Flaming Polanoire

As they bid their farewells to Lazuli, the trio made their way back to their trusty ship. Plutonia, still recovering from her earlier ordeal, was gently retrieved from the care of the ever-patient Liorit. Saturn, with her sister tucked under her arm like a newspaper, prepared to exit the enigmatic purgatory.

Just as they were about to take a deep breath, a sudden shout pierced the air. Startled, they spun around to witness a colorful streak hurtling toward them at breakneck speed. Their hearts raced, anticipating a collision that never came. In a dramatic show of control, the streak halted abruptly, releasing a shockwave that sent poor Liorit soaring off into the distant horizon.

The dust settled, revealing the source of this dramatic entrance - Lazuli, with a grin as bright as her arrival. She took out a device that resembled a futuristic smartphone, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Without a second thought, she activated the device, displaying a video.

The video featured the Lord of the Undead in an unresponsive state, fast asleep with his mouth hanging open, drooling like a leaky faucet. A small stick emerged from the bottom of the screen. This stick masterfully pushed up the Lord's slack mouth, creating the illusion that he was speaking. To the surprise of everyone present, a distinctly feminine voice, doing an impression of the Lord, declared, "You are allowed to leave, my dear and beautiful Jünger. Just make sure to be safe." The stick, in a final flourish, playfully ventured up the Lord's nostril before the video concluded abruptly.

Saturn found herself overcome with stifled laughter, nearly collapsing from the sheer ridiculousness of it all. In stark contrast, Lumi wore a look of sheer confusion, struggling to decipher the purpose behind this bizarre video.

With a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, Lazuli finally provided an explanation. "Remember my dream of becoming the greatest Scholar?" she began, her voice tinged with excitement. "Well, this video is my golden ticket to join your adventure. I have the Lord's apparent blessing!"

Saturn and Lumi exchanged bemused glances, realizing that their quest had just gained an unexpected, and decidedly unconventional, new companion.

Lumi voiced her concerns as they prepared to leave Purgatory. "You know, if people from the outside see a being like you, it's going to cause quite a stir."

Lazuli dismissed Lumi's concerns with a carefree shrug. The trio had come to accept her presence, and with shared determination, they took a deep breath, ready to leave Purgatory behind. Just as they took in their breaths and where about to step out, a colorful whirlwind of energy engulfed them, and suddenly, Lazuli wrapped her arms around their necks, exclaiming with unrestrained joy, "I'm out!" As her voice echoed with glee, she stretched her arms as if to embrace the freedom she had longed for.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lumi couldn't help but ask the pressing question, "But what if the Lord wakes up and realizes you've left?"

Lazuli's playful grin widened as she leaned in closer to them. "Worrywart of the party, are we? Well, relax. If he were to wake up, the worst he might do is send out a horde of spirits on some wild hunt, maybe try to purge me and erase my and your bloodlines, you know, the usual."

The two friends exchanged horrified glances, their faces mirroring a mix of panic and disbelief as they slowly turned their heads to face each other. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Lazuli couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "I'm just pulling your legs, you know! In reality, an Angel would come down, politely ask me to return, and if I refuse, they'd simply cast me out. No harm done."

Lumi and Saturn released a collective sigh of relief, the tension dissipating like morning mist. Saturn, still holding the slumbering Plutonia in her arms, checked on her. Plutonia mumbled something in her sleep but remained peacefully unaware of their conversation. She went on and led Lazuli back to the ship they were on and were immediately met by a large crowd of the ‘Jellyfish’ crewmates bundled up together whispering and staring at Lazuli. Lazuli, with her unique attire that resembled a shrine maiden's outfit but with shorter skirts and fancier sleeves, captured everyone's attention.

Saturn, reveling in the attention, flashed a confident grin and waved at the crew members. "Heyo mayties. A new addition to our bunch has been made hihi.”

Lumi, ever the focused leader, tried to steer their attention back to the mission at hand. "Let's get settled and prepare for the journey ahead. We have a long way to go to reach Polanoire."

Everyone ignored her. The allure of Lazuli's presence proved too strong for the crew to resist. They continued to press closer, Soon the entire ship's crew ended up crowding Saturn and Lazuli like a lewd mob of Idol fans. Slowly nudging an inch closer and beginning to squish the two in.

“Wububuu!” Saturn exclaimed as she was slowly devoured by the crowd.

“Wumiiii, help!” The crowd got tighter and tighter. Poor Saturn fell to her knees, desperately holding onto her sister with all her strength. Lazuli had completely disappeared from sight.

“Ughhh, Wumi, Plutonia, I love you,” Saturn gasped out her last words as the crowd trampled over her in their eagerness to get to Lazuli.

"OIIII, listen, all you dumb rats!" The vulgar and sudden burst of anger silenced everyone. "What the hell are-"

A few minutes had passed, and the crewmembers all sat ready in their positions for lift-off. Each one bore a red imprint of a hand on their cheeks.

"Thanks, Wumi," said Saturn.

"No problem," replied Lumi. With this, everyone was ready to set off, determined to confront the processor of Polanoire with all the information and items they had gathered.

Saturn gave a thumbs up to the crew, and the ship's engines roared to life all at once. The lift-off was much smoother than the landing, and in no time, they returned to traversing through the pitch-black abyss of the Polanoire nation. They drifted in complete silence. Each planet that once gave life and light was now nothing more than floating rocks.

