To anyone who is still reading, I'm glad you got this far! Hope you guys like Ray getting exposed to... the outside world *le gasp* and being a fail and making a fool out of themself as usual.
As always, any kind of feedback or critique is appreciated! I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts and use them to become better. Worries, theories, and suggestions (of any kind) are also welcomed with open arms!
And, again, thanks to Nexus_Schwarz and SugaryDiamond for beta-reading and being super nice and supportive overal! Be sure to check out their respective fanseries, Mythical Precure! and Weather Control Pretty Cure! I also highly suggest to check out Immortal Friendship Precure by cure-floras! It's really good and deserves more love!
A car drove into the garage of a high-end house. It was certainly unmistakable, not only because it was huge (too huge for just the two people living there) but especially because of the leftover Christmas lights that were still adorning the walls, windows, and roof of the house. At least the outside. He just hadn't gotten the time, or motivation, to remove them lately.
He stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath to take in the fresh afternoon breeze.
With a dramatic swipe, he flipped his hair as the wind made his long, curly locks dance. Sadly, nobody was here to admire it, aside from himself. But that was okay.
He suppressed the urge to set out his feathers. He wanted to show them to the world but... The people of Earth weren't that keen on "odd" (in their words, not his!) sights like that.
Locking the garage behind him, Bright blinked in surprise to see the door of the house being wide open. It filled him with an uneasy feeling.
Episode 5: Luminous Afterglow: Goodbye Loneliness
After what happened only a couple of hours ago, it was decided that the diner would be closed for the rest of the day. It didn't help that people were already swarming around the diner like it was unwrapped candy.
Aaron was definitely getting uncomfortable from the attention he was getting. People were asking him question about what had happened while he was trying to close the diner. Eclair, on the other hand, mostly hissed and spat at potential paparazzi while Hanan politely declined questions.
Just outside the diner, people were also surrounding Morgan and Beryl, while Ray awkwardly stood on the sidelines. Morgan had pulled her hoodie over her head and ignored all questions while Beryl happily accepted pictures, even transforming into Cure Terra again to do so.
Ray watched this go on for quite some time. The people circling around them, praising them and admiring them like they were porcelain dolls.
They remembered being like that too once. Being the subject of admiration, to an almost intimidating degree.
It made them feel somewhat nostalgic, in a way.
She hummed a soft tune as she sat under a gazebo in the castle's garden. A leather bound book laid open in front of her. She was armed with a single quill, which hovered aimlessly over the blank sheet of paper.
She tapped her quill on the table, trying to think of the correct words to use.
Getting a little frustrated, she frowned and started rereading some of the earlier pages, a smile replacing the frown on her face as she did so.
"Lady Radiant Lumiere, it is great to see you again. You are as radiantly beautiful as ever." A voice called out, drawing her attention away from the book. She closed it as soon as she could, not wanting others to see what was written inside. She clutched the book to her chest.
A handful of knights stood in front of her, all of them kneeling ceremoniously. Their white and golden armor looked dirty, their hair was messy and some even had wounds and scratches on them.
"We apologize to present ourselves like this to you, Lady Radiant Lumiere. You wouldn't happen to know where Miss Lucille is, would you? We brought her the herbs she asked for." The tallest knight said calmly. He had probably said his name before, but she couldn't remember.
She had wanted to but... admittedly, she had given up trying so hard to remember the names of people who would eventually vanish from her life anyway.
But then again, she wasn't supposed to remember. To her, he was just a knight. One of hundreds.
That's what Mother says. And Mother knows best.
"She told me she was going to her room." She answered, rubbing the cover of the book absentmindedly.
"Thank you, and sorry if we disturbed you." The tallest knight bowed again, then said something to the other men, after a couple of nods only he entered the castle, leaving the others knights behind in the garden.
The shortest knight approached her, flipping his blond ponytail. He was the same one who had greeted her earlier. "The land outside Lumo is treacherous and full of danger, but I tried my hardest to bring back a small gift fitting for your beauty." Flashing a confident smirk, he revealed a bouquet of colorful flowers from his cape. She had seen those flowers before, but didn't know their names.
He handed her the bouquet and then reached for her hand. She flinched, stood up, and took a step backwards, almost tripping over their long dress as the flowers and book dropped to the ground.
Another knight elbowed him in the side, as a warning. She actually did know who this was. Lucillle's son, Bright, who had become a knight pretty recently. To say he looked nervous, and a bit out of place, was quite an understatement.
"H-Hey! We aren't allowed to touch-"
"Do not fret so much, rookie." The blond knight chuckled, then turned back to her, bowing deeply as he returned the fallen book and bouquet. "My apologies. I got so distracted by your beauty that I forgot. I do hope you appreciate my gift. It was quite a struggle to get."
