Unrelenting restlessness invaded Alicia's mind and body, not because of the fear of Barong, but something about this barren green realm that disturbed the hormones—almost like a Mus Insidias hex. This was the very place that caged Barong, so it was only natural that every iota of this world repelled the presence of uninvited guests, save for the beast.

Wisesa's spirit retreated to the Crimsonmane girl's side, vehemently refuting Barong's earlier words. "Says the sulking cat who takes possession of people's consciousness without their consent!"

Barong let out a growl. "You made me do it!"

"I never invited the Sulking Cat to live inside me!" Wisesa raised his index finger in defiance.

"Bah! All humans are the same! If the universe suffers, it's because of you cursed creatures!"

"Always pointing fingers! No wonder I caught the infection too! Did some kind of black magic move your brain to your butt? Where's the morality from all those years of wisdom, Sulking Cat?"

"Stop calling me Sulking Cat!"

Barong pounced towards the two teenagers. Claws unsheathed from behind its coarse fur, slicing through the air until the ground beneath erupted! Alicia managed to roll the other away, but she felt her body becoming unnaturally weightless.

"No! Where's my waist bag?"

She saw her bag already lying some distance away near the ignorant spirits. Its waist strap was cut. The lass' hand attempted to deliver her Arcane might to her bag, yet again, another abrupt slashing energy forced Alicia to create an Arcane barrier in the form of a sphere. The air rippled, the Arcane's sphere was expelled, and Alicia was rattled within. Meanwhile, Wisesa floated to the other side. He urged the spirits to hasten the construction of the magic arena.

Fortuitously, the magical cage had been woven from the raised hands of the spirits, and Alicia's waist bag was saved from the deadly skirmish. The fighters now found themselves encaged within the dome. Its luminous blue briefly glowed before fading into invisibility. Just in the nick of time, Alicia careened into the translucent wall, and her protective dome ricocheted for a short while before her body toppled over and her shield was lost.

"My bag! My bag!" Alicia whined.

"Don't fret over your bag just yet, you fool!" Wisese reproved her.

"My journal is in there! My alchemy potions too!" Alicia snapped back.

"Just purchase new ones!"

"I cannae buy a new portrait of my Mama!"

The hands of the spirits incessantly pounded against the invisible barrier, all the while singing and shouting in unison. Never did their hands falter. The cadence of their incantations contributed an edge to Alicia's tiny heart; who would have thought such a magical rite could be this cacophonous, causing her heart to race in tandem with their tunes?

Barong was akin to a curious cat. Its bulging, bloodshot eyes gazed at the same spirits who had actually aided it in sealing the Widow Witch in ages past, now turned equally traitors. No wonder. They were once humans. Betrayal and wickedness resided within each of them from the moment their souls were formed by Sang Hyang Sukra himself, Barong believed. Imperfect, yet the most cherished of all creation.

The beast then pressed its paw against the barrier. A hiss escaped as the unseen Arcane seared its hand. If Alicia and Wisesa failed, there was no way Barong would consider mercy for any damage done to its divinely patterned, albeit matted, fur and hands. Barong acknowledged equality. The latest assembly of dead soldiers in the forest was a testament to that.

"Oh good, the effect worked! Taste that, Tangle Cat!" Wisesa cheered.

"Oi, Wisesa! S-stop making it even angrier!" Alicia lunged at the young lad's ethereal spirit while clutching her stomach from the rough landing that left her feeling queasy.

But the man's spiritual hearing was deaf, as the scoffs were still hurtling towards the armoured monster flailing its hands. "Listen up, Barong! You're not going anywhere. Our business will be settled right here, right now! Just you, and me—I mean, her! This nerd." Wisesa's hand was fixed on Alicia. Alicia's eyebrows furrowed. "But let me tell you, you 'bout to get your ass whooped in front of all these guardian spirits! This little girl has been dreaming of draining your sorry ass and watching you cry like a bitch. You gonna be hobbling around like a busted-up pussy! So you best bring all your weapons, magic, and skills, 'cause she got Kalimasada—the center of everything—and you ain't got shit!"

"Ye daftie, hold yer wheesht! Ye trying tae kill me or something?" Alicia became as irate as Barong.

"Missy, you gotta heat up for an exciting match first!" Wisesa gave his defence.

