"The Supreme Guardian wants to award us?" Acheron said a bit perplexed after hearing the news straight from Seele's mouth. It was the morning of a new day when Seele arrived to tell the news to her and Morte who had both spent the night in Seele's house upon her offer.
"Yep! You heard that right! Bronya wants to give you two medals as a show of gratitude for your efforts in solving the problem." Seele reconfirmed what the Emmanator of Nihility had just heard, a smile on her face. "So? Doesn't that makes you any bit excited?"
Morte, who was also listening to the conversation while laid back against the wall of Seele's house, wasn't looking that intrigued, taking a smoke of his cigar. "Wanting to reward us the day after we end with her mommy issues and only the two of us. Does she thinks we are dumb enough for not smelling a possible set-up?" The man pointed out.
And on that, Acheron had to give him a point, staring back to Seele. "While I don particularly 'agree' on many things that he may say, I have to do on this one. Mind you that we are on the IPC radars as wanted criminals." She said with skepticism. "While I don't want to assume the worst of Lady Bronya, what guarantees do we have that she won't try to detain and give us to the IPC?"
"Because it will be in private and of no one's public knowledge, meaning that the IPC has no idea about it." Seele answered, justifying why they should go and with no precaussions about it. "Plus, Bronya just isn't that type to backstab others. Her intentions to award you are pure from her heart." The girl procceeded to then smirk smugly. "I also might have helped a bit in that decision by telling your backgrounds as simple foreigners that ended up being of huge help to us, thus convincing that you are decent people. And Bronya believes it to be so."
"I see. Thanks for reassuring us then, Seele." Acheron replied with an empathetic smile. "By the way, when will that ceremony happen?"
"Oh. It will be in two hours from now." Seele said, continuing with her same dumb smile, causing a minor surprise on Acheron.
"In two hours? That suddenly?" The Self-Annihilator could hardly believe.
Tossing his cigar unceremoniously to the ground, Morte took his back off the wall. "Well, if we presume that the O Mighty Supreme Guardian has her schedule always busy, it'd make sense that she can hardly arrange things like a small ceremony at decent hours with all the paperwork. The sad cons of being a ruler." He stretched his own arms, doing some stretches and letting out a satisfied exhale. "To be honest, I was really not feeling like going. But then again, she might change her mind and rat us out if we do not show up. We are ethical people after all, aren't we, Acheroni?"
"You are the very example of one." Acheron answered boredly, wanting to ignore him.
"Why, thank you." Morte said in a sarcastic flamboyance, not really bothered with Acheron's sardonic response.
"Aw man, I'd also like to receive my own medal too!" Luka speaked, having arrived to Seele's house, accompanied by Clara and Serval, the latter having spent the night in the Underworld. "Why just you two?"
"Knowing Bronya, I'd say it is because she wants them to have it as a souvenir of sorts and a symbol of Belobog's gratefulness with them despite not being from here." Serval deduced. "Basically, a sign that they can always be welcomed here."
"Eh, quite the sharp intuition, Serval." Seele replied. "Since Jarilo-VI has only recently opened itself to the whole cosmos, Bronya wants to make sure that Belobog can leave as much of a good reputation to every foreigner that travels to here as possible. And don't worry Luka. She also plans on thanking you and everyone else that had helped defeat Cocolia's ghost, in person. "
"Welp! That's already something." Luka put both his hands behind his head. "But y'know? As long as the Supreme Guardian is fine, I think that medals and rewards are but secondary. I'm saving the empty space of my gallery for the trophies I'll won on tournments in the future!"
"I admit that I would also love to receive a medal from Lady Bronya herself..." Clara expressed, twirling her fingers a bit as she looked a bit shy on the face. "If it isn't asking much...Could you please show me the medals she gave to you once you come back?"
"..." Staring down to the girl a bit remorseful, Acheron proceeded to stare to Morte. And his stoic face in that moment was enough of an answer, as if he had just told her telepathically. Both the two the course of action they were most likely to take after receiving the medals from Bronya. "I am sorry but, we're leaving the planet after we get the rewards."
A revelation that downcasted Clara a bit. "Oh. You are?"
It even came as a surprise to the rest.
"That soon? Why not stick around for a few more days?" Serval questioned the duo. "I doubt you have seen everything Belobog has to offer in a day or two."
"A simple answer to that: 'Criminals' and agents of law don't do well together." Morte justified easily.
"He's right. Wheter you see us as good people or not, the IPC deems us as criminals. So staying in a place full of them rarely has the chance of ending well." Acheron added more to the justification. "Sorry, but that's just how it is. In order to avoid capture, it is either fleeing or fighting. And we don't want to bring dire consequences to your home planet by going with the second option."
"Well, can't exactly blame ya for that." Seele responded, accepting and understanding their situation. "If you wanna leave, then go for it. You are in your right to."
"Aww man, it sucks! Just when I was looking forward to our future brawl fight." Luka lamented, looking to Morte, craving so much to fight a strong opponent such as him. "Now I'll have to wait only-god-knows how long for that opportunity."
Morte however found a bit of amusement in that idea. "If you want a fight, boxer-boy, we can have one right now at this instant." He said, about to take off his cloak.
"Better leave it for a next time!" Acheron quickly halted Morte from taking it off, looking to Luka. "That way you can become extra ready when facing him. It'd be a lot better that way, don't you think?" She tried to convince him to change ideas, knowing very well that Luka would be signing up for his death if he were to fight Morte.
Luka stared at her a bit confused. "Have more time to train..." Giving it some tought, he ended up smiling. "Right! That doesn't sound like a bad advice at all! I'll make sure to train each day for that fateful combat between us then!"
Meanwhile, Clara came up with another solution. "So, if you can't show me the medals in person, will you at least send me photos of it, please?"
Acheron gave a warm smile to the girl. That she could do. "Yes, I'll make sure to send you one. That's a promise." She kindly patted Clara on the head. The Self-Annihilator made a note to herself that she'd better make an annotation for it in order to not forget or have Morte reminding it to her. Which she doubted he would do that.
"You better be the one taking the photo and sending to the kiddo, Acheroni." Morte told her, having his archaic flip-phone in hand. "I doubt mine's camera would be on the best quality."
"W-What's that?" Clara looked at the phone in Morte's hands with bewilderment.
"Is that...Is that supposed to be a phone?" Luka commented, never having seen one like that before.
"Can it even run internet on that thing?" Seele speaked, eyeying the old rusty phone with awkwardness.