"You're such a sleazeball!" Another knight called with a laugh and smacked the shorter knight's shoulder as he and the other knights bid their farewells and left the garden.
Bright was the only one who stayed behind.
His blue eyes focused on the cobblestones he was standing on. Slowly, he raised a hand to his forehead before poofing back into his peacock form.
She could hear the other knights chortle at this from the distance.
He gasped. "Oh goodness... I am so sorry! I shouldn't have changed back in front of you, please... forgive me. It is very hard to keep my human form. The trip we made to get those herbs was..." He stopped and shuddered at the memory. She was glad she didn't know.
She smiled, the bouquet and book still in her hands. "Do not worry. You are off-duty now, right?" She fumbled with the flowers a bit. "You are just as pretty as Lucille."
"Of course, the beauty of the Von Everglow family goes unrivaled by none!" Sounding more confident, if not outright prideful, Bright slapped a wing on his chest, proudly showing his golden brooch as he set up his rainbow-colored plumage. He gasped again, shrinking back a bit. "E-Except Lady Lumina and yo-!"
She held up a hand, silencing him instantly.
"Lucille never stops talking about you. She is really proud."
A smile formed on the peacock's face. "I am happy to hear that." He then motioned to the bouquet in her hands. "Oh, allow me to place them in a vase in your room."
She handed him the bouquet and then returned to her seat underneath the gazebo, opening the book once again.
"Ah, you are writing something? Poetry?" Bright asked.
"I just cannot seem to get my thoughts on paper." She grabbed the quill in her hand again, frowning. "A poem...?" They leaned back, looking up. "That is a good idea!"
"Wait!" Bright set up his tail feathers, plucking one of them with his wing, drawing a small wince, and placing them next to her lap. "Use one of mine! I am sure the luck of a true Von Everglow feather will inspire you!"
Somewhat reluctantly she accepted the feather. The seven colors of the rainbow shining brightly in the sun's glow.
"Thank you, Sir Brightly."
Something dragged their mind back to Earth.
"Earth to Ray! Heeellloooo?" They heard a voice say, followed by a snicker. "Literally! Because I'm earth!"
"Shut up, Beryl." Another voice groaned.
They blinked a couple of times, each blink bringing them further back.
"Are you okay?"
Then they felt a certain warmth on their shoulder. They looked up and saw Hanan, resting her hand on their shoulder. They gasped for breath. It was no direct touch because of their shirt but... the warmth. The unnatural warmth Hanan's hand was emitting made them tense up.
"Hands off! Hands off!" With a cry they slapped her arm away. "How dare you!? How dare you!?"
"You're repeating yourself." That was Morgan's voice, a bit behind them.
They held up their hand, hoping to silence to others. It didn't work.
Taking in a breath, they looked up to take in their surroundings. They were still near the diner but the people seemed to have left. The three Ti- Cures flocked around Ray with varying expressions, ranging from indifference to worry.
"You don't look so well." Hanan, in different clothing now, grabbed something from her bag. "Want some water?"
"I want to go home... where is Bright?" They asked, tears forming in their eyes. "Bring me to him, at once! I demand you-!"
"Whoah, slow down, princess." Ray shot Morgan a dark glare at that comment.
Ray's heart stopped as they felt themself being pulled in a very tight embrace. The air was pressed out of their lungs as they almost felt like flickering.
no touching no touching no touching tainted tainted tainte d
Beryl nuzzled her nose into Ray's golden hair. "You smell so weird, Ray! Like a candle, or something." She tightened her grip. "But, please, don't cry! We're here to help you..."
In a rare display of power, Ray pushed Beryl off of them with a loud scream. They made an odd little twirl while trying to not trip over their own feet. A tiny sheet of paper fell out of their pocket.
"How dare you!? I knew it! I knew it! Waiting till my guard was down so you could taint me! My Mother will make sure you are ban-" They stopped mid-sentence then turned away, gripping their right hand tightly.
Beryl backed off, holding her hands in the air. Her lips pressed together in a thin line as her eyes went from Hanan to Morgan. Nobody was sure what to do or say.
The dark-haired girl groaned. Morgan couldn't believe she was doing this, and yet, here she was, calling the number that was on the sheet of paper that had fallen out of Ray's pocket.
Ray genuinely had no idea what the numbers meant but Morgan and Beryl presumed the number on it was Bright's.
Hopefully it was. He probably knew better how to handle Ray, and their fit, than they did.
That, and Hanan was very eager to meet him, ("Makeen and Wasim adore him and his work! And have you seen him? He's very handsome!") but the 'magical peacock' part made her raise an eyebrow.
