Sundays in the city known as Rio de Janeiro, especially on the cusp of winter, tended towards the balmy and pleasant. Most people would be enjoying themselves on one of the many beaches or relaxing in their homes. In one specific house, the granddaughter would be drinking peach-flavoured juice on her balcony while the grandmother would be waiting for seemingly nothing at all.

This was not one of those Sundays.

“You take the left, I’ve got the right!” Felícia steered the little white cloud towards the right limb of a flaming monstrosity.

Her partner could barely be seen from above, yet Felícia spotted the dark green tail feathers dashing through the molten edges. High above her head, the clouds remained a roiling dark grey, while her cloud left a streak of blue. What laid before her was a creature almost the size of Christ the Redeemer, a fiery beast that threatened to singe her hair off. Once she passed the blazing edges of what seemed to be fingers, she took five cards from her pocket and threw them at the seams of the creature’s right arm. With a snap of her fingers, the cards became a tide of water. It let out a cry of pain.

“Not so strong now, huh?” If only a little bit of water hurts this thing, she’ll be done in no time.

The creature roared in defiance and swiped at her. Felícia easily dodged, her cloud climbing higher. As a response, she threw more cards, all spouting water.

“Is that all you can do? No wonder only one girl gave you trouble. I wouldn’t even call this a Calamity!”

It must have heard her, for that was when a fireball lit the dark sky. Before Felícia reacted, a vicious song erupted, creating a metal wall that absorbed the majority of the fireball.

“It would be polite to thank this humble servant of the light.”

Felícia rolled her eyes. She never understood how the other girl could be heard amidst this chaos, and she certainly never understood the girl’s many absurd names. Who called their child the great and powerful Sun Summoner? If her avó heard this girl’s name, she would have cast one of her signature disappointed looks.

“You can’t hear me!” She yelled into the darkened sky.

No response. Typical. Her tail curled inwards, just before she spotted a girl anxiously peeking over the wall. In a split second, her cloud was obliterated by flames and Felícia tumbled down to earth. Grabbing onto a lone tree with her tail, she jumped down, while the other girl sprinted over.

"Felícia, are you alright?" She started checking over Felícia's feet. "Your feet seemed to be unburnt."

"I think this would go a lot better if you figured out how to work your damn amulet." If her avó was here, she would have yelled at Felícia for using coarse language. The other girl was still fighting, singing songs of brave warriors and flinging metallic columns at the fiery monster, who bellowed loud enough to be heard on the other side of the world.

The other girl's eyes watered. "I am trying, for you, for my Lǎoshī, but…the words are not coming. I will try harder, but I do not know if it will work."

"Dulce…I know you are."

The world beneath her feet buckled under the power of song and fire, as meteors lit up the sky. Bright as the coming dawn, the other girl was faltering, the melody becoming ever so slightly weaker. Felícia tried to summon her cloud, but only tendrils of mist gathered at her fingertips. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, they weren't winning. Unless Dulce activates her amulet in time, Rio is doomed.

----------------------------------------

The warm sun decided to shine favourably on Felícia today. Climbing a nearby house, she tasted the balmy air as she skipped across tiny alleyways and raced the vultures as they flew. It was nice to explore her neighbourhood, half cramped and crowded with clotheslines as it is. Her pursuers were less lucky, often tripping themselves over or taking a long time to climb the least steep buildings.

"Get back here, you little-!" Whatever the leader meant to say died in his mouth as his head smacked into yet another clothesline.

Felícia bit back a smirk as the owner of that clothesline verbally accosted the gang chasing after her. The rooftops of her favela were like a second home to her. Here, her nimble legs and arms enabled her to survey her own little kingdom of roofs and little corners. There was no place that Felícia hadn't explored to its fullest extent. It probably helped that there hasn't been a major Calamity in Rio since seventeen years ago, so none of the houses have been considerably destroyed.

"Get her! I don't care what happens to her, but don't wreck the package!"

