In-Between Disparity
Their boards appeared out of thin air. To the untrained eye, their exteriors seemed welded with azure oak. But as the Puyos began to fall, Ringo noticed their ornate features. Carvings along their sides depicted magic duels beyond her wildest dreams of magnificent magicians slaying dragons, angels, demons, and gods.
She had no time to ponder their meaning as she set her deep green Puyos on the left corner of her board. A quick glance over at Arle made her nibble on the inside of her mouth. Her bottom row was already filled with green and purple Puyos. Arle's wrist rotated, her finger stabbing the stagnant air as she directed the Puyos down their columns. Blues and greens were piled neatly in the corner, followed by reds and violets, a colorful spectrum of destruction.
Taking initiative as Arle stacked, Ringo fired off a short chain. Lightning shot out from her fingertips to the top of Arle's board, but Arle did not stir at the garbage Puyos falling down her board. The nuisances, which would have made Ringo frown, neatly covered each column and forced Arle to start a new chain. She carried on as if Ringo hadn't acted.
Ringo focused on her farthest columns. While she would need to add more Puyos to replace the ones she lost in the center, she stacked up blues on greens, then greens on violets, creating a staircase-like chain. When she decided it was enough, she smirked, but the silence made the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention, and she slammed down her last Puyos, the chain popping to fill the deathly quiet void.
She counted aloud with each pleasant pop. Electricity crackled around her hands, fueled by magic swelling around her. Such as it was with Puyo battles. All magical necessities were summoned just in time for her spell, and she snatched her textbook out of thin air, shouting, "Integral!" She thrust it forward to spear a plethora of lightning bolts to the top of Arle's board, shaking it with the force of a thunderclap.
Nuisance built. Ringo clenched her fist, unable to contain her joy. She had enough to block off Arle's defense. She knew she couldn't remain idle and stacked. At the moment when the Puyos should have fallen, Ringo held her breath.
Arle merely held up her hands. Indifference etched on her features, but her scoff irked Ringo. Arle mocked her. It insisted she was not on the same level.
"Void Hole," Arle said, summoning colorful, glimmering stars above her board. They covered the nuisance and wrapped around them like a lasso to cattle.
The gasp Ringo emitted elicited a chuckle from the back of her throat. "Now, now, don't get flustered," she jeered, peering at her out of the corner of her eye. "That was only one use of my super move. I can still use it twice, but I figured I'd show it off now to cement the imbalance between us."
"Y-you can't just-! So early in the ga-!" Ringo cut herself off, misplacing a blue Puyo on top of a red one. "Oh, darn!"
"Not to worry. Your garbage is still here. It simply won't fall until the time limit expires," Arle explained. As her Puyos reached the top of her board, she snapped her fingers and launched her counterattack "Unless I decimate them now."
Ringo swallowed thickly. Arle counted every pop, bringing her closer to the end of the match. Ringo frantically rotated, her wrist aching as she fervently tried rectifying her mistake. She popped extras near the top and shoved them high above each other, but the chills racing down her spine refused to stop.
She stole a glance at Arle as soon as she said ten. Golden yellow magic gathered in her right fist, and Ringo prepared herself for the onslaught of nuisance. She could counter for the most part, but-!
Wait, what the heck?
Ringo's textbook slipped from her hands. She sucked in a gasp so sharply that her teeth ached. Arle charged at her, eyes flaring and air sizzling as she darted. Ringo jerked her head from left to right, stricken with dread, unable to defend herself. Arle thrust her palm forward. Ringo was blinded with a force like a sunspot, and she howled as Arle unleashed her power.
"Eclipse!" she boomed, stars and crescent moons bursting from her uppercut.
Ringo's entire body burned. She was launched backwards, heels clipping the ground and flipping her over. Heat entombed her, carving through her skin right down to her muscles. She writhed, unable to feel the impact of her body slamming into the ground, followed by the nuisance Puyos barging through on her board.
She gagged on saliva and peeled her eyelids apart. Her teeth chattered from involuntary spasms of her jaw. Weak, strangled groans escaped her throat. Her fingers twitched as she felt the cold, unfeeling plane below her. She stared at nothingness, her mind blank, her body numbing itself as Arle's laughter penetrated her ears.
