Fernanda was smiling, holding a folder full of papers with great care while searching for the others.

"It took a little while, but I finally finished. I hope everyone likes it." She said, touching her fingers together in an attempt to stay calm. When she got anxious, she needed to feel her own skin and take deep breaths. Her hands were slightly sweaty from nervousness, but the girl's positivity remained. "Some of them make me a bit uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt to try."

As she ran, Fernanda came across Leo, lying on a medieval chandelier. The being had reverted to his lion form and was simply lying there, awake but still. Fernanda sighed and mustered all her energy to call him:

"Hello Leo, how are you?" The feline glanced at her briefly but completely ignored her, returning his attention to nothing. "Okay, I started off well... but if I can make him talk to me, I can interact with anyone." The girl whispered. "You know, since we're all going to spend eternity together, I thought it would be nice if we... I don't know... tried to get along."

The lion did not look at her, giving the impression that he wasn't even listening, but he was, just deep in thought. Trying to get along? He had never had a friend before, it seemed difficult, and from what he had seen before, this group did not get along well. Trying to bring them together seemed improbable. It was better to live alone; there was no more enemy that required him to join with others.

"I... made this for you." The girl opened her folder and pulled out a paper, stretching it as far as she could towards the lion. There was a considerable distance between them, so he wouldn't be able to take it anyway. Again, he cast a glance at her but made no attempt to take the gift. Fernanda was becoming anxious, and honestly a little nervous, so she sat down on the floor for a bit. "You know... I've never had many friends, but at the same time, I can't say I understand why you like being alone all the time. To me, it seems a bit sad. No offense. I... destroyed the dark virtue, I ended sadness, but we're still affected by it, so to me, it feels like my action didn't make any sense... you understand? But if you don't want to socialize, I won't force you. Just keep this."

Fernanda stood up, gave one last look at the feline, who said nothing in response, and then placed the paper on the ground and continued walking. As she disappeared from view down the hallway, Leo, curious, jumped from the chandelier to the ground to retrieve the paper. It was a drawing of Leo himself, with the moon on one side and the sun on the other. On the moon side was Leo in his wolf form, and on the sun side was Leo in his lion form. The deceived one said nothing, only thought: "Huh, she draws well."

"Oh my God, my first attempt was already a failure." The girl murmured comically as she ran down the corridors. " I'm going to die alone. WUAAAAAAAH."

"What's all the shouting about?" Asked Ygritte from inside a room. Fernanda, taking a deep breath for another attempt, entered the room and saw the woman lying on a bed. When the bespectacled one entered the room, the armored woman looked surprised to see her. "Ah... it's you, Fernanda. Did something happen?"

"Yes, Leo is cruel."

"Leo? But he just stays in his corner; he doesn't talk to anyone."

"EXACTLY!"

"What's that you have in your hands?"

"Huh? Oh, this? Well... I wanted to try to make friends with everyone, so I made some gifts for you all." She said, extending Ygritte's drawing to her. The woman was standing with her arms crossed, looking all haughty while her hair danced in the wind.

"With... everyone? Are you sure? A good part of them are... why am I hesitating? They're a bunch of idiots."

"I agree that many here are... difficult to deal with. But the least we can do is try. I mean, in the situation we're in, we could be happy."

"You're young, be careful not to take hasty actions. You won't have anyone to blame but yourself."

"Actually, no. No matter the age, we can't be blamed for the suffering we go through, responsible? Maybe. Blameworthy, never. Blame implies intent, and no one suffers on purpose."

Ygritte looked at Fernanda seriously; the girl's expression changed for a moment but soon returned to her usual cheerful demeanor.

"Anyway, I hope we can be friends, Ygritte. What did you think of the drawing?"

"Oh, it's okay."

"Just... that?"

"Did I need to say more?" Disappointed, Fernanda sighed again.

"No." And she left, obviously troubled by something.

"What's up with her?"

The bespectacled girl continued walking, now murmuring in a different tone.

"'It's okay' my foot, I spent half an hour drawing with all care and affection, and she tells me it's 'okay.'"

"FERNANDINHAAAAAAAAAA." Octo sang, hopping from one tentacle to another happily as soon as he saw her.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" The girl shouted, causing the humanoid octopus to be startled and terrified.

"A THOUSAND APOLOGIES FOR EXISTING!" The creature cried as it knelt in front of her.

