Chapter 1:
Aria-Cherishment: Searching For That Light in The Dark
“Home… What does that even mean anymore?” Life had dealt Mana one blow after the other. She’d lost Lacia early on in their journey as it quickly became one of the darkest periods of her life. Their brief reunification had reignited the passion she had for Lacia, but she couldn’t escape the icy undertow of the tide as she watched Lacia and Aria summon a supernova of light and heat that incinerated everything in its path.
Regardless, her reckless abandonment couldn’t be tamed. She lept back through the interdimensional doors, immediately greeted by blistering heat and searing pain. Stupidity would only set her and Brendan back, but it was impossible to convince her that she was the one who wasn’t thinking straight.
She sighed. “I don’t know. I thought what I was doing was the right thing, but now I’m not so sure.”
Clouds morphed into different shapes before warping through a glass-like crack in the sky, eventually exiting out another. There wasn’t much difference between the grassy plain she’d landed on and Earth, but nothing could compare to actual home. The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Some days she felt happy and ready to take on the world and others she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die. More than anything though, she just wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything would be ok, that they’d figure it out—together.
Grass tickled her back as she gazed up at the endless sky. She reached out a hand, closing her fist around the halo of the sun before letting it fall back onto the grassy terrain. She removed her hand, watching as the tiny green blades straightened themselves back out.
“I hate it here. There’s no one around for miles, I have no cell-signal, and Brendan won’t stop playing that damn ‘guitar’ he made.” A warm breeze blew through Mana’s honey-blonde hair. Its length was testament not only to its growth, but her growth as a person. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find a way to cut her own hair, she just didn’t care. A rush of wind swept it up into the sun's rays before finally settling against the midsection of her back again.
“Heeey, Mana,” Brendan shouted, “lunch is almost ready so come in for a while. Besides, you might want to be here for this.”
Intrigued, she stood up and brushed herself off before heading back to camp. They’d found an abandoned RV as soon as they arrived and were shocked to find it fully-furnished—a small amount of food had also been left. Beds were neatly made and pillows were aligned against the headboards, ready to comfort the next person who laid their head upon them. It seemed eerily coincidental that a fully-furnished RV with food would just be sitting there, waiting for them. Brendan had tried to argue that the owners might eventually return, but the thick layer of dust that lined the countertops made Mana think otherwise.
She stopped at the base of a small hill where two makeshift gravemarkers had been erected in Aria and Lacia’s honor. She knew it was pointless, but she would ask anyway:
“Do you think they’re still alive? Out there somewhere, in a place we don’t even know about?” She would receive the same reply in response:
“I don’t know, Mana. I wish I could tell you they’re safe and everything is going to be alright, but I can’t promise you what I don’t know,” Brendan would say.
She knelt down before the gravemarkers, placing one hand on top of each. Talking to empty graves didn’t do much good, but it at least made her feel a little less alone. “Well, it’s been two years as of today. I don’t know what we’re doing anymore and it seems like we struggle a little more everyday just to get by.” She paused, half-expecting Lacia’s voice to come out of nowhere, telling her it was going to be ok, but the only voices came from the trees in the wind. “Brendan’s been a good sport and has really opened up to me since your fight with Ahzef—”
“Mana, are you coming?” Brendan shouted from the windows of the RV.
“Duty calls,” she said with a weak smile. She kissed two fingers and lightly tapped them against Aria and Lacia’s gravemarkers. “I hope this is good news,” she whispered. “Please be with me, Lacia. Aria, please grant me your courage to make it through these long, drawn-out days.” She stood up and turned to face the RV. “I’m on my way Brendan, relax. It’s not like we have somewhere to be.”
“You’re kidding me,” Mana said. A look of shock crossed her face. “You knew Lacia?!”
“She wasn’t here long, but in the time she was, she was so genuine,” a female voice spoke. “I’d never met someone like her before.” A large cloak obscured much of the girl’s face, but Mana could tell she was telling the truth.
“Can you tell us anything about what she was doing while she was here? We got a little short-changed on the details. She has a tendency to get along really well with other girls her age though, so I’m not surprised she opened up to you.”
“And feel free to remove the cloak. We’d like to get to know you better, especially since you knew Lacia,” Brendan spoke up.