Serval however, looked beyond excited. "Wow! Those still exist? I can't believe it!" She said amazed, gawking over it as she leaned closer to Morte. "C-Can I touch it for a moment please?"
"Hm? Sure I suppose. Just don't delete the snake game." Morte let Serval grab it for a moment.
"Retro keys constructed in it. Small, almost quadricular size of the screen. The conjuction of the phone's upper body to lower body. Ooh, it's just like the ones I read in those old books!" Serval eyes shinned a bit in awe. "And I thought they were but a myth at some point. Well, despite the obvious poor state that it's currently in, this is still quite the finding! I'd love inspecting it piece by piece in my workshop!" She then smiled sweetly over to Morte. "Will you be kind enough to give it to me?"
"No." Morte responded nonchalantly, taking another cigar from his pocket.
"I'll give you a new, better and more modern phone." Serval insisted, continuing with her smile.
"No." Morte responded in the same way, lightning his cig.
"Are you a geezer or something!?" Serval raised up her voice, a bit irritated at Morte's passive yet strong resistance of giving his phone away.
"Then you'll really do it? Will you send a photo of the medals to me?" Clara asked, wanting to reconfirm Acheron's decision.
"I will. Don't worry about that." Acheron reassured the girl, slightly crouching down to get at her level. "It will be a sign of rememberance of our passage through this planet. And of how I met many good and wonderful people here. A very pure-hearted and brave young girl amongst them."
Blushing a bit, Clara couldn't be able to contain a joyful smile escaping across her lips, giggling lovingly. "Thank you, Ms Acheron!" She ended up hugging the Emmanator of Nihility.
"!" Acheron herself was slightly stunned by Clara's sudden hug. It felt...warm, friendly and kind. A tender hug that her body could feel over the effectless cold of the snow. How it made her ponder when it was the last time she had got an hug? From all the sensority her being was losing due to the syntoms of IX, Acheron was glad that she wasn't losing the touch as much as she was with taste. She ended up hugging the girl back.
A comovent image that was enough to result in the smiles of Seele, Luka and Serval.
Clara leaned her head on Acheron's chest. "I'll also make sure to remember you-?" But quickly, the girl's smile faded away once she realized something awful about the woman she was hugging, faintly gasping. That she was missing something. A thing that was normal on all humans and even animals to listen. Yet, she couldn't hear it from Acheron, being completly silent. "M-Ms Acheron..."
"Hm? What is it Clara?" Acheron looked at the girl with some puzzlement, wondering if everything was alright with her.
However, before Clara could tell her something, the girl gazed at the tall and menacing figure of Morte standing behind Acheron and looking down at her.
Eyeing the girl with the silent, yet cold and ruthless eyes of his, Morte simply put a finger in front of his lips, gesturing to Clara that whatever was the disturbing truth that she found out, to not tell to Acheron, being a thing not meant for her to know yet. He trusted a kid like her could keep a secret well. Otherwise, she would regret slipping it out.
"N-Nothing." Clara said, quickly making up a smile on her face, wanting to disway any possible implications of something being wrong. "I just hope you two have a nice and safe travel on your journey through the cosmos! Always feel free to visit Belobog again whenever you like it!"
"Thank you. I appreciate your words." Acheron responded, finding a bit odd on how sudden the change on Clara's mood was. But maybe that was just her being a child not wanting the possibility of having new friends to go away, Acheron thought.
"Then I guess this is certainly a goodbye." Serval decided to say hers to the duo. "Once again, thank you for helping Belobog avoid a crisis. And subsequently saving my brother. I owe you that much."
"Have you already went to see him?" Acheron asked her, wondering if Gepard was freed from the IPC by now once Bronya got better.
"I did. Thankfully, he's alright. Geppie's a tough guy." Serval said with a joyful relief. "Taking him back from the IPC's hands was the very first thing Lady Bronya immediatly did once she heard about it. Even then, a part of me feared that I would never see him again. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for preventing that scenario from happening."
"Friends and family really are a precious thing, aren't they?" Acheron replied, able to feel Serval's happiness from seeing and knowing her brother was fine. "Always make sure to spend as much time as you can with them."
Serval slightly nodded to that. "Right."
"So, where will you be heading next?" Luka asked them. "The space is a huge place, so the options are endless."
"As of now, we don't really have any specific destination in mind. You could say we will go to wherever fate decides to guide us." Acheron responded a bit cryptically.
"Actually, I do have a place in mind." Morte speaked, lifting up his hand.
"Then save that for later." Acheron said a bit vexed, not wanting him to ruin what she said previously.
"Hehe, you're a cool and funny bunch." Luka chuckled. "Hope that we one day might meet each other again! I'll be waiting for that fight!"
"Poor kid will sure have the waiting of a lifetime." Morte whispered to Acheron to the side, not really planning on seeing Luka ever again. "By the way,talking about funny bunch, where are those two fools? Thought we'd find them here as well."
"Who? Sampo and that annoyingly crazy girl?" Seele speaked. "I'd bet that they've already went away. After all, Bronya and Belobog in general has quite a few reasons to see Sampo behind bars. As for his colleague, I assume she must have followed him."
"I sure hope so." Acheron replied, crossing her arms. "And that Sparkle isn't up to no good."
"I know it will start to sound repetitive, but thanks for all your help in these days." Seele gave her turn to say goodbye. "I don't know if we could have done it without you. Eh, guess it is becoming a sort of omen for Belobog to be saved by people of outer space when in trouble. Don't know if that makes our nation look exactly well." She scratched the back of her head.
"It makes your nation to be well persistent." Acheron responded. "That even against the harshest of adversitites, your civilization will always preserve itself and survive. If anything, that makes Belobog even a more worthy nation to admire."
Hearing that, Seele ended up smirking. "When you put it like that...jeez! I guess it really makes us sound stronger than what we are."
"Because you are strong." Acheron told her, thinking otherwise. "While the end can and will always be an inevitability, I can gaze at a distant future where Belobog still prevails and prospers."
"..." Not opening his mouth to comment, Morte listened attensiously to Acheron's words. He had to admit that she speaked her points well.
"Alright, alright! That convinced me already!" Seele replied, hearing Acheron speak feeling a bit mind-opening. "Do you usually say that philosophical stuff all the time?"
"When the scenario is appropriate, yes." Acheron responded, giving an overall look to the four Belobogians in front of her. "It was nice, meeting all of you. It showed me that this planet is very fortunate to have people like you that strive in order to keep it alive. May Belobog always be your home." She said deeply, coming from her heart. having experienced what it was like to lose one's planet before.
