The Fearsome Illusionist: Caldina!
The forest was calm and quiet, a welcome break from the chaos of the previous night. The Magic Knights had long since left the town of Prius Village and were continuing on their way to the next Rune God. Mokona was still stunned and dizzy, but he seemed to know the way just fine. He was stumbling from one end of the road to the other, but was still moving along a-okay.
Fuu fell back slightly so she was walking next to Logan, who was usually in the back of the group. "Do not forget, you need to be careful. We do not know what will happen if that growth on your hand spreads too far." She whispered, making sure Hikaru and Umi remained oblivious.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Logan sighed. "Judging by the tone of your voice, you didn't get any sleep after you came into my room last night."
"Indeed. You know I am worried about you, correct?"
"No shit."
"Hey! What are you two whispering about back there!?" Umi demanded, turning to walk backwards.
"Oh, we were just-" Logan started.
"We were just trying to figure out a course of action." Fuu lied. "Even if we run, Zagato will be after us. Therefore, the only way to go against him is to grow stronger."
Umi just sighed at that, buying the bluff hook, line and sinker. "I wonder if we can get stronger than we already are..." She muttered, finally catching Hikaru's attention. She stopped, turning around to face the other three.
"It's gonna be alright!" She reassured them with a trademark smile. "I'll make sure we grow even stronger than Zagato! And we'll save everyone in Cephiro!"
"Shidou-style bootcamp..." Logan stated, once again running his mouth ahead of his brain. "I'd be fine with tha-" He was interrupted by Umi, who immediately shoved him to the ground.
"Come on already! We all know you're into Hikaru! Just say it already!" Umi demanded, her eyes drilling right through his.
"..."
"Nothing to say now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"..."
"..."
"Boop." Logan stated casually, poking Umi's nose. She simply froze there, trying to process it, trying to decide whether to be offended or not. Thankfully, she was saved from having to make that choice by Fuu's magic orb ringing. Fuu, most definitely expecting Ferio, nearly dropped the orb trying to pull it out.
"Well, it worked." The swordsman confirmed.
"Ferio!" Fuu gasped, her face already being tinged red. "Ferio, you're alive!"
"Yeah, of course! You didn't think I'd croak that easily, didja?" Ferio chuckled through the orb. "Gimme a call sometime, it's kinda sad if you only call me when you need my help."
Fuu let out another gasp, her face turning bright red.
"Hey, Fuu. Your face is kinda red." Umi remarked with a sly grin.
"O- Oh, is it really now?" Fuu asked, completely flustered. "Ah, let's get going, 'kay?" She continued, walking in the wrong direction.
"Hey, wait up, Fuu!" Hikaru called, rushing over to her friend (who was walking in the opposite direction). "This way, this way!"
"Oh, hahahaha!" Fuu giggled, letting Hikaru drag her in the direction they had been heading.
"Ah. Love." Logan sighed, watching the giggling, blushing Fuu struggle to keep her composure.
"That reminds me." Ferio said through the orb. "You really should just come clean with Hikaru, Luigi."
"What, what are you talking about?" Logan asked with a sarcastic chuckle. "I'm not hiding anything!"
"Uh-huh. Sure..." Ferio sighed. "You really want me to play what you said back?"
"Huh?"
It was then that the orb started to speak in a voice that definitely was not Ferio's. "I... I just want-" Logan's voice started, only for him to snatch the orb away from Fuu and hold it to his chest to stop the sound getting out, his face bright red.
"Do. Not."
"Hmm, judging by your reaction, I think I know what that message was!" Umi teased. "Gimme that!" She demanded, reaching for the orb. Logan struggled to keep it in his hands, not wanting the blackmail to be made public. Yet it was no use. Umi kept tugging on the magical device until she eventually pried it out of his hands.
"No!" Logan shrieked, trying to snatch the orb back, only for Umi to gracefully spin out of the way and send the boy to the dirt. "Don't you fucking dare-!"
"Oh, come on now! It's not like Hikaru doesn't already know about what you feel!" Umi countered. "Here we go~!" She sang, pressing the button to replay the message.
"I... I just want the courage to be honest with Hikaru." Logan's pre-recorded voice whispered, turning his face redder than Hikaru's uniform. "This was not how I wanted this to go..." He groaned, hiding his face behind his hands.
"A-ha! I knew it!" Umi cheered.
"Settle down, Miss Umi..." Fuu sighed. "It is not like he was doing a very good job of hiding it."
Hikaru, meanwhile, was at a complete loss for words. "So... So he really..."
"Well, Hikaru~?" Umi teased. "What're you gonna do?"
