【85 - Enemy of Trust and the Crux of the Matter!】
Another week went by and then it was crunch time for the chosens.
"Jacob."
"Hmph?" He sat upright. He felt the keyboard's imprint while kneading his face. The blue screen was streaked with climbing, trembling bars.
"Good morning," Mercury greeted.
"Morning." He dug at his eye crusties.
"I believe I'm almost done. We'll be able to go to the creature world - today."
Jacob's eyes widened: good news? They lowered.
The chosens had enjoyed their respite for just over two weeks now. They'd still not reached a collective decision. Simply waiting had not led to any great epiphanies, and now they'd be forced to make a decision.
"We understand each other better than ever but none of us are on the same page."
"Thinking time is over. You all must decide together: Go to the creature world or stay here."
"I don't want to be in a team," Jacob suddenly confessed. "Amira and Sinan are difficult enough. Kanoa wants to be helpful but needs the most help. Heidi is uncontrollable. You phoenixes expect me to use our strengths and manage our weaknesses. I don't want that."
Mercury didn't speak.
The chair creaked as he leaned back, "I'll try to get us to the creature world. But when the time comes, if you think Aurellia can be saved, I'll go back alone."
"...Very well. We shall see."
A couple hours later everyone was gathered around the ashen firepit. Jacob found their reactions telling.
Heidi was quiet but not thoughtful. Her eyes burned. It was clear she wanted to go to the creature world for her parents, but in not knowing how to be convincing she opted to say nothing instead.
Kanoa looked weary, defeated, nevertheless willing to go along with the majority.
Sinan wanted to be convinced and told what to do.
Amira was shrinking. Toes digging into the grass like she wanted to hook herself in place. No doubt she knew what she wanted.
"So…" Jacob continued after the weighty pause. "What are we going to choose-?"
"If I may interrupt," Pluto began. "Everyone here is battling their own demons. Might I suggest one final, separate meeting between each chosen and their phoenix? We'll split up for one hour then meet back here and give our answers."
Jacob sighed, "Agreed."
Heidi wasn't happy but stayed quiet. She could behave for something she really wanted. Kanoa and Sinan were willing to play along. Amira sagged. Jacob and Mercury had nothing more to talk about but he turned and wandered out west. The others broke apart too, one final time before they'd converge again, either as a group with the decision unanimous, or forever fractured.
Heidi went back to the ocean.
The others had taken the phoenix-chosen, one-on-one time very literally, and travelled far from each other, deep into forests or caves. They were begging for their epiphanies, and if they didn't come that would also be an answer. They'd soon discover if they could find the resolve themselves, or not.
Heidi stepped onto the grey sand strip and found the boulder she'd perched on, that first day here. She saw the near-perfect geometry of the moss, their patterned edges like cell walls. She brushed the grooves of the smaller, encrusted shapes.
"Well, anything you want to talk about?" Mars spoke conversationally.
Heidi looked at the calm ocean and remembered something she'd forgotten: the krill kicking against the current and what it reminded her of.
She swallowed back a choke.
"No."
"Here's far enough," Jupiter decided.
Kanoa stopped and looked around. He approached a tree and climbed, swinging his leg over a sturdy branch and lying against the trunk. There was lots of hanging green around and it was nice.
They fell into silence, after a while it was broken by Jupiter.
"Kanoa…"
"Yes?"
He waited as Jupiter considered.
"Nevermind."
Jupiter was the most laconic of the phoenixes. Kanoa wondered if he was supposed to figure it out himself, like back on his island when they couldn't speak freely.
Kanoa could simply… peer into Jupiter's mind. Stubbornness made him refuse. While he was patient with the others, back then Jupiter's gradual rejection had stung a lot, even if Kanoa had failed to see what his partner wanted. Jupiter continued to present himself as a sturdy, uncomforting companion. Kanoa let it go and enjoyed nature quietly instead. After several minutes he began to meditate.
