It was a lot more peaceful now that Jac had left the hovercraft. The sun was beating down on them, but in a pleasant way. Jade felt herself relax. She smiled at Kevins and Kevins smiled back. For the first time since long, she felt included, she was a part of something greater. Wind brushed softly against Jades hair, gentle like a mother’s caress. The sun warmed her up inside with a feeling that she had always longed for. Jade shifted her gaze to the others on the hovercraft. They were all smiling. It was almost as if they all could feel what she felt.
They neared a village. Not their destination, just a small settlement on the way. Acantha slowed down as people in grey robes waved at them. One of them cheered:
“Have a nice day!”
Jade hadn’t noticed that she was waving back at them until Kevins abruptly put his hand on her shoulder.
“You should really consider,” he said, as much to her as to everybody else on the vehicle, “The meaninglessness of life.”
“What?” said Acantha. “Life is beautiful! I haven’t felt so amazing in- Well- I have never felt this amazing before.”
“Kevins is right,” said Jade, she felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. For example when Kevins had been meekly smiling back at her. But she had suppressed her suspicions, because the feeling had just been so overwhelmingly pleasant. “This feeling is not real. It is the Sun trying to get to us. We have to keep our goal in mind.”
Acantha stared in the distance to where another settlement had presented itself next to the road. Morn shifted uneasily at the realization that they had been tricked by the Sun. They also, had been smiling. But not anymore. The thought of the Sun forcing this happiness onto them, annoyed them to bits.
“There is nothing for us after we die,” said Kevins, “For you a heaven perhaps. But what is a heaven but a prison for the soul? And speaking of prisons. This dimension is also quite terrible. Not to mention completely controlled by Totems. I think I liked it better in Hell. At least there if something wanted to kill you they were transparent about it.”
Jade was impressed by the amount of gloom Kevins was able to lay out on the party. It was working too. Everyone had stopped smiling. Though Jade still felt the nagging feeling of happiness. It was annoying, she decided.
“The Sun is ruining our world,” said Jade, “Let’s take it back and turn it into something where everyone can feel whatever they want to feel and not get something useless like happiness get shoved down our throats.”
Kevins gave her a look. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought it was a look of admiration.
By now they had left the desert behind and they drove off into an outstretched meadow. They passed another village. People of all kinds, orcs, elves and spawn alike stood in grey robes. They waved and were singing.
“So let the sunshine in. Face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose and frowners never win.
So let the sunshine in. Face it with a grin.
Open up your heart and let the sunshine in.”
Jade urged everyone to look the other way. She focused on feeling of happiness and tried her best to be increasingly pissed off by it. Then there was something else she noticed. It seemed to come from a certain direction.
“I know,” said Acantha after Jade shared her observation. “It is like a signal.”
“He knows we are coming,” said Lumira.
Jade hummed in agreement and added: “Worse, he is welcoming us.”
“It is his style,” said Morn. “He did this when I picked up Iratus.”
They were quiet for a few moments. Jade was unsure what she should do with this knowledge. He was flexing his proverbial muscles at them.
“Let him,” Kevins growled. “His arrogance will be his downfall.”
As they left the village behind the singing grew faint. There was yet another building in front of them.
“That’s it,” said Jade.
Acantha slowed down the hovercraft and said:
“I don’t see anyone, want to park here?”
Before anyone could answer, they heard a voice. It came from nowhere, yet it surrounded them.
“Before you cast your judgement, why don’t we talk?” the voice said.
They all exchanged glances and quietly agreed to not respond. Instead they got off the hovercraft and started walking towards the building. It was the size of a house, with a sharply pointed, red roof. Its perfectly square walls were white and stood in sharp contrast to the green grass of the meadow and azure blue sky.
“It is such a beautiful day today. Don’t you agree?” continued the voice. “Or perhaps it is a bit too hot to your liking? Feel free to come in. My door is always open.”
The door clicked swung open.
“There’s no one inside,” said Jade, glancing inside at the wooden floorboards.
Morn stepped past her and instead of going through the door, opened a window.
“Great thinking!” said Acantha as she watched Morn climb through.
“Do we really have to go in?” said Lumira.
“Well, the source of the magic is definitely originating from inside this building.”
“It’s just,” Lumira searched for words, “It just seems like such an obvious trap. You know?”
“There’s really no reason to be suspicious, I just want to talk,” said the voice.
“As long as we don’t do what it says, we’ll be fine,” Acantha said to Lumira before stepping through the window.
“And so they went inside,” said the voice, “Enjoying the cool air.”
Lumira heaved herself over the windowsill one leg at a time. She pulled her blue cloak behind and said:
“Ugh, I hate this cool air.”
Acantha gave her a double thumbs up. Jade winked at her and said:
“Nailed it.”
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