Back to the Throne

The room, cold and dark from their previous visit, offered no guidance or hint as to Lumi's whereabouts. The air was heavy with ominous stillness, broken only by the faint echoes of their entrance. Saturn surveyed the dimly lit space, searching for any sign or clue that could lead them to their missing friend.

Plutonia, still recovering from the abrupt landing, glanced around with a mix of curiosity and concern. The shattered glass crunched under their boots as they cautiously advanced, each step echoing in the oppressive silence. The duo continued their exploration through the dark corridors, uncertain of what lay ahead. The only illumination came from sporadic, dimly lit fixtures along the walls, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance with their every step. The air was thick with suspense, making each turn a potential encounter with the unknown.

As they approached a junction in the corridor, a figure emerged from the shadows at the end. It was Aren, standing with an air of tension, holding two Kunai in a defensive stance. His eyes locked onto Saturn, wary and ready for any threat.

“Saturn?” He called out. His voice low in tone.

"Yahallo! Aren was it? Hehe, you know where Wumi is by any chance?" Saturn asked, maintaining a surprisingly casual tone in the face of the tense confrontation.

Without a word, Aren launched two Kunai straight at Saturn with remarkable speed. The glint of the blades shimmered in the dim light as they sailed through the air, aimed directly at her. In response, Saturn let out a girly screech, her instinctive reaction leading her to tumble backward in an agile dodge.

Aren wasted no time and immediately closed the distance. His movements were precise, each thrust of his weapon carrying an aura of aggression. He lunged at Saturn with a series of rapid attacks, aiming to corner her. However, Saturn, in her playful dodges, displayed an almost comical agility.

She danced around his strikes with a mix of acrobatics and clumsiness, narrowly avoiding each thrust. Her movements were unpredictable, and a mischievous grin never left her face. Despite the gravity of the situation, her demeanor exuded a strange blend of cheerfulness and recklessness.

The clash between them became a dynamic display of skill and silliness, each movement contributing to a chaotic ballet in the dimly lit corridor. The Kunai flashed, Saturn twirled and dodged, and the tension in the air escalated with every passing moment. Saturn slipped on the carpet, her feet failing to find proper traction. This unexpected mishap propelled Aren forward, the momentum from his own force causing him to lurch toward Saturn. Before he could react, Saturn, displaying an almost cat-like agility, bounced right back up.

With a mischievous grin plastered across her face, she catapulted into the air, executing a leap that mirrored a daring descent from a towering structure. In mid-air, Saturn underwent her DED transformation. Landing gracefully, she gave out a maniac laughter that echoed all throughout the Dae Turris. As her eyes dilated, adjusting to the darkness akin to a bat navigating its surroundings, Saturn summoned her longsword. Descending upon Aren, she initiated a whirlwind of strikes, each movement so precise it felt like she’d have non-stop practiced and mastered the flow. The dynamics of the battle underwent a complete flip. Saturn, now in her DED state, became an unstoppable force, a tempest of shadows and light. Her relentless assault cracked Aren's defenses, causing him to emit a mystifying blue mist. The clash, once defined by tension and aggression, now unfolded as a surreal ballet of movement and illumination, with Saturn asserting her dominance in the unfolding spectacle. Saturn's strikes came with a relentless ferocity, a cascade of slashes that connected seamlessly, reminiscent of a flawless 10-hit combo in a high-stakes fighting game. Each slice splurged blue energy, staining the walls and floor, slowly illuminating the once dark corridor.

The cadence of Saturn's laughter, echoing in this otherworldly battleground, carried an exuberance that transcended the brutality of the battle. It was a revelry in the sheer joy of combat, an embrace of the surreal nature of her DED form. Her dodges and spins, playful and agile, seemed to defy the seriousness of their life-and-death predicament.

As the blue mist continued to erupt from Aren with every strike, the surroundings became a surreal tableau of luminous chaos. The corridor transformed into a pulsating canvas of cosmic energy, casting an ethereal glow that seemed to breathe life into the shadows.

With a final, decisive blow, Saturn propelled Aren across the corridor, his body flopping to the ground. The blue mist intensified, swirling around his dissipating form. Saturn, her longsword's tip dragging across the floor, approached him with an eerie calmness. The corridor, once shrouded in darkness, was now aglow with the remnants of their spectral battle.