"SHIT!"
Kanoa's eyes snapped open. "Did… did you just…?"
"This was a trick! We have to get to Amira now!"
"What do you mean?"
"She's in danger!"
Kanoa leapt from the tree and ran. They were the closest, it would still take several minutes to get to her. The mind-link provided him with confusing non-answers. What was Pluto doing to Amira?
When Kanoa arrived he skidded on the grass, Amira was facing away. There were trembles running down her arms, her head twitched. What at first seemed like fear wasn't so, evidenced by her mile-wide smile. Pupils as wide as dinner plates. She saw him, but not really.
"Oh… hi there."
Kanoa choked up.
Jupiter spoke: "What have you done, Pluto?"
"What I must," the dark voice replied, Amira's smile would not lessen.
"You've crossed the line! This is unacceptable! We won't stand for it!"
"What… what's happened to Amira?" Kanoa murmured.
"I feel amazing." Despite her words, her smile was plastered on and her eyes couldn't focus. Her hands continued to shake at her sides. Looking into those eyes, there was the urgency and strangeness of a collapsing building. Their link revealed her mind to be a knotted, hyperbolic shape. Kanoa could no longer delve into it.
Jupiter began ranting for half a minute until Pluto cut him off.
"I'm fixing her," Pluto explained arbitrarily, shocking Kanoa further. "You remember our solo training? I was working to replace her base motivation, fear with ego, another darkness trait."
"What does that have to do with this?"
"It wasn't working," Pluto replied. "So I chose yet another trait." And then with a tone like a shrug he said: "Insanity." They passed through a gap in time, breathing stulted. Pluto asked her, "You're not afraid anymore, are you Amira?"
"I'm indestructible. I feel great." She started laughing too loudly, eyes widening. Kanoa's stomach flip-flopped.
"She can't stay like this!" He shouted over her noise.
"Cool it. Of course she won't. She just needs to stay this way long enough to loosen a few screws - all of this is being carefully controlled by me - and then she'll be mostly normal again, but with no more fear."
Jupiter exploded with more threats and admonishments that Pluto ignored. All the while Amira giggled.
Jupiter ended with a decision, "Kanoa, duel her!"
"What?"
"If we win, we'll shake off Pluto's influence enough to free Amira."
He raised his deck, "Amira?"
She mirrored him, still quietly giggling like this was all a joke nobody else had the punchline to.
Their tables manifested and shields shimmered.
"Draw an extra card from Zeron," Jupiter had to remind him. Kanoa's focus was stuck on the girl he felt desperate to save.
Amira dragged a hand down her face, finally quietening, "...I'll start." She charged water-darkness.
"I summon Primal Giant!" The earthen being swung from its longer forearms. Amira couldn't react. Kanoa leaned forward, "Amira… are you still in there?"
"I'm more me than ever! I fear nothing!" Eyes acutely sharpening, she put all her energy into her draw, seeming suddenly like a threat. "I summon Atsuto, Duel Hero Strategist! Draw two, mill two."
The blue-suited fellow bowed. Kanoa focused his newfound sensing: those cards still had effects in the graveyard.
"I summon Soisoimi!" The soy-sauce squirter tapped in. "Since I have a creature with 4000 power I gacharange summon!" A pine tree rotated, tangled in tinsel and with its floating baubles. "Christma Third!" He now had three creatures.
Pluto murmured to Amira, "Don't forget Primal Giant's anti-spam effect."
Jupiter snapped, "Stop pretending you're still her partner! In all the millenia I've known you, I've never been more disgusted!"
"Jyadokumaru, Oni of "Orochi"!" Amira was loud. She had become more formidable. "I take a shield to my hand. Then I destroy an untapped creature so I choose Primal Giant!"
The zombified serpent breathed a toxic purple gas that melted it away.
"I summon Caddy Beetle!" A four-armed mantis humanoid. It wasn't as effective a jammer as Primal Giant, but it would forestall her from putting high cost creatures.
