Episode Seventeen: To the Hallowed Wellspring! Ouryuu's Shining Song
Jun sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at Kichu. The little mouse laid in her lap, his chest rising and falling gently as he continued to sleep. He did not even stir as she ran her fingers through his fur and heaved a quiet sigh. Nothing would have roused him. Nothing had for the past several days.
A sweet smell gently wafted from the kitchen, tickling Jun's nose. Hiroko was making one of her favorite treats - a lemon chiffon cake. Soon, Jun would get to enjoy it with everyone else. With her teammates . She should have been looking forward to that. But right now, it was difficult to get excited about anything.
"Kichu!" Muse chirped as she gently nosed her little brother awake, the morning after Pretty Cure's fateful battle with Hinyu. "C'mon, get up! It's so pretty outside! You can't sleep the day away!"
But Kichu remained fast asleep, no matter how much Muse prodded him.
Muse's ears drooped a bit. "Huh? Kichu?" Further prodding had no effect. "Are… are you okay?"
Jun had tried not to worry too hard about it at first, difficult as that was. Kichu had been put through a great deal, and he was just a baby, powerful spirit or not. Maybe he just needed some more rest. Maybe tomorrow, he would be up and around again. Maybe Jun was just fretting over nothing.
Except Kichu didn't wake up the next day, or the day after that.
It wasn't Jun's fault. Hiroko had assured her of that over and over. She was afraid of Jun crumbling under the weight of this new predicament, of Jun trying to erase herself again. Even if Hiroko didn't say it, Jun could tell what her fellow Cure was thinking. After all their time together, Hiroko was very easy to read.
Part of Jun did want to isolate herself from the others. Part of her felt like she didn't deserve to be around anyone . But that part of her was wrong .
Jun wasn't the girl she had been before. She had become Cure Ouryuu and in doing so, had taken hold of her future. She would no longer run away from her friends. She would face it all head on, as a member of Pretty Cure and a priestess of the Hallowed Wellspring. Maybe… maybe she could…
…but would that really be such a good idea? Even if it was possible, even if it was steadily looking like the best possible option, it would not come without consequences. But what else could she do? She felt stuck otherwise. She felt a bit more powerful these days, but it wasn't enough to help Kichu. She'd tried.
As Jun turned the question of that matter over in her head, a knock sounded at the front door.
"I'll get it!" Hiroko said from the other room.
A moment later, Jun heard the door opening as Hiroko ushered the three other members of Pretty Cure inside. Jun hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and moving to join the others.
Soon, Pretty Cure was seated around the dining room table enjoying Hiroko's lemon chiffon cake. It was delicious, of course. Hiroko had really outdone herself this time. And the conversation was light at first, despite the new crisis facing Pretty Cure. Jun appreciated it. She really needed this right now.
Yasu and Haruki had even brought along a present for Jun - a care package full of sweet snacks, handmade candy, and a selection of daisy-themed beauty supplies, from perfume to bath salts.
"You got this all for me…" Jun's eyes were wide as she took it all in. "Nyasu, Harunyan… thank you so much!"
Yasu smiled. "I'm glad you like it, Jun. But Haruki deserves most of the credit."
Haruki went slightly pink. "You did a lot too, Sis!" he said. "I just helped her pick out snacks." he told Jun. "I wanted to make sure you had all your favorites - I hope I got them all."
"You did!" Jun chirped. "You're a wonderful person, Harunyan! All of you are." Her smile faltered a bit as she glanced around. "I… really don't want to be alone right now. Not when Kichu is like this."
Hiroko, who sat next to Jun, reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. That helped even more. Her friends wanted to support her. They wanted her here. She wanted to stay. She needed to stay
"You're in luck, 'cause we're not going anywhere." Izumi around a large mouthful of cake. "We're a team of five, after all!" Her mood grew a bit more somber as she added "Sorry to harsh the mood more, but like, what do we do about Kichu? We can't just leave him like this."
For a moment, Jun said nothing. The blue-haired girl seemed to be contemplating something as she finished off her own slice of cake. Finally, she set her fork aside and spoke.
"There's nothing that can help Kichu."
The room fell uncomfortably silent and the atmosphere grew heavy… for a split second, before Jun added
"Not in this world, anyway."
Hiroko looked over at Jun. "Do you mean-?"
Jun nodded. "It's a long shot, and I'll need you guys' help, but… we have to try, right?" She leapt to her feet and pumped a decisive fist into the air. "Everyone! Let's go to the Hallowed Wellspring!"
Pretty Cure wasted no time in traveling to the site of the Genbu sealing stone. If all went well, they could open up a portal to the Hallowed Wellspring there and hopefully find a way to save Kichu.
"Any of the sealing stones would've worked." Jun explained to the group as the bus took them to Kyoukai's northern forest. "But most of them are… you know. Out in the open."
"Yeah, it'd be kinda awkward if we vanished in front of a bunch of people." Izumi said. "Good call, Jun."
They would have discussed it further, but the middle-aged woman sitting a few seats down was giving the group an odd look, prompting Haruki to throw out a slightly forced-sounding "Alternate reality games are really fun, huh?" before switching the topic to the newest Ultimate Fantasia 14 patch, the new classes they had introduced, and what everyone's ideal Ultimate Fantasia 14 class would be.
Jun had no idea what Haruki was talking about. Yasu was the only person who did. But that was okay. Her stomach was beginning to do flips as they drew near their destination, and Haruki's enthusiastic rambling kept it from being any worse.
By the time Pretty Cure arrived at the northern forest clearing, Jun's stomach was practically doing a gymnastics routine to rival Izumi's. She swallowed hard as she checked inside her school bag. Kichu slumbered peacefully within. And he'd keep slumbering unless she did something. No turning back now.
"The Wellspring elders opened a door for me, right around here." Jun indicated a region of space near the sealing stone. "I fell through, and then!" She clapped her hands together. "Here I was!"
Haruki blinked. "You fell ?"
"They opened a door…" Hiroko echoed. "And we'll have to open another one. How does that work, exactly?"
"Well, it shouldn't ." Jun said. "Nobody's supposed to go in and out of the Wellspring right now. We can't risk the Shade Kingdom getting in and overwhelming us."
Yasu adjusted her glasses. "So, we're breaking in."
Jun suddenly looked very awkward. "If you put it that way, then… yeah. We are." She shifted a bit. "My superiors won't be very happy, and I know I'm asking a lot of you guys, but-"
Izumi laid a hand on Jun's shoulder. "Jun. We're a team. Teammates back each other up." Her eyes blazed as she pumped a fist into the air. "And if that means helping you stage a break-in, then we're gonna rule all at breaking in!"
"Heck yeah!" Haruki pumped a fist into the air as well. Hiroko and Yasu seemed to share his enthusiasm in their own way. "Let's bust into the Wellspring and-" He frowned. "How do we bust in, anyway?"
"I can't open the door on my own. Even now." Jun took Haruki's hand, seemingly oblivious to his flustered reaction. "But if we all combine our spirit power, I bet we could! It's worth a shot, right?" She gestured to Hiroko. "Hironyan! Everyone! You too!"
Hiroko readily took Jun's other hand. Yasu and Izumi quickly followed suit. Within moments, the five were linked hand-in-hand in a circle, around the region Jun had emerged from before. Jun took a deep breath and gave Hiroko and Haruki's hands a tight squeeze as she focused. Now was the moment of truth.
As Jun concentrated, she conjured the Hallowed Wellspring in her mind, mentally tracing the dimensional pathway that connected it to Earth. It was so very far away and yet, so very close if you knew what road to take. That path was walled off right now. But that was okay. They could bust that wall down.
A powerful wind kicked up around the group as Jun began to glow with golden spirit power.
"Oh, shining doorway, heed my call!" Jun cried out.
The rest of Pretty Cure began to glow with spirit power as well. The five blazed blue, dark violet, white, red, and gold as the wind around them grew more intense and the air crackled with energy.
"Reveal the path to your humble servant!"
The ground beneath everyone's feet began to shimmer, and the space around them began to warp, as Pretty Cure blazed brighter still. Jun was already beginning to feel a bit of strain. She did her best to ignore it. One last push. One last push, and the five of them would be where they were needed.
"Wellspring gate, open!"
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. For a moment, Jun felt herself wondering if this wasn't enough, if she had only succeeded in making everyone wear themselves out.