"We will make sure of it!" Seele responded, she and the rest of the Belobog group encouraged by the Self-Annihilator's speech. "And...hell! Did I already told you that seeing your face gives me some sort of weird feelings?" She chuckled.
Acheron gave a small and soft smile in return. "The feeling's mutual."
"Aren't you also heading to the ceremony?" Morte asked to Seele.
"Huh? Me?" Seele looked at the man a bit confused.
"You are her girlfriend after all, are you not?" Morte explained. "Thought you'd like being near her and all that stuff."
"Hm!" Seele blushed red, embarrassed. "W-Well, the ceremony isn't f-for me! Plus, I alwayd find them boring!" Sulking a bit, she eyed to the side, still with a bit of bad mood. "But that thing you said yesterday. About spending more time with Bronya. I'll follow that advice."
"Really? I wasn't expecting that you would, to be honest." Morte responded, having originally said that just to mess with Seele. "But anyways, I suppose that I can be happy for that."
"By the way, don't forget to create the group." Seele told to the man.
"A group?" Acheron lifted an eyebrow, wondering what Seele was talking about.
Morte sighed. "Yes, I will. You don't have to remind me of that from five to five minutes."
"You don't sound very convincing then." Seele replied.
"I'm AWFULLY tired." Morte put emphasis on the word.
"Bullshit!" Seele jumped torwards him, squeezing and rotating her fist against Morte's cheek while clinging on his back. "I want to hear it again and with more energy this time!"
Morte rolled his eyes before giving an annoyed smirk. "Alright! Alright! I solemnly promise to create the group chat labeled 'Cool Scythe Users' and add you to it! First member and everything!" He then gave a more smuggish smile. "But I warn you beforehand that I'll always call you spunky-girl in there." He had to admit, as much as Seele could be a bit annoyingly impulsive and persistent, he also found that to be a bit amusing on her.
"Hunf! That's what I thought." Seele stopped bothering Morte, satisfied with his response.
" Cool...Scythe Users?" Acheron eyed at Morte with some strangeness.
"Her idea. Not mine." Morte told her rapidly. "But we better get moving and not let Her Highness in waiting." He said before turning around, waving his hand in the air while walking away. "Remember! Always sleep and eat well for a longer life!"
All the others just looked at him walk away a bot dumbfounded.
"He's clearly weird." Serval muttured.
"But he sure gives nice advices!" Luka replied, thinking Morte was overall a nice guy.
Acheron just sighed. Trying to understand Morte just felt impossible. "Well, I'll have to go too. Farewell guys." She said, beggining to walk away from them in order to catch up to Morte.
"It was nice meeting you, Ms Acheron!" Clara happily waved goodbye to Acheron, the Emmanator of Nihility lifting her hand in response. Having been the only one to learn the horrible possibility surrounding Acheron, Clara hoped for the best about her. "Please stay safe."
Reaching to the headquarters of the Supreme Guardian, the Qlipoth Fortress, Acheron and Morte were standing in front to the gates that separated the hall from Bronya's office.
"So? Are you ready to meet with the O Mighty Highness herself?" Morte asked to Acheron, the two about to enter.
But before they did, there was a thing that was bugging Acheron's mind so far ever since yesterday's night. "Didn't you found weird?"
"Hm?" Morte turned his head around, looking with a slight puzzled look torwards Acheron behind him.
"On how we defeated Cocolia. Don't you think it was a bit too easy of a fight compered to when we first fought against her?" Acheron explained. "It was as if she had gotten weaker all of a sudden. Not saying that we wouldn't be able to win if she wasn't. Yet, you weren't expecting to have been that easy, were you?"
"..." Morte slightly narrowed his gaze to Acheron before grinning a bit, taking his sight away from her. "Well, that's what happens when you have more people to help and a defined strategy. As well as knowing the enemy better." He responded, not having the same impressions from the battle that Acheron had. "It is only natural to eventually defeat an enemy after some tries."
Acheron still wasn't fully sure of it, but she accepted for now that she might as well could be overthinking it. "If you say so." Acheron replied, now standing side by side with Morte. "Let's head in." She said, both passing through the gates, entering Bronya's office.
And right at the entrance, there was Pela to greet them. "Hello there! Nice to meet you again! It is an honor you ended up coming!"
"Ah, it's you." Acheron looked to the small young woman, trying her best to remember her name. "Eeeh...P...Pe.."
"Pela." She reminded it to Acheron.
"Right. It is also a pleasure to see you again." Acheron said.
"And who would've thought that it would be the same case for me." From the other side of the room, Gepard appeared, walking torwards them. "I knew there was something about you the moment we first met. Glad that my intuition ended up being right for good."
"On duty already, Captain Boy Scout? It seems the IPC were treating you well during captivity uh." Morte commented, seeing by Gepard's appearence how he was doing relatively fine.
"Apart from being imprisoned in a cell and cuffed, they really didn't do much else to me. Guess I was lucky that they weren't feeling sadistic." Gepard responded, thankful that he didn't end up passing through a traumatic experience.
"What about the IPC representative that you punched? Will there be any repercussions to it?" Acheron asked Gepard, remembering that accident.
"Don't worry. That is a case that has been resolved thanks to Lady Bronya's negotiations." Gepard responded. "She was able to pacify the relations of Belobog with the IPC despite the accident. And I'm grateful for it." He said with a sad frown of guilt. "Things could have gone worse to this nation because I couldn't control myself."
"Hey now. Everyone has an off day. It's normal." Pela tried to make Gepard not feel bad about it. "Plus, you said that the IPC official you punched was speaking awful things to Serval, right? Then you had every right to punch him in my opinion."
"Even so, it isn't an exemple that a captain of the Silverman Guards to give." Gepard replied, still thinking he should have behaved better. "Had the treaty between Belobog and IPC fell because of that action of mine, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for having inadvertently caused harm on my people."
"But you didn't. I know it probably doesn't serve much of a consolation but don't think about it." Acheron adviced to Gepard. "Instead, think on how you can make up for that mistake you think you have made and continue to be the captain the Supreme Guardian, your soldiers and Belobog need."
Going a bit into an introspective, Gepard ended up taking her words into consideration. "If you say so...Yeah. I'll try and make up for my mistake like you said. A dispirited captain is of no good to the nation he wants to protect."
Acheron smiled briefly, happy that he wouldn't let that accident drag him down.
"Lady Bronya is waiting you right at her desk at the end of the room." Pela informed the two. "Do please follow us."
