Seen through the Moon's Tear, the world around looked different. The Blind Alley vanished, and an endless citadel took its place. Bright, tall beings wearing togas and laurels on their heads were walking, smiling and greeting each other. They were the inhabitants of the Ghost City of Darrah. But Ferry could see other strangely beautiful beings walking among them; they seemed from foreign, far-off lands. They looked just as majestic as the Darrahnians, a surreal aura around their bodies, and walking as if flying. He remembered Baldie talked about them ─ the Great Fairies that used to walk the Earth once.

He now watched, jaw dropped, the high towers that pierced the clouds and the mighty walls adorned with scenes from the life of that lost civilization. The lost city was dominated by the Fountain of Truth. Pure water poured from the center, reaching the blue skies above. Vibrating water, breathing and pulsating. It was alive.

At the Fountain's base, encrusted with jewels, there was a slot, deeply cut into the hard rock. And in that slot, the Moon's Tear shone brightly. So this what it was used for; this was how the water of the Fountain of Truth could be summoned. He could actually feel the call of that long lost world. 

A snatch woke him up from that sweet surrender. Oona was shaking him by the shoulder. "What do you see? What do you see?" she asked, panting.

Ferry blinked a few times, trying to readjust to the darkness of the Blind Alley.

"I think I know how to summon the water of the Fountain," he said.

Oona almost dropped the lantern, that's how excited she was.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Ferry headed towards the Fountain and placed May's comb in the slot at the base. It matched perfectly. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, they heard a clogged bubbling coming from beneath. The noise got stronger, and from the middle of the stone, the water gushed, with a shake of the ground. The water arrow dashed towards the sky, ever higher. In its race towards the sky, the water pierced the darkness. The darkness of the Blind Alley scattered in thousands of pieces, allowing the moonlight to conquer the place little by little. That moment, Ferry knew that all the fairies from that place would be aware something was happening.

"Hurry up, Oona," he urged her. "Drink the water from the Fountain to find the answer to your question!"

But Oona was hesitating, "I don't know, fairy-boy ─ I've waited for this moment for so long..."

Ferry watched as the shadows of the darkness scattered all around.

"Come on, Oona, you can't miss this chance! Soon, everyone is going to know what we did. Just drink the water!"

"All right," she said, "but only if you promise you're going to drink, too. You know you have a question tormenting you, too."

Ferry knew it all too well. Just like Oona, he didn't know who he really was. Besides, they didn't have much time, so he agreed. "All right, Oona, I promise..."

Oona smiled, then she slowly headed towards the Fountain and filled the hollow of her hand with the pure water. Then she drank it. For a few moments, she just stood there, water dripping from her fingers. But only for a few moments. She woke up with a strong jolt of her body. She mumbled something Ferry couldn't understand. When he reached her, he could read the pain and confusion in her eyes.

"It can't be... It can't be..." she kept saying.

Ferry shook her by the shoulder, "Oona, what happened? What did you see?"

But she looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. Then, she shook like waking up from a bad dream. "We need to go," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the exit of the Blind Alley.

"But Oona ─ I need to take the Moon's Tear back."

"Leave it! There is no time," she said, dragging him. All around them, the night turned brighter. There were no more wailings and crying coming from the dungeons. The silence was interrupted by the water splashing, small, cold drops touching his skin, giving him strength and courage. He pulled out from the clenching of Oona's thin, cold fingers.

"I need to drink the water of the Fountain," he said.

She shook her head, "But what if what you'll find out will change everything?" she said, trying hard not to burst into tears. "What if it isn't the answer you're looking for?"

"What did you see, Oona?" he insisted.

She shook her head again, "Let's go! They'll be looking for us soon," she said, continuing her way to the exit.

Ferry looked at the water one more time. It looked like merging with the Moon and becoming a long spear of light. It was the purest water he's ever seen. He couldn't take his eyes away from it. The water was calling him.

He set towards the Fountain at a firm pace. He could hear Oona calling his name, coming towards him. But before she could reach him, he had already doused his hands. He could feel the water, cold and refreshing. And all the tiredness, all the worries, and sorrows disappeared.

"I want to know who I really am," he whispered. And when the water touched his lips, he was somewhere else. He was in a big, tall room. In front of him, as if made from the water of the Fountain, there was this fluid, crystal-like being. It stretched its lissome arm, encouraging Ferry to follow.

A giant throne made of stone dominated the back of the room. The Moon was shone from the west, invading the whole place through the tall stained-glass windows. He's never seen such beautiful windows. They looked like painted in cold shades of blue and green by the hand of the most gifted painter. The windows were very tall, covering the west walls from top to bottom. They depicted some majestic beings with pale skin and long, white hair. But as he watched the stained-glass, he saw the reflection of the moonlight on the stone slabs. The paintings changed as if coming to life. They were telling a story. Ferry tried to find the meaning of it when a baby whimper interrupted his thoughts.

The few fairy flames that lightened the room flickered. The water being signed him they should go. Stone chairs with tall backrests were aligned on one side and the other of the passage leading to the throne.

The Guide stretched out its arm again and, without saying anything, it pointed to the back of the throne. A faint whimper came from that place. Ferry went round the throne chair and he discovered Rosemary cowered behind it, holding a small baby at her chest. The baby was wrapped in silk baby linen with golden embroidery on the edges; the embroidery of the moon surrounded by stars.

