Serpent's throne

Chapter 8

"There you are! We were finding you guys!" Elena said, grinning.

"Come on, there's something we want to show you." Kane pointed in the direction of Vivian and Nolan's left.

They got up from their bench and followed their new friends. They were led to a hidden courtyard behind a bunch of abandoned buildings. In the center, there was this large, ancient-looking tree. Its branches held glowing orbs. "This is the tree of heart," Serene explained. "It is said to be older than Fynox itself. People come here to leave notes and letters for their loved ones."

Vivian walked around the tree, examining every inch of it. The tree was so beautiful, it was surreal. Elena handed them both a sticky note and a pen.

"Write down your wish and hang them on the tree." She said.

Vivian looked up at the tree for a while, with the sticky note and pen in hand, deep in thought. The more she stared at the tree, the more the tree's ancient presence seemed to whisper secrets of love and longing, echoing through the glowing orbs that adorned its branches like shimmering stars. Then, she wrote her name, then her wish down in the note: To find my father again.

It sounded stupid; her father was dead. But as she finished writing, Vivian felt a sense of peace wash over her, as if the words on the note had released a weight off her soul. She folded the note and tied it to one of the tree branches, feeling a connection to all those who have poured their hearts out in this sacred place. Nolan did the same, though she didn't know what he wrote inside there.

Vivian knew the journey in front of her wouldn't be an easy one, but with Nolan and her new friends by her side, she felt almost ready to face whatever was ahead, waiting for her.

After the festival had concluded, Vivian and Nolan said their goodbyes to the group.

As they were about to turn and separate from each other, Darius raised his hand and landed it on Nolan's shoulders. "Tomorrow, our place, super smash bros?"

"What is that?" Nolan raised his eyebrows.

"Gosh. How have u been living for the past 18 years? It's a video game. I'll teach you how to play it tomorrow."

Vivian noticed Nolan's eyes lighting up after Darius said that. "Okay." Nolan smiled. Even Vivian was surprised he didn't know what super smash bros was, but she kept quiet. She didn't want to seem like she was ridiculing him for not knowing what that game was.

They went back home and Vivian changed into her pajamas. Nolan didn't have any, so he just slept in a random pair of clothes. Right as Vivian hit the bed, she went unconscious.

***

The next morning, Vivian yawned, rolled around, and saw that Nolan wasn't on his bed anymore. She got dressed and went downstairs when she saw Nolan sitting on the kitchen table and eating the bread they bought 2 days ago with a cup of tea. "Morning, Mathilda just left." Nolan said softly.

"Morning." She groggily replied, grabbing a piece of bread and sitting across from him. They ate in comfortable silence, the events from the other day still fresh in their mind. Vivian noticed that Nolan was weirdly shifting around his seat and occasionally smirking a bit.

"Ready for today?" Nolan asked. Vivian nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"YOO, NOLAN." Darius tried to dab Nolan up but Nolan didn't reciprocate the hand. "Do you not know how to dab someone up?" Darius asked. Nolan shook his head and Darius helped Nolan dab him up by grabbing his hand and putting it with his.

Elena went in with a hug with Vivian. "We have a surprise for you guys. Let's go back to our apartment."

Vivian and Nolan quickly put on their shoes and followed the group out to their car.

"Sit here, guys." Kane said, referring to the backseat. The car was white. White cars were really hard to clean, but this car looked like it hadn't even been bought yet. Kane was the one driving, with Serene in the front passenger seat. In the backseat, sat Elena, Vivian, Nolan, and Darius.

"Ewww, stop being so cringe." Elena slapped Serene's shoulders. "What if we die just because you two are holding hands? Kane is driving you know!" Vivian looked at Serene rolling her eyes and giggled.

When they entered the apartment, Elena sat the two of them, Vivian and Nolan, down.

"So, about the surprise," Elena smiled, looking confident about what she was about to say next. "Last night, me and Serene couldn't fall asleep and we were talking about the necklace of youth that you two wanted to find and Serene suddenly remembered someone who could help you guys on your journey. Her name is Maelis."