Doing as instructed, Acheron and Morte walked behind Pela and Gepard, being guided torwards Bronya's desk, where the Supreme Guardian herself was waiting for them.
"Greetings and salutations, visitors from afar." Bronya introduced herself to them, putting on a royal posture. "I, Bronya Rand, Supreme Guardian of Belobog, have requested your presence here in order to thank you for your crucial help in saving Belobog from a potential crisis. It is under that context that I am very pleased to meet you here at my domain." She smiled kindly.
"The pleasure is ours, Supreme Guardian." Acheron replied. "However, as the Supreme Guardian herself must have known by now, there was also others who did a lot of effort to see you get well again. We merely appeared at the end, and we might wouldn't have shown up at all if it wasn't for those who were worried with the Supreme Guardian since the start." The Self-Annihilator was altruistic, not making the help Seele, Luka and the others had in this to be forgotten.
Bronya giggled a bit, empathically. "Yes, their part in this won't go unnoticed. So do not worry about that. For now, you shall be the first ones to be rewarded."
"Those are nice words and all Your Majesty, but do answer me this." Morte speaked up, not having any bit of formality torwards a figure of authority that was Bronya, unlike Acheron. "There really isn't any hidden cameras in here, guards or IPC people waiting for us outside this room at this precise moment that we're speaking, is there? Can never be paranoic enough, y'know?"
Willing to ignore Morte's clear lack of manner in his dialogue, Bronya responded. "As a Supreme Guardian, I know of the value of keeping up promises and words of trust." Bronya reassured to the duo. "There will be no guards or IPC to capture you the moment you step out of this room or building. You have my amnesty and permission to roam Belobog as free people as long as you swear the oath of not commiting crimes."
"Ah. Wonderful to know!" Morte said with an exagerrated relieved voice, putting both his hands together. "The Supreme Guardian is as kind and merciful as the people said you were."
A comment that everyone else felt to have been made in a sarcastic nature. Both Gepard and Pela narrowed their eyes, not liking the way Morte was conducting himself, whereas Acheron just gave him a slight distrustful look, wondering if he was trying to make up a scene here.
Whereas Bronya couldn't help but have a strange feeling about Morte, she decided to continue to ignore and tolerate the man's 'peculiar' behaviour. "W-Well, secondary topics aside, let us proceed with the decoration ceremony, shall we?" The Supreme Guardian eyed to Pela, signaling her to go pick up the medals.
Obeying so, Pela went to pick up a small pillow with two silver medals resting on it, giving it to Bronya. "Here they are, Lady Bronya."
Nodding thankfully, Bronya went to stare to both Acheron and Morte in front of her. "Now, do take a step forward and receive your rewards, brave foreigners."
Before going in, Acheron gave a look to Morte, wondering if he wanted to receive his medal first.
"Ladies first." Morte gestured corteously to Acheron, letting her receive her medal before him.
With that answer given, Acheron stepped forward, standing right next in front of Bronya.
Picking up one of the two medals, Bronya proceeded to put it around Acheron's neck while giving a small speech. "To you, observant and experient warrior. May this medal bless you and highten your status of a great legend across the stars as well as the symbol of Belobog's gratitude for your services."
Acheron gave a small nod. "Thanks." While the medal didn't meant much to her, she didn't mind keeping it as recordation for all the people she met in this planet. That, and the fact Bronya's face felt somewhat nostalgic to stare at. "This person...Bronya eh?"
Having given the medal to Acheron, it was now Morte's turn, the man natural tall frame towering over Bronya.
"And to you, stalwa-!" Yet, Bronya's entire body freezed in that moment once she got a closer look to Morte. Chills runned down through her spine as she saw the tall figure near her. That face of his. She could sware she had seen that machiavellian face before, somewhere. And so, the painful memories from the recent previous nights came back to her mind. "Y...You...You are..." The eyes of the Supreme Guardian quivered in terror as she couldn't stop from staring at the menacing man in front of her, frightned and speechless as her entire body felt like it was losing energy.
"Hm? Whats wrong?" Morte's voice echoed as he looked down at the scared and horrified Supreme Guardian, a sinister grin creeping onto his face. "Can't even remember your own mother now?"
"...remember your own mother now?"
Paralyzed in dread, Bronya heard the whispering voice right next to her ear, the deceased Supreme Guardian's voice speaking alongside Morte's, making the same sinister grin as the man.
"Lady Bronya...Lady Bronya...Lady Bronya!"
Snapping out from her afraid state, the Supreme Guardian came back to her senses as Pela was now standing next to her, a hand on Bronya's shoulder. Gepard also near her.
"Are you feeling okay, Lady Bronya?" Pela asked, worried about Bronya's condition.
"I..." Giving a look of initial confusion, wondering what had just happened, Bronya stared back at Morte, the man still waiting for his medal.
"So? Gonna stay admiring my body like an idiot all day or what?" Morte asked her, getting a little impatient.
"..." Acheron frowned slightly. She sense that something didn't felt right in here.
Gepard immediatly tried to reprimand Morte. "Watch your tongue! That is in no way, an adequate language to use to the Supreme Guardian in her presence!"
"Step down, Gepard!" Bronya immediatly told him, trying to compose herself.
"Uh? But Lady Bronya, you didn't loo-" Gepard tried to speak before being cut off by Bronya herself.
"I'm alright! Just been having some lack of proper rest and sleep lately. No need to worry about me." Wanting the cerimony to proceed without incidents, Bronya was about to restart, trying to shake off her bad hunch about Morte and what her mind had just saw. "To you, stalwa-"
"Let us just skip this whole speech part, alright?" Morte cut Bronya short, unceremoniously grabbing the medal from her hands.
An action that was met with the stares of shock from Bronya, sudden indignation in Pela and Gepard, and of barely hidden repulse by Acheron. This was of an entire disrespectful conduct on Morte's part, having little consideration whatsoever for this ceremony.
"This is what we came here for? A shiny silver scrap of metal?" Morte analyzed the medal now held in his fingers, seeing rather as worthless. " A symbol of Belobog's gratitude...Pff! There's seriously people who die for this crap?" He speaked rather with contempt, seeing no value in the medal of all. Just a wasteless piece of garbage. "And here you are offering it to strangers as if they were candies. You can keep it." Morte said, dismissingly throwing the medal back at Bronya to catch it, not even looking at her.
"!" A bit stunned, Bronya ended up being almost surprised by the medal being hurled at her, having barely enough of a reaction to grab the item.