"And...? Is he picking up?" Beryl asked, pressing her cheek against the phone Morgan was holding to her ear. Morgan gave her a light kick near her feet to get her to back off, earning a scolding look from Hanan.
Ray had seated themself on a nearby bench, still sobbing and wiping the remaining tears with their sleeves. They hissed like a feral cat every time any of the girls tried to come close and comfort them.
"I can't believe they don't even know where their own house is." Morgan said, phone still pressed against her ear.
Beryl waved her hands with a laugh. "Oh, I got lost all the time when I first moved here."
Bright ran around the living room, urgently trying to follow the sound of his phone's ringtone. The one time he didn't have it in his pocket...
After a couple more rings, he found it in his coat and hastily picked up.
"Hello, you're speak-" He started but a rough voice interrupted him almost instantly.
[Hey, come pick up your kid. They're crying.]
Bright's eyes widened and he had to focus to not turn back into his peacock form right there. "W-What!?"
[Don't worry, Mr. Bright! We will bring them back home!] Bright could just hear the smile in Beryl's voice. It actually made him feel a bit more relieved.
Ray wasn't alone. And never will be again.
[No, we won't.] That was Morgan again. Obviously.
[Yes, we will!] Beryl, again.
[Guys, please...] A third voice Bright didn't recognise.
As the voices continued arguing, Bright stroked his chin thoughtfully. That actually would be a good way for Ray to get some proper interaction, and maybe become more comfortable around these girls.
"How about I give you my address and you can come over here?" He suggested. "You can stay over for dinner as thanks too, if you'd like. How does that sound?"
He heard Beryl's gasp loudly. "Dinner!? Did he say 'dinner', Morgan!?"
Bright smiled. "I take that as a yes? Here, I'll tell you my address..."
The wait for the bus was long and tedious.
"Where even is that?" Beryl squinted her eyes at the piece of paper where Morgan had written down the address Bright had told them.
"That's quite a distance from here." Hanan concluded, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The headache she had since her transformation was growing almost unbearable now. "By bus I'd say it's roughly an hour?"
How did Ray even manage to walk all the way from there to the dinner? That's what Hanan was wondering.
Morgan leaned against the pole and impatiently tapped her foot on the ground while Beryl and Ray sat on the seatings. Ray being on the very edge of the seat to get as much distance between themself and Beryl as possible.
"Soo..." Hanan was glad when Beryl finally spoke up to break the silence. "Is Bright, like, your dad?"
Ray slowly looked up at her and shook their head.
"No. He is a knight and my current guardian. I do not have a father, I have my mother." They said, their eyes still staring at something in the distance. "Or... I had my mother."
Hanan gave them a somber look. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that."
"I do not know which one of you was responsible for her..." Ray paused, drawing in a breath before uttering a word alien to them. "Death..."
Another silence fell. The three girls exchanged glances. Neither of them was really sure what to say. Hanan tried to say something but it only came out as a very uneasy laugh. The others had told her about the situation, but... she, admittedly, didn't really believe the entirety of it.
Other worlds? Magic? She could get behind that. She has seen Pretty Cure on Scrapbook before. It's not impossible.
But the whole "You are actually a defeated God, somehow" thing. That was the part she had trouble with.
"But, in the end, it was all my fault." Ray continued, looking down in shame. "She is the one who taught me everything I know. She raised me, took care of me, protected me..."
"Radiant Lumiere, my beautiful daughter! There you are!"
The sound of her name made her look up from her journal. Just in time to see an older woman walk over to her. Her beautiful form was almost a perfect mirror image to hers, with a matching white and pink-colored dress and golden hair.
"My daughter, I was looking all over for you."
"Mother?" She spoke, closing the journal firmly. Mother shouldn't see its contents. "Is something the matter?"
Mother placed a firm arm on her shoulder. "You have been outside for long enough today, do you not agree?" A soft smile. "I do not want you to get sick."
Clutching the journal to her chest, she let herself be guided back to the castle by her mother's soft, warm hands.
"I love you so much, my daughter."
Ray was rubbing their right hand before tightly embracing themself. Both Hanan and Beryl's hands were slapped away when they tried to comfort them.
"Do not touch me!" They cried out. "Do not!"
Just as they looked like they were about to cry again, Beryl got one of the dozen of flowers stuck in her hair and placed it on Ray's hair. They looked up in surprise but didn't attempt to remove the flower.
"An orchid stands for love and beauty... I think. I think it matches your outfit!" Beryl said with a grin. "And you are very pretty, Ray. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"
Morgan made a gagging noise in the background.
Carefully Ray touched the flower, their expression more confused than anything. Then, in less than a second they ripped the flower out and threw it on the ground before trampling it.
