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These past couple of days have been peaceful and stress-free. I have told my sister what I looked like in the realm as she got to work on her drawing book. I got a bit curious and ask what she will do with the descriptions. She told me to be patient and wait until she was finished. That was frowning, but other things could keep me company while she completes it. One of those things is starting work back with Grunkle Ford. He told me that he figured out an idea with the communication device. "... having it small and be a neckband or something might work ..." He would say in his explanation as he would go on another thinking habit and utter his thoughts out loud. After all of that, I voiced my ideas for the project and noted them all down.
That lasted in those past days, but at the same time, I made sure I had time to spend with Mabel so we could make up. Grunkle Ford was unsure at first but understood later down the line as time passed. So I'm glad I don't have to worry about two people at the same time.
As I lie on my bed- drifting off into the dreams of my world, I reopened my eyes to a vast space. I narrowed my eyes and sighed, noticing I was back in the realm again, floating next to the planet Earth. I took one last glance at it before shifting my gaze over at the gigantic sphere in the distance. I moved forward with my mind, giving orders to my movements carefully. I phrased through the shield and landed on the ground with little wobble steps. Right... I have different legs this time around. I shook my head before taking a step forward.
Once my foot touches the ground again, my surroundings disappeared into a pitch black void. I blinked and glanced around, wondering if this is the same occurrence as before. My deer ears lowered as I looked at the light in front of me. Let's get this over with. I walked forward and followed it, up until I was back into the same scene as before. I was in the same old forest back on Earth, glancing over to three people. My surroundings weren't grey nor did they seem to change into it immediately. Maybe it's because I have transformed and now it's enchanted. I heard their voices, recognizing them instantly.
I lowered my ears and followed behind, listening in. "Are we there yet?" My sister asked.
"Not yet," Gideon answered with a suspicious grin.
"Aw, when are we going to get there?" She cheerfully asked. I raised a brow, wondering what this vision is telling me.
"Soon." He answered, glancing over his shoulder at her before gazing over to my body. I widened my eyes as I saw myself falling behind. I looked back over to the two as they inched closer to one another. "You know what to do when we get there?"
"Yep. Hanging about?" She guessed in a whisper.
"Nope. We're leaving him in that one spot we found the other day." He whispered back. ... I could just find my way back to the shack...
"Oh. That one spot where I had to get you out with a stick and then needed more creatures to pull you out?" She assumed in a whisper.
"Yep. That one." He nodded with a smile.
"But ... wouldn't that be bad?" She asked, frowning a bit.
"It wouldn't be. Remember, we're teaching your brother a lesson, so this punishment is all he is ever going to get. We'll come back for him in the morning." He answered. "I'm sure he can survive one night, right?"
"I... I hope so." She nodded before glancing at my body, who was minding his business. She nodded once more, having an irritated expression spread across her face. She turned her gaze back to Gideon. "Yeah, he deserves it."
... What is this vision telling me? I halted and stared at the group in confusion. Why would I go with them in the first place? Was this a route where I avoided? No ... that wouldn't show up in the future predictions at all. Newer ones replace the old ones, and soon I would see a different pathway of the future. I sighed and turned around, widening my eyes. I saw my body stuck in some kind of liquid, similar to quicksand in those movies. However, instead of stinking, my body wasn't moving at all. I watched myself tried to get out of the substance but soon give up when night came.
I frowned, having the urge to pull myself out of there. I stepped back and watched time goes by. I would watch myself sleep; a little later, try to pull myself out some more, and do it on repeat until days went on and on. Soon I saw the dead corpse of my body. Wait. They... They never came. I pinned my ears as anger twisted on my face. I shook my head and calmed myself down. It's just one of the future routes that I might go down on. Maybe it's a warning for the future.
I stared at the corpse, frowning and turning around, stepping through the bushes, which I phrase through. I will take that warning and look out for any suspicion. I snapped out of the vision, scanning my surroundings as I was back in the Central Sphere. This time, no demon. Good. But not as good for long as I need to meet up with him for ... training? I lowered my deer ears, not looking forward to this.
I walked forward, heading in the direction of the Terminal. I recalled the vision in my head, questioning my sister's action. Do I really deserve to get stuck in some unknown liquid and eventually die there? Do I really deserve that kind of punishment? I shivered, hoping that isn't really true. It shouldn't be ... surely she forgave me already, right? I hope so. It's just that Gideon wants me dead that badly. I pinned my deer ears before halting my footing in front of the Terminal. I glared at it before glancing over at an annoying aura.
"Awaken on the wrong side, Pinetree?" The demon questioned, approaching me slowly.
"It's nothing really of a bother to you," I responded, glancing away and over at the panel as starry humans walkabout.
"Might be, who knows." He said before walking forward. "Let's get this over with."
I grunted quietly before following behind. We input our destination in the panel, hopping onto the hover bus the next. Silence was ever in these vehicles, but as time passed a bit, we arrived at the sphere. We exited it, walking out of the Terminal and underneath the atmosphere of the Spar Sphere. I observed the environment, spotting some s. starries sparring one another. Nervousness was abrupt within me, causing my steps to become gradual. I wonder how we're going to do this training process.