And then the ground beneath Pretty Cure's feet seemed to dissolve completely, revealing a vast, seemingly endless expanse of shimmering light below everyone's feet.
The four human members of Pretty Cure had half a moment to process what had just happened… and then they were sent plunging into the shining void below.
And now everyone understood what Jun had meant by "falling" into their dimension... because the five of them were doing exactly that. Hiroko bit back the urge to scream as she and her teammates plunged through the iridescent void at a high velocity. She held out for all of three seconds.
Jun was the only one keeping it together right now. The blue-haired girl's eyes were fixed firmly forward, and a look of purpose was etched on her face as she plunged forth, clutching her school bag to her chest. Meanwhile, Haruki was clinging onto Jun for dear life, Yasu was biting her lip as she latched tightly onto Hiroko for support, Izumi was spitting out a string of minced oaths, and Hiroko was screaming her head off.
The plunge seemed to take a small eternity. For a moment, Hiroko found herself wondering if something had gone horribly wrong and the group would be stuck falling forever through space. And then something slowly came into focus below - an expanse of pearlescent white and sparkling gold cobblestones.
Hiroko found herself lying flat on her back on said cobblestones a half-second later. It was less like she had hit the ground and more like the ground had suddenly caught up with her. She drew several ragged breaths as she stared dazedly up at the sky, trying to get her eyes to focus.
The sky above her was an almost disconcertingly vivid shade of blue. There were numerous dark shapes traveling through it, shapes her blurred vision couldn't place at first. And then one of those shapes swooped right over the group, close enough for Hiroko to get a very good look at it.
It was a whale - a pure white whale, which swam through the air as if it were water. Hiroko let out a squeak of alarm as she scrambled to a sitting position. All Hiroko could do was gape at the sight, even as Jun helped her to her feet and the rest of the team, who had landed nearby, slowly regained their bearings.
"You have flying whales here." As a magical warrior who fought giant monsters on a regular basis, this shouldn't have shocked Hiroko much, and yet, and yet - " Flying whales. "
"Oh yeah, that was probably Mira-san!" Jun chirped. "She shuttles people around the Wellspring - she's pretty busy this time of day. Lots of people are - look!"
Hiroko felt her breath stop a bit as she followed Jun's gaze to the sky. Now that her vision had refocused, she could recognize the shapes dancing about the sky - a bevy of flying animal spirits, navigating paths through the ocean of air around them, weaving around the towering spires of white that dotted the landscape, and cutting paths towards the multiple floating islands that decorated the skyline.
There were so many different kinds of spirits too - Hiroko could make out dragons, flying fish, birds, dolphins… and she would have kept going, had Haruki's loud "Oh my god!" not caught her ears.
Haruki was staring up at the centerpiece of the circular town square Pretty Cure seemed to have appeared in - a crystal many times taller than he was, which was affixed to a bronze pedestal and surrounded by a colorful radial flower garden. It shined with an almost eerie iridescent light as a massive ring rotated around its length. Said ring was dotted by gems of many colors - blue, teal, black, violet, white, yellow, red, pink-
"It looks just like an aetherite." Haruki said rapturously as he stepped a bit closer to the crystal. He looked downright hypnotized by it. "I wonder what'd happen if you-"
Yasu grabbed her brother's arm right before he could touch the crystal. "Haruki. You don't know what that is." She looked away a bit too sharply. "And neither do I."
Jun bounded over to the pair. "Harunyan! Nyasu! It's okay! You can touch it as much as you want! See?" She grinned as she planted a hand on the crystal. It glowed a bit on contact, and her hair stood on end slightly. "Mana crystals supply aether to the area! So I guess it's a kind of aether… ite?"
Haruki eagerly did just that. Yasu put on a show of being above such things… for a fraction of a moment before following her little brother's lead. Hiroko couldn't help but smile at the sight. Izumi, meanwhile, was eagerly darting about, taking everything around her in.
That was Hiroko's cue to get a good look at her surroundings. They seemed to be at the heart of a pristine white city. Entire districts radiated outward from the circular central square like numbers on a sundial, some spiraling up lofty hills while others seemed to stretch outward forever. Most buildings seemed to be crafted from white or silver stone, with accents of gold. She couldn't help but think of Mirai Academy.
The surrounding landscape was broken up by bits of green verdure or flowers that grew in more colors than Hiroko could count. She could smell a hint of ocean in the air, which buzzed with energy, not like the kind she felt whenever she and her teammates restored one of the sealing stones.
A veritable archipelago of floating islands loomed on the horizon. Hiroko found herself wondering what it'd be like to travel to one, likely on the back of one of the Wellspring's flying spirits, as her eyes traveled to one particular island, which loomed a short distance away, overseeing everything below. Even from this distance white, multi-spired building - a castle? - sitting atop it. It was difficult to miss, given its sheer size.
The spirits in the air weren't the only living beings about either. The central square had been fairly empty at first, but now Hiroko could spot many more spirits slowly filtering into the area. Some were in human form but still more were in animal form. The variety was immense - everything from a tiny jerboa to a massive elephant to a sturdy komainu to what looked strikingly like a giant sloth.
Many of the spirits were looking straight at Pretty Cure. No, all of them were. In fact, many were coming this way. Scratch that - every single one of them was headed in their direction.
"Oh man, here comes the welcome wagon."
As soon as Izumi said that, Pretty Cure was slammed with attention from every angle. Hiroko suddenly found herself flanked on all sides by a rabbit, a penguin, a tiger, and a puppy, all of whom took human form before proceeding to lean into her face and excitedly pelt her with questions.
"That intense spirit power of yours - you guys are Pretty Cure, right?" The rabbit girl looked beyond delighted by Hiroko's mere existence. " The Pretty Cure! I can't believe you're really here!"
"Aren't you guys from Earth?" The penguin boy looked more than a little concerned. "You shouldn't be able to visit - or is that just another part of Pretty Cure's power?"
"Or maybe Muse let them in - she is a Wellspring priestess!" the tiger boy suggested. "That's right, isn't it? Muse totally helped you guys stage a break-in, right?"
The puppy girl, who seemed quite a bit younger than the other three, simply pushed her way past her companions and hugged Hiroko around the waist.
"I love you, Pretty Cure." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
Hiroko, who was a bit too flustered for words, gently ruffled the girl's fluffy, mouse brown hair as she looked around the town square in hopes of maybe locating something remotely resembling breathing room.
She wasn't going to have any luck. The area surrounding Pretty Cure was absolutely packed to the gills with spirits, and all of them were bent on speaking with the five of them. If there was any mercy at all, it was that most every one of them had taken human form, keeping them from trampling the Cures or each other.
Izumi was boastfully recounting her and her friends' feats of heroics, all while throwing in some impressive shows of flexibility - and then a few shows of strength, once some of the younger spirits started daring her to show them how many of them she could carry around.
Meanwhile, the Fukuda siblings were being accosted by a large gaggle of curious people. Haruki seemed to be taking it in stride. Yasu was considerably more tense, but her brother's presence did seem to help calm her down a bit, as did his suggestion to "pretend we're logged in, and this is our guild chat".
As for Jun… it took Hiroko a moment, between the sheer size of the crowd and the ever-increasing number of people personally accosting her, but finally, she spotted the blue-haired girl, who was fighting her way to her. Jun's eyes lit up as her gaze finally met Hiroko's.
"Oh! Hironyan!" Jun pushed her way through the crowd as she spoke. "C'mon, we've gotta-"
Before Jun could get close to Hiroko, a colorful blur barreled towards her, knocking her away from everyone else. Jun let out a high-pitched meow of surprise, which turned into a delighted gasp as she recognized the teenage girl who had pulled her into a tight bear hug.
"Lyra-chan!"
"Muse! Oh, Muse!" Lyra's dark brown eyes, which laid behind large, dark-rimmed spectacles, sparkled as she snuggled her friend close. She was soft and fat, with forest green hair worn in tight curls and a colorful and beautifully made frock. "I thought it'd be forever before we got to… nonono, wait , it should be, so why-?"
Jun looked like a child who'd been caught with a broken vase as Lyra released her from the hug. "It's a long story, Lyra-chan. But trust me, we're here for a reason."
