Alicia awoke in a tight space surrounded by rubble, choking dust and debris. She observed the condition of her body; dull due to soil and dust, scratches and abrasions on her feet and hands, as well as pain in the spine. Her clothes were torn. The narrow space inside the building's debris barely rendered her immobilised. But other than those misfortunes, she was a healthy foal. Her hooded robe seemed to glimmer for a while before dimming and then extinguishing. Her mother's protective cloth, which was still intact, actually saved her life. This was the umpteenth time the unexpected had surprised the lass in a single day, perhaps the largest number of shocks in her entire life.

A slab of rock loomed before her, a monolithic barrier that blocked her escape. But luck was her company now, for on either side, it was propped up by other debris, preventing it from crushing her. Though she knew it was futile, Alicia still tried to push and pull at the rock.

As expected, it was futile. It was futile even for one as strong as Gilmore. She beat her fists against the wall and screamed, a desperate plea to the outside world.

"Pals! Nadine! Gilmore! Anyone! Help me! I'm trapped inside!"

No response from anyone.

"Pals! Anybody! Help me! Please..."

No one replied.

Slowly but surely, she started to sweat and her anxiety grew. The air was growing stale. While she was thinking of a way to get out, she noticed something odd. The room where she was now was illuminated with some kind of dimming blue light. Alicia then realised that the source was right behind her.

As she turned, she saw a bright, purplish-blue sphere, almost the size of a bowling ball made of transparent, strong glass. Inside, hundreds or thousands of plasma streams moved in a circle. Alicia was taken aback. Could this be the same sphere as the one that floated earlier? The size was smaller than the previous one before!

Crawling closer to the orb, Alicia examined it with a narrowed gaze, tilting her head to take in its strangeness. Thousands of plasma streams swirled chaotically, then came together in circular motions, creating a blue sphere with a white core. The orb was studying her too, it seemed.

"So odd. What are you?" A monologue question from the lass, but it seemed her curiosity syndrome caused her hands to run over the surface without her consent. The orb felt solid and warm to the touch, and it emitted a faint vibration as if it had a consciousness of its own.

But as soon as her fingers brushed the orb, it sent a jolt of energy through her body. A bright blue light shone through her skin, illuminating her veins and muscle tissue, before her right hand burst into flames! A shriek of pain nearly quaked the narrow cobbled chamber as she struggled to free her hand from the orb. The efforts were to no avail. Her hand miraculously clung to the orb while its energy kept flowing through her nerves until it reached her brain, adding another shock of the day. She jumped, hitting her head against the ceiling.

"Ah! Ouch, ouch, ouch! My head!"

Her head throbbed from the impact. A searing pain consumed her hand from the energy that carved her skin. The carving was vague in shape as it was obscured by blood and blistered tissue. Alicia wept profusely.

But then, the orb made the sound of a squeaking machine.

Her crying abruptly stopped. Hiccuping, Alicia stared at the ringing magic ball with furrowed brows.

"Hey," Alicia hiccuped, "That's not funny, ye ken!" she replied, half angry, one eye closed in pain.

The orb again uttered a mocking sound effect on her reply.

"Why can't you be gentler… wait! What the…!" Alicia gasped. "H-how? How can you understand what I'm saying? No, wait! How can I understand what you're saying? Oh no, I think… I think I'm short of air. I'm hallucinating. Oh, Divine Mercy. Oh, Ellie's wrath, I've gone bonkers! I'm dying! I'm dying! Gilmore, Nadine, help!"

The orb rang the squeaking sound effect once more, then proceeded with a more stable tone. Alicia was still gaping in disbelief that she understood the message conveyed by the orb.

"The stream of energy flowing through my hands…? That surge of energy just triggered my nerves and allowed me to connect and communicate with you? S-sounds absurd. Like…."

The sphere interrupted Alicia's words.

"Magic. Yas, like magic," she said. And with that, Alicia just realised something. She slowly smiled, then dared to laugh aloud, followed by the orb sounding another squeaking voice, mimicking her reaction. Self-acceptance that she had indeed gone mad, perhaps.

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After her laugh ceased, Alicia rested her chin on her folded hands. "But you haven't answered my question; what are you? How did you come to be in this place?" Then her voice rose an octave, "And why on earth you're being such a weapon and hitting me like a meteor? Made us end up stuck in a place like this! Not to mention you burned my bloody hand!"

The orb responded with a musical tone, explaining its purpose.

"F-Fine! Let me be clear. You were summoned by Langoureth, wherever she is right now, may she grant Eternal Peace in her 'new' resting place…," Alicia looked around, "… and your goal is to find the chosen one to be your 'friend'. And since you had found 'that' person, which is me, you were too excited because I look… a-attractive? Then you were misbehaving, bumping into me, destroying the whole graveyard, and to cover your crazy series of stunts, you branded me?" Alicia pulled a slightly petulant face. "You were off yer head, pal."

