Hey everyone!
First things first, I would like to apologise for the long, long pause I had with this project. Just... A bomb of events exploded nearby or something, I found rarely anytime to properly write and get my thoughts straight.
I'm hoping that from here on out, I will be able to focus more on my hobbies such as writing, drawing, reading... Yadi yadi ya, but what matters is more content! More content, yay!
*Cough* Sorry about that. So without further ado...
Enjoy!~
(Side note: Editing a 10k words chapter took almost a whole day, and the second read through took another. I apologise in advance for any writing mistakes if you were to bump into any.)
=-Hyperdimension Neptunia : Pursuing Perfection-=
=-Chapter 01: Absence of Halves-=
"Hiyah!" A courageous, determined war-cry resonated, echoing repetitively against the factory walls, with each imitation growing further and quieter. What followed was a sharp clank born from the clash of two blades, forcing one of the wielders to be pushed back aggressively and thus lose hold of her blade.
The blade or more precisely, the scythe flew across the building horizontally, digging deeply into a wall. It was far from reach now.
Vulnerable to any kind of attack, the un-armed eye-patched woman dropped to a knee. Her breaths were heavy and her body was exhausted and damaged. "Hmph… I seem to have underestimated you… CPUs." She spoke, eying certain four with fierce hatred.
"My… It seems that our concerns were out of place…" Green Heart mocked, elegantly holding her spear behind her. The woman's features were confident and underestimating.
"Hahaha! I can't believe we were all riled up about her revival, when she can't even put up a real fight! What a shame." Harsh, cutting words were none other's than CPU Black Heart's. The white haired goddess had a smirk cracking her features, resting her share-flooded sword on a shoulder. She turned to her divine allies and more precisely, Planeptune's Goddess. "And to think you were so uneasy before, Neptune."
The formerly addressed CPU sighed, boldly stabbing her purple blade into the ground "No need to remind me… Had I known she would be this weak, I wouldn't have bothered worrying…" Purple Heart narrowed her eyes, annoyed by her friend's teasing.
Two Hours Ago.
"Lastation, eh?" Soaring the skies with the eyes of a hunting eagle, White Heart spoke. She addressed the ear piece equipped before the start of the mission.
"Yeah, I just received a call from Kei saying one of the watching soldiers spotted Magic heading towards Mid-Company, south of Lastation." Black Heart confirmed, detailing the source of her information.
"Freaking hag… All right, I'll be there in about two hours."
"Heavens, Blanc, how unlike you to take so long." A deeper voice rang through the ear piece, making its source easy to distinguish, it was Green Heart. Not long after, the same remark was attended to by a serious, heavenly sound. "That's true, is everything all right, Blanc?" Purple Heart asked kindly.
"Hey, you know gaining weight won't make you less flat, right?" unexpectedly, it was the transformed workaholic who took a swing at the loweean's lady pride, following it with a not-so-innocent chuckle "You'll only look weird!"
"The hell did you just say to me?! You freaking loner!" Failing to remain cool –unlike the weather-, the axe wielder let out her true self, clearly bothered by her companion's words.
In the midst of the heat, the most level-headed of the four spoke up. "Okay, let's stop before this goes too far…" An annoyed sigh followed shortly after. "We'll wait for you then, just don't take too long."
"Tsh… You can just go in without me, you know?" Attempting to remain calm, White Heart swallowed her outrage, giving the green light for the three to engage once they meet up.
Unexpectedly, Neptune opposed to the most impatient idea, and remained true to her initial plan. "I don't want to repeat past mistakes, if we have a chance at finishing this right now, I prefer going all out."
"You mean you are scared, right?" Lastation CPU replied shortly after.
"If you define being careful as fear, then yes. I am very scared." Barely noticeable, a wave of irritation rode the purple lady's tone. She seemed awfully focused on the task at hand.
"All right enough chit-chat! Let's just finish this bitch and be done with it—" The divine axe wielder ran dry on patience, she clutched her weapon tightly and pointed it at the fallen villain. But only to be interrupted by a sudden crack in Magic's face… She was smiling. "Heh?! What's so funny!?"
Unlike the battle-oriented, aggressive White Heart. An abrupt shift befell the lavender CPU, waving at the three in an urgent manner. "Watch out!"
"Eat this you dumb broads!" unanticipated, a loud yell disturbed the share-fuelled-yonin , it's source a Green haired girl with grey skin, her features were hostile and rash. Not wasting any time on dramatic entrances, she threw a certain item at the winning side.
All four had their eyes on the cross-shaped matter, housing an evil, crimson aura. An Anti-Share crystal…!
"Watch out—Ughh…" unable to react on time, the white haired deity was disrupted by the instantaneous feeling drainage swarming not only her being, but all of Underling's opposing force.
The CPUs were forced to dropping on their knees, powerless under the immense pressure tightening on them. Magic used this opportunity to regain one's composure, clutching back her once-lost scythe and placing it before Purple Heart. She smirked, eying the incapable leaders. "Pathetic. You had victory right within your grasps, and you decided to dance foolishly around it." Retracting her blade over-head, the revived CFW's eyes shot open maniacally, she was an inch from flipping the tables once and for all. "Taste the ominous embrace of death, CPUs!"
"Not on my watch!"
An unexpected aching sensation disturbs the vengeful woman's features, causing her to stumble back, balance quickly escapes her.
As she lands her dramatic kick perfectly, the uninvited guest flips backwards beautifully, landing like a cat after falling from a tree. The CPUs were left looking at her heroic back. "I-I..ffy…" Neptune called out with all her strength as an attempt to warn the top guild-worker. "B…ehind you…"
It was instantaneous how the brunette reacted to her Goddess' admonition, shifting quickly behind her to catch a glimpse of an approaching iron pipe. "Haaaah! Take this you freaking tomboy!"
The katar wielder dodged a barrage of attacks safely, then instinctively unleashed the blades hidden within her sleeves, proficiently parrying off the delinquent's weapon. She kicked her next to the recovering Scythe wielder.
"Geez… I told you to wait for me." With the situation under control, the saviour wasted no time at kicking the anti-share crystal as far as possible. "And to think you were all excited to "Get some steam off"… I can't have my eyes off you girls for a second—"
IF interrupted herself after the sudden movement she felt behind her, delaying the catchy phrases and getting back into battle-mode.
A raucous clank resonates again, this time the forces were equal. The teenager managed to lock Magic's scythe with both of her blades, but slowly would the opposing bit near closer and closer to the Maker's forehead.
"CPUs or humans, you're all so foolish." ASIC's notable member clasped her weapon with both hands, pushing as hard as she could muster "Do you truly believe someone as merely as you can defeat me?"
Shadow casted at the leaf-bow rocker's features, suddenly, she sneered. "Tsh, maybe not… But that doesn't mean I can't take you out with me!" her reply was no bluff, IF's usual calm irises were now menacing and threatening. Her pupils reduced to a thin vertical line. "Demon Inferno!"
