The Source of All Evil

Chapter Seventeen

Michaela Walker.

“What’s wrong?” Princess Nirvana stood up and held Michaela, who was walking aimlessly, feeling lost. She couldn't believe that not only Rafe has disappeared, but the room she spent the night in was no longer there.

She wasn’t someone who would easily depend on others, but this was a unique situation. She was in a fantasized world, surrounded by powerful people and dangerous creatures, so of course, she depended on him a lot.

She might have started a business on her own, but that was only because the people in this village were friendly, generous, and simple-minded, making her feel as if she were back in her world. Michaela felt helpless for the first time in her life, and she hated this feeling.

“Michaela, snap out of it!”

“Huh?” she slowly met the dark eyes of the princess, who looked worried, saying. “My friend isn’t in his room. The inn owner insists that no one has stayed at her inn for the last couple of days. She even showed me the room. It was a storage room! How is that possible?! I know he wouldn’t just leave me without saying anything. He wouldn’t leave after we. . . It’s impossible.”

“Calm down, sister.” The princess pulled her to a chair and helped her sit down. “Breathe. Look at me and breathe.”

Michaela, who got overwhelmed by a sense of panic, kept her eyes on the princess, slowly breathing, trying to calm her mind and heart. And it took her a while to compose herself, explaining to the princess what she's seen in the room.

“From what you've told me, I can only think of one possibility. This must be the Evil Master’s doing. He is the one who’s able to temper with people’s memories.”

“Really? You think? And how about the room? I was there last night, and it looked normal. I slept in that room until this morning. So, how come it's now used for storage and filled with dust?! It just doesn't make any sense.”

"I don't know what to tell you. It is impossible, however, we don't really know what kind of powers the Evil Master has."

Recalling what the princess told her about this Master, she gasped. “Do you think he killed my friend?”

The princess shook her head, and Michaela couldn’t tell if she was only trying to comfort her or if she truly believed that the Evil Master wouldn’t harm Rafe.

“If he knows that he’s your friend, then he wouldn’t harm him.”

That was the thing, Michaela thought. What if the Evil Master knew about what happened between her and Rafe? The princess said he was obsessed with her character, then wouldn’t he kill his love rival?

Conscious of what she just thought, Michaela felt her cheeks heating up, which drove the princess to add. “Unless. . . he’s not just a friend?”

Stammering, she said. “Umm, yeah. . . Well. . .” She trailed off, clearing her throat, feeling awkward to admit in front of others that she and Rafe were closer than friends.

The princess must’ve understood, placing her hand on Michaela's arm, rubbing it, wearing a kind smile. “I’m sure he’s okay. We’ll wait until Hosuh returns, and I’ll ask him to help you.”

Michaela felt as if the princess used her words against her, narrowing her eyes as she stood up. “Why wait for men to help us? We’re strong, smart, and independent women. We can look for that flower. . .”

“The Moonflower tear.” The princess cut in, correcting her, and Michaela nodded, looking determined.

“Yes, and we help cure our mother.”

“And your friend?” The princess asked, seemingly falling for her bogus of a speech. Of course, Michaela wanted to use her to look for Rafe. The Forbidden Forest, from what she could remember, had a Lunar tunnel that connected to the Cursed Forest. The latter was where the Evil Master palace was situated. Michaela wasn’t foolish to venture alone into that dangerous place. The princess had unrestrained powers, which would be useful for her.

“My friend is an expert and very strong. I’m sure he can handle the Evil Master long enough until we go save him.”

“So, what do you think?” Michaela added when the princess seemed hesitant, yet she yielded under her firm glare.

“What are we going to do with those two?” The princess nodded towards the two guards, adding. “They’re following Hosuh’s order to guard me until he’s back.”

Michaela stared at the two men; a twisted smirk appeared on her lips. “I have an idea.”

“But they’re not my type.”

Michaela was back at her restaurant to fetch Kirby, listening to Abigail whine when she asked her to distract those men with her flirting skills.

“I know they’re not, but just this once.” Thinking of an idea not to reveal too much about her plan, she went on. “They keep following my friend and harassing her. You just need to keep their attention long enough for me to take her away from the village.”

Abigail bit her lower lip, staring at the two guards who claimed a table at the restaurant, sharply looking around. “What if they lose interest in her and start harassing me?”

Michaela rolled her eyes at this promiscuous woman, saying. “Please, like you hate that kind of attention.”

Abigail let out a giggle, hitting her on the shoulder hard. Michaela bit back a yelp, rubbing her shoulder for how strong this woman was.

“You know me too well. I’ll do it, but you have to do something for me in return.” Michaela eagerly nodded, and the other put her hands together, assuming a begging position as she said. “Can you arrange a get-together and invite Malick? I’ll take care of the rest.”

“You like him?!” Michaela was allowed to be shocked here as she thought Malick was gay. At least he hinted that he had feelings for Adrius.

“Yes, what can I say. He’s so aloof, cool, and adorable. It’s the perfect package!”

“Settle down,” Michaela patted her shoulder to calm her down when Abigail seemed as if she was about to jump in the air from excitement. “Sure, I’ll do it once I’m back. Now, go, go.” She shooed her away, lighting a candle for her in her heart, as she was confident that Malick was playing for the other team.

She stood far away and watched as Abigail acted like a cutesy, shy girl, talking in a flirtatious manner to the guards. And like most men, they soon drooled over her, forgetting about the princess as they carelessly chatted with Abigail.”

“Men are stupid,” she mumbled under her breath, returning to the kitchen, smiling towards Mariana and the princess. After she told Mariana what to do when they leave, asking her to apologize to the customers and tell them that they were closing early since no one knew how to cook her dishes. Michaela picked up Kirby and pulled the princess towards a secluded part of town.

“Michaela, I thought about it. You don’t have your spiritual core, so this would be dangerous for you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I survived that forest before, so I’m confident I can survive it again. . . Besides, if we wait longer for Hosuh to return, it may be too late for our mother.”

She hated that she was using the mother card to trick her, but she had no choice. Rafe was far more important. These people were just characters in an imaginative story while he was real. Michaela didn’t know if the information Rafe shared about the story resetting if he or the princess died was still valid. And if he’d die here, she feared he’d be dead for good.

“I can go alone. I know a bit about the Moonflower, and I can use my powers when facing danger.” Though she bravely said this, the princess looked as if she was about to throw up from fear.

Michaela was now certain that the princess needed to go to the Forbidden Forest to develop her character. The princess was depicted as a strong-willed, stubborn, and fierce woman in the story, but that was only after the tragic event of her parents’ death and when she witnessed the death of her people in the Forbidden Forest.

“No, I’ll go with you. Kirby can help us get there in no time.”

It took a lot of convincing for the princess to finally agree, and when Kirby used its peculiar powers to transport them, two men appeared where they were standing, seemingly in a heated fight.

“For a moment there, I thought you were running away, Evil Master.” A young man in a purple, long robe, dressed in black leather pants and a white button-up shirt, hovering in the air and smirking at the man facing him.

The one he was addressing was no one but Rafe, who glowered at him. His gray eyes gleamed with killing intent, looking impatient as he kept staring at the inflated pink balloon-looking creature that was flying away.

“Here she does it again,” he cursed under his breath.