Alice sat down at Celeste's table with a tall glass of apple cider. She and her friends were back in Celeste's home, fresh out of the Citadel. Celeste stood still in a state of meditation, her eyes closed.
She opened them after a few moments and let out a sigh. “All right, the Citadel has been sealed off for now.”
“Sealed off, huh?” Rachel asked.
“Indeed. That means no one but I can enter it until this Depraved situation gets settled. But no worries, you're ready for the world!”
“Damn right, we are!” Blair said with a grin.
“No, wait,” Zalgo began, raising a hand. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it's exactly as it sounds,” Celeste replied. “You learned enough about aura and Void Magic, and I can't hold your hands forever. Your best teacher now is the world out there! And by “world”, I mean the whole universe!”
“What?!” Rachel exclaimed. “You're talking about space travel here?”
“Well, yes, but not the space travel you're thinking of. There are no spaceships involved, but rather flying through space in body and spirit! Think of the Memory Portal technique, but instead of going from place to place in an instant, you're enjoying the journey there.”
Zalgo nodded and put a finger to her lips, looking down in thought. “Interesting… But how are we going to do that? We have no such abilities.”
Celeste beamed and chuckled. “I'm glad you asked! There's actually a good friend of mine who can help you with that!”
“Really? Who is it?”
Their conversation is disrupted as a gentle female voice calls out to them from behind.
"You must be the Ephemerals, I take it?"
The group turned around to see an elegant, pale figure wearing a short purple and blue dress with a golden trim, her deep blue hair cascading down her front. She walked over to them with a warm smile and held out her hand to shake.
Zalgo shook her hand and smiled.
"Yes we are. I'm Zalgo," she said, gesturing to the rest of her friends. "And this is Alice, Rachel, Sharline, Blair."
They all shake her hand one after the other, with Alice being a little hesitant at first.
"Nice meeting you all! I am Noelle, a travel guide and guardian, sent by the Goddesses themselves to serve you in your fight against the Darkness. I shall hereby guide you through the realms and worlds so that you may push back against the chaos and restore peace."
"Hey, uh… Is it okay if I ask you a couple questions…?" Alice asked in a quiet voice.
"Of course! What are your questions?" Noelle replied, glancing over at Alice's friends. She noted that Zalgo seemed a little out of place, but the bulk of her attention is on Alice.
Alice swallowed, feeling her body lock up and her breathing quicken.
"Um, so there's a lot of worlds and realms out there that we're supposed to go through. Are they all under attack by the Darkness too, or...?”
Noelle beamed, her magenta eyes shining with compassion and understanding.
"That's a good question, and the answer is yes. The Darkness is a corruptive force that is spreading across the realms, and it is causing chaos and destruction in places that have never been tainted by it before. Our mission is to seek out these places and purify them, so life and order can return."
Alice's eyes widened. "That…sounds like a lot of places to go to. How come we have to keep going to so many different worlds? Don't we have enough problems in our world?”
Noelle chuckled, taking her hand and placing it over Alice's heart. “Your heart is in the right place, Alice, and so are your friends’. But we need to help others in order to protect ourselves. The Darkness, and its evolved form, Depravity, is a sinister force that feeds off of negative emotions like hatred and despair. It is attracted to these feelings, and it tries to consume them, spreading its influence like a virus. But we are the Light that can beat back the Darkness, and so we must reach out to those in need."
Alice bowed her head, her lips tilting into a slight frown. “So… We don't just have to go to places with corruption, but we also have to go to some worlds where people are suffering through negative emotions?"
Noelle nodded, the sparkle in her eyes dimming as she saw Alice's worry. "That is correct. It is our duty to try and help people who are in pain, especially if their pain is the result of the Darkness. It is not easy work, but it is necessary.”
Alice looked back down at her feet. She thought for a moment, and then she spoke again. "Will we just be going around, helping people and fighting, the whole time? Or will we have some time to rest between missions?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Noelle's lips curled into a serene and reassuring smile once more. "We will indeed have time to rest between missions, and I will always do my best to make sure that you have a safe place to stay. But we do need to move quickly and decisively, for every minute we spend on rest is a minute the Darkness has to spread across the realms.”