A swift glow illuminated the caster's hand, followed by a magical ring gradually igniting and trapping both warriors in. Not long after did it flash in a strong orange light accompanied by a chain of explosions filling the surface of said shape which followed up with a tenacious and loud pillar of fire, engulfing the two mercilessly.
"IF!" Cried the stumbling Purple Heart, finally regaining enough strength to stand up.
"LADY MAGIC!" Underling reminded of her presence, it wasn't only the CPUs who had someone cared for being devoured by merciless fangs of heat.
The raging fiery erection dwindled after a moment that felt like ages. From it surfaced IF and CFW Magic, Signs of critical burns befell both of them.
"Hah… C-Curse you… Using such… Pathetic measures!" Struggling visibly, the death harbinger had a hard time breathing, let alone speaking properly. She stumbled back yet again before leaning on her blade's handle.
On the other hand, IF's arms dropped to her sides as she grasped for every bit of air possible. Not long after would she lose consciousness, thankfully dropping safely into the arms of a caring Neptune.
"IF! IF!" In a visible state of panic, the blue eyed Goddess shook the brunette, half-heartedly hoping she would wake up, or respond.
Suddenly, a reassuring palm was felt on the twin-tailed CPU. Naturally, she turned behind to behold the still-recovering Green Heart at her side. "Calm yourself, Neptune. She merely passed out. It is not befitting of you to worry so much, especially in the midst of a battle." After struggling to stand up, Vert leaned on her spear, her smooth and youthful features fatigued. "You know IF isn't the type to give her life up, so wipe those tear off and stand up…"
Before the skilled spear wielder could finish her encouraging speech, Black Heart and White Heart were back on their feet, both clasping their weapons tightly. "We still have an important duty at hand…" Along with her, Neptune, Noire and Blanc all pierced Magic with their unforgiving gazes.
Unfortunate to them, though… "It seems I am left with no other choice, then." Their foe not giving up, smiled menacingly. Her hand glowed in a dark, corrupted purple. Not hesitating, she mercilessly thrusted her hand forward, casting a ray of matching colour on the four, which instinctively earned a cry of pain from all of them.
Though, after mere second, each of the quartet came to realizing that no harm befell any of them, and the said radiation had no effect…
"Huh?" Purple Heart looking down at herself, was flabbergasted. Her gaze quickly turned to the rest of the girls, who greeted her with similar expressions…
"Tsh, freaking witch. That was probably some cheap ass trick to escape… Freaking hell." The foul mouthed White Heart had no intention of suppressing her real emotions. She drove her divine axe towards a wall, dematerializing it afterwards.
"Calm down before you break this whole place on our heads." Black Heart scolded, a line forming between her eyebrows. "Let's get out of here, we need to think of a new plan, and also get IF treated."
With the mission meeting a disappointing failure, the sanctities of Gamindustri returned to their respective nations. Neptune made sure to bring IF back to the basilicom, with Histoire giving her proper treatments, she was ought to recover as soon as possible and the spiky haired child couldn't be anymore thankful.
Though, one thing remained lingering in the minds of the quaternion… 'What's Magic's next step going to be? And was that radiation she used really for escaping purposes?'
"Yeouch…" the goofy ruler put a hand on her aching head. "I knew thinking wasn't my selling point… Oh well! Guess I'll just snooze the pain away and ask the others what to do tomorrow."
She shrugged the disturbance as nothing but your everyday head pains and called it a day. Carelessly throwing herself at the comfortable and pillow-overloaded bottom bunk. It took no more than minutes before the exhausted tyke began to snore in her own, fashio-Nep-able way.
They say when you sleep, the night feels like nothing but a blink of an eye. The moment you allow yourself to be carried by the feather-like arms of slumber, the next thing you witness is the morning light waving at you from behind your curtains and eyelids.
Though… Has the morning rays always been purple?
"Nepu~… Nep…- N-Nepu? NEPU?!" Exhausted, Neptune's awakening was anything but casual. Sun was yet to rise, so what was the source of this ignited glow?
"N-Nep Jr.? Are you… Seeing this?" The startled girl questioned, peeking slightly above her head, but only for her tiny ears to pick up on Nepgear's peaceful breaths… 'How are you not awake?' is what she wanted to say, had the thought not been interrupted by a searing migraine. The girl could have sworn her skull was splitting open, or so it felt like.
Unlike your everyday throbbing head though, this one subsided almost immediately. The hurting Goddess was left clutching her head in both palms, before finally looking up to witness a blurry violet scenery presented by teary eyes… It was then that she realized that it was herself, the source of the glow.
"H-Huh…?" Confused, the florid girl laid her irises upon an unexplainable sight. The state of disbelief causing her arms to drop to her sides…
She could barely utter a word as the figure before her headed for the window not bothering to utter a word, the twin tailed silhouette would only gaze behind to reveal her stellar blue eyes before flying away…
"P… Purple Heart?!" faint voice filled the awkward room.
With every ounce of sleep drained out of the Goddess, she makes no detours while heading to her office and booting up the desktop computer. Not soon after, a greater doze of surprise surges the girl…
There was already a call waiting for her.
She gazes the time: 5:30…
'Not even Noire would stay up this late…' A pit made itself known in Neptune's stomach, for some reason she could already tell the context of the call…
Click.
"Neptune!" A whispered yell came through, it's origin seemingly unwilling to wake up the rest of the basilicom. It was indeed Noire, the hard worker had bags under her beauteous cardinal gems of sight. She looked anything but amused too, and soon would a vigorous blush liven her features. "I've called you countless—C-Close your parka, idiot!"
"Oh… Whoops!" Neptune instantly ziped her parka upwards, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.
With the miniature venting and scolding out of the way, the stressed goddess cleared her voice and continued. "Just, forget it… Most importantly…" She paused for a second, her breathes seemed to have cut under the sharp memories she just recalled.
"Let me guess, you had some super weird hallucination where you saw your HDD in front of you?" The pudding lover played cool.
"Hey, don't interrupt me!—Wait…! So I was right!—" The conversation hadn't gotten far before a third then a fourth ostentatious requests wished to join the call. Noire and Neptune paid no mind second guessing their actions and instantaneously accepted…
They knew very well who it was.
A corner was reserved for each small portrait of Vert and Blanc. The two divinities carrying the same symptoms troubling the black and purple Goddesses… Visible fatigue and lack of sleep.
"My… It seems seeing you two up at such time would confirm my suspicions, unfortunately…" The mature woman folds her hands, trying one's best at remain cool and collected.