Lyra nodded. "I know you, Muse. You're the most responsible girl in the Wellspring. If anyone would win 'least likely to stage an illegal break-in', it'd totally be you. So…" Her confusion visibly grew as she realized something - or rather someone wasn't present. "And where's Kichu? Isn't he always with you?"
The color drained from Jun's face, and she instinctively held her schoolbag a bit closer. Kichu, who slumbered within, did not so much as stir. She did not get a chance to explain herself to Lyra.
A wave of silence suddenly washed over the crowd, which parted to make way for a group of newcomers - a small group of humanoid spirits marching in lockstep. All were clad in light armor of silver, navy, and gold, complete with flowing golden capes and all had swords hanging at their sides in gilded scabbards. At their head stood a familiar-looking man with white hair and a neat goatee.
Jun stared wide-eyed at Sol. "Papa?"
For a moment, Sol remained steely-eyed and stern as he met his daughter's gaze… and then Jun tackle-hugged him, and he instantly melted, grinning ear to ear as he snuggled his daughter.
"Muse! Look at you! My little girl's grown so much!" Sol gave his daughter an affectionate headbutt. "No, no, that's underselling it! You're all grown up, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes." And now he was tearing up. "I never thought this day would come! My daughter, who is in the top percentage of all dau-"
Everyone had gone completely silent. Sol's fellow temple knights were giving him very odd looks, most every spirit in the vicinity was staring at him in confusion, and even the other members of Pretty Cure looked a bit lost for words. Finally Muse broke the silence with a quiet
"Papa, this is a bit-"
Sol nodded stiffly before hesitantly letting go of his daughter and shifting back into business mode. His tone was gravely serious now - a far cry from the Sol the group was used to.
"Pretty Cure. Why have you breached our walls?" As Sol spoke, the five members of Pretty Cure assembled before him. Jun insisted on taking point. "There must be some profound reason for this."
Jun nodded solemnly. "There is, Papa. It's Kichu, he-" Her voice caught despite her best intentions. "He won't wake up, nothing I'm doing helps, and… I'm sorry, I tried everything, but we had to-!"
Hiroko took her place by Jun's side. "We had to look to the Hallowed Wellspring for help, Sol-san." she explained. "Earth can't help him, and we can't risk waiting any longer."
Izumi nodded. "If he never wakes up, we're all screwed. So we busted our way in here."
Haruki blanched at Izumi's casual admission of guilt. "I guess we totally did, r-right! And! It was entirely our idea, sir!" He sounded a bit too frantic as he spoke. "We talked Jun into it! I mean I did, and everyone else went along with-!"
Sol just smiled. "I understand, young man." And then, to Pretty Cure as a whole "The five of you will accompany us to the Lux Temple. Kichu was… well, he was created there. He can recover there too." His expression faltered a bit as he met Jun's eyes. "Iris will want a personal audience with you as well, Muse."
Jun tensed a bit at the mention of the head priest… before taking a deep breath and managing her best smile.
"Duly noted, Papa!" she chirped. "There's a lot I've gotta catch him up on anyway." Her tone grew a bit more somber as she added "A lot we need to talk about too."
Soon, the temple knights had departed in the direction of the central floating island. Pretty Cure followed right behind them. Most of the crowd lingered to watch their departure, only dispersing once the group had vanished from sight.
Lyra was the last to go. She couldn't bear to make herself leave. Not given what had just happened. Muse wouldn't break the rules for just anything, and she didn't believe those friends of her would either. And Kichu… Lyra didn't want to think about what'd happen if he wasn't okay. So much rested on him, after all.
"Muse… please be alright."
The journey to the Lux Temple took a fair amount of time - less because the road itself was long and more because Pretty Cure was traveling down it. The streets of the residential area the group passed through was packed with spirits, both humanoid and animal, and the sprawling network of narrow walkways that extended above said streets was similarly packed with both small animal spirits and young children.
Pretty Cure was met with a shower of enthusiastic greetings, genuine words of praise, and heartfelt expressions of gratitude. A few spirits, most of them very young, even ran right up to them, in hopes of speaking with them or offering them a gift of homemade candy or a handmade trinket. Alas, the temple knights hurried the group onward, while reminding onlookers that Pretty Cure was here on business.
Haruki was positively beside himself at this point. "A heroes' welcome… we're really getting a heroes' welcome. This is really happening ."
"Of course we are, Harunyan." Jun said matter-of-factly. "Every single spirit here grows up hearing stories about the legendary warriors Pretty Cure. It'd be like… let's see, on Earth, it'd be like…"
"It'd be like if Momotaro suddenly came to town!" Izumi said.
"Ah… yeah, I guess that's the best way to put it, Izunyan." said Jun, who only sort of knew who Momotaro was. "They're only gonna get more intense. I bet they're already at the temple, lobbying for a festival in our honor.
Right, the Lux Temple. It seemed to grow more intimidating still as Pretty Cure and their entourage drew closer to their destination - the landing pad that would take them to the island where it sat. Hiroko felt her stomach twist and her heart skip a few beats in her chest as they drew onward.
"We have to try." Hiroko reminded herself. "No matter how intimidating, we have to try."
Yasu gave Hiroko's hand a quick squeeze. That did quite a bit to calm her down… and the small, reassuring smile Yasu flashed her way did a bit to heat Hiroko's face up. Hopefully, Yasu hadn't noticed.
"Jun." Yasu kept her voice low enough for only her teammates to hear. "Will you be alright?"
"I'll manage, Nyasu." Jun said quietly. "I really wanted to talk to the head priest anyway. There's… a lot I want to say to him. A lot I've been thinking about lately."
Jun wouldn't be able to elaborate, not now, because the group had arrived at the spacious, oval-shaped landing pad, which sat far below the floating island that housed the Lux Temple
Pretty Cure's four human members gaped as an enormous shadow fell over the landing pad, before Mira, the white whale from earlier, gently made her descent. She wore a harness on her back with multiple seats inset into it. A ladder dropped down from the harness. Jun wasted no time in clambering up and taking a seat, after chirping an excited greeting to Mira. Her teammates followed suit moments later.
Mira let out a burst of joyous whalesong as she took flight, carrying the group up and away from the landing and into the sky, in the direction of the Lux Temple. Hopefully, a resolution awaited within.
The four human members of Pretty Cure were struck with a sense of deja vu upon entering the main chambers of the Lux Temple. They recognized the high domed ceiling, which was decorated with alien-looking star charts, the gold, blue, and white decor, and the elaborate styling of everything from the wall sconces to the statues (fashioned in the form of various animals - a dragon, a kirin, a sea turtle, a pegasus…) to the rows of support columns from their encounters with Sol.
The temple was very busy at this hour - some of the people present to talk among themselves petition for aid or even enjoy the many refreshments (which Izumi was restraining herself from springing for) being offered were clearly civilians but others were glad in the garb of temple knights or dressed in simple but ornate robes of white and gold. As Hiroko drank the whole sight in, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Lively little place, isn't it?" a smartly dressed elderly woman asked her. She was half a head shorter than Hiroko, with shining black eyes and white hair pulled into a neat bun and ornamented by aviator goggles. "And so full of positive energy too! You kids have worked so hard - feel free to enjoy yourselves!"
The woman went on ahead and struck up an animated conversation with a russet-haired middle-aged man, who was dressed in a similar fashion, aviator goggles and all. The man nodded before departing from the temple. Moments later, a russet-colored roc took wing right outside the temple and off into the sky, and Hiroko realized who that old woman must have been.
Yasu was already keenly sketching some of the scenery around the temple while keeping an eagle eye on Haruki, who had attempted to look around, only to instantly get mobbed by a small crowd of enthusiastic Wellspring citizens. Meanwhile, Izumi had given into temptation and was eagerly stuffing her face with two different kinds of bread offered by two different priestesses, one roll held in each of her hands.
Multiple chambers radiated outward from this immense central one. Sol had disappeared into the centermost one for several moments. Jun's head snapped up as he made his return.
"I'm ready, Papa." She was clearly trying her best to mimic Sol's businesslike air as she spoke.
Sol smiled approvingly at the sight. "That's my girl." He cast a concerned glance at her school bag as he added "I'll make sure both my children are happy and healthy, no matter what I… what all of us have to do Clio would be terribly disappointed in me if I didn't."
As father and daughter moved to depart, Haruki broke from his crowd of admirers and started towards the pair. "Wait! Sol-san - we were the ones who put her up to this! Can't we come with you?"
