"Where do you think you're going?" Jonathan asked Sypha who walked around him and opened the door.
"Out."
"Listen, girl..."
"Won't you ever stop that?" she thought, but said, "I'm going to the woods to pick berries and maybe some herbs, too, if I can find any... Father needs those, you know."
Jonathan shook his head, but there was nothing he could do.
"Be back before it gets dark. I want something to eat before that!"
"I know..." Sypha moved out of the door as quickly as she could. "Oh why do you have to be so... demanding," she thought to herself. "As you really cared. Well as long as there's someone to take care of you... that's all you want." She sighed and headed for the town well. Sara was already there, waiting.
"There you are. Let's go then," she said.
"Yeah."
The forest south of Warakiya was as dark as always. They looked around. Sypha found a few bushes and
ripped of the leaves. They continued walking.
"What if we run into some animal?" Sara asked.
"We've been here before hundreds of times..." Sypha shrugged. "I've never seen anything really dangerous."
"What about that bear we once saw?"
"It didn't notice us, and I don't think it would've wanted to eat us. Hey look, there."
They stopped to pick the berries that grew on a bush near a small opening. After a while, Sara looked around.
"What?" Sypha asked.
"What if... a wolf would come and..." Sara grinned.
"Hey, stop it! You're so pessimistic..."
They both laughed. They continued picking the berries. Suddenly, Sypha raised her head. What was that?
"Sara... shh, I heard something..."
Then they heard a whispering voice.
"I once saw a wolf... it was black and really big... with red eyes... but it didn't attack... because it was scared of me!" it said.
"Who's there!?" Sypha asked, holding her staff ready.
A woman in traveler's clothes came out behind the trees. Celia.
"Oh hey, watch it. Don't point that at me!"
Sypha lowered her staff. Sara sighed and said, "Oh... just you."
"Bears, wolves... Don't you girls have anything interesting to talk about? Like boys... or something?" Celia leaned forward a little. "Or are you just trying to be ready for anything?"
"Maybe."
"Then beware! I saw a... tree that had eyes..." she said dramatically.
"Well if it attacks us, we'll run."
"Oh, just point that staff of yours... " she moved around Sypha "...and burn it!!" Celia raised her own staff and swung it. She turned back to the girls.
"I am going now. Be careful, okay?"
"Okay..."
Sypha and Sara glanced at each other, watching her leaving.
"She's weird," Sara said finally.
"Tell me about it," Sypha replied. "But... something in her makes her interesting."
Then continued along the path. The forest around them... It felt like it was getting darker. Sypha looked around,
but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. But she could feel it... And it wasn't a pleasant feeling. It was something bad.
Suddenly she stopped and raised her hand.
"Sara..."
"What?"
"Shh! Let's hide, quickly."
They hid behind the trees and knelt down.
"What is it?" Sara whispered.
Sypha tried to take a better look. Then she saw it - it was a dark figure carrying a long stick or something.
"It's a spear knight... I think."
"A... what? But father said they seldom leave Castlevania... they're... undead." Sara gulped. "But it's afternoon... he's not supposed to..."
Sypha looked at her, then back to the direction of the spear knight.
"Doesn't look so undead to me. Daytime, the undead have no form... well that's what Mr. Mage said, anyway."
"Great. So he's alive. Like that would help."
The knight was waiting for something. Or someone - who was late. He paced around then glanced up.
"We'd better go..." Sara whispered.
"Yeah... come on."
They crawled backwards until they felt they were far enough. Sypha got up and looked around.
"All clear."
Sara stood up and shook her clothes. Some dry leaves that had stuck on her skirt fell on the ground.
"Okay then. Where's the path?"
"Here."
Sara lead the way and Sypha followed her. She looked over her shoulder a few times, but there was nothing.
"Ouch..."
She hit her foot on some roots. She stopped for a second...
"Aaaaeh!!"
Sara screamed. Two spear knights appeared from the forest. First one grabbed Sara, other was coming to Sypha. She dropped her basket and backed away. The knight moved the bushes out of his way.
Sara was still struggling, trying to get away. Sypha stared at the knight who was coming closer...
Someone grasped her from behind. The knight who had been waiting... Obviously, for those other two.
Sypha swung her staff, shouting and screaming. She managed to hit the knight on the shoulder, and he let her go. The other knight was almost there, he would catch her.