A sudden sigh surged the chat, carrying aura of irritation and impatience. "I'm not sure if it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the one who saw her HDD fly out the window…" A bitter 'Tsh' escapes the brown haired minor's lips. "Why would this happen now of all times…"
"Mmm…" Noire began pressing at her temples, unable to focus or think. "I can't even think properly with this stupid headache, ugh…"
"All right ladies… Let's calm down our skirts and cool down our steamy noggins'…" A less enthusiastic than usual tone leaves Neptune's lips, she does her best to maintain her customary demeanour. "You tend to be super choppy after being rudely awaken by some super weird light."
"Your point?" Blanc deadpanned, the literary girl had almost no patience left in her to deal with the protag of all protags.
"Me thinks we should take a nice break and wash our sweaty bodies before meeting up and talking about this mind boggling shenanigans." The spiky haired tyke beamed, but with the miserable fatigue visible on her, the attempt of looking cheerful almost made her appear more desperate if anything.
Bang.
A loud desk smack resonated, its source a frustrated Noire, she looked Neptune dead in the eyes. "This isn't the time to be taking breaks, Neptune! We should think of something and fast!"
"Calm down, Noire." Vert confronts the raven hair. Her mug best described as scolding. "It's a surprisingly sane idea, especially coming from Neptune. Taking some time to clear our minds will be most beneficial to us, and especially you, considering how you look right now." The well-mannered gamer darted her violet irises towards the Noire on her screen, narrowing said peepers in a judging manner. "Unless you want to wake up poor Uni and get her all worried, hmm?" The smile accompanying her statement finisher was anything but innocent, Vert's tongue knew when to become sharper than a sword. At least, sharp enough to put the workaholic back in her seat, defeated. She lets an annoyed sigh before asking. "Then what's your big plan?"
Clearing her throat, Leanbox's ruler carried on. "As said before, we should do as Neptune said, and not rush things. I suggest meeting in Planeptune at nine in the morning. I doubt any of you can actually get back to bed, so that's plenty of time to think about everything."
Such level-headed suggestion was met with pleased expressions, that is… If the cosplayer's 'Whatever, not like I want to do this or anything' face could be considered very pleased…
"What a pain…" A quiet voice complained, it's owner struggling at keeping her inexpressiveness. "Just don't be late." With that, Blanc unprecedentedly exited the call.
Noire and Vert did the same with nothing more left to say. It was a routine for calls between the four to end this way.
Yawning, Neptune found herself a prey for the hunting loneliness… 'Sure is quiet here at five in the morning, huh?' she thought to herself, moments before that train of thought was tipped over by the shattering noise resonating from the basilicom doors.
Usually, the night guards should take care of any late-night disturbance, but as their boss peeked her head through the door of the guardroom, she found the wardens sleeping. Their loud snoring vibrating the room's insides.
Neptune's eyes narrowed, as much as it was her duty to scold them right now, they were not to blame… Partially. Barely anything happens anymore, and it would not be surprising if their CPU's work ethic rubbed off on their own…
That didn't make it less annoying, though.
Realizing that someone must do the door greeting, the parka rocker dragged her feet to the portal, giving it a gentle pull. "Noire…? Don't tell me you somehow managed to get here this early—Oh, Compa!" Her exhausted peepers jumped with surprise. She held herself from embracing the peach haired girl after glancing at her troubled mug. Judging by Compa's breathing, she came here running.
"S-Sorry if I woke you up, Nep-Nep." Recollecting her breaths, she continued. "There was so much work at the hospital, and I just managed to finish it."
As the hospital worker finished her line, the basilicom portals jarred wider, welcoming her in. "Well, what're ya' standing there for? Come in!"
Politely, Compa excused herself in, delving deeper into the lobby before turning back to her friend. "I want to check on Iffy…" With a frown that could melt the coldest of hearts, the angelic girl looks down. "I got your message right before my break, but I couldn't leave… There were so many people that needed my help!"
With the exit sealed, the shorter of the two turned to face the concerned girl, mustering her best of smiles. "Aw don't sweat it Compy poo. Iffy's fine! She is just snoozing after going head to head with the final boss."
"Thank goodness… I was super worried." She sighs in relief, the girl showed no signs of leaving yet. "But someone has to stay by her side and I'm sure miss Histoire is too busy, so I'm here to help!"
"Well the more the merrier! Mi Basilicom es su Basilicom!" The careless friend opens her arms dramatically, like a villain welcoming the protagonist to his lair after a long journey… Of course, her intents weren't as morbid.
Unexpected by the two, a sudden quiet voice joined the chatter. "Neptune? My, I've been wondering who could be up so early. But I honestly expected it to be Nepgear." A small fairy-like entity emerges from above the stairs sitting on her usual tome. Unlike her normal outfit, Histoire had a tiny night-gown of a luxurious, silky, pink cloth. She also had a cute pair of eye covers resting on her forehead. "Ah, and miss Compa as well. What brings you here at such hour?" She leads a curious finger to her cheek.
"Oh, morning miss Histoire." Compa turned to Histoire, smiling her usual heart-warming beam at the book fairy. "I just finished working, so I decided to come and help with taking care of Iffy!"
"I see… Please try not to push yourself too hard." An audible concern rode the second in charge's sound waves. "Please follow me, miss IF's room is this way."
Floating up the stairs, the motherly figure led the path. The caring medic quickly followed behind, politely excusing herself. "All right! I'll be going now Nep-Nep, see you around!"
Waving, the two girls return to their duties, and Neptune found herself at a downtime.
'Whelp, guess I'll take a shower then.' She thought to herself, before glancing quickly at the clock hanging from the wall…
6:00.
'Time sure flies when you lose track of it, huh?'
Without further ado, the girl headed to her bathroom, trying one's best not to wake up Nepgear.
"Here we are." Coming back to the angelic duo, Histoire floated in front of a door, gently addressing the caretaker before scanning her expression. She then realized it's a deep mix between fear and sadness. The girl was no longer hiding her true feelings. "Are you fine, Compa?"
"Oh, I'm fine!" She jumped, not expecting the question. "I'm just… Really worried about Iffy…" It hurt, seeing the usually bright and happy nurse in such state as now. The displeasure snuck it's way to her vocal cords as well, creating a pained, regretful tone. "I can't stop thinking about the pain she must be in. Maybe if I went with her, she wouldn't be so hurt now…" her eyes filled with tears, resembling wet mirrors that reflected their surroundings.
The girl was mere inches from breaking into tears, were it not for the reassuring palm that rested on her fidgety shoulder. "Please do not blame yourself for this outcome. IF is not in a critical state and I'm sure she will be relieved to know that you are there to take care of her. Had you ventured along, a worst case scenario could have taken place." As the sweater rocker looked up at Histoire, the book fairy met her gaze with a caring smile. "Do not belittle your efforts, surely you realize that simply being by her side would significantly improve her state… But you must regain your cheer before doing so." Her gentle words settled deeply in Compa's heart.
Wiping off her tears, the girl smiled, and brightly so. "You're right, I should be strong for Iffy! Thank you miss Histoire."
With that settled, Histoire gave the door a gentle push, exposing to the contents of the room behind it.