"Did you honestly believe I would play by your rules?" she wondered, clapping her hands. Immediately, both boards were free of all Puyos. Her heels clicked on the ground and pounded in Ringo's head. Wiggling her fingers, she snatched Ringo's tie and heaved her to her feet. She hoisted her in the air, the taller girl realizing how small she was in comparison to the bulky armor the doppelganger donned.
"Wh-what-? You-?" Ringo gulped back a slimy wad of phlegm with the faintest hint of copper. "You can't...do that…" Her pathetic sentence brought shame to her expression, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Have you even been to your Arle's world? No?" Arle snickered, lips curling. "Then, you truly don't know the rules of this game. Anything goes. Whether you attack the board or your opponent is up to you." She dropped Ringo, the thud of her back smacking into the ground satisfying her. "Get up. You have one more round to lose."
"No, no, no, no," Maguro chanted, falling to his knees.
Smoke wafted from the grass where the doppelganger and Ringo once were. It fizzled and filled his head with nausea. His hands trembled, suddenly too cold to even grip his kendana. He plunged his fist into the earth, sinking into the soil as if that would bring Ringo back.
"No, no, no, c'mon. This isn't-this is not happening. This is-it's a dream," he announced to the ground. A smile twitched on his face. "That's it. That's gotta be it. I-this whole stupid-it's all been a dream. There are no weird things about my friends' ages being frozen or reddish pink doppelgangers or destroyed dimensions or Ringo vanishing. I'll just wake up, and I'll-"
"What I would give for this to be a nightmare," Satan interjected, leering at the shuddering boy, "but you can't rescind reality."
Satan's words knifed him in the back. Maguro's spine arched as he jerked his head up. He gnashed down on his molars, brows furrowing and coming together. He pushed off his knees, memories of the day, which had bottled up inside of him, tormenting him as they played in his mind's eyes.
He never should have let the doppelganger into their lives. She had done nothing but plague them. Not even teaching them about super moves or playing video games could help her case if she wanted forgiveness. What she had done was drag his best friend to a realm where he could not follow, the distance between them too vast for his human brain to comprehend, but as he glared in the devil's eyes, he knew Satan understood.
"Bring Ringo back! You're omnipotent, right? If you can fight a god or fight that Arle to a standstill, then it shouldn't be so hard to find Ringo and bring her home!" he commanded, pupils constricting and heart pounding.
Satan observed the child, his own arms trembling. "Had you idiots not housed her, had you not played with her, then your friend would be safe and sound in your dimension," he snarled, jabbing a sharp fingernail at Maguro's chest.
Maguro recoiled, disgust in every word. "Us? You're blaming us for being nice to a stranger? Did that crazy girl's attacks burn your brain cells or are you-?"
"You feeble-minded brats allowed her to stay!" Satan roared, snatching Maguro's shoulders. He gripped him so tightly that Maguro yelped, kendama falling from his grasp. He shoved him away, breathing through his teeth, and he raked his fingers through his hair.
He paced away as Risukuma steadied Maguro, who immediately bent over and grabbed his kendama. Glancing at the distant residue of the fire, he realized the smoke was nearly out. The sirens were fading, and the commotion was ceasing. Interest in the blaze waned except for stray reporters only he could hear as they were miles from the once fiery chaos.
He had been too late, just as he was in that other world. If he had been faster, if he had cast a spell before the doppelganger could even blink, it would have ceased before it began. Even if he earned the ire of middle school teenagers for the rest of his immortal days, then he'd welcome their hatred with open arms.
"Do you know how hard I tried keeping that-that-that monster out of our realm?" Satan hissed, wings flapping out of spiteful instinct. "Do you know that she has the power to destroy cities? Or populations? Or if I was even the slightest bit distracted, then she'd happily slaughter me?" He stomped towards them. "Well? Do you?"
"Shut up! If you had done your job, then-"
"Do not blame me for your mistakes!" he boomed over Maguro, thrusting his arms out. Twin spirals of black energy coiled between his fingers. "I don't need a lecture from a mere child! You three buffoons brought this on yourselves! If you smartened up, then-!"
Satan lurched to the left and snatched the ball of Maguro's kendama before it could slam into his forehead. His magic burned through it, the plastic material melting into the grass. Watching Maguro yelp and losing all sense of decorum would have brought a smile to Satan's face had Ringo not been teleported to an endless hell.