The girl removed her hood as medium waves of brunette hair fell across her forehead. “My name is Lyra. I wouldn’t say we were on terms like you three are, but…” She stood up, pulling off the rest of the cloak. “Ughh! This thing is so stuffy! Anyways, Lacia was very kind, but we were attacked by someone and she ended up with an arrow in her side which is when she just kind of… disappeared.” She fanned herself with her hands. “Is she here now? With the two of you?” Mana and Brendan exchanged nervous glances. “Oh, I see. We don’t have to talk about this now.”
“It’s fine. Besides, I think I can explain,” Brendan said. His blonde hair turned to gold under the interior lights as he rummaged through a small cabinet. He placed a pen and paper on the table in front of Mana and Lyra. “This,” he said, tapping on a circled sentence that read You Are Here, “is your world, Lyra.” He pointed at another circle that read Alura. “This is where we’re from, our home country. Underneath both of these worlds is a place called—”
“The Reverse World,” Lyra spoke softly. “Are you saying that because of the interdimensional shifts we’ve been experiencing, it’s allowing travel between our two worlds?”
“I do,” Brendan affirmed. “There was someone else with us—Aria. She got caught up with Lacia trying to fight Ahzef. Somehow, we all managed to get the door to this world open just in time, but Mana and I were the only ones who made it through.”
“I knew it was possible to travel between dimensions, but I can’t believe you came face to face with Ahzef and lived. My hunch is that he’s trying to merge our worlds together which would explain the odd rifts in the sky, too.” Lyra turned to look at Mana with tired brown eyes. “And you’ve been to see Omnis, haven’t you? Your magical energy is so pure.”
“Uhh, yeah. Once or twice. Why do you ask?”
Lyra focused her attention on Mana. “Well, let’s just say we knew you were coming. While Lacia was here, she met you. What she didn’t know was that she was subconsciously manifesting her desires, but for a person to be in two separate dimensions at the same time—”
“They have to have been given a Halifer, right?” Mana queried.
“Not quite. Halifers are only a small part of the equation. Your prior existence in this world is theoretically possible, yes, but that’s only if Lacia held a power we call Mahiruma—a power that allows the wielder to split their consciousness.” Lyra opened her mouth as if to say something, but Mana had already caught on.
“So how was she able to split an entire other person’s consciousness? Mine.”
Lyra shook her head. “Not even I know the secrets behind those that wield Mahiruma, but there’s a few old legends that describe something like this.”
Brendan placed the pen down on the table. A short list of bulleted points ran down the page. “Alright, so… We believe Ahzef is responsible for the interdimensional shifts, but this isn’t for certain. Lacia’s ability to split her consciousness is theoretically possible, but not how she created an artificial consciousness, and from my understanding,” he paused, making eye contact with Lyra, “you are also aware of the Halifers and Omnis.”
Lyra nodded. “I guess there are still more mysteries than answers, huh? I wish I could be of more help. Sorry,” she said glumly, “but what I can do is at least tell you the name of this world.” She stood up and gestured out the window. “Welcome to Chiipha,” Lyra said, flashing a bright smile.
“Chiipha… It’s kind of cute,” Mana giggled. “Don’t be sorry, though. You’ve been a great help.” She gave Lyra a smile of her own. “What I want to know now is why you were alone. And why the cloak?”
The sudden symphony of insects signaled the arrival of early evening as the sun’s rays began their descent upon another day. Clouds turned the color of rust. They’d occasionally find themselves in heaps of giant orange fluff as they floated through the various rifts.
Mana couldn’t shake the feeling of a certain uncomfortableness despite having grown used to Chiipha. She sensed the same uncomfortableness in Lyra, but maybe it was just her own paranoia. If Lacia and Aria had defeated Ahzef, then why did she still feel so uneasy?
“Actually, we can totally discuss this later. Why don’t you stay here for the night? I’d love to hear more about this world and what you were doing out there, wandering alone,” Mana said, offering hospitality to yet another stranger. “What is it with me and letting everyone into the place I live?” she thought.
“That sounds nice. I’d feel much more comfortable being around you two than spending another night wandering in the dark.” Lyra’s voice was tired and her muscles were tense. Several small cuts and bruises dotted her arms and legs. A larger cut across her cheek mired her flawless complexion. “Please let me know what I can do to help. I fully intend to pull my—”
“No ma’am. You sit right there and Brendan and I will have dinner cooked up shortly. Feel free to use the shower in the back of the RV while you wait, too,” Mana smiled. “You’re the first person we’ve seen besides each other in two years. I feel that if we put our heads together, we might finally have some answers to all of this madness.”
