Finn had arrived in Dahlia, and no sooner had he arrived did he begin searching for the spirits. He knew that they had to be here, after all the entirety of Fiore was subjected to this strange shift in reality. He was confident that all corners of Fiore held these spirits who wished for nothing more than release, perhaps even Worth Woodsea and the other seemingly uninhabited places of the land. If he had been able to find himself a chance to grow up and live within the forest, others may have in the past too. Perhaps when he got home on this recent travel he would be able to search for such spirits. The strange pops that they seemed to give out were a mystery of themselves. The spirit Melissa had told him that when the time came he would understand their use, but the time must have been very far off. Even now he hadn't a clue what to do with them, nor what they were for. So far in possession of two of these such things, kept safely within his green backpack, he wondered how many more he could collect, and how much they would benefit him at the end of all this.

Finn walked slowly through the town, looking about at the people who wondered the desolate streets. There was almost an even mix of spirits and people, though it was difficult to tell. With the night in full swing and the moon shining in all of its brilliance, it was easy to mistake the light glow of the dead for the reflection of the moon off the living. Again and again Finn would attempt to lock eyes with people, hoping that one of them would give him a smile or some sort of indication that they were happy to see him, or on the other hand, for him to see them. The people either actively avoided looking at the sword wielding individual, or simply thought it better to keep to themselves. He traveled through the street, letting the hours pile into minutes and the minutes tick away into hours. He felt himself about to give up when he turned the corner, a much tinier glow catching him off guard. Leaping backwards, barely managing to avoid toppling over a child, Finn looked at the little girl with surprise. "I am so sorry! Are you okay?" He looked at her with genuine concern, whereas she looked at him with legitimate fear.

"Liora, stop being such a baby!" Passing through Finn, leaving behind a cold chill, Jake gasped and jumped as Finn looked down at the tiny frame that had passed through him, only to make contact with the girl. The boy looked back at him with an annoyed look that seemed to have seen much more life than a child of his age ever should have. "Watch where you're going." His voice was stern, but tired. Finn glanced to Jake, hoping for confirmation of his wordless theory, and Jake gave a shaking nod in assurance. They had definitely found spirits, and Finn looked back to them. His stomach felt as though it had slowly opened. The pit gnawed at his chest, making him feel both unease and genuine sadness. These two spirits... They were children. Much younger than him, young enough to be short as (and in one case shorter than) Jake. Dropping to a knee, Finn locked eyes with the boy. The two of them stared intently at each other, as if feeling one another out for intent. It was Finn who broke the silence.

"I'm so-"

"Save it," the boy said rolling his eyes. "We hear apologies every year. It's the same thing. If you were actually sorry you'd offer to help."

"Of course, how?"

"Exactly, you- What?! Really?" Looking at his sister with surprise, then back into Finn's unwavering gaze, it was none other than Jake who spoke this time. "Now that he's offered you won't get rid of him until its done. Might as well let us help," he said with a laugh, much to the shock of the two spirits.

"Well, if you are really sure..." Disbelief and surprise aside, the little boy began explaining their situation to Finn. What he heard was... Shocking to say the least. The little boy had been put through hell and back, his sister receiving no less a punishment. Their crime seemed to only have been life, their mother having ended their life in a rage of unknown causes. They didn't know why it happened so they said, but Finn wondered if that were true or if it was the willful ignorance of adolescence. Regardless, it wasn't his place to put them on the spot or to force them to give up more information. All he wanted to do was help these children, who certainly deserved every bit of support he could give. The little girl had still remained speechless, but she seemed comfortable now to smile at Finn and to try petting Jake. The action of course only caused chills down the Dog's spine, and a laugh from Finn and the boy named Victor.

With all of that dealt with, it was now up to the two children to lead Finn and Jake to their house where they would complete their promise. These children would get the rest they deserve, no matter what.

Wc: 909

The two children led Finn and Jake to a house that was all but destroyed. Overgrown with vegetation that spanned from bushes to vines, even a small tree beginning to climb up one of the walls, the house seemed as though it belonged in the ruins of Worth Woodsea. Leading the two adventurers to a door that had grown into its hinges, Victor and Liora passed through the door and out of sight. Quickly doing rock paper scissors, it fell upon Finn to get them through this first corridor it seemed. Taking out his sword, Finn performed four masterful strikes which cut through both the vines and the wood. Pushing with his foot, the door was shoved out of the way. Before them now was a stairway, leading into darkness. Letting Jake lead the way, empowered by his superior senses, the two of them had made it safely into the basement. Looking around until the found the gentle glow of the children, they approached the wall and stared at it with them. "This is it..." The wall before them contained the remains of the two children, and it made sense. While the material was obviously newer than the rest of the basement, its haste in formation was apparent by its inability to have survived as well as the surrounding building. Bending and warping with time, the spot seemed unable to hold up to the tests of time. It was almost as though their remains were fighting to get out.

It was now Jake's turn to act. Drastically increasing one of his body to its maximum size, Jake quickly and effortlessly tore away the wall that stood between them and the bodies of the two children inside. Throwing the scrap wood to the side, Jake and Finn looked on in sadness as the walls contents spilled out. Catching them before they hit the ground, Jake cradled the bodies with the utmost care. His face held on it a frown, and Finn nodded to him. Looking at the kids who stared at their own bodies in disbelief, he couldn't tell what he was seeing on their faces. Sighing, he lead the way back to the surface. Making his way outside, he allowed the children to lead the way to their father and mother; Or at least their graves.

Grabbing a nearby shovel and insisting to do this part so that Jake could continue to hold the bodies, Finn began to dig. The first thing he did was unearth the body of their mother, decayed and rotten before it was ever put into the ground. Throwing it to the wayside, he took out the matches that were stored in his backpack and gathered plenty of twigs and leaves to create a solid pile both under and around the corpse. Lighting it ablaze, Finn began expanding the hole. He thought it best to also unearth the area where the father lay so that they three of them, even in the after life, could finally be together. With the hole dug, Finn dropped down and had Jake hand over each body one at a time, placing them as delicately as he could. Climbing back out as Jake shrunk back to normal size, Finn closed up the hole on his own as the fire continued to burn away the evil behind him. Once the hole was fully covered, Finn turned back to the children to find they had already gone, and in their place were three more pumpkin pops. Picking them up, he couldn't help but smile as a voice carried on the open air.

"Thank you."

[COMPLETE]
[EXIT]
WC: 1518