In utter offense, Pela was about to fervently scold Morte. "Hey! Show some respect to our history! Who the hell-"
"Let it be, Pela!" Bronya ordered her. "A medal is just a medal. What he does with it or if he wants to keep it or not, is irrelevant. What matters are the actions with Belobog's nation." She said, wanting to avoid trouble in here despite Morte's obvious disregard for the whole thing.
"But..." Despite feeling unfair, Pela did not dared to defy her Guardian's order, calming herself down. "Yes, Lady Bronya."
Morte smirked. "Hm, you speak well, Your Highness. It is always good to have rulers with notion." He then gave a 'chivalrous' bow torwards Bronya. "It was most certainly a delightful pleasure meeting you and this warm and welcoming planet." He said politely, before moving his head up and giving a haunting grin torwards Bronya. "May Belobog's prosperity last eternally."
"..." Bronya did not replied, feeling all the chills and fearful sensations again even if briefly. She could tell who or whatever this 'man' was, is that he was danger.
"Continue to live in peace, my dear belobogian friends!" Morte exclaimed, walking away torwards the exit of the room, taking out a cigar from his pocket.
Gepard could only feel pure loathing for the man as he watched him leave. "You low scum, disgusting piece of..." He muttered, proceeding to restrain his own emotions, not wanting to a similar accident with the IPC official to happen.
"Are you coming?" Morte asked to Acheron as he walked past her, the Emmanator of Nihility's averse stare looking back to Morte's goading one.
"Give me a minute." Acheron responded, seeing Morte leave the room. He for sure would have some explanation to do to her. But first, she wanted to check on Bronya. "Supreme Guardian, are you okay?"
"Yes...I am." Bronya replied, still feeling a sort of uneasiness. "My health just hasn't been able to recover properly since yesterday."
Acheron accepted the answer even tough she knew that much likely wasn't the case for Bronya to have felt anxious. "My humblest apologies about my travelling companion. He's...not the nicest of persons."
"That sounds like an understatement." Pela replied. "Already at the museum, he'd give some odd vibes. He seems to act like some sort of bully!"
"I should've known that guy is of no good." Gepard also commented. "I know I shouldn't be making assumptions on people I barely know anything about but...that man just doesn't sit right with me."
"The ceremony is already over and he's gone. I'm sure we can gloss over the small lack of etiquette from him." Bronya advised to her two workers, despite aware that she herself would have an hard time forgetting Morte's face and what she experienced. "Yet, when looking at him I just..."
"True, what happened, happened." Acheron replied. "We're already leaving Jarilo-VI either today or by tomorrow morning. So if it gives some comfort to the Supreme Guardian, you won't have to see him again." She informed Bronya about their departure, hoping that it would make her feel a bit relieved.
"Ah, I see. If so, I hope you liked visiting our nation duriong your short trip to here. I'm sorry however that it couldn't have been a relaxing trip and you ended up dragged into a mess due to my ill state." Bronya said, thinking that Acheron's visit on Belobog wasn't that enjoyable due to stumbling upon a problem that had nothing to do with her.
"No, it's alright. I was glad that I could've been of help." Acheron shook her head, telling to the Supreme Guardian to not feel guilty about it. "With or without trouble, I still found Belobog to be a nice and loving place with good people. And the Supreme Guardian is no different."
"Eh, thank you." Bronya let out a kind smile form on her mouth. "I have to say, I think Seele was right when she told me about you, Lady Acheron. Your face doesn't seem strange to me. Like I've seen it somewhere before."
Acheron chuckled a bit. "The Supreme Guardian also has quite the memorable face. And Bronya, eh?" She slightly lowered her head, her mind feeling a tingling. "It sure sounds like a common name."
"Perhaps it does." Bronya responded, seeing how thoughtful and understanding Acheron was, clearly an interesting character. "Anyways, before you leave, is there anything that you'd like Belobog to give you as supplies?"
Acheron denied the offer. "No there isn't, Supreme Guardian. They should only be meant for the people of Belobog as they can need it more than I do. Still, I respect the suggestion."
"A wise response." Bronya told to Acheron, proceeding to wish her well. "May you continue your journey through the cosmos in blessings and full of joy, kind visitor."
Acheron made a brief, courteous bow. "Thank you, Supreme Guardian. May Belobog's existence be everlasting." And with that, she said goodbye to Bronya as well as Pela and Gepard, proceeding to walk out of the room.
"I have to say. Ms Acheron truly feels like a nice person." Pela said once the Self-Annihilator left the room. "It is almost hard to believe she hangs around with someone like that man."
"Perhaps she knows something about him that we don't." Gepard replied. "But I'm sure there must be a good reason for it." He then turned to Bronya. "By the way, Lady Bronya, you were looking awfully considerate of Lady Acheron even if you two never met. May we know the reason why?"
Bronya gave a soft chuckle. "Honestly, I do not know." She looked up to the ceilling. "It just felt...like meeting up with an old friend."
Once out of the Supreme Guardian's office, Acheron was back to the hallway, her mind now totally focused on one thing and one thing only: question Morte.
Luckily for the Emmanator of Nihility, the man was just a few meters away from the gates, his back turned on her, passively smoking his cigar. Having her sight on Morte, Acheron begun walking torwards him. He had some explaining to do.
Hearing her footsteps, Morte turned around to see Acheron approaching him. "So? Did the Supreme Guardian sent her thoughts and prayers to us?"
"What have you done?" Acheron asked, ignoring Morte's question.
"Hm?" Morte raised an eyebrow, pretending he didn't knew what Acheron was talking about. "What are you-"
"Don't act oblivious with me!" Acheron heighten her voice, slapping the cigar out of Morte's hand. "I saw very well how she reacted to you. You...You did something to her, didn't you?" She interrogated the man, eyeing him with very suspicion as well as some ire.
"Tsk! Oh, poor Acheron. I simply did nothing at all." Morte replied, feigning innocence. "Your Allmighty Majesty just needs to take better care of her health. Wasn't everyone going around stating how these past few nights have been rough for her? It ain't my fault she hasn't been able to sleep."
"And you want me to believe that? After seeing how pale and afraid she was just by looking at you?" Acheron insisted, not buying Morte's defense. "This isn't your first time in Belobog. What were you up to?"
Seeing that Acheron was persisting, not falling for his act, Morte gave her an irksome smile. "Great. Now everything is my fault." He turned around, moving and gesturing with his arms. "Someone is walking on the street and suddenly starts having a convulsion. Who's fault it is? Mine. A terrorist attack or assassination attempt occurs. Who was behind it? Me. Entire civilzations are wipped out. Planets dying one by one. Tragedies and genocides! And who caused it all? Me. Me. Me! ME!" Morte shouted agressively the last word, resulting in Acheron to instinctively approach her hand to her sword. "It always has to be my fault. It gets soooo annoying." He said, looking over the view through the giant window in front of him.