"Oh, it's you, Octo. Sorry, I was a bit... irritated. Here, a consolation gift." She handed him her drawing, which depicted the general raising one arm triumphantly, with a star drawn near his face. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Fernanda remained smiling, waiting for his reaction, and slowly, she saw an aura growing around the octopus. If he had a human face, she could swear she saw veins bulging on his head. In a comical fashion, the creature brutally stood up, grabbed the girl by the collar, and shoved the drawing in her face. "DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU LITTLE SHIT? ARE YOUR GLASSES BROKEN? WHY THE HELL DID YOU DRAW AN OCTOPUS HERE? WHERE'S MY NOSE? MY EARS? MY HANDS? I'M A HUMAN, YOU IMBECILE! YOU'RE GOING TO KNEEL IN THE GRAVEL AFTER THIS! WHAT KIND OF ARTIST CAN'T EVEN DRAW A DAMN HUMAN BEING?"

"A THOUSAND APOLOGIES FOR EXISTING!" Fernanda shouted, causing tables to be overturned. After about twenty minutes of the animal's lecture, he finally let her go, leaving in a bad mood while she remained all depressed on the floor. "Why is there no one normal here?"

After pulling herself together and returning to her positive outlook, Fernanda ran in search of the next person and came across Lord V'huluver standing by the castle gate.

"Great..." She murmured sarcastically. " I just hope he doesn't slap me. You can do this, Fernanda. WASUP, LORD V'HULUVER." The girl said using slang in a very street-like tone. Even she didn't know why she spoke that way, she just did it, and now it was too late.

"What, in the name of God, was that?"

"Oh, I know as much as you do. I just got lectured by a delusional person. I'm already tired, and you're only number four, so please accept this as a friendship gift."

She extended the drawing, and he took it. It was similar to Ygritte's, the same pose and everything, except V'huluver had a grumpy expression.

"Why... is V'huluver looking so angry?"

"Because that's your most distinctive feature."

"Is it?"

"Narf told me you arrived and slapped Mordame."

"But Narf hadn't arrived when that happened..."

"You know Narf; there's nothing she doesn't know."

"Hmm, well, it's true that I was a bit nervous when I arrived, and Mordame enraged V'huluver. But V'huluver isn't that furious."

"Does that mean you accept being my friend?"

"No, I was just commenting on the drawing." He said, returning the paper to a tired-looking girl.

"Wow, thanks, you're such a sweetheart."

"Well, if you're looking for friends, why don't you try talking to Rhoj or Elaine? Those two are pretty extroverted."

"I'm going to talk to everyone, but I don't know if I'll manage to get past one's psychopathy and the other's narcissism. But okay, I'll try. Have you seen any of them around here?"

"Rhoj just left after getting beaten by me again. If you run, you might catch her."

Following the elder's advice, Fernanda ran off after the crazy one, and indeed, it didn't take long for her to find.

"Rhoj, I want to talk to you." As expected, Rhoj tried to attack her with a front sweep, but Fernanda wasn't caught off guard at all and simply jumped over her leg. "Listen, I wanted to ask if." And while she spoke, the insane one continued to attack relentlessly, but Fernanda knew exactly how she would move and what she needed to do to dodge, so she just calmly avoided the attacks. "You don't want to be my friend? Look, I even made a drawing for you."

She then pulled out the drawing, which made Rhoj stop attacking out of curiosity. The drawing was a perfect representation of Rhoj with her insane expression, one hand on her face and the other holding her arm, as if trying to restrain herself. After staring at the paper for a few seconds, the woman began to laugh extremely loudly and rolled on the ground.

"What's so funny?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, THIS IS THE UGLIEST WOMAN I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"

"Humm... Rhoj, this is...."

"LOOK AT HER FACE, AHAHAHAHHAHAHA, SO RIDICULOUS, AND WHAT IS THIS POSE? IS SHE THINKING SHE'S SOME KIND OF BIG SHOT? AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH" Fernanda couldn't help but laugh along.

"YES, LOOK AT HOW HER NAILS ARE UNNECESSARILY LONG, IS SHE STUCK IN THE 80S? HAHAHAHA."

"AHAHAHAAH TOTALLY!" While laughing, Rhoj noticed her own hands. "Wait a minute..."

"AND THIS GIANT HAIR? HELLO RAPUNZEL, SOMEONE STOLE ONE OF YOUR BRAIDS! HAHAHA." Rhoj then grabbed her hair, thoughtful, feeling like she was understanding something but still didn't know what it was. "Oh, that was so good, Rhoj, but I have a full schedule, we'll talk more later."

Finally, the realization hit.

"I'LL KILL YOU."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH WHAT DID I DO?"

