Arika, Have Fun with the Fight!

As I would have expected, I saw a dream of the past once again before I could wake up to reality. Yet, what I didn’t expect was the exact timeline of this dream—

“Grandma, you don’t understand! Girls my age— no, even your age doesn’t play video games anymore!”

“Arika—”

“Girls like me would rather learn fashion from magazines, dress pretty, and not dwell on a world of elves and magic and such!”

It’s the memory of the day where me and my Grandma started to not talk much anymore until she passed away. I wonder if she did drop this memory on purpose or if it's a mere coincidence. Both possibilities could be happening, and it scares me so much that I probably would’ve shivered had it been the reality— it was as if my Grandma still won’t forgive me for that, even if I knew she wouldn’t— judging from how she interacted with me during my arrival on this world. If not, it’s probably the universe’s way of saying that I needed to apologize the next time I see her.

Alas, it’s still just a dream of a past memory.

A dream of a past memory, but it’s also where I could finally be mature enough to see my Grandma’s face and expression in that exact moment.

She was tearing up with such a sad face, one I had never seen before, that I couldn’t bear it any longer and just wanted to wake up back to the world of reality.

~*~*~*~

I’m glad that at least that dream didn’t last for too long. It could’ve been due to the small size of that magic stone, or my strong will of waking up from that memory. Regardless, my eyes are welling, tearing up, and I realized I’m on top of a fluffy, orange, swaying bed-like surface right now. One that I immediately recognized as—

“Miss Arika, good mornin’! You’re awake! It’s just as Rama speculated, you’ll be sleeping longer than everyone when that magic stone is involved!”

Looking back at me from taking the control of the fluffy surface was Dellney. At least she and the Cheshire she owned, Kay actually got teleported somewhere with me, which means the plan somehow worked. I blinked to gain a sense of reality, all while holding tight to Kay’s saddle after wiping my own tears before Dellney could even notice a thing.

“Yeah, yeah. Where’s Rama and Rana?”

I wouldn’t like it if I got teleported here alone with Dellney, in all honesty. She’s definitely much friendlier to her Cheshire after I scolded her, but she still hits her once and it made me feel much more complicated.

“Don’t worry. They’re already sneaking around the place.”

“What place?”

“Their hidden cult headquarters where they seemingly held Rui captive. It was some tree building hidden amongst the skyscrapers of Marconne, so they’re not that far away from the city."

“And you left them alone?!”

I frowned in frustration and helplessness. I don’t know how much I can trust Dellney with everything, after all.

“Wait, wait, hear me out! It’s Rama’s idea! Their aim is to find you using Rui as bait, right?” Dellney explained in a string of panic. “In any case, you were unconscious the whole time, so it’s safer if we went back first near the entrance of Marconne and blend in until Rama’s signal. But since you’re awake before we arrive…..”

“Yeah, okay, fine, Dellney, I am awake now. Just turn back now!”

Dellney’s explanation makes sense, but I can’t just leave them like that! Especially when I finally knew how to fight properly thanks to the help of Grandma’s memory vision thing! I learned a few attack moves without risking some mana crippling like with teleportation magic I carelessly used before!

…Okay, I admit, a part of me just wanted to try them out in the open. Seeing Rama just carelessly spreading explosions everywhere with his magical talent does make me jealous, I admit.

“Eeeh, no we can’t, Miss Arika, my client! We have to wait for Rama’s signal! He said so to keep you safe before anything else—”

As if it was a comedic timing, both of us heard a loud explosion in the far distance accompanied by a scolding scream that definitely belonged to Rana’s voice that sounds like it could’ve been saying;

“Rama! I told you not to overdo it!”

“Shut up, little sister! You said to give the signal now!”

I immediately stared at Dellney who sighed loudly. To some extent, she probably had expected this to happen. She should’ve known the twins much longer than I do, in any case.

“....I guess that should be the signal from Rama?”

“Okay, fine. Kaaay, baby, turn around! We’re gonna save that three-colored Cheshire with the twins! Our client, our lovely patron for the year, Miss Arika’s command!”

Kay meows loudly as she turns as her owner told her so. She’s really obedient and strong, and it made me feel proud. It’s something like, I did the right thing to scold Dellney to not abuse this cute little— okay, it’s a huge Cheshire so maybe not that much little— orange kitty cat anymore. I held on tight to the saddle that helped me stay on top of the furry surface as Kay’s strong steps rushed on with every beat.

Somehow, it does feel like I’m riding a horse on the back, with how powerful Kay’s steps are compared to what I knew from Rui before this. Not like I’ve ridden one much in my life aside from that one time in my school trip to a farm as an elementary school student, but it should be good enough for a comparison….

With Kay’s mighty, rushed fast steps, we managed to arrive not too long after that signal of Rama’s.

Within the fogs that are caused by the previous explosion, I probably should’ve expected that the twins were fighting again, at least not physically and more verbally as they kept yelling at each other in front of the fog with a variety of words I recognized as a bad word upon being acquainted with Rama for a while— though this time even Rana said those words. I coughed loudly as if I wanted to catch the attention of both of them, which worked.

“Good timing, Lady Arika! Say something to that ___ Rama!”

“That’s my words, you ___ kind of little sister!”

“Okay, enough you two. Where’s the cult—”

A rush of fiery arrows attempted to shoot through either of the twins in all their confusion— or fighting for the exact. Thankfully, Dellney waved her magic wand before I could even notice, reflecting the fiery arrows back to the senders with her barrier kind of magic— Protection Magic.

“Nice job, Dellney! I’m going to pay you a little more for that!”

“Really?! There’s no takebacks!”

Dellney gasped in excitement that is similar to a young teenage human girl being noticed by her fave idol back in my world as she once again used her magic without even looking to protect us from the attacks. I guess when money’s involved, she’s not as pathetic as she should’ve been.

“Ugh, seriously?! Isn’t that Dellney from Magifa?! Wasn’t she on our side?! She was the one leading the raid to that Elder’s house from before!”

“I knew her better than you are— she must’ve been bought with money. The validation from becoming the site’s moderator is far below monetary reasons for her….”

“What?! Who the hell could pay her in that case?! Those twins and their adoptive Elder weren't that loaded, right?!”

The Temple freaks seemingly didn’t notice yet that I was there, though they noticed Dellney from her magic and probably the horn headband she wore that sticks like a sore thumb. The combination of the fog as well as Rana’s distraction magic that still dwells on the brooch I wore had pretty much made them not have any idea that their target is among their attackers.

“Hey, stay focused! I’m your enemy here!”

Talking about which, Rama seemingly had been turning his attention to fighting back with his bullet-like smaller fireballs that made a few of them faints rather than being stuck about his sibling fights with Rana, which is a character development on its own that I would clap my hands in a standing ovation proudly if we were in any other kind of situation. Right now, I would rather test my own abilities with the magic I learned from Grandma’s memories.

“I can do something too!” I said cheerfully as I conjured a windy wall in between Rama and some members of the cult so that the ones that got too close to him got thrown away before they could do any harm. It was Wind Wall, one of the magic that Grandma used in that raid I saw in my memories and is able to conjure.

“Woah, I didn’t know Miss Arika could do that…”

“We just found out about it, too—”

Somehow, it was really fun seeing each one of the attacking cult members being thrown confusedly by the invisible wall that I couldn’t help but smile happily, and soon it turned into bursts of laughter.

“Ahaha! This is fun!”

It did cause Rama as well as Dellney to stop whatever they’re doing to keep the attackers at bay to stare strangely at me, in probably a mix of concern and fear. Yet I was having so much fun that I didn’t really want to stop as I pulled out my magic staff once again to conjure another attack— but then Rana came up to me and smacked my head softly with her bare palm with none of those fear and more concern in her eyes.

“Lady Arika, enough. We got everyone for now. Judging from the mess, backups probably would come quite later.”

“...Oopsie. Did I overdo it?”

“More than just ‘overdoing it’, you seemed like you’d lose your humanity.”

“What does that even mean?!”

I decided to take Rana’s extended hand. It’s not like I didn’t get what Rana means– I really do feel like I overdid having fun from being able to fight back that I ended up showing a side where I just straight up relived all my stress from previous world, but I feel like silence is much more appropriate to answer that in this situation as I threw my gaze away from everyone I knew. I gulped as I saw the mess of the cult members lying down in pain, and Rana approaching one of the hooded people– a male Elven member of the Temple.

She pulled his head with his hoodie– but she was also persistent enough to pull on his hair as Rana threw him on his back. As the man screams in pain upon being thrown, Rana stepped on his chest crudely, shocking all three of us who were still standing.

“Tell me. Where did you keep Rui— our Cheshire that you kidnapped?”
“H—Hii! It’s— It’s….”

“Hurry up, or I will show you your worst nightmare~ I’m capable of juu~ust that with a little bit of my illusion magic~” Rana giggled with a smile. “Let’s see… are you afraid of insects? Or dragons? Oooor losing your vision in the darkness…. Hmm, let me show you everything, since I can’t read your mind….”

“No, no, not to any of those, please! I’ll take you to your Cheshire! Please!”

…Rana’s smile as she waved her wand around without even casting anything is way scarier than I was before and it made me want to retort that she’s the one seemingly losing her humanity— or elfenity in her own race’s case. I took a glance at Rama— the only one who should’ve known better of Rana since the day of their conception.

“You always had a fight with THAT?!”

“....Yeah, never make Rana your real enemy.” I could notice how Rama shivered– as if he had ever been through a similar trauma before. “I guess I’m still lucky we’re blood related, so she still forgives me most of the time…”

Most of the time. That word brought a strong implication. I couldn’t help but shivers, and I feel like Dellney did, too, because she’s hiding behind Kay’s back, unable to stomach Rana’s brand of torture as she audibly shrieks even when it’s muffled down by Kay’s furs. It did make me wonder if she ever became a victim of Rana, too.