"Not like your behaviour helps at all on the suspicions people have on you." Acheron pointed out, referring to the disrespect Morte showed back there with the medal. "Or you think Bronya just decided to look at you that way for no reason at all?"
Morte smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, perhaps she was mesmerized by my appearence. I'm well famous after all, Acheroni. It wouldn't be the first time."
"Hunf! If you're that famous, how come I never heard about you before? Let alone anyone in here recognize you?" Acheron said. While it was true that her memory wasn't the best, she had traveled to a lot of locations across the cosmos. And never once she had heard about Morte's name before meeting with him.
"Because I'm famous, but not in the way you usually think of." His smirk gave a more 'eerie' turn, some of the smoke from the cigar he had just took coming out from his mouth. "I know everyone. And everyone knows me, despite not being seen by many. I am a simple guy who just likes to go around the universe, Acheroni." His smirk then diminuished, now speaking on a more low and serious tone. "And wherever life is, I'll be there."
"Is that supposed to be a riddle?" Acheron asked, still with her same dubious and sour stare to Morte. "Because if it is, I am not willing to partake in it. I already came to the conclusion that you are a possible threat. Almost like a dangerous Emmanator. Are you supposed to be one by chance?"
As the mood between the two grew into a silent tension, Morte ended up just smilling, turning around to walk away. "Who knows?"
An answer that was met by the sharp blade of the Self-Annihilator, who quickly sliced out Morte's arm, the limb falling to the ground, stenching the floor with blood. The man himself just gave no reaction at all, looking at his cut off arm as if it was just a small inconvenience.
"You better don't step out of the line." Acheron threatened Morte, stashing her sword as she stood next to him. "Due to being just assumption of little evidence, I'll let this one pass. Altough you better remember what we've discussed about when I decided to venture the cosmos together. If I discover you causing harm on innocents, I'll slice your body down to pieces."
"..." Morte didn't respond, just keeping his stoic face.
"Remember that when you try to plot up something next time." Acheron begun to walk away, heading down the hall, having made her warning to Morte clear. She knew it probably wouldn't have much affect on Morte, but at least it served as a warning that if Morte tried something out, he would be met with resistance from her part.
Seeing her walking away, Morte restored back his arm, not helping but to subtly grin. "How straightforward from you." He commented softly, also beggining to walk in order to catch up to her. He didn't felt threatened or intimidated. Not at all. If anything, having Acheron around to try and supervise his actions felt more intriguing of a challenge. He certainly couldn't have asked for a more interesting travelling companion to entertain him, liking how she'd stick around to a danger like him. "Who has who on a leash?"
After two hours of walking torwards their spacecraft, majorily silent with one another, Acheron and Morte ended up reaching to their destination, having left it on the snow plains of Jarilo-VI, just some kilometers away from Belobog.
"Ah, just like how we left off." Morte was happy to see nobody or nothing had seemed to have touched or damaged their ship, heading torwards the entrance ramp. "Wanna come in or stay outside for a bit? Take this as an opportunity to make some snow angels if you want, Acheroni."
"I'll go inside in a few minutes." Acheron told him, remembering something. "Also, about that comment of yours earlier about having a destination in mind. May I know which new location are we heading to now?"
Morte responded without much ceremony. "Xhianzou Luofu. I have a friend to meet up with there."
"A friend?" Acheron replied, a bit puzzled. She didn't expected someone like Morte would have friends.
"Yes. My friend is about to have a 'special' event occuring soon there. So I decided that we should go give a little hop there for the occasion. Stuff of business." Morte explained, smilling. "Intrigued, Acheroni?"
"The Luofu hum..." Acheron put a thumb under her chin. "I've always heard about the Xhianzou Alliance and know of the influence they have on the cosmos. Yet, I never been aboard in one of its home ships."
"Then get prepared to see it for the first time. It is quite the wonderful place." Morte chuckled, turning around and entering the ship. "A blast, some might even say."
Watching Morte walking into the spacecraft, Acheron was now alone. She took the chance to glance at the snowy scenario of Jarilo-VI for the last time. Softly gasping, Acheron remembered of the promise she made to Clara suddenly, proceeding to pick up her medal and take a photo of it with her phone, eventually sending the photo to Clara. She hoped the girl would like it. With that done, Acheron went back to enjoy the natural view of the planet when...
"...Crap." The Self-Annihilator ended up slapping her own face once she realized something bad for them. The money. They didn't had any. She had completly forgotten about that problem. Had she remembered it, Acheron would have most likely ask some to Bronya. But that chance had gone away by now, the Self-Annihilator not really feeling like heading all the way back to Belobog just to ask for money. "Whatever. We'll think about that later." Acheron thought to herself, about to head into the spaceship. But a presence made her stop in her tracks, quickly taking out her sword and turning around, pointing at whoever tried to approach her from behind.
"Woahwoahwoahwoah! HEY THERE! D-DON'T KILL ME!" Sampo shouted in total terror, immediatly falling to the ground as he desperatly tried to back away, his hands up in the air in self-defense.
"Hm? Sampo?" Seeing who it was, Acheron stored back her sword, seeing him as of no threat. "What are you doing here?"
"W-Well, I was leaving the planet today as well. My own ship is also stationed nearby." Sampo explained, getting up from the ground while dusting the snow away from his clothes. "When I ended up seeing you out here and decided to have a talk. A bad choice by the looks of it."
"Sorry. It is just a force of habit. Can't never stay with your back down." Acheron apologized to Sampo for her sudden reaction to his presence. "Where's Sparkle by the way? Shouldn't she be with you?"
"Oh, her? She told me she had to do something first before we left Jarilo-VI." Sampo responded, scratching the back of his head. "Which knowing her, I hope it doesn't mean trouble."
"I too pray for that." Acheron replied. It would be an headache if Sparkle decided to pull one of her pranks before she left, prompting Acheron to help the belobogians deal with the situation. "That's why you should keep her close."
"Well, usually if I do, she just ends up pulling me into her pranks as a punching bag. It's...tiresome." Sampo said with slight displeasure. "Anyways, you're going to the Luofu now?"
"You were hearing to our conversation?" Acheron narrowed her gaze to Sampo.
