“I knew I could trust you. You looked familiar…” Said Maximilian as we mounted a bubotabby on our way to the Goulcrest village. A bubotabby is a domesticated mammalian monster resembling a large feline covered in snow-white fur but with the head of an owl. The hilltop village was a few miles away from Regalopolis and citizens were advised to use mounts or carriages to get there. 

It didn’t take long to get Maximilian and Charmy to trust me. I introduced myself as the mage apprentice of Evermore’s Head Librarian, sharing with him the story behind Goulcrest and how it used to be a Forsaken Order’s camp until they fled when the temple learned of it during the exorcising period. I learned about it from reading the Evermore Times, which I made up. But this information was actually written in one of the diaries left by a forsaker in the village.

“How do you say so?” I waited for his bubotabby to move up on the man-made path of the Goulcrest forest, the only accessible route to the village. One thing about bubotabbies, they’re more timid than horses and as smart as boars. They’re mostly found in the countryside.

“The invitation you sent me. How could you forget?” He smirked. “I still have it with me, you know?”

“Why don’t you get rid of it? My birthday has passed.”

Our bubotabbies were trudging on the grass, careful not to catch any attention of wild boars and others, but Maximilian’s mount leaped to my side. He looked at me with a smile so genuine. “I don’t see why I should. Your photo that was attached to it, I would look at it sometimes on the way here. How did you know me, anyway? Did you hear about me from someone in Yuria?”

I avoided his gaze, scratching my cheek. “Uh, y-yeah. I have a friend from there. She told me about the arrival of a hero. I thought it'd be great to invite the said hero to my party, so I sent you an invitation.” I’ve been an expert with lying rather than using magic lately.

“Oh yeah?” He chuckled. “I’ve been wanting to see you since I read your letter. But at that time, I had to deal with something important and I had to turn down your offer. When I got here, I was hoping to meet you so I was really happy when you approached me. I thought I still have to find you.”

“Why do you want to find me?” I asked.

“So I can make it up to you, for not making it to your party.”

“Look, it’s no big deal, it’s just—“

“So I was wondering, once we find this person in that village, Charmy and I will treat you to some chicken skewers and moonberry pie…”

The floating bunny peeked out of Maximilian’s hair. “Yeah! Let’s make this quick! I’ve been starving since we landed, Max!”

“Does that sound good to you, Lady Lili? Is it okay if I call you that?” He asked politely.

“Yeah, sure... Why not?”

The forest was quiet in the middle of late afternoon. There were once other villages near Goulcrest, but the citizens had to flee due to the contaminated soil.

“You can call me Max in return. I know you already met this thing here. Just call her Mousey-millian. She’s my companion.”

“Hey! I’m not an object! And I’m not Mousey-millian!! My name is Charmy!”

I chuckled at their bickering, shaking my head. “You sure like each other’s company.”

In the lore, Maximilian and Charmy have been best friends since he was born. Charmy was formed using his hair and ancient tamer magic, a common spell back in Albion specifically for creating animal companions and guides. They woke up together to the new world without memories of the Albion Empire, nor their deep bond before it fell. But their trust in each other was genuine and so they began forming new memories in this modern journey without realizing it.

“Hey, look! A wisp!” We stopped in our tracks when a bluish wisp appeared before our path. In the game, wisps would guide the players as part of exploration. This one in front of us will take us to the Goulcrest village.

Grabbing our saddles, me and the hero looked at each other. “Let’s follow it.” 

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“Welcome to Goulcrest,” Maximilian muttered.

The wisp glided to an abandoned hanging lamp on a tree branch as soon as we reached the village,  offering light at the entrance.

The village was smaller than I thought. Anyone could tell that it has been uninhabited for a very long time. The houses and establishments built in Evermorean architecture were left to ruin. Dead leaves and dirt were piling on the ground. The church in the center of the village was not spared either. Its walls and roofing have massively collapsed over time yet the interior wasn’t as damaged as the outside, maintained by the Forsaken Order who temporarily stayed there. A diary was left by the altar recording the days they spent in the village for the protagonist to read over. 

“The clerics used to exorcise this village but the spirits kept coming back. So they stopped.” I said. “No cleric was powerful enough to put them to rest, I think.”

“Oh, really?” The spirits were howling. Maximilian unsheathed his claymore for any potential battle. “Do you think they’re happy with us being here?”

“I don’t think so.” I shut my eyes tight, trying my best to ignore the whispers in my ears. My skin shivered from the unexplainable cold. It felt like I was being watched from every angle.  “Let’s go find that person.”

“On it.” 

Goulcrest Village has been haunted by the souls of the villagers slaughtered by the Forsaken Order 30 years ago, as an act of sacrifice by washing the soil with their blood to appease Astaroth, which they believed would return to life at that time. This contaminated the soil that reached the nearby villages which made people move against their will.

In the game, the village was only put to rest after the war, in a story quest involving Runathea. She and Maximilian found themselves in the haunted village to solve the mystery behind the missing children from a mining town across the river. It turned out these children were tricked by cursed spirits to cross the spirit garden in their human forms, harming their souls. Runathea managed to exorcise the whole village and save the children while Maximilian kept the aggressive ghouls at bay.

It was one of the most challenging quests of the game. Runathea could die if the player failed to protect her. I had to repeat the mission over and over again.

Maximilian and Runathea arrived in Evermore together through the same boat, which means at this time, she was already in the kingdom and about to travel to the countryside to search for other spiritualists. In the game, Zathrian hadn't met her until he went to Galicia as Granger but since the turn of events has changed because of me, I wonder what other changes could happen.

In this life, perhaps they can reach their happy ending. 

We checked every ruined structure to find the person behind Diabolos Apocalypsis. I can’t remember it well, but I’m pretty sure Zathrian hid in a large room in one of the establishments in the village, heavily wounded and in critical condition.

My eyes were on the ground until I noticed traces of blood down to the door of a small room a few blocks away from where I stood. I turned around and met Maximilian’s gaze, stepping aside quietly to let him walk ahead. Without further ado, he kicked the door. 

“This is a…”

It looked like an ordinary room from the outside but inside was a different story. It revealed a large empty hallway leading to darkness. Zathrian ran off into a similar hidden area back in the game.

If my memory was right, we discovered a Domain of Seclusion! 

This was the first time I’ve come across a domain since coming to this world. Once we reach the end of it, we will find the culprit for sure!

“Shall we?” I made my way inside. Maximilian followed and grabbed me by the wrist. 

“Hold on, Lili. I think this is a domain. It’s much safer if you just wait outside—“

The door shut with a loud thud. We looked at each other in shock. Charmy jumped out of his hair and tried slamming the door repeatedly. “Oh no! We’re locked! It won’t open!”

“I-I think it’s safer if I stay with you. Rather than get chased by ghosts outside, don’t you think?” I told Maximilian, clutching his coat tight while his hand remained on my wrist.

“I hope so.” He scratched his head awkwardly, ears turning red. “Just don’t leave my side so I can protect you, okay?”