This is what the Rings do

"Definitely a cutie, little Mihiro, hihi." Saturn and Plutonia inspected Mihiro's new clothes in awe, marveling at the newfound regality that eclipsed her previous bland white dress. After this fashion revelation, Saturn casually glanced at the clock on the wall to her right and had an epiphany.

"Hey sis, if you leave at, like, twelve, and then it becomes, like, nine and a half, does that mean we were out for nine and a half hours?"

"I mean, yeah. Are you telling me you can't even tell the time, Saturn?"

"I was just—"

"HOLD ON! Did you just say we were out here for nine and a half hours!? Histoikie explicitly said to be back before sunset! What if Lumi is back and rioting because her sister is gone?"

"When did Histoikie say to be back before sunset?"

"Saturn, you dummy! Every time she says it when we leave so she knows we didn't die somewhere."

"Well, oopsie. hehe." Saturn's carelessness was evident with each further response, and panic set into Plutonia with speed. She couldn't stop from throwing half her luggage onto Saturn and dragging her off home, with Mihiro slowly jogging behind. Saturn's bum being dragged across the entire pavement worked well to act as a hand trolley for all the luggage on top of her, easily consuming her entire presence and seemingly looked as if they floated on nothingness.

"Exercise... no good." Miho managed to gasp out as she flopped to the ground, resembling a fish out of water.

"Miho?"

Plutonia called out, attempting to glance over her shoulder. Suppressing a sigh of annoyance, she realized the girl was sprawled on the pavement. The fear of Histoikie's imminent lecture on tardiness intensified, but there was no turning back now. Plutonia pivoted like a drifting car, lifting Saturn off the ground.

"Miho!"

"Too much run," Miho mumbled, prompting a quick thinking Plutonia to toss her into one of the bags before hurling it onto the towering pile Saturn had become. The makeshift procession continued its rapid sprint home, turning heads and raising eyebrows as Saturn, laden with luggage, floated through the streets, propelled by her sister's determination.

"I see the tower!" Plutonia called out, relief flooding her as the Dae Turris's lobby doors finally came into view.

"Just a little more, girl," she cheered herself on, though her legs were slowly giving in towards the end. The weight of countless kilograms would have brought even an athlete to the ground.

"Woaaah!"

Out of nowhere, a little girl rushed out from behind the corner, leading to a collision that sent everyone and everything airborne, crashing down onto the pavement. Surprisingly, the landing felt soft, like landing on a bed of velvety layers with extremely soft silky strands.

"Plutonia?" The floor seemed to call out to her, and for a moment, she wondered if the entire event was just a dream.

"Mr holy rock floor?"

"Plutonia." It called out again.

"Oh holy rock floor fogive my clumsiness. I didnt mean to fall on you."

"Plutonia!" The voice called out again, this time much quieter. It made her brain click, and she shifted her gaze downwards, finding the source of the voice.

"Histoikie!" She screamed out in horror, realizing what she had just done. Plutonia immediately knelt down, begging for forgiveness.

"Histoikie!"

Plutonia called out, but her voice failed to reach her. The embarrassed Motherboard, with a face redder than ever, crawled off the "holy rock floor" before grabbing a small bag and zooming off in a flash.

"Huh? Histoikie! I'm sorry." She yelled out once more and again completely ignored.

"Guys?" Plutonia called out to everyone scattered across the entire street, creating a crime scene of bodies and litter.

"Mwaaa." Saturn rose from the ground like a resurrected being, looking around in confusion.

"Hey, Plutonia, I just had a weird dream where you were lewding up Histoikie and being on top of her while talking to a rock."

"You have some weird dreams, you know." Plutonia got up and began gathering all the items scattered on the ground. Saturn, being of no valuable help, stood and watched while whistling a joyful tune.

The sun had completely set, and each individual streetlight lit up one by one. They seemed somewhat useless, outshone by all the neon lights and holograms, but they still gave a slight feeling of comfort, signaling the near end of the day. Every straight street felt like an airport runway with its perfectly parallel lighting, and the crowds slowly vanishing left only beautiful strips. The Dae Turris, too, lit up like a Christmas tree, radiating its beauty across the entire planet. One bag caught Saturn's eye. She hopped over, and upon looking inside, found Miho curled up into a ball, peacefully sleeping like a cat in a box. Soon after, Plutonia joined her, and both peered into the bag.

"Let's be careful with this bag," Saturn suggested in a whisper. Carefully, the two lifted one side of the bag together and carried it all the way back to the Dae Turris.

Together, they swung the doors open and were greeted by an empty hall.

"Guess it's sleepy time, y'all," Saturn announced as she walked off to the elevator, taking a moment to remember which floor her bedroom was on.