"M-My ears just ended up catching wind of it!" Sampo said in his own defense, stuttering a bit. "I-I wasn't eavesdropping or anything!"
Acheron just sighed. She just couldn't see Sampo as someone dangerous or thretaening. "Fine. Are you also heading to Luofu too?"
"Nope! Not in my plans." Sampo replied.
"Then to where to?" Acheron asked, wanting to know.
"Can't say it. It's secret!" Sampo gave a bit of a playful smirk, putting a finger in front of his lips. "I am...you can say that I am on a 'mission'."
"A mission? What kind of mission?" The Self-Annihilator looked addled, wanting to know what was the thief referring to.
"To save Belobog." Sampo replied, serious. "I don't know if you've realized it but, there's something wrong happening behind the curtains here."
"How so?" Acheron asked, curious.
"I can't exactly explain. It's that I feel there is something sinister surging within Belobog. Something that can put the entire nation in danger." Sampo replied, fully sure on what he was saying. "Perhaps the appearence of the ghost of Cocolia was an omen to it. One of many possible others that will follow. An incoming catastrophe is soon to happen on this planet! I can tell it!" The thief closed his hand into a fist. "Yet, I am still to figure out what exactly is, before it can be too late."
"I see." Acheron replied, able to tell just by Sampo's face, that he really felt worried about the situation he was speaking of. "You really care about your home despite being seen as a thief by everyone, don't you?"
"It is a role I am more than pleased to fulfill." Sampo replied back, smilling. "I know that tricksters and pranksters can be a bit annoying, and sometimes even go beyond limits." Sampo gave a side glance, most likely referring to Sparkle. "However, there is nothing wrong in making people laugh once in a while. Being happy and smile from time to time..." Crouching down, the thief grabbed a bit of snow, looking at it on his hand. "Is all that someone might need sometimes in order to go through tough times. So I really don't care if anyone sees me or remembers me as a low, petty and scumbag thief." He lifted up his head, watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. "If Belobog ever happens to go through another dire period, where the people forget about the joy of fun, I will always be there to entertain them back."
"Hum. You're a good person, Sampo." Acheron smiled gently, finding the thief's overall purpose to be a bit endearing. Maybe to everyone else in Belobog, Sampo was simply a shallow thief that went around causing inconveniences to everyone, and it would probably stay like that until the end. But even simplicity had its tones of complexity. And Sampo was perhaps a proof to it. It made her feel a bit sad on how Sampo was usually a punching bag for Sparkle and even others. He clearly had the potential to be someone else. But if being what he was, was fine to him as well as his fondness for Belobog, then the Self-Annihilator wouldn't argue it.
"Wow! That's one I rarely hear." Sampo replied, a bit surprised on the small compliment Acheron gave him. "But I think you shouldn't think like that."
"Why?" Acheron asked.
"Because if people start thinking that I'm a good person, then they'd probably feel pity for me. And I don't want." Sampo explained. "I want them to laugh and smile. That's all it matters for me. Otherwise, I think I'm not doing a good job."
"Hmm, if you say it so." Acheron replied, respecting Sampo's opinion. " May you have a save travel and accomplish your goal."
"Thanks. The same goes for you...whatever your goal is, I dunno." Sampo responded back, waving goodbye to Acheron as he was about to walk away.
But Acheron remembered something first. "Sampo, wait!"
"Hm? What is it?" Sampo stopped in his tracks.
"Do...Do you happen to have any money?" Acheron made the question, hoping he could lend her some.
"..."
"..."
"..I'm broke."
"Hmmhmm Hmmm hmmhmm."
Humming nicely a song, Morte was walking alone across the snowy plains. Having taken the chance that Acheron wasn't near him and was probably occupied with doing something else inside the ship, the man went on a lonely walk to do something in private. Stopping in the middle of the area, Morte gave a general lookout, trying to see if Acheron hadn't followed him. A thought that made him lightly smirk. It was rediculous to think that, since if that were to be the case, Morte would have detected her presence a long time ago.
In the following seconds, footsteps were heard as Morte looked to someone walk into his field of vision in front of him, exiting from the shadows.
"So? How did this last traumatic mother-daughter bonding time went?" He asked to the figure in front of him, being none other than the previous Supreme Guardian, Cocolia.
"..." Not saying a thing, almost as if she was mute, the resurrected Supreme Guardian just gave a mild tilt movement with her head, a small smirk.
"Ah, I see that it was therapeutic then." Morte said, scratching a bit his nose. "Welp! Sorry to inform you, but unfortunately, the fun has to be put to an end now." The man said, his arms turning into flesh and bones as he grabbed his cloak and exposed his chest for Cocolia.
And the ex-Supreme Guardian, not saying a word and with no objection, walked torwards Morte, as if her actions were of a puppet totally under the control of the man's will. Once she got closer from his chest, Cocolia seemingly dissapeared from view amidst an hellish bright green light, no longer present.
"Back to the origin you go." Morte adjusted the cloak on his chest, the skin in his arms going back to normal. "But no worries." He grinned, remembering the terrified reaction Bronya had when standing in front of him back at the ceremony. It made putting an end to this devilish little scheme of his worth it. "You surely made it entertaining."
Now, by the next hours, he would leave this planet with no one in Belobog being the wiser about the real reason for Cocolia's return. Apart from Acheron's lack-of- proof suspicions and some unnerving feeling of others about him, no one would know what really happened. But Morte did.
How two weeks ago, the grinning man made his first appearence on Belobog, unnoticed to the eyes of the public.
How easy it was to invade the Qlipoth Fortress by night.
How effortless it was to get the captain of the Silvermane Guards 'out of commission' in a flash.
How simple it was to get into the Supreme Guardian's bedroom and cast her the nightmares she would end up having through the resurrection and manipulation of the girl's dead mother corpse, making sure Bronya would still get a glimpse of his face on that fateful night before fading into the darkness.
And having came back to here two weeks later, the results ended up proving satisfying for Morte's enjoyment. Truly, this devious monster had pulled quite the malevolent plot.
Now, Morte would go away, and Belobog would live without ever knowing the truth. Or at least a person would.
"Eh. How 'funny'." Morte stopped walking all of a sudden on his way back to the spacecraft. "The circus should have already ended. So why is the clown still around?"
From behind him, Sparkle was amusedly sitting on a branch of a dead tree, swinging her legs around. "Hehehehe, bravo! Nice, very nice!" Clapping, the Masked Fool proceeded to land on the snow. "I knew that the 'big menacing man' had something in hidding. It couldn't have been any more obvious."
