Hi everyone. Things are going to get more and more suspenseful, so bare with it until the next chapter comes out. Also, I pick the name of this chapter "No Snow" because there is currently nothing but sunshine where I live, which is a bummer since it's already December. Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 24: No Snow
-Sea Cave-
In the dungeon of the sea cave, Shika was walking down the dark steps, her heels can be heard as they are slamming against the rocky floors. She waved the door and entered the dungeon. It was dark and dank, and there are mice crawling around the floor. The only lights are the touches on each sides of the room.
"Prince of Flames, awake!" Shika ordered. She could hear chains rattling.
"Wha- Where am I?" Kyle questioned as he looked around his surroundings. When he saw Shika a few feet away from him, his eyes narrowed as they are filled with rage. "You!"
"That's right, Prince. I took you to my home, remember?" Shika asked him.
-Flashback-
Yesterday, Kyle went home back to Los Angeles. He of course, missed Noel since he didn't got a chance to say a proper goodbye. He was reading a book when he heard many screams from the beach.
"What's going on?" he wondered as he changed to become the Fire Prince.
In the distance is Shika and she was using dark magic to try to find the first half of the key.
"I sensed it. He's close, very close. Where can he be?" Shika thought out loud.
"Stop right there!" a voice yelled. Shika turned to see a man in red.
"Ah... So you came, oh Prince of Flames!" Shika mocked as she sent a blast of dark energy at the Fire Prince.
He avoid the attack and summoned his fire. He sent many flames raining down on the Sea Witch, but she used her tentacles to sent blast of water to extinguish the fire. The Fire Prince started to draw for his sword as Shika summoned ice poles and have them go straight towards him. He slice each ice poles in half, getting much closer to the witch. He was so focus on Shika, that he didn't notice where he's standing at. The ground glows yellow and it formed a circle around him.
"Oh no!" he realized the trap too late.
The circle sent a blast at him, followed by water. Shika kept the water spell on him until she was sure that he will become unconscious. When his eyes closed, Shika released him from the water cage and walked towards him.
"Checkmate." she replied. She then looked up at the darkening sky and smiled, "Looks like we made two catches today and tomorrow, my other plan shall be complete."
-Flashback Ends-
"Whatever you want from me, I won't let you have it!" Kyle spat.
"Oh Prince, what I want is very simply. I want the Passionate Flame." she demand.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kyle lied.
"Stop the games, Prince, I know you have it. The Passionate Flame is a gem you created from the remnants of the Rising Phoenix. I must have it, now give it to me!" she was becoming more impatient.
"Why would you want it?" Kyle questioned coldly.
"I think you know why. To get my revenge on the people who wronged me and give me what I deserved." Shika answered. She waited, but Kyle would not answer. "Fine, stay quiet all you want, but soon, I will have that gem, my revenge, and everything that is rightfully mine!" Shika walked away from the dungeon, closing the door with a wave of her hand.
-Spell Room-
In the room, Shika was looking at her spell book, a book she personally made that has all the best spells and enchantments. She knows them because she was the one who created them during her centuries of finding a way to get her revenge. She looked into the cauldron and muttered a spell:
Spirits of the Dark, hear me
Rises and take on thy form
Come out, Doppelganger
A water demon came out of the cauldron who looked exactly like Shika. It has the same personality as Shika, the only difference is that it's a spirit. The spirit was smiling evilly just like the real witch.
"You know what to do. Go and capture the Princess we need." Shika command it. It nodded and teleported away from the throne room.
-Shika's Room-
On the chessboard, Shika was staring at it interestingly. Because this is her version of chess, she loves to bend the rules, so instead of having sixteen pieces, there will be twenty. One king and queen, three rooks, bishops, knights, and nine pawns. On the left side are pieces of bright colors and on the right side are pieces of dark colors. The white king and queen represent the two Goddesses who she hated, the rooks are the White, Black, and Red Princesses, the bishops are the second Red Princess, along with the Pink and Orange Princesses. The three knights are those pathetic humans or the Guardian Princes on land. Lastly, the nine pawns are the Aqua, Green, Purple, Indigo, Yellow Princesses, the Panthalassa Prince, and another Guardian Prince which is still unknown.
She tipped over one of the rook pieces that is a slightly darker color that the rest of the pieces, "The snow has fallen."
-Pearl Waters-
Lucia, Hanon, Rina, and Seira were spending time with their boyfriends, although Seira insisted that Takumi is not her boyfriend... Not yet anyway.
Akari and Miyuki were helping Nikora out with the bath house while Julie was in her room until she came downstairs.
"Ah, Julie onee-chan!" Miyuki exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Akari noticed a worried look on the Red Princess' face.
"I just got a bad feeling that something is wrong... In the South Pacific Ocean." Julie answered.
"That's where Coco onee-chan lives, right?" Miyuki asked.
"Hai... I got this strange feeling that something has happened to her." she replied.
"Well, considering that Shika did absorbed your powers and then gave them to those demons while you were trapped in that slumber, that could be the reason why you feel that way." Nikora reminded her.
"And despite you regain your powers back to awake..." Akari trailed off.
"My powers that the enemies have are being used against us." Julie finished.
"But the is no news from the South Pacific Ocean Castle, so that must mean Coco is alright, right?" Nikora reasoned.
"I still have a bad feeling about it." she turned to Hippo. "Hippo, can you please go to the South Pacific Ocean to check on Coco and her mermaids?"
"Hai, Julie-san." Hippo replied as he waddle out of the door.
"Miyuki." Nikora called out the girl's name.
"Hai, Nikora onee-chan?" Miyuki turned to the purple-haired gown-up. She gave her a list.
"Can you please go out and get some things for tonight's dinner?" Nikora asked.
"Okay." she took the list and heads out the door. "See you soon, Akari nee-chan, Julie onee-chan!"
"See you later, Yuki." Akari waved goodbye.
"Bye-bye Yuki." Julie told her as the door is shut closed.
-Market-
When Miyuki went out the door, she didn't notice a ghost was near.
"There she is... The young snow that will soon fall. He, he, he."
After the Black Mermaid Princess got all the groceries, she decided to take a detour to the park. She laid the bag next to her on the bench as she looked at the sunset.
"Meow." she looked down to see a cute white kitten in front of her feet.
"Hello little kitten." Miyuki was smiling at the animal as it purrs when she ran her fingers on it's soft fur. "Are you lost? Do you have a home?" she asked, but of course, it only meow back. "Your so soft and fluffy... I think I'll name you... Yukiko."
However, Yukiko didn't stay long. It hiss and then ran away.
"Ah, wait!" Miyuki called out to the little kitten as she got up.
'I wonder why she ran away like that...' she pondered as a shadow loomed over her.
She noticed the big shadow and turned around and before she knew it, everything went black.
-Pearl Waters-
Suddenly, Akari and Julie felt something and it was not good.
"Akari!" Julie exclaimed as she ran downstairs.
"You felt it too?" Akari asked.
"Yes, something has happened to Yuki." Julie told her as she made her way to the door. "Come on, let's go!"
-Park-
"Yuki loves play, so I'm betting she's at the park." Akari replied as the two ran.
When they reached the park, they saw the bag of groceries on the bench with the groceries spilled all over the ground. On the the ground, surrounding the bench are white petals.
"Yuki was here." Julie noticed a silver chain bracelet that has a moon and stars on it.
"Julie, what are these?" Akari showed her the white flower petals.
Julie looked at them, "These are Gekkabijin petals. It's called Queen of the Night because the flowers bloom so beautifully in the dark sky."
"Where could Yuki be?" Akari questioned in worry as the wind picks up the petals and blew them away.
-Pearl Waters-
Back at the bath house, Hippo returned.
"Hippo is something the matter?" Nikora notice the penguin's upset expression. "Is everything alright?"
"No... Everything is not alright." he replied.
"Eh?"
"I just came back from the South Pacific Ocean and..." he trailed off.
"And?" Nikora questioned.
"I found out from one of the yellow mermaids that Coco-san has been captured. It happened yesterday." he finished.
"What? Are you sure?" Nikora couldn't believe it.
"I'm afraid it's true." he confirms it.
"I hope Lucia and the others will be okay." Nikora became worried as the clouds started to darkened. Snow started to quietly fall from the sky.
-Sea Cave-
Shika is watching the scene using her magic to create a screen. She also brought Kyle in the throne room to watch as the events unfold.
"Excellent, everything is going according to plan." Shika laughed.
"What are you planning to do with her?" Kyle asked, referring to Miyuki.
"What do you think? I'm going to remove the seal that Julie put on her." Shika gave a crazed smile.
"No... No, you cant!" Kyle realized what she is going to do.
"Oh, I can and I will." she assures him. "I hope you are watching... Like I said many centuries ago, I will take away the things that are closed to you like family." she turned to the king and queen chess pieces while the rook that represent Miyuki is on her side of the board.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't you just hate "To be continued"? Well, that is why I didn't put it there because I hate "To be continued". The mice in the dungeon of a sea cave... Don't question about it because it's just like when Kaito went to Lucia's palace and can breath there or when Gaito's castle rise to the surface, but the mermaids are swimming inside it. The next chapter will be updated on Friday. Until then, see you soon.
