[Bringing all systems online. Exiting standby phase. Checking for damage.

User data: Clear]

It was loud around Maria when she opened her eyes. Her body felt like it was led when she tried to move it, so she gave up. There was no use forcing herself to move if her body did not want her to.

Though, she did wonder why she had been left alone. Surely Nao had to have been worried about her and Suna as well. At least one of them should have been with her to ensure that? Maria did not sustain any lasting damage.

"Ah, you finally woke up today. I'll go and inform the others" the voice sounded tiny and surprised at seeing Maria but it did not take long for her to figure out who it had been. There were only so many small creatures that could come closer to Maria and she felt grateful once the door opened to let Nao in.

Nao looked like she had aged a decade while still remaining young. However, her eyes held the darkness and stress which made Maria guilty for some reason. Had it been a worry for her that had done that to Nao?

"A week. You were unconscious for a week Maria. Do you know how behind it sets us on our journey?" Nao was not yelling but the words brought forth a flinch in Maria.

A week? Really? Surely the damage had not been that excessive?

"What about the curse? Is it broken? And the Gem of Requiem? Where did it go? Are you and Suna Ok?" Maria had wanted to assure Nao that she was alright. But her mind and mouth had other priorities

And they were not appreciated by Nao. She looked halfway between wanting to murder Maria and hugging her to elevate her worry. It was as amusing as it was terrifying. The fairy just looked amused at Nao's suffering face.

"Maria, you can't just risk yourself like-", "She's awake?"

And, of course, Nao did not get to finish her sentence before the front door was broken in and Suna entered with a cheery air around her. She looked older as well, more mature but there was darkness around her that Maria had not felt before.

Suna took a step toward Maria before she stopped. Maria felt stiff at the approaching demoness without her consent and it left everyone a little awkward.

Thankfully, no one really brought it up again. But the incident did leave Maria shaken. She was sure she had never reacted like that with anyone else but there was something 'wrong' about Suna now. She felt wrong.

"Suna, you are overwhelming her with your enthusiasm. Tone it down a bit" Nao handled the situation pretty quickly and broke the tension. Maria felt her breathing ease as her attention shifted from one companion to the other.

"Take away all my fun, shy don't you. First, you take away my drinks, now this as well" Suna pouted and Maria felt a smile tug over her lips at the familiar banter. She had not realised just how much she had actually missed it.

It continued like that for a while and Maria took her time to bask in the emotions it brought forth inside her mind. The last few days she had remembered had not been the best so any comfort felt nice.

"So, how are you feeling now? Think you are good enough to leave this forest?" Suna asked, breaking away from her argument with Nao. She looked curious which was a good sign from the last time Maria had seen her.

"I'm ready to leave whenever. Well, as long as my body cooperates, that is." Maria tried to pick her body up but it held no strength. It must have been a funny feeling to see Maria so helpless in a safe environment.

Maria could see Suna trying to hold her smile back and even Nao looked entertained. The oracle was sure it had something to do with the safe environment they were in that brought forth the teasing mood between them all.

"I'll ask the cooks to prepare a special meal for you so that you can gain your strength back. The tourist cabin will pass through this forest in a few hours so we'll take it to get to the Grand Canyon" Suna informed Maria with a special focus on words.

Maria was sure that the rise they would be hitching would be free. Nao and Suna looked like they were in a mood to have retribution for all they had suffered from. It would be fun to see and also provide Maria with a much-needed rest.

The food was really good and it did help Maria gain the much-needed energy she had been lacking. Her stomach also appreciated the food Maria shoved inside it but she had moderated herself for the sake of her health.

And when the travelling company's cabin came, Nao made sure to scare them with every bit of energy she had. As luck would have it, the cabin staff had some familiar faces in them and seeing Nao and Suna in front of them, relatively unharmed, freaked them out.

So they had a ride that took them all the way to the Grand Canyon's outskirts. But that was where the journey ended for them.

"You're not going inside the city?" Suna asked for the fifth time in fifteen minutes. It was weird for a travelling company to do this because Maria was not sure if it was abnormal or not.

None of the other travelers looked invested in entering the canyon as well which made Maria think that it might have been the norm. But there was a tense air around the travelling group which seemed unusual.

"Y-You actually want to enter the canyon? Are you out of your mind?" A traveler asked, surprised by coloring his features as he took in their group. And he was not the only one surprised either.

Most people looked at them like they had lost all their brainpower which was disturbing. Maria did not enjoy being looked at like a freak.

Well, any more than she was anyway. Having someone look at you like you had lost your head was a weird thing to see but Maria was more interested in the reason behind the subtle fear she saw in the group's eyes.

"You don't have to escort us if you don't want to. We can go ahead from here ourselves" Nao replied as she jumped out of the cabin with Maria and Suna in tow.

The rest of the passengers watched the trio walk away to a certain death even without realizing it.

After all, everyone knew that the Grand Canyon was something you appreciated from the outside, not walk inside if you value your life.historical