It was one unexpected thing after the other. By then, she had thought that she had gotten used to the surprises that the kingdom of Gisnell seemed to have in store for both her and Noct. From having her satchel stolen yet again, to meeting the self-proclaimed Falcon Witch named Jul Orben, to running around the kingdom while following a complete stranger, and to realizing that Jul was actually, in fact, an extremely childish and simpleminded person, Chell had assured herself for a moment that considering how short the timespan had been since they first stepped into the kingdom's walls, surely, there were no more surprises for the rest of the day.

    Of course, she was proven wrong. The announcement of the red-haired girl named Yoko being the princess of Gisnell seemed so sudden that for a moment, Chell thought she had been dreaming this whole time. That was, until the thief reacted beside her.

    "... Eh?" he muttered, tone incredulous. At the same time, his hand seemed to move unconsciously to shake Yoko's outstretched one. It was as though his mind had gone blank for a moment. The princess laughed a little as she retracted her hand, amused by his reaction.

    "My name is quite a mouthful, isn't it?" she asked. "Oh, but I dislike any honorifics, so please call me Yoko instead," she added.

    Noct blinked for a few times. "Oh. I'm... Noct."

    "Noct. I see," she repeated as she nodded to him. Then, at last, she turned to Chell, holding out her hand to her for the second time. Her brows furrowed into worry. "Once again, I'm really sorry for my... companion's conduct. I'm sure you must have been been extremely bothered and offended. And also, I apologize for Jul mistaking you as the Snow Witch... she idolizes her a lot, you see. So naturally, whenever she sees someone with the same features as a Necrovitte, Jul immediately mistakes them as her. If it somehow insults you, I'd like to offer my sincerest of apologies..."

    As the princess trailed off uncertainly, Chell looked down at her outstretched hand, staring at it for a few seconds, mind spinning. She was still at a loss for what to say. Her voice was stuck in her throat. In an attempt to seek for help, she instinctively turned to face Noct, her expressionless face marred by a slight hint of panic that only the thief seemed to notice. The moment that he saw the expression on her face, however, the next thing that he did was something neither Chell nor the other two expected to happen.

     The Crow Thief burst out into a sudden laugh.

    All the others turned to him in surprise as Noct suddenly hunched down, covering his mouth in an attempt to stifle his voice as he guffawed out loud. His blissful laugher rang down the entire length of the alley, stirring the sleeping cats and dogs laying in the corners. Chell and the other two flinched in alarm, taken aback. He continued in his own amusement, shoulders shaking. Jul was the first to speak, forgetting that Yoko was still mad at her.

    "Um..." her voice was uncertain, "... has he lost his head?"

   No one answered her.

   "Ah, ah—I-I'm sorry," Noct apologized through his chuckles, shaking his head. "But really. This whole situation is just too... hilarious! I mean, first, we have a thief and a witch. Then we have a witch-thief! Then we have a princess! And then... she's actually not a thief? The little miss is apparently mistaken with her own identity? Is this the beginning of a joke? 'two witches, a thief, and a princess enter a pub...' Ahahaha, I just can't keep it in any longer!" At that, he burst into another fit of glee, his whole body trembling with hysteric laughter.

    Chell looked at him in silence, blinking in surprise. For a moment, the throb at the back of her head returned yet again. Then a second later, the thief stopped and straightened up. Jul and Yoko jumped a little in surprise. Noct raised both of his hands in front of himself. Then, he suddenly slapped his face, placing as much force behind the hit as he could. The sound of the smack buzzed in Chell's ears. It must have hurt, from the sound of it alone. He breathed out, closing his eyes and opening them a moment after.

    "Alright... I have calmed down," he announced evenly.

    An uncomfortable pause ensued between them.

    The princess frowned, looking absolutely lost. "... So, you are meaning to say that—"

    "She really is the Chell Necrovitte? The Snow Witch? The youngest Titled!?" Jul interrupted loudly, suddenly bouncing on her feet again. She approached Noct and grabbed his arms, gripping them tightly. Her eyes sparkled as she took a quick glance at Chell. "Are you meaning to say... are you meaning to say that she really is Chell Necrovitte!?"

    Noct looked down at Jul. Next he turned to Chell, his eyes asking for approval. Then, he faced back at The Falcon Witch. Slowly, he opened his mouth and spoke coolly, "Ah... Should I have not said that?"

    The exact moment he finished the last word, Jul Orben squealed loudly. "Great Vitte!"

    She turned around suddenly in a single blur, reaching out to grab for Chell's hand once again. This time, the Snow Witch had been taken by surprise and as a result, Jul succeeded in grasping it in hers, not minding the dirtied bindings that were wrapped tightly around her fingers. Chell flinched in the sudden contact, her eyes wide in fear. She had been carelessness again. However, the Falcon Witch didn't seem to notice this as she suddenly started shaking Chell's hand aggressively in a handshake, yammering fast sentences with huge eyes filled with admiration. "This is so amazing, I am so thankful to have met you at this moment, you have no idea how much I look up to you! You are my inspiration, I've heard so much about you! Please, can you tell me the secret to your genius—ackk!"