"No, no, no, no!" They cried out. "Do not place your filthy flowers in my hair, Terre! And what are we doing here? You were supposed to bring me to Bright!" A pout. "You three cannot even follow simple commands." The others exchanged more glances.
"Commands?"
Placing their hands on their hips, Ray flashed a prideful smirk. "Yes! I am the who who tamed you! So does it not seem natural that you guys serve me now?" Truthfully they had only come to this conclusion a couple of minutes ago. But it seemed logical, right? Someone needed to make sure the Titans wouldn't hurt others, and Ray found themself to be the perfect candidate for that.
Morgan suddenly started laughing, her arms folded over her stomach as she didn't even to try stop her booming laughter.
"You..." She began, out of breath. "You are so dumb!"
Ray pouted again, puffing their cheeks and stomping their foot down. "Fine! I will go back myself! Because I am independent and do not need the help of anyone!"
With a "hmph!" they turned around and waltzed right into the traffic. Someone pulled them back by the collar before any of the cars could hit them.
"Why did you do that!?" Hanan gasped, letting them go as soon as she saw Ray's glare. "I'm sorry for my roughness, but you could have gotten seriously hurt!"
"Oh, it is all right."
"Not if you're dead!" Morgan chimed in, throwing her hands in the air before returning them to their faithful place in the pockets of her hoodie.
Again, Ray walked onto the traffic, a quicker pace this time. Hanan tried to reach out to them but couldn't because of all the incoming cars blocking her way.
As Ray paced through the middle of the street, some cars stopped in front of them with shrieking tires in an attempt to not hit them. Most of them starting screaming at the confused blond.
"What are you doing, kid!? Are you blind!?"
"Excuse you?" Ray replied, puffing out their chest. "I am Radiant Lumiere, and I have right of way!" They sighed. "I assume you were not aware of that since you are but a mere, unknowing native on this planet and thus completely in the dark of my supremacy. Allow me to tell you that I am the light of hope that-"
"I can't believe this..." Morgan groaned as she watched the scene with a bored expression. Hanan was still trying to get through the cars to reach them. Beryl did the, to her, most logical thing and just jumped on the car, leaping from car to car until they landed in front of Ray.
"I can't believe this." Morgan repeated, more firmly this time, while Hanan watched the scene wide-eyed, and flabbergasted. Worry was smeared all over her face.
Now even more drivers started to yell their complains at them.
"Are you insane!?"
"Get out of here! I'm in a hurry!"
"This is why I don't like cars." Beryl muttered, displaying a very rare frown on her face.
She gently pulled Ray back to the side by their sleeve. Surprisingly, Ray didn't protest too much. They were too confused, or shocked, to do anything.
"Even I know that you can't just cross the street like that." Beryl scolded them. "Very dangerous..." She stopped. "Oh." A thoughtful frown. "Wait... does your homeworld even have cars?"
Ray glared back at her. "I do not need you to tell me what I can and cannot do!" They made another "hmph" sound before turning around and running away, Beryl immediately giving chase.
"Wait!"
Ignoring the calls of Beryl, and later Hanan, Ray pushed themself through all the people walking on the street, as they were desperately trying to get away. They just moved their legs and hoped they would eventually lose their followers.
Everything started to blur as their breathing was quickening. They couldn't even see the streets anymore.
They decided to duck into a small alley to catch their breath and recollect themself before they would drop dead from exhaustion. They pressed themself against the wall and slowly sliding away.
Just now had they realised how dark it suddenly had become. It was like they were... in a cave? They hurried to the most nearby light source.
And it was like they had stepped in a totally different world.
Their eyes widened as they saw a tall wall. Nothing too spectacular, right? But the wonderful images and colors splashed onto said wall, that was what made them drop their jaw.
They couldn't exactly read the words on the wall due the odd way the letters looked, but their eyes were focused on the image of a big, light pink rose.
And here she sat, in a place deep within a forest, only lit by the countless (literally, as she had tried) fireflies. Her eyes wandered to a lone, light pink rose that had sprouted from the ground near her.
She was sitting down with her back against a tree, not caring about her dress getting dirty, and quietly caressing the soft petals of the rose with her equally soft fingers.
"I will wait a little longer."
"You like what you see?" Once again, they were dragged back to earth by a voice. A new one, this time.
Standing not too far away from them was a boy, clad almost entirely in black (already suspicious, Ray noted), blond hair, and holding two spray cans in his hands. He looked at them like he had been caught doing something bad.
Sure, he looked suspicious but he didn't feel suspicious. No trace of darkness was to be found around him. In fact, they could barely feel anything.
Ray was still on edge, though.
"Uh... hi?" The boy said, breaking eye contact almost instantly.
They didn't reply, instead, their eyes trailed back to the rose.