"Did you honestly believe I would be defeated so easily by a toy?" Satan scoffed as Maguro clutched his kendama to his chest. "You didn't even channel magic into it. Then again-" He chuckled and cracked his neck. "-fools like you who grew up in a world without sorcery cannot hope to-!"
Risukuma lunged forward and stuffed a vial into Satan's mouth. It pierced the space between his teeth, and his tongue met an unparalleled sweetness. It was so saccharine that his face twisted, and his lips pursed until they were a mere crease. He gagged, trying to spit it out, but much to everyone's shock, Risukuma raised the vial and smashed it on Satan's brow. He toppled backwards, the force spilling the liquid down his throat, and he pawed at his neck, sharp fingernails grazing quickly paling skin.
"R-Ris? What?" Maguro sputtered, dropping his kendama.
As always, Risukuma observed. He paid Maguro no mind as his underclassman demanded answers. He watched his experiment unfold, beady black eyes shining. He took mental notes on how Satan clawed at the ground, unearthing clumps of soil and doing his best to induce vomiting.
But he would not. Risukuma ensured his hypothesis would be tested.
"Hello? Suzuran to Ris? Are you in there?" Maguro cried, shaking his arm.
"Remember today when Arle and I were alone in the lab? I had to make a gelatin for my cooking class," he explained, and out of the corner of his eye, he looked down at Maguro. "I lied."
"You-you lied? Why?"
"Because if that girl suspected my real intentions, then I have no doubt in my mind that she would, well, cause me great bodily harm."
Satan rolled over and clutched his neck and forehead. Blood trickled down his fingers from the vial's impact. It had already begun to bruise, small pieces of glass dribbling in the rivulets. He choked and groaned, his chest convulsing, and he knew what a pathetic sight he was before the young mortals.
He raised his glare to Risukuma. His fangs gnashed together and cut through his lower lip. He struggled to his knees, his wings rapidly flapping, but he fell forward. He felt stripped bare and naked, weakness on display for their young eyes to witness, cementing the scene to their memories.
"You, how did you-?" He coughed. All that was cloying stuck to the roof of his mouth and suffocated him.
Risukuma crossed his arms behind his back. He leered at the remnants of his vial, reminding himself to pick it up later as to not litter. It would be cruel to the environment to leave waste behind, but the beast crawling on all fours before him he could certainly do without, and he narrowed his eyes, not unkind, but stern, filled with matched enmity.
When he was left alone with the doppelganger, he had never felt more afraid in his entire life. He had seen the world nearly come undone by Ecolo's desire to drown the world in Puyos. He had assisted in eliminating Puyos and Tetriminos when the Keeper of Dimensions lost his way.
But it was nothing compared to the terror crawling up his spine by being alone in the presence of the doppelganger. She was power and horror incarnate. She was a being science and logic could not define. Risukuma could reason with anyone or any situation that marred his path on his journey, but she was an anomaly, an outlier who impeded his life and forced him to preserve his calm with a mask, one he pressed so tightly on to his face that it could have been welded.
"I had been planning on having Arle drink this," he admitted, Maguro's face falling.
"You didn't trust her at all," his friend plainly remarked.
"Of course. Her story made no sense to me. With what we know about our Arle and her world, it's an absolute fallacy," Risukuma replied, and he crouched in front of Satan. "That's why I need proof for my hypothesis, and you, Dark Prince, are my answer." As Satan gagged and dragged his claws through Risukuma's coat, shredding through it, he asked, "What is your real relationship with the Arle Nadja from a world that no longer exists?"
Pain seared Ringo's flesh, but she refused to surrender. She wobbled as she stood. Her body felt like the gelatin Risukuma was trying to perfect in his lab. What she would give to go back to that lab and eat his sweets, laughing the afternoon away with him and Maguro.
She'd even welcome Arle, or so she thought.
She gnawed on her lower lip and willed the tears away. Crying would not save her. She had no choice but to fight with all her might, lest she wanted to remain trapped in nothing but a white void.
Her scuffed shoes kicked her textbook. Her back popped when she tried reaching for it. A meager whimper escaped her, and she cursed her fragile frame, her skin redder and bruised from only one strike.
