Fairy Tail: You said you were just acting, are you serious

As darkness fell, kerosene streetlights gradually illuminated the streets of Magnolia, taking over the function of the sun.

The noise and laughter in Fairy Tail's lobby were not as loud as they were at noon.

During the day, the energetic guys were making a ruckus, but by night they were all exhausted, and the mages were all chatting in hushed tones, with only occasional bursts of heated debate.

Among them, a short figure was looking sullen, his head resting on the wooden table, his face facing the window of the hall.

Cana looked worried, staring at the moon hanging high in the night sky outside the window, hoping that Gildarts would return today.

Unfortunately, it seems that her wait today was in vain.

Kana sighed. It was so late, and she felt embarrassed to stay any longer.

She looked up, intending to leave the Fairy Tail guild and come back tomorrow to continue waiting.

"Liqi, let's go."

She tugged at the dog leash, but to her surprise, there was no resistance or barking, which momentarily stunned her.

She looked down and realized that Richie, who was wearing a leash on his collar, was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the torn leash.

Kana frowned, looked down and searched around to see where Richie had gone.

After searching her surroundings, she finally spotted the white, four-legged creature standing at the entrance to Fairy Tail's main hall.

Liki turned around, stuck out its tongue, stared at Kana, barked, and then ran towards the door.

Kana was shocked for a moment, then immediately ran towards the door.

She stopped at the gate, and luckily it was evening and the number of passersby had gradually decreased, so she saw that Li Qi had already slipped to the street corner.

She chased after Richie without hesitation, fearing it might get lost in the street.

The chase lasted for some time, with Kana following closely behind, yet the distance between them remained unchanged.

In the end, Richie stopped by the flower bushes, stuck out his tongue and exhaled, then squatted down and relieved himself.

Gasping for breath, Kana leaned against a lamppost by the flowerbed; she was almost too exhausted to breathe.

"Ricky... you really are..."

Kana shook her head helplessly as she watched Liqi run so far just to relieve himself.

After she calmed her breathing, she looked up at the unfamiliar place.

This was Kana's first time visiting this town. It was a somewhat dimly lit garden, surrounded by a row of grass walls, creating a secluded space.

The entire garden here is deserted, without a single person in sight. The streetlights in this area are not as densely packed as those on the main streets, and there is a great distance between each light.

In the cool breeze, the areas not covered by the streetlights looked particularly eerie.

At this moment, Kana felt a little scared and unconsciously shrank back, trembling slightly.

She hadn't noticed while chasing after them, but now that she's turned around, she realizes she doesn't recognize the way here and doesn't know how to get out of the garden.

Liki walked towards Kana, licked her calf, and looked up at his little master's head.

Woof~

Lich's action greatly reduced Kana's fear, and she squatted down and picked him up.

"Thank goodness you're here, let's go home."

Kana used these words as a form of psychological comfort, but her trembling hands couldn't fool herself.

She held Liqi tightly in her arms, searching for a way back.

Kana almost slipped on a fallen leaf with her left foot, but luckily she managed to regain her balance and avoid embarrassment.

She looked up and saw a huge tree shadow in the distance, its branches intertwined everywhere. The shadows of its branches and the night sky formed two sinister eyes, as if they were staring straight at her.

That one glance sent chills down Kana's spine, sending a shiver down her spine and up to her scalp.

Kana unconsciously quickened her pace, trying to escape the maze-like garden, but no matter how she walked, she couldn't find her way out.

Woof~

Just then, Liki, who was in Kana's arms, barked to the side, drawing Kana's attention.

Kana turned her head stiffly, and by the faint moonlight in the distance, she finally saw a figure here.

However, Kana did not feel relieved; instead, her fear intensified.

Because the figure had a pointed head and seemed to be holding long, thin objects in its hands as it moved towards her.

Tap, tap, tap...

The figure, accompanied by footsteps, was briefly illuminated by the streetlights, revealing a blood-stained pointed helmet and a robe splattered with blood.

The interplay of light and shadow deepened the shadows on his face, his cold gaze fixed on Kana, while he held a blood-stained chicken-killing knife in his hand.

The blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

"what!"

Kana's eyes instantly filled with tears, blurring her vision.

She quickened her pace again, walking deeper into the garden, wanting nothing more than to shake off that figure.

Kana kept running, but she never expected to end up in a dead end surrounded by a wall of grass.

She turned to leave, only to find that the figure had already blocked her way.

The figure raised his hand and gestured for silence with his index finger.

"Shh!"

Kana's legs instantly lost all strength, and she collapsed onto the cold grass.

Just then, Liqi, who was in her arms, landed beside Kana and rushed towards the figure.

Woof~

"don't want!"

As Kana watched Richie walk further and further away, she closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her face.

Richie is going to die.

Bang~

Woof woof woof

Unexpectedly, Kana kept hearing Richie barking and the sound of it licking something.

Kana slowly opened her left eye, but the sight before her stunned her, and her fear subsided considerably.

The figure squatted down on the ground, stroking Liqi's head repeatedly.

Lich ignored him and just kept licking the broken chicken-killing knife lying on the ground.

Exhausted, Ron got his fill of touching and stood up to walk towards Kana.

With tears in her eyes, Kana stared blankly as Ron approached, finally stopping just a step away from her and extending his hand.

In his palm lay a white handkerchief, unstained with blood.

Kana looked at the handkerchief, then glanced up at Ron, who was extending his hand, and her fear vanished without a trace.

"Thanks......"

Kana picked up a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

Ron nodded, then turned and pointed to the only exit with his finger, before looking back at Kana.

"You mean...you know the exit?"

Ron nodded again, then walked over to Richie, picked up the knife, and headed towards the exit.

Cana first hugged Richie in her arms, then slowly followed Ron's back.

Kana walked out of the dead end and now, looking around the garden, she no longer felt afraid.

Even the eyes reflected in the tree shadows had softened considerably, as if telling her not to worry.

As Kana watched that slowly walking figure, she also seemed taller.

Tap, tap, tap...

Once upon a time, the sound of footsteps that terrified her now sounds reassuring and puts her at ease.