"You seem to like my rose really well." A hint of pride was hidden in the boy's voice. "But, I was thinking that it looks a bit out of place?"
Ray was still staring at the rose. "That... is exactly what attracts me to it." They placed a hand on their chest with a serene smile. "It catches my attention because it is different."
Feeling more at ease at the nostalgic feelings, Ray turned their smile to the boy. "I love it!"
"Thanks."
Ray let out a gasp, remembering something. "This flower in full bloom. So I can make a wish! Lucille said so!" They blurted out as the boy gave them a confused glance. They had taken care of this exact same type of flower back home but never got the chance to wish.
It had been too late when the flower had fully bloomed.
"So, what is your wish?" The boy asked, shaking one of his spraying cans.
Furiously, Ray shook their head. "No... ! That is a secret!" They clapped their hands together and closed their eyes, ready to make their wish. But, they quickly realised that there was no way their wish could come true.
Not after what had happened.
"Eh... I don't think I've ever seen you here before?" The boy said, trying to lead the conversation into a different direction as soon as he noticed Ray's defeating look. "My name is Clyde, what's yours?"
"... Ray." They replied as they grabbed their right hand tightly. "Ray. I am Ray."
Clyde laughed, his initial tension easing. "You know, Ray? You've inspired me. If that doesn't sound weird."
"... Me?"
"Yeah, I dunno." Clyde paused, rubbing the back of his head. "You almost seemed to..." He stopped again, trying to get the right word. "Glow just now. Your smile was so radiant!"
"Your smile is so... radiant." A soft laugh. "How fitting, right?"
Blinking back to reality again, Ray noticed Clyde holding a rather worn-out sketchbook. He leaned against a nearby wall and wrote something on it.
They reluctantly walked over to Clyde, trying to see what he was writing in his sketchbook.
"Ah, scribbles!" Ray said with a smile, feeling better almost instantly. "Oh! Oh! Is this secret code!? I love secret codes!"
Clyde laughed again. "No secret code, really. It says 'radiant'. Do you think it would fit better above or next to the rose?"
Ray gasped. "You are going to write my name on the wall!?" A grin formed on their face. "Then everyone in this world can know my brilliance! And my heroic deeds!"
At that, Clyde's gaze shifted away from them. He seemed quite confused.
"I suppose?" He said. "Heroic deeds?"
"Yes!" They said, puffing their chest out. "I defeated the Four Titans of Disaster... and..." They trailed off, their heart sinking. "... I failed..."
Clyde staggered towards them. A slight frown on his pale face. "Um, you okay with telling me what is occupying your mind? If something is bothering you, you sh-"
His voice got washed out by vivid memories.
"I will not let them... do this..." She said, tears streaming down her face. "I will not allow them to do this!"
With a wince, she spread her arms, as she felt power overflowing inside of her.
"Believe in me!"
Ray shook their head, hoping to shake the remnant memories away. Their head was like a garbled mess, memories creeping back in every once in a while. It was making their head hurt.
They buried their face in their hands.
They didn't want to be reminded.
They just wanted to focus on now. Not then.
It was too late to change anything.
The only thing they could do was... make sure the Titans wouldn't destroy this world too. No matter the cost.
Bright loved this world. So much.
They remember how he taken them out shopping, making them pick clothing for themself, giving them more freedom than their Mother had ever done. Bright had even helped them with their new hairstyle. Having shorter hair was really nice.
Bright had also showed them this "Christmas" occasion. An old man dressed in red, presents, a lot lights and interesting food, that's all Ray could gather from it, but it had been wonderful!
But the thing he praised the most was the lack of Titans. The lack of being at the mercy of four gigantic women.
Ray agreed with that wholeheartedly.
"The Titans!" They cried out, face rising up from their hands. "What am I doing!? I am supposed to watch them!"
Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Titans?"
"I apologize for this! I have to go now." They made a little bow. "I have something I need to do!" Ray raised their head to give him a polite smile. "It was really delightful talking to you. You are the first native I had a talk with."
Or the first one that didn't end up them embarrassing themself in public somehow.
Biting his pierced lip, Clyde returned an uneasy smile. "Thanks?"
"Please, keep believing in me." Ray smiled, turning around.
"Sure thing, friend."
Ray blinked, turning back to Clyde again. "You... consider me a friend?"
"I suppose." He replied simply. "You rather not?"
A grin appeared on Ray's face. "Thank you." They said before turning around, again, and dashing off.
They hadn't even taken ten steps before a black vortex appeared in front of them. They almost jumped out of their skin as Bronze stepped out of it. A bottle of Dark Ink was in her hand.
The darkness seemed to drip off of her. They didn't see it but they sure could feel it. It made them terrified.