What the girl's eyes darted to first was the unconscious individual laying atop the lonely bed in the room, with her usual coat not hanging on her shoulders. IF was bandaged neck to toe with white, clean bandages and two Band-Aids nursing her left cheek and her nose.
The syringe wielder steeled her heart, taking a deep breath before stepping in the room. It was then that she paid attention to the soothing and comforting air present in the room… It was carefully conditioned, which effortlessly shooed away all the uneasiness plaguing her mind.
"I will be in my room getting ready for the day. Do not hesitate at talking to me whenever you need anything." With that, Histoire gave her companion the privacy she needed.
Glancing around, the nurse finally analysed the space.
Its walls painted in the iconic colours for Planeptune: Two thick purple lines slashed diagonally at the walls, originating from the top left and bottom right of each side. The violet paint allowed for a void within it to be filled with a nice, snowy colour.
At the centre of the space had a table similar to the one located at the lilac goddesses' room, only with larger specifications. It was surrounded by two black wood, cushioned chairs with multiple flower engravings on them.
Next to IF's cot was a bedside drawer, it was fabricated from the same material as the former property. It had three large drawers and two smaller ones peeking from the front. The storage spaces had golden handles decorating their faces while the furniture's body was simple and plain. On top of the wood-work was a fancy vase of flowers, it was white with multi-coloured flowers carefully drawn on it; It looked rather expensive. The glassy pot housed within it a bouquet of Anemones that looked rather fresh. 'Histoire probably changes those as frequently as possible.'
Behind the flowers was an opal, clear mirror. The peachette would not have noticed it were it not for its flower themed boarder, harnessing an uplifting siege of violets which extended around the reflective material.
Trailing further in, Compa's feet no longer gave birth to a clacking noise, which then pulled her attention towards the fancy and well-combed purple carpet. It had a polished lining across its outskirts, one of a lilac shade. Finally, the circular cloth adopted Planeptune's logo in its middle, simple yet net flawlessly.
It was then that the caretaker began questioning the lack of any source of entertainment in the room. No TV nor a computer. All that could relate to such factor was the decently-sized shelf grabbing her peripheral sight. Displaying a selection of differently coloured book covers, the literary fountain itself seemed to be of the same material as its neighbouring furniture, placed right next to a pair of doors which led to a small balcony. The gates were covered with fine thin purple cloth, the curtains had a wrapping at their middle, leaving them to cover only the top corners of the black wooded portals. The hand-net window covers allowed for the sun-lights to highlight the room in lavender.
An unexpected, pained moan brings Compa back to her senses. She glanced back at the unconscious agent to find her breathing heavily. "You look in so much pain, Iffy…" Her face adopted a sad set of features, it hurt just as much to see her best friend in such heart breaking state.
She headed towards the table, taking one of the surrounding chairs. She wobbled cutely before placing it at an appropriate distance for her to treat the brunette when necessary, and sat down, her palms resting on her thighs.
"I'll do my best to make you feel better… I promise."
"Haaaaah…" A satisfied and relaxed sigh escapes the bathroom, judging by the childish and immature tone, it could only be one person.
Indeed, out came Neptune from her bath, a towel covering her head and another swirling around her small body.
With Nepgear still asleep, the refreshed girl was confident in her solitude… She didn't bother changing and left her room. 'Hey, if no one is looking, why not enjoy the nice air, ay?' she thought to herself.
It was then that she remembered: ["Neptune, please clean the meeting room… It's a mess!"] A mini Histoire appeared in the procrastinator's thinking bubble, she was trying to be pouty, but only looked cuter.
That aside, the troublesome Goddess had to clean the meeting room. She could recall the last time being at said room:
"Whoa, Noire! How long did it take you to pile up all these papers?!" The least mature of the CPUs asked with the curiosity of a child.
"About two hours. I had Uni help me, so it didn't take that long." Noire puts a proud palm on one of the three stacks of paper.
"NEPU?! I thought you were going to say a whole day!" Unlike when she teases her friend, Neptune's surprise was anything but fake.
"So… These are the papers that need signing?" As always, Blanc went straight into business.
"Mhm, each stack is dedicated to one of you, I had no reason to bring my stack from Lastation. This is why I asked you to come in a proper transportation manner rather than just flying in HDD." The secret-singer reminded the group of her remark. "I doubt any of you want to fly back carrying all of these."
Vert sighed in disappointment, though her reaction seemed almost faked. "What a hassle. But if it's the last remaining to get the Basiliview working, then I will bear with it."
With the leaders of nations which names starting with the letter "L" getting distracted in their miniature chatter, the unsupervised eggplant hater started toying with the stack placed before her. Comparing it to her head and even her full bodily size. It was bigger than both.
'Oh come on, she probably cheated and most of these have nothing written on them! Let me juuust.' The assumption led her into attempting to slip a sheet out of the bunch, which ultimately spelled the stacking's demise.
"… Whoops…" An awkward smile is all she could muster under the judging eyes of the trio. "So! Who's going to be a gentlewoman and help me—"
Before even finishing her statement, Noire, Blanc and Vert began taking their leave.
"Later." The delivery girl was first to leave everyone's sights. She managed to do so quickly since she had no carriage to bother with.
"Take care, Neptune." And Vert followed.
"Don't call me." Last but not least, Blanc booked it for the exit, not daring to look back.
"NEPU?! They left before I could even say a thing!" Her eyes turned white with black outlining, the expression was yelling 'traitors!' from its very core. "… Well shucks, would you look at that, It's pudding time! You know what they say, you can never miss pudding time!"
Perfectly timed, Neptune's trip to her basilicom's meeting room ended momentarily with her flashback. She wasted no time making lonely comments and simply gave the door a push.
"Geez, what took you so long?" An unexpected voice startled the towel girl, causing her to yell in surprise: "N-NEPU?!" And thus, almost losing grip of the towel covering her body.
She glanced around, trying to identify the source of the voice before her sight landed on most familiar entity sitting on one of the many chairs surrounding the large, conference-dedicated table. "Also, aren't these the documents I gave you to sign, one month ago?" Ah, yes… That scolding voice, the emphasis on the end of her speech and also the impatient behaviour…
"N-Noire?!" Neptune's voice and mug seemed more surprised than seeing a talking elephant in the room. Or worse… An eggplant monster!
Turning, she gives the fellow ruler her back, glancing at the purple-bordered and white bodied clock, hanging right above the large portal she walked through.
7:10.
"What the Nep?! How did you get here in less than two hours?!" The no-more Purple Heart's shock couldn't be hidden. With HDD not being an option anymore, getting around would become far more challenging. Not to mention that the black Goddess travelled to the opposing side of hers, and in less than two hours!
"Hmph, I got my ways." Noire flicked one of her long pig-tails in pride, a smirk decorating her beautiful features.
