Meanwhile, within the outskirts of Linuxinia...
The woman's long, dark hair flew in the breeze. Her chipped violet eyes scanned the mountain's wild vegetation. Wind whispered through the rustling leaves. The aroma of earth and wildflowers blended with fresh grass. The distant waterfall echoed, adding to the tranquil symphony of nature around her.
The moon shone brightly among the stars. Trees swayed. In the distance, the distinct mountains shifted in shape.
A mild, passive look fell on her face. She slowly turned her head toward the glowing moon, her gaze following its light. The evening breeze carried the woman's scent, a fluorescent hue, and brushed it against the tall grass field as it traveled toward the crisp, sparkling sea.
She swung her hand before her face, dismissing the thought.
"What a baffling sight. My, the view is mesmerizing. I wonder…"
She inclined her head, then slid down the slopes toward the tree-lined path. Her plaid attire brushed the dirt and soft grass as she descended.
The woman shook her head and exhaled with excitement as she rushed over the hills to the city.
"I sense a familiar presence…."
* * *
Tables, chairs, and bookshelves were scattered. Papers flew, walls cracked, and the lantern crashed. Ames' soft black paws slid as a chair skidded near him.
The black cat tilted upward and saw the bottom of the table looming above him. The situation grew disastrous. Asahi's voice bounced over the walls.
"It's your fault. Why did you even bring us here?"
Followed by scrambling and shuffling noises. Aletha's piercing screams bounced back.
"No, it's not!"
"Yes… It is!"
Ames darted across the ground, his paws scurrying swiftly as he dodged the feet of the clashing giants above. Locking his gaze on the door, he moved quickly and agilely, reaching safety just before the table nearly crushed him.
Ames met a tall pink-haired giant cowering behind a box, and another with long brown hair. His blue eyes stared through them as Ames thought,
(Strange that such a giant should cower to the likes of master Asahi…)
Suddenly, the dark cat hunched to the floor and screeched, revealing his sharp teeth.
Katib and Brunella glared at Ames, confused, thinking his screech was only a warning. However, from Ames's perspective, he was reacting to an invisible force only he could feel.
(Ah, what… is this?)
A force pressed on his mind. It urged him to bounce off the walls, caught in a frenzy of hyperactivity. This mysterious force, known as The Sealed Beatific, seemed to originate from an ancient, hidden power locked within the land. It was said that this force could manipulate the minds of both creatures and beings, creating an uncontrollable urge to act with heightened energy and frenzied actions.
Ames' eyes shifted from blue to green as a green-haired giant approached, carrying luminous light. Her cyan eyes met Ames's as she hesitated, guilt weighing on her. She mumbled to herself while watching Ames rush about.
"What?! The Sealed Beatific affects animals, too?!"
With no other option, Kali sprinted after the hyperactive Ames, chasing him across the stairs in an urgent attempt to catch him.
"Block the door!" Katib hollered as he hurriedly raced to it and pressed his back against it.
His book flew to the ground, and Brunella's eyes darted to Katib; she gasped and rushed to seize the book. The shadows of the stairways cast over them, and green luminance leaked from the floor.
At last, Kali finally caught the hyperactive dark cat by grabbing him firmly around the midsection with both hands and holding him steady. She then swiftly pressed her luminance-shrouded hand onto his head. The only thought in Ames's head was…
(Move, up, down, left, right, speed, up-down, left-right, up-down left…) and so on…
The force had caught him in this trance. Ames' tail lowered. The green flare in Ames's eyes faded away to the original color. Kali whispered softly.
"Suppress the powers of The Beatific. Heal the wounds of ecstasy and slow the spread."
Ames slowly closed his eyes, inclined his head, and lowered his fluffy tail.
(Up… down… huh? What's… happening to me? I feel…)
The cat's tail draped over Kali's palm.
Kali smiled at Ames, gently patted his head, then set him by the box and whispered to him.
"You will be alright."
The door swung open quickly, tossing torn objects and knocking Brunella and Katib up the stairs. A green luminance emerged from the whistling door. Kali gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and immediately raced to Katib and Brunella. She asked.