Kanoa eyed the serpent. It wasn't a Team Zero card, the clan of darkness and water. Her Jyadokumaru was from the Onifuda kingdom, darkness and fire, and its key ability Onitime would activate when total shields were six or less. So deciding not to attack, he ended his turn.
Amira drew and looked at the card. Her unchanging expression made her impossible to read.
"I summon Dugenda, Gig! I draw two and mill two. Then I tap Atsuto and a mana for Mugen Climb: I summon Turbo Cho from the graveyard! And - you guessed it! - I fulfil Zeron's first ceremony: Resurrection!" She milled a further two cards as the sizzling go-kart arced and drifted.
Corrupting decay was leaking from the portal behind her. Hissing vapours of insanity.
"I'm going to save you, Amira!" Kanoa promised.
"I don't need your help," Amira's voice became raspy like Pluto's. "Death is my civilization and I am its mistress."
"Dammit!" Kanoa cried as his eyes stung. "I summon Sannap, Tribe! Mana Arms 3: I untap the mana. I summon another Sannap, Tribe and untap, again! Now Orbimaker's cost is reduced to four. I summon Orbimaker Par 100, Tenth Dragon!" The dragon swallowed the foreground and landscape, chomping its bronzed fangs.
It looked like a match for Zeron only because Zeron had yet to awaken. Kanoa had seen its size before, and once out it was likely to put even Orbimaker to shame. He sensed a hesitation from his partner, Jupiter noticed Kanoa had no more cards in his hand - he had to push on anyway.
Kanoa raised his arm, "Mach fighter! Attack Jyadokumaru!"
"Turbo Cho, blocks!" Amira swished her arm, grinning away.
It launched like a rocket, combusting against a webbed hand.
"Christma Third, attack Atsuto!" His limbs and neck were snagged by tinsel then - snap! - he exploded the next second into rippling light. "Soisoimi, shield break!" Sauce pelted a panel that reassembled in Amira's hand.
"Unlucky! Shield trigger, I summon Grand Guignol, Dark Advisor! Now, I could bounce Orbimaker but instead I'll choose its other effect and mill two cards, thus fulfilling the Ceremony of Graveyard! I give -3000 power to Caddy Beetle!" It eroded; Kanoa could feel control slipping out from his fingers. He watched her fish a card from her graveyard.
"Amira, please… you're being controlled," Kanoa softly pleaded.
"Listen to him, Amira!" Jupiter begged.
Kanoa clenched up, "The last time we duelled, just us, I ordered the final attack and I shouldn't have. Even if you were being selfish, you didn't reveal our location to Urobach. You wanted to survive, and you wanted to try and save us too!"
Her wide smile flickered like a candle in a draft.
"This isn't you…" Kanoa said. "Shake him off, please. There's another way."
Amira jolted and was gone.
Her expression grew bored, "No, there isn't."
"Complete possession!" Jupiter realised. "You bastard, Pluto!"
"Shut your trap, already… I don't berate you for ignoring Kanoa or Venus for coddling Sinan. Amira is my chosen. She spent the last couple of days scheming over how to get us to stay here."
"We need to work with our chosens!" Jupiter insisted. "Now we're running the risk of them all breaking away!"
"No more arguing! I'm completing our purpose by any means necessary! The duel continues!" Amira drew and grinned, she looked up cruelly, "No charge this turn. I cast Ryugokusatsu, twice! I draw and mill, and then again. Then I gacharange summon twice!"
Her smaller deck spat out a floating collection of tiles with eyes. Following this, a drone hovering within the jaws of an animal trap, trailing a chain of the same purple alloy.
"Hei-Nishiki Daraku and Hei-Nishiki Goumon. I peep the top card of my deck… and choose to send it to the graveyard. Now for the fun part!" Amira wasn't a reluctant villain anymore but decided, a seed of wickedness blooming within. "I have eleven cards in my graveyard, by sending eight to the bottom of my deck I summon Jaouga Zero, Oniga Evil King!"