The rest of Pretty Cure was at attention as well. Jun looked from Haruki to Izumi to Yasu to Hiroko. For a moment, she looked genuinely tempted to ask her father if they could accompany her. And then she shook her head firmly.
"I am a priestess of the Hallowed Wellspring. This is strictly my business." Jun was trying to sound strict, but she clearly regretted having to say no. "It'll be okay, Sir Knight! Let the priestess focus on her mission, while you guys concentrate on your… um… sorry, what was the word again?"
"Subquests?" Yasu suggested.
"Yeah, those!" Jun chirped. "The Wellspring is full of fun stuff to do and lots of people who want to meet you! Ask Mira-san or Ventus-san or any of the transporters around here and they'll help you get wherever you wanna go!"
Sol nodded in agreement. "I know it's not what you humans are used to, but trust me, it's quite safe. Take as much time as you want to explore too - one of our temple knights will collect you when we're ready."
As a few of the temple knights in the vicinity confirmed this, Jun added "Don't worry, everyone! Iris-sama and the others will understand the situation! Everything will definitely be o-kay!"
Jun grinned and flashed a peace sign before falling in with her father and several temple guards. Her teammates exchanged worried looks as Jun and the others vanished through the elaborate doorway leading to the central chamber. Even if Jun had been smiling, her eyes definitely weren't.
Even now, Haruki was worried sick about Jun. But he knew that hanging back in the Lux Temple wouldn't do her any favors. Besides, it would be a long time before they got to visit the Wellspring again, wouldn't it? He had to savor his time here while he had the chance. So, subquesting it was.
Haruki wanted to revisit the residential district on his own, maybe talk to some of the people who had approached Pretty Cure earlier. Even if he was very new to being an actual hero, he still counted as one of these kids' idols, right? The hero had to be as approachable as he was courageous and kind, right? Plus… well, how often would he get to live something like this outside of an RPG?
That had been the plan, anyway. Unfortunately, Yasu insisted on someone else coming along with him.
"I'd feel safer." she explained as the group left the temple. "You heard, didn't you? The temple knights are mobilizing around the city. One of our enemies could have slipped in."
Haruki bristled a bit. "Sis, I have a Puricell of my own now. You don't need to-"
"Huh? You were gonna hit up that neighborhood we passed through too, Haru?" Izumi had jumped in before Yasu could manage a response. "Guess we're on the same page - mind if I come with?"
Izumi was probably just trying to diffuse the situation. But Haruki appreciated it nevertheless. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with his sister, especially when everyone was tense enough. So he'd agreed, and a moment later, the two of them were borne off towards their destination.
There were still people out and about, but most of the crowd that had greeted Pretty Cure was gone. And sure enough, there were temple knights everywhere Haruki looked. He tensed a bit, wondering if they really did have a fight on their hands soon - and let out a yelp of alarm as Lyra popped up in front of him.
"Oh! Sorry about that! Didn't mean to startle you!" Lyra reached out an arm to steady Haruki. "I was just - you know, I didn't think we'd get another chance to talk, with your business and all, and I wanted to make Muse something for the road, and - well, you wouldn't mind helping me out, right, dear hero?"
Izumi had disappeared. Haruki had a moment to wonder where she could have gone, and then the sound of hot-blooded banter filled the air as Izumi went tearing across one of the narrow walkways above him and leapt expertly towards a neighboring one. Several other spirits, who looked a bit younger than her, followed her lead, as she taunted them about being too slow. Of course that was what she was up to.
But right, Lyra was still staring at him expectantly, and well… this was a subquest too, right? And the quest-giver was one of Jun's friends, and it sounded like the reward was a gift for Jun, so-
"Sure, I don't mind!" That was the only real response here, wasn't it? "Lead the way - Lyra-san, right?"
Lyra didn't lead the way as much as she forced Haruki to chase after her. He had no idea how she maneuvered so nimbly in that dress, which definitely didn't look like it was made for running in. Maybe it was just another power girls possessed. You couldn't rule it out.
Soon, Haruki was seated atop a pile of cushions near a set of overloaded shelves in the workshop at Lyra's residence. The whole room would have to be cleaned up a bit to be called "chaotic" - it was a mess of half-finished garments and accessories, stray materials, and stacks of papers, one of which Haruki almost knocked into as he sat down. It was… what looked like a collection of love letters. Ah.
Lyra was technically still in-training as a crafter, but she the run of the workshop while her parents were out on business, she explained breathlessly as she laid out her materials on her workbench. She wasted no time in getting to work on… well, whatever she was making for Jun and the others, occasionally pausing to ask Haruki about everyone's interests, personalities, favorite flowers, preferred seasons…
Haruki was content to watch. It was fascinating, watching Lyra force the crystals she had grabbed to change color and shape, seemingly by concentrating on them, and equally fascinating to watch the metal she worked with seemingly shape itself for her. But even now, he couldn't stop worrying, both about Jun and the trouble they might have brought to the Wellspring, and it must have started to show on his face.
"You okay, Haruki-san?" Lyra was looking up from her workbench with concern. "You look really tense."
"There's a lot of temple knights running around." Haruki said quietly. "And J- Muse said you guys would be 'sitting ducks' if the Shade Kingdom got in. I don't regret what we did, not really, but…"
Lyra pursed her lips. "That's exactly why, yeah. I know Muse had a good reason, but it is a problem" She moved to get back to work before hesitating and looking back up. "How much do you know about spirits?"
"A bit?" Haruki said. "I know you guys and the Shade Kingdom are different, at least."
"We weren't always." Lyra explained as she returned to her work. "We were all part of the same formless aether once, a really long time ago. And then you humans came along and touched that aether with your hearts and minds. And then -" She clapped her hands together. "We became . Suddenly, we had bodies and identities of our own, just like the humans we lived with. And it was all good, until one day, it wasn't."
"What do you mean by that?" Haruki asked.
"No offense, but we're a lot stronger than you humans. Naturally, anyway." Lyra said. "Half of us wanted to walk alongside you, not threaten you, so we sealed off most of our power. But the other half? They refused. Heck knows why, but they did, and we split over it." She paused to fiddle with the crystal she was working on. "They founded the Shade Kingdom, we founded the Welspring. And here we are now."
Haruki bit his lip. "So, if our enemies did sneak in here…"
"The elders aren't gonna be happy, no. But I'm sure they'll hear someone like Muse out. She's a good girl." Lyra said. "Besides, we've got you guys, don't we? Call me selfish, but I'd love to see the legendary Pretty Cure in action! And 'til then… wanna swap stories? I bet you've had all kinds of exciting adventures!"
"Kind of?" Haruki said. "I only recently got my powers." He looked aside. "I guess that story's kind of cool? See, there was a really powerful Nikuina, and I didn't have powers, but I'm Muse's knight, so I had to-"
Something knocked the air out of Haruki's lungs before he could finish that sentence - a fluffy green tanuki, who was leaning right up into his face as she pressed her paws against his chest.
"I want every detail." Lyra's eyes were sparkling more than ever. "Spare nothing , Haruki-san! I need to know all about this!" She squealed happily, burying her face in her front paws. "Ohhhhh, I'll have to congratulate Muse too! Her own knight! I've added a few boys myself since she left, but! Still! I'm so proud of her~!"
Haruki was thoroughly lost once again. But Lyra looked so expectant , and well… okay, this was a little flattering. He'd never been asked to tell his own heroic narrative before.
So, he began to tell his story, starting with his and Jun's encounter outside the library. He was almost done recounting the adventure in Kyoukai Dreamworld, when an urgent knock sounded at the door.
If you had told the Hiroko of several months ago that one day, she and her crush would be flying through the skies of another world on the back of a griffon, she would not have believed it for a moment. And yet, she and Yasu had spent the past while doing exactly that. Even now, it felt almost too good to be true. Even now, part of her kept expecting to wake up and realize that she'd dreamed this whole thing.
The Wellspring looked even more beautiful from this high up. The streets of the city of white and gold they had arrived at spiraled outward like a small galaxy, some stretching towards the crystalline oceans that surrounded it on three sides, while others led to the steep cliffs that bordered the land-locked side of the peninsula. Said cliffs were carved into staggered layers, with more buildings built into their sides.