"I... Uh... Ah..." Hikaru stammered, trying to think of something. "Let me think about it, okay? This is just... Kinda sudden."
"Oh, okay..." Umi sighed. "Besides, we've got better things to deal with."
"Indeed." Fuu agreed. "We must continue on our path to the second Rune God right away. We cannot give Zagato time to throw something else at us."
"Yeah. You're right." Umi agreed, settling down. "Let's go!"
"Right!"
Meanwhile in literally the same fucking forest, the only movement that could be seen was a silhouette leaping from tree to tree, barely slowing down even when breaking free of gravity's hold once again. This unknown figure wasn't actually so unknown, though. It was the illusionist Caldina, although her current goal and destination remained a mystery.
Following shortly behind her was Ascot, gliding along on his stone platform. "Hey! Caldina! Wait up!" He called, lagging quite a ways behind. His pleas thankfully worked on the illusionist, making her stop on a tree branch.
"Now that's strange... Where did those kids go?" The illusionist muttered, having just seen said kids passing by. Yet now they were nowhere in sight. This break allowed time for Ascot to catch up, floating next to her.
"Caldina, do you really think you can defeat the Magic Knights?"
"Well, of course! I'm gonna beat every last one of them, and then you can go back to the castle! So don't you worry your little head about a thing."
Ascot stared at Caldina for a moment. She seemed so confident that it was starting to make Ascot feel like she could be the one to take them down. Yet that feeling passed as soon as he turned away, once again wondering if he was truly on the right path.
"There they are." Caldina announced, having spied the Magic Knights dead ahead. They had stopped by a waterfall overlooking a river, kneeling at the side of it, most likely resting.
Hikaru, in an attempt to refresh herself, cupped some of the pure river water in her hands and dunked her face in it, rubbing it in before finally looking back up and shaking her head to dry off. Despite this, her face now seemed to glow, like the weariness of endless combat and travel had been lifted off of her.
"You're staring." Fuu noted, glancing at Logan.
"Ah! What!?" Logan yelped, snapping out of it. "Oh, sorry..."
"Oh, this water feels so good!" Hikaru remarked, having missed the stares she was getting.
"You can say that again." Logan agreed, also splashing himself, although it was more in an attempt to take the red out of his cheeks. "Although I'm kinda surprised it's not taking my hair dye out..."
"Yeah, that's right! I keep forgetting your hair is dyed!" Hikaru noted. "I kinda want to see what it looks like naturally..."
"Uh..." Logan trailed, his efforts to cool his face off instantly being wasted. "Maybe when this is over, okay?"
"Aww, okay..." Hikaru conceded. "Well, I think it's about time we get going!"
"Yeah!" Everyone agreed, only to look around for their guide, and see no sign of the puffball.
"Hey, where did Sir Mokona go?" Fuu asked, causing her companions to ponder the same. Sure enough, Mokona was just gone without a trace. No bouncing, napping, waddling, no sign of him at all.
"Ain't that the question..." Logan muttered, only for Mokona to just hop out from behind a tree, having recovered from Zagato's attack only about ten minutes prior.
"Pupu pupuuuu!" The tiny creature sang, announcing his presence.
"Speak of the devil!" Fuu said, a smile on her face at the adorable creature's antics. "There's Mokona!" She called, watching as the humming ball of magic fluff waved his paw towards the forest he had appeared from. "It appears he is pointing us in that direction."
"Maybe the second Rune God is nearby!" Hikaru guessed, turning back to face Mokona. "Mokona! Show us the way!" She requested, and Mokona turned around and swiftly hopped into the bushes, forcing the Magic Knights to rush after him into the foliage. They continued to run for about twenty minutes, only stopping when they would lose track of Mokona, finding him again by hearing his hums in the distance, revealing he was never too far ahead.
"Jeez, Mokona! How fuckin' far do we have to go?!" Logan demanded, forcing his way through another tall bush, followed closely behind by Hikaru, Umi and Fuu. Thankfully he was looking straight ahead and not up at the mountains, because if he had, he would've gone tumbling over the edge of the cliff Mokona had led them to and right to his untimely demise.
The mountains that could be seen weren't the most impressive thing about this view, though. No, there were mountains back home that trumped these rock spires in terms of visual beauty. What was impressive was the small floating island in the distance, highlighted by a small crystal mountain that gleamed in the sunlight.
"That's the mountain in the sky from before..." Umi realized.
"From when Zagato tried to stop us." Hikaru confirmed.
"And that we saw when we first got to Cephiro." Logan added.