Arle watched the display and sighed. It was pitiful. Any magic student who could not withstand one blow was left for the zombies' pickings.
But she bit back her insults. Her stomach tied itself in knots as Ringo tried again only for her arm to spasm. Ringo fell to her knees, her ringlets losing their natural curl. She pawed at the book and dragged it to her chest, Arle's innards churning at the sight, but she quickly jerked her attention back to the empty board before her when Ringo loosely turned her head to her.
Ringo growled. She would not receive pity from the witch who tormented her. All Arle knew how to do was sink in her miserable quicksand and cling to anyone who came too close to help her. Then, she would drag, drag, drag them down until they were engulfed, waiting for the next sucker, and she was the fool who reached out her hand.
"Are you ready?" Ringo wheezed.
"Are you?" Arle smirked.
She squinted. "I have my wits, and they're better than a magic-addled moron like you can conjure."
She clicked her tongue and jabbed her finger at her board, Ringo mimicking her. "I'm glad your spirit isn't broken yet!"
"I'll start the game! Let's battle!" Ringo shouted, her textbook glowing as she raised her hand to the neverending sky.
Two red Puyos fell on both boards. Arle grinned. Fortune smiled upon her as she whisked them to the side. They were followed by two more red Puyos, which she immediately popped.
"Labyrinth!" she called, clasping her hands together. Power swelled within her, the bells of victory chiming in her head. One more strike would annihilate her enemy.
Nuisance Puyos fell on Ringo's board, catching Arle by surprise. Even as they careened down on Ringo's already aching skull, she continued rotating on top of them. She persevered, building her tower to the heavens, one which would likely end with her filling to the top of her board.
Why didn't she clear them at the start? Arle thought, irritation pinching her neck.
Ringo grinned to herself as she caught Arle's gaze. Her smile met her eyes, pushing them into a squint, which would have appeared natural on Arle's face. But on a face as soft and sweet as Ringo's, it bordered on uncanny for the lines bunching up around her mouth, and it even jarred enough Arle to misplace a green Puyo.
"Time to swap!" she announced, punching the air as her chain went off.
"Time to-wait, hold on! What are we swapping?" Arle shrieked, her face and confidence falling.
The boards flipped around. Strange, multicolored blocks began drifting down her field. They were numerous, and yet, other pieces had so few connected to them. They stacked together, clacking so thunderously that it filled the entire void, and Ringo eagerly placed them, her popping Puyos launching to the top of Arle's board from the previous puzzle.
Arle gawked, awkwardly jabbing pieces in places. Holes were present in her build. Was she supposed to pop them? Or elongate them? Confusion dawned on her, realizing that she hardly fathomed what these hard rectangular pieces were or what power they could unleash!
"Yes! Tetris!" Ringo exclaimed, slicing the air with her textbook.
Electricity crackled as it smashed into Arle's board. The nuisance was too much. One false move, and it would spell game over for the round. Arle shot her arm up, using her super move much to her chagrin. The stars vibrantly illuminated the gray Puyos, their soulless eyes boring down on her as their boards suddenly turned back around.
"What's a Tetris?" Arle cried, her mess of a chain mocking her.
Ringo gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, you don't know?" she sneered, continuing to rotate her Puyos. She flipped open her textbook as the final Puyo nestled into place. "It's like Puyo Puyo, but the puzzle is different. You should study more instead of lashing out at others who want to help you."
Ringo's insult stung, but in the time she took to listening, Arle failed to connect her chain. Naturally, she jerked her arms up, but she gasped. She'd be wasting her super move, and the harsh reality that she had been deceived by a middle school girl rained upon her with such intensity that she screamed and smashed her heel into the ground.
The nuisance Puyos crashed upon her as soon as her spell ceased. They smacked her skull, shoulders, and neck. They forced her to her knees. She gripped her head with both hands, yelping as they bludgeoned the backs of her knees and legs. She collapsed on her chest, cheek pressing against the cold ground as Ringo brought an apple out of her pocket and juggled it.
"You know, if someone had spent their time learning how to T-spin instead of plotting a revenge scheme for the past five hundred years, then that someone wouldn't have lost the round, eh?" Ringo jeered, controlling her panting.