The orb then made a tone that sounded like a melancholy song, as if expressing regret for crashing into Alicia and effectively demolishing the house of the dead.

"Okay, I forgive you. At least someone has an interest in me. Not someone, sorry, a ball. But well, 'it's ball or nothing'," Alicia chuckled. However, she was becoming more and more curious. "But can I ask you something else? I mean, Languoreth is long granted Eternal Peace, but how could she call you? I'm sorry, but I have hunners of questions in my head."

The orb sang a high-pitched song, indicating that it accepted her questions, but also reminded her of something. Alicia raised her head to see the stone above. "Oh, aye. I'm still trapped. Silly me."

She laughed again. Chatting with the magic orb while still trapped in the rubble had made the collection of skulls wedged in the rock crevices appear to form their "angry" frowns.

"Alright then, Orb, help me get out of here, eh?" she said as she lifted the orb with both hands facing the wall. The orb gave a sound to Alicia. "W-what? I'll do it? W-what do you mean?"

The orb hummed to her again.

"You… will lend your power and teach me how to use it?"

Another cheerful song vindicating her query. For the sake of Silent Divine… inside her, felt an unstoppable joy, like going halfway to paradise. Her eyeballs were wet, the Silent Divine finally answered her long-time prayer. She still could not believe what she had just experienced, to the point that she wanted to grip her scorched hand.

Still hurt. Still looked gross. It was real.

But getting out of the ruins was priority number one. The orb made a sweet sound, and Alicia tried to translate its meaning.

"Focus… I'm you. I'm an Orb. You are me. You and I are one…. Oh pardon me, Orb. I have to get used to translating your every message, so the others won't think I'm a freak when I'm talking to you. Just so you know, they dinnae have a magic orb! Alright, I'm talking too much, am I? Where were we? Oh, right. I'm you, and I'm using my energy…" The surface of her hands holding the ball emitted a stream of energy which then spread throughout her body…

***

Nadine and Gilmore were still desperate to remove the too-heavy rubble.

"It's no use, Gilmore. I'll run as fast as I can to the civil guard base. You keep digging. I'll be right back!" Nadine declared, her eyes bloodshot, as she clambered out of the cavity. Gilmore's eyes were as obscured as hers by tears as he continued to get rid of the construction's remains, with diminished speed, and without uttering a word. He was out of energy, even to speak.

As she had just climbed from the hole, Nadine felt the ground quaking, and suddenly a radiant light was behind her. She turned around and saw the petrified Gilmore, also witnessing the debris quivering and shimmering.

"What? Alicia? That ye? Alicia! Answer me!" cried Gilmore.

"Gilmore I think you have to go up! The wreckage is gonna be scattered all over the place!" Nadine urged.

"Quit yer haverin'! I have to get her! Maybe she's still alive!"

"Gilmore, stop being an idiot!" Nadine screamed at him again. "If you believe Alicia is still alive, you must hurry and take cover! You may promise with your whole life to save her, but if you die, you will never know her fate and you will never save her! Now bring yer bloody arse over here and take cover, ya bampot!"

The earth trembled beneath them while the debris danced in the air. There was no way Gilmore was not increasingly hesitant to stay. "Shite!" he exclaimed. He and Nadine decided to huddle behind a grave marker. One that was still in one piece and not hundreds. The shaking grew stronger as the huge debris floated higher.

In that instant, an explosion of energy occurred, and all was chaos.

They covered their ears from the deafening sound and the flying pebbles. Just as the outburst subsided and the light faded, they heard the screaming of a girl.

"Ah! Land! L-land now! Orb, Land, for Divine's sake!"

Peering out from behind the tombstone, they saw Alicia's figure hovering in the air, about to fall while screaming. The orb emitted a brilliant light, slowing her descent the moment before she hit the ground. She managed to land safely, though her balance was a bit wobbly.

A disbelief stare from Nadine and Gilmore as they noticed her tattered clothes and minor injuries. Nadine even tried to get up the courage to ask.

"Alicia? Alicia, is that you? Are you all right?"

"Alicia…?" Gilmore echoed, just as incredulous.

"Ah, hello! Sorry to worry you, pals. Oh, if ye give me a moment, this orb says I have to clean up this ruined mess!"

"O-orb?" Nadine then glanced at the magic ball already nestled in her friend's arms. She was utterly speechless. Alicia then lifted the orb with her right hand. Lo-and-behold! The debris began to move and reform into the mausoleums and tombs that had been destroyed. The large hole in the ground was filled in, and the bones returned to their resting places. In a matter of moments, the funeral complex was restored to its former glory.

Goosebumps rose in Nadine and Gilmore's arms. This was not Alicia, Gilmore believed. His mouth almost surmised that his usual dork pal still lay buried somewhere in the soil, and before them was the orb playing tricks on them, if not her ghoul.

"Alicia… ye… can cast magic?"

Alicia answered.

"Yeah… about that, I... uh…."

The girl's vision suddenly turned black.

The quite intense thud was heard.

Alicia fell unconscious. []