"Sir Mokona, are you perchance telling us we need to get there?" Fuu asked, guessing it was the reason Zagato had appeared to stop them personally. Her theory was confirmed as Mokona nodded, and she could feel some of the energy in the group fade instantly, knowing full well someone did not like hearing that news.
"Oh no. No no no no, no-hoho, no." Logan denied sharply. "Abso-fucking-lutely not! We don't even have a flying saucer anymore because some emo bitch had to go and break it. And even then, with the fact it can just suddenly drop without warning, I am absolutely not getting back on!"
"Aw, don't worry!" Hikaru reassured him. "I'm sure we can find a way up there that you'd be comfortable with! I mean, Mokona always has a plan, right?"
Mokona nodded in comfirmation, waving towards the nearby cliff, one that seemed like the only one to be able to reach the floating mountain.
"You mean you want us to climb up that cliff!?" Umi demanded, lifting the tiny creature off the ground. Mokona simply nodded, his expression unchanging. "Haa... I'm gonna faint..." Umi groaned, falling to her knees.
"We were so happy simply being able to wash our faces." Fuu sighed. "It is likely we will be covered in dust again soon..."
"But we have no time to waste!" Hikaru stated in an attempt to pump everyone up. "If we stick around here too long, one of Zagato's minions might find us! So are you ready? We've got to revive the second Rune God!"
"Why does Cephiro always have to give us the most painful options...?" Logan muttered, reluctantly following behind the girls as they made their way towards the cliff face that would lead them to the floating mountain, and the second Rune God...
Once the Magic Knights were out of earshot, Caldina hopped to a tree branch just behind the cliff they were on prior, followed shortly by Ascot. Both the summoner and the illusionist could see the faint shapes of the Magic Knights following the path up the cliff and towards the Sky Shrine.
"Looks like they're goin' to that boulder in the sky." Caldina remarked. "This'll be my chance to finally finish 'em off!" She declared with a grin. "Now don't you worry about a thing, Ascot. I'll get rid of those Magic Knights! Just wait right here." She instructed, turning to face Ascot, who seemed distracted just watching the Magic Knights make their ascent. "See ya!" Caldina called, leaping off the tree branch and running towards the cliff.
"Caldina!" Ascot cried, hoping to stop her before it was too late. However, his pleas went unnoticed. 'Can she really defeat them, though...?' He mused. 'More importantly... Do I even want her to?'
The path had stopped at a series of small ledges, almost like steps, that could be used to climb further up the mountain. This, unfortunately for the Magic Knights, meant actual climbing. Umi and Fuu were constantly needing to stop and catch their breaths. Hikaru was certainly struggling a little bit, but she was making far better ground than the other two. And Logan had almost monkeyed his way up.
"Come on, what's taking you slowpokes so long?" He called down to them, reaching down to help pull Hikaru up as she reached his level.
"How do they have so much energy...?" Umi muttered.
"If only I had the amount of energy they possess..." Fuu sighed as she and Umi finally reached the other two Magic Knights. "The climb has made me so tired..." Fuu muttered breathlessly, her muscles burning from the effort.
"Hey you guys! Look over here!" Logan requested, waving them over.
"What is it now?" Umi asked, only to look out over the ledge, getting yet another stunning view of the beauty of Cephiro. "Oh, wow..." She whispered, taking in the green hills and the clear blue lakes and rivers, tiny white clouds just a little bit below them. "We've seen this place from the sky, but Cephiro sure does have beautiful scenery."
"I am sure that it would be even more beautiful if there was nothing the matter with Princess Emeraude." Fuu said, eliciting a nod and a few puus from Mokona.
"I wonder what Cephiro was like before all of this had happened..." Hikaru muttered, basking in the peace and tranquility of the moment. But then the moment was interrupted when a fog rolled over the cliff, giving off an almost intoxicating scent. "What's that fragrance?"
"It smells good..." Umi noted.
"Do you think it is some kind of flower?" Fuu wondered, her eyes suddenly widening in alarm when she heard Logan sucking in some air through his teeth. "Ah? Logan! Are you alright? Is it-"
"No, it's not that..." Logan assured her, knowing she was about to ask about his hand. "It's my head... I feel dizzy..."
It was then that the ground started to undulate and wave, sort of like a solid, much more violent wave pool. "What is happening!?" Fuu demanded, stumbling around in a vain effort to keep her balance. "The ground is moving so violently!"
