As darkness settled over Magnolia, the kerosene streetlamps flickered to life one by one, taking over where the setting sun had left off.
The Fairy Tail guild hall was still lively, though the shouting and laughter had quieted considerably since noon.
The members who had spent the afternoon drinking, arguing, and picking fights had finally begun to tire.
Most now sat around their tables talking in low voices, with only the occasional heated discussion rising above the murmur.
Among them, one small figure sat dejectedly with her head resting on a wooden table, facing the windows.
Cana stared sadly at the moon hanging high in the night sky, hoping Gildarts might return before the day ended.
Unfortunately, it seemed she had waited for nothing.
She sighed.
It was already so late that she felt awkward staying any longer.
Cana raised her head and prepared to leave the guild.
She could always come back tomorrow and wait for him again.
“Riki, let’s go.”
She tugged on the leash in her hand.
There was no resistance and no answering bark, either.
Cana froze and looked down.
Riki was gone!
Only the leash remained, its end chewed clean through where it had once been attached to his collar.
Her brows furrowed as she hurriedly searched the hall.
After looking around, she finally spotted the little white, four-legged culprit standing near Fairy Tail’s entrance.
Riki turned his head, met her eyes with his tongue hanging out, and gave a single bark before bolting through the doors.
Cana stared in shock, then immediately raced after him.
She stopped outside and scanned the street.
Fortunately, there were fewer pedestrians at night, allowing her to catch sight of Riki disappearing around a corner.
Without thinking, she ran after him, terrified that he might become lost somewhere in the unfamiliar town.
The chase continued for quite some time.
Cana followed as closely as she could, but the distance between them never seemed to shrink.
At last, Riki stopped beside a flower bed.
He crouched there, panting with his tongue out as he relieved himself.
Cana stumbled to the nearest lamppost and leaned against it, gasping so hard that she could barely breathe.
“Riki…
honestly…”
When she realized he had dragged her all this way simply because he needed to go, she could only shake her head helplessly.
Once her breathing steadied, Cana finally looked around.
This was her first time in Magnolia, and she did not recognize the area at all.
She appeared to be standing in a dimly lit garden enclosed by tall walls of hedges, shutting it off from the rest of town.
The entire place was deserted, and the lamps were spaced much farther apart than those on the main streets.
A cold breeze passed through the garden.
Beyond the small pools of lamplight, the shadows looked especially dark and sinister.
Only then did Cana begin to feel frightened.
She drew her shoulders inward and trembled slightly.
She had been so focused on chasing Riki that she had not paid attention to the route.
Now that she looked back, she had no idea where she was or how to leave the garden.
Riki trotted over and licked her lower leg before looking up at his young owner.
“Woof.”
His presence eased some of her fear.
Cana crouched and lifted him into her arms.
“Thank goodness you’re here.
Let’s go home.”
The words were meant to reassure herself, but she could not hide the trembling in her hands.
Holding Riki tightly, she began searching for a way back.
Her left foot landed on a patch of fallen leaves and nearly slipped out from beneath her.
She managed to regain her balance before falling, then looked up.
A huge tree loomed in the distance.
Its twisted branches stretched in every direction, and against the darkness of the night sky, their shadows formed what looked like a pair of cruel eyes staring directly at her.
Goose bumps instantly rose across Cana’s skin.
A cold chill climbed her spine and reached all the way to her scalp.
She quickened her pace without realizing it, desperate to escape the maze-like garden.
No matter which way she turned, however, she could not find the exit.
“Woof!”
Riki suddenly barked toward the side.
Cana stiffly turned her head.
Under the faint moonlight, she finally saw the outline of another person.
Instead of feeling relieved, her fear grew even stronger.
The figure had a sharply pointed head and carried something long in both hands as he walked toward her.
Step.
Step.
Step…
As he passed beneath the distant lamplight, the blood-soaked pointed helmet on his head came into view.
His long robe was splattered with blood as well.
The shifting light cast deep shadows across his face.
His cold eyes remained fixed on Cana, while one hand held a butcher knife covered in dark-red blood.
Moonlight gleamed along its blade.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
Tears instantly filled Cana’s eyes and blurred her vision.
She turned and ran deeper into the garden, desperate to escape the approaching figure.
She kept running until she suddenly found herself trapped in a dead end surrounded by walls of hedges.
Cana spun around, intending to retrace her steps.
The figure was already blocking the only way out.
He raised one hand and placed an index finger in front of his lips.
“Shh.”
All the strength left Cana’s legs.
She collapsed onto the cold grass.
At that moment, Riki jumped from her arms and charged toward the figure.
“Woof!”
“No!”
Cana watched him run farther away, then squeezed her eyes shut in despair as tears streamed down her cheeks.
‘Riki’s going to die!’
Clatter.
“Woof!
Woof!
Woof!”
To her surprise, Riki kept barking.
She could also hear the wet sound of him licking something.
Cana slowly opened one eye.
What she saw left her stunned, and most of her terror immediately faded.
The frightening figure was crouched on the ground, happily rubbing Riki’s head.
Riki paid him no attention.
He was too busy licking the broken butcher knife that had been tossed onto the grass.
After Ron had gotten his fill of petting the dog, he stood and walked toward Cana.
She remained seated with tears in her eyes, staring blankly as he stopped one step away and held out his hand.
A clean white handkerchief rested in his palm, completely untouched by blood.
Cana looked at the handkerchief, then raised her gaze to Ron.
The last of her fear disappeared.
“Thank you…”
She took the handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
Ron nodded, then turned and pointed toward the only path out before looking back at her.
“You mean…
you know the way out?”
Ron nodded again.
He returned to Riki, picked up the knife, and began walking toward the exit.
Cana gathered Riki into her arms and quietly followed behind him.
As she left the dead end, the garden no longer seemed quite so frightening.
Even the eyes formed by the tree’s shadows now looked gentler, almost as though they were telling her not to worry.
The figure walking ahead of her somehow seemed taller than before.
Step.
Step.
Step…
A moments ago, those footsteps had filled her with terror.
Now, their steady rhythm made her feel safe.