"Okay, I understand. But you're going to be with us the whole time, right?"
"Of course, I will be by your side every step of the way! This will be a long journey, but we will be together through it all. I may even be able to help you in other ways, once I get to know you better."
Alice looked up at Noelle again, and she took a deep breath.
"Thank you, it's comforting to know you'll be with us on this journey. So is there an ongoing threat that we need to handle?”
“That's right. There are many places being attacked by the Dark forces as we speak, but some locations are in more urgent predicaments than others.”
“So which one is the most in danger at the moment?” Rachel chimed in.
Noelle looked up and scratched her chin. “That would be…Freelife Town.”
“Oh, that place?” Alice asked.
“Mhm! There are lots of Depraved attacking there and the people need our help.”
“Where is it though?” Sharline asked.
“It's in southeastern Elbrastion, a small town to the north of the capital city of Saber Point.”
Zalgo's eyes widened and her heart began to race. “Wait, really?”
“Yes,” Noelle confirmed. “Why do you ask?”
“Because Freelife Town is where I grew up!”
“Oh really? Then I'm sure our mission there will be very meaningful for you.” Noelle said, smiling at Zalgo.
“Let's get it on, then!” Blair cheered. “I've been itching for adventure, I'm ready to kick some Depraved butt already!”
“And don't forget,” Sharline chimed. “We must also find out what happened to Kairy while we're at it.”
“Damn right, Shar!” Rachel replied.
“Oh yeah, it's a two-in-one adventure! Forget the waiting, let's hurry up!” Blair demanded.
★
Everyone began their journey towards Freelife Town, Noelle leading the way with Alice walking right beside her.
Mmm…I gotta ask SOMETHING to break the ice… you thought. "Noe... Noelle, may I ask you a question?"
Noelle smiled and turned her attention towards you. "Of course! What do you wish to ask?"
You took a deep breath and tried to gather your thoughts. How do I phrase this…? "I was just...wondering how long you plan on staying with us."
Noelle beamed, her magenta eyes full of kindness and understanding. "As long as you need me to. I will stay as long as you need me, and I will protect you from all harm in any way that I can."
Your heart skipped a beat as you looked back down at the ground. You felt like Noelle's words were soothing you and giving you a sense of security. "That's good to hear... I just hope it'll be for a long time.”
"I hope so too," Noelle replied.
Their conversation was cut off by the distant sound of Depraved attacking a small settlement ahead, the howling cries of their animalistic attacks echoing through the air.
Both you and Noelle stopped in your tracks when they heard the sound of violence, turning their heads in its direction.
"You should all stay behind me and let me handle this." Noelle said with a resolute gaze, conjuring her staff.
"But—" you objected.
"I insist." Noelle replied, her voice carrying a calm and yet powerful air. "You need to stay behind and keep safe."
You seemed reluctant to leave Noelle alone, but Noelle's tone left no room for argument.
Pshh, Blair thought with a shit-eating grin. Some of 'em look like small fries, the hell is she so worked up about?
You and your friends watched Noelle stride forward to face the Depraved. She seemed so calm and collected, yet you could sense the intensity in her as she prepared to fight to protect you all.
The fighting began in earnest, as the Depraved attacked Noelle. For her part, Noelle held her ground and faced her opponents with unwavering focus. Noelle used her staff to defend herself before counter-attacking and fighting back. You flinched at hearing the loud whacks as Noelle slammed her staff against the Depraved and kicked them.
The fight turned into a baseball game as you saw Noelle's staff striking brutal blows against the Depraved, sending them flying and disappearing into the ether. You also noted that Noelle used a combination of magic and aura-enhanced physical attacks in the battle. While the Depraved were numerous and ferocious, Noelle was holding her own and gaining the upper hand.
Noelle used her staff to deliver the last devastating blows to the remaining Depraved. When the last Depraved was slain, you felt a wave of relief sweep over you. You saw that Noelle was taking deep breaths after the fight, her body trembling as she wiped her forehead, dispelling her staff.
Noelle turned around to face you and your friends, smiling at her success.