The sound of something crashing and falling drew their attention skyward. And skyward was a good direction to look, as now there were boulders falling from high above, right down on them. In a panic, Umi and Fuu began to try and run in circles, hoping they could avoid being crushed, meanwhile, Logan instantly grabbed onto Hikaru with his right arm, pulling her close to him and summoning his shield, holding it above the two of them and hoping to block any boulders they might be struck by.
Yet the violence of the ground's movement made keeping still an issue, and it seemed to almost be pushing them over the edge. Hikaru stared up at Logan, who was still clutching her tightly to himself in an effort to defend her. He definitely looked nervous, but he tried to flash a confident smile when he caught her stares. Yet the waving, thrashing terrain finally managed to knock him over, sending all four Magic Knights (and Mokona) right over the edge of the cliff.
His fear of heights having been well established by now, Logan immediately brought his other arm down and moved from hoping to protect Hikaru to hoping Hikaru could protect him. His screams would have been out of pocket if it wasn't for the fact that everyone was screaming as they tumbled down the cliff to the ground below. The boulders kept tumbling after them, vanishing before they could hit. Yet nobody was focused enough to notice this.
Their descent came to an abrupt end as they slammed into the ground hard, somehow not being splattered on the soil despite how high they fell from. They laid there in a bit of pain from the impact, wanting to recollect themselves before trying to assess the situation.
Eventually, they got to their feet (Logan still desperately clinging onto Hikaru), and looked around.
"Ow, my head..." Hikaru muttered, dazed from the impact.
"I wonder if this might be some kind of monster's doing..." Fuu pondered, clutching her head in pain. Yet, as she pulled her hand away, she realized that there was a bit of blood on her palm, likely from some sort of head injury.
"Is everyone alright?" Umi asked, looking around.
"I'll be okay." Hikaru confirmed.
"My injuries are not the worst I have sustained." Fuu stated.
"Logan?" Umi wondered.
"Hikaru... Your hair smells nice."
"Yep. He's fine, shaken up, but fine."
Logan gave a sharp exhale, finally letting go of Hikaru. "No wonder I hate heights..." He sighed, only for the ground to start shaking again. This time, though, it only startled them, as now there was no cliff to fall off of.
The four Magic Knights yelped in alarm, falling to their hands and knees to stabilize themselves.
"It's... It's an illusion!" Hikaru realized.
"An illusion?" Umi questioned.
"I just felt a rock hit my head... But somehow, I didn't get hurt!"
"My... Speaking of rocks, not one of the boulders that fell on us is lying anywhere in the area!"
As if on cue, one of the trees nearby began to tumble and fall over, primed to hit the Magic Knights. Fuu backed away, in terror, and Umi began running around in circles. Yet Hikaru just remained there, staring at the falling tree with a determined look. "If all of this is really just an illusion..." She muttered.
"Ah, I see." Logan noticed, summoning the Master Sword and holding it horizontally above her, standing directly behind her. "But if you're wrong, it'd suck if you died to a falling tree."
Hikaru looked up at Logan with a bit of admiration, especially after Umi had leaked his feelings about her. But she shook her head, focusing back on the falling tree. The log passed directly through the blade and landed right on top of the two Magic Knights, only to fade shortly there after and reveal they were unharmed.
"Hey, wouldn't it be funny if the ground became a wave pool aga- OH SHIT!" Logan said, barely finishing his sentence before the ground did exactly as he said it might, rippling like a curtain in the wind.
"Do you believe this is also an illusion?" Fuu asked, crawling over to Hikaru.
"Yeah, I think so- Ah! I can't keep my balance!"
Umi looked around in panic for anywhere they might be able to go, eventually spotting a cave in the side of the cliff. "Look over there!"
"A cave!" Fuu confirmed.
"Let's go!" Hikaru commanded as she and the other Magic Knights slowly got to their feet and began to stumble towards the cave, managing to keep their balance as the illusion faded.
"They ran into the cave..." Caldina remarked, watching the Magic Knights retreat into her trap. "Just what I wanted. My illusory incense works well~" She cooed, giving a brief giggle while lightly swinging around a powdered fan she had on her, which let off wisps of said incense. "Magic Knights. The true horror begins right now~"
Meanwhile, Ascot just kept staring in the direction Caldina had disappeared in, still conflicted on whether or not he wanted the Magic Knights to be okay or not...
"I don't feel good..." Umi announced, collapsing to her knees with the others only a little ways into the cave.
"Walking on that unstable surface has made me feel sick, too..." Fuu added. "My head is still spinning and my stomach is upset."
"Someone is creating all these dangerous illusions." Hikaru declared. "Whoever it is, they don't want us to reach the second Rune God."
"Do you think it could be one of Zagato's minions?" Umi asked.
