was dull and insignificant. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought on what to do, the duty that she had taken up on herself to protect everyone, everyone not just one person, everyone depended on her and yet she allowed this selfishness, to feel it all later. It didn't matter to her anymore which frightened her to her inner core, the realisation that duty, that to serve, was no longer her only reason to keep going, her purpose. She didn't have a purpose anymore, she was no longer a tool for others to use so that she felt needed, so that she felt she had a reason for even bothering to exist. And yet she had to realise this now. Why now? Why? Why couldn't they have left sooner? Whey?

"Why?" Lili's voice warbled, through hissed breaths as she collapsed in front of her fiancé's unmoving body. "Why couldn't you just leave this place?"

She imagined an alternative reality where they had left the city when the trouble began, or maybe even before when everything was starting to become more complicated. They might not have had as much food, no big house with multiple rooms, a bed or anything else but they would have had each other. But instead the reality was that they now had nothing. The city was overtaken and likely their fates would be down to those now in control if they were caught, half of their close friends would be released from The Eternal Abyss, and Lili could not even go near Corinna at the risk of her own safety, to be burned. What could she do? What should she do?

Henry eventually arrived, Lili was unsure how long he had been there, again everything such a blur of time and noise as she stared at Corinna's unmoving body.

"Lili!" Henry shook her shoulders, finally snapping her back into consciousness. "We need to get out of here! She's not safe here!"

Not safe, yes, not safe. Everyone so angry about not getting enough food and shelter quick enough, angry about the devastation from the zombies, angry whatever had just happened with all those memories returning so painfully. How long before the angry mob forgot about just getting into the city and decided to enact justice against those who were in charge, the mayor, the guards, the rest of the government that were responsible for who was chosen? Lili picked Corinna up again, scooping her up in her jacket, the sheer contact causing billows of smoke to emit out. Due to how much contact already the celestial had with the ground and being unconscious, the light of her body was fading into complete dimness, a fire being slowly smoked out into just ash. Though it did not burn Lili's jacket through, the heat was still intense but Lili powered through it. She told Henry where to find the two leaving bags that she and Corinna had made ready for if they needed to flee the city and Henry rushed inside the house. Meanwhile, Lili clutched tightly onto Corinna, her breath and heartbeat still not settled, the noise surrounding her both too loud and too quiet.

Rin and Sumit appeared at some point and Lili could barely register their voices, almost not seeing their faces through how blurry her vision had become through the curtain of tears, they mentioned something about seeing the celestial in the air and wanted to regroup. They both tried at one point to gently take Corinna out of Lili's hands as the prolonged contact was burning her arms but Lili desperately clutched on, barely having any energy to fight however her reaction of Corinna being taken away was enough for Rin and Sumit to back away. Henry had come out of the house with the duffle bags slung over his shoulders and Sumit took one of them, both relieved to see each other safe, before the group started moving. Lili followed, her whole body gone numb from pain, it felt as if she was almost floating as she ran, like at some point her feet would not touch the ground and she would fall and collapse. They weaved through the city streets, avoiding any big skirmishes, occasionally resorting to fend off monsters that had gone berserk or invaders of the city who recognised any of them to be a core part of the government, demanding justice for the chaos and lack of safety.

After a time, Lili finally regained some semblance of thought and logic, holding Corinna more firmly to her chest as she ordered the others to follow to where there was a secret passageway Corinna had built for easy escape.

"Corinna made ones herself?" remarked Sumit. "And she didn't-" He stopped himself, knowing now was not the time, though he continued to dwell on Ivette's punishment for doing the same.

The tunnel was made in the earlier years, which was originally an enclave from The Land of the Lost. A tunnel that had already existed but had at some point been caved in on purpose, perhaps by Annika herself not wanting anyone outside of her group to stumble upon it and gain access to The land of the Lost, so that she had complete dominion of it. Corinna had over time fixed the tunnel, knowing that since The Land of the Lost was at the city's centre, should the city be invaded, they could all flee to the centre for safety and find the tunnel that led out to the forest, either to flee completely or initiate a flanking manoeuvre behind the enemy. It would take some backtracking to head to the centre of the city, but it was far safer than to brave the outskirts where the hordes of prisoners were.