    Jul's last words were interrupted and she was forced to release her grip on Chell's hand when Yoko suddenly yanked at her cuff from behind, pulling her back while looking crossly at her. The deathly smile was back on her pretty face.

    "Jul," she warned sweetly. "Don't forget what you've done."

    At that, the Falcon Witch froze yet again, looking away from her glare and puffing her cheeks indignantly. However, she did not press any farther, aware of the dangerous threat of Yoko's anger. The princess then turned to look at Chell, her eyes now wide in amazement. She leaned close to her.

    "Ah, but... are you really her? The Chell Necrovitte?" she asked with a voice of awe.

    Unsure of how to respond, Chell could do no other thing. She nodded once.

    Yoko's eyes trailed over Chell's figure from head to toe, studying her features. Her eyes lingered over to the skull that the Snow Witch was holding in her grasp, her brows furrowing again. She narrowed her eyes, leaning closer.

    "Now that I look closely... you do look like her. No, rather... you are her." Yoko blinked a few times. "You are the Snow Witch. I... I have made a grave mistake. Forgive me, I didn't realize this fact sooner."

    Chell shook her head. "No... it's alright," she said quietly.

    Yoko shook her head, suddenly looking worried as she stepped back and made a slight, graceful curtsy. "No, it isn't! Of all the Witchfolk, the Vittes, of course, are the noblest. Your families are on the same hierarchy as the High King... Forgive me for my previous disrespectful attitude."

    "No. It's fine..." Chell assured.

    Yoko still had a concerned look on her face. She shook her head dismissively. "Ah, but if I may ask... what is someone like you doing here? Where did you come from?"

    The Snow Witch paused, remembering the events that happened in the kingdom of Uldard. "It's..."

    "—A secret," Noct suddenly cut in, giving a warm smile as he lied naturally. "We're here for something really important. It's been a long journey, and we're exhausted. We still haven't found an inn to sleep in, too."

    When she heard that, Yoko's eyes suddenly lit up. "Perhaps, you haven't found anywhere to stay at?" She turned to him, smiling and clapping her hand in delight. "That's great. Perfect, even! Then, as a way of apologizing and as a way of showing my late respect, let me offer you my hospitality. For as long as you both stay here in Gisnell, you may rest at the palace."

    Chell's and Noct's eyes widened. The thief almost choked. "Rea--?"

    "Really!?" Jul suddenly cried out in utter delight. Happiness was etched on her freckled face as she turned to the princess, tugging on her sleeve. "Really, Yoko!? Really, really, really?"

     Yoko, however, decided to ignore her presence and pretended not to hear her. She turned back at Chell. "Please, accept this humble request of mine. The least that I can do with my power to be of some help after everything that has happened so far," she said.

    In that moment, Chell turned to Noct for help again. Somehow, it had become a natural response between the two whenever there was a scene of confusion. Another silent conversation was shared. After a few seconds, they came to an understanding. Chell once again faced Yoko's expectant look. She clutched the straps of her satchel in her hand. She parted her mouth and was about to decline in a polite tone.

    However, before she could even utter a single word, Chell's head suddenly burst in a searing pain.

    Without warning, her vision blurred all of a sudden. She staggered, suddenly losing the strength in her legs. The throb at the back of her head came back, this time worsening in the span of just a second. The wave of roaring pain threatened to split her head in half. A loud, sharp buzz rang in her ears, deafening her. She blinked, the ends of her sight instantly turning black.

    "Little miss?" Noct's voice called faintly from in front of her, sounding like he was speaking from the depths of the sea. Numbly, she felt two hands steadying her as she tumbled forward, failing to keep her balance any longer. At the edge of her hearing, Chell heard snippets of words whose voices blurred together.

    "Huh? What's wrong—?"

   "—is she alri—"

    "—ttle miss!"

    Chell struggled to raise her head, trying to steady herself. But it was as if her strength was being eaten away bit by bit, ebbing with every passing second. Something was wrong with her. Hazily, the answer to what was happening surfaced into mind. She had felt this intense pain before. She knew immediately what she was going through.

    It was the drawback—the effect of overexerting her mana without any catalyst to anchor her. She remembered that the last time she did had been five days ago in Uldard, during the public execution. The toll it had on her body had finally decided to take over. It had been the reason for the dull throbbing she had been experiencing. The timespan it took for the drawback to take effect often differed and was unstable. This was another reason why overexerting someone's own mana was deadly. Sometimes, the drawback happened right after. Sometimes, even days after. The effects often varied as well. It could either be a mild illness, or a painful torture.

    Her eyes fluttered as she slumped down, her consciousness gradually disappearing. She did not have enough energy to speak or move anymore. The pain was unbearable. As she blinked one last time, the blurred view of a red scarf was the last thing she saw.

    And then, Chell was swallowed by darkness.

---->thank you for reading!