"Heh. You're a fuckin' idiot if you think other- mmph, oohhh..." Logan groaned, laying down on his side and clutching his stomach.
"Logan, are you okay?!" Hikaru demanded, shaking his side.
"Motion sickness..." He muttered. "I hate when my mom drives because she turns so quickly it gives me a headache... I'll be fine... I think I'm just gonna lay here until my lunch decides not to enact a prison break on my stomach... Or it does, that works too..."
"Aww, poor guy..." Hikaru muttered, lighting running her hand through his hair. "Today just isn't your day, is it?"
The four of them stayed like that for a while, having a few heart-stopping moments where it looked like Logan was about to vomit, but he managed to stop himself and eventually get over it, shaking his head and getting to his feet.
"Welcome, Legendary Magic Knights!" A familiar male voice called from deep within the cave. "Can you hear me? It is me!" The voice echoed.
"I know that voice!" Hikaru realized, as a magenta light appeared from the depths. Hikaru, hoping it was who she was thinking, ran towards it, forcing her comrades to follow behind her. They reached the source of said light, and it expanded into a blinding white flash. And when they regained their vision, they were no longer in a cave. Instead, they were in some sort of shrine or temple, dark bricks and pillars composing the walls. The four teens looked around in confusion at the change in scenery, and then noticed a figure ahead.
Master Mage Clef stoof before them, the same stoic expression on his face. "I have been waiting for you." He revealed.
"It's you..." Umi muttered.
"Master Mage Clef..." Hikaru confirmed.
"Mr. Clef..." Fuu trailed.
"Shortstack? Is it really you?" Logan asked skeptically, still wary from the illusions that led them here.
"What are you doing here?" Umi questioned as she and the others ran to the Master Mage. "I thought Zagato turned you into stone!"
"It would take more than the likes of Zagato to stop me." Clef stated, a bit of a confident smirk on his face. "Anyway, I have a surprise. Princess Emeraude would like the pleasure of meeting you."
"What did you say?" Umi pondered.
"Princess Emeraude?" Fuu questioned.
"Yeah, but... Isn't Princess Emeraude still under Zagato's imprisonment?" Hikaru righteously pointed out.
"No, I have just rescued her." Clef explained.
"You did?" Logan said, sounding clearly skeptical.
"Yes. And as proof, Princess Emeraude has asked to meet the four Magic Knights in order to ask you personally to save Cephiro." Clef announced, turning and beginning to walk away.
"That's great!" Umi cheered. "That means the princess is doing well!"
"I don't buy it." Logan bluntly stated.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Umi. We've just spent the past half-hour or so dealing with a barrage of illusions. Who's to say these aren't also illusions?"
"I... That's true... But still!"
"I must agree." Fuu conceded. "This all seems too easy."
Before anyone could argue, Clef cast a spell on the back wall, opening a hole leading deeper into the cave. "Princess Emeraude is waiting for you through there."
The four of them looked at each other, and then Logan summoned his sword and shield, holding the latter in front of him protectively, and the former at his side, ready to strike. With a healthy dose of skepticism, they proceeded onwards, Clef's expression morphing into a cruel smile...
At the end of the passage, the Magic Knights emerged into a foggy courtard, marble pillars and pathways surrounding them. Yet Princesss Emeraude was unseen.
"Alright, Your Highness, we're here." Logan announced, wanting to remain formal in the slim chance this was the real Princess Emeraude. "Where are you?"
A golden glow appeared within the fog, and it dissipated just enough to reveal three figures. Two armored guards, likely the personal bodyguards of the princess, and a little girl. Emeraude herself.
"Princess Emeraude!" Hiakru cheered, believing it to really be the Pillar of Cephiro. Yet Logan and Fuu weren't so sold. They glanced at each other, and nodded. No words needed to be shared between them.
"Magic Knights... I am so glad to see you." Princess Emeraude stated, a gentle (if rather vaucous) smile on her face.
"Princess Emeraude?" Fuu asked. "May I ask you a question?" She continued, taking note of the Pillar's eyes narrowing slightly. "If you know any of Zagato's weaknesses, please tell us!"
"Fuu? What are you saying, Fuu?" Hikaru wondered.
"Aside from reviving the three Rune Gods, can you tell us if there is any other way to defeat Zagato?"
Princess Emeraude remained silent, simply staring at the four of them.
"Look, I get you're kinda the big deal around here, but can you at least have the decency to answer a simple question?" Logan added, stepping forward. "Princess?"
Princess Emeraude's expression remained unchanged, and she held one hand above the other, a flickering golden orb appearing between them.