We entered upon an unclaimed area, boxed with a white, transparent fence around it. I watched a gate opened, allowing both of us to go through. Well, technology is so different here. If there's even any. I halted and stared down at the sand, becoming curious within seconds. Though it all disappeared at the sound of the demon's voice. "As I once told you before, powers appear after 15 years or more after transformation. So far, it's been 5 years."
5 days huh? That's enough for one of them to awaken, right? Wait ... one of them already awaken, and that's a passive ability, I think. Though I'm not so sure about that one. That vision might change base on actions that are happening around it. I shook a thought off before looking over at the demon, who stared at me with curious eyes. "Future Sight, huh?"
Great. Never mind that one. "I guess... though it happened before I even transformed," I mentioned.
"... True. But I bet it's powerful now, isn't it?" He guesses, lashing his tail behind him.
I narrowed my eyes, becoming wary of him. "Possible."
"Possible? More of an answer than that." He said, annoyance twisting on his face.
"All I got is possible," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"... Alright then-"
"Is that one of the new s. starries in the arena? Oh, I gotta watch this!" I snapped my head over to the strange voice, staring at a wolf-like humanoid, grinning and showing off all of their canine teeth. "How is he holding up, Blix?"
"Didn't begin yet, Mutt." The demon answered back in a rather snappy way.
"Oh? May I be the one to cause the start of this?" They asked, narrowing their eyes at me. I lowered my deer ears, frowning a bit. Like a wolf eyeing down its prey, and that's me so far.
"Even if I allow you, I think this one might go down in one hit." The demon responded.
"It's not about how much this one loses. I just want to see what this one has. The other two were boring, to say the least." They pushed on, leaning on the transparent fence. How- I don't even want to question it.
"Be my guess then." The demon said, turning away and over to the sidelines. Well great. Thank you, demon. I watch the gate opened as it allowed the s. starry to stroll right all in. They stretch out their limbs before halting in the center and turning towards me with their cheeky grin.
"Alright, newbie, let's see what you got." They uttered before I watched their paws ... hands, whatever lit up in white flames. I stared at them nervously, readying myself as my tail steadied itself. I know that I'm just going to fail right away. They rushed in forward, throwing in a punch. Everything seems to be in slow motion, confusing me a bit, but I didn't allow it to distract me too much. I used this chance to swiftly dodge the attack. Time was moving regularly again as I tilted my head in curiosity. Does it happen when an attack is coming forward?
The wolf-like s. starry glanced at me with half irritated eyes before throwing in another punch, but much faster than the other one. I barely moved out of the way as another punch slam right into my side. I winced from the impact as I was swept off of my feet and onto the ground. "Well ... less disappointing than ever." I heard them say.
"He is starting out, you know." The demon mentioned.
"Yeaaah, but I thought this one had spirit. I guess not." They said, sounding disappointed. I glared up at them and quickly got up to my feet, moving away from them in the process and almost tripping as well. Damnit, I'm not used to moving like this. Should I just know what my physical qualities are instead of seeking out the mental ones? One of my deer ears perked up instantly, alarming me of an incoming attack. I swiftly jumped out of the way, glaring at the s. starry who missed me. "However ... he is swift whenever he's not paying attention." They observed. "Maybe he's a fast s. starry."
An idea came into my mind, putting my thoughts into action. "Let's see if there's more than just that." They announced before engulfing themselves in white flames. They vanished instantly, making me confused. Flame Invisibility? So ... I gotta be aware of my surroundings ... I perked my deer ears, listening to anything that might be off-center. I shoved harshly before a punch knocked me out of my senses. Okay ... that didn't work. I shook my head and stumbled backward. I stared down at the floor, feeling sudden movements within the ground. Soon the vibrations became closer and more frequent.
I immediately moved out of the way, feeling the wind current brushing past behind me. Vibrations. Why didn't I thought of that before? From the frame on how they appeared, they know how to cause a lot of them. I felt another set of vibrations coming at me from my left, soon dodging at the right time. I quickly turned around, glaring at the s. starry who was becoming visible as the white flames uncover them. "Well, I didn't expect them to move out of the way when they weren't looking." They commented.
"Maybe you should get less fat." The demon suggested.
"Hey! I cannot change this form, you know!" They barked, glaring down Bill.
"It's just a suggestion." The demon grinned.
"Besides, I'm fit for this course. Why would that even relate to this sparring?" They questioned.
"You should know, but I guess that's your weakness after all." The demon responded. The wolf-like s. starry growled and squeeze their hands into fits. As they grew angrier, their appearance started to shift into a demonic look. I moved away quickly, making sure I was out of their attacking range. "Calm down it was just a simple observation."
"That's all you do." They hissed. I'm guessing we're done here since they lost their cool. That's ... really nice that I can feel the vibrations. Well, everyone can, but I can sense them quicker than before. I wonder what else I can awaken physically. I stood by the transparent fence, watching the two until I eyed the wolf-like s. starry, getting pinned down by air. I tilted my head, observing the scene. They were struggling to stand up as they snarled and thrash around to get moving from their spot. "Let me go." They snarled at the demon.