"Oh wow. Was that what gave it away?" Morte responded with little emotion, sarcastic.
"I mean, to mentally torture the ruler of this planet with the reanimated corpse of her mother for weeks, slowly deteriorating her health and put the nation on the brink of a financial collapse? Even I wished to have come up with something that diabolical in all my career!" Sparkle giggled maliciously, leaning over to Morte. "But a random normal crystal? Really? Couldn't you have thought on something more elaborated to explain Cocolia's sudden return?"
"Hey now. The time and opportunity just weren't there." Morte justified, being okay with Sparkle's presence. "Couldn't come up with a good scapegoat in time. Unless you wanted to have been one." He looked down at the Masked Fool, grinning at her.
"And get all the credit for the plan and trouble? Yes! But to have the entire planet chasing me down? Not really." Sparkle replied, not feeling disturbed by Morte's intimidating nature. "I like to to not have entire organizations after me. By the way! May I 'kindly' know what made you want to create some panic in this gelid, poor, planet?"
A question that Morte didn't have any trouble answering, sighing. "So far, the cosmos have been a bit bland on certain aspects. Only laughs and some sad tears here and there. It's missing, say, per exemple, someone to terrorize them to the very core."
"Uuuhhh! A villanous antagonist who does bad stuff for no reason at all other than his own pleasure? Those are rare nowdays! I like it!" Sparkle commented with a big smile on her face. "Altough, there is something more about you than meets the eye"
Morte just raised an eyebrow. "Hm? How so?"
"Aww, c'mon now. You know very well that the fool is always the most insightful in the end." Sparkle cunningly clinged onto Morte's shoulder, giving him a sly smile. "You aren't the only one who can go to those sort of places, y'know?"
"Eh. Cheeky." Morte simply said, his intuition on Sparkle being as right as her intuition on him.
"Still, if you love so MUCH to terrorize people and planets around, why not finish the job on this one and leave already instead?" Sparkle asked, not quite understanding it. "Don't tell me that dementia woman makes you feel uncapable."
Morte smirked. "As if. Simply put, I decided I had enough of entertaining with this poor planet and its people. I decided that their time is not yet. No bells to toll." The man's smirk slightly increased, nefariously. "I have a better thing reserved to our next destination." Morte then stared to Sparkle. "As for the Emmanator of Nihility...well, I also have great things in store for her."
"Oh my! All that planning, scheming, plotting...It almost makes me wanna hang around with you just to see the results." Sparkle said, admitting that Morte was surely a riveting character of twisted mind. "Unfortunately, even I know to not play with fire."
"Ah, the fool being smart. You just love to see it." Morte joked. "You know? It makes me wanna show you a prank."
"What prank? The one were I count to ten and you murder me brutally?" Sparkle said, still at ease but also cautious with Morte.
Morte chuckled. "Oh please. If you knew I would kill you for discovering my secret, you wouldn't even had come here in the first place."
"...Touché. I'll give you that." Sparkle said, admitting that Morte bested her with that argument. Thinking for a bit, the Masked Fool decided to give in. "Okay, I think I'll let you do the prank. As long as it isn't stuffing me in a barrel again!"
"It will be way better than that. Trust me." Morte said, looking down on Sparkle. "First, close your right away and cover the left one with your hand."
"Hm. Kinda weird stuff to ask, but okay." Sparkle said, doing as Morte had requested. "Now what? Are you gonna pull my pants or something? Are you a pervert?"
"Just watch." Morte said with a smile, knowing that Sparkle would never guess what was about to come.
In a second or two, the Masked Fool's vision of her left eye changed, surprising her. "Ah? How did you..." Amazed, half of her vision was now staring at another place. An incredible lookout spot to an entire city, with a titanic colossal palace that was as tall as the skies, in the distance. She wondered if she was staring at another planet.
"Snippets of other places. Like it?" Morte said, proceeding to change Sparkle's view.
She was now staring at another city, with beautifully artistic architecture of the buildings under a grey sky, giving off medieval vibes. "Uuh. Interesting." Sparkle seemed to like it. "Show me more!"
And Morte complied, proceeding to show Sparkle more.
The Masked Fool continue to view entire cities and different biomes of places she had never been to before through the vision of her covered left eye. So far, it was being a wonderful experience. "Hm hm. That's very beautiful and all, indeed. However, where's the 'prank' in this?" She asked, not figuring what was Morte's plan here.
"..." Morte for his own part just did a conniving smirk.
"Don't tell me. Are you showing me all of these beautiful views and all that stuff just to surprise me by suddenly showing a view of a di-!?" But it was none of that. What Sparkle ended up seeing just now was way far more chilling and disturbing. Through the vision of her left eye, she was now staring at herself. "What a-..."
Opening her right eye, Sparkle saw that there was nothing wrong with it. But it was when she took out the hand from covering her left eye, that she soon discovered the horrifying problem. "!" Softly touching her eyelids with the fingerprints, Sparkle realized that her left eye, was missing.
"Eh. So?" Getting her attention, Morte gave the Masked Fool a dark and forbidding grin, his face mostly framed in shadow as from withing the fingers of his right hand, he was holding Sparkle's left eyeball. "Did you loved the prank?"
"..." Sparkle just stood there, speechless, her brain unable to register what was happening. If what half of her vision was seeing was real. "H-How...How did you-"
"Here. You can have it back." Morte appeared behind the Masked Fool all of a sudden, Sparkle's left eye having returned to its place, the Masked Fool's vision going back to normal, giving quite the psychological whiplash on her.
"Uh!?..." Feeling that her left eye was back, her vision confirming it, Sparkle slowly turned around to stare at Morte. For the very first time, she was unsure of what to feel about the man who looked down at her with a deathly and serious gaze.
"If you get in my way, next time will be more than that." He said dauntingly, making clear to Sparkle that she had just stepped the line right now and shouldn't dare to cross beyond it. With that grievous warning made, Morte proceeded to walk away, leaving the dumbstruck Masked Fool to stare at him dissapearing amongst the winds of snow.
Completly alone, Sparkle's brain was still trying to process the 'prank' Morte pulled on her. And once the moment had properly settled in her mind, she finally reacted according to her emotions and thoughts. "Eh...Hehehehe hahahahahahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Sparkle laughed and cackled like crazy. Honestly, she had to admit. It was quite the unpredictable and 'funny' prank Morte had done, masterfully performed. In her sick mind, the Masked Fool could only wish to pull something as terryfying and out of the box as he did.
Eventually, she calmed down on her laughter. "Hehehehe...Talk about a walking chaos."