"I knew it!" The boy shouted, diving to the side on instinct as the Pillar then held her hands out in front of her, firing a blast of magic that would've blown the girls to smithereens if Fuu hadn't shoved them to the side. Logan then closed the distance and attmpted to slice at Princess Emeraude, being blocked by the two guards. "The real Princess Emeraude would never attack us like- Gah!"
That last bit was because the fake Princess Emeraude and the two guards began to glow with a dark aura, which once again caused Logan's right hand to burn. He leapt back in case of a counterattack, and the pain faded just as quickly, revealing three identical, lizard-like monsters.
"So she really wasn't the real Princess Emeraude!" Umi realized.
"Exactly!" Fuu confirmed. "This was a trap to catch us off-guard!"
"A trap!?" Hikaru said incredulously. "But what about Master Mage Clef!"
"Also an illusion!" Logan guessed. "I was skeptical when he first called to us. Something about his tone didn't sound right! Now heads up! We got a fight on our hands!"
The girls summoned their swords, preparing to battle these monsters. Even though it was four to three, the fight wasn't easy. Whenever one of them would seem to land a blow, the monster would disappear and reappear somewhere else. At first, they thought that even the monsters were illusions, yet every time they were attacked, they would feel the pain as if these monsters were real.
"If this is an illusion, why does it hurt so much!?" Umi demanded.
"The wounds themselves may be an illusion..." Fuu guessed.
"Well it doesn't feel much like an illusion- Fuck!" Logan cursed, taking a hefty slash to the side.
"Umi! Fuu! Logan! I have an idea!" Hikaru called. "Close your eyes! We survived those boulders and trees before, I'm sure we can survive these monsters now!"
"That's- Actually kind of a good idea..." Logan agreed, shutting his eyes, and shortly after, Fuu and Umi did the same. While they couldn't see, they could still hear the monsters attempting to attack them. But no matter how much damage they should've been taking, they felt nothing.
'Just as I thought. An illusion!' Hikaru mused, pleased to be right. However, Umi then opened her eyes slightly, just to see if the monsters were really attacking, and she saw one of them bearing down on her, ready to strike. She let out a scream and dodged, running right past it and towards the exit of the courtyard.
"Awesome idea, Umi!" Logan agreed, sprinting after her.
"Umi, Logan! Wait!" Hikaru called, and she and Fuu also took off after them. The courtyard vanished and returned to a normal cave once Umi left the room, and she kept running towards the exit, popping out on a cliff face and stopping on an unstable ledge. The bit of ground under her foot gave way, and she was once again falling to the ground below.
She was followed by Logan, who attempted to slide to a halt, and almost succeded. Unfortunately, Fuu and Hikaru were less fortunate, and they slammed right into him, sending the three of them free-falling to the ground below. Again.
They laid there dazed once again, hoping the illusions and the danger had passed, at least for now.
The danger had not, in fact, passed. Caldina stood at a ledge above the Magic Knights, looking down on their prone forms. Her plan had gone perfectly, and now all she had to do was land the killing blow. Four birds with one stone, literally.
"Ha ha ha! My plan worked so perfectly! Just goes to show that if you try to mess with pretty little old me, Miss Caldina, you just ain't gonna make it out alive~" She half-sang, basking in the glory of the moment. Which gave time for everyeone's favorite silly little puffball Mokona to finally wake up after having been thrown from the ledge and knocked unconscious initially. He rubbed his head, clearing his thoughts, and then he looked up.
He noticed Caldina on the ledge, and while he had no idea who she was, he knew she meant trouble, especially once he saw the Magic Knights directly beneath her.
"Now time to add the finishing touches!" Caldina announced. "This next boulder's for real!" She declared, rolling backwards and then leaping up and flipping forwards to sever the edge of the cliff with her foot, which sent the large boulder tumbling down at the Magic Knights.
Mokona waddled over to Umi, the closest of the heroes to him, and started relentlessly bouncing on her chest in an attempt to wake her up. Much to his relief, she began to stir, looking around slightly until she found him. "Huh? What is it now, Mokona?"
Mokona pointed up at the falling boulder, and Umi finally noticed the danger. She screamed in alarm, and then grabbed her sword, pushing herself upwards and running right to it. She kicked off the ground and leapt up, driving her sword directly into the boulder, breaking it apart with enough force to send the fragments flying back at Caldina.
"What!?" Caldina gasped before the shards reached her, and the gust of wind that was generated knocked her off her feet, sending her flying. She landed in a pile of debris on the opposite end of the cliff.