"You lousy cheat," Arle hissed, leering up at her.
"How can you call me a cheater when you attacked me first?" Ringo paused. "Then again, we never set our perimeters for this game. Anything goes, remember?"
Arle scoffed. She had a point. She admitted her own hypocrisy and stumbled to her feet. Brushing stray nuisance off her shoulders, she cracked her neck and stared at Ringo, who evenly returned her gaze.
"You're crafty," she said.
"I've fought my fair share of baddies," Ringo replied, grinning. She pocketed her apple and thumbed through her textbook. "So, since we're taking a quick breather, let me ask you something."
"The floor is yours." Arle glanced at the ground. "Then again, the only tangible thing here is a floor."
Ringo giggled. Arle was unbelievable. Attacking her one second and joking the next, it almost felt normal. They were both girls who lived unbelievable lives, so she supposed the fading tension was merciful.
"What will you do if you win? Are you really going to trap me here forever?" she asked, hoping for some semblance of reason.
Arle snapped her head up. Disgust ran through her bloodstream and pumped into her heart. Hadn't she distinguished the reason for their battle? She wanted Ringo to know the suffering she endured firsthand. For her to demand that she move on, putting the past behind her when the last five centuries consisted of her wasting away in isolation, Ringo had a lot of nerve to suggest otherwise.
Arle wanted nothing more than to break those nerves until all Ringo felt was pain.
"Do you know what it means to lose everything?" Arle seethed, nose wrinkling and eyes shining like fire.
Ringo swallowed. She fiddled with the spine of her book.
"Of course you don't! Someone like you could never understand!" Arle smashed her heel into the ground, but it refused to break. "Now, end your inane babbling, and let's settle this for good!"
"Guess you really will," Ringo whispered as Arle faced her empty board.
The same trick would not work twice. She had only managed to sneak in a Tetris match based on Arle's arrogance and lack of understanding. Arle would possibly rush over and do something so unspeakable to her that she dared not contemplate it. She tried controlling her breathing again, but her fear motivated her to suck in quick, sharp gasps.
She thought of home, and the final round started.
To be tricked by two mortal boys was the deepest humiliation. His words betrayed his mind. Honesty slipped out of him faster than he could gouge his vocal chords. Each answer was spoken as the truth without the slightest hint of deception, his belly sick with cloying sweetness, the urge to vomit swelling inside of him.
"I knew it," Risukuma quietly mused, gripping his chin.
Maguro's heart stopped. He glanced between Satan and Risukuma. Slack-jawed, he tugged at Risukuma's sleeve and asked if Satan had lied.
"No. My formula will work on anyone," he explained, "regardless of their status as a human, monster, or devil. Lying is an impossibility in this scenario." He peered down at Satan. The bloodlust he sensed was palpable in the humid air. "Now, I will ask the same question, and I expect the same answer. Thus, it will destroy any doubt in our minds. What is your real relationship with the Arle Nadja from a world that no longer exists?"
Satan barked out a laugh. It cracked and splintered through their ears. He grabbed his neck and dug his claws into his flesh, the sight unnerving for Maguro and Risukuma. He did everything in his power to quiet his tongue, but syllables and vowels worked together to overcome the pressure on his throat.
"The relationship between the Arle Nadja from a world that no longer exists and I is-" He breathed in, but his words were quickly muffled by a crackling cacophony breaking around them.
"What the heck?" Maguro shrieked, and Risukuma jumped back, throwing his arm out to protect him.
A portal opened between them. Stars and comets dashed within the black hole. Familiar voices cried out, becoming louder until figures rushed through and collapsed on the grass. Limbs flailed and bodies rolled. Some grunted, others laughed. Colorful hair and clothing popped against the forest, but the stench of rot immediately frightened Maguro and Risukuma.
Amitie gasped as she raised her head. The eyes of her Puyo hat rapidly blinked. She surveyed her surroundings, wondering if she was still within the Woods of Nahe, but no, the foliage was not as dense or thick. There was no inclination that a battle had ensued. No scorch marks, icicles, nothing. Just spry trees and the body of Raffina.
She blinked.
Her mouth fell open in a scream. "Raffina!"
