The second female lead Dual Cultivates

Nao was fighting the monsters and her body protested against any move she made. It was a struggle to even keep her arm moving after the heavy blow she had been dealt with.

Another monster attacked and Nao was just a bit too slow to stop the attack from connecting with her head. Her vision swam in and out of focus as pain exploded behind her eyelids. It stabbed into her skull with a vengeance and Nao felt her vision loses focus.

Nao blinked her eyes as consciousness slammed into her with a vengeance. Her head hurt at the slamming motion she could feel going off inside her mind.

"Don't try to stand up right now or you'll puke. Your head must be hurting quite badly" Mariw's familiar voice washed over Nao and it comforted Nao. It made her want to close her eyes and bask in the feeling of safety and comfort her friend provided her with.

And then Nao shot out like a bullet, her eyes searching around for the source of the voice she had just heard. There was no way Maria should be put here so maybe this was a monster that had come here to take advantage of Nao.

She also needed to find Suna.

"Hey miss, your friend already told you to calm down. You'll crush your friend's had if you did not lighten your grip" the annoyance that had started it all, the fairy flew around Nao and toward her hand.

She followed the motion, only to come face-to-face with Suna's unconscious face. Nao instantly let Suna's hand go and checked her pulse. It was still there, just as strong as she had always known it to be.

"You're both not hurt. I already went over your injuries before I had this fella, (what's your name again?) wake you up." Maria seemed to be having two different conversations at the same time with an air of ease around her.

Nao looked at the fairy with cautious eyes, daring it to try anything else with them. Suna seemed to be waking up as well which eased some of the worries Nao had been feeling.

"You don't know my name because I never told you. Raven doesn't make mistakes like that" the fairy sounded cocky before realizing that it had spoken those words out aloud.

There was a gloomy cloud around the fairy that indicated that the name-telling had been a mistake on its part. It reminded Nao of an annoying fly buzzing around her ear and irritating her.

She wanted to snap the fairy out of the air and make it disappear. Maria seemed to be finding this situation funny, her face sporting an amused grin as it looked at the tiny bundle of flailing arms.

"How are you feeling now Suna?" Nao asked, seeing how Maria was otherwise occupied and safe as well. Suna did not seem to be looking good and her complexion was too pale for Nao's liking. She was also much more subdued than any other time Nao had seen her.

It made her wonder what kind of reality she had been subjected to under the spell. Had it been really bad or had it been something Suna was made to deal with?

"Ah, me? I'm alright. Fantastic even. Don't worry about me that much" Suna's voice sounded off-focus. Heck, even her eyes looked off-focus. She looked like she was not there with the group mentally even if her body was there physically.

And honestly speaking, it was starting to scare Maria a little bit seeing such a progression.

"Nao, Suna, we're ready to leave. Hey, is everything Ok? Suna, you look a little off" Maria asked when she finally turned her attention back to them. Nao could hear the undertone of worry in her voice which reassured Nao that it was not all in her head.

Suns slowly blinked and turned to face Maria. There was a small smile on her face in a mocking attempt at reassuring Maria. Nao knew that smile was not going to work on Maria but Maria would give Suna the benefit of doubt here. Maria was generally one to push someone unnecessarily.

"Maybe she's not fully out of the illusion's effect yet. It happens to some people when they've been under for too long" the annoying bug explained. She seemed to have made a home on top of Maria's head.

Nao had to physically restrain herself so as not to smack the fairy out of Maria's hair. It was no lo her a danger to their group so there was no need to be hostile to it.

It still did not erase the fact that they had been attacked and landed up being in this situation because of the fairy.

"What is our next course of action again?" Nao asked as she snapped herself under control once again. She had to constantly remind herself not to move too fast since she was Suna's support and also the thing keeping her upright.

"Were you not listening when I was explaining this to you. Nevermind. Raven knows a way down to the Gem and has agreed to help us out" Maria explained which finally gave Nao a real reason not to kill the bug.

This was big for their group to know. Being able to get to the gem would allow their group to finally move past this place. Nao was more than ready to leave this place and never come back here again.

"Then let's go. We should also leave Suna behind since she looks sick" Nao got a weak protest for her words which she ignored. Suna needed to stay behind or she will slow them down.

"Oi, don't be in such a hurry. We can't make our move till nighttime when the moon is full. The door only opens then" the fairy explained as she stressed out the second part.

Now, this was a problem for them. It had been the full moon when they had first arrived here so they will need to wait another 14 days for another one. They did not have enough time with them and this was a continuous problem they kept facing.

"Great. Another distraction. How long will it take?" Nao was not sure where her crankiness was coming from but it sure reflected her mood. She was annoyed with anything and everything.

"Should not be long then. This place always has a full moon due to the curse's effect" the fairy explained as it pointed up. The day was bright but it would not take long for the night to arrive. Nao just had to wait a little more.

Just a little more and no more forest for them.