A purple aura covered Amira, suctioning away the surrounding sunshine. The new creature was an oni, an orcish demon beneath armour of bone and long, curved spikes. The hue blended between black and pale lavender. Darkness coalesced above his hand, scattering to reveal a new sword.
"...all my creatures become speed attackers."
Kanoa cursed.
"Jaouga, double break!" He jumped far despite his size, bringing down that obsidian sword with tremendous strength. "I mill three and can summon a demonio from them-"
Amira had nothing to put, Kanoa on the other hand raised two cards in fierce rebuttal.
"Two shield triggers! First, Future Blueprint! I look at my top six cards and add one to my hand!" They assembled for him. Yes! "I choose Jaberu, Snow Faerie! Next, Please support us together! will destroy one of your creatures with power 6000 or less if I discard a card!" The earthen pimple prepared itself. "And if the card I discard is a snow faerie I can destroy two creatures! Hei-Nishiki Goumon and Jyadokumaru!"
Two pelts of lava burned away the targets.
…I'd just managed to activate Onitime too, and make Jyadokumaru a double breaker, Pluto thought from within Amira. Sinan would soon arrive but Pluto could no longer risk winning the faster way.
"Alright, change of plans. Grand Guignol attacks Christma Third!" The blue-grey demon brought down its staff, splintering the tree. Kanoa felt the invisible wave as another of Zeron's coffins unlocked. "The third creature destroyed in one turn. I have fulfilled the ceremony of destruction! I return this to my hand. And since you have no cards in yours, I'll end here and fulfil the last one, the ceremony of hands! Zeron is born!"
The primordial deity rose from the abyss, bone-white with its multitude of red eyes and sharp teeth. Transparent at its edges like it was crossing over from a nightmare. All of Kanoa's creatures succumbed as their power dropped to zero. Before he could remember to compare their sizes, Orbimaker sagged, rotting away to dust alongside both Sannap, Tribes and Soisoimi.
"I choose five!" Sinan yelled, his table and shields readied. He was willing to fight despite the perilous state of the duel.
"I have no words for this…" Venus said with utter contempt.
Amira scoffed.
"I summon Rosia, Final Dragon Ruler!" Sinan yelled as the golden warrior leapt forth, electric chains swirled upward to open hyperspace. Sinan tried to ignore the fact he'd started with three Dragon Signs in his mana zone. "I equip Rosia with Gaiheart, Galaxy Greatsword and make him a speed attacker! Attack Amira and revolution change!" A moment after handling Glenmalt's trademark sword, Rosia sparked up, transforming. "Rafululu Love, Acoustic Dragon Elemental!" A heavenly choir with tinkling bells announced the emergence of an ornate gold and floral being. "Now you can't cast spells until the end of your next turn! Double break!"
Boredly, Amira withstood the shower of glass without getting cut.
The turn passed to Kanoa who chanced a draw, "I summon Caddy Beetle. Done."
Amira noticed a subtle shift in the game's atmosphere and smiled. "I'm not the bad guy, you know…"
"From where I'm standing, you are." Kanoa rebuked. "Let her go!"
"I'm handling Amira for all our sake's," Amira continued. "By the way, I can still cast spells."
"No you can't!" Sinan yelled.
"'Can't cast spells until the end of your opponent's next turn'," Amira quoted, "This game won't distinguish between opponents if the card text doesn't, and Kanoa just ended his turn." The boys grit their teeth as Amira drew. "Hm..." She held another Jyadokumaru but now that Sinan had brought the total number of shields back up, Onitime had deactivated. Pluto didn't fancy taking her last shield anyway. There was a better move: "I tap my Dugenda Gig, Grand Guignal, Hei-Nishiki Daraku and Jaouga Evil along with four mana! Mugen Climb! From the graveyard I summon Drag Szark, Moon Dragon and gacharange summon four times!"