The group turned around, losing all their previous progress to gamble on this route. Lili now ran with more clarity, more focus on the goal. What they would do after getting to safety, she had no clue but she just needed something in this moment to focus on.

Rin donned her mask, her arms coated in pieces of paper that folded together, constructing wings that allowed her to fly upwards, scouting out ahead for safer routes when she called out, spotting Calixte. Rin and Henry broke away from the group to go find him, leaving Sumit who was the most capable of protecting Lili and Corinna with his mask as they continued to head for The Land of the Lost.

The amphibian was slumped in an alleyway, clutching a wounded stomach, the blue blood staining his webbed hand. His black beady eyes remained open, as he did not have eyelids, but they were growing more vacant by the second.

"Calixte!" Rin called out, rushing to his side.

"Miss Rin..." Calixte coughed, struggling to breath from pain as he spoke.

"Let's get you out of here." Henry helped the amphibian up and took his arm over his shoulder.

"No, I need to stay," the amphibian protested. "We need to stay and help-"

"You are in no state to help anyone," said Henry bluntly. "There's too many of them."

"We have to try-"

"We can try later when we have a plan, but for now, this is a lost battle. We need to get out of here."

Calixte didn't have any more energy to fight back and allowed Henry and Rin to support him as they re-joined Lili and Sumit. Upon seeing Corinna's state, Calixte lost most of his motivation in wanting to stay, and used what little strength he had using his antenna to keep the group safe from harm as they headed to The Land of the Lost.

Nearing The Land of the Lost, they all froze for a moment, seeing Alfreda climbing up the sides of the pit, three of the imps, Thalia, Tristan, and Valtair following behind, clutching onto her clothes and each other.

"Miss Alfreda..." Calixte swallowed, though still having to cough both from his wound and his water-logged lungs. "Why are you still here? I thought you had..."

Alfreda glanced back at the sky, where the portal had been open earlier. Her hand gingerly reached to the back of her neck where her brand was that was no longer glowing, then looked to Lili's whose neck was still cast in light, deeming her free to leave. "I suppose they changed their mind about me being able to leave." She stepped forward to Lili, and looked down at the celestial in her arms. "Allow me," she said softly.

Lili could not speak, her words fumbling in her mouth as she was once more reminded of what had happened to Corinna. All she could do was merely shake her head.

"She won't hurt me. I promise, she will be safe with me," Alfreda said even softer, offering out her arms.

Eventually, Lili conceded and passed Corinna's body over to Alfreda, who in her fire demon form went unscathed from the celestial's burning light that though dim was still there, if not quivering and waning.

Lili's arms wrapped around her torso, her sleeves burnt and the skin underneath singed dark but fortunately not too severe.

To pick up the pace, Sumit resorted to fully carrying Calixte, the amphibian apologising and bargaining for him to be left so as not to trouble anyone. Rin, Lili, and Henry picked up an imp each so none of them got left behind due to their short legs and they all descended down into the pit of The Land of the Lost. Lili frantically tapped on the stone, trying to recall where the entrance was and finally finding the little mark in the stone that Corinna had made. Working together, the group manoeuvred the boulders blocking the way and escaped through the tunnel, dark and narrow with Sumit struggling to fit through in his demon form and having to bend his back. Henry found a torch from the to-go bags Lili and Corinna had made to light the way, though the dim light from the celestial also helped, casting the tunnel in a cold blue.

The tunnel took led out to the forest, but they did not stop running until they went further in, far enough to feel safe from the city. Sumit placed Calixte down on the ground, allowing him to rest and to check his wound, using any medical supplies that was in Lili's to-go bags, meanwhile Alfreda continued to hold Corinna so as not to burn the ground whilst she was still in her celestial form.