The ocean was dotted with a variety of small islands, and a sea of verdant trees fanned outward beyond the cliffs, as far as the eye could see. The sky they flew through was an ocean unto itself, flush with flying spirits, many of whom had stopped to hail them, and populated by a wide range of floating islands.
Yasu, who sat up front, said little as the pair's transporter, a large, turquoise griffon spirit named Selphie, continued her flight through the sky. The cerise-haired girl was laser focused on her surroundings - knowing her, she was engraving every last detail into her mind, in hopes of using it for art inspiration.
Selphie's flight was perfectly smooth, but Hiroko found herself holding Yasu tightly anyway. She wanted to tell herself it was simply because she was nervous. She knew that wasn't the case. Yasu did not seem to object. Or maybe she just didn't notice, with how focused she was right now. That was more likely, right?
Eventually, Selphie's wings grew tired, and the three had to make land on one of the Wellspring's floating islands, which housed an expansive fruit orchard, so Selphie could rest. Yasu immediately perched herself on a nearby boulder and began sketching the area. Hiroko didn't say a word to her. Yasu looked so peaceful and content right now. Hiroko didn't want to do anything to disrupt that.
She felt someone tap her on the shoulder - Selphie, who had returned to humanoid form. She was a few inches taller than Hiroko, with long, flowing turquoise hair tied into a high ponytail with a frilly navy ribbon and thoughtful golden eyes. She was holding an unidentifiable pink fruit out to Hiroko.
"It's good. Try it."
Hiroko's eyes widened as she took a bite. "It's delicious!" She couldn't quite place the taste, but it was equal parts delectably sweet and strangely light, almost like cotton candy. "Thank you, Selphie-san!"
Selphie shook her head. "No need for formalities. I'm only fifteen. 'Selphie' is fine."
"Ah, really?" Now that Hiroko had a good look at her, Selphie did look pretty young. "That's amazing! I didn't think a girl my age could-"
"No." Selphie said. "Not a girl." A gentle breeze traveled through the orchard, rustling the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees. Selphie took it in as she tucked a flyway strand of hair behind her ear. "Graceful. Pretty. Without gender. Like the wind. That's me." She looked over at Hiroko, inclining her head to the side. "You too, right?"
Hiroko felt something in her chest catch. Once again, part of her felt like she should have denied it. Once again, she couldn't bring herself to. In fact, it was harder to do so now than it had been before the camping trip, when she'd had that realization. Graceful… pretty… without gender… if that was an option allowed to her, if it was okay to be like the wind herself, then…
…she felt herself nodding in response to Selphie's question, almost automatically.
"I think… maybe…" Maybe? Was it 'maybe'? Or was that just the easier response? "...I am."
For a moment, Hiroko felt as if a weight had been taken off her chest… and then she realized that Yasu was looking straight at her. She felt a rush of heat surge to her face as she sharply averted her gaze, right as Selphie hurried off in the direction of a temple knight, who was hailing her from a few yards away.
Hiroko's body suddenly felt terribly heavy, as if she was about to sink straight through the ground… until Yasu suddenly took both her hands in her own. There the two of them stood, eye to eye and hand in hand, as Yasu keenly studied Hiroko's face, as if seeing it for the first time. Finally, she spoke.
"Hiroko… have you heard of sylphs?"
"I'm not sure." Or maybe she had. Hiroko couldn't get her head tight enough to remember. "Why?"
"They're spirits of the air." Yasu explained. "Graceful, feminine beings that exist beyond gender." For a moment, she looked slightly… flustered? "You remind me of one, Hiroko."
The wind rustled through the trees once more as Hiroko and Yasu faced each other. Hiroko could feel so many more unspoken words bubbling to the surface. But she would not have the chance to let any of them be heard, not when Selphie was hurrying back towards the pair with a look of urgency on her face.
Kichu had returned to the place of his creation - a crystalline chamber deep within the Lux Temple. The little mouse spirit was now suspended within a towering, hollow crystal pillar in the center of said chamber, which pulsed with a soft, gentle light as he continued to slumber within.
"To put it simply, he's exhausted, to a level that sleep alone cannot cure." Deneb, the white-haired and strikingly pale priest who presided over the chamber, told Jun. "It's no wonder, from what I understand. No infant could bounce back from that ordeal, not even a child as remarkable as Kichu."
"But now that he's here, he'll get better, right?" Jun tried to keep her voice level. Tried to. "He'll wake up soon, won't he?"
Deneb just smiled. "I have faith in him, young Muse." They laid a firm hand on her shoulder. "Be a good older sister and have faith in him as well, alright?"
Jun would try her best. She had to believe in miracles - she and her friends were here because of one, one that Clio had laid the foundations for and the five of them had fought to realize. Surely another miracle could happen. She had to believe that, no matter how hard her stomach was churning.
The churning in her stomach grew even worse as they arrived at the Wellspring elders' chamber. Jun tried to ignore it. Iris did not suffer emotional outbursts from his subordinates. Especially not from her.
"It'll turn out just fine, Muse." Sol told Jun as she prepared to step forth into the chamber. "Papa has faith in you."
Despite his reassuring words, Sol was just as nervous as his daughter was, at least from where Jun was standing. Nervous and clearly tempted to follow her inside. Her father was so easy to read.
The elders' chamber was spacious and well-lit, thanks to the colorful shower of sunlight filtering in through the multiple stained glass windows, which all depicted tableaux of battles and other historical events, hailing from the age where human and spirit lived and fought alongside one another. Multiple entrances led to this area of the temple, and every last one of these entrances was guarded by a pair of temple knights. Normally, this would be a formality. When danger came to the Wellspring, it never made it this far. Normally, it was.
Jun's footsteps echoed as she approached the raised dais on the far end of the hall. Iris, the head priest of the Lux Temple, stood in its center, flanked on both sides by four other similarly-dressed spirits. The emblem of the Hallowed Wellspring, a white-gold sun inset with gems of gold, blue, black, white, and red, hung on the wall behind him. Like Iris' long, iridescent hair, it glimmered beautifully in the sunlight.
Iris regarded Jun with cool dark pink eyes as she genuflected before him. Even in human form, he was a very tall man, easily just shy of seven feet, and she felt terribly small before him.
"Apprentice priestess Muse… no, Cure Ouryuu." Iris had a commanding voice to match his presence. "Tell me, how has your mission fared? Spare no detail - I want a full account of your progress."
Jun tried not to let any surprise show on her face. It was understandable that Iris wanted to know - the Wellspring's ability to track what happened on Earth was quite limited, even for someone like him - but it wasn't like the head priest to pull his punches like this. Did he have some profound reason for this?
She was best off not questioning it. Instead, Jun did as he asked. She spoke of her adventures with Pretty Cure, of restoring two of the sealing stones and drawing steadily closer to restoring the third, and finally, with some reluctance, of the events that had led to her losing Kichu, nearly suffering a defeat against the Shade Kingdom, and finally, awakening as a Pretty Cure herself alongside Haruki.
Iris was silent for some time once Jun had finished her story, which just made her stomach start doing gymnastics again. She hoped he hadn't noticed the way she jumped once he finally spoke.
"So, it was Clio who saved you." Iris sounded genuinely surprised. "To hold onto one's existence for a full decade, to save yet another team of Pretty Cure from beyond the grave… that woman was far more remarkable than I assumed." His expression hardened. "You do her no credit, Muse."
Ah. There it was. The other shoe had finally dropped.
"Do you realize what you did?" Iris' voice was level still, but a sharp, cold edge had crept into it. "You, of all people, should know how dire a threat the Shade Kingdom is to our world, and you practically ushered them inside. Where is your head, Muse? Where is your concern for your people?"
Jun was beginning to tremble a bit… not only with fear, she realized, but with anger. She couldn't bring herself to fight it either. Not anymore.
"Clio was a diligent young woman. She had nothing but respect for this world, for the safety of the spirits living here. She would have never done something this heedless and destructive!" Iris was roaring now, his voice reverberating around the hall. "And she would have never handled the seal-keeper so carelessly to begin with! After everything you've been through, after everything I taught you, why would you act so-!"
At some point, Jun had risen to her feet. And at that moment, something inside her snapped.
"BECAUSE I'M NOT HER!"
Her voice reverberated throughout the hall as well, somehow even more powerfully than Iris'. He looked downright caught off guard by the sudden show of defiance, and his fellow elders looked no less stunned.