Analytically, Fernanda managed to throw off her pursuer. And breathing heavily from the run, she settled down a bit.

"There's just... crazy people... in this... place....." After catching her breath, Fernanda took some time to think. Was it worth it? Were these people the friends she wanted? Well, there were still many more to talk to, it didn't hurt to try.

She walked, avoiding running into Rhoj, and spotted Kesna sipping tea on a castle balcony.

"Kesna, how are you?" Fernanda said, mentally repeating the phrase "don't say anything with S, don't say anything with S."

" I'm doing well. Thank you." "YES! Good job, keep it up." "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, well, I'm... trying to make friends here, the people aren't exactly friendly. Would you like to see the drawing I made for you?"

"Forgive me, butssssssss" OH COME ONE, THAT ONE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE AN S. "I have no interessssssst in making friendssssssss here."

Each S dragged out seemed to drain a bit of the girl's soul, it was venomous and tiring, exhausting. It was an uncomfortable sensation that couldn't be removed from her mind.

"I'm not surprised, but... I know you're as cunning as a snake, you must live in fear of being hurt. I would tell you that it's not worth it, you should learn to trust the people around you. Stop living in fear of stepping on eggshells."

"Thissssss never got anyone anywhere, where I come from, it'sssss the ssssssame asssss deathhhhh."

"I don't think so." Fernanda said, again with a changed expression. "To me, living without anyone is a thousand times worse than death. Anyway, here's your drawing. I hope you like it."

In the drawing, Kesna had a shrewd look, her serpent-like turban on her head, giving an elegant air to the man. Fernanda left, feeling sad, he was already the sixth... and so far she didn't feel like she had made friends with any of them.

Fernanda headed to the next room, where she was sure she'd find Mordame: The cathedral. The nun was there, reading a book while seated on a bench. As soon as the woman saw the girl entering, she got up and smiled.

"Fernanda, my dear, I didn't expect to see you here. Can I help you with something?"

"Hello, Mordame. Well... I wanted to know if you would like to be my friend?"

"Friend? Oh... well..." The nun looked away for a moment, as if trying to think of something, until she finally seemed to have done so. "I would love to, my dear, but you see, I am a nun, a woman of sanctity, I am not allowed to mingle with the common folk. Surely you understand, don't you? It's not my fault, it's the rule of my religion."

"Really?"

"Really. It pains me to say this, but I can't, I'm sure everyone else will be incredibly happy to have a bond with you."

"Oh, I understand, it's really a shame. I even made a drawing of you as a gift." In a flash the paper disappeared from Fernanda's hand; by the time she realized it, Mordame had already grabbed it, turning it from side to side, smiling brightly.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Look at how beautiful I seem. You really can recognize my greatness, can't you? It's on another level, I know. That's what it means to be a chosen one of God." In the drawing itself, the nun was holding her hand over her mouth with a sarcastic and mocking smile behind it. "I didn't like the pose much, wait here."

The nun dashed out of the cathedral, leaving Fernanda confused for a while.

"What did just happen?" Minutes later, the door burst open again and the woman brought several cans of paint, brushes, as well as papers and pens.

"How about painting me on every wall of the cathedral? Oh, it will be divine. Here, I drew a draft of how I want my new drawing."

"Wow, that's... full of details." In the drawing, Mordame had a halo and wings, standing over the planet Earth while two servants fanned her. "These two look a lot like Misshapp and Lord V'huluver."

"Oh, they do? I didn't even notice. So when are you going to draw the next ones?"

"Oh, I wasn't actually planning on drawing more."

"What? But... you said you wanted to be my friend, what kind of friend doesn't do a favor like that for another?"

"But you said we couldn't be friends."

"No, you misunderstood me. I meant that I can't mingle with the common folk, but we can still be friends, you in your corner and I in mine. I'll pray for you and you draw for me, okay?"

"Ah.... I'll think about it, alright?" Fernanda said, taking discreet steps away from the place.

"May the lord be with you, and think carefully, little one."

"What a fake woman."Fernanda huffed, feeling a shiver of pure disgust just thinking about how Mordame treated her. "Okay, on to the next one." The girl walked to the entrance door to the throne room of the castle, she opened the crack a little and looked in calmly. "As I thought, Uomen is there. Alright, how should I approach? Should I kneel? Prostrate? Bow? Call him Majesty? Or maybe Shogun... Perhaps milord..."

'Woman." All of Fernanda's hairs stood on end at the man's voice; she had to be careful not to blow that bomb up. "Whisper lower or come in already. Your breathing do bother me, so let's go."