"Wait a moment!" Suddenly, the teaser made a cheeky smile, covering her mouth with a palm. "Nowaru… You weren't hiding in my closet, were you?"
Knowing exactly where to poke fun, the statement was like an unstable fuel, causing Noire to rocket up from her chair instantly.
"I-Idiot! Of course not!" A blush livening up her features, Noire pouted. "I just used my private jet!"
"Oookay, calm down tiger." Putting her hands in front of her, as if defending from an incoming hit, Neptune tried to calm down the flustered beast. "Though… Don't we all have those? That doesn't explain how you showered!" A pause followed before Planeptune leader made an awkward smile. "...You showered, right?"
A second jab at her friend follows, deepening the embarrassed redness on her face. "O-Of course I did! I care about my hygiene a lot more than you!" She lets out an irritated breath before crossing her arms, keeping the annoyed face. "Not like I want to tell you or anything, but I modified my jet to travel two times faster than before. I also added a bathroom to it, so I don't have to waste any time." She sits back as her explanation concludes.
A sweat drop found its way down Neptune's awkward mug, the girl's eyebrow twitched a little. "D-Dude… I get all the loner and workaholic character traits better than anyone but… Don't you think a little chilling would do some good to those stiff shoulders of yours?"
"I will calm down once my HDD isn't on the loose somewhere." Wearing back her seriousness, Noire takes another one of the papers creating the mess, scanning it. "Now get yourself dressed… Blanc and Vert should be here in an hour, I'm sure."
"Wooooow… Talk about slave driving…" The addressed lass slumped down.
"If you don't, I won't help you clean this mess." Playing the ace up her fancy sleeves, the seated Goddess managed to hit her rival's weak spot perfectly.
"That's a deal and a half!" Before anymore could be said, Neptune stormed out the meeting room, leaving the workaholic to her temporary solitude. 'Just as planned.' Noire patted herself on the back mentally.
"All righteroonies, let's see…" With two clothes hangers in hands, Nepgear's older sister found herself in a tiny dilemma… "The Parka is cool and all, buut old and over-used." She looks at the carriage of her other hand. "On the other hand -heh… Literally- we got a dress that's pretty fancy, but something tells me I'll be really mean while wearing it in the future…"
Prolonged humming takes place, Neptune hasn't put much thought in anything this much…! Her brain could steam any moment now!
"Ah well, old is gold!" Tossing back the Jersey dress into the closet, she skilfully puts her Parka on and zips it closed. "Maybe another day, buddy… Maybe another day." While addressing the defeated choice, the parka rocker lost track of her volume. It seemed she forgot about her company in the room.
"Mmm… Sis…?" A sleepy, yet angelic call out livens the chamber, its source none other than the younger deity. "You're up? Wait…- Oh goodness!" Failing to notice that she was on top of the protective railing, Nepgear found herself mere inches from a rude meeting with the floor. "Ow ow ow ow… Ouchie…!" She rubbed her lower back, obviously hurt.
"Oh, morning Jr.! Though…" With a hand to her hip, the CPU scratched her forehead. "How did you manage to fall? That railing is literally made to stop that from happening!" Mixed between honest confusion and sarcasm, the elder sister lent her younger one a helping hand at getting up.
"T-Thank you Neptune… Did I over sleep?!" The gadger lover's vision shifts towards the digital clock on her desk, only to realize how early it was. "Seven in the morning, I see. Seven in the morning… Wait a moment… Seven in the morning?!" Suddenly, her eyes turned white with black outlines. "How are you up so early?!" The Candidate's question was more impressed than questioning, though… That inevitably led to Neptune's eyes turning to thin lines. "Wowzers… I know I over sleep most of the time, but that still hurts, you know?"
"Oh goodness…! Sorry! That's not what I meant!" Flailing her hands left and right, the tech-lover began explaining herself. "I'm just surprised! At least tell me next time. If we both wake up early, we can spend more time together!" As the flailing stopped, her hands stopped at chest-level, clenching into determined fists.
"Hey, it's not like I was planning to be rudely woken up by some weird light…" The separated entity explained. "I'm still surprised you could snooze so peacefully with that thing on…"
As if speaking gibberish, Nepgear found herself in a state of utmost confusion. "Which light?"
"I'd love to explain it all buuut, I got a wild Noire waiting in the meeting room and I don't want a second Pisty on my back, so without further ado…" The girl steps out of the room, leaving only her head to peek in. "Adios, my sweet sister o' mine!"
"Weird light…?" With no answers expected, the sailor outfit dresser tilts her head. "Could it have been a nightmare?"
With clothing on her shoulders now, Neptune traced back to her meeting room. She knew some boring work was waiting for her, but with Noire around, she could do just a small portion of the cleaning and push the rest of the labour at the Tsundere.
That was what she did best, right?
"All righty Nowaru! You scratch my back and I scratch my own, or whatever they say-" Cheerfully waltzing in, a sight more surprising than Noire doing cosplay unfolded in front of her!
…Okay, Noire's cosplaying wasn't surprising.
"NEPU?!" Shouting her iconic yell, the lazy infant tyke grabbed her bent-over friend's attention.
"Oh, you're back." Dusting off her fancy dress, the first to arrive Planeptune straightened her back. "You took long again, so I cleaned everything." She sneers, only before flicking her hair again "Hmph, no need to thank me."
It was as she claimed. The room was no longer littered with white sheets of information, all the papers stacked up again on top of each other, the pile was put carefully on top of a chair in the corner of the space.
"You know… If you wanted to clean it so badly, you could have just ask…"Attempting to muster the best smile she could, Neptune only ended up with an awkward mug and a twitching eyebrow.
"No, I just figured that even if I waited for you, you'd push most of the work on me. So I decided to take the initiative."
'Shoot!' Echoed in the pudding lover's mind. 'She read me like Vert reads her doujins!'
Speaking of Vert…
"Ah, so someone arrived before me" Like a ghost under the radar, Neptune had no idea the perverted CPU stood right behind her until she bumped into her. "Wonderful, we only need to wait for Blanc."
"NEPU! W-Where are you all coming from!" Turning to face the gamer in shock, the shortest of the group pointed an accusing finger at her ally. "It's a conspiracy! You all have secret rooms in my basilicom, waitting for me to go to bed so you can all stare at me creepily in my most vulnerable state!"
"I would most likely stare at my sweet Nepgear, not you." Smiling, Vert shot down the accusations. "Unfortunately that isn't the case, I simply walked through the door."
"Your guards probably left it open." Noire followed. "Anyone could have walked in, you know?"
It was then that Neptune traced back to the only possible guest before the raven hair…
"Whoops." The mystery to all mysteries was finally solved by Neptune Holmes! "Iiiii forgot to properly lock the door after letting Compa in…" The girl leads a hand to the back of her head.
With the real reason revealed, the earliest bird found herself sorry for blaming the poor guards, a palm slammed to her features.