"A..Are you okay?"
Katib's emerald eyes shrank in fear. The gusts from outside pushed his pink hair back; green luminance covered both their faces. Kali leaned over to him and rubbed his ear. Suddenly, Katib alerted and pointed to the doorway.
"Over there! My book is caught in the blaze of the situation! Please, your majesty… do something."
Kali turned to Brunella and saw shock on her face. Kali started to ask what was wrong, but Brunella abruptly skidded back. In confusion, Kali took a deep breath and spoke.
"Is… s-something wrong?"
Brunella's face paled, her lower lip trembled, and she quickly pushed Kali away, screaming in a brittle voice.
"B-B…Behind YOU!"
A sudden warmth crept up Kali's back. She quickly spun around, her pulse racing as dread took hold of her.
"NO!"
Kali's eyes fixed on grimy, pulsating green vines wrapping around Asahi and Aletha, crushing them. Their false grins sent a shiver down her spine. Vines tightened relentlessly. Her heart pounded. Fear surged. Anger and desperation swelled as she helplessly watched.
Uncontrollable, unnatural laughter echoed around Kali, tears streaming down their faces.
It was nothing like Kali had ever seen.
"The Sealed Beatific…" Her lips trembled.
Asahi and Aletha's smiles vanished as the vines slipped off. More vines slithered to Kali, gripping her ankles. She forced an explosion through one vine, shredding it, but more appeared as she raced back.
"G…Get out of my… w-way…."
The strange vines hissed and screeched at Kali. All of them rushed to the floor and grappled all of Kali's body, tightening and squeezing dust out of her. Life drained out of her face as the vines attached and leached her energy. Before all her life could be drained, she spawned another orb and tossed it to the vines. The green light consumed and shredded half of the entity. It forced it to shriek and flail away.
As Kali caught her breath, more vines enveloped her.
Kali's hope, energy, and life drained as she struggled. Katib and Brunella were paralyzed with shock, stunned, and clueless.
"Your majesty!"
Asahi and Aletha were still recovering from the attack; They couldn't interfere, even if they tried. Just as they could regather their senses and sanity, a high-pitched, rounded, penetrating voice emerged from atop the stairs.
"Ooo, LOOKIE WHAT WE HAVE HERE!?"
Eight hundred red fluorescent light beams plummeted from the stairway and pierced straight through the vines. They quickly released Kali and slithered up the stairs.
The room was engulfed in a blinding red and green light; the interior trembled, and all the lights struck the strange vines, shriveling each one into ash and charcoal.
Kali was left unscathed; all her life was restored to her.
"H...Huh? Where did that come from?"
(TAP TAP TAP)
Footsteps echoed over the stairway. A blurry silhouette appeared, scattering light and plant-essence as she unleashed beams at the shrieking entity.
The aroma of flowers filled the air everywhere, from the room to the staircase.
Brunella, Katib, and Ames were rudely forced to enter the room because of the sudden emergence of greenery from thin air.
"AH! I GUESS THAT WASN'T ENOUGH!"
Asahi and Aletha raced to the doorway, only to find it covered in thick green vines. A bright green luminance pierced through the dense shrubbery. Kali grabbed the wanderers' hands and pulled them away from the blast radius.
"Get out of the way!"
Ames screeched and found Asahi resting against the furthest wall.
Smoke clouded the room. The stairway was drenched in plants. The rest of the people were afraid of this unknown individual who came out of nowhere.
As they covered under a table, Asahi tilted to Kali and asked.
"Who is that?!"
Kali shrugged.
"I… I don't know. But that girl's happiness energy is beyond my threshold. If not… their power is stronger than mine! I… know her…."
Her voice was cut short as she saw the vines propelled to a tiny hole in the right corner. The same ecstatic voice burst out from the flashes of light. Lethal beams charged into the room, crushing the entity and leaving nothing but twitching leaves behind.
"TAKE THAT FIEND!"