Entering trying to be calm, wobbly legs, and a forced smile, Fernanda began to speak in an unnatural way.

"Your Lordhighjestic. I came here to present your greatness with a drawing, and perhaps... if I am permitted, create a closer bond with you....?" She finished with a giant forced smile.

"If I do see this drawing, would you leave?"

"Most likely." The man sighed and extended his hand, requesting the paper.

"Well then, let's get this over with." In the drawing, Uomen was seated on a throne, radiating power and authority. "This is..."

"YES?" Fernanda asked, all excited, anxiously awaiting the man's opinion.

"Ridiculous."

"WHAT?"

"It's not realistic at all, I look like a fictional character. The throne seems way too big for me to be sitting on. My eyebrows aren't that thick, you forgot shading under the ear, is this supposed to be me?"

"AH, SHUT UP!" Fernanda exploded angrily. "I'M SICK WITH YOU UNGRATEFUL JERKS, IF YOU WANT TO TALK SO MUCH, DO A BETTER JOB THAN ME, YOU STINKY, SOUR LITTLE SHIT."

"Well then... bring me a paper and a pencil."

"What?"

"Exactly what you heard. Paper and pencil." Curious, Fernanda did as he asked and waited a few minutes for him to draw, and when he finished... it was a flawless drawing, the girl couldn't find a single mistake to point out. "So, now that I did better job than you. Do you have anything else to say to me?'

"Yes. YOU'RE THE BIGGEST PIECE OF SHIT I'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO MEET IN MY LIFE! RHOJ IS COOLER THAN YOU, AND SHE TRIED TO KILL ME!"

Leaving Uomen looking stunned, or as close to stunned as he allowed himself to be, Fernanda left cursing the four corners of the world.

"Uomen is like that, Nanda." Narf said, appearing suddenly by her side in a burst of confetti. "You should have expected it."

"Yeah, I don't even know what I was thinking trying to make friends with that pompous jerk."

"You were thinking that he might just be an insecure guy behind all that attitude. And my drawing? Aren't you going to show it to me?"

"You already know what it's like."

"Yes, I know, but I still want to see it."

"Okay." Fernanda rummaged in her folder and pulled out a sheet, handing it to Narf.

"This is very well drawn, Nanda."

"Oh please, there must be a shadow out of place." Narf laughed at the girl's comment. The drawing showed Narf jumping like an anime girl amidst a shower of confetti.

"Don't get hung up on the details, it's vivid and you captured my personality well. Really impressive, you should work on this someday."

"How? Look around you."

"I'm just kidding, silly. Anyway, Elaine is in her room; I'm sure she'd be more than happy to see a caricature of herself."

"Okay, I guess." Fernanda did as Narf suggested and went to look for the wicked girl. Elaine was in her room, fiddling with her phone and a portable charger, taking numerous selfies with a pout. "URGH, here we go. Oh Elaine." She called out, not very enthusiastic.

" Sweetie, come take a selfie with me."

"I don't want to."

"Come on."

"I don't want to."

"Come on."

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO."

"Wow, rude, fine then. Don't go wondering why I have more followers than you, okay?"

"Elaine... who, for all that's sacred, would be following you at this stage of the game?"

The unicorn girl showed her phone, open to her social network, where Elaine was following one person and had one follower, and the same person liked all the photos she posted.

"Oh, of course Misshapp follows you."

"She's such a cool old lady. Her skin is all worn out, but it's inner beauty that counts, right gorgeous?" She said, pronouncing the R in a weird way.

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?"

"O-M-G, you're so cute Fernanda, LOL, clown emoji."

"Why... are you speaking in internet slang? No, Fernanda, you'll go crazy if you try to understand her. Just take a deep breath and go: Elaine here." The red-eyed girl humorously tossed the drawing at the girl, her horn ended up skewering the paper, forcing Elaine to look at the drawing.

"You follow me too? Oh my God, you didn't have to print a photo of me."

"IT'S A DRAWING!" Fernanda said, slamming the door. They couldn't say she didn't try, but it was too frilly for her to handle. "But... I admit it was a bit fun, their craziness... it's amusing. Ten down, nine to go."

The next person she encountered was Gaya, always smiling, eyes closed but seemingly contemplating nothing.

"Gaya, you like drawings, don't you?"

"Drawings? Oh yes, Fernanda, especially yours. I consider them to have priceless potential."

"WUAAAAH, SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS ME." Fernanda shouted, hugging Gaya who, despite maintaining the same expression, was surprised and incredulous that someone had hugged her. She then started to pat the other's head, calming her down.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay, it's okay. Everything's fine, it's all over."