"I stand before you as Muse of the Hallowed Wellspring. As Kichu's big sister. As myself , Iris-sama. Not as Mama's replacement." Jun clenched her fists as she looked the head priest in the eye. "And as Kichu's big sister, I did this for his own good. Didn't you say I had to keep him safe and healthy, no matter what?"
As an apprentice priestess, what Jun was saying was beyond the pale. But as a person, she was far past caring. The girl who would have passively endured Iris' tirade before meekly apologizing for her insolence no longer existed. She couldn't exist anymore.
"I'll do whatever I can to make up for my mistakes." she continued. "I'll take responsibility for almost losing Kichu and for breaking into the Wellspring however you want me to, no matter what it takes. But I'm not going to let you speak to me this way, Iris-sama. Not anymore. Especially if you're bringing Mama into it."
You could have heard a pin drop in the aftermath of Jun's outburst. She heard nothing past the rapid beating of her own heart, until Iris cut through the silence once again.
"We have to repair the damage you five caused breaking in. Once that is done, once you five have ensured this land is free of the Shade Kingdom's threat, I will escort you back to Earth myself. Do not show your face here again, not until the seal is restored."
Jun found her eyes drifting to one of the stained glass windows as Iris spoke. On one side, a group of humans stood. On the other stood a mixed group of spirits - some resembling those that populated the Wellspring, some resembling those that populated the Shade Kingdom. Two figures, one at the head of each group, were shaking hands.
"Is that really such a good idea?"
A soft murmur traveled through the hall in the wake of Jun's words. It was no wonder. What she had said at that moment was less defiance and more sacrilege. She was past caring about that either.
"Is the Shade Kingdom that different from us? We all lived alongside each other once, didn't we? They had Pretty Cure of their own once, right? And… there are plenty of good people there, aren't there? People like Hachinyan or Shunyan's mom! Most of them have to be good… just like most of us or most of the humans I've met! Why can't we live together again? Why do we have to seal them away?"
Something shifted in Iris' expression. For a moment, the head priest looked less like an intimidating authority figure and more like… well, just a man. A man weighed down by the weight of his office, by the legacies of the head priests who had come before him and the Wellspring itself. A man who may have very well wondered the same thing once. And then it was gone, and he was back to his usual self.
"What is right and what is easy are two different things." he said coolly. "I'm sure there are plenty of good people in the Shade Kingdom. And it is true that we once stood alongside one another. But their nature makes them dangerous, Muse. Even if Kagemera falls, another tyrant could spring up in his place. And without the barrier, nothing would stop that tyrant from running roughshod over Earth."
Jun wasn't deterred. "Even if you say that, surely we could-!"
Iris raised a hand. "What you ask for is both impossible and foolish. That barrier has persisted for a reason. That was the concession the Shade Kingdom agreed to, in exchange for their refusal to give up their powers. It is the reason we can all live peacefully. There is no reason to give up this arrangement, Muse."
Jun would have pressed further, would have asked why it had to be this way now , simply because it had been this way for so many years before… and then the sound of footsteps thundering towards the main hall, mixed with shouts of alarm caught her sensitive ears, right before the doors at the far end of the hall blew open, and a visibly frantic Sol, accompanied by the other four member of Pretty Cure stumbled inside.
"Everyone!" Normally, Jun would be delighted to see her father and her teammates, but given the urgent looks on everyone's faces, she couldn't help but find herself on edge. "Why are you-?"
"It's Tamakushi." Hiroko explained. "Her puppets attacked a few temple knights around the city."
"A couple of them just assaulted Deneb-san - I think they were trying to get to Kichu. Probably would have, were we not there." Even as Sol spoke, his hand was on the hilt of his sword, and his eyes were darting around the hall. "That was your game, wasn't it? Come on out - we all know you can't hide like this forever!"
For a moment, nothing happened. And then one of the Wellspring elders, a willowy woman with fluffy violet hair, suddenly lunged forward, effortlessly knocking the elder next to her aside as she attempted to impale Iris from behind with the spectral naginata that had just appeared in her hands.
Iris shifted forms right before the blow could connect. What would have been a mortal wound for a humanoid was but a shallow scratch on a massive, serpentine rainbow dragon, who gave a roar of fury as he lunged at the intruder. She simply smirked, vanishing out of his path in a burst of foxfire…
…before appearing right behind Jun and shoving her roughly towards Iris. He was forced to return to human form, lest he collide with her, just managing to stabilize her with one hand before she could hit the ground.
The impostor burst into sarcastic applause as her facial features gradually slid off her face before her form fell away, revealing Tamakushi. The faceless woman was immediately surrounded on all sides by temple knights, all of whom had her at swordpoint. She hardly seemed to notice.
"Oh dear. Nothing is going right for me today." she drawled as she fixed her eyeless gaze on the shaken Jun. "And here I was, thinking I could make proper use of the opportunity your idiocy gave me, child."
Pretty Cure had their Puricells at the ready, and Iris and his fellow Wellspring elders seemed prepared to take arms against Tamakushi as well. She was not rattled by this either. In fact, she burst out laughing.
"Oh? Even you, dear leader?" she sneered at Iris. "Your comrade is dead, your city is being leveled as we speak, and you're wasting all this energy on me. I wouldn't expect any less from the Hallowed Wellspring."
Jun felt her stomach drop as she realized what Tamakushi was saying. One of her superiors could have been… the city was… because of her… even as she stood here, everyone could be…
She burst out of the chamber before anyone could stop her. She had to do something. She had to make this right, however she could. She had promised Iris as much.
The one-peaceful streets of the Wellspring's residential district had become a battlefield. The mana crystal in the town square was gone. In its place was a massive crystalline Nikuina with a vaguely humanoid shape, which rampaged through the city streets.
Most spirits in the area fled in terror as the Nikuina tore up the delicate walkways overhanging the city like gossamer, ripped chunks out of nearby buildings, and attempted to pulverize anything and anyone that got in its way. Those who managed to escape its grasp got another nasty surprise in the form of a laser shot from the gem in its chest, which encased any unlucky victims in crystal.
Some spirits stood their ground, trying to drive the beast back with their own spirit power or what magic they had at their disposal (which was, unfortunately, badly dampened due to the absence of a mana crystal in the area) or busied themselves trying to get the more vulnerable among their number to safety.
Lyra and Selphie were among those doing their best to play hero. The two teenagers were hurrying two children, who had narrowly avoided being smacked aside by the Nikuina, to a safe spot. Selphie watched the monster out of the corner of her eye as the group fled. It didn't seem to have noticed them, but…
"Pretty Cure will save us, right?" one of the children, the puppy girl from earlier, asked.
"They will. I believe in them." Selphie gave the girl a gentle pat on the head, before gesturing towards the pair's designated hiding place. "The wind is on their side. I know. I talked to her."
Lyra watched worriedly as the two children took shelter. Words of reassurance were all well and good, but they wouldn't do anything against the monster tearing their town apart. Just where was Muse?
And right on cue, a massive shadow swooped over the residential district - Mira. The Nikuina froze in confusion as the approaching shadow grew nearer still - right before a streak of blue leapt forth from it, flying full force towards the Nikuina's head like a furry projectile. The Nikuina reeled backward as the projectile in question bounced off its head, before touching down on the ground and taking human form.
Lyra's eyes lit up. "Muse!"
Jun offered both a smile and a nod of acknowledgement. "Lyra-chan. Selphie-chan. Please get somewhere safe" she said. "I'll take it from here, okay?"
As her friends did just that, Jun readied her Puricell. It hurt to see the Wellspring in this state, especially knowing that her actions had caused this. But she couldn't turn back time, and tearing herself down would accomplish nothing. She had to take action. Not as Clio's replacement but as herself. As Cure Ouryuu.
"Pretty Cure!" Jun pushed the front five buttons in sequence as her form roared with gold energy. "Spirit Unleash!"
Jun was suspended in a sparkling golden void, her clothing replaced with a robe of sparkling golden light. Her hair ribbons vanished in a flash of gold, allowing her wavy dark blue hair to hang loose and free above her shoulders, as a massive golden blossom appeared below her feet.
The petals of the blossom closed around Jun like a chrysalis. The golden flower bud shined brilliantly with light from within before exploding into a flurry of sparkling light and golden metals, revealing its occupant, who was now clad in a light gold dress with puffy sleeves and full skirt worn over frilly layered petticoats.
