CHAPTER XXVIII
We had left the House of Truth and Lies behind us…
But the truths it unearthed still echoed in my heart.
The forest had changed — no longer glowing or heavy with magic. The silence here was calmer, like a breath taken after a storm.
We were now heading toward the fourth house — the final gate in this cursed path, and perhaps the most dangerous yet.
Ethan, now free from his tree-bound form, had parted ways with us.
As the son of a witch, he said he needed to return to his mother — to Laila — the only one who could guide him now.
> "We all have our next step," he'd told me before leaving, "and yours lies ahead, not behind."
So now it was just the three of us: Flash, Chiko, and… her.
The black-winged fairy.
The one from Lunaria Noir.
The one who had saved me more than once.
She walked silently beside me, steps soft but deliberate, never too far, never too close. And with every moment, something inside me twisted in quiet confusion.
> Where is Cael?
He had vanished.
No messages. No signs. No trace of him left behind.
> And yet… why did it feel like he hadn't left at all?
I kept sneaking glances at the fairy walking next to me.
At the sharpness in her eyes.
At the way she tilted her head when she was thinking.
At the way her fingers moved slightly when she was nervous — a habit Cael had too.
> "No," I told myself. "That's impossible."
Cael was gone.
And she was… someone else entirely.
> Wasn't she?
But the feeling wouldn't leave me.
It clawed at my heart like a quiet whisper, repeating over and over again:
> This isn't just a stranger.
She feels like… someone I've lost.
I shook my head.
> "No, Celeste. You're just tired. You're just looking for comfort in a storm. That's all."
But even as I told myself that, my chest tightened.
What if…
What if the one walking beside me wasn't who she claimed to be?
What if Cael hadn't left at all — just changed forms, changed faces?
It was a ridiculous thought.
Wasn't it?
Fairies didn't just change like that.
Not without a powerful spell.
Not without a cost.
And yet… in the quiet moments, when the wind brushed past us and her black wings fluttered, I could feel something…
> Something that felt like coming home.
I didn't say anything.
Not yet.
Because I was afraid.
Afraid of being wrong.
Afraid of being right.
Afraid that if I reached out — and called her by his name — everything would shatter.
So I walked quietly beside her, the question buried in my heart like a secret:
> Are you… Cael?
Or just the shadow of what I've lost?
And the fourth house loomed in the distance.
Waiting. Watching.
As if it already knew the answer…
before I had the courage to ask.
The air changed the moment we approached the Fourth House.
There was no key.
No puzzle.
No question to be answered.
The house simply… opened.
As if it had been waiting for us.
The massive doors creaked open with a deep groan, revealing nothing but thick darkness inside. And then — out of the silence — a figure emerged.
A towering black shadow, faceless, yet terrifyingly present. Its eyes glowed deep red, like embers in an endless night. A heavy crown sat upon its head — ancient and regal, marking it as a being of great authority… and greater danger.
It didn't walk.
It floated, as if it wasn't bound by the laws of this world.
And when it spoke, its voice was not a sound — it was a feeling, like thunder rumbling inside your bones.
> "Welcome, princesses," it said. "You have entered the Fourth and Final Curse House. Beyond this place lie the last three houses — not of pain, but of peace. A world that feels like a dream — so beautiful, you will never want to leave."
The shadow paused… then tilted its crowned head slightly, its red eyes scanning us.
> "But to reach that dream, you must first survive this nightmare."
My heart thudded in my chest, and I instinctively stepped closer to the fairy beside me.
Then the shadow raised a long, misty arm and pointed to something behind it.
> "Since the journey to Mother Fairy must be taken by all Seven Fairies… those who had not reached this place on their own… have now been brought here."
The fairy beside me froze.
I turned my head slowly, following the direction of the shadow's gesture.
And what I saw made my breath catch.
Standing in the dim light, unharmed, dressed in their royal fairy attire, were the others:
Olivia. Aurelia. Caeli. Ivory and Carmine.
My sisters.
The missing fairies.
Alive.
Safe.
And looking directly at me.
> "Cel…" Ivory called out gently. "Come stand with us. The rules of this trial will be shared soon. We have been waiting for you."
I didn't move at first. I could barely breathe.
How?
How were they here?
But before I could take a step forward, the shadow spoke again.
> "She speaks truth. You must join your sisters. Both of you — stand where you belong."
Then its glowing eyes flicked toward Chiko and Flash, who had been quietly observing all of this from a distance.
> "And as for you two…" it said darkly, "Step forward — into my mouth."
"What?!" I gasped, spinning to look at them.
The fairy beside me instantly moved, standing protectively between them and the shadow, her wings extended wide, her voice like fire.
> "You will NOT devour them. They are innocent creatures. Loyal. Good."
The shadow gave a soundless laugh, its voice rippling like a storm.
> "Devour them? No. You misunderstand. My mouth is a door — one that leads directly to Mother Fairy. And she… wishes to meet these two."
The fairy narrowed her eyes.
> "Why them? Why Flash? Why Chiko?"
For the first time, there was a hesitation — a cold pause — before the shadow replied.
> "That is not for you to ask. Not now. You do not yet have the right to question Mother Fairy's will."
> "Complete the trials. Walk through the seven houses. Reach her throne. Only then may you ask. Only then… will the truth be revealed."
I could feel the tension radiating from the fairy beside me.
She didn't trust this. Neither did I.
But the rules had been spoken. And something told me… resisting now could cost us dearly.
The fairy finally stepped back, breathing heavily.
Chiko and Flash looked at each other nervously, then at me — and I nodded gently, trying to hide the fear in my eyes.
> "Go," I whispered. "I'll find you again."
Without another word, the shadow opened its massive mouth — not grotesque, but glowing from within. A golden tunnel of light shimmered inside it.
Chiko stepped forward first, trembling slightly but brave.
Then Flash followed, giving me one last look.
And they were gone.
Swallowed by the light.
The mouth closed.
And the silence returned.
The fairy beside me didn't speak. She just stood still… staring into the empty space where they had vanished.
I wanted to comfort her.
But I couldn't even comfort myself.
Instead, we turned — slowly — and walked toward the other fairies who were now calling us closer.
This was the Fourth House — the house where shadows ruled, where answers were withheld, and where the greatest truths still waited in silence.
And though we had come far…
The real path was only beginning.
> Because once you walk through darkness long enough… even light begins to look like a lie.
To be continue....