They left the city and headed towards the tall trees of a forest, a more suburban area where the walls were low and the houses had a remote appearance. Randall guided the carriage in the air, clearly knowing the way. Dawn had now fully risen on the horizon, its faint morning light reflecting on Dawn's attentive face. Pansy was showing signs of fatigue, yawning continuously.
When the carriage landed in a more secluded area, everyone got out. The man took the two young people from the back seat and slung them over his shoulders. His armor had already transformed back into an apparatus, and his flying machine disappeared.
They walked down the sloping street, the two women following Randall without a word. Only when they drew some looks did Pansy make an excuse:
"They're drunk. You know, the young people these days, always causing trouble." This explanation seemed sufficient to justify their situation.
They reached the end of the street and stood in front of a simple house. There were no nearby neighbors, no decorative plant pots, not even a doorbell or any sign that someone actually lived there.
"Pansy, knock on the door. Strongly, please," Randall requested.
The young girl climbed a few steps of the porch, a bit shyly. Then, she did as asked, pounding her fists, causing a slight tremor in the old wood. The knocks sounded strident and bothersome. Dawn glanced quickly at the man beside her, as if she already knew who was behind that door.
It didn't take long, but they could hear grumbling and footsteps. When the door opened slightly, Pansy saw green eyes around wrinkled skin.
"Isn't it a bit early to be knocking on people's doors? I don't want to buy anything," came a dry, dragging voice.
"Actually..." The young girl tried to speak but was interrupted.
"Aren't you going to let me in?" Randall asked in his deep voice. Pansy saw the green eyes widen. "What are you waiting for? Open the door, Ecda Salamander."
Only three seconds passed before the door was fully opened, revealing an image of a not-so-old but weathered woman. She wore loose clothing and slippers, had white hair and spots on her pink skin. Her green eyes were like emeralds exposed to the sun, her drooping mouth showing surprise at the visitors. In the background, the low noise of a television could be heard.
Almost choking, she began to speak:
"Mr...?" However, Randall didn't ask for permission to enter. He walked in front without looking at the slippered woman. "Mr? What are you doing here?!"
Dawn closed the door behind her, receiving some puzzled looks from Pansy. Ecda had her arms raised, walking around the small house as if she didn't know where to go. There were few pieces of furniture, and only one window allowed the morning light into the narrow living room.
When the homeowner noticed the presence of her other visitors, she clasped her hands together.
"What? Why? So early..." the woman said, staring at Pansy with her large, wide green eyes. The young girl retreated closer to Dawn.
"Salamander," Randall called her, stopping in the middle of the room. His huge figure barely fit standing up. The woman quickly walked up to him.
"Yes, sir?" She began to speak, but her expression changed upon realizing who was on his shoulder. She had to shift her view slightly, examining the sleeping girl's face. Her mouth fell open in disbelief, a hint of anger at the corner of her lips. "Is that the Demerian girl?!"
"She has a name." Dawn stepped forward, crossing her arms at her chest. "Or don't you know?"
Ecda reverted to her previous expression.
"I know! Of course, I know." She touched her head with her fingers. "But who is the boy? And what happened?"
"Salamander," Randall said again, positioning the weight of the two more comfortably on his chest. "I need to put them on a bed."
"Oh, a bed? Here there's only my bed," she replied with a forced smile. The man blinked with his impassive face.
"That will do," he stated. Ecda swallowed hard.
"Alright, of course, it will. Go down that hallway, sir." The woman led the way and made room for him.
Randall walked into the room, followed by Ecda. But before she left, she threw indiscreet glances at the two in the living room. Dawn remained unaffected, but Pansy shivered when she noticed the woman's gelatinous, wrinkled neck.
"What was that?" The young girl shuddered, watching the other woman walk around the house, heading toward the window.
Dawn just sighed, her eyes scanning the street outside. What is Autumn's house like? A quick thought crossed her mind. How is she living here?
"Dawn?" Pansy called out.
"Hmm?"
"Did I hear right? That woman called the girl 'Demerian girl'?"
"Yes, you heard right," she replied distantly. The young girl blinked several times. "Her name is Autumn, but you already know that." Pansy stayed silent for a moment, pouting. Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else you want to know?"
"Yes, there is."
"Go ahead, then."
"You two..." the young girl began. "Are you really cousins?"
"We are," Dawn replied, nodding. "My mother and her father were from the same family."
"I don't think many people know about that, do they? Everything I've heard so far seemed like rumors." Pansy bit her lower lip, almost embarrassed. "Sorry for being nosy. It's just that your surname is Lure Lantheon, right?"
Dawn nodded.
"It's okay. It turns out I'm the only one carrying the surname from my mother's family."
"And why doesn't Autumn..."
"It was a requirement from my mother's family. Typically, clans belonging to the Tronos sphere want their names to be perpetuated for generations. Since my mother married someone from the Lure clan and my uncle married someone from the Demerian clan, my mother must have feared her family's surname would disappear."
The young girl nodded her head in understanding, then said:
"Don't you find it curious? That your cousin was with Elio's brother? Where could he have gotten to, after all?"
"I don't know. We need to wait for them to wake up."
Pansy, however, seemed to want to know something more. She preferred to leave it for later, changing the subject.