All of the sudden, she started mumbling something. She blinked, not understanding what she was doing,
but pointed the spear knight with her staff...
A flame burst from her hands. It threw the knight off his balance. Then he screamed horribly as he burned alive.
He stumbled through the bushes, setting some of them on fire. Finally he fell down, dead.
The other knights fled in terror.
Sara run to her friend.
"Sy... Sypha...?"
"W...h... at?" She knelt down, breathing heavily.
"How did you do that!?" Sara knelt beside her.
"I... have... no... idea."
"Let's... go back home..." Sara suggested carefully.
She stoop up, searching for her basket. It was lying on the ground not far away from where the knight had attacked her.
"Sypha...? Come on...!"
She was still on her knees. She looked up, shivering. "S... Sara...?"
"Yeah?"
"I..." She took a deep breath. "Whatever it was... You never saw me do it, okay?"
"A... alright. I'm... actually... a bit shocked, too. Or not just a bit. Was that... a flame?"
"I... think so."
"Right. I never saw it. But... Can we go now? What if the others come back?"
Sypha got up. "You're right. Let's go. Where's my basket... oh, there." She went to pick it up. It was half-empty, but she didn't care.
Sara looked at her. "Actually, I think you're right. If anyone knew you can do that..."
"Let's just forget it and go home. I don't want to know."
Farther away, Celia Blackwood shoot another thunderbolt, killing the remaining spear knight. She had already
killed the other. The girls were leaving now. It was time she went back as well.
She waited until they were gone, then raised her staff. The water from a nearby puddle rose, and she threw it on the smoldering bushes. She checked that the fire was out, took a last look around, then headed back to the town.
Mr. Mage was sitting by the table writing something when his sister came in.
"Simon..."
He stopped writing. "Yes?"
"Mad forest... it is very dark."
Celia put her bag on the table, on her brother's papers. He sighed.
"Oh yes. Get to the point, you're about to say something."
"Alright. The Belnades girl was in the forest with her friend. I followed them... Some spear knights attacked them. I would have interfered of course, if..." she paused for a second. "But as I had suspected, she killed one of them. Spell of fire. Just like that. The others fled. Idiots - they ran right into my arms." She grinned fearlessly.
Simon stood up. "Are you saying that...? Sypha...?"
"Yep."
"I knew it! She... that spirit..."
"Dark times have come when a gray-eyed child is born on a stormy night, when the moon is full. Sounds familiar?"
"Yes. You once told me..."
Celia sat down, smiling. "Gray eyes. The spirit of Meranalar..."
"What?!"
"Ha. Got you. You never read that book -" Celia pointed at the bookshelf " - father gave you before he died."
Simon shook his head. "But I did read it. What are you saying?"
"The chapter of prophecies?"
"I read it all. And...?"
"She is the one."
"Stop that and just tell me."
"If you had really read it all you would know. What I told you years ago... It's not something I saw. It's written in there. And it goes on... 'Then, the forces of darkness will soon rise from the depths, bringing havoc and despair...' et cetera."
"And?"
"But when it's time, the child, born on that night, with the eyes of the great one, will once join in the battle, as the hero with a pure heart will stop the forces of evil."
"Now wait a minute. And who's the hero with pure heart?"
"Oh well, since you asked... The hero is one of the Belmont family. Like Sonia. No, that's not in the book, I've seen it. Remember that. It's one of them. You have to remember that when the time comes." Celia looked at her brother in the eyes. "Remember."
"I hate it when you talk like that. 'When the time comes.' But... what about the spirit of Meranalar?"
"He was the great one. She... Sypha has his soul. As you said yourself, she's the one. The one I once told you about."
Simon shook his head, not knowing what to believe. He got up, paced back and forth, and finally sat down on the
edge of the table. Celia patted his shoulder.
"You know, she must be told about her powers. And... someone must teach her how to use that power."
He sighed. "I know that look. But... if you're right, and it's Meranalar... who am I to teach... him? Well, now it's her, but... I'm just a mere... illusionist."
Celia shook her head. "You? You, the spirit of Diralar? I don't really think you're just an illusionist."
He took a deep breath.
"Alright, you win. Father, among with many others, believed that I am the great red wizard born again. I don't know if I believe it, but... "
"Assuming that you do believe..."
"Then I'm the teacher of the shining wizard. I once taught... him. I may as well do it again. But... what should I do now?"
"First, go talk to Christopher Belnades. I have it all planned."