Jun clapped her hands, and light gold, elbow-length gloves with gold scale-print trim and dark blue heart-shaped ornaments on the backs of the hands appeared in a burst of golden petals. She clicked her ankles together and gained a pair of navy tights and golden Mary Janes with dark blue floral ornaments.
She twirled delightedly as golden petals swirled about her before resolving into a gold vest with frilly dark gold trim, a scale-print dark blue chest ribbon with a heart-shaped gold crystal clasp, and a large dark gold ribbon in the back. As she twirled, her eyes turned bright blue and her hair turned cornflower blue and grew out past her waist, as the top parts tied themselves into horn-like twin buns with golden ribbons.
She gained a wreath-like golden tiara with a flower-shaped dark blue gemstone at its center, gold heart-shaped earrings, and a golden choker as a pink and white pouch holding her Puricell appeared at her waist. Finally, she touched down on the ground, orbs of light dancing about her and yellow daisy petals swirling around her as she posed.
"Healing gold star! Cure Ouryuu!"
The Nikuina roared in fury and attempted to flatten Ouryuu with a massive fist. She effortlessly stopped its punch with both hands before shoving it backward with her massive strength. The Nikuina answered with a salvo of blasts from its chest laser. Ouryuu narrowly managed to avoid being trapped in crystal. The surrounding area, which was now partially crystalized, was not half as lucky.
Someone nearby let out a whimper of anguish at the sight - a young bear cub, who was watching Ouryuu's battle from behind a pile of debris. Several other, smaller bear cubs, were hiding behind him. The Nikuina immediately homed in on the children… and Ouryuu instantly leapt in front of it.
"You will not!"
Ouryuu formed a seed of golden light in each hand, before throwing these seeds towards the Nikuina. As they flew, they sprouted into flowering golden vines.
"Hurt!"
One end of the twin vines snaked around Ouryuu's wrists, while the other end wrapped tightly around the Nikuina's midsection. Ouryuu's form blazed with golden light as she channeled her spirit power.
"ANY OF THEM!"
Before the Nikuina could try to free itself, it found itself being thrown roughly over Ouryuu's shoulder and into the air, courtesy of the gold Cure's vines and her own power. And before it could right itself, Ouryuu was right behind it, nailing it with a powerful spirit power-fueled punch and sending it flying, straight over several rooftops and towards the town square, where it landed in an explosion of dust.
Cure Ouryuu immediately gave chase, only for a sudden wave of fatigue to hit her, causing her knees to buckle, right as she touched down in front of the Nikiuina. It was no wonder - she was new to fighting like this, and she'd just used quite a bit of spirit power. But knowing the why of it hardly helped when the Nikuina was already back on its feet, and the laser in its chest was about to fire.
Ouryuu wasn't able to get out of the way in time. It didn't matter. Before the laser could connect, a white and violet blur dove in front of Ouryuu, and the laser bounced harmlessly off the metallic shield that had sprung up in its path, causing it to crystallize a portion of the gardens behind the Nikuina.
Cure Byakko was standing in front of Ouryuu, shield at the ready, while Cure Seiryuu and Cure Genbu flanked her on either side. Cure Suzaku hurried to Ouryuu's side and helped her to her feet.
"Are you okay, Ouryuu?" he asked.
Before Ouryuu could answer, a strange crunching noise cut through the air. The Nikuina had sprouted several more gems on its upper body, much like the one on its chest. And they were all glowing.
"LOOK OUT!"
Pretty Cure scattered, right as the Nikuina threw a hail of lasers at them. The five of them managed to evade what Byakko could not deflect, leaving still more of the surroundings to be crystallized in their place. But it was a very close call, and worse, the Nikuina was still going.
Seiryuu gritted her teeth as she narrowly avoided yet another laser blast. "Everyone - concentrate on destroying those gems! We won't be able to get close otherwise!"
A look of understanding passed between Pretty Cure as they fought to do just that. One gem shattered thanks to a pressurized water bullet from Genbu and another fell to a well-placed blade of wind from Seiryuu. For a moment, it seemed like the team was going to gain the advantage.
But there was already a weakness in their strategy - the Fukuda siblings. Every time Suzaku looked like he was in danger, Byakko threw herself into keeping him out of the line of fire, and every time Suzaku launched an attack, she was watching him out of the corner of her eye. And when an annoyed Suzaku finally pushed past his sister and charged full-tilt at the Nikuina, Byakko leapt in front of him.
Byakko was instantly encased in a pillar of crystal. Suzaku barely had a chance to register this before he was frozen as well.
"Oh, it's on now!" Genbu snarled.
Genbu blazed with spirit power as she threw herself at the Nikuina before Seiryuu and Ouryuu had a chance to stop her. Two more of its gems shattered under her furious hail of fisticuffs before it could retaliate properly. And when it finally got an opening to counterattack, Seiryuu and Ouryuu tried to get Genbu out of its way.
They failed. Genbu was frozen on the spot. Ouryuu felt Seiryuu shove her out of the way, right before the sound of shattering crystal, intermingled with a cry of anguish cut through the air.
All of the Nikuina's crystals were shattered now. But Seiryuu was frozen as well. Ouryuu was all alone. And the Nikuina, while stunned, was still going strong. At this rate…
"That's right." a contralto voice hissed behind her. "It was all for nothing. And it's entirely your fault."
Tamakushi was looming behind Ouryuu. Before the gold Cure could react properly, the faceless woman nailed her in the ribs with a sharp kick, leaving her to land hard in what remained of the town square's gardens. Ouryuu gritted her teeth as she struggled to get back up, all while Tamakushi laughed mockingly.
"Poor, poor Ouryuu." Tamakushi drawled as she advanced towards her. "Your hometown is in ruins, the townsfolk despise you, and your teammates have fallen. All because of your own stupidity." She laughed dryly as she summoned her naginata. "You couldn't even save that pet of yours. What a pity."
Tamakushi brought her naginata down on Ouryuu… or tried to. A blast of spirit power caught her across the shoulder, throwing her aim off. Ouryuu rolled out of the way… and was greeted by a remarkable sight as she rose to her feet.
Multiple humanoid Wellspring spirits had assembled in the town square. Some of them were good friends of Ouryuu's, like Selphie and Lyra, still more were relative strangers. Some were very old, others were quite young. Some were civilians,others were temple knights or priests. And all of them were clearly here to support her, the girl who had brought… no. No, that wasn't it.
They were here because they believed in her. Because she was there to save them. Because she was a member of Pretty Cure. Because she was herself . And she wouldn't let them down. Not now!
Tamakushi found herself being hit with one bolt of spirit power after another, courtesy of the Wellspring spirits that had gathered in the square. On its own, it would have mattered little. The spirits here were so weak and a light beesting's worth of damage meant nothing to someone like her.
But the salvo kept coming, to a level that was actually becoming painful. Tamakushi hissed as she was forced to retreat a few paces. She could easily take these people down. She could easily win. She-
"Get out of here!" Mira shouted as she threw an orb of spirit power full-force at Tamakushi's chest. For a tiny old lady, she had an amazing throwing arm. "Leave our city alone!"
"No mercy. No quarter." Selphie snarled as she caught Tamakushi across the side with a bolt of spirit power. "You wouldn't give any to us. To them."
"You tried to hurt Pretty Cure!" a child shouted as he threw not a blast of spirit power but a rock he'd picked up from the ground, at Tamakushi. "You're a bad lady! A really bad lady!"
-had to pick her battles, especially when the hole those idiotic children had ripped open wouldn't remain that way forever. The last thing she needed was to be trapped with an army of pretentious twits that were determined to kill her. She gave one last "tch!" before vanishing in a burst of foxfire.
Even as a portion of the crowd sent Tamakushi packing, another portion began to cheer for Ouyuu. Their cheers only intensified as the Nikuina got back on its feet and advanced on her.
"Ouryuu! Keep going!" Lyra called. "Kick its ass, bestie!'
At some point, Sol had joined the crowd. "You're doing amazing, darling!" he called out. "Show them what a platinum-quality daughter can do!"
"Go, go, Pretty Cure!" a few children called in unison. "Fight hard, Pretty Cure!"