"I JUST WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEM, BUT EITHER THEY IGNORE ME OR IT'S MY DRAWINGS."

"Oh, that's cruel." Gaya said, encouraging the girl's tears. "But don't worry, you will be able to befriend them, you just need to get to know them better."

"Easy to say. Anyway, here's your drawing." She handed over the gift, which Gaya accepted gladly. And when Fernanda was about to leave:

"Fernanda, you're a good girl. You don't need to worry about forcing friendships with everyone here. In time, I know they'll see how amazing you are."

"Thank you, I really needed that." Feeling revitalized, Fernanda continued her quest for more friends, and sooner or later, she would have to talk to him. And finally, the moment arrived. "Ordep."

She called out, trembling, the monster resided in the darkest tower of the castle, staying there doing who knows what. Just opening the door, fear already gripped the girl, but she took a deep breath and went in.

"Interesting, very interesting... so the first to have courage was the last one who arrived, Kihihihi..."

"Argh." Another shiver ran down the girl's spine. "I... I... well... I..."

"What's wrong?" He sighed into her ear, but when she looked, he wasn't there. "Are you afraid of your own shadow? What about me scares you?"

"A little bit of everything, anyway I came to..." She heard the sound of nails scratching the wood, and another shiver came over her. "I came to give you this drawing..." And now he was scratching the wall with both hands, while dripping sounds were heard. "I w-w-w-w-would l-l-l-love it if you c-c-c-c-could be my f-f-f-f-friend."

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm like this with all my f-f-friends..." And she fainted, unable to handle the terror. When she woke up, she was in her room, lying on her bed, the drawings were with her, except for the one for Ordep. "I hope this means he liked it."

"He liked it." Fernanda was startled, Tiffany was by the bed, looking out the window.- "He was laughing like a maniac when he left you here. Although perhaps he was just enjoying seeing you suffer."

"Tiffany? What are you doing in my room?"

"Hiding from that delusional old lady, I can't stand being called daughter anymore. I only had one mother and she wasn't as gentle as this lady..."

''Sometimes it's scary, isn't it? Scary to leave our past behind, I mean, we're already dead, the past isn't really ours, we're just faithful copies of it created by Lily."

"Do you remember her?"

"No, I only know what everyone else knows. I know she created me, but I can't even remember her face."

"I don't understand. She creates us to destroy virtues, but she doesn't even bother to show up when everything is resolved."

"True, but it's not up to us to question that. We did what she asked us to do, plain and simple. Let her be happy with it now, for whatever reason."

Fernanda got up from the bed and handed the paper to Tiffany, who took it, puzzled.

"Let's focus on just being friends, okay?"

"You can be my friend." Tiffany murmured "but I won't promise that I'll be yours."

"That's a start. I have to go now. I... kind of learned to like each of you in your own way."

Fernanda didn't even notice the prototype of a smile Tiffany made upon hearing this; she just moved on and soon encountered a messy doll running towards her.

"FERNANDAAAAA, MORDAME SAID YOU WERE PREPARING SKETCHES FOR HER STATUES. TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE."

"It's not true."

"Oh, phew, I was scared for a moment."

"Was it really that easy? I'm handing out drawings to everyone, trying to make friends. Here's yours."

"OH." said the doll, amazed. "It looks like me."

" Yes, it's you, Chin."

"But of me, i already have i."

"But of i, i already have me."

"I know, I didn't say there's another Fernanda, at most an Adnanref, or a Ferdnanda."

"Don't be silly, Chin. Anyway, I have to continue the friendship operation."

"Friendship Operation? What a terrible name."

"What name would you give it then? " The doll remained thoughtful for a moment, processing all the available data. Then it thought:

"OPERATION OF THE BROS!"

"Ugh, no, Chin, seriously."

"Okay, serious mode activated: So..." Again, the child's voice turned into an adult's voice. "... Which ones are left for you to talk to?"

"Ângela, Misshapp, Nightmare, Orf, and Lalá. What's your advice?"

"Start with the most difficult one."

"That has to be her... will you come with me?"

"No, I like my wooden head attached to my body, thank you very much." said the doll, turning and walking away in a more mature manner than it arrived. "Just don't touch her, and everything will be fine."

Fernanda then went to the room where the most beautiful deceived one was. She was already sweating at the door, all the other encounters had traumatized her, and she expected only the worst from the worst among the reactions, especially from Ângela, the most furious of them all.