"Oh no!" Venus exclaimed while Jupiter cursed.
The boys froze.
A high, screeching whine. Cold winds buffeted the trees and players, forcing the boys to tense up. Drag Szark was composed of ghostly purple fire, below its wingspan the new creatures took shape:
"Hei-Nishiki Daraku!" Another purple animal trap and chain. "I choose to mill my topdeck card…"
"Hei-Nishiki Goumon!" The eyed tiles creature returned.
"Helegrigory-Zeroshiki!" A darkfire globe was mounted by a flaming soldier with a double-sided scythe. "I must destroy another of my gacharange creatures, I choose my tapped Daraku." He cleaved it in two; in being a double-breaker Amira was still ahead.
"Lastly, another Hei-Nishiki Goumon!" Amira grinned, "And don't forget that because of Jaouga Evil… they're all speed attackers!"
They were too overwhelmed to notice another player arrive.
"I'm in! Five!" Heidi yelled, appearing from the forest. Her table crunched and shields deployed. She meant to draw and immediately start her turn, but something stopped her. "Huh?"
"Hasty, fire chosen. It's still my turn." Amira then removed her eyes from the simmering girl. "Helegrigory-Zeroshiki, double break Kanoa's shields!" It flew - a vicious swipe with a hollow breath. "Daraku, final break!"
The card flashed into Kanoa's grip, his eyes were glassy, "I failed you, Amira. I'm sorr-"
"Goumon, todomeda!"
Kanoa was blasted, breaking a tree at its middle. Not much could hurt them now, it must have been emotional turmoil that made Kanoa slacken and his head loll.
Dynabolt snapped from Sinan's hand, Heidi lost a card too.
"More semantics: 'My opponent' loses a card when Goumon attacks, so that includes both of you." Amira raised an arm,"Okay Zeron, time to leave your mark! World break on Sinan!" The monstrosity above roared, its many teeth vibrating. Anti-matter darkness made all Sinan's shields crunch inwards. No triggers. "Last time you faced him you withstood Zeron, but that doesn't happen twice. Second Goumon, todomeda!"
Sinan was blasted back, ripping through branches and rolling onto his side. Heidi lost another card.
"I have one last attacker. Thank you for waiting so patiently for a change, Heidi."
"Get bent!"
"Drag Szark, double break!" Its howl sent reverberations that made two panels warp then tinkle into shards. "Your move."
Heidi looked between the two downed boys before getting up off her knee. She drew. Starting with two less shields and cards in hand hadn't been part of the plan. "I summon Infelstarge… I can send up to two non-creature cards to mana… I choose zero."
"Because otherwise you'd have to draw cards, right?" Amira closed her eyes, "Ever think of just removing Dokindam from your deck before taking the intrusion penalty?" Heidi said nothing. "Of course not... By the way, Amira will be better off after this. I can't say the same for you."
"We have to let them make their own choices!" Mars growled. "This won't work any other way!"
"Not for you four. Possession is a darkness trait. As is insanity, I know what I'm doing."
Mars growled again without words.
"You once cooperated with Amira to get back to Heidi, who threw you away. Both our chosens are mixes of good and bad. For all her villainy, Amira didn't tear you up or hand you over. For all Heidi's heroism, people still died because of her rashness."
Heidi was silenced by guilt.
Mars asked, "If you're so keen to play devil's advocate, why are you mind-controlling her?"
"It's because I know her," Amira closed her eyes with an inflection of love in her tone. "I would never break her just to break her. A few days like this, and she'll emerge better than we could've hoped. I just need you lot to understand."
"You don't understand! So we'll just have to show you! Right, Heidi!?"
She recovered, "Yeah!"
Then came the last to arrive.
"Pluto…" The new voice belonged to Mercury.
Jacob took a stance, his table and shields forming. He looked at Heidi's position, then to the unconscious Kanoa with Sinan crouching by, attempting to coax him back.