She hurried to her friend. Her speed was matched by Sig, who scampered over and knelt by her. They exchanged a quick glance, ignoring the voices of the ones behind her. Taking a breath, Amitie snatched Raffina's hand and examined her face.
Meeting Amitie and Sig were soft baby blue eyes. Raffina stared up at them. Amitie likened her to a statue with how eerily still her gaze seemed, but her hand was warm. She noticed Sig take Raffina's other hand in his claw, rubbing his talon-like thumb across her bruised knuckles.
"Raffina, can you hear us?" Amitie whispered.
"Raffina, are you sleeping with your eyes open?" Sig wondered, and he glanced at Amitie. "Did the spell work?"
"Oh, gosh, it must've! I mean, Ms. Accord couldn't be-!"
A sound rose from Raffina. It reminded them of a kitten cooing for attention. They tightened their grips on her hands. Slowly, they brought her upright, blocking out all sounds behind them.
Raffina turned her head to Amitie, then to Sig, and back to Amitie. She withdrew her hands and stared at them. Her fingers twitched, blood beginning to circulate in her frigid digits. The stillness of her her friends to the very bone, but it was the sudden wetness to her eyes which silenced them. Thick tears formed in the corners, threatening to fall, but not quite. She held on to them, her chest rising and falling, whispering their names like her final message.
Her dam burst.
"Raffina! Oh, Raffina! You're awake!" Amitie sobbed as Raffina clung to them, burying her face in their shoulders when she dragged them close.
Raffina's wailing overpowered their consolation. She had been forced to slumber, waiting to die without a shred of grace or dignity. She had come to know how the witch's victims felt in their final moments. Powerless, isolated, at a loss with themselves as their eyelids grew heavy, the witch's cruel visage embedded behind their eyelids when they finally closed on the world.
She almost died. Raffina almost ceased to exist, almost became one with nature in the darkest parts of the woods. Only her hysterics affirmed she was alive. Not her friends' arms around her, not their tears on her neck, just her own dismal howling.
Accord rushed to her precious students. She enveloped them in her embrace. Her long sleeves covered them, and she shushed them. She whispered that it was over. Brushing through their hair, she gently pried Amitie and Sig from Raffina, taking her into her arms like a mother would for her daughter.
"It's over, my dear. It's over. You don't have to sleep," she murmured, Raffina's crying muffled to her chest. "You're awake and among the living. Isn't it grand, Raffina?"
As the denizens of Primp Town congregated in their relief and sorrow, Ecolo frowned. This was not how they anticipated the reunion. There was supposed to be cheering and excitement. A flourish of gratitude and a rush of Puyo battles should have been commencing!
Instead, the crying sickened them to their stomach. The sense of mortifying solace overwhelmed their thoughts. No catharsis, no joy, nothing.
And where the heck were Ringo and Arle?
"Um, I think I came back too late," they said, flashing a grin at Risukuma and Maguro.
Risukuma straightened as if struck with lightning. "You...think?"
"What...what did you do?" Maguro hissed. "What did you do, Ecolo?"
"Nothing, nothing!" They shook their paw-like hands. "Believe me, I did not cause a calamity this time. Only that guy did," they said, pointing to Satan. "Uh, speaking of whom, why-?"
"And who is that girl? She's, um…" Maguro was at a loss of words.
The young woman was skeletal. With matted, blonde hair, cuts and bruises along her body, a dress torn asunder, she appeared like she had risen from the grave. Her entire body trembled, eliciting pity from the Suzuran students, their flash of hatred quelled by her dismal appearance.
They watched as she looked through them with glassy eyes. Risukuma assumed she was watching the Primp trio and their teacher, her expression gaunt and neutral while she observed. It also seemed like she did not know her location. Then again, if Ecolo had brought her, they understood her confusion. Ecolo had never explained themself before vanishing and returning with other friends, but the poor girl was another mystery for them to solve.
The decaying fungal scent emanating from her clothes let their thoughts run wild. Risukuma theorized wild answers about her identity, but Maguro brought his attention back to Raffina. He had never heard her wail with such passion and clamor in his life, her face streaked with tears, the veins in her neck bulging as she sobbed.
"Do you think she's like…?" Maguro vaguely gestured at the spot where Ringo and Arle once knelt.
"That is...a possibility, but she arrived from Primp," Risukuma murmured.