Meanwhile, Vert had already seated herself in her usual chair, taking out her Green phone with the logo of Leanbox on its back. She turned it sideways, it looked like she had a mobile game to kill time.
"Well then, only Blanny left!" Neptune chirped, before sitting faced to the mature one.
Sighing, Noire headed for a seat next to Vert. She crossed her arms and legs before leading her eyes to the clock on top of the door.
7:30.
"Ugh… Why do I feel like she will take the longest…" Irritation rode the workaholic's tone.
For the no-more Black Heart to be wishing she was wrong was an event rarer to happen than finding Diamonds… Or to see Neptune eat an Eggplant happily. But unfortunately her gut-feeling couldn't be any further from the truth as the divine trio was left waiting patiently for the north nation's representative to show up.
9:00.
Clacking of shoes liven the corridors, causing the CPUs to perk their heads up in unison…
It had to be her! Histoire floats, and Nepgear was probably tinkering with nifty gadgets in her room by now.
The clapping of heels with the floor got closer and closer, as it reached its climax the three met their gazes with the portal.
"Good morning." Neutral, the awaited Blanc arrives. "No one is late, good."
"You're not one to speak about being late!" Noire was first to voice her irritation "What took you so long?!"
"We agreed to meet at nine, it's your fault if you rushed too early." Remaining neutral, the bookworm delved deeper into the room, approaching a chair next to Neptune before being disrupted by another wave of poison.
"Don't you have any sense of urgency?! We just lost our powers as CPUs!" Obviously stressed, Lastation's goddess got up from her seat, slamming a palm to the large table's surface.
"It seems only you are so stressed, Noire." Vert spoke up, she was cool and collected. "You should take a leaf from Blanc's book and learn to take things easy. Making a fuss out of every slight thing surely won't help our case in the slightest."
"Woo there, Verty poo." The protagonist retorted. "I see the pun you made there and it's so not cool! You at least had a game to spend time on!"
"If you were so bored, why didn't you just go play something?" putting her hat on the table, Blanc took a seat next to the addressed divinity. "This is your basilicom."
"I doubt even Neptune could be able to play in such circumstances." Noire replied instead, her voice not seeming to calm down. "I don't know if you even thought about it for a second, but without your powers you won't be able to stay up all night playing your games." Gazes sharp, her sight changes from the blonde woman to the latest to arrive. "Nor will you be able writing those half-assed novels of yours."
"Freaking bitch!" The foul-mouthed CPU finally loses her cool. She pushes her chair aggressively while getting up, dooming it to fall. "SAY THAT AGAIN YOU FREAKING LONER!"
"You did not bring me all the way to Planeptune just to witness allies on each other's throats, did you?" Vert had an unimpressed set of features on her mug. "You said it yourself, Noire. Wasting any more time on meaningless quarrels will only be going against your own words."
"Not like—"Before the angry deity could finish, Leanbox's leader interrupted. "I'm sure Blanc has a good reason for her to take all this time."
"Tsh." Sheer from yelling again, the novel writer crossed her arms, gulping back the anger. "I do. I decided to look in my book collection for any sort of information that could be of help."
Thankfully, that confirmation was enough to please Noire, She sat down defeated and averted her eyes.
Returning the chair to its natural position, the cold CPU took a seat as well, she seemed to have regained her neutrality.
"Now, let us start this meeting."
The heavy air lifts and our four faithful leaders regained their focus.
"Riiight, so you ladies feeling any weird cliché side-effects?" Neptune initiated.
"No, the headache is gone now." Blanc answered plainly.
"Same, I don't feel anything." A mature voice seconded the former statement.
Though, the third opinion needed to move on did not concede. Instead the twin-tail rocker remained silent, her gaze unsure.
"Noire?" Vert kindly called out, her voice more suspecting than questioning.
"I can't exactly answer that." Leaning her elbows on the table, the called out for laced her fingers together. "I do feel tired… But only a little. I'm not sure if it's due to not sleeping, or if it has to do with losing HDD…"
Our purple, green and white trio all shared the same flabbergasted reactions. Suddenly, the literary girl spoke up. "So you witnessed the separation happening, is that right?"
Noire nods. "I did."
Slowly, she recollected her thoughts, bypassing all the fatigue clouding her busy mind.
"All right, that should be it when it comes to paperwork." I was just about done with my work, so I decided to take a little break.
Unfortunately though, I had lost track of time and the moment I glanced at my computer clock, it read five and twenty minutes.
"Oops, I should've paid more attention to the time…" Biting my lip, I found myself in a dilemma. One materialized in a left-over stack of paper on my desk.
It was… Extra work! Yeah, just extra piles of paper that needed my signing.
But being this late, I had to delay it for tomorrow morning. I gave Uni a promise on not to pull anymore all-nighters due to her worrying about my health.
So with my decision, I turned my PC off and headed to my room.
It was then that I began to feel extremely light-headed, which was then followed by blurry vision.
At first, I thought I might've pushed myself too hard, but then I remembered.
I spent weeks before without a drop of sleep, this never happened…
The chain of events linked further when my body started to glow in black. In the midst of trying to recollect my thoughts, I felt my body tearing itself apart, but I couldn't scream.
For some reason…
My voice got stuck at the bottom of my throat.
The light grew brighter and brighter till it reached a blinding peak.
Seconds passed and I was stuck in a loop of pain and confusion; paralyzed.
Suddenly…
It stopped…
Left-overs from the hurt lingered in my head, but I paid no mind to it.
My eyes darted open instantly, and I see her in front of me…
"H-Huh…" I stumbled back, completely in disbelief. "What's… Going on…?"
This can't be real…
"Oh my."
I must be hallucinating…
"Hahahaha! Well what a surprise…"
I'm just sleep deprived…
"I can't really say that I didn't expect you to be awake this late,"
This woman can't be…
"Noire."
Black…
"…Heart?" After a long struggle… I let out a voice.
"You should see yourself right now. Honestly, I never thought you could ever look so clueless! Ahahahaha!" Her voice loud and judging, I almost feel pressured…
Why was I acting so weak…!
"What—"
""What is going on?!", is that what you were going to say?" She interrupted me nonchalantly… Why was I so freaking petrified!
"I'd tell you, but that's really boring and you know best how much I hate boring stuff."
She ignored me, almost like a predator bored of their prey, and walked to the window…
I knew what she had in mind.
"Stop! Where do you think you are going?!" Mustering all my courage, I managed to get a line in.
"Isn't it obvious? Outside!" She smiles a confident one, looking at me only by the corner of her sight.
"You're not going anywhere before you tell me everything…!" A great sense of irritation overcomes me, but she seems unfazed.
Casually, Black Heart slid the window open and jumped on its sill, not bothering to look back. "Don't worry, you'll see me again… When you fix yourself."
"I knew going after a flying entity would be meaningless, so I rushed to my computer." Having finished her part of the story, the tired CPU leaned back on her chair with crossed arms. "I had a feeling whatever happened with me would happen to you all."
"Oookay buddy, slow down…" Neptune tried catching on, obviously confused. "You're saying that she spoke with you? All that my HDD did was act like a moody teenager after you take away their phones and gave me a nasty look before leaving."
"Indeed, I find Neptune's case to be most relatable." The gloved woman added. "Green Heart seemed awfully displeased before flying off."
"Mhm." Blanc's hum of agreement sufficed as a 'Me three' of sorts. "Something is bugging me, though. What did she mean by "When you fix yourself"?"
Her remark like a "Continue" button for the meeting, the last to arrive struck a good point.
"Ahahahahaha!" Suddenly, Neptune burst out in laughter, holding her seemingly hurting stomach.
"What so funny?" Noire asked, unamused.
"Ahah… Ahah… I just realized, your HDD probably left you because she couldn't handle being inside the loneliest of loners anymore!" The purple tyke points her fingers at her friend sarcastically. Of course, the centre of the joke was in no mood for such comments.
"You idiot! This isn't the time for your childish delusions!"
"Wait… Neptune, you may be right." Vert's eyes widened, she clearly reached a conclusion of sorts.
"…What?" Clearly shocked, the former story teller's eyes turned white with black outlines.
"NEPU?!" Clearly, Planeptune's Goddess hadn't expected her teasing to be any productive.
"I understand that it is too early to make any concluding assumptions, but if what Black Heart said tells us anything…" She shifts her narrowed gaze, first to Neptune, then to Blanc and last to Noire. "It would tell us that our HDDs have some sort of grudge against us."
"You can't be serious…" Gritting her teeth, the quietest of the four realized how sever the situation may be.
Gulping back the fear, the basilicom owner put aside her careless nature. "That sounds pretty bad…"
"That's ridiculous." Noire deadpanned confidently. "They can't have a grudge on us, we are them after all!"
Weirdly, the confident divinity didn't seem like herself this meeting. Her comments were hard-headed, unproductive and non-co-operative. The show she was putting on only caused more suspicions to bloom.
"As I said… It's far too early to make conclusions, it was merely a theory, everyone." Crossing her arms below her bust, Vert leaned back as well, looking awfully serious. "In any case, it's about time we discussed a way of retaining our HDDs."
A serious issue barges the room. Deep down, every one of the present knew precisely the path they were heading towards.
"Are we sure we can't just speak to them?" The bookworm suggested, visibly uneasy.
"Unfortunately, I highly doubt such peaceful methods are what they are after." Eyebrows furrowing, the spear wielder seemed certain. "I'm sure you all realize how blood-thirsty and selfish we can become."
"So let me get this straight for a moment… You want us to use the good 'ol force?" Throwing a wild guess, Neptune turned to Vert who, unhappily, nodded. "Yipes… I'm sensing many red flags from this."
"This could turn out catastrophic." With a bit of composure regained, the rapier-user cupped her chin. "Not only are we risking potential death, but also the fact that we have no one who could take our HDDs head on." She pauses, gaining everyone's attention. "And with IF's burns, we are one man down." An troubled exhale coupled her statement.
"Oh come on now girls, we have many dependable friends! I'm sure Marvy, CC2 and Tekken would help us if we asked them!" She smiled determinedly, blindly confident in her friends' abilities. "And if it gets too gloomy, we can just call for more backup-"
"Listen to yourself, Neptune." Suddenly, Blanc cuts the disastrous suggestion shot. "Are you asking to send our friends into a suicidal mission?"
Taken aback, the interrupted members made an awkward smile, eyebrows twitching. "T-That's not what I meant…"
"Even if you didn't, that doesn't erase the risks of this task." Vert followed. "Even if we assume our allies' survival, which is a feat on its own. They will surely suffer from immobilizing injuries. We'll be out of manpower before all four HDDs are dealt with."
Neptune finds herself at a loss for words, clearly defeated.
Burdening air dominates the conference area. Countless sighs and groans could be heard, almost like each of the Goddesses thinking up a plan, then scrapping it with a huff that descended them further into the depths of desperation.
After a prolonged, painful, and excruciating silence. The oldest CPU finally speaks up. "I know of a way we can gain a new ally." She paused, making sure everyone was listening. "The reason I came late was because of an interesting book catching my eye." She started. "I remembered reading once about a summoning spell that required use of shares. I had forgotten about its details, so I spent most of my time looking for it."
Pausing, the no-more White Heart allowed the rest to process her suggestion before getting into the most important of details. "It said something about needing the wills of all four CPUs. The summoning is basically uniting our shares, as well as our minds to summon someone worthy enough."
"I see." Thinking face put on, the Tsundere commented. "So you suggest summoning someone with qualities that we should all decide on? Hm… Not bad." She smiled.
"That sounds almost like a fairy tale… I like it" Vert beamed as well.
"Well, as long as they don't take the main character seat, I'm all in!" The protag of all protags made a thumbs-up.
It was unclear if the four rushed their decision due to desperation, or if they wished to cling to the first reasonable choice presented with.
But one thing was sure…
'Even with this… I fear our path will surely be littered in sweat and blood…'
'But also decorated with unwavering determination.'
'I mean… Even if we're going up against the biggest of baddies…'
'That's simply, the job of a CPU… And as CPUs, we will fulfil it!'
They were already a united force!
"Okay, time for the fun stuff!" Neptune laced her fingers behind her head, she seemed like a kid about to get a new toy. "That book said nothing against summoning someone totally game-breaking, right?"
"Let's think about it level-headedly, someone as strong as our HDDs combined would be the best choice, right?" The cosplayer suggested.
"That wouldn't be possible." Blanc swung the hammer at her rival's train of thought. "Remember that we are limited on shares. Considering that creating a path to other worlds on its own would take a lot of energy to work, we find ourselves left with only so much to decide."
"Aw man!" Neptune pouted.
"In that case, we should be smart with our decision. Whoever we summon must be able to take on all four HDDs without perishing in the process." The busty goddess looked down, enveloped in her thinking. "I highly doubt anyone's ability to take on all our forms head on singlehandedly, even if they came one after another."
"So, we need resilience." Lowee's CPU concluded, earning a nod from the Green ally.
A finger flick echoed through the room, its source the crimson-eyed Goddess. "Regeneration!"
"Hey, if we are building a tank, might as well make them fast and we got ourselves a super tank!" Smiling, Neptune's suggestion did not fall on deaf ears.
"Resilience, Regeneration, Speed…" Blanc revised the choices. "We are being too defensive."
"I agree. If we could push our luck any further, I would focus on something offensive"
"How about magic, then!" Unexpectedly, the spiky haired kid came up with a not-so-random idea, causing the other three to perk their heads. "Think about it! If they knew some cool magical tricks, they wouldn't have to get close and personal! Like they say, best offense is defense! Or something…"
"Its best defense is a good offense. But that aside, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Bringing her arms below her bust, Noire agreed.
Suddenly, her eyebrows crossed again, she realized an unpleasant fact. "I also think we should let our sisters help out in this."
In unison, Neptune, Vert and Blanc all were caught by surprise. "What!?"
"You cannot deny it, they've been training so long for this exact type of scenario." She averts her eyes, unhappy. "I also am not content with putting Uni in danger, but we have to use everything we have."
With her reasoning, the rest couldn't argue much. Indeed, their younger sisters were CPU candidates, siblings meant to take over the throne once they are ready to become full-fledged CPUs.
"…Fine." The literary girl was first to give the green light, startling the basilicom owner. "As long as we are there to spectate everything, though."
"W-Wow… Blanc, are you sure about pushing your twins of doom off the nest so early?" A sweat drop climbed down the startled tyke's forehead.
"They are not kids anymore." She proudly retorted. "Rom and Ram have grown so much lately, they were really helpful against the Deity of Sin." She smiled, remembering the angels she left back home, but at the same time, frowned mentally… 'What type of older sisters pushes the risks at her younger siblings…' she thought. "I trust them."
"Well if you're sure, I've no problems with letting Nep Jr. swing her sword a little! I mean, she is probably more dependable than me, hehe~…"
"Then that settles it." Vert narrowed her eyes, smiling. "Shall we begin with the summoning?"
Finishing her statement, the busty goddess stood up from her seat, politely setting it back in place afterwards.
The other three followed as well, though, they were still unsure about how it would all work.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Noire cupped her chin, expressions questioning.
"We're going to hold hands in a circle." Putting her hat on, Blanc informed. "Once our thoughts line up, the portal should form to the person meeting our requirements."
"Makes sense to me." Said Neptune, stepping away from the meeting table towards a large enough empty space in the room. "Well then ladies, let the hand holding begin!" She held out her expectant hands.
"Don't make it weird, geez…" The cosplayer averted her gaze, obviously flustered. She held the shameless deity's left hand while her free palm was clasped by Blanc's. Lastly, Vert linked the circle closed.
The summoning was about to begin.
"Wait a moment… Won't we need our HDDs to do this?" Suddenly, the no-more Purple Heart brought up an unaddressed topic, leading to uneasy stares.
"Only one way to find out." The grey-eyed sanctity paused, remembering the steps she found in the book. "Repeat after me, making the necessary changes, of course."
"In the name of Blanc, Lowee's CPU. I command thee to summon a worthy warrior." She closed her eyes, beginning to glow… It was working.
Gulping, Noire followed. "In the name of Noire, Lastation's CPU, I command thee to summon a dependable hero."
Similarly, Noire glimmered in black, her eyes shut hopingly.
"In the name of Vert, Leanbox's CPU, I command thee summon a courageous champion." The circle illuminated green, only one link was missing.
"In the name of Neptune, the super awesome Planeptune CPU, I command thee to summon a cool, lively fighter and also a great friend!"
The three winced. 'Oh crap…' they all thought.
Silent seconds that felt almost like years passed, thankfully… Neptune glowed in her iconic shine.
'It worked!' they all silently celebrated.
"Keep your focus, everyone." The one to come up with the idea whispered, guiding the rest onto not letting their guard down just yet.
A strong wave of wind formed between them, whirling and swirling before storming above them, creating a portal emitting a rainbow aura.
They all looked up in with expectant, hoping eyes. Their hands held together, clenching tighter and tighter.
My world is a ruin.
I'm at a stand-off with the one I can't defeat.
My eyes are a blur, my body hurts and my consciousness is about to fade...
"What are you fighting for, Mollie?!"
I might just die here.
But I can't give up…! Not yet...
"You lost!"
I have to keep pulling through…
For them.
"Your allies are dead!"
For mom…
For Mia…
For Jay...
"Your loved ones have perished, and your world has bitten dust!"
I have to keep going.
I can't falter, not anymore…
One mistake, and their sacrifices will be in vein…
"YOU ARE ALL ALONE… LIKE ME!"
I need to do my best...
But...
"Even if you manage to conquer me, do you truly believe you will rebuild this whole world all by yourself?!"
I can't...
I'm too weak to move...
Is this my downfall...? This... can't be... it...
I... can't... lose...
I…
I…
"So be it!"
"If you desire for death so much then I will gladly grant your wish!"
I drag my vision upwards, it's unclear.
All I can distinguish is my enemy's figure.
And…
An orange glimmer in his hand.
"DIE!"
Suddenly, the fiery entity races towards me.
Faster…
Move…
Dodge…
I…
I can't.
It's over…
I close my eyes, but the darkness is illuminated by approaching hell flame.
I'm coming… Mom…
Jay…
Mia…
I'm sorry, I failed you…
…
…
It's… Taking long…
Scared, I open my eyes reluctantly, only to realize that the fiery trident disappeared…
Wait… Huh?
"What the…"
The confusion is apparent on Sable's voice…
It was then that I paid attention, to my close surroundings.
A breeze of cool air brushed against me vertically.
I can tell it is coming from below, but below me is only…
A dry land, forsaken land…
In the midst of my confusion, the ground begins trembling, and light suddenly engulfs me.
Blinding, white light…
I feel safe…
I feel afloat…
"What in crimson hell… JUST DIE!"
Blind rage overcomes my nemesis, his hands clutch tightly and a swirling fire materializes.
Another assault…
But all I can do, is watch…
The ground below me was reduced to nothing but a void, a void I was doomed to fall into.
Quickly, I descend into the abyss, powerless and unknowing of my whereabouts.
Before my vision is fully clouded by the never-ending darkness, I witness a last futile attempt by the world ender. He hurls the tri-head forward, not hesitating for a moment.
But…
It was too late.
All I see is a small window at my collapsing world…
And before I could muster any energy to say good-bye…
The portal closed.
Where am I headed…?
Will I keep falling endlessly in this unforgiving nightmare?
Is this hell…?
…No…
The pillar carrying me is heading towards a foreseeable exit.
Funnily enough, I…
I wasn't scared…
I had welcomed death with open arms, so now…
Let whatever happens, happen.
"Here they come."
My ears faintly pick up on a female's voice…
She sounds almost like…
"Ugh...!"
A wave of pain vibrates my being.
I had fell flat on my back.
"Whoops… We probably should've made the portal a bit lower, ahah…"
"Hey! At least she didn't fall on you, Noire!"
My eyes only open partially, allowing for a bordered scenery to play before me…
"Heavens… She looks badly injured!"
Four girls hover their heads over me, clearly concerned.
All I can do is weakly keep my eye sheer from closing, until suddenly...
"We need to get her treated, now!"
That voice again…
A girl with… Twin-tails?
"M…Mo—"
And just like that…
The rest of the sounds are reduced to muffled mumbling in my ears.
My consciousness fades.
=-Chapter 1: End-=