"About time!" Heidi called.
"You really should've waited," Jacob frowned. "Sinan too. If all three of us intruded at the same time this would be over." He was more resigned than annoyed. He faced Zeron and Amira's army of creatures, thinking of how to deal with the situation at hand. Heidi realised the sense in what he said, they'd all charged in and she'd paid the price for it. If she'd swapped out Dokindam, she'd have more than one draw left as well, like Pluto had said.
"Pluto, I understand your reasoning," Mercury continued slowly, "but your logic is flawed. We can't build a foundation of trust with our chosens if you take this route. I bet you were willing to be rejected by all of us if it meant the chosens would still cooperate, so long as Amira lost her fear from the damage you're inflicting."
Her despotic controller said nothing, expression drawn and eyes half-lidded.
Mercury continued, "Please. Stop this."
"I won't. I believe this is the right course of action."
"Then Jacob and I will!" A blue full-body aura ignited around him.
"I summon Shuff, Eureka! I choose zero, so Zeron can't attack next turn." At Jacob's behest the robot card dealer shuffled, the cards flowing between both outstretched hands. Instead of flashing a card, it shrugged, indicating zero.
"I summon Noron Up, "Question 2". I draw two, discard two. Then I cast another Ryugokusatsu! I draw one and discard, then gacharange summon!"
Hei-Nishiki Daraku appeared once more as tiles with eyes. Amira peeped her top card and instead of milling, chose to keep it there.
"Very well, you stopped Zeron but thanks to Jaouga Evil all my creatures are speed attackers. I have a total of ten creatures that can attack, three of which are double breakers. Feeling lucky?"
Heidi turned, "Jacob, that's your other deck isn't it?"
"The meta one without Mercury, yeah."
"Does it have Ragnarok the Clock?" Heidi watched him bite his lip and she cursed.
"Jaouga Evil double breaks Heidi's shields!" It lunged and scattered shards. Amira milled three cards, but again didn't find a demonio to spam. "Goumon, final shield break and you both, random discard!"
Heidi was defenceless.
"Second Goumon, todomeda!" The tiles spun into a blur, flying into Heidi who flew back onto her hands and knees, her head lowered in shame. Jacob lost another card in his hand and looked back, bracing.
"Now you… Helegrigory-Zeroshiki, double break!" That scythe burned through two panels.
"Shield trigger, I expand the D2 field Cyberdice Vegas!" A cybernetic casino was projected around him.
"Drag Szark, double break!" Amira continued.
"Denjara Switch!" Jacob turned his D2 field upside-down, "I play a water spell that costs seven or less for free! Hyperspatial JCA Hole! I summon a psychic creature, Ryusei Splash the Intense Wave! I draw one, and choose…" Jacob let an expletive slip, "Daraku! It can't attack this turn."
"My attack continues…" Drag Szark's rippling howl broke another two shields.
"Shield trigger, a second Cyberdice Vegas!"
"Second Daraku, final shield break!"
"Denjara Switch! I cast Hyperspatial Gallows Hole! I bounce Dugenda Gig, then summon Victorious Prin Prin who stops Noron Up from attacking this turn. Your attack continues…"
The final shield was broken, but Amira stared blankly. She had no further attacks.
Her shieldless opponent sighed in relief, "My turn and I have three creatures to attack with! Ryusei Splash, final shield break!" The dragon blasted a vortex of water. "Shuff, Eureka todomeda!"
Amira's eyes bulged with fury before she was blasted off her feet.
Pluto's influence was gone like smoke.
Slowly, Amira sat up while cradling her head. Heidi ran to her. Sinan had managed to get Kanoa to sit upright. Jacob exhaled as the creatures faded out.
"Good work," Mercury praised.
After the moment passed Jacob went to check on Amira.
"Thank… you…" she whispered.