She rolled her eyes and climbed faster. For all she knew, that insulin was probably stolen from some rich snob or some other gang. Why does it matter if she used it for her own purposes? It would probably be better used than whatever they planned for it. All she had to do was get back home before she gets scolded by her avó for breaking curfew again. Felícia knew that she can go home in a heartbeat, but she wanted to enjoy herself today.

"If you think you can catch me, think again!" They were fools if they thought otherwise.

This enraged the entire gang, judging by the increased clanging noises coming from the rooftops. At last, she found herself in a small corner with two clotheslines above and ringed by three houses, neither of which had any doors or windows or easily found handholds on her side. A quick search revealed a few small crates that could be used to climb onto the clotheslines. However, there was a minor issue.

"So, this is where it ends for you."

Her pursuers, to her surprise, had caught up to her.

"Why would I think that?" She held out her arms. "You're nothing to me. What, who gets smacked in the face with a clothesline?"

The leader's face seemingly popped a vein. "Now listen here, little girl. Give me back what you stole, and I'll promise that you won't get shot in the face."

"Oh really? Do you really have a gun?" Felícia smiled at the leader's increasingly purpling face. "I bet you say that to everyone you threaten. Or you would have if you actually were a threat. Who needs six people to chase a little girl? Oh that's right, you do."

Now she knew she was going to get it. "I wouldn't be saying that. As you said, there's six of us and one of you. I see no way out of here. You're trapped here."

That might be true, but she has a special trick in case anything happened. "I would like to make a correction. You're trapped here."

With that, she pulled out an electrum medallion. The leader pulled out a gun and cocked it in front of her face.

He smirked. "Now you have nothing to say?"

"Actually yes I do." Felícia breathed in deeply. "I want to reshape the world into one where chaos can reign free."

Her medallion enveloped itself instantly in a flash of reddish gold light. She felt her body changing, her limbs becoming longer and a tail growing. Once that was complete, she waited. A second layer, she heard the familiar thud of magnets attracted to her. Thankfully, the gun was partially magnetic as well, ripping itself out of the leader's hand. Taking advantage of the confusion, Felícia socked the leader in the jaw with her amulet and grabbed the gun. Focusing her energy into it, what was once a gun was now chrysanthemums, gracefully falling from her hands. She looked at the gang, all slightly trembling.

"So, who wants to challenge me now?" Felícia settled into a fighting stance, beckoning them with her hand.

It turned out that all of them were dumb enough to rush at Felícia. She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot. Stone gave way to soap. Two of them slid into the nearby wall, knocking them out. Somehow, one of them passed the soap floor and nearly punched her. Felícia dodged and jumped on the clothesline. Holding onto the clothesline, she swung her legs into her opponent's head. He lost his balance and promptly fell victim to the soap floor, joining his friends in a pile. Two of them had surprisingly good balance and used the walls to clamber over. She smirked. Did they think they were going to get to her? Her right arm touched the soap, smooth and sweet smelling. To the two men's surprise, the soap instantly transformed into quicksand, pulling them into the ground. A light tap, and they found themselves sealed in stone. Thankfully, it reformed around them. The leader was shaking in his boots.

"Y-you dare steal from me?" He fumbled around his pockets. "You'll regret this."

Felícia dug in her amulet, pulling out a deck of playing cards. "How about you pick a card?"

"What kind of nonsense-"

"Pick a card."

The confused man picked a card. "Here."

She checked the card. "The King of Spades." She checked the back. "Looks like you drew gold. Pretty valuable, and most people find it pretty to look at. You won't be stuck long."

"Stuck? What the h-"

Before he finished, Felícia snatched the card from his hand, kicked the crates, and threw the card at the crates. The crates transformed themselves into gold, while the gang leader struggled to break himself free.

"Not so much a little girl now, am I?" Felícia left him there while she jumped onto a nearby rooftop.