Since it seemed that they were staying in this area for the while, Rin began setting up tents and set up a fire ready for the night to keep everyone warm. Lili occupied herself with gathering firewood, though her eyes could not be torn away from Corinna's body. Once everything had been set and Calixte's injuries tended to, Lili brought Henry to the side to talk.

"It was the Grim Fairy," Lili spoke flatly, though it was obvious what it was.

Henry nodded gravely, his eyes averted. "Yeah."

"Did you two regain memories?" Lili asked. "About Prince Osmond?"

"Yeah," Henry breathed. "I never interacted with him but our family have, some of them worked for him, servants, guards, raised him from a boy."

"Did you see the Grim Fairy afterwards?"

"No, even when it started to chase Corinna, I couldn't see it." Henry paused. "I thought for sure that I would start seeing it after Corinna... After seeing Corinna like this but I don't see it anywhere. Maybe my house was damaged in the siege?" Henry didn't want the alternative which was that he just didn't feel as bad, because it was not the truth, the truth was eating away at him, at how this was is fault.

"What about Corinna? Why did she see it and not you after your memories were returned? Any memories of him that would be enough of a trigger for the Grim Fairy to suddenly appear? Or do you think the pain from the memories being returned was enough?"

Henry hesitated, then shook his head. "No, that wasn't the trigger." He took in a deep breath, before continuing, "Corinna used to be friends with the queen when they were children."

"Queen Corinna IX?"

"Yes." Henry swallowed. "But then... one day when Corinna was eighteen, she tried to kill her."

"The queen tried to kill Corinna?"

"No, the other way around. Corinna was almost sent to the Eternal Abyss for it but I guess instead the queen chose to just erase their whole friendship, the whole incident from memory. Those memories returned alongside of Prince Osmond. That is what most likely triggered the Grim Fairy, those memories of hurt and revenge."

Lili nodded slowly, her arms wrapping around herself tightly. "Corinna only just began to tear down the door when the Grim Fairy took her. It was half off."

"Half off?"

"Do you think that would make a difference? If the front door is half intact?" Lili cleared her throat, her voice wobbling. "Do you think maybe not all of her memories are gone?"

"I don't know..." Henry's voice was a haunted whisper.

"You can check, can't you? With your monster mask? See if she is still there? I don't want to wait weeks to find out. I can't do that, I need to know now."

"Yeah, I can have a look." Henry's own throat was seizing up.

"If it does take her weeks to wake up like the other victims, she might have lost her mind anyway because of how long she stayed transformed." Lili forced to say the risks, more things that dwindled the hope of Corinna ever returning.

"Yes, right... That could happen." Henry hasn't yet thought of that possibility, and now he thought of all the possibilities, his extensive knowledge of monster masks and bad transformations feeding into his fears.

The others gathered around after hearing about the plan, with Corinna's wellbeing a crucial step into what to do next or where to go. Calixte remained resting against the tree, still wounded, whilst Lili, Rin, Sumit, and the three imps stood on guard duty in case any prisoners came this way whilst Henry and Alfreda were vulnerable. There was still a small light coursing trough the celestial's body, dim though to reveal the blue rock that Corinna's monster form was truly made of when not made of light that burned everything it touched, so Alfreda continued to hold her, invulnerable to the celestial's heat in her fire demon form. That was another concern for not only Corinna to lose her mind and go berserk in her mask form from prolonged use, but also Alfreda if she had to resort to carrying Corinna for so long to prevent setting everything on fire.

Henry donned his monster mask and transformed, his body stretching taller and gaunt, skin paling and nose growing hooked like a crescent moon, hair darkening into greasy damaged strands. With every movement of his body, grains of sand fell onto the ground. He tightened his fist, forming a large clump of the sand from his body in his palm before blowing it into Corinna's sleeping eyes.