Chapter 6
Alice's face fell in an instant—she knew exactly what it was. That was Gabriel's personal keepsake, the one he always carried.
"Give it to me!" she snapped.
Her venomous true nature erupted. She lunged for the pendant in Pearl's hand, but Pearl dodged aside, sending Alice's rage spiking.
The two collided in a tangled scuffle, fists and nails flying.
Pain seared Pearl's scalp as Alice's fingers locked in her hair, yanking hard.
"Let go!" she screamed, but Alice dragged her along the gravel path, her knees scraping raw against the stones.
They didn't stop until they reached the shores of Sanctuary Lake—then Alice slammed Pearl's head under the water.
The pristine, beautiful lake finally broke its stillness—its surface now tainted by violence.
Pearl felt the icy water burn up her nose, stinging and choking her all at once.
Again and again! Alice kept forcing her under.
Her whole body was turning to ice, and her strength to fight back was fading with every second.
Maybe she was just imagining things, but all of a sudden, the grip on her neck let go. Pearl heard a splash—like someone had just fallen straight into the lake.
"Alice!" It was Gabriel's voice, shouting right next to her, but Pearl was too weak to even turn her head.
All she could do was fight for every breath, desperately sucking in air like her life depended on it.
When she finally managed to lift her head, she saw Gabriel, drenched and frantic, clutching Alice in his arms, trying to make sure she was alright.
Alice, pale as a ghost, clung to his hand and gave a weak shake of her head.
"Don't blame Pearl... It was me... I slipped, it was an accident..." Alice whispered, her voice barely audible.
Pearl stumbled to her feet, shakily picking up the files she'd lost in the mess and brushing the dust off them with trembling hands.
Gabriel looked at her, words stuck in his throat—so much he wanted to say, but couldn't.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up, "You... you okay?"
Pearl laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. Of course he knew the truth. Gabriel, with his uncanny intuition, could read lies like an open book.
Yet he'd chosen silence, refusing to defend her, refusing to clear her name.
Bathed in sunlight, he still exuded that godlike aura that made others bow.
"What do you think?" she retorted.
That one line summed it all up. Her forehead had hit the sharp rocks by the shore, and when she finally got to her feet, blood was already streaming down her face.
She raised the files in her hand, forcing a smile.
"I've got things to take care of. Need to drop these off at the Volunteer Affairs Office. See you," she said, her tone firm.
She turned on her heel and walked away without hesitation, muttering under her breath, "See you never."
*****
Sure enough, by evening, gossip about Pearl "offending" Sanctuary Lake was everywhere—Frostvale Sanctuary, the Volunteer Affairs Office.
She'd just gotten back from handing in her files when a new urgent notice landed in her lap—she was officially grounded, banned from leaving until she got on that train out of Frostvale and headed back to Neopolo City.
"Understood," she replied quietly. The room felt empty, save for two leather suitcases tucked in the corner.
Just 24 hours to go. Tomorrow night, she'd finally leave Frostvale and walk away from the place she'd spent five years.
That night, Pearl finally slept—no dreams, no nightmares, just empty, dreamless silence.
She slept without dreams. The next morning, she was roused by the deep toll of monastery bells. When she finally woke, the sun hung high in the sky.
Pulling back the curtains, she froze. A long procession wound from the mountain foot to the sanctuary—every member of the congregation stood solemn, holding hymnals and prayer books.
Along the winding path, flanked by steep cliffs, villagers knelt shoulder to shoulder in a devotion bordering on fear.
It was Gabriel and Alice's union ceremony, the highest honor Sanctuary could bestow.
Their coming together was exactly what everyone had hoped for—what everyone believed was destined to happen.
But then, a sudden gust rattled the door—it flew open, and Gabriel burst in, panting hard like he'd sprinted all the way here.
"Wait, why aren't you at the sanctuary?" Pearl blurted out, her voice full of surprise.
Wasn't today his union ceremony with Alice?
But before she could get the words out, Gabriel pressed a wooden box into Pearl's arms.
"Here—just like I promised. Something better for you, the pearl," he said, his voice low and urgent.
Before Pearl could even process what was happening, Gabriel instinctively stepped back, widening the gap between them.
The spark in Pearl's eyes vanished, and her grip tightened around the wooden box.
"I don't need it..." Pearl whispered, her voice trembling.
"Pearl, just wait for me—trust me!" Gabriel pleaded, his voice urgent and low.
And then, before Pearl could say a word, Gabriel was gone—darting down the path and into the woods like a wild animal, vanishing in seconds.
All that lingered was his voice, soft as a breath in Pearl's ear. "Wait for me. Trust me."
Pearl opened the wooden box, and inside was a brand-new pearl necklace.
Gabriel must've rushed to town in the middle of the night just to get it for her. The pearls were big, perfectly round, and smooth and lustrous. In a place like this, something like this was worth more than gold—one couldn't even find it for sale.
But she didn't need it anymore. All those mistakes, all that pain—it was already part of her now, nothing could ever fix it.
What was the use?
Suddenly, as the wooden box and pearls scattered across the floor, Pearl let out a soft, helpless moan.
Someone appeared behind her, covering her mouth and nose. It all happened in just a few seconds.
Before she knew it, she was pulled into the shadows.
"Witch who tempted the Guardian, you're the perfect sacrifice for the union ceremony's fire ritual..." a cold voice hissed.