Lyra seemed to relax at the thought. “I know you asked about the cloak, but I think that’s a conversation for tomorrow, honestly. So, what’s for dinner?”
“I’m glad you asked,” Brendan said, now fervently chopping away at a mysterious plant.
Night fell upon the RV’s inhabitants before they realized it. Crickets chirped in the grass as fireflies dotted the muggy air. Two moons blanketed the field in pale lunar essence as they traversed the never-ending sky. Surprisingly, Chiipha felt more like home at times than Mana realized, but that didn’t stop her from climbing onto the roof of the RV for some alone time. The life she once knew had changed in ways she never could have imagined, but the cool Chiipha nights made her feel just a little closer to a long-abandoned reality.
A light breeze drifted through the open field, silently caressing each blade of grass before sneaking onto Mana’s skin. She held a hand to the sky again, this time closing her fist around a handful of stars. Nights like these eased her weary mind, but tonight she was restless. The new information Lyra had presented to them that evening shook the foundation Mana had been rebuilding over the last two years. New cracks began to form in the holes she had tried to patch.
“Even if there’s the tiniest fraction of a percent she could still be alive, I will find her.” A passing cloud temporarily blotted out the lunar luminescence. “Ahzef wanted to merge Earth and Chiipha together, but clearly he wasn’t making the progress he was hoping for. Maybe the Reverse World isn’t the only thing we need to be worrying about.” She sat up, frightened by the thought. “It’s too late to run this by Brendan and Lyra, but I really feel like we've overlooked something important. What, though?” She wracked her brain as she replayed events from day one at the High School to her first encounter with Omnis in Seria—even the struggle against Ahzef. “Ughhh. If there’s something there, I’m too tired to find it,” she said as she swung her legs over the side of the RV. Her feet hit the dewey ground with a soft thud.
Brendan and Lyra were fast asleep as Mana opened the door. Lyra seemed especially relaxed. Her covers rose and fell with each silent breath she took. “I’m glad she feels like she can rest easy,” Mana thought. She quietly opened a cabinet above the sink for a midnight snack before crawling into bed herself.
There was no use in dwelling over the day’s events all night, especially not when she still had to deal with the aftermath of mana-contraction. Her magic had grown stronger and increasingly-balanced, but she’d lost much of her physical condition. Like Lacia, Aria was also gone—her only lead in finally kicking the night-sweats and fevers that came with the debilitating aftermath of the condition.
“Nothing I can do about it now and I can’t perform if I don’t get some rest.” She turned towards Brendan and Lyra’s beds, whispering a soft “Goodnight” before succumbing to sleep herself.
The night was misty, creating a glaze on the roads as city lights reflected in the watery mirrors. An icy cloud of breath erupted from nearby pedestrians as cars eased through the soaked streets. Cold and wet, a combination that would make anyone shiver. Alleyways formed cramped corridors between buildings. They were just wide enough for a person to cross from one side to the other—an ideal location for shady business-dealings or criminal activity. Neon signs buzzed and flickered as various stores and restaurants flashed by the tinted windows of a dark car.
“Here,” a deep voice demanded.
The car gradually slowed to a stop as water spiraled up from underneath the tires. A rusted sign bathed a small section of sidewalk in a warm, orange glow despite the chilly fall-like atmosphere. Dressed in a white suit and tie, a strange man stepped out from the passenger side of the vehicle. He was lanky, but an ominous aura poured from him like a poison fog.
“Excuse me,” another male voice rumbled. He stood in the shadows, hidden from the light. The toes of a pair of black suede shoes and the brim of a hat were barely visible. “Crappy night, huh?”
The man in the white suit turned around, surprised he was being addressed. “Yes, I suppose it is a rather foul night, I agree. Might I ask your name and what your business with me is?”
“Ah, yes. Where are my manners?” he said, stepping into the streetlight. My name is Zheff and I have a proposal I think you might like.” The rusted shop sign began to flicker erratically. An elongated shadow stretched out behind him. “I will happily be on my way if you would oblige me, Mr…?”
“Just call me Jetto.”
“Very well then, Mr. Jetto. I am willing to pay you handsomely for your help. I believe your little shop here has something I need.” Puddles began to freeze as temperatures dipped below freezing in record time. “What say you, Jetto?”
Jetto crossed his arms. “Ten minutes and then you need to leave.”
“That’s plenty,” Zheff hissed. “Your services will not go unrewarded.”