"Aye, the thing is, I'm risking my life here to help ye break free from the curse, ye ken?"

"And you better do it nice and clean. Or you best watch yourself if you don't!"

"Scunner! Absolute scunner!"

As the barong's rows of teeth ground and clattered, the sudden snapping of bones made the duo's ears prickle. The monster's spine stood up, and its two forelimbs retracted as mighty hands. With both palms splayed wide before all creatures, it swayed its body while the spirits seemed to alter the lyrics of the chant, heralding the new stature of the Patron of Lands. Shadows darkened the lass' visage. Barong, in the guise of a four-legged tiger, had already been too gigantic. Now, as it rose onto its hind legs, it towered over the skyline like a skyscraper!

Barong was not a creature that craved praise. Its body materialised in front of Alicia with a suddenness that would make even the most seasoned warrior flinch! Her Arcane armour formed in a flicker of shadows, and the beast's gleaming serrations landed on Alicia's protective bunker with a thunderous impact!

Barong's attacks were relentless, a barrage of trampling feet, biting jaws, and lunging claws. The Arcane dome might beam in pride. Inside it, however, Alicia lost her breath. She sensed her flesh tear under the monster's cleats and her shoulders crushed by the tiger's armoured paws. Khaos remained infused in Barong's physical attacks, which meant Alicia did not escape the Empathy Curse for each lunge.

Feeling that the Arcane dome remained impregnable, Barong sprang away. It danced its way back, waving the jewels on its crown and the monochrome checkered poleng cloth tethered to its shoulders. It occurred to Alicia's thoughts that Wisesa must be playing tricks on her again. How could she not, other than confining herself to the beasts of all ages with her own power, the spirits' chants echoed in her mind like a chorus of madmen! The noise of the mythical arena was filled with fast-paced, frenetic cries of "Cak, cak, cak, cak!", complemented by another spirit stationed in the back row mouthing sonorous words as if reciting a poetic tale in a bizarre tongue—Alicia's minimal linguistic knowledge told her this was not Yawanese. The whole orchestra was a taunt, a defiance aimed directly at Alicia herself.

Barong was still dancing. It would keep dancing until Alicia opened her defences and then it rushed in, squeezing the girl's head flat. Alicia knew that she had to create some momentum for herself, and luckily, an idea was born. She cancelled her shield, simultaneously summoning Arcane threads from the magical arena boundary to entangle one of Barong's legs. The beast slipped, but it was not out of tricks yet. In a flash, the other foot turned into a log.

Barong's wooden leg triggered a memory; that was the leg of Barong in its Plant mode. With a quick motion, it shook the ground with its leg, and suddenly the entire arena was filled with hunger petals! Even the ground beneath Alicia rippled and spouted the petals as well. The lass lost her footing, and she had no choice but to summon her new ability, which was yet fully mature.

New hunger petals continued to sprout, each one more ravenous than the last. She felt the rush of adrenaline as her body soared above Barong's height, but the flesh-eating plant still managed to rise up and coil its slimy tongue around her thighs. The petal pulled her down, and Alicia panicked, firing an Arcane blast that severed the plant's tongue. But more hunger petals emerged, wrapping themselves around her magic shield and sinking their fangs into each vacant side. Dark magic infected the Arcane's protection, and Alicia was trapped in darkness as deep as the pain in her mind.

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"Alicia!" Wisesa's spirit called out as he rushed towards the coils of creepers. But what power could a mere spirit have over a tangible being? "You there, Western Girl? You better not be playing around! Get out of them damn plants and kick Barong’s ass!"

Barong made the coils blister even more through the squeezing motion of the nearly-intertwined palms. Wisesa heard an anguished grunt. Panic began to manifest on his face. "Oi, Alicia! Answer, Stupid Girl! Do you want to die already? I thought we were gonna tour the ancient magic museum!"

Barong leapt into the mass of hunger petals, its claws gleaming with a sharpness that blinded even the third eye. As the situation grew more precarious, Wisesa thought of breaking through the twine of plants to rescue Alicia.

Fortunately, he did not have to.

Blue light pierced the parts of the flesh-eating plant, and then the entire creepers exploded, rippling the colossal Arcane magic cage. The ground shook, and all eyes went blind. Barong was no exception. It was slammed into the parapet, burnt all over its backside, and its woven armour was disintegrated.