A sudden cry echoed from across the hall, and Histoikie flew out with a small purple box.

"Stop this thing!" Behind her ran a small puppy that seemed to have been chasing her for some time now. Every time she stopped, it would start jumping up, trying to reach her. She'd slowly ascend, and yet the persistent puppy would somehow get closer.

Plutonia immediately ran up and effortlessly picked up the puppy. "Where'd you come from, little one?"

"The devil was lost, so one of the guards brought it to the temporary shelter. Then the thing got out and decided to chase me around the whole building."

"I thought flying is faster than running?" Saturn quipped.

"Even when I activated the SSD, this thing would catch up! It's an embodiment of hell," Histoikie answered.

"What's in the box?" Saturn questioned.

"First, get rid of this dog, Plutonia, please." Plutonia listened and immediately went off to return the puppy to its cage.

"Okay, Saturn, listen, this is important. As the sole processor of this nation, the ring situation can only be discussed between us."

"Wait, so you mean you sent Plutonia out just so she doesn't hear?"

"I'm glad you can use your brain at times, Saturn."

Plutonia returned, and Histoikie immediately nudged Saturn. She hesitantly asked Plutonia to wait for her in the garden, feeling guilty about hiding the upcoming truth about the rings from her since she was there from the very beginning.

"The rings. You found three, right?"

"Yeah," Saturn answered.

"I thought the rings looked familiar, and it's because I had one locked away too." Histoikie continued as she slowly opened the purple box, unveiling the three they discovered plus the new one.

"These rings, there are five in total. By collecting all of them, a single processor may inherit their power and dual-channel their power. Right now, your power runs through a single channel directly linked to the people's hearts. Dual-channeling will separate the reliance on the people's hearts and ignite your inner potential. If you take control of it, you'll be able to abandon the standard DED form and activate Royal Armament Mode as well as possess a part of the Motherboard to enable your Sole Sovereign Drive. RAM and SSD for short."

"What happens when I possess a part of a motherboard? I mean, I'll take a part of you?"

"The first thing that will occur is a complete override of your current appearance. So, you will acquire my features like hair color, eye color, facial features, and so on. However, don't worry; your size won't change. The second thing that would occur is that we would become inseparable. I'd act like a second mind of yours."

"So you'd completely disappear?"

"Pretty much. I would be a part of you."

"What if I die?"

"If you die, Saturn, the only thing I can attempt is to disrupt the connection and corrupt the cores within your power. If I fail, then we both die."

"But why did you only want to tell me this? I mean, this is a really biggie of a deal, right? Plutonia should know too." Saturn asked in a nervous tone while twiddling her thumbs.

"Because when you find the fifth ring, then the last thing I would want is for her to do something dumb and screw everything up. I know she is much more reliable than you, Saturn. However, let's say you got into trouble, and she panicked and decided to use the rings herself. She would just end up eradicating you as a processor and most definitely be unable to contain the power, killing herself, killing me, and who knows who else. These rings are no joke, so please, Saturn. Find the last one and immediately give it to me." Histoikie's serious tone and sincere eyes spoke to Saturn more than all the words she just gave. She understood why she had to keep it a secret from her sister and most likely from everyone else she knows, but lying to her friends was something she struggled to go along with.

"Hey, why do you have one too?" Saturn asked Histoikie, wanting to leave nothing a mystery.

"Uranus. She held them all at one point. I begged her to use them against Rudolf. But she was really stubborn and... well, you know the rest of her history. After that, she left her will that each nation that respects her passing should receive one of the rings. That was during the Birth Generation, so around ten thousand years ago now." Histoikie finished her speech as she closed the purple box and nodded at Saturn, hoping she would do the right thing. Saturn still conflicted about hiding and lying, decided to go with it for now.

Just before she walked off, she had a moment of realization. She looked behind her, and one white bag was still left behind. Upon inspection, she found Mihiro still curled up and sound asleep. She picked her out from the bag and placed her on Saturn's back before carrying her off to the elevator. With her soft hands, she slowly pressed the button to the upper floors. The only thing going through her mind was whether to hide the truth or be honest and continue as a team. Plutonia, Lumi, Mihiro, Saturn, and Lazuli are a team, and a team should be honest, she thought to herself as the elevator slowed down and opened up its doors. One step at a time, she carried Mihiro to her bedroom and tucked her comfortably into her own bed. Then she walked out and searched for Plutonia.

The garden Plutonia was in was just down the hallway. She opened the door slowly and greeted Plutonia, who was smelling the roses at the edge of the room.

"What did Histoikie say to you?" she asked.

"We came really late, so, of course, all the blame went on me and had a lecture as usual, hehe!" Saturn replied with a light chuckle.