One figure standing towards the rear of the crowd said nothing. Iris, the head priest of the Hallowed Wellspring, didn't have to. The look he gave Ouryuu spoke volumes. Despite everything, he believed in her. Or he at least wanted to. She would have to prove herself, through a show of resolve.
And she would, Ouryuu told herself as the Nikuina swung at her, and she caught her fist in her hands once more. Her brooch began to glow with golden light as she pushed it back. Even if her convictions differed, even if she really did have to diverge from the path Iris had laid out for her, she would.
"I'll protect this shining future! No matter what!"
There was a flash of gold light, and the Nikuina was driven backward, causing it to overbalance. An orb of gold light emerged from Ouryuu's brooch and resolved into a golden harp with floral accents and a navy heart ornament at the corner. Ouryuu took it without hesitation.
"My own Spirit Arm!" she said. "The Golden Harp!"
Ouryuu instinctively played a soothing tune on the Golden Harp. As she played, the crystal prisons encasing her friends glowed with golden light before dissolving into nothingness.
"Everyone!" Ouryuu couldn't help but tear up a bit from happiness at the sight of her teammates. So this was what she could do now. This was her power. "You're okay."
Seiryuu nodded. "Thanks to you." The Nikuina was trying to recover again. "Now, Ouryuu!"
"Pretty Cure!" Orbs of light bobbed about Cure Ouryuu, and yellow daisy petals swirled around her as she played a vivacious tune on the Golden Harp. "Golden Flourish!"
As Ouryuu played, multiple stalks of gold erupted from the ground around the Nikuina, before blossoming into golden daisies. Massive lasers of sparkling golden light erupted from their centers, hitting the Nikuina from multiple angles.
The golden Cure turned away and jumped for joy, right as the Nikuina exploded in an enormous heart-shaped burst of radiant gold light. When the light cleared, the town square's mana crystal was back in its rightful place, and all of the damage the Nikuina had inflicted was reversing itself.
Ouryuu felt her transformation fading and her human form falling away… right as Sol moved forward and scooped her up in his arms. The air was filled with tears of joy, shouts of celebration, words of gratitude, and calls for a victory celebration, as the rest of the crowd boosted the other four members of Pretty Cure, who had released their own transformations, up on their shoulders.
Something told Muse that none of them were going to have any peace for a while, especially when several civilians had figured out that Iris was among them and were now personally petitioning him for that festival they had wanted ever since Pretty Cure had arrived here. Oh well. If all went well, she wouldn't be back here for a very long time. Besides, they all deserved a little fun, right?
"I'm so proud of you." Sol told Muse as he held her close. "I'm sure your mother would be as well."
"She is, Papa." Muse said. "I know she is."
In the end, the people of the Hallowed Wellspring were able to throw the festival they had been begging for since Pretty Cure, who now wore matching charm bracelets courtesy of Lyra, had first arrived. Everything was set up in no time at all, thanks to the magical talents of the Wellspring spirits. Soon, everyone on the festival grounds was enjoying good food, cheerful company, entertaining games, and of course, happily chatting with the five legendary heroes.
Jun tried to enjoy herself. But even as she enjoyed a hearty meal with her friends, got roped into games with the children of the Wellspring, enjoyed the priests' and priestess' ceremonial dance, or recounted the tale of her awakening alongside Haruki for an adoring audience, she couldn't help but worry.
The Wellspring was safe. No hint of the Shade Kingdom's presence remained. Salvia, the high priest Tamakushi claimed to have killed, was safe and sound, if a bit shaken by her ordeal. Jun had not been reprimanded for her display earlier either - in fact, her superiors seemed to have put it out of their minds.
But Kichu still hadn't woken back up. Jun tried not to despair, not yet. It was just like Deneb had said. She had to have faith in him. But as the evening went on, it became harder and harder to focus.
It was almost a relief when Iris rounded Pretty Cure up and brought them to the Lux Temple. Before he took the five of them back to Earth, there was something he needed them to see and something he needed to give Jun. He made no mention of Kichu. Surely no news was good news, but..
Iris led the group further and further within the Lux Temple. Finally, the group arrived at one of its innermost chambers. Iris unsealed its doors with a gesture of his hands and an incantation under his breath before ushering them inside.
The small hall that Iris had led the group to was dimly lit, and the air was heavy with dust. As they stepped inside, the sconces on the wall ignited on their own, revealing the scene around them. It was a mural, which covered every wall. It showed a scene of battle - an army of spirits confronting a group of fearsome titanic creatures. Some clearly belonged to the Wellspring, others belonged to the Shade Kingdom.
Ten figures were already locked in battle with the monsters. Ten warriors, each clad in a familiar color, all freely wielding spirit power. Ten heroes that needed no real introduction, not to the five of them.
"We both shared the same wish, once, even after parting ways." Iris said. "To protect your world and our own from those that would seek to destroy them. To that end, we pooled our spirit power and created ten crystals, crystals that could allow even a human to wield tremendous amounts of spirit power."
"Wait, ten of them?" Haruki said. "The Shade Kingdom had Pretty Cure too?"
"It did, once." As Iris spoke he walked to the far end of the hall. A pedestal, atop which sat a glass dome, rose up from the ground before him. "And in times of great crisis, the ten of them fought alongside each other. Two hearts, one of light and one of shadow, resonated with one another and sang out together." The glass dome dissolved, revealing a golden jewelry box. "Muse. I grant you one of these hearts."
Jun stepped forth and accepted the box from Iris. Within set an elaborate white-gold bell bearing the Wellspring's insignia, with a large, ivory-colored heart-shaped handle, which was ornamented with five gems in Pretty Cure's respective colors.
"The Lux Carillon." Iris explained. "It can only be wielded by a spirit from the Hallowed Wellspring, just as its twin, the Umbra Carillon, can only be wielded by a spirit from the Shade Kingdom. On its own, it will do little. If you can reunite it with its twin, it could guarantee your victory."
Hiroko frowned a bit. "But the Shade Kingdom Cures are dead, aren't they?"
"That's what Tamakushi said." Izumi said. "But, like, she's wrong about a lot of things."
"Even if she isn't, their crystals could still be out there, right?" Haruki said.
"I admire your optimism." Iris said. "My understanding is that all five of their crystals were destroyed. Recovering their power would take a miracle. But…" He met Jun's eyes. "You and your friends are stubborn enough to fight for this sort of miracle. I no longer have any reason to doubt that."
Jun simply nodded in understanding. Iris did not approve of what she wished for. She could tell in his tone and expression. But he would not fight her on it either. What happened next was up to her.
Deneb was waiting for Pretty Cure and Iris as they emerged from the hall. They were holding an unfamiliar figure in their arms - an infant with fluffy white hair and pink eyes, which lit up the second he noticed Jun. He easily wiggled free of Deneb's grasp before shifting into the form of a fluffy white mouse and launching himself towards his big sister.
"Chuuuuu!"
Jun was immediately there to catch him. "Kichu! You're okay!" she said as she cuddled him close. "You…" She blinked. "Wait, you were old enough to change - wait, no, of course you were, weren't you?"
"We learn to take human form a bit after our first year." Deneb explained to Jun's baffled teammates. "This little one had mastered it the moment he first woke up."
"So, you were having a growth period on top of everything else." Jun told her baby brother. "Ugh, I forgot all about your birthday too! We'll have to celebrate when we get back!"
"I'll make a delicious cake when you get back." Hiroko said. There's a special one we humans make, just for babies to enjoy on their first birthday."
Kichu looked beyond delighted at the idea of a cake just for him. "Chu! Chu chuuu!"
Iris escorted Pretty Cure back to Earth via a portal in the back of the Lux Temple not long after that. Before too long, the five of them were back at Mirai Academy. And not long after that, Hiroko was poking her head into her and Jun's shared bedroom to ask what cake flavor Kichu might like.
She would have to wait until tomorrow morning. Her roommate was curled up on top of the bed in cat form, snoring peacefully. Kichu was snuggled up close beside her.
As Hiroko moved to leave, her eyes drifted towards the music box containing the Lux Carillon. Within laid symbol of a shared past between the Wellspring and the Shade Kingdom. Perhaps one day, it would become a symbol of a new future between the two estranged worlds. Perhaps one day, the hearts of the Hallowed Wellspring and the Shade Kingdom would resonate with one another once more.
It would take a miracle… but surely, they could make that miracle happen. They had to try.