Alicia tumbled to the ground, her dishevelled hair obscuring her face. Her cheeks were inflamed as though seared by an internal blaze. Tremors wracked her body, and the bags under her eyes were more pronounced than ever. Her spectacles had shifted askew but miraculously remained intact. Straightening them on her nose, she rose to her feet, her expression livid as she glared at the charred remains of Barong. This purification needed to be finished posthaste. She had been deprived of sleep for too long, and any further delay in Barong's realm would hasten her journey to Hades!

"Yes! That's my stupid Western girl!" exclaimed Wisesa. His gaping grin and thunderous laughter signified his relief. "Ain't no way someone like you would die so soon. Fools usually take longer to die.”

A heavy sigh from the weary girl. "Ha, ha. How funny, Wisesa. I could have sworn I heard a panicked voice like yers, fretting over my demise. Perhaps it was just my imagination."

"You're absolutely right, Alicia. Purely a figment of your imagination," the lad retorted. "But take a look now; Barong is weakened by your Kalimasada power wall! You must finish this before the beast regains its strength! Finish it now!"

"I hate being ordered around by ye," Alicia muttered.

"Glad you've finally learned to empathize."

Orb hovered before her chest, and Alicia withdrew her hands from it. Dozens of threads clung to each finger, and she cast them over the armoured tiger. Barong barked and struggled to break free, but Arcane coils weighed down its body with increasing force. Wisesa did not remain idle, but with a series of fluid hand gestures, he signalled to the spirits. An invisible magical prison gradually materialised, the swirling of the Arcane flow growing ever more relentless and thunderous. This time, Barong would lean against the wall for as long as possible. Alicia's blue glow seeped into its body; she and the beast were "united," sharing the pain as one.

Every profanity in existence flooded the battle arena from the tongue of the being that was once part of the four guardian aspects of Earth. Dots of mauve escaped from Barong's skin, followed by mauve lumps from its ears, nose, and mouth. Alicia shrieked. Her body blistered and smoked, wracked by the formidable resistance of Barong. It felt as though liquid was pouring into her ears as the spirits' song accelerated to a dizzying pace.

All the power of Khaos was instantly drawn to the Arcane vortex surrounding Alicia and Barong, spinning along until it vanished. Despite the massive forces at play, the core of Khaos remained elusive beyond their reach. A glimmer of despair began to take hold.

The Arcane flow that emanated from Alicia's hand extended deep into Barong's body, searching for the core of Khaos located in what was believed to be the beast's heart. Destroying Barong's internal organs would mean Alicia's destruction as well, and the lass had vomited blood repeatedly from trying to withstand the strain. She would continue vomiting blood until there was none left in her body.

The dome of the Arcane vortex paled, and the Divine Grace power interwoven by the spirits was cut off one by one. Wisesa sensed the signs of their failure, knowing that if the dome disappeared, their chance to tame Barong would be lost.

"Alicia, what's taking you so long?" Wisesa was confused.

"N-not yet," Alicia gasped, spewing blood as one knee buckled. "It... keeps f-fighting!"

"I won't forgive! I will not forgive!" Barong bellowed. "I'd rather see the earth ruined than have bastards like you around! I can fix nature, but not you humans!"

"Barong, please!" Alicia pleaded. "We're here to heal you!"

"You're healing me so that I can relive the pain of your torture of me, the shame I received, and the disappointment of your negligence in keeping peace in the land? Human life is a mistake. The reason why Sang Hyang Sukra's art was gradually destroyed was that humans and their black magic opened the bridge to Wredharaja! Humanity must be wiped out so that the Wredharaja can no longer roam the Earth!"

"You are wrong, Barong!"

"A snot-nosed child like you knows nothing!"

Barong turned a deaf ear to all pleas. Its left hand managed to escape the weakened Arcane snare. With a flick of its wrist, it crushed a chunk of earth and hurled it at Alicia, who quickly erected an Arcane force field to protect herself. The concentration required to maintain the force field left her vulnerable, and Barong took advantage, freeing its right hand. The giant Arcane dome flickered, barely visible, as Barong continued to break free from the snares of Divine Grace.

Wisesa watched in horror, unable to do anything but levitate and panic. "Oh, shit, oh no!"