"And who is this woman? Why are we here?"
Dawn swept her eyes around the house, observing the tiny kitchen and the mess in it.
"She came here eight years ago with Autumn. As far as I know, Ecda was supposed to take care of my cousin in this world."
"Really? But she seemed quite surprised to see your cousin with us. Mr. Randall seems to know her well."
"You're right. After all, it was he who recruited her for this mission."
"I had no idea," she commented, slightly surprised. "Anyway, her eyes are scary."
"Don't be surprised by what I'm about to say," Dawn requested, going to the kitchen and gathering the trash she saw with her hands. "But Ecda is a maginimal."
Pansy's eyebrows shot up, her blue eyes surprised.
"That means?"
"That in our world, she is a salamander."
"WHAT?!"
"Hayward! Why are you screaming?" Randall appeared in the room with Ecda behind him. The young girl shrank back upon hearing her surname called; the man usually did this in serious situations. It was like a warning for everyone to listen. "Stop cleaning other people's houses, Lantheon."
From the kitchen, Dawn stopped moving with a trash bag in her hands. Ecda was looking at her disapprovingly, then turned back to Randall.
"Sir, could you please explain..."
"I'll be the first to speak," he said, stretching his arms and using the arm of the sofa for support. Ecda closed her mouth. The room seemed even smaller for them. "What exactly are you doing here, Salamander? Why wasn't Autumn with you?"
The woman bit her cracked lips. Dawn came closer, setting aside what she was doing and crossing her arms.
"You seem to be living here alone, right?" He continued speaking. "You even seemed surprised to see Autumn with me. This means you aren't taking care of her properly."
"Sir, so many things have happened..."
Randall's face was hard, almost frightening.
"Tell me, Salamander, what things have happened?"
"You don't know how difficult it was!" Her voice rose in pitch. "The Demerian girl never wanted to stay by my side. She quickly followed her own path!"
"Her own path? What do you mean by that? Autumn was only 13 years old when she came here," Dawn questioned, visibly shaken.
"She was always so independent!" Ecda raised her hands to explain. "She wandered around as if she already knew everything! She never needed me! Never obeyed me," her expression turned angry. "I couldn't stop her. She even stopped going to school."
Dawn stood up straight, narrowing her eyes. Randall was rubbing his temples.
"When she turned 16, she just left me behind! Without telling me anything or asking for anything! The girl visited me from time to time, but one day... She didn’t come back anymore. It's been four years."
"So that's it?!" The man exclaimed. "You abandoned her?! Didn't you try to find out how she was or contact us to let us know what was happening?"
Ecda frowned, her words coming out jumbled:
"But why? There was no need. The girl told me she had a job, a home! She's living well in this world!"
"You're living well in this world," Dawn said bitterly. Ecda stared at her. "Your fear was having to return to Candelion since you would no longer be needed here."
Pansy blinked from where she was, watching the sudden change in the air. Salamandra took a few steps forward, the sound of the television echoing in the background.
"Why are you addressing me, Miss Lure?" she said without moving her eyelashes. The gelatinous skin of her neck stood out. Dawn did not back down. "I hate that name. Lure."
"Salamander..." Randall called her, but the woman seemed not to have heard.
"You're all the same," she said, her green eyes glittering. Her pupils changed shape. Ecda was just a few centimeters from Dawn's face. "Lure. Demerian. You leave destruction wherever you go. Every time I looked at Autumn, do you know what I saw? The murderous, crazed expression of her brother!"
Pansy put her hand over her mouth, but Dawn showed no reaction.
"Enough!" Randall shouted, causing Ecda to back off, returning to normal. The woman hugged herself like a frightened animal. "What do you think you're doing, Salamander?!"
"Sorry, sir. I don't know what came over me," she said quickly. Dawn took a deep breath, analyzing her from head to toe.
"We found Autumn lying in a park. She was badly hurt, nearly dying," she began. "With her was also Elio's younger brother."
"Elio's brother?" Ecda exclaimed, surprised. "That Elio? From this world?"
"We don't know what happened," Dawn continued. "However, we're almost certain that Elio was followed and attacked by someone."
"What?! Attacked? Wait, wait a minute..." The woman walked around the room, grabbing the remote control. She pointed it at the television, flipping through channels. "Look, see for yourself! There was an accident on Highway 6 in Willow Creek yesterday. They haven't stopped reporting it!"
The three turned their heads to watch the broadcast. Blurry videos appeared, showing a humanoid creature. The chaotic situation was indistinguishable.
"That certainly doesn't belong to this world. Any suggestions, Dawn?" Randall asked.
"Yes," she said. "I think it's a Halvina."
"A Halvina?" Pansy seemed surprised. "Why would a Halvina come here? Why attack Elio?"
"I think that's a job for me," Dawn walked around the room as she spoke. "I'll use the Ring of Possibilities on the two of them."
"Yes, I believe that's the best alternative as well," Randall nodded. "Rest on the couch, Hayward. You must be sleepy."
"Yes, sir."
Pansy ended up alone in the living room with Ecda. The woman's gaze was on the ground, more specifically on her slippers. The young girl ignored the scene, going to the sofa and lying down awkwardly.
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