Jetto scanned the area for other uninvited guests—lurkers in the shadows. “Looks like you’re it. Come in. Don’t need anyone else botherin’ me tonight.”
Zheff’s shadow retreated as he stepped further into the light. “Very well then, lead the way.”
Dim fluorescent light struggled to illuminate the small shop. Shadows lurked in corners, ready to leap onto the floor at a moment's notice. A foul odor permeated through walls causing Zheff to wrinkle his nose. The shop didn’t have much to offer: a few rusted bicycles and an occasional murky glass case, the contents of which remained a mystery. Jetto motioned for Zheff to follow as they walked past a large display of exotic plants.
“You’ve got a little bit of everything here it seems,” Zheff mused. “For such a small space there sure do seem to be many rooms.”
“Looks small on the outside, but on the inside this place is a maze.” Jetto walked behind a glass counter. A small click came from a locked filing cabinet. “We keep a tight record of everyone who comes in here and why. Take a few minutes to fill this form out,” he said sternly.
Zheff happily obliged as he hurriedly jotted down name, address, and reason for business. A light burnt out in the room behind him as his shadow exercised free reign. The form was time-consuming—a trivial matter, but he’d come this far. He handed the form back to Jetto who locked it away in the filing cabinet.
“Good. Follow me. I think I know just what you’re after,” Jetto said flauntily. “Better hurry or you’ll get lost. This place is really quite astounding.”
Several minutes later, the two men walked through an arched doorway into what must have been a relic of a library. The room was expansive: gothic-style windows, arches that curved around the vaulted ceilings, and stories-high oak bookshelves packed with countless books and journals.
“Marvelous… There’s a lot of ancient literature here, from what I can see. Do you happen to have anything dating back to a certain family conflict from a couple hundred years ago?”
Jetto chuckled. I can go as far back as—”
A book fell to the floor with a soft thump and flap of pages. Zheff knelt down to pick it up. “It seems you landed on a very interesting page,” he mumbled. “These are almost certainly Dumiere’s notes.” Zheff fervently thumbed through several more pages. “It looks like I’ll be leaving with more than what I came for…” An enthused smile crossed his face. “Isn’t that right, Miss Lhumin?”
Zheff brought the book closer to his face. Incomprehensible terminology and unfamiliar names were etched in now-faded ink. “We have the only official record of the Searing Wounds conflict,” Jetto sneered. “That is what you’re looking for, correct? The Lhumin family is thorough, but not thorough enough.”
“It would seem so.” Zheff hastily shut the book. The faint scent of paper stock flew from the pages. “I would suggest you start running, girl.” Zheff broke into a fit of maniacal laughter. “See you soon…”
Mana’s eyes shot open as she jolted awake, narrowly missing the low ceiling above her bed. Light filtered in through the shades of the RV-–an indication she’d slept longer than anticipated. She allowed her eyes a moment to adjust. A cold, wet sensation greeted her hands as her mind immediately jumped to Lacia and her one blood-soaked evening. Momentary panic swept over her before realizing it was just sweat, but her and her sheets were still soaked. Hurriedly, she undressed and stepped into the small shower space to rinse off. The sheets could come after she was clean.
Everything seemed livelier with Lyra around, but the question remained: why did she wait two years to come forward? Warm water rushed down Mana’s face, forming small streams at the tips of her fingers. There had to be more to the story, yet there was still so much she didn’t understand about Chiipha. She didn’t want to ask a question and the answer have been in front of her face the entire time, though. The linking of Earth and Chiipha would have implications—that much was clear to her. She pushed her wet hair back, fingers firm against her scalp.
“This is all so exhausting,” she said exasperated. “I still haven’t figured out what Omnis meant by unlocking the door to the grand maze, either. The first half of the riddle referred to the Halifer which brought us to Aria and then here—” A sudden tightness in her chest brought her back to reality. She moved a hand above her breasts as her heart began to race—like she’d received a shot of adrenaline. There was no time for clothes. She pulled a towel from the rack outside the shower as her stomach dropped like she was on a rollercoaster. She stumbled out of the bathroom.
Spots formed in her eyes. Blood rushed to her head as her mind grew fuzzier by the second. Brendan and Lyra were outside, but the contents of their conversation were lost in the encapsulating numbness that filled her mind. Miracles weren’t her thing, but she’d be sure to reconsider if she could just make it outside. Dark spots continued to fill her vision as she glimpsed the RV door.