"Fool! Even with Arcane you're still weak, woman!" Barong laughed as it sprouted a pair of hunger petal tendrils from its armoured back. "Thousands of Arcane-wielding men, and the Earth is even closer to sinking like the Old World! Don't trouble yourself and me. Just die!"

Alicia was moments away from defeat. Her Arcane strings were being severed one by one, and even though she had drained almost all of Khaos' power, Barong was still too strong. The bespectacled girl stared at Orb, her eyes cloudy and trembling. Not once did she think to be afraid and cry out. Instead, one reckless thought came back to her mind.

You want to use your mana stash again, Orb guessed.

"I have to...! The purification... is almost finished ...." Alicia pleaded.

Her orb friend did not respond anymore. Suddenly, her ruby eyes disappeared, her round spectacles revealing a glare. The air pulsed with energy, and Alicia's jaws opened wide as she let out a scream of release.

A scream for what seemed like aeons in the making.

At the same time, a pair of hunger petals snaked towards Alicia, but she quickly launched herself into the Patron of Lands!

"What are you doing!" Barong and Wisesa exclaimed in unison.

Alicia managed to twist out of the flesh-eating plants' coils. Despite the danger, some of the Arcane threads still lingered on her fingers, as if reluctant to depart from their exploration of the monster's inner workings. There's no way she would let Barong loose. Her daring recklessness made her crash with the beast's broad chest. But she did not stop there; she embraced it. Her eyes once again turned ruby red.

Barong had not expected such behaviour. Its claws were ready to tear into the little girl's flesh before a soft voice reached its ears.

"Not all humans are practitioners of the dark arts, Barong," the girl lass exclaimed. "You are not the only one suffering from this curse. My family was damaged by black magic... My hometown too... Even my friends..." Her voice was laced with bitterness. Her mind recalled the memories of all her family and friends in Trinketshore. She thought of the people who pulled her out of the downward spiral. Her heart ached even more when the image of the three shishyas in Tumaritis came to mind. "Our lives were all ruined by black magic! But you can't wipe out humans! What would Sang Hyang Sukra say if he saw his trusted guard wiping out his own creation?"

The tip of the Patron of Land's claw had already pierced the first layer of Alicia's black coat. Barong's bulging eyes wandered with uncertainty. Something relieved its chest that was burdened with fear, regret, and anger. One could not tell whether it was because the Arcane flow had taken hold of its body, or a little girl's insistence on hugging the beast while pleading, or both.

"Listen to me and Orb!" Alicia pleaded once more. She ventured to look up at Barong's red face. "I implore you, don't hate humans anymore. We share the same enemy. With this great gift I have received, I am still fragile and need others—I need you! You want the world cleared of the influence of black magic? Help us! I couldnae care less if I’m being presumptuous now, but I believe that when Sang Hyang Sukra returns, his joy will be great, for he will be able to marvel at a world as radiant and pure as when it was first created! All of us... just want peace. All of us just want to be happy. I intend to make the world happy with my magic! I've lost enough, I yearn for that too!"

Barong's previously rigid fingers drooped limply. Its giant fangs were still grinding and snarling as it struggled to make up its mind. But while it was still deep in thought, Arcane seized its hearts. The Khaos core was ejected!

And for the umpteenth time, the world was white as far as the eye could see...

***

The spirits slowed their chanting. Their beings were fading away, circling the orange sky before fusing with the statues. Wisesa snapped awake, scanned around, and found Alicia at a distance, slumping over. His ears caught her cough yet to cease, and the cobblestone was already stained with her blood. He frantically reached into his drawstring bag, grabbed a handful of blossoms and herbs, and then crushed them with a pestle and mortar. His kris made another deface on his hand to let the blood into the concoction before an incantation was chanted. A plume of smoke rose from the mixture, which he then placed into a small pipe and smoked.

With Alicia's head cradled in his hands, Wisesa exhaled the smoke into her mouth. The girl did not resist, and slowly her coughing subsided. "It's okay, it's okay," he whispered, rubbing her red hair despite his coarse touch. The bookworm's beautiful mane tangled even more (the man never rubbed others, don't blame him). Her heavy eyes were now unbearable, and her body went slack, succumbing to the forces of nature.

"Good job. Your speech was cringe, but good job, not gonna lie." muttered the man. "Now get some rest." []