(Tap)
(Tap)
(Tap)
Footsteps grew louder. Katib crawled for his book but was stopped by a foot blocking the staircase. A sharp pain shot through his wrist; his eyes bulged. Brunella felt a sudden heat touch her heart.
"Katib!"
Asahi, Aletha, and Kali stared at the two glistening red high heels with a bright crimson bow attached to each ankle.
She had long, double-braided aqua-green hair, warm pink eyes, and wore a long white scarf with red stripes. Her plaid skirt swayed with her goofy moves, while her long, dark stockings caught the light. Her blue-striped shirt and purple undershirt flared as she moved.
She pranced around and happily clapped, celebrating her victory on the vines and dancing absolutely unnecessarily.
"Yay! TAKE THAT, SUCKER!"
Her aura exuded a sense of hyperactivity and silliness, an element that didn't quite fit the beauty of this girl. She hollered out as everyone cowered in concern.
"Alright, you people can come on out now!~ I killed the monster for you! Come on, I know you're here somewhere!"
She unhesitatingly tossed the entire bookshelf with just one hand. All the books slid and fell on Katib's head. Irritated and annoyed, Katib stepped up and screamed at the girl.
"Hey, those are my books! Don't touch them!"
Her pink eyes hurriedly darted to Katib. A smile bloomed over her face.
"OH MY GOODNESS! WHO are you?! YOU'RE SOOOO CUTE!"
Katib shivered in terror.
"W-What do you mean?"
The crazy girl dashed to Katib and wrapped her arms around him.
"AH!"
The pressure of her hug was too strong to handle, and he was coughing and suffocating from it.
Brunella crossed her arms and chuckled nervously. Kali was recovering from the drain of the vines, and Asahi and Aletha… were… absolutely confused.
Aletha asked as the chaos outside the table ensued.
"What's going on, Asahi?"
Asahi closed his eyes, exhaled with a tone of frustration, and replied with a whisper.
"I have no idea. So much is happening… at once…." He sighed deeply and felt Ames jump on his shoulder; his dark tail wagged back and forth.
Asahi continued while Katib fought for his breath.
"All I remember is that we awakened, fought for a bit, and got suffocated by strange vines. I don't understand anything at all--
Brunella slid over, waved her hand in the air, and interrupted.
"HEY! I'm sorry for interrupting you, but my friend is choking! Could you do something about it, dumb heads?!"
Kali sighed, sounding as if all her energy had vanished.
"Please, do something about that… girl. I wish I could do something, but I feel… so…" She collapsed to the floor and breathed heavily. "...weak."
Asahi grabbed Kali's wrist, smiled lightly, and whispered with a gentle tone.
"Don't worry… I'll ask her." He gestured to Aletha. "Come on, sis. Get out from the table!"
As the girl and Katib continued to 'hug,' Asahi and Aletha raced hurriedly out from the table and skidded their feet on the plat-consumed ground.
All they could hear were the loud, cheerful screams of the girl and the choking from Katib.
"So cute with your tiny, winy ears! Awww…"
Katib had just enough energy to see the wanderers. He whimpered as he felt the girl's body crushing him.
"H-Help… m…me…."
Asahi nodded and stepped forward, approaching the girl. He snapped his fingers and mumbled.
"Hey…"
The girl was still squeezing Katib's breath out like a loose train.
(I guess I need to speak a little louder…?)
Asahi closed his eyes and expressed a little louder.
"Hey… could you…"
The girl happily giggled, squeezed Katib, and rubbed her face over his hair. She didn't even twitch at Asahi's voice.
. . .
After five seconds of trying to gain the crazy girl's attention, Asahi stomped his foot aggressively on the ground and raised his voice.
"HEY!"
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
The girl's pink eyes immediately darted to Asahi. Her breathing grew ragged, weakening her grip, and she released Katib from her arms, dropping him roughly onto the jumbled pile of books.
As Asahi's menacing eyes pierced through her soul, his arms crossed, and his ears twitching with irritation, a faint red blush crept over her face.
. . .