Heidi carefully slung Amira's arm over her shoulder and got her to stand. The solicitude reminded Jacob of when they'd first arrived through his portal. Despite how bad things had been between them, they still had a sisterly bond. Kanoa was surprisingly worn out by stress, all this really got to him. Sinan helped him as well. Jacob walked between both pairs.
While this wasn't the team he would've wanted, that's often how life turns out…
A couple hours later they were all hanging around the base, drinking tea. Jacob finished his programming and stepped outside. Amira was more bewildered than anything, sitting with a blanket around her shoulders and mug between both hands. Heidi was sitting in the stretcher chair beside her, a hand on her back.
"Hey, Amira…" The girls looked at Jacob. "I'm sorry you went through that. Whatever happened in the past, you didn't deserve it."
"Thanks…" her eyes lowered a fraction.
Mercury added her piece, "I too deeply regret what one of us did to you. Never in a million years would I consider doing something similar to Jacob."
"'s okay."
"You sure?" Jacob asked and she nodded.
"I wanted to ask if you were still hearing Pluto?" Mercury inquired.
"No, he's gone radio silent. Still there though, tucked away in a back corner."
"His gambit failed and he's lost our trust, now he must deal with the consequences."
"Crazy thing is… I do get what he was trying to do." The others said nothing and Amira frowned as she reflected. "Everything feels a bit loose at the moment, I'm probably not in the right headspace… but I'm reminded of that time Heidi was about to beat me in our duel back home. Even though I was trying to win, I still felt relief. And when I imagine that Pluto was trying to force me to make a different choice… I almost, kinda feel the same way."
Heidi's hand stopped circling and they all thought.
"Has your decision changed?" Mercury asked.
"If I vote to stay, I'll be left alone here. So I guess I'm coming."
"That's a relief," Jacob said despite himself.
Amira returned the smile then looked across the clearing, "Why don't you go talk to Kanoa? He looks like he was hit harder than me."
Jacob nodded and left them. He figured Sinan wouldn't be very good at comforting, and sure enough the two weren't talking. Sinan was turning over his hands while Kanoa stared out.
"You okay…?" Jacob slowed as he drew near.
Sinan looked to Kanoa.
"...After Amira birthed Zeron… I felt like I failed. I was the only one there. If it'd been too late to stop her and she escaped… it would've been all my fault."
"Nobody's perfect… not even me." Jacob's little joke got a smirk from Sinan, at least. Jacob cleared his throat, "Everyone makes mistakes, try not to let it get to you."
"You're not alone," Jupiter said.
It wasn't much, but it brought Kanoa back a bit, so obviously it meant something for him to hear it.
"Are you both on board with us going to the creature world?" Jacob asked.
"Yes," Sinan said.
Kanoa nodded, then forced out a "yeah."
"I've almost finished my tests and then we can cross over," Mercury reported.
When it was time the five of them looked around, saying their wordless goodbyes to this odd replica planet and its small research base. Jacob had spent the most time there yet felt the most ready to leave. Well, second-most… Jacob eyed Heidi who was still keeping herself quiet, and that alone showed how much she wanted this.
"We're finally working as a team now. If everyone's ready… here we go."
Mercury's aura beamed from Jacob into the computerware and back again. Tensing with the effort, Jacob raised both hands. Lightning streaked out from a point ahead, burning someone's bedding and the bin full of ramen cups until another cyan portal stretched open.
They stepped into it, to yet another strange, new world.
『AN: This makes for another update posted on time. Thanks to Shuriken for reviewing! This was written days ago and has underwent casual edits since then, me using the additional time to plan the next quarter and also deal with my busy schedule now. For future me, whomst these notes are pretty much written for anyway, I'm still applying for various work placement positions, and also both my besties are getting married and are having engagement parties next month. Be cool if I could be a chapter ahead and so always have that update in reserve in case I get REAL busy, but it is what it is. Next stop - yes it finally happened in this fic - is the creature world!』
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