She placed her weight on the handle as the door swung open, bright sunlight blinding her the rest of the way. Lyra was saying something, but Mana felt like she had lost all understanding of language. A shrill whistle resounded through her mind before she lost all sense of touch. Her vision began to clear though she still felt she was underwater.
Lyra crouched down in front of her, elbows on her knees. Her face was mired by curiosity and concern. A turquoise hue enveloped her fingertips as she placed them across Mana’s forehead. Lyra’s lips were moving, but all Mana could focus on was the buzzing inside her head. In full panic-mode, Lyra darted off towards Brendan for help.
“It seems you are not doing quite as well as I had hoped, dear child,” a familiar voice danced around in her head. “You have made progress, however. You children are indeed fascinating to watch.”
Mana closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Her body felt lighter than air and her thoughts became clear again. The tightness in her chest had also begun to ease as she steadied her breathing. Subconsciously, she knew she had returned to the Hall of Memories and that Omnis had likely summoned her back, but why? And after two whole years?
“Wha—?”
“Do not worry about your friends right now, child. We have a lot to talk about.” A sense of urgency had crept into Omnis’ voice. “Join me for tea, won’t you?”
“Reading minds now. So that’s where two years went,” Mana chided sarcastically. She opened her eyes as they adjusted to the light. She found herself face to face with her own reflection in a wall of pure water. A sparkly rose-color eyeshadow and dark eyeliner made her eyes pop. Likewise, her cheeks no longer resembled Chiipha’s limited harvests. A subtle blush enhanced her replenished cheekbones to top off the look. “I actually look alive instead of like I’m on the verge of starvation,” she said, admiring her reflection.
A small table and set of chairs appeared in the center of the hall. Cute floral cloth with lace trim topped the table. “A lady must keep her appearance up. I think you’ll soon understand why I stress this importance to you, especially.” Omnis paused for a moment. “Why don’t we have a verbal conversation instead?”
“That would be much easier, if you don’t mind,” Mana said joyously. “I hope you’ll be able to answer some of my questions, too.”
“There is a limit to what I can and cannot tell you, but the answers you seek are not far behind.” Omnis began to pour a round of tea. “Two years ago, you met Ahzef at the border of Alura and Gila. Tell me, what was that like?” A teacup floated its way into Mana’s hands.
She recounted her experience after a small sip. “It was terrifying. All I could think about was how afraid I was and not just of Ahzef. I didn’t want to lose Lacia again, but I couldn’t stop her.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I can’t cry, though. I have to be strong for Lacia because I know somewhere out there, in all of this madness, she’s trying to find her way home.” Mana left off with a sniffle.
Omnis took a sip as Mana finished. “I see. That is certainly a setback, but I had planned for this.” The rich magical energy in the air began to shift. “Mana?”
Hot tea spilled over the side of the teacup in her hands. “Yes?” she said, startled.
“I think it is about time I showed you one more thing, but you must do something for me first. In Chiipha, there’s a town called Chronid. Go there and find a woman in a black dress with a red ribbon in her hair.” Mana sat up, trying to focus on what Omnis was saying while nursing her burns. “Her attire will be similar to the one I gave you back in Seria.”
“Alright. Am I to assume I’ll need my dress as well? And what about Lyra? I don’t know if she has anything like that.” The burns on her fingers began to throb. She winced.
“Treat your burns, Mana. I apologize for startling you, but it would be better for us to be on a name basis. As for that girl…” Omnis’ form briefly shimmered as new outfits seemed to sport themselves through different wavelengths of light. It was like a fashion show of light and color. “This one will do if she is unable to procure proper attire for herself,” Omnis said, laying a beautiful white dress with gold trim in Mana’s hands.
The mana in the air returned to a settled state. Mana placed the dress in material storage for easy-access and safe-keeping. A pale green light shone from both her palms as she remedied her burns. She looked at Omnis and heaved a sigh. The answers she sought still eluded her, like a game of cat and mouse. A dress for Lyra and hot-tea burns weren’t how she envisioned their reunion.
“You’re conflicted. I understand, but for the time being, I cannot involve myself any further. Go to Chronid and I believe you may find what you’re looking for as well. You will know what to do from there.” Omnis raised the teacup once more before placing it back on the table. Something wasn’t right.
“You felt that too, didn’t you?” Mana asked, unseating herself.
Omnis’ voice relayed in her head. “Go to Chronid and remember what I told you. Things have progressed much quicker than I had anticipated.”
Mana’s ears popped as the pressure in the air spiked. Her chest felt heavy, like someone had laid a pile of bricks on her. A loud thumping sound coursed through the hall. The tea on the table shook in its tiny cups, sloshing back and forth—a motion that seemed almost symbolic. If the last two years had taught her anything, taking this moment to flee for granted would be a mistake.
A golden light surrounded her. She realized she’d be returning to Chiipha regardless of how she felt about the situation. “How do I get to Chronid?” she shouted, the distance between her and Omnis growing by the second.
“Lyra will guide you. The Devils have grown exponentially more powerful, but they still cannot access Chiipha. We will talk later.”
A blinding plume of golden light overtook her body. She shielded her eyes from the heavenly luster. Traveling through time and space wasn’t such a bad deal, however, the reality that now faced her felt more like a nightmare. “I didn’t think this fight was over, either,” she thought.
As she removed her hands from her eyes, she found herself surrounded by fluffy white clouds and oversized stuffed animals. “Either I’m having a nightmare now, or I’m inside a ten year old’s dream.” She scanned the room. Pastel pink and white brandished everything she laid her eyes upon. She blinked a few times, unsure if she was the one dreaming. “Nope. I’m definitely not dreaming.” After several dizzying three-sixties later, she still had no definitive answer. “What is this place?”
“Hello. Did you come to play with me?”
Mana spun around so fast her hair whipped her in the face. Tucking blonde tresses back behind her ears, she turned her attention to the little girl in front of her. “Who are you and where are we?” Mana asked soothingly, careful not to frighten the child.
“You have big boobs,” she blurted out.
Mana’s face couldn’t decide on a reaction. Gratitude? Confusion? “I know I heard that wrong. There’s no way she just said I have big—”
“Big boobie lady, will you play with me?”
Mana gave a half-sigh, half-stifled laugh. There was a first for everything, but a child telling her she was well endowed? That was a new one. “Well, can you tell me who you are and where we are first? I’ll play with you if you can tell me that, alright?”
The child beamed a flashy smile at her before running away and jumping into a large pastel-pink cloud. She stuffed a hand inside before returning with a chunk of what looked like… Cloud cotton candy? “This is like a dumbed-down version of CandyLand. This is crazy,” she thought, “but I guess I’ll have to play along.”
“Here!” The little girl handed Mana a chunk of candy-cloud, staring expectantly. She knew that face well. It was the same face she’d use when she wanted something.
Mana bent down, graciously accepting the child’s gift. She smiled. “Thank you very much.” She lifted the candy-cloud to her lips and pulled a chunk off. It was as sweet as she expected it to be, yet she felt relaxed and her mana restored. There was more to the candy-cloud than she realized. Not only did it replenish her mind, it had restored her magic circuits. The depleted mana in her body had acted as a poison, never fully mending—even after recovering from mana-contraction.
“Yay! Big boob lady is better! Now she can play,” the little girl squealed, jumping with joy. A large puff of white cloud towered before them. Mana watched as a child-sized doorway opened at the base.
“Oh boy. She wants me to crawl in there with her, doesn’t she?” Mana locked eyes with the little girl, offering an endearing smile. “Would you mind telling me who you are at least?”
The little girl looked at Mana and cocked her head from side to side, determining whether or not she wanted to give out such information to a stranger. “Firah.”
“Oh my god! She finally told me her name, but that still doesn’t explain what this place is or what I’m doing here.” Mana sat on her legs, level with Firah. “This whole place is a giant maze of pastel fluff and sweets,” she thought. Things were crazy enough already, but trying to ascertain what this child was only made her head throb. “Firah, if I play with you for a while, will you tell me how to get home?”
“Yes,” she said with a melancholic tone.
“Being in such an isolated place would make anyone lonely. Finally having a playdate must have been the most exciting thing to happen in some time.” Regardless, Mana felt guilty about trying to leave. Firah was still a child, after all.
“Tell you what,” Mana said, lightly pinching Firah’s nose, “I’ll play with you until you get tired and then I have to go home, ok? If you tell me how to get to your world, I’ll come back and play some more when I finish my work.”
Firah’s face lit up. “Pinky promise?”
Mana held out her pinky finger. “Pinky promise. Now, should we go have some fun, or what?”
