Chapter 3: The Magic Girl

9.19, A.A 6

I wasn't sure when I would be awake, but about an hour later, I started to regain consciousness. I guess that wasn't a dream after all. This was actually happening. My surroundings were different than the field as it looked like the inside of a house. How did I manage to go from a grassy field to a bedroom? This was more confusing as I thought about it for about two minutes until someone came in. I looked at the doorway to see a little girl with a weird looking yellow thing with a gem on its head.

"Are you awake?" the little girl asked as I was still processing what happened minutes ago.

"I guess I am" I said. "Where am I?"

"Mommy's home. She brought you here."

"That's why this bed felt comfortable."

"Dunno if you know this, but bad donkey almost took you."

"Donkey? I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"According to mommy, he lives under the ground."

"So, a donkey lives underground, and you expect me to believe it."

"No…"

The yellow rabbit looking creature jumps from the girl onto my bed.

"I am so hungry. I haven't eaten for so long I couldn't concentrate."

"Lemme get something."

She leaves the room for a few seconds, and when she comes back, she is holding a wooden board with curry.

"Here!" she exclaimed.

It might not be warm, but it was food after all. I took a bite and found out it was surprisingly good, though Franny's mother makes better curry.

"You like?"

"Yep."

"You know any magic?"

"Magic?"

To be honest, the only time 'magic' was used before was in popular TV shows, movies, and anime. There was one time where I overheard Sarah mentioning it after watching a TV show. I can't remember well, but I believe she wanted to talk to me about something important before my friends and I were warped here. Wherever my friends are, hopefully, they are safe.

"Sorry for asking."

"I only wish I could see my friends again. Kirby, Franny, and Alice, where could they possibly be?"

"Are they lost?"

"You could say that. I was supposed to regroup with them, but we got separated, and I haven't been able to find them."

I'm not telling her the real story. It would make me more of a fool than I am, and she could spread gossip. Besides, who would believe four kids magically teleported to a different world?

"I've traveled for miles without food or water. I probably should've thought about this better."

"It's okay. Mommy can let you stay."

"By the way, I don't believe we introduced each other, and I'm curious who the yellow thing is."

"That's my friend, Carbuncle. I'm Arle Nadja."

Wait, hold on. In the first Puyo game, Arle was the main character and was sixteen, but this one is much younger, almost as if she's in kindergarten. Now I'm getting confused. Am I trapped in a video game, or does this world happen to be real with the games being a coincidence?

"I'm Ace, and I want to know what's happening around here."

Before I can get that answer, someone else comes into the room with Kirby.

"It's Satan. That fleabag always stirs up trouble whenever he decides to screw around with everyone" the woman answers.

When I look up to see the woman, I don't recognize her as she doesn't look like Sarah.

"Who?"

"My name is Ichi Nadja," said the woman.

Ichi. So, she's the one who found me passed out. By the looks of it, she does look a lot like Arle. Her hair looks like it was dyed purple with her eye color being brown. Pink seems to be her clothing style like Kirby, but how did she find Kirby? I don't know, but if I had to guess why I ended up at a house, she probably found me unconscious on the ground sometime after. How she chased Satan away, I won't know. She places Kirby in a chair in the main room.

"Can anyone tell me why I ended up here in the first place?" I asked.

"To get away from Satan," said Ichi. "You were about to be taken away by him and his minions when I came in and made sure they withdrew. After they were gone, I found you unconscious and took you somewhere safe."

That explains why I was no longer in the grassy field anymore.

"Ace, you're okay!" Kirby exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're safe, Kirby. By the way, have you seen Franny or Alice?"

"I haven't."

"Oh. I was hoping they were nearby."

"You found one." said Arle.

Now that I have reunited with Kirby, I can relax for a while. I have noticed he looks slightly different, almost how he looked a year ago. I've always thought about what he would do if he was in danger. Knowing him, he would find a way to escape. However, the whereabouts of Franny and Alice are unknown for now, so I can't say for sure where they could possibly be. Hopefully, they are safe out there.

"So is Satan really a donkey because your daughter mentioned one."

"Donkey? No. Satan is a horned humanoid demon who lives in the Underworld at the Satanic Badlands. It is on the other side of the world, so you would need a ship to get there."

"And another thing, what about magic? Does it exist?"

"It does. Magic is a source for those who were born with it. Some beings possess more, while there are some who don't possess any at all, though there are cases where one may possess more than usual."

"Could anyone without magic obtain it somewhere?"

"I'm not sure if it's possible. I was born with quite a lot, but it's unclear if my daughter possesses any."

"That's unfortunate. It would've been great to know."

"Well, there is someone who could help."

"Who?"

"Merlin the Wizard. He's one of the most powerful beings I know. I'll explain more after dinner."

We had dinner before the sun set, and it wasn't that bad for something that looked familiar. Curry rice is a common dish in Asian countries, and I remember Franny showing what her mom's version of the recipe looked like. After we were done, Ichi explained about how Merlin can test some for any signs of possessing magic. After that, she showed the room that me and Kirby can use in and the beds we can use. A few minutes pass, and I go to my bed and sleep immediately. Kirby does the same on the other bed, though he partially missed the blanket.

Author's Note: This chapter was more complicated to type than the previous two as I was looking at archived Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari articles, and the idea of the character, Ichi, came from one of them. I've edited parts of this chapter to make more sense. It also wasn't easy changing most of the lines to fit Arle's character better for being a young girl.