"Fernanda, you're exaggerating. She's not that bad; I mean, a woman as delicate as her can't be that terrible... right? I know, let's try some meditation techniques. You're thinking too much and worrying for no reason." The girl started to breathe deeply, her head was too full, and she just needed to stop thinking for a while, feel the breath in her breaths, she began to imagine the floor as a lawn, the sky blue, and she visualized herself flying among the clouds, only joy in her heart. It was her special place, her mind cleared, and a silly smile formed on the young woman's face. Now Fernanda bounced in completely positive, she entered bouncing into the hall, humming: "An-ge-la-chan ❤."

"OUT!" With a shout, all the girl's positivity was washed away, the blue sky turned dark again, the garden turned to stones, and a dark and furious aura emanated from the woman's body, her dark and terrible expression. Fernanda left without saying another word, outside the room she breathed heavily, resting her hand on her chest, panting and sweating.

"She was going to kill me. I didn't even manage to say anything more to her. I think it's better if I give up trying to call her." Fernanda then started to think a bit... giving up... such a powerful term, a term that puts an end to everything... she had never given in to this term in her entire life... until the end... Ângela had obviously been through a lot... no. "Ângela."

Fernanda opened the door once more. The angel still had the same fearsome expression as before, but this time it did not scare the girl.

"I told you to stay outside."

"OH SHUT UP!" Fernanda said impatiently, somewhat surprising the general. "I just came to give you this. If you ever want, I will always be willing to be your friend."

"A... drawing? If you think you're going to bribe me..."

"Oh stop being so conceited, girl. I'm giving this to everyone, but my feelings are genuine. I truly want to be friends with you. Whether you believe it or not, that's up to you." Fernanda then started to leave. Ângela spent some time staring at the drawing, appreciating the lines, and for a brief moment, a tear rolled from one of her eyes.

"Fernanda."

"Yes?" For the first time, with the sweetest smile anyone could give, Ângela said:

"Thank you. Your drawing is almost divine."

"Hehe, I know. Thanks, Ângela."

Feeling extremely good, Fernanda continued to the next, finding Orf in his laboratory. The glittering gentleman had filled that room with all kinds of trinkets and objects.

"Oh Fernanda, did you come to ask for more paper and pencils for your drawings?"

"No need, I still have plenty, and besides, I don't want to take too much advantage of you... yet." Fernanda joked, winking at Orf, and they both started laughing together.

"You mean this isn't abuse yet? Should I shout for help?" Orf continued the joke, and Fernanda didn't stop either.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." They laughed more and more, continuing to play and interact with such naturalness that they could easily be seen as childhood friends. There was no discomfort or strangeness between them, they just got along well. "Here, a gift for you as a sign of our friendship."

"'Friends' is a very strong word." The gentleman joked, and Fernanda gave him a mischievous look.

"I imagine that for someone who has never had one, it must be pretty strong."

"Ouch. But seriously, thanks Fe, it's beautiful. Let me give you something in return."

"Orf, you don't need to, really, FORGET WHAT I SAID, IS THAT A GRAPHIC TABLET?" In an instant, Fernanda's excitement reached a new level as she gazed at the huge gift her friend was giving her.

"Yes, I made it for you."

"I COULD KISS YOU RIGHT NOW."

"Please don't joke about that. I'm much older than you and you're still a teenager."

"Okay, sorry. But wow, thank you so much." After taking her gift to her room, the young girl continued her search for the three who were still missing. She found Misshapp knitting in one of the halls. The elderly woman was the kindest and gentlest among them, always concerned about everyone's well-being, especially Tiffany's.

"Hello Misshapp, look what I brought."

"Oh, Fernanda, did you bring more of your drawings for me to see? I could hardly wait for the next batch. How many this time?"

"I brought five, here's the first one." Fernanda showed a drawing of a bluish wolf.

"What an odd dog, but it's lovely."

"Actually, it's a wolf. Here's the next one." The second drawing was of a giraffe grazing in the savanna.

"What a strange horse, but it's still lovely."

"It's a giraffe..." Fernanda sighed slightly and moved on to the third drawing, which was of a reindeer.

"That's a very pretty raccoon."

"What? Raccoon?" Fernanda moved on to the fourth drawing, which was of Misshapp holding a tray of cookies.

"Who is this lovely lady?"

"It's you, Misshapp."

"What? Impossible, I don't eat cookies."

"I'm almost sure you're joking with me, you mischievous old lady."

"Ho ho ho, maybe. Anyway, what's the last drawing?"