Despite the age gap that separated Lazuli from their time, she adapted swiftly to the modern surroundings. Her curiosity about the universe's current state and her ancient wisdom made her a useful source of information about the time before the written history of the Motherboards. She sat at the very front of the command room, staring into the empty space before her, using a brush and liquid to fluff up and care for her wings. Elder beings were said to be the ancestors of the Motherboards,

and they exceeded any being of the current era in beauty and elegance. Their youthful looks and slim bodies could easily be mistaken for normal teenage high school girls, yet they were thousands to millions of years old.

"Hmmm," came a voice from behind Saturn. When she turned around, she saw her sister finally getting up from her sleep.

"Wakey-wakey, hihi," Saturn laughed while poking Plutonia on her cheek.

"Are we not in the Garden yet?" Plutonia asked, still half-asleep and drowsy.

"We are actually on our way to Polinori."

"What?"

"Polanoire," corrected Lumi, cutting in the middle of the conversation.

"Wait, what? When? Why?" Panicked, Plutonia shot up from the floor where she had been sleeping.

"Who, What, Where, When, and Why are the 5 Ws, my sister," said Saturn jokingly.

"Please shut up, Saturn," Lumi immediately replied. "We found everything we needed at the Garden, and now we have nowhere else to go but Polanoire., I want to investigate my butler too once we return, as now is the best time." Lumi explained the situation to Plutonia, who had been asleep during their discussions. Saturn then pointed out Lazuli to Plutonia and suggested she met her. While she was initially apprehensive, she eventually built up the courage to approach the elegant being and introduce herself as formally as she could.

A sudden bell rang out across the ship, and emergency lights illuminated the interior. Confusion rippled through the crew as they looked around, trying to discern the source of the threat. Suddenly, the ship tilted to the left, sending everything sliding. The alarm ceased almost as quickly as it had started, and Saturn signaled the crew to continue.

Plutonia, still trying to make sense of the situation, asked, "What was that?"

"We're close to the duck's den, sis," Saturn replied.

"Lion's den, you mean," corrected Lumi.

As they drew nearer to a planet shining like a brilliant star in the darkness of space, something appeared awry. The planet, usually dimly lit, now gleamed with a much brighter orange hue. Saturn released the wooden wheel she had been steering with and rushed to the window to get a better view.

"Fire," she stated.

"Fire?" queried Lazuli.

"Like burning fire?" added Plutonia.

"The whole damn place is on fire, dammit!" shouted Lumi, suggesting they turn around and not get involved in any potential problems. However, the two sisters stood firm, united in their decision to investigate and offer help. An entire planet engulfed in flames was not a normal sight. Reluctantly, Lumi conceded to the idea of providing assistance, and Saturn returned to her non-functioning wheel, demanding an immediate docking. The crew followed suit, and music began to play through the ship's speakers.

"Captain, the autopilot doesn't work in here!" called out one of the crew members.

"Then I'll land it myself," declared Saturn with unwavering determination. The room fell silent as the crew braced themselves for an uncertain outcome. One by one they began to pray for their lives. Saturn leaped into the air, pushing down on her wooden wheel to reveal another, this time a golden one, along with a lever to her right. With a firm grip on both, she began to adjust the ship's course. Her confidence was undeniable, but her piloting skills left much to be desired. She yanked the lever back and spun the wheel as hard as she could spinning the entire ship to the left in an aggressive manner. Her concentration was absolute and constantly adjusted both objects. She weaved through the burning cityscape, narrowly avoiding flaming skyscrapers and careening through buildings, seemingly unaware of the destruction she left in her wake. With another harsh spin of the wheel and a yank on the lever, she brought the ship to an unexpectedly well-positioned landing.

"Bullseye, hehe," she chuckled to herself before being dragged away by her sister, who was already waiting at the ramp as it descended. The ramp touched down slowly, revealing two young girls dressed in field-gray uniforms with black helmets adorned with cute cat ears. They held machine guns in their hands.

"Halt!" shouted one of the girls.

"Halt oder ich schieße!" added the other.

Saturn and the others stood like scarecrows, their expressions blank as they tried to decipher the unfamiliar language the girls were speaking.

"Error donut?" Saturn quizzically interjected. The girls, clearly unimpressed, raised their machine guns, shouting more incomprehensible words.

"Oooo, ancient language," Lazuli chimed in with excitement, nearly bursting with curiosity. "They're speaking the ancient language of German! It's one of the few that still exists in the current era." She turned to address the girls, the others couldn’t get a thing except the little things from their body language that only Lumi could see. After some time, Lazuli managed to convince the girls to leave them alone, and they hurried off into the blazing streets filled with panicked people and firefighters. The entire city was ablaze, with people desperately seeking refuge and chaos reigning supreme. The flames reached higher and higher into the sky, their scorching heat instantly punishing anyone who ventured too close.

The party of four pushed deeper into the city, where the intensity of the fire and smoke grew with each step. Buildings crumbled around them, and the air was filled with agonizing screams and desperate cries for help.

"Where's the Dae Turris?" Plutonia asked with a trembling voice. Saturn licked her finger and held it up.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Lumi questioned, clearly unimpressed with the unfolding chaos.

"I saw the tower you were talking about in that direction," Lazuli stated before taking flight through the fiery streets, with the others following closely behind. Suddenly, Saturn came to a halt and bent down to pick up a small shiny object. As she reached for it, another person collided with her and tumbled to the ground. Both Saturn and the stranger ended up on the pavement. Saturn clutched her head with both hands, massaging away the pain from the bump.

When she glanced to her side, she saw a girl with torn clothes and long black hair quickly getting back on her feet. In her hands, two hidden blades remained extended. She shot Saturn a threatening look with tears all down her face before sprinting down the street.

"This place really has some weirdos," Saturn remarked, standing up and picking up the shiny object from earlier. It was another ring, nearly identical to the one they had seen in Lklandkeeling.