With a wheeze, Ray folded their arms around themself, staggering back until they bumped into Clyde. He stepped in front of them, curiously eying Bronze.
"Did you just came out of a... portal?"
Bronze grit her teeth and stomped up to him, using her Dark Ink and dragging his shadow out in a quick motion.
"Unbound! Overshadow your light and dim your hope!"
Stepping out of harm's way, Bronze crossed her arms as she watched the Unbound's formation intensely. This Unbound was holding a big spray can and had giant chains wrapped around each wrists, not unlike the fashionable chains Clyde wore on his clothing.
"Get out of here, kid." Bronze ordered, squinting her eyes at Ray.
"N-No! How dare you do that to him!?" They yelled, clenching their fists. "Just you wait until my servants arrive! They will put a stop to this!"
"Your 'servants'?" Bronze snorted, a quick smile appearing on her otherwise cold face. "You are starting to sound like the brat now."
With a roar, the Unbound violently shook its spraycan and sprayed into the air. The horde of pink particles materializing a huge rose. The rose started turning like a fast clock and then a few of its petals turned razor sharp and shot toward Ray.
The petals never hit them.
Cure Ember felt sharp pain in her back. She gritted her teeth as she pulled Ray closer to her, protecting their fragile form with her body.
"Ignis... you are... defending me?" Their was voice weak and their eyes wide. A calm moment before shrieking and pushing Ember off of them. "No! Do not touch me!"
"Glad you're okay. Now, hide!" Ember told them, trying to stay calm. Ray nodded slowly and ran out of Ember's sight. She let out a sigh of relief then snapped her attention back to the fight.
Terra blocked the next wave of sharp petal bullets with small rock pillars while Splash went straight to the Unbound, landing a few kicks while easily evading the monster's punches and attempts to grab her.
With a wave of her hand, Bronze summoned a handful of Chromies.
"Terra, can you take care of those!?" Ember asked, keeping a notable distance from Terra.
The green Cure replied with a thumbs up and charged into the horde of Chromies with her rock-gauntlets at the ready. She started dishing out powerful punches, poofing most of them with ease.
"I take it that I can't convince you to stop?" Terra spoke calmly, locking eyes with Bronze. "If there is a way to stop this without hurting more people..."
The woman's reply was short and blunt. "There isn't."
"Some people will never listen." Terra looked away, talking more to herself than Bronze. "And there is nothing we can do about that." Her face grew into a determined look as she turned back to the metallic woman. "But I can't let you do what you want. I have people I want to protect."
"I have too!" Bronze spat back. Her voice was filled with venom as she shot a beam of darkness at Terra, smashing her into the wall.
Meanwhile, Ember ran to the Unbound, punching its legs as hard as she could, and trying to keep the raging fire locked inside of her.
"Pretty Cure-!" She heard Splash's voice call from above. Letting out gasp, Ember set her feet on the ground and managed to jump just high enough to grab Splash's leg (and she instantly realised how notably cold she was), making her stop before she could use her attack.
"No, Splash! Not yet!"
Ember's face met with Splash's sandal, leaving wavy marks on her face from the soles. "Back off! Don't tell me what to do!"
"Sorry!" The red Cure apologized, rubbing the sore side of her face. "But look! At its eyes! They're still white! They should be maroon!" She pointed at the Unbound looming over them. It sprayed another picture and it came to life. A huge mantis, which started sharpening its forelegs like they were swords, making sounds so loudly that Ember's terrified screams were almost unheard.
"Eyes?" Splash squinted her own eyes, inspecting the Unbound, then snapped back to Ember who was running away from the fight. "Hey!? Where are you going!?"
Ember gulped nervously. "Okay, n-never mind, use your attack on that thing!" She cried, forcing her eyes shut as she pointed at the mantis. "Hurry! Do it!"
"Oh... I see." A grin found its way on Splash's face as she threw a series of punches at the mantis, most of them being blocked by its sword-like arms. "Is the oh-so-perfect Hanan scared of a harmless, weak..." The mantis' dissolved when being hit by a water powered kick. "Bug!?"
Landing next to Ember, Splash dusted off her hands.
"Looks like I truly am the most capable one here." The blue Cure sounded bored, but the sneer on her face told Ember otherwise.
"Sorry, Splash. Thanks for the help." Ember replied softly, letting out an uneasy chuckle. "You are more experienced than I am."
Splash just nodded before leaping back into the fight. Terra had already gotten back up again and was unleashing a barrage of punches to the Unbound's cage.
Ray clutched themself against a wall, sometimes peeking to the side to watch the fight taking place.
They bit their lip as they eyes flicked from one Cure to the other. All of them trying their best, unleashing attacks left and right to bring down the rampaging monster
It was supposed to be them.
