Reaching Salvation: Post-Acer Part 10

Simon began to run his fingers through the knots, gently loosening them as he went.

"Oh? Does he now?" Victoria wondered.

"Yeah... it started getting annoying awhile back." Emma responded. "So I found ear plugs."

Elena twinged occasionally, when Simon pulled her hair too hard. She found herself blinking back tears, wishing Erika was back. If she stayed away too long, she was afraid that she would forget her.

"Ear plugs always help," Victoria agreed.

"We're almost there." Josh spoke up when he saw the makings of a village.

---

After a while most of the tangles were gone, but Simon still stroked and patted the girl's hair. "I'm sorry..."

Elena sat up, rubbing her eyes, before hugging Simon.

Emma grinned. "What about you?" She asked the girl who was like a sister to her. "How have you been?"

Simon was shocked and his face turned red, before responding to the hug also.

"I've been good," answered Victoria.

Emma smiled, noticing they were almost at the village. "Good, I wonder why Nathan keeps going off all the time."

"That, we'll ask him when he gets back," Victoria promised her.

Emma smiled and nod determinedly. "Yeah!"

"Its a plan then!" Victoria said with. grin.

"Oi, Ate, you don't have much time left, you know that?"
Adeline frowned, trying to see through the darkness. All she saw was a young girl wearing a black robe and a golden mask.
"...But since you were so nice to me, I'll grant that hopeless wish of yours. You get to be human again. Will that make you happy?"
"...This is a dream," Adeline said. "Stop it with the tricks, Aila."
Aila chuckled, before removing her mask. "Ah, you caught me. But don't worry, I'll still grant your wish, 'kay? So wake up."

Emma nodded and stopped as they approached the gate. "What do we do now?"

---

Nathan and the others managed to get through the village relatively quickly and once they'd found a point just before the gate that they weren't being watched.

"Okay... Sage, if you could work your magic, please." He said with a smile.

"Hmmm, this one is actually harder," Sage admitted. "I could conjour up some guard uniforms, and we could don those...but I don't know what they look like. Or, we could impersinate the guards..."

(~)

"Hello!? Is anyone there!?" Victoria called out, she didn't have any brighter ideas.

Give me a minute or two." Nathan said calmly. He vanished completely. Three minutes later and he was back with an unconscious guard who was bound in chains.

"Will this help?"

"Yes," Sage said, making sure the guard was still alive. After she did that, she mumbled her words, let the circle appear and then, three guard uniforms appeared. Folded neatly in front of her.

Nathan grinned. "Your flow never ceases to amaze me."

Elena started crying quietly, shaking. She didn't want to forget Erika. Plus, if Erika disappeared, who would be next? "H-Hey Simon...?" she whimpered after a while

"Really?" Sage blinked, wondering what he meant by that.

"Yeah, it's amazing." Nathan said with a smile.

"Yes?" Simon replied.

"Th-thanks..." Sage said, looking down at the uniforms.