Part IV – Illusions and Desires
The Kitsune village seemed suspended between dream and reality. The houses were weavings of living wood, grown into sinuous shapes under the guidance of magic, illuminated by floating lanterns that danced in the air like will-o'-the-wisps. The air smelled of night-blooming flowers, and each step seemed to take the group further away from the known world.
Ayame walked ahead with theatrical grace, her nine tails swaying like a fan of golden feathers. "Welcome to the heart of my domain," she said, turning around, her mischievous eyes fixed on Yuri. "I hope you feel... enveloped by the atmosphere." Her fingers lightly brushed Yuri's arm, with an innocent smile that fooled only those who didn't know her.
Kayla followed closely, arms crossed. Her gaze was as sharp as a slender blade, though she said nothing. Just one look at Ayame was enough to make her irritation rise in her throat.
"This is the market of illusions," the Kitsune explained, pointing to a circular square full of stalls where nothing was truly what it seemed. "Here, dreams, memories... and desires are sold. You just have to know what you're looking for."
Lucen let himself be guided in silence, his gaze more watchful than usual. His eyes followed Yuri, observing her as she spoke with the village merchants or smiled at the shifting lights. Why does she affect me so much? he wondered. It's not just because of the trial... there's something I can't define.
The trial. Only Ayame knew what Yuri had experienced within the folds of that forced dream. And yet, her heart seemed to carry echoes of it. There was something in Yuri – the light? The pain? – that unsettled him.
"Lucen," whispered a voice beside him. Ayame had appeared at his side without a sound. "Don't think too much. The heart rarely agrees with the mind." She smiled at him. "But sometimes... it's the heart that sees farther."
Lucen stared at her for a moment, trying to peer behind that bewitching face. Ayame knew too much, and yet said nothing. Is she playing with me too?
Meanwhile, Yuri watched in awe a small shadow theater, where a fox and a woman fought and embraced in a continuous spiral. Kayla joined her, hands clasped behind her back.
"Don't let yourself be too enchanted by these illusions," she murmured. "They're not meant for honest hearts."
Yuri turned, struck by the bitterness in the witch's voice. "I'm not that naïve, Kayla."
"I know," she replied — a moment too late. But said nothing more.
"Kayla is protective, but a little... possessive, isn't she?" Ayame returned to Yuri's side, her tone dripping with honey and thorns. "Have you ever thought that you might need someone who lets you discover things on your own?"
"And you think you are that person?" Kayla responded coldly.
"I don't think. I feel it." Ayame winked at her, then turned to Yuri. "Would you like to see the Garden of Silence? It's my favorite place."
Lucen watched the scene, as if witnessing a silent battle. Kayla, protecting. Ayame, challenging. Yuri, unaware — or perhaps... all too aware.
As they walked toward the garden, among flowers that shimmered like stars, a voice returned to Lucen's mind: "The truth is not what you see. It's what remains when the illusion shatters."
And he was beginning to fear that in that forest, the truth might hurt far more than the illusion.