They were supposed to be risking their life.
They were supposed to be the one defending this world.
"My first friend here..." Ray whispered. "And I am unable to even protect him. Just one single person is already too much for me..."
Closing their eyes, they summoned their Eternal Lantern and let it float between their hands.
"Light up..." Their voice sounded so pathetically weak as they held onto the dimly lit lantern. "Light up!"
Still nothing.
"Why? Why!?" They cried out, voice breaking.
They took in a breath before trying again, and again, and again, and again.
Growing more frustrated with each failed attempt, they were slowly starting to lose hope.
Why didn't it work?
Was it... because of that?
Their legs gave in and they sank to the ground, clutching the lantern tightly to their chest while tears started streaming down their face.
"Look! Its eyes changed! This is our chance!" Ember pointed out, evading a gigantic bullet a gun construct had shot at her. "Terra, you wanna finish thi-?"
Splash had already leaped up. "Pretty Cure Hydro Wave!" The Unbound got caught in a flood and dissolved, leaving a boy in its place.
"Clyde?" Splash blinked, shuffling the unconscious boy a bit. "And to think your sister got turned into a monster earlier today..."
Terra cocked her head. "Wait... who?"
"Oh, he's Eclair's older brother." Ember explained. "Eclair is the girl who worked at the diner? Remember?"
"Ooh!"
Splash cracked her knuckles and turned to Bronze, who was still present. "So, we're fighting or what?"
"Not this time." Bronze replied, turning around just in time for something hot to hit the lower side of her face.
"Not so fast!" Ember grit her teeth. She hadn't meant to shoot a fireball at her. She cringed when she noticed Terra flinch and hide behind Splash, the latter uttering a quick, "Damn." with a small hint of admiration in her voice.
Bronze let out a cry of raw pain, trying to touch the burnt side of her face.
"... You... !" She looked back at Ember with an alarmed look.
Ember averted her eyes, not liking the look of the burn she had inflicted on the woman. She hadn't meant to... really...
The red Cure shook her head, then forced a fierce look on her face. Do not show fear or hesitation in front of an enemy, she told herself.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this? Who do you work for?" Each question bringing her a step closer to Bronze. The Cure suddenly grinned. "Enlighten me."
Ember tried to keep her gaze locked with the woman. "There are two options left for you, answering my questions or receiving another burn and-"
In an erratic motion, Bronze kicked Ember in the side and used that moment to escape via a portal.
"Man, that is gonna leave a burn." Splash said, playfully punching Ember in the side. "You were pretty cool. Almost scared me, haha."
Pressing her lips in a tight line, Ember turned around to look at Terra. She definitely was scared. She was fidgeting with the flowers in her hair while giving Ember an uneasy, very forced smile.
"At least she is gone..."
Stretching her arms a bit, Splash cancelled her transformation with a yawn. "Okay, idiots, let's go."
Ember and Terra followed her example, detransforming back into Hanan and Beryl.
"Is... he safe?" A weak voice asked. Ray meekly emerged from behind a wall. Their face was red and their eyes swollen.
It was almost like they were a lost puppy. Ray looked so lost, disconnected from everything. Their eyes were glued to the ground as they staggered towards Clyde's sleeping form and dropped down in front of him.
"You have saved every single person who was targeted." They spoke. "You succeeded every time. While I could not even..."
Beryl made a little jump. "We found you, Ray! I knew I smelled that candle-like smell! It's unmistakable!" She grinned proudly, seemingly having not heard Ray's ramblings.
At that Ray slowly looked around, a confused frown on their face. They didn't react to Beryl stomping up to them. They did, however, start to protest when Beryl had gotten a small, green string and tied it around their wrist with a tight knot.
"H-Hey!" They yelled, trying to undo the knot. "What are you doing!? Is this a kidnapping attempt!?" The blond hissed in Beryl's face. "I was wrong for trusting you, you barbarian!"
Morgan didn't even try to hold back her laughter at the sight. Hanan looked a bit conflicted but kept her tongue.
"It's so we don't lose each other!" Beryl assured Ray. "Do not fear, my dear Ray! We will make sure you get back home safely! We promised Bright!" She smirked and whispered to herself: "And I am very hungry, hehe~!"
Ray tried to pull on the little string, tried to bite it off, untie it again... but nothing worked.
"Your new dog is funny, Beryl." Morgan actually had a hint of a smile on her face. "Bet my mom would adore it. She loves small 'dogs' that scream a lot over nothing." She grinned at Ray. "Like you."
"I am not a dog! How dare you!?"
Hanan took a quick moment to safely lay Clyde's still unconscious body on a bench before rushing after the other three.
Bronze was actually relieved when she saw nobody was in the room.