"No," Bill said, walking out from the sidelines. "I think that's enough for now..." He glared past me, staring at someone. I turned and flinched from the blue glowy-eyed s. starry, backing away from it. "... Great." I heard the demon hiss. I hate this minion thing that Gideon has going on. It's starting to creep me out. I glance back at the wolf-like s. starry that was slowly getting up on their own without the air forcing them downwards.
"Finally." They spoke, reverting back to their normal appearance. "What- Oh. One of the newbies decided to come over and watch us. How delighted." They added on, walking over to it. The mind-controlled s. starry backed up and walked away, moving past a foul creature. "Gidlax?! What are you doing here?"
"Just wondering how things are doing," Gideon answered, glancing over at me with a glare.
"W-Well ...-"
"And how dare you let out your anger on one of the new s. starry, do you know how much that cost me?" He hissed at the wolf-like s. starry.
"... S-Sorry..." They whimpered.
"Get out of my sight." He snapped. The s. starry nodded quickly, exiting the area, and fled away.
"What the f-ck do you want now?" I heard the demon cursed. I pinned my deer ears, backing away and over to my "guide."
"Relax, Bilx. All I did was come over to watch. I did want to see how he's been doing. Any troubles lately?" Gideon questioned.
"... None of that concerns you." The demon answered, glaring him down.
"But it does. You are in my sector, so it does concern me." He reminded him, returning the glare.
"So you need to follow us everywhere we go?" The demon asked.
"Exactly." He nodded.
"We're not going to do anything dangerous in your sector," I said.
"You are the trouble one, rat." Gideon snapped.
"... If I'm so trouble ... can't you trust him to watch over me?" I asked, glaring him down.
"You don't get it ... I cannot trust a starry human like him besides he may not handle you as I can." He answered.
I sighed, annoyed. I can't get peace in here, can't I? An idea pops into mind as I spoke it out, "What would make you stop following "us?""
"Nothing can, rat. Besides, I have all the time in this realm to watch over you. However, with the way you spoke towards me, I think someone needs a punishing what do you think, Bilx?" Gideon suggested.
"I think it's you if you won't stop following us." The demon hissed.
"Calm down, you don't need to ... to ... t-to..." He trailed off as terror appeared on his face.
"I'm dead serious. Even if the first occurs were fine, doing this repeatedly when I'm on an annoying ass job is getting repetitive. So excuse yourself and find another time that is better to visit Pinetree here." He snapped. Gideon backed away from the fence and took off quickly. I knew he would get fed up with Gideon's reappearance. Wait... he said starry human earlier. Does that mean his fake appearance can appear to certain s. starries? So ... I'll assume he scared him off with his real appearance.
Though ... that is unfortunate. I turned and glared at the demon. "Don't start it with me right now." He hissed.
"... Okay..." I sneered quietly before returning back to the lesson. I guess I can behave for now. We continued the training course at last as I was taught more than I knew about this place. There are certain particles in the air that most s. starries could sense, and they can use them to locate the next invisible target is at. That's another useful tool I could use, but I wasn't learning how to activate it. More of going over the basics in a fight rather than using it. I'm guessing we'll do that next time.
Time passed, and we split up in our own directions temporarily. The demon was getting tired and irritated by the minute, so he let me go. That's good. I could use a break here and there. And that break led me back to the forest sphere in sector 3. I stood outside of the Terminal, breathing in the fresh air before letting it out, already feeling calmer than before. I traveled deeper into the forest, observing the environment and the starry animals. I halted by a small stream, crouching down to feel it only to freeze up at a twig snapping.
I jumped back up to my feet and scan in the direction of the sound. I lowered my deer ears slightly before walking towards the fainted sound. I arrived at the twig as it was snapped in half. I glanced at it for a bit, hearing some quick footsteps behind me. Though I was too late to react as darkness instantly voided my vision. I woke the next, sitting up quickly and up to my feet to face the intruder who decided to appear. But there was no figure. Soon my focus was shifted to my surroundings. Confusion spread across my face as I gaze around the blue environment.
In a moment, my vision started to spin as it became much bluer than before. W-what- my trail of thought disappeared from my mind as my limbs slip away under my control. Something or someone was restraining my movements, forcing me into this unconscious state. Suddenly a memory flashed in the last wakes of my mind, a memory of someone's hand emitting a blue glow. As the hand grew more familiar, I recognized who was doing this entire process.
I felt the adrenaline rush within me, making me snap my focus into getting control once more. My legs stumbled back as I was shaking the mind control out of my system. I sense the contact with my hands on my face. I assumed I was trying to smack myself. It worked ... I think. Hey, I'm hearing my thoughts again! I blinked my vision, staring at the environment as the blue coloring vanished, returning to the original colors. "Not this time asshole," I mumbled under my breath.
My deer ears perked towards another sound, making me glance over to a figure who had those blue, glowing eyes. They hid behind a tree, probably running away to tell his highness that his f-cking mind control power didn't work. I felt anger rise within me as my stare shifted into a glare. Instead of going into extreme ideas, let's see if telling him that I'm making up with my sister will work.
If that doesn't help then I need to find another way to keep him off of me.
End of Chapter 8