"Caldina!" Ascot called, floating over to her as fast as he could. "Caldina, are you alright!?"
"Gh... Get them..." She growled.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about me. Get the Magic Knights."
"But-"
"You can do it if you go right away. Now go finish them off, Ascot!"
"Uh, okay..." The summoner reluctantly agreed, floating off.
"Come on!" Umi pleaded. "Hikaru! Fuu! Logan! Wake up!" Umi begged, trying to shake her friends awake. However, Mokona's alarmed hums and a small vibrating sound alerted Umi to Ascot's presence the moment he arrived. "It's you!"
"You're gonna regret hurting Caldina like that!" Ascot shouted. "Beast, I summon thee!"
A long, serpentine monster flung out of the summoning circle. But compared to Ascot's other monsters, it was nothing.
"Sapphire Whirlwind!" Umi called, the twin water tornadoes ripping the beast apart and completely annhilating it in an instant.
"Oh no! You killed another friend of mine!" Ascot growled. "Beast, I summon thee!"
Three more monsters flew out and towards Umi. A pathetic show of power compared to before. "Water Dragon!" Umi cast, the literal water dragon devouring one of them in an instant. However, that still left two. A large insect-like monster, and a hawk-like one.
"Oh no! I couldn't finish those ones off!" Umi cursed, leaping out of the way of a powerful blow, summoning her sword at the same time. She leapt between the bug beast, only to be hit by debris from the hawk. "Come on you guys, wake up already!" She demanded, looking back at her unconscious friends (and Mokona, who was trying to wake them up to the best of his ability).
"I want you to get those three right there!" Ascot commanded, and the beasts complied. The bug took Fuu, and the hawk grabbed Hikaru and Logan.
"Hahaha! You have no right killing off all my friends the way you do!" Ascot declared. "I guess I'll just have to kill your friends!" The insect lifted Fuu's arm, likely to try and rip it off. "Let's have a little fun!" Ascot commanded as the hawk grabbed Hikaru's legs, with a high chance of wanting to sever them.
"STOP!" Umi screamed, her voice echoing across the area. Even Ascot froze just from how visceral it was. "Now... Now you've really, really gone and made me angry! How... How can you... How can you even think about hurting my friends!?"
"Quiet!" Ascot shouted. "I'm not scared of you, even when you're mad! Kill them! Now!"
Umi then rushed forward faster than she'd ever moved before, holding her sword back, ready to run Ascot through with it. The summoner screamed in terror as Umi thrust the sword forward-
CLANG!
"That's enough, Umi." An unexpected voice said. Umi's blade had been intercepted by another mere inches before it would have hit Ascot. And at the end of said blade was Logan. Considering the hawk monster's hands were mostly full with Hikaru, it had been easy for him to escape once he'd woken up. "I know you're angry, but he's still just a kid. And I'm not gonna let you kill him."
Umi glared at him for a moment, but then relented. "Now, about my friends." She stated, glaring at Ascot. "You let them go right this second."
Ascot stared in fear at the two Magic Knights, and then the two he had just a few words away from death. He looked towards his monsters, and nodded. The two beasts set Hikaru and Fuu down, and so the two conscious Magic Knights rushed over to them.
"Hikaru! Fuu! Are you alright!?" They both pleaded as the two downed Knights began to stir.
"It appears... We are all okay..." Fuu confirmed, looking at them both.
"Alright, kid. Spill it. Why'd you attack us again? Did you just run right back to Zagato?" Logan questioned, looking rather unpleased.
"No, I didn't!"
"Pardon?"
"I did it... 'Cause Lord Zagato told me to. He said that if I could defeat the Magic Knights, then I could stay in the castle. With all my friends, too."
"Your friends?" Umi pondered.
"I think he's talking about the same thing he was before..." Hikaru muttered.
"Again with the monsters?" Logan sighed.
"But you just don't get what it's like to have special friends like I do!" Ascot countered. "They're special creatures to me! Like all the ones you've killed before! But you just don't care at a-"
SMACK!
"That looked like it hurt..." Logan said under his breath as he watched Umi slap Ascot right across the face.
"If they really are your best friends the way you say they are, then why did you have them attack us? Don't you care if they die?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then why in the world would you be helping someone like Zagato!?"
"Because everyone hates my friends and they always make me feel bad! Everywhere we go, people treat us as a nuisance, they don't even want us around! So I thought we could all live together in the castle."
"Well, lemme ask you something: Do your friends cause that much trouble for everyone?"
"No they don't. They don't cause trouble for anyone unless I specifically tell them to."
"Well then, you must learn to trust them." Umi declared.
"Learn to trust?"