Good, now she could snuck back to her room without anyone having to see her. She genuinely didn't want to subject the others to that sight.
With a groan, she dragged her weak body through the long, empty hallway. She still found herself having trouble walking, despite being unharmed, aside from the burn on her face (which had started becoming numb now... was it already healing?).
She felt sick.
Letting out a frustrated cry Bronze punched a dent into the wall. Slowly it started repairing itself, dark particles filling up the dent.
"Bronze...?"
A soft voice made her stop. Slumping her shoulders a bit, Bronze faced the wall, definitely not wanting the girl to see her face like this.
Bronze took in a deep breath. "Aeris... just go."
"Did... something happen?"
"This just isn't working. We can't collect darkness if these Pretty Cures keep showing up to ruin it. And we can't directly fight them either. They keep overpowering us." Bronze explained, still with her back to Aeris. "What is that brat thinking? At this rate, someone is gonna die for real!"
Aeris flinched at the screaming, before gently placing a hand on Bronze's shoulder, just above the metal, so she could feel her soft hands resting on her skin.
"Sorry... but... but... I will not let that happen. I will not allow anyone I care about to get hurt." The older woman tried to hide her wound behind a hand. The metal touching it didn't feel nice. "I will protect all of you with everything I have. No matter what I have to do!" In return, she placed her other hand on Aeris'. "That goes for you too. I will break anyone who tries to harm you."
"Bronze, please, it's okay!" Aeris reassured her and embraced the woman in her dark wings. They were so soft, Bronze couldn't help but relax at feeling their delicate texture touch her skin. "You should rest..."
Finally finding the courage, Bronze reluctantly faced Aeris. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel when she noticed the girl flinch at the sight.
"Don't worry, it's already healing." She told Aeris with a soft smile. "Glad all that darkness is good for something, right?"
Bright screamed when he heard a knock on the door. And he screamed again when he saw two familiar girls, one new girl, and Ray.
Leaning in the doorway, Bright flipped his hair as a greeting.
"We are here, Bright! And Ray is safe and sound!" Beryl chirped, holding up the string attached to Ray's wrist.
"I am glad you made it. I hope it wasn't too much trouble to get here?"
"Nope~!"
"Man, Wasim was right, he really is a hottie." Hanan whispered to Morgan with a grin, who gave her a disgusted look in return.
"He is a peacock."
Hanan shrugged. "Don't sweat the small stuff. Someone can still be aesthetically pleasing to look at."
Morgan almost rolled her eyes back into her skull.
Ray had to admit that having dinner with so many people was quite nice, although a tad noisy.
They weren't used to that. They would always eat at a huge, large table with just them and their mother. And the occasional maid, butler, or chef serving the food. Lucille had sometimes joined them too, but that had been very rare.
As everyone was happily chatting away, Ray focused on their food. They... didn't really know exactly what it was, some sort of meat, but Bright's cooking was unrivaled in deliciousness.
He was miles better than the various chefs that had served them back home.
But they still didn't trust the thick, oily sauce that suspiciously resembled their blood. (Bright had insisted it was something called "mayonnaise", but Ray wasn't so sure.)
To their surprise it wasn't Terre.. no, Beryl who was eating a lot of that "mayonnaise" but Und- Morgan. She almost emptied an entire bottle on her food!
After dinner, Ray had asked for one of Bright's feathers and disappeared into their room while the other girls helped washing the dishes. Well, only Hanan helped. Morgan was admiring the view from the window while Beryl was too busy getting distracted by the wide array of statues, pictures and board games that were lying around. An unfinished puzzle and its pieces were also scattered over a small table.
Just as they were done, Ray had come back. They couldn't bring themself to look at anyone.
"Hanan. Beryl. Morgan." They began with a soft, trembling voice.
At hearing the blond actually say their names, Beryl gained a wide smile, Hanan blinked in mild confusion and surprise while Morgan made an irritated little noise before saying: "Finally. It's getting through that thick head of y-"
"I want to understand." Ray said, voice clearer this time. They were clutching the piece of paper in their hands while their eyes were focused on the floor. "I hope you understand."
Silently they handed Hanan the piece of paper and stepped back as Beryl and Morgan came closer to read what was written on it.
["I am aware I have not exactly treated you kindly. I am also aware that the three of you have seemingly lost your memories. Whenever this was because of me, or something else, is not clear.
Please know that you committed unforgivable sins.
But so did I.
And sins once committed will never disappear. We will both have to shoulder them for the rest of our lives.
I am willing to give you a chance. I have no other choice but to trust you. It would not be fair to Bright, or anyone living on this world, to risk Earth's safety because of my inability to understand.
So, I will place the fate of this world in your hands.
I will believe in you.
- Signed, Ray."]