The inside of the cloud looked just like a medieval castle: fully furnished, large paintings hung on the walls, and spacious aisles. A red carpet rolled down the center of a long corridor as large cloth banners dangled from the ceiling. Embroidered in the cloth itself was a symbol, but Mana couldn’t place where she’d seen it before.
She found herself dragged down the corridor as Firah hummed the tune to an unknown song. It was impossible to get a better look at the embroidery. “The first game we’re going to play is Servant,” Firah announced as they entered an open kitchen and elegant dining area. Everything was so clean. Mana could even see her own reflection in the marble countertops several feet away.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” she dreaded.
“Mana will be Firah’s servant. You do what Firah tells you,” the child demanded excitedly. “First, bake Firah cookies. I want chocolate chip!” She pointed a finger at Mana.
“Is it suddenly a little drafty in here or is it just me?” The steady swaying motion of a silver ladle caught her eye. Two yellow objects were reflected in the stainless steel. “Oh. I’m… in my underwear. I see. So you want me to make—”
“No! Firah has Mana’s uniform in her room.” She pointed to the corridor. Hesitantly, Mana followed her finger. A floating cloud-arrow was directing her down the corridor to what she presumed was “her room”.
She sighed, following the arrow. “It’s going to be a long playdate, isn’t it? This is what I get for entertaining children.” Several minutes later she stood in front of a door, her name engraved in the wood. “Why do I feel like this was a bad idea?”
After changing into her supposedly assigned outfit, Mana returned to the kitchen and dining area where Firah sat, fully engaged in a coloring book of beautiful women in gowns she’d never seen before. The shuffle of Mana’s outfit pulled her from the book.
“Mana looks super pretty,” Firah beamed. “Firah picked it out herself!”
“I’m not so sure about this, Firah.”
She twirled around in a full-length mirror, donning her new maid dress. Frilly straps crossed her back, holding a white apron in place with a bow. Lace made up the trim of the skirt, falling just above the knee—black footed tights lined her legs. A pair of strappy stilettos wound their way around her ankles completing the look.
Firah began to chant. “Cookies, cookies, cookies!”
“Okaay… I get it, but do I have to be wearing this?”
Firah abruptly ceased her chanting. A look of sadness then anger crossed her face. She looked as if she were about to throw a temper tantrum, that of which Mana was not equipped to handle. “Children are way too demanding. Definitely not having later,” she decided.
“Do you not want to make Firah cookies?”
“No, that’s not it, sweetie. I—”
A deep scowl from Firah cut her off. There was no worming her way out of this mess. She needed damage control, but the damage had already been done. She made note not to upset small children—especially entitled little girls. “Future reference,” she mumbled.
Somewhere in the large cloud-castle, a heavy door slammed shut—likely another part of the castle she had yet to see. Mana shifted her weight from foot to foot, unnerved by Firah’s continued scowl. If she could remove her outerwear just by pointing, she didn’t want to know what else this child was capable of.
“Firah,” Mana treaded carefully, “let’s play another—”
“No!”
“Yep, she’s definitely mad.” She cursed under her breath.
Without warning, a large document procured itself in Mana’s hands. Pages began to turn on their own. There must have been at least several hundred pages of thick, parchment-like paper—all penned in ink. The pages ceased their flurry as Firah stared her down.
Nervously, Mana read the page aloud: “Page five-hundred and forty-three. Those who disobey the orders of the Crown that binds Earth and Chiipha will be subject to disciplinary measures akin to those outlined in this constitution.” She paused, afraid to read any further. Damage control had failed—miserably.
“Continue,” Firah demanded.
Uneasiness swept over Mana. She stumbled backwards, her heels echoing loudly in the empty chamber. Regaining her balance, she tried once more to reason with Firah, but to no avail.
Dismayingly, she continued: “If there is no current Crown to helm the throne, all duties of the throne and associated actions are relegated to the Princess. These terms are binding and non-negotiable. Disobedience is not tolerated.” It took everything for Mana not to puke.
“Such an unladylike term, but,” she cleared her throat, “shit.”
“Bye-bye Mana. Firah wishes we could have played more.”
Chills immediately raced down her spine as she sprinted out of the chamber and into the main corridor, her outfit fluttering behind her in the wind. Loud clicks resounded through the corridor as her heels struck the stone floor. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she wanted to be as far from Firah as possible. Her mind raced through every possible scenario, but it was a moot effort. How she wound up stuck at the halfway point between Earth and Chiipha was a mystery, but the fact that there was one only made things increasingly more complex.