"Your friends are all good in nature and in their hearts, even if they look scary. But if you make them do mean things to people, then they really do become bad monsters. You're the one that's responsible when you command them to be bad. Is that what you really want?"
"No!"
"With my friends, it hasn't been that long since we first met in Tokyo. But we're close friends, we're best friends. Maybe even more."
"Are you seriously-" Logan started, only for Hikaru and Fuu to both slap their hands over his mouth, shutting him up instantly.
"The point is, we feel proud to have each other." Umi continued. "When I'm with my friends, I feel a sense of strength and pride! Life is much richer. You have to think about how these creatures can be happy as well, so you can all feel proud."
The bug and hawk stared down at Ascot in curiosity, wondering what he might do.
"I- I'm sorry..." Ascot muttered, wiping his eyes and sniffling.
"And I'm sorry for having attacked so many of your friends too, Ascot." Umi said, kneeling down in front of him. "So, Ascot? Would you be willing to be our brand new friend? For real this time?"
Caldina was finally able to pick herself up off the ground, panting and cursing. But then she noticed Ascot floating over to her. "What's up, Ascot? Didja finally defeat the Magic Knights?"
"It... It doesn't really matter. Not anymore." Ascot told her, immediately starting to float away.
"Ascot Ascot, what happened? What happened...?" Caldina asked, receiving no response as Ascot left her alone there by the cliff, wondering just what went wrong...
Logan found himself zoning out. Night had fallen once again, but this time, everyone was awake, as it wasn't too late yet. Fuu had bandaged his hand using some of Mokona's medical supplies and just played it off as landing on it weird after falling off the cliff. In actuality, the mass had grown to overtake his entire palm, and now it was really starting to spread to his fingers. Still hidden by his gloves, but alarming nonetheless. This was one of many things he was thinking about. The others included the illusions, the fake Emeraude and Clef, Ascot, but most importantly...
"You're thinking about the message Umi played this morning, aren't you?" Hikaru asked, sitting in the seat next to him.
"Yeah. I am." Logan admitted. "I guess you kinda want me to say it out loud, don't you?"
"Hm, I think you probably should." She agreed.
"Are you trying to sound like my mother?"
"Hey, if it's what gets you to fess up."
"I guess." Logan sighed, taking a deep breath. "I..." He noticed Fuu and Umi staring at him from across the room while making that night's dinner "Can you two not? It's making me uncomfortable..."
"Okay, okay." Umi agreed, turning around and focusing on the meal being made.
"Okay, go ahead." Hikaru told him.
"I just feel kinda weird saying this..."
"Hey, you can do it." Hikaru encouraged, smiling at him.
"Fine. It's probably not that much of a surprise, but... I love you."
Hikaru just giggled, her face going a bit red. "You're right. It's not." She told him. "Next time, don't be afraid to just come clean, m'kay? Speaking of, how long has it been?"
"Uh... I mean it was probably around the time we met Ferio. Seeing the way he interacted with Fuu and all. I mean, you were pretty even back at Tokyo Tower, but at that time I thought you were just someone random I'd meet and then never hear from again."
"If I'm being honest? I kinda felt the same way." Hikaru revealed. "There was something about you in Tokyo Tower, but I've been so focused on other things since coming to Cephiro that I never got the time to dwell on it. Well, at least until we were heading to the Water Shrine. At first I thought you turning to me all those times was because I just so happened to be the closest person. But then Umi and Fuu told me otherwise."
"So, uh..."
"Oh, I love you too!" Hikaru finally said, hugging him so tightly he nearly fell out of his chair.
"O- Oh, wow..."
"What? Surprised it worked out so well?"
"I- I mean, kinda... I've never had a girlfriend before... But I'm thinking of something else..."
"Oh really? What is it?"
"...What the fuck am I gonna tell my parents?"
Word Count: 7,056
HOOOOOLLLYYYY SHIIIIIITTTTT this chapter is long. and its like midnight and i wanna go to bed so i'll try and keep this brief.
confession, yay! this is the first like, actual confession i've written in the history of ever, so my apologies if its kinda bad :p
this chapter was gonna be out way sooner but i kept getting sidetracked with doom and tears of the kingdom (again) and sometimes my earbuds would stop working and also having other shit i had to go do, but hey, it's still out and you didn't have to wait two weeks for it woohoo!
next chapter is probs gonna be the end of the caldina arc because it's honestly her best episode in the first season and also lets me skip episode 14 depending on what's in it.
anyways i hope yall enjoyed, do the usual fanfiction stuff, and lemme go to bed. byeeee-