"This one." Misshapp dropped her knitting to the floor. The last drawing was of her hugging Tiffany. Due to the dark veil covering the elderly woman's face, it was somewhat hard to see, but she was crying tears of joy.

"I LOVED IT, FERNANDA, WHAT A WONDERFUL DRAWING. I HAVE TO SHOW TIFFANY RIGHT AWAY!"

The elderly woman dashed off with a burst of energy no one would have thought she could have, shouting Tiffany's name.

"Just two more, and I know where one of them is." Fernanda walked to a room, but it had been locked from the inside by none other than Nightmare. The young woman knocked on the door. There was silence for a while.

"Nightmare, it's Fernanda, I know you're in there. Please open the door."

"W-w-w-what do you w-w-want?"

"I just came to give you a gift."

"A-a-a-and I don't w-w-want it, thanks."

"Do you know what it is?"

"P-p-p-probably a d-d-d-dead cockroach for y-y-you to throw at me."

"I would never do that. There's no cockroach around here."

"E-E-Eeew."

"Calm down, silly, I'm just joking with you."

"I-I-I-I don't like being j-j-j-joked with."

"It's not that kind of joke, Nightmare, it's the good kind. But if it bothers you, I'll stop, don't worry. Listen, I want to be your friend and give you a gift, I won't leave the door until you accept."

"I-I-I-Isn't that a th-th-threat?"

"Yes, it's probably fair to consider it a threat. Now open the door."

"I-I-I-if I open, y-y-you w-w-will hit me."

"How can you be sure?"

"I-I-I-I ain't. But I d-d-d-don't want to risk being right."

"You can't keep running from life's problems, Nightmare. Sooner or later, you'll have to deal with something. Avoiding them all the time doesn't make you safer or give you a sense of security; on the contrary, you live insecure about everything. Now open the door, life is calling you to live it."

"W-w-what if I d-d-d-don't want to?"

"Fine, you're forcing me to do this." In one second, the door was there, and the next it was in pieces on the floor.

"H-how did you break it? I-I-I-I had put a spell on it."

"There is no power that can oppose me. Now listen, you're a cool guy, I really want to be your friend. Here." Nightmare saw the drawing and was immediately amazed.

"Wow, you made it look just like myself. And what impeccable skill you have with the pencil, I can see that you drew all this in one stroke. O-O-OH, sorry, I got a bit excited, I must have been so i-i-i-idiotic."

"Nightmare, did I say anything?"

"N-n-no."

"Then nothing happened. Don't take responsibility for what others might be thinking; you can't know. If someone doesn't like something, they should speak up. If they don't, it's entirely their fault that others keep doing it in front of them. No one is obliged to read anyone's mind. Take a break, Nightmare. It was a lot of fun seeing you talk about something you liked. Take a risk and just act on what you want.

"O-o-okay, I'll try."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Perfect. Listen, I'm just going to deliver this last drawing to Lalá and I'll be right back to talk to you." Fernanda then went in search of her last possible friend. The girl with heterochromia was sitting on the edge of the castle on the roof.

"Lalá... I came to give you this. If you want to be my friend, I would be very happy."

The little girl remained silent as she took the drawing in her hands and looked at it. 

"Why are you so obsessed with having friends?"

"Huh? Well, it was a promise I made to myself and a friend of mine in the past. I was unlucky to live in not-so-good circumstances, but it was a friendship that made me keep going. I want to have more friendships like that, I want to be that kind of friend to someone."

"You're a creation of Lily made from the feelings of the real Fernanda. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, but even if it's artificial, I still feel what I feel; it's still natural to me. Lalá, you and Ângela are the only ones who know what Lily is like. I have no interest in her intentions, or even where she is, but I'm curious about her personality. What is she like?"

"I don't know."

"Huh? But don't you remember her?"

"I remember. My memories are as clear as day, and yet I don't understand her at all. She is confusing; she is herself. A flaw in the system that shouldn't have existed, although I think I am one too."

"I don't understand, but I guess that's the point. Anyway, I hope we get along, Lalá."

"I don't think we have much choice. By the way, Fernanda, what's this?" The girl pointed to a small writing on a part of the paper." A party?

"....." The girl thought for a moment and finally remembered. "AAAAAAH THAT'S RIGHT, THE DRAWINGS WERE ALSO THE INVITATION TO A FRIENDSHIP PARTY. I GOT SO CAUGHT UP WITH EVERYONE THAT I FORGOT."

"The others must be going to the main hall expecting some kind of party, right?"

"Damn, I have to run." Fernanda was about to sprint back when Lalá grabbed her by the cloak and jumped off the top with her.