"Hey, quit whispering! I was just about to tell you guys about her!" Ecolo spat, crossing their arms up. They sighed, a glob slipping from their mouth. "She was supposed to be a gift for our special guest from that lonesome void, but I guess she and Ringie left us in the dust." They kicked the air and huffed, "Bummer."
"Bummer? Did you say 'bummer?'" Maguro asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Ecolo laughed. "Sure did, Pretty Boy! What-?"
CRACK!
Ecolo's jaw shot sideways. Slobber coated Maguro's fist as he connected with their face. Amitie screamed behind him. Ecolo smashed into the dirt, their body jostling and sparking before collapsing into an electrical, dripping husk. Maguro breathed heavily, raising his other fist, but Risukuma looped his arms around the shorter boy and dragged him in the air.
"No! Nope, nope! You are not doing this, Maguro! We do this scientifically or not at all!" Risukuma barked.
"Don't say that when you glassed Satan! You and I both know it's all their fault why Ringo is gone!" Maguro kicked his legs as Ecolo reformed, shock glistening in their round eyes.
What had they done wrong in the span of a few minutes? Ecolo's mouth ached. They winced and squeezed their eyes shut. Ichor rolled around on their tongue.
Really, what did they do? All they wanted was to bring in the final thrill to the game. They thought they had been swift enough. They assumed they had connected all pieces, but no, the puzzle had been smashed by the time they returned.
This isn't...the happy ending that should be happening. Why? What's going on? Ecolo thought, gagging on drool.
"Boys, please!" Accord rushed to their side. She touched Maguro's forearm, Popoi resting on her shoulder "No violence! My students have already endured much today. Why, one of them even-"
"Well, so have I! So has Ris! And so has Ringo! If Ecolo didn't get their sick kicks by bringing final bosses into our lives, then Ringo would still be here!" Maguro snarled, Risukuma setting him down and clutching his shoulders.
"Sounds to me that you two have been through a lot, too, meow," Popoi remarked.
"He just said that," Risukuma huffed, his wits at their end. "Please only speak if you have something productive to say."
Accord's smile tensed. She leered over her shoulder at Satan, then to Ecolo, who spat out a wad of what might have been blood. She could not tell based on the gooey black substance. "Then, there is much discussion to be had," she announced. "We need everyone's side of the story before we judge who is to blame."
Maguro uttered a frustrated cry. While he would have cared at any other time why Raffina continued whimpering, Ringo needed help. She was lost somewhere in the vast span of the universe, or perhaps, universes. Trapped with a monster only the Dark Prince could best, he feared the terrors Ringo endured without him. Tears welled in his eyes, refusing to be shed when Risukuma urged him to wait.
But before Accord could address the group, the Witch of Nahe stepped in front of Ecolo. She stared at them, Raffina's agonized crying causing her head to throb even harder. Amitie continued consoling her, her words helpless and hapless. She willed herself to inspect them and flinched when Sig met her gaze, his eyes jagged and cold, and she knew she was on the receiving end of a well-deserved retribution.
She could not surrender to them, not yet. She had questions for him. When her centuries of resentment and sorrow were quelled, only then would she allow them to serve her a platter of punishment.
Satan and the Witch of Nahe observed each other. In supplication, she fell to her knees before him. Her smile quivered, and she drew in a shaky breath, Raffina's rambling anguish ceasing the second she spoke.
"Headmaster? Principle?" she murmured. "Do you remember me? I was one of your students. I was in the same class as Arle. We took the final exam together." Her jaw trembled. "My name is...my name was Lala."
Lala. It was a name fitting for a young maiden who had known love. A long time ago, she had been a spry girl chasing after her hero. She had once been adamant and jubilant but painfully unassuming to the wiles of the Creator who craved the devastation of her world.
It was no longer the name suiting the Witch of Nahe. She besmirched and tormented the serenity of the forest with her whims and cruelties. She was warped by centuries of loneliness. She sought anything to relieve her woes, but none were pure enough. None were her beloved, none were her friends, none revived the dead souls lost on a planet that once existed in a realm all of its own.
She was a coward who had vanished from the great heroine's battle with the Creator.
And she knew she was damned when Satan closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, dipping his head, speaking honestly without the serum. "I have no idea who you are."