Saturn, her eyes transitioning from their normal dark purple to a deep blue, raised her sword high above her head. The blade shimmered in the darkness as she prepared to bring it down like a guillotine upon Aren's prone form.

Just as the sword began its descent, a sudden intervention occurred. Plutonia, with swift reflexes, managed to pull the blade out of harm's way in the nick of time. The metallic resonance echoed in the corridor, breaking the eerie silence that had followed the fierce battle.

“Saturn! What are you doing?” Plutonia shouted at her sister.

Saturn ignored her sister's plea and kept her gaze fixed on her defeated adversary. In a serious tone, she asked, “Where is Lumi?”

With his last gasp of air, Aren responded, "Top."

Saturn turned around, still in her DED form, and ventured onward in complete silence. Plutonia couldn't bear the quiet and asked, "Are you not gonna switch back to mini you?" The only response she got was silence.

"Your eyes changed color, you know. I saw they were blue now," Plutonia continued, attempting to start a conversation, but Saturn marched onwards without a word. They eventually arrived at a familiar elevator that seemed to go straight up instead of featuring Mt. Fuji-sized steps.

Finally, Saturn decided to break the silence and speak to her sister. "Plutonia, give me the rings."

Plutonia was surprised by Saturn's request. "You going to try to trade Lumi for money? She's not a trade offer, you know!"

"The reason I'm not transforming back, Plutonia, is because I know Mini-Me would definitely hesitate and probably throw them out the window at some point. I am aware of my huge ego in this state, so I can guarantee my victory like this. So please give me the rings, and you wait here for me."

Plutonia was becoming very curious. "Why would Mini you be hesitant about the rings? What do they do?"

Saturn got stumped at that question and thought deeply about whether it's time to tell her, even though Histoikie asked her to keep it a secret.

"They go boom," Saturn replied.

"Huh? This whole time we found mini bombs?" Plutonia asked in astonishment.

"Yes, they explode so hard that even Rudolf would go down with just one."

Plutonia quickly handed over the box with rings and immediately seemed relieved she wasn't holding a box of so-called 'explosives'. Saturn gave Plutonia a small wave, and as she stepped backward into the elevator, it slowly closed, gradually obscuring Plutonia from view. The cramped space was illuminated by a small light above Saturn's head. She slowly pressed the top button, and off she descended.

In the confined space of the elevator, Saturn took out a small object from her pocket – a CD disc. Holding it with both hands she cracked it.. A sense of relief and clear joy flowed through her body. Suddenly, a small portal opened up, and out popped Histoikie, holding a book almost twice her size.

"Grab it, dammit Saturn," she begged, the scale of the book crushing her body.

"You started the channeling process, didn't you?" Saturn asked, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction.

"How are you even so confident the ring is here and that we will find it?" Saturn continued.

"When Uran died, only four rings were restored. One he must have taken; otherwise, there would be more," Histoikie explained.

"Damn you, you idiot! Uran this, Uran that. Every time you mention history, you always talk about Uran. She died. I won't, and I won't need no rings. The only one who will die is Rudolf Heartblaze. You are coming back home with everyone else."

The rest of the elevator ride to the top was silent. When the doors finally opened, they unveiled the grand hall and throne, a place they were in not that long ago. The floor was fixed, and Rudolf sat with complete confidence – a king who couldn't be touched. The two walked out and approached the throne.

"Where's Lumi?" Saturn called out. Rudolf sat up, leaning forward while stroking his thick beard.

"Woah, Histoikie. It has been a while," his voice echoed like a pounding drum. Saturn's longevity in her DED form took a small toll on her mentality. Immediately, she summoned her longsword and pointed it straight at Rudolf.

"Where is Lumi Illandice?" she shouted.

"Fool! I should have you completely executed for what you pulled a while back. But I forgave you, and now you return and threaten me?" Saturn, feeling a twinge of embarrassment, retracted her sword, though her focus remained razor-sharp.

Her eyes fixed on Rudolf's hand, where, to her chagrin, she could discern the familiar glint of the final ring. Histoikie's accuracy proved accurate. The ring was within reach, albeit in a position that posed a challenge for anyone to attain. Rudolf, now enjoying the upper hand, observed the tension in the room with a smug satisfaction.