The echo of footsteps coming closer made him throb. He could now see Baldie running towards the throne. A deep wound was cutting his forehead, blood dripping on his black armor. He found Rosemary and the baby and he helped her stand up. She caressed his wound and wiped out the blood with a white, moist cloth. He gently took her hand in his and said something to her; she instantly began to sob, whispering unknown words. They were talking Elvian, the old language of fairies. Ferry couldn't understand a word they were saying, but a feeling of deep sadness came over him. He never felt so sad.

The two hurried towards the exit of the Throne Room, Ferry following their footsteps. When they came out, Rosemary gasped. And so did Ferry. The sight in front of them was frightening. Dead bodies of soldiers and guards were lying all over the corridors, their white blood covering the stone slabs. They needed to make their way through to move on.

After wandering around several corridors and going down even more stairs, they arrived at what seemed to be a large kitchen room. They discovered Shadow, holding a big kitchen knife, shivering under a cooking table. He came out, holding his eyes to the ground with shame. Baldie scolded at him in the same strange language. But he calmed down because the baby in Rosemary's arms began to whimper again. The hare-woman began to gently sing to him, pressing her lips to his small forehead. And the baby seemed to soothe.

Then, Shadow touched the shelf of a cupboard full of tableware. The cupboard moved, revealing a secret door in the wall. The three of them walked out that door, followed by The Guide and Ferry. They were now in a large tunnel, lit by Baldie's lantern. They were heading towards a light at the end of the tunnel. A white, bright light.

When they got out, Ferry had to adjust his eyes to the beauty in front of him. The tunnel led to a silver forest. The trees, the grass, the moss, and everything around were all made of silver, glittering in the moonlight. Ferry could feel the wind in the rustling foliage. He loved the sound of the wind between the leaves. But this time, it wasn't comforting. This time, the wind was moaning, like mourning for someone; as if singing a song of loss and longing.

The fugitives stopped at the edge of the silver forest. They were waiting for someone. The castle they left behind could still be seen in the distance. Black clouds crowded around it, a dark menace to them all. The moonlight couldn't pierce the thick mist of clouds that grew around the castle.

A shadow made them all wince. It was oozing beneath the trees, making the grass rustling. And a lizard intermingled between the shrubs, stopping in the middle of the group. The lizard then turned into a lizard-man. It was Izzy.

Barely breathing, Izzy told the others something in the language of fairies. When hearing his words, Rosemary began to softly cry while Baldie and Shadow kept their chin to their chests, petrified with pain. Then, Izzy pointed to the baby and Rosemary gently took him away from her chest and showed the small creature to him. The Guide beckoned Ferry to step closer. At first, Ferry didn't dare to come closer, although he knew he was witnessing a scene from the past and the others couldn't see him. He slowly headed towards the group and he looked at the baby around whom everyone gathered.

The baby was sleeping. Every once in a while, he was softly sobbing. His skin was incredibly pale, almost translucent. Thin veins were visible on his cheeks while his forehead... His forehead was adorned with bright stars and the moon, spreading a surreal, dim light around. And Ferry knew that the small child he was looking at was himself. He was witnessing the moment that had changed his life forever.

After a few moments of silence, Baldie said something, stepping back. Rosemary wrapped the baby and gently placed him in a basket of blossomed wattle that Izzy brought. Ferry smelled the sweet scent reminding him of the blossomed bush in his backyard. Jasmine.

The fugitives took their animal shapes and Shadow took the small basket in his mouth. Then, they all headed towards the silver forest, drifting away among the trees. Baldie waited for a while, watching until they were out of sight. Then, he turned into a raven and took flight towards the castle, now almost entirely surrounded by dark clouds.

Ferry wanted to follow his friends, but the Guide stopped him. He pointed towards the castle and in the blink of an eye, they were somewhere else. It was a cold room. So chilly, that the cold made his whole body shiver. A strange, heavy smell filled the room. It smelled like rotten flowers, and stale air, and dust. But there was another smell. The smell of decay. The smell of death. It was so strong, he could barely breathe. He rested his hand on the first wall he met, trying to come to his senses. But the wall was covered in something moist and viscid. He hurried to clean his hand. It was mould.

He tried to find the source of the smell. Looking down, he could see the mould was also spread on the floor like a path, starting from the entrance of the room and continuing to a dark corner. The smell grew stronger as he came close to the corner. The Guide stayed at the entrance, waiting. Ferry knew they couldn't be seen. He knew the Fountain of Truth had brought them in the past, to the place where he was born. That gave him the courage to step closer. There was someone in the corner. He could hear the rattling breath of the creature. But the darkness was so deep, that the only flame in the room couldn't break it.

Yet, Ferry felt a strong urge to know what or who was hiding in there. He went closer, although the smell was growing. With each step he took, a feeling of unease was coming over him, making his feet clumsy and disobedient. The viscid trail leading to the corner glistened on the wet, cold stone slabs. When he got close enough, he could see a faint light flicker in the stuffy darkness.

The feeling of unease was so overwhelming, he felt like fainting. He discovered a stooping, grey creature mumbling something over a small orb of light. Its hair was like crude oil, glued to its shoulders and ooze drops were dripping on its crooked back.

Ferry gasped, feeling as if the walls got closer and the room turned smaller. That moment, the creature turned its head and looked at him as if knowing he was there. All Ferry could see were its eyes. Dark, impenetrable eyes as if he looked straight into the depths of the underworld. He could finally see what lurked in that corner--pure evil. 

Thank you for reading and for being part of this amazing journey! Let me know your thoughts.