"LALÁ, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

The two were falling, but when they were close to the ground, they started floating in mid-air. The castle window opened on its own, and they entered through there. In the main hall, to Fernanda's surprise, there was a table full of food, decorations everywhere, and a lot of people there.

"Narf knew you'd forget, so she asked Orf and Misshapp to help with the decorations and food." Elaine was doing a social media dance while Chin clumsily tried to copy her. Misshapp was talking non-stop about the drawing to Tiffany, who was sighing heavily but didn't seem 100% bothered. Mordame and Octo were causing a scene, trying to get Uomen to draw them, and the proud man refused vehemently. Ordep and Narf seemed to be having an extremely interesting conversation in the corner of the room, while a Rhoj was attacking the whole table. Orf, Ygritte, and Lorde V'huluver were playing cards in the corner. Ângela, Kesna, and Leo were in different corners of the room, silently.

"FERNANDA!" Nightmare shouted, approaching her with a paper in hand. "I made this for you. I want to be your friend."

It was a drawing of her, so beautiful and detailed, and her eyes filled with tears. She hugged Nightmare, who didn't know how to react at first but soon chose to reciprocate.

"You guys are amazing. And where is Gaya?"

"She hasn't arrived yet, at least not that I've seen." As if on cue, the door to the hall opened, with Gaya being the last to enter with her casual smile. But the mere presence of the swordswoman would change the atmosphere of the place in an unimaginable way. For Narf saw her, fell silent for a moment, and said:

"Gaya, how miserable you are." Everyone looked on curiously; Narf wasn't known for making such jabs, but the other seemed completely unfazed by the comment, giving the impression that she was expecting it.

"Oh, Narf, why the sudden hostility?"

"You left the humans alive when you could have killed them."

"Humans?" Mordame asked curiously. "What are you talking about, Narf?"

"Simple, Gaya here found eight living humans, three of whom have powers, and she just let them escape, without planning to tell us anything."

"Silence fell over the room; the festive and relaxed atmosphere was gone, replaced by tension and confusion. Everyone else was still trying to understand what those words meant."

"WAIT, WHAT?" Octo shouted, initiating the confusion.

"Humans? But how are there still well humans?" Tiffany asked. "I thought all of them were affected by the virtues."

" What's their goal?" Lalá asked, already deducing the answer. Narf, in her faceless head, seemed to smile and said:

"Obviously, they want to kill us."

"K-K-K-Kill?" Accompanied by Nightmare's panic, Fernanda suddenly fell to the floor with no expression. "Fernanda?"

"Is it... not over? Do I still have to fight? I'm so tired of this. It never ends." The girl with an optimistic spirit and strong feelings was suddenly in a blank state. Her gaze lost some of its sparkle, and her face showed no expression. "No, we have to stop them. No one here can die, I can't die. The dark virtue can't come back. We have to stop them."

"Lift your head, woman." Uomen ordered, his authoritative voice waking the girl from her catatonic state. She then contemplated his imperial demeanor. "Why are you so afraid of the possibility of losing? Don't you trust your own abilities? Then you're more ridiculous than I thought. These humans, Narf, describe them."

"Two girls, an archer, a guy with a battle hammer, a filthy boy, a beautiful redhead who seems to read our hearts, an old man who can produce an extremely resistant material to form barriers, and a woman with a red streak who seems to have just awakened her power, producing enormous destructive energy, corrupting everything."

"You really are nosy, Narf." Gaya interjected, though the faceless one didn't feel offended in the least.

"Thank you, beautiful."

"Is that it?" Uomen asked, sounding disappointed. "Is that what scares you? Have pity, for indeed the small ones fear minuscule things."

"See? There's nothing to fear, Fernanda." Misshapp said in her gentle and docile tone. "We can eliminate them quickly."

"Let's show these commoners what divine attitude is." Mordame said with her nose in the air, with Rhoj and Orf soon following.

"I'm going to punch everyone ahahahahaha."

"Please, be quick with the girls. There's no reason to prolong the torment of children."

"You're all quite late, you know?" Chin commented. "Leo went ahead some time ago."

Looking around, they realized that the general was nowhere to be seen.

"That guy..." Ygritte sighed.  "Always doing everything alone."

"That's the spirit." Lorde V'huluver supported.  "I like that."

Everyone was happy and excited, confident and calm... except Fernanda and Lalá. While the child didn't know what to expect from this, Fernanda had a bad feeling.

"Please." The girl whispered. "Be careful, everyone."