Instead of Asahi speaking and ruining his threatening posture, possibly making her loud again, Aletha stepped in and asked the girl.
"Hey, could you settle down?" Aletha used her 'soft' voice to persuade the girl, "You almost suffocated that boy to death. I know you saved us and all… but could you tone it down a bit?"
The girl remained silent, staring at Asahi's eyes. Aletha squinted and continued.
"Just who are you anyway?"
No response. Only a stare.
While the wanderers and the girl have a "staring contest," Katib raced across the pile of books, shuffled back to Brunella, and retrieved his extraordinary book.
"Thank goodness it's not damaged…."
Brunella shook her head and smiled. Though she may be grumpy sometimes, at least she has a tiny smidge of light in her. As Katib skimmed through the empty pages, Brunella crossed her arms and asked Katib while her eyes were on the ceiling.
"Are you alright? Is your health in good condition?"
Katib nodded slowly, a wry smile on his face.
"Yes… It is. All the pages are fine."
Brunella grinned and tilted down to Katib, showing a look of relief all over her face.
"Good."
. . .
Ames squinted his eyes at the girl and shook his head. His paws grappled onto Asahi's shoulder, his whiskers flung upward, and his tail wagged against Asahi's hair. Ames thought as the Asahi, the girl, and Aletha stood in utter silence.
(My concerns for my master... are rising at an alarming rate.)
Asahi heard everything Ames said. He replied to the black cat while fiddling with his fluffy ears.
(It's alright, Ames. Don't worry so much about me. I have this under control.)
Ames purred and wagged his tail.
(Understood, master.)
Aletha's eyes broadened, and Asahi's intimidating stance vanished. She whispered as the girl slowly lifted her arms.
"Asahi, you didn't…."
Suddenly, the girl broke her silence, pointed to the ceiling, struck a strong pose, and responded to Aletha's question in a confident, hyper-voice.
"I'm glad you asked that!" She snapped her fingers, a glimmer formed in her eyes, and her red skirt flew upward. The girl twirled around, winked at the room, and announced.
"MY NAME IS PRIDIALOIA YUKOTASH BRUNKSI-- but you can just call me Pridia!"
Everyone in the room jumped in shock. The moment was all too sudden for the wanderers to process.
"I come from far, far lands, and I'm here to spice things up and save the day!"
Kali glared at the girl, crossed her fingers, and shouted angrily.
"Stop lying. You came from this nation!"
Pridia stuck her tongue out, twirled a dozen more times, and mocked Kali while making hand gestures.
"Ugh… gosh, this ruler is boring. Okay, fine! I'll introduce myself once again."
She kicked Kali from across the room. Her long aqua-green hair fluctuated and spun.
"REDO! O… KAY! MY NAME IS--"
Brunella slammed the door, probably irritated by her loud voice that echoed over the walls. Her voice never sounded interesting.
"Just get to the point…."
"...My name is Pridia! I'm a divine envoy of the nation of Linuxinia and serve as this nation's accomplice. Linuxinia is renowned for its mystical landscapes and is a hub of ancient knowledge and power. A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!
After Pridia's chaotic, silly introduction, everyone in the room, including herself, knew that all she said was lies.
It even made both the wanderers ask Pridia the question…
"How in the world did YOU save us?"
Pridia's face flushed red at what she thought was an insult. Instead of her gentle, fluctuating actions, there were sharper and more aggressive ones. It's almost as if she had something else to share. While her face flushed red, she jumped up and down, screaming.
"Eh?! Do you know how much trouble I went through to get here? I raced someone across the entire city and won fair and square."
Kali pressed her lips together into a thin line and rolled her eyes. A deep sense of irritation stirred within her as she dealt with Pridia. It wasn't just Pridia's over-the-top energy that got under Kali's skin.
Kali wasn't just annoyed by Pridia's current antics; she was also reminded of all the times when Pridia's exuberance had complicated situations they faced together.
Their personalities clashed sharply—Kali's measured approach versus Pridia's chaotic cheerfulness—making every encounter a test of Kali's patience.