"N-Noelle, are you okay?”
“I'm...fine,” Noelle replied, though her heavy breathing and trembling proved otherwise. "J-just used too much aura, that's all..." She seemed to be struggling to stand on her feet, and you could not help but step closer to her.
"Noelle, please..." Your voice bursted with empathy, your eyes pleading for Noelle to accept your help.
"N-no, I-I can take care of myself..." Noelle uttered, but her voice began to crack. She tried to stand upright, but her legs looked like they were about to give way.
You took another step forward, ignoring Noelle's protests. Your eyes were determined and your voice was firm as you said,
"Not this time... Just let me help you. Please."
You took hold of her arms to keep her from collapsing. "I won't let you fall." you said with a reassuring gaze, making sure that you were supporting Noelle and not hurting her. You could feel your friend's slender body trembling against your own.
"I..." Noelle couldn't muster up the energy to respond in a proper way, so she leaned against you without saying anything more. She was still trembling, though you could feel that her tremors were beginning to lessen.
"Thank...you...so much..." Noelle uttered with a sigh as she tilted her head up to look at you, her breathing slow and steady. She took deep breaths and relaxed her body further.
You kept holding onto Noelle, your arms wrapped around her in a gentle hug, making her flush. You could hear Noelle's breathing slow even more, and you felt a sense of relief in knowing that you were helping. “Don’t worry about it.”
Well I'll be, Rachel thought with raised brows, her arms crossed. I never knew Alice had THAT big of a heart…
“Booooo!” Blair shouted with a huge grin. “We're here to kick some Depraved butt! Not…um, THIS!”
Noelle flushed from Blair's words and prepared herself to get back up. “Um, r-right!” She raised an arm and resummoned her staff above you and herself. It glowed and Noelle's state eased up, her tremors stopping in an instant.
“Okay, Alice, I'm fully healed and I can stand now. Thanks for your support.”
You nodded and released your embrace. “No problem. Glad to see you back to full health.”
Noelle beamed and stood back up, dispelling her staff again and looking at you and your fellow companions. “All right, we must hurry up now, everyone! The people need us and we must keep the Depraved at bay!”
“Don't need to say that twice!” Rachel chimed.
“What Rach said! Let's do this!” Blair added.
★
“They what?!” Kinsey yelled, taking a step back.
“After returning from my Citadel, they all left off on a journey to fight against the Dark forces,” Celeste replied. “I linked them up with a close friend of mine to accompany them on their adventure, so there's no need to worry!”
“...And they went without ME?” Kinsey questioned, narrowing her eyes as she balled up her hands.
Celeste only gave a single nod in response to Kinsey's question.
Kinsey scowled and crossed her arms with a deep huff. “...Fuck them,” she spat, her eyes filled with malice. “Seriously. It's bad enough I was always the background chick in the group. Now they just up and left me altogether? Why didn't you stop them or tell them to wait for me?”
Celeste shrugged with a frown. “I didn't know what was up with you. You just came in with those two girls who tried to fight the Xerosi sisters and I haven't seen you since you disappeared with them. Were you behind it?”
Kinsey slammed her fist on the table, leaning closer and staring down at Celeste. “I'M the one asking questions right now! Why didn't you try to stop me before that happened?”
Celeste blinked as she scrambled for an answer. “I-I already tried to! I was asking you if anything was wrong–”
“Enough! I've had it with each and every one of you now. I can't believe they just up and left me behind without a second thought. I've been thinking maybe I was wrong about them and there was possibly a second chance at our friendship, but this confirmed what I was feeling all along. Now I see the true them.”
Kinsey leaned back up and gave Celeste a cold glare. “They lead me to do something that ended up killing Kairy, and that's fucked up. I'll take it upon myself to restore her, it's the least I could do. The others are probably way out there too busy playing hero to give a shit. You taught me enough about this Void Magic stuff, so thanks for the head start, but I'm going my own way now. If you see them again, tell them I want nothing to do with them anymore.”
Before Celeste could respond, Kinsey vanished into a dark portal.
...I knew there was something off about that girl… Celeste thought.