She spotted the child-sized entryway she’d crawled through earlier as she turned the corner. To her dismay, it had already begun to close—and fast. “If it’s just made of clouds, I should be able to go right through it, right?” The tiny entry was now no bigger than a couple feet wide. She barreled forward as she leaned in to force her way through with her shoulder. “Here goes nothing!”
Time slowed to a crawl as she closed the distance between her and the cloud-wall. She felt like she was running a marathon on the moon, but there was no turning back. Either she punch through to the other side, or she turn around and figure out what Firah meant by “bye-bye”. The latter sounded more like a death-sentence.
A loud pop stemmed from her shoulder as she made contact with the wall of clouds. Last time she checked, clouds weren’t made of steel. Her momentum propelled the rest of her body forward as she lost her balance, promptly slamming into the wall with enough force to ram through drywall. She crumpled to the floor in a heap of broken bones and fading consciousness. Blood steadily trickled down her arm, forming a small crimson puddle on the floor.
Firah turned the corner moments later, but her appearance had changed significantly. She was at least as old as Mana, if not slightly older. Long legs made quick work of the distance between them, her own pair of heels ominously clicking with every step—almost like a ticking clock. She wore a casual silver gown while a translucent stole covered her shoulders.
Mana struggled to pull herself into something more than a broken heap. Her lips were stained red with blood and her breathing was staggered. She was beyond the realm of her own healing magic, leaving her to suffer the punishment of Firah’s choosing. Daggers filled her stare as the two locked eyes. She felt used and cheated—lied to.
“Did you not wonder why you stopped at the halfway point between Earth and Chiipha, Mana? I thought you were smarter than that.” Firah said, mockingly endearing. An orb of dark energy occupied the center of her palm. “You know, I actually did want cookies, but that’s not my beef with you. That damned Goddess Omnis, or whatever that hunk of light is, is our one-way ticket to a remade world—one made in the glory of our king, Ahzef!”
Mana’s eyes widened. Ahzef was still out there somewhere, but the only way for Firah to know that would be— “You’re a devil. Why can’t you damned things just leave all of this alone?!” The palms of her hands caught the brunt of a large splotch of blood, but she forced herself to stand despite her multitude of broken bones. “I’m. So. SICK OF YOU,” she screamed before collapsing back onto the floor in tears and agony.
“Aww. Now don’t be like that, Mana. Since you’re going to be here a while, I might as well introduce myself officially,” the devil sneered. “It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Mana Lhumin. I am Kuria, the Reverse World’s fourth seat. Now, tell me more about your meetings with Omnis.”
“Just ‘cause I’m a little beat up doesn’t mean you get to boss me around,” Mana croaked through sobs. It was a facade, but it was only meant to buy time.
“I’m not so stupid as to believe the front you’re tyring to put on, girl,” Kuria snarled.
A series of dark ribbons appeared before the devil—dreadful cold seemed to emanate from their twirling fabric. Before she could react, her arms had been bound by one of the various ribbons. Another drifted forward, visibly taunting her.
“Mark my words, Kuria. As soon as I’m back in Chiipha, I will hun—” The taunting ribbon wrapped itself around her mouth, tying itself into a black bow at the back of her neck. She felt her life-energy being siphoned away, little by little.
“Like I said, you’re going to be my prisoner for a while, but I’m not so mean as to let you suffer from those injuries you foolishly inflicted on yourself.” Kuria pointed at Mana as a black flash briefly imaged her body. “There. Just like a corrupt file, you restore it from its previous data in order to repair it.” A shadowy tendril peeled Mana off the floor as several more ribbons bound her legs together.
Her heart was ready to beat out of her chest. The terror and helplessness she felt frightened her. She knew she was in serious trouble and it was unlikely Brendan or Lyra had any semblance of what had happened to her. “Is this how Lacia felt when she fought Lucifero with Aria?” The reality sank in that her situation was much different. No one would be coming to save her, unlike Aria with Lacia.
“Like it or not, you’re a very important part of the new world we’re trying to create. Did you think Lacia was the only one we were after?”
Mana grew limp at Kuria’s words, defeated. The hand she had so meticulously crafted since her departure from Azalea was now laid out on the table for all to see. She was tonight’s big loser.
“Are you serious?! My, how humanity has truly overestimated itself. Oh well. It’s just me and you now,” Kuria whispered in her ear. “Hope you won’t mind me digging around in your head a little.”
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