The sky above was darkening, a bit faster than what Felícia expected. Rio doesn't get much rain in the winter, and it wasn't sunset yet. Ignoring that, Felícia whistled and concentrated on the rooftops. Water condensed, forming a small bluish-white cloud that soon became semi-solid. While she was not opposed to climbing to her house, today she felt like relaxing a little. She hopped on the cloud and the cloud raced across the rooftops. Various colourful windows and doors passed by Felícia, all of which she has seen before. Something caught her eye though. A vulture, watching her intently and flying somewhat close. That was new, though it was most likely nothing. She wasn't as paranoid as her avó, who always glared at strangers and gave the evil eye to those who accidentally crossed her path. Most likely, the vulture just happened to be looking and flying in her general direction.

After a few minutes, she reached her house. A modest house, it was blessed with a balcony and two floors. The family clothesline swayed in the wind. Usually, Felícia found her avó glaring through one of the many shutters and no lights on. Today though, the first-floor lights were on, and the door was slightly ajar. For the first time, Felícia felt as if someone was watching. Rushing through the door, she looked around frantically.

"Avó, why's the door open? Are you alright-huh?"

Her avó cast one of her signature disapproving frowns at Felícia. "Neta shut the door."

She did what her avó asked, shutting the door and locking all five locks behind her. A strange scene unfolded in front of her. Avó was in her wheelchair, her steely gaze never wavering. Next to her was a girl not much older than Felícia, her head buried in Avó's lap and sobbing. The girl's clothes were barely recognizable as clothes, tattered as they were. What was shocking was that Avó was gently stroking the girl's head, her weathered hand running through black matted hair. A current of envy rose within Felícia before she suppressed it. It became replaced by curiosity. Who was this girl? Felícia had never seen her before, and her avó hasn't left her house ever since she could remember. The fact that her avó was comforting the girl meant that she knew this girl somehow. How though? Avó didn't have many friends, and not many of them have granddaughters around Felícia's age.

"Hi," Felícia started. "How do you know my avó?"

The girl ignored her and took off to the washroom.

"Wait, I just want to know-hey!" Felícia felt her tail yanked by Avó. "Why did you do that? I just want to know more about this girl."

"Give her some privacy. It's rude to intrude on others." Avó tsked.

"You aren't very affectionate to other people. What's different about her?"

Avó's brow creased. "She's been through a lot recently, and your habit of interfering will not help at all. All she needs is time, not questions."

Felícia sighed. "Alright, fine." She took out the insulin from the amulet. "I brought back some more insulin." Hopefully, it will be enough for next month.

Inserting the insulin into the needle, she injected the needle into her avó's stomach. "Can you tell me anything about her?"

Her avó sighed. "You are bound to find out somehow, whether I let you or not. An old friend of mine took a girl under his guidance. Apparently, she's come here. If she wishes to give you more answers, it's up to her."

Felícia knew that she wasn't going to get any more answers from her avó. After all the insulin in the needle was drained, she cleaned up, kissed her avó on the cheek, and knocked on the bathroom.

"Sorry about that, but are you alright in there?" No response. "If you are fine, can you tell me why you are here?" No response. "If you need anything, let me know. My avó can't reach the rest of the tissue boxes." No response. "Alright, good night."

As much as Felícia wanted to ask questions, her avó would be setting her a suitable punishment if she did so. She shuddered. Heading upstairs, she swore someone was dashing in front of the window. Latching the shutters tight, she opened her bedroom door. Three days worth of laundry exploded in front of her. Pushing that away, Felícia fell on top of her bed.

"Release me from the chaos and reshape me into normalcy." A smaller light emanated from the medallion, bathing her in its glow. She felt her tail dissipating into thin air, and her arms and legs returned to their normal proportions. At last, she closed her eyes.

