DATE AND DISTRESS
Tear woke up – well, if she ever slept, that is – feeling rather tired. The outside seemed so bright for some reason. It was rather peculiar considering that it was dark before she turned herself in.
She wished she could continue back to sleeping, but something seemed to deter her from entering the slumber land any longer. At last, she got up. She mustered up her strength and hobbled a little towards the bathroom.
Her mirror reflected that she could not have been any worse, even when her buster suit and pink twintails are still there. Regardless, she decided she needed to see Kyle one last time before he goes all happy with his date. And so she sprinkled her face with water and looked into the mirror again. That will have to do, she thought, looking slightly more like herself.
She went up to Kyle's room, again hesitating a little bit, but still finally managed to press the bell. The nervousness within her did not subside all the while, half of her eager to see Kyle one last time, and the other half not knowing how to clear the awkward atmosphere she knew would soon form later on.
The door swung open some seconds later, and Tear was struck with awe. He could not describe the person in front of her who came and open the door.
"Hey, good morning Tear. Please come in!" said Kyle, but Tear still seemed awestruck. It wasn't until Kyle started waving his hand a few times in front of her face that she shook herself back to Earth.
"Oh, mo...morning Kyle..." Tear stuttered. She slowly entered the room, eyes still somewhat fixated on Kyle's unusual self.
"Is something wrong with me, Tear? You don't look like yourself, mate," asked Kyle, noticing something wrong with her gaze.
Tear came to her senses once again. She still could not believe the Kyle she was seeing in front of her own eyes.
Kyle was wearing a black shirt, with a visibly matching black tie that was partially concealed beneath a vest which was handsomely buttoned up, and it hugged Kyle's figure nicely, making him seem a lot more manlier than usual, even without the transformation. The equally black pants matched the top rather appropriately too, but what stood out most was the white coat – it was called a tuxedo, I think? Tear thought – that was worn outside the vest. It had a black satin edge, a notch step collar, two flap pockets at both sides of the hips, and the white colour bore a striking contrast to the all-black outfit within the coat that made Kyle beamed more in sex appeal. He was smartly and formally overdressed, ready for the date, and he didn't even look one bit like that disgusting man Spiegelmann, but a paragon of the ideal Nova manhood. Now that she noticed, his horns were somehow concealed, even though he wasn't wearing a hat. His wings should be hidden somewhere under that shirt, she guessed.
For the third time, Tear brought herself to consciousness without needing Kyle's assistance. She managed an uneasy laughter and said, "Uhh...wow, Kyle, you look so cool today."
"Do I? I thought this suit looks quite weird on me. I mean, wow, I have never worn such formal clothes before."
"Where the hell did you get them?" asked Tear.
"Well, this morning after I woke up, someone rang the bell before you. When I opened the door somebody gave me a package. It came along with a message telling me to wear this for today and how to wear it. Meh, not like I don't know how to wear my own clothes, tch," said Kyle, smirking a little, "By the way, Tear, you got something for me?" he asked as Tear slowly sat down on the sofa.
"I...uh..." Tear found herself stuttering again., "I...just want to see you for the last time before you go off for the day."
"Ahh, thanks a lot. I really needed that. This date is making me so nervous..."
Kyle went to get two cups of water, and came back handing one to Tear as he sat beside her. Both of them drank and merely stared around for a few more moments.
"You know, Tear, I still have to tell you that I would never expect a date in this world," said Kyle as he put down his cup, "But I can assure you something. After all the play-date and all that, I will learn more about this world and I will definitely find a way to head back to Grandis! Whoever my date is, I'm sure she will be more than happy to help us out."
"Oh Kyle, Kyle, you still don't know about us girls do you..." Tear spoke in her heart before continuing, "I hope so too."
Suddenly remembering something, Tear reached into the pocket of her blouse. They were still there. She took them out while Kyle turned towards her with curiosity. In her hands were three heart-shaped candies. Kyle recognised this candy. It was made and refined from Grobbler Stalks commonly found around Pantheon, forming a natural heart shape by itself in the process. It is coated in a layer of dried syrup made from Grobbler flowers to enhance the sweetness of the candy. Tear knew that Kyle loved it.
"Here, take these... I still have them with me. It's... it's just a token of gratitude for consoling me back then. Please, do well for the date," said Tear, smiling.
"Oh wow, you still have them with you? Thanks a lot!" replied Kyle, taking them from Tear, even as he had forgotten the time he had consoled her. "You know Tear, you're the best friend I have had so far!" Kyle paused for a moment, then let out a deep sigh, and continued, "besides Velderoth..."
"H-hey, that's what friends are for, right?" said Tear, "If only you knew..." she added, in her heart.
Just then, something in the living room started to chime repeatedly. It came from the clock, apparently, showing that it was 9 o'clock. Saeg Laeng did say he would see Kyle at 9am.
"D-do you need me to come with you, Kyle? I'm interested to see who your date is," offered Tear.
"Would you? That would be awesome!" said Kyle as both of them stood up and headed out.
They arrived at the lobby to find Saeg Laeng already there waiting for them.
"Ahh, there you are, Kyle-ssi!" Saeg Laeng called out rather loudly, catching attentions from those around him, "Good morning, did you sleep well? Or rather, could you not sleep because you are excited about today, lucky guy? So anyway, are you ready for your big day today?"
"Uhh..." said Kyle, but Saeg Laeng interrrupted again before he could finish.
"Why did I ask, of course you look ready! Come here, come, come!" he said as he literally pushed him towards the entrance.
"But uhh, Saeg Laeng-hyung, my friend there..."
"Oh, why would you need anyone else, this day is all about you! Your friend can just do something else, couldn't she? Come along, your ride has arrived..."
They came to the entrance and already there was indeed a grand coach waiting for them there. Tear watched in bewilderment as Saeg Laeng nudged Kyle into the black limousine. Tear waved to Kyle as he waved back from inside the car while it started to rumble and slowly took off. She didn't know what made him able to force a smile despite knowing that she was clearly unhappy. Nothing to do, she thought, and decided that it would be best to discover more of this world and catch on with some sleep if need be.
Kyle, being somehow forced inside, was still confused as Saeg Laeng ordered the driver to drive. He looked back at Tear who was still standing and the lobby, waving to her as he watched her wave back with a mock smile, becoming smaller and smaller, and gradually vanishing from sight. He knew she wasn't truly happy for him and he couldn't help feeling guilty about all of this. But if this meant a chance to return back to Grandis, he would be willing to take the risk.
"So for today we will take you for a 2-hour tour round the capital of our nation here, the big city of Seoul! After that, we will stop at a fine dining restaurant for lunch, and that would be where you finally get to meet your date! Heh, aren't you excited, Kyle-ssi?" said Saeg Laeng as he mock-smacked Kyle on his back, catching him in surprise.
Throughout the journey Kyle remained somehow enshrined in a mixture of nervousness, guilt, discomfort and excitement, and did not talk much or pay much attention while Saeg Laeng showed him around Seoul. Saeg Laeng tried to get him for a chit-chat on the ride, but Kyle still remained reluctant.
At last, the limo came to a screeching halt. A chaperone opened the door, signalling for Kyle to alight. Kyle stepped out, already marvelling what was in front of him. He looked up and saw the name of the restaurant. Jung Sik Dang, the name read, apparently in Pantheose.
Kyle followed Saeg Laeng into the restaurant. Never once in his life had he been into a fine dining restaurant before, and seeing what it was like within made him feel even more nervous, but Saeg Laeng did a rather good job of assuring him. At last, they arrived at a table for two. A young woman sat there, looking rather impatient. When she saw Kyle, her face beamed brightly.
She looked rather cute and pretty with her long and wavy red hair, bright red cheeks and brown eyes, while her dark pink lips adorned her face even more. She only looked more elegant and attractive in her spaghetti-strapped short purple dress. And as she stood up to greet, for some reason Kyle felt like he had found his type of other-half.
"Present yourself in a confident and gentlemanly manner. Don't you dare embarrass yourself in front of your date!" Tear's advice rang at his ear.
"I have already got your lunch covered, so don't worry about that. Meanwhile, have fun and I'll have you picked up when you finish lunch. I have more errands to run for now. Nice knowing you, Kyle-ssi!" said Saeg Laeng after Kyle sat down, as he took his leave.
Kyle was left there, alone with the girl at the table. The awkwardness was there, and he knew it. It was the girl who broke the silence first.
"H-hello there, name's Yeon Jyu Min, what's your name?" she asked, in Pantheose.
"I'm Kyle, nice to meet you," Kyle said as he stood up and bowed. However, he bumped in a waitress as his chair scooted backwards, and she almost dropped her plate she was serving. Kyle quickly apologised to the waitress.
Jyu Min gave a slight giggle as Kyle sat back down. "Feeling nervous too?" she asked again.
"Y-yea, sure am."
"Ehehe, I like your style, Kyle."
They conversed as they waited for their food, Kyle learning more and more of Jyu Min and more about the culture of the world he was in as they spoke. He tried bringing up the topic of dimension-crossing but Jyu Min averted the subject, saying it was too much a child's play.
The food arrived after a good half an hour's talk. It was way different from the ones he had experienced back at Pantheon. He hadn't practised fine dining before, and his clumsiness only caught more giggles from Jyu Min. Kyle's burp startled everyone in the restaurant, and so on that day he had learned not to do so in a place like that.
The same limo came to pick them up as they stepped out of the restaurant. The chaperone came and opened the door, but Kyle stopped him and opened it instead, offering for Jyu Min first. Ladies first for always, Tear had said.
Jyu Min always seemed to be radiating with excitement within her as both of them did not know what was planned ahead, and they had a lively chat. Before long, the limo came to a stop and they both alighted the limo. Kyle looked at the place he stood. In front of him were two towers, each with a dome on top of them. Beyond the two towers was a bridge crossing a moat surrounding what seemed like a castle-like structure. There were street lamps at both sides of the bridge as it stretched inwards, each bearing a banner with the words "Lotte World" on it.
Before even finished with admiring the environment, Jyu Min pulled onto his arm and dragged him into it while running like two innocent children. It was an amusement park, and a rather huge one too, even larger than the fantasy theme parks at Maple-World-Malaysia and Ludibrium combined.
Before he even knew it, Jyu Min had pulled him to eight rides and attractions in the amusement park. Kyle went dizzy from riding the French Revolution, the Drunken Basket and Atlantis while confused at watching shows like the Haunted House and the 4D Shooting Theatre. He was still baffled at the various colourful aspects of the alternate dimension that when he came to, he was riding on a swan boat with Jyu Min, alone on the canal.
"That was so very fun!" said Jyu Min, exhausted but still excited.
"Yeah, sure is," said Kyle.
Both of them looked towards the scenery. The sky became noticeably darker and more yellow as the sun began to set, something new to Kyle as the world of Grandis was permanently shone under the bright moon.
"Looking at the sun set, night will come very soon. Savour the beauty of the setting sun while you're at it, they said," Jyu Min spoke, in a relatively light tone.
"Jyu Min, if you're the moon ever shining so radiantly in the sky, I shall be the night sky ever accepting your presence, ever so humble and ever so contrasting with your beauty," Kyle decided it was the right time and tried one of Tear's recommended pick-up lines.
"Oh, Kyle-oppa, you're so sweet!"
"If I am ever so sweet, it's because of your presence that I am so," another one of Tear's pick-up lines.
"I'm so glad, Kyle-oppa..."
"You know, even when we just met, I felt like we will both live a happy life together and ever, and we will never leave each other, right Jyu Min?" Kyle tried to smile and look at her this time. The words were not exactly how Tear's lines, as he modified them to fit the situation. Kyle felt like he could look at Jyu Min's face forever and still not get bored.
"Oh Kyle-oppa, it's only the first day and I already feel so in love with you! Please, kiss me?" Jyu Min turned towards Kyle, expression full of love and desperation.
"Uhh, uhh sure," Kyle felt nervous again. Still, he scooted closer as Jyu Min started closing her eyes and open her lips a notch. As their lips touched, Kyle felt himself getting dizzy and uncontrollable. He wanted her more.
At that slight moment, Jyu Min smiled without breaking the kiss.
Tear jerked from her sleep. She still couldn't believe what she saw in her dream turned nightmare. It was something that she could never accept had it been real. But she still could not shake it off. Something told her that it was a foresight, a sort of prophecy, a prophecy that soon would become a cruel reality. She got up and, not even bothered to tidy herself, grabbed the card and rushed out of her room. She knew where they were. She had seen it in her dreams.
She ran past the janitors who watched her as she zipped past by. No time for the lift, she thought, as she took the stairs instead. She ran past the lobby patrons, bumping into some along the way, but she had no time to listen to their complaints.
She ran out of the lobby and into the streets, certain of the way from what she saw in her nightmare. The roads were still flocked with vehicles, moving or stationary, but Tear did not care. She ran on the streets, pass the shops, other passers-by, through the sparkling lights as they started to illuminate to counteract the darkness about to be drawn over the whole of metropolis. She did not even stop for the traffic lights as everyone turned heads to her and some yelled rudely at her. But nothing will stop her. The soul shooter and bracelet still on her hands will be her only support. She did not feel the least bit exhausted.
Memories went back to her somehow. How Kyle and Tear had to painstakingly take down Velderoth, after everything they had tried to do but without success. How she had started helping out after becoming the Angelic Buster, and even then she was so welcomed by the Nova male community. How she had been embraced by Eskalade and his funny attitudes. How Kyle had been named the next Kaiser, which eventually broke the three of them apart. How she, Kyle and Velderoth had formed the Helisium Forces out of childhood innocence. How Kyle had consoled her and cheered her up when she felt the most down, the period when the Helisium Forces broke up and all parted ways. The shiny stones and flowers he had gotten for her had been most surprising. They are merely typical stones and flowers easily harvested around Pantheon, but they felt a little special, somehow. Her Buster suite had a special spot holding these little things, as a memento and a sign of gratitude.
The environment around her grew eerily and painfully familiar, even though the crowds of the metropolis were still around. After a long while, she suddenly stopped. She knew she was here. She turned her head, and saw the scene that was precisely in her nightmare.
The entrance into the place had two towers at both sides, each bearing a dome at the top and shone radiantly with sparkling lights. Beyond the two towers was a bridge that had street lamps – each with a banner displaying the words "Lotte World" hung below the light - at both sides as it stretched inwards, built over a moat that surrounded what seemed to be a castle with ever-changing lights. There were still a lot more within that castle-like structure, she knew. Crowds of people entering and exiting from the castle were present, mostly taking pictures of this magnificent structure that was even more magnificent than the temple of Pantheon itself, and much more vivacious too.
Tear braced herself for what she knew was waiting for him, and stepped into the mystery.
Earlier that day, 5.30am
The man sat at the table, sipping at the cocktail he randomly ordered. A taste that resembles rather closely to the taste of the local wine back at home. He wandered his head around, and after deciding there was nothing particularly interesting to him, he returned his gaze at the door, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. A few moments later, an elegant-looking woman entered the bar. She surveyed the bar for a moment before her eyes landed on him. She gave a slight smile and walked towards him.
"Are you quite sure this is going to work out?" asked the man, dressed in a rather smart and fancy outfit and wearing a bowler hat.
"I am sure about this," the woman replied as she sat at the table he was sitting. The bar was barely illuminated with a few lights that hung loosely from the ceiling, and seemed significantly darker than the outside where the moon actually shone bright. The smell of alcohol hung rather heavily in the air but in a pleasant way. There was not many people in there, except the bartender and a few familiar faces. "Everything's going the way I plan it. Won't be long till the kaiser and the idol fall in our hands."
"Commander Hilla, we are here to execute our master's command! We are here to destroy them and aid him to expand into the real world, not play date like some five-year-old kid would do!" said the man rather seriously, trying to remind the woman of her duty.
"Oh shut it, this is gonna go swimmingly. You would want those horns and wings of yours to get a little fresh air, wouldn't you, Magnus?"
"Whatever, let's just kill them straight and be on our next mission," said Magnus, feeling irritated.
"No can do, heck I even learned Pantheose for this sake!" said Hilla. She looked at Magnus's eyes which bore a hint of cunningness – and more of boredom - and continued, "And I knew the name Saeg Laeng suits you well. Too well." She could not help letting out a giggle as she spoke that in Pantheose, and Magnus grunted, not amused at all.
"By the way, where are they now?" asked Hilla, serious this time.
"In the hotel, the one you wanted. Still sleeping, I believe," Magnus looked at his watch, one he acquired along with the outfits of the unlucky victim he took form of. He still looked like himself, but in a more socially-acceptable manner. Whatever considered alien to the reality was concealed underneath the fancy clothing.
"Perfect," said Hilla as she took out a tube of lipstick from her handbag. She removed the lid and turned the base, exposing the tip which had a sensual dark pink colour. Magnus watched confusingly as Hilla used a finger of her other hand and slowly orbiting the tip. A curious dark-coloured smoke appeared around her finger and vanished around the tip while it started to glow faintly. When Hilla was done, she gave a nonchalant yet cunningly sexy smile to Magnus before taking out a small cosmetic kit. She looked into it and started applying the lipstick.
"Who the hell did you even take form of, by the way?" Magnus said as she admired Hilla. Unlike how she looked assertive when leading invasions, she looked rather elegant and much more attractive in her spaghetti-strapped short purple dress, apparently backless. It was as if Magnus was looking at a completely different person.
"I'd rather keep it a secret," Hilla said as she added a few final touches to her lips. "There we go, all set. Kaiser will never know what's coming for him…"
"What about Angelic Buster?" asked Magnus.
"Oh, you can do anything you want to her, but Kaiser's all mine," she smirked as the first rays of sun started hitting the tinted windows.