The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (50) Enchantress ~

Arisa opened her eyes.

As she blinked to clear her view, she examined her surroundings. She found herself in a dark room with nothing but a table with a crystal ball placed on top of it. Somehow, her body was glowing with a weak light and she could see the table even with the darkness swallowing the environment.

"Am I dreaming?" she wondered, her voice echoing in the darkness.

"No," replied a voice in the background. "You're one of the lucky beings who has been invited to visit my lair."

With her forehead wrinkling, Arisa examined the area, searching for the owner of that familiar voice. For several seconds, her gaze didn't spot anything besides the deep darkness of the room and the somehow visible table.

As she stood up, asking herself what was going on, her gaze met a glowing blue butterfly flapping its wings in front of her. Her heart leaped at that creature's sudden appearance.

"Welcome to my lair, Arisa Sorano," the butterfly greeted.

Arisa sighed and glared at the butterfly. "It's you again."

The butterfly giggled. "Yes. We finally meet."

"That's unfortunate," said Arisa. "I don't feel like seeing you right now."

The butterfly flapped its wings, floating left and right. "Really? Why?"

Arisa stared at the butterfly, speechless. She was sure the butterfly had seen their battle against Taurus and the great loss the team had suffered. Even if it hadn't seen that sad event, after everything the butterfly had done to break her down, it should already have an idea why she didn't want to see it.

"Because I'm sure you're up to something," Arisa replied. "Who else will you blame for lying to me tonight since you insist on telling me that everyone I know is a liar?"

A soft giggle filled the void.

"So you still don't believe me?" asked the butterfly. "Even after you saw the proof in those dreams?"

Arisa folded her arms. "I believe in my family and friends. Besides, everything you showed me could be a lie you made up to confuse me."

"Hm, that's a good theory," said the butterfly. "But unfortunately everything I showed you is pure truth."

Arisa couldn't believe that after everything she went through, the butterfly persisted to break her down. Annoyed, she turned around and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" called the butterfly.

"Since this is not a dream, I guess I can run away from you," replied Arisa, increasing her pace.

The butterfly giggled. "Eh? Good luck with that."

Arisa's brows touched and she glanced over her shoulder. The butterfly glowed through the darkness, remaining on the exact spot Arisa left it.

She shifted her gaze to her front. As she walked, she wondered what the butterfly was up to. Knowing its unfriendly behavior, Arisa guessed it was up to no good.

Arisa passed the area where the visible table was located and noticed that the roundtable wasn't big; its size was large enough to accommodate two people. Green silk covered the table and a crystal ball was placed on top of it.

As she left the area, she guessed that the crystal ball worked as the butterfly's eyes to patrol its land.

Arisa kept walking around the room, in search of a place away from the annoying butterfly. But as she walked, she only found more darkness feasting her eyes.