When she woke up, the sky above remained an ashen grey. Wiping her eyes, the sky refused to become a proper sky blue. A Calamity? Not out of the question, but Rio hasn't been affected by a Calamity in more than a decade. Felícia's thoughts turned to the girl now probably sleeping in their guest room. Who was this old friend? Why hasn't Avó ever spoken of him? They must have been close, otherwise, Avó would have never taken his ward under her roof. For that matter, why was the girl in tattered rags and her shoes nearly worn out? Where did she come from? All those questions and more buzzed in Felícia's head. Turning the corner, she noticed the door to the guest room slightly ajar. Checking the hallway for any sign of her avó, she knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?"

The door opened. The girl from last night looked at Felícia with red puffy eyes. Her black hair was slightly less of a mess, and she was wearing some of Felícia's clothes that she had outgrown. For some reason, the T-shirt seemed to almost become a dress on her.

ー¿Hola, cómo estás? ーThe girl asked.

ーUh, ¿estoy bien? ーThe girl spoke Spanish?

ーAhh, eso es bueno. ーThe girl smiled a littleー. ¿Cuánto español hablan?

ーSolo un poco, prefiero si hablamos en portugúes.

"Oh." The girl nodded. "I hope that my Portuguese is passable." She brightened up. "Where are my manners? My name is Dulce Catalina Cabrera Vidal, and I'm pleased to make your…acquaintance?"

"Yeah, you're saying it right. If we're going with our full names, I guess I'll share mine. Felícia Luara Nunes Pessegueiro, and you can call my avó Sra. Tanaka. She will slice your head off if you call her anything else."

Dulce's face was drained of colour. "But she is such a caring woman."

Caring is not a word that is normally associated with Avó. "In a manner of speaking, she isn't cutting off heads anytime soon."

"Ah," Dulce seemed to calm down. "I apologise for my conduct last night. I should have said something."

"You had your own stuff to deal with. Who doesn't? Though I'm surprised that Avó was that concerned with your wellbeing."

"I suppose it was because of the understanding between Lǎoshī and Sra. Tanaka." Dulce opened the door wider. "Come in! I can explain more in this…umm, room."

Felícia stepped into the guest room. It was surprisingly clean despite the lack of use throughout the years. Dulce's old clothes were folded neatly on the shelf while her shoes were laid out on the floor. A box made of maple was wedged in the corner. One of the drawers was slightly ajar, and Felícia sneaked a glance at some round object before Dulce shut it tight.

"Sorry, Lǎoshī told me to keep the contents of the box a secret. Anything else is fine."

Felícia smiled. Finally, some answers. "You speak Portuguese fairly well. Who taught you?"

"Lǎoshī! Other than Portuguese, I was also taught French, English, and Chinese. I can understand French, I am…somewhat fluent…in English, and I…speak not much in Chinese. I have never spoken to a native Portuguese speaker so I had no idea if I was good or not." Dulce looked at Felícia. "Am I?"

"Yeah, you are decent, I’ve heard worse. So if your first language is Spanish, are you from another part of Brazil? Or another country?"

"I am from Costa Rica." Her accent is faint.

"That's far away from here."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Yes indeed. It was a wide journey walking here. Sometimes I had people drive me part of the way, and I hitched a boat ride once, but mostly walking."

That explained the condition of her clothes. "Why? Also, it’s long, not wide, and you used the wrong gender for journey. It’s masculine."

"I had a reason." Dulce grimaced. "I'm sorry…this may be a while."

Felícia wanted to say something, but she kept quiet.

"I can do this." She took a deep breath. "Lǎoshī and I lived alone. Sometimes, I would run errands for him, just going to a store and getting certain items. That day, he sent me out for some inkwells. I was in the store for fifteen minutes and left. By the time I came back…by the time I came back, the house was a smoking ruin. I searched for him everywhere, yet when I finally found him…" Dulce teared up. "He was just curled around this maple box. Get away from here, he said, go to Rio. The box, she'll know what it means. I'm glad you're safe and sound…I don't want to lose you. His eyes started to close…I opened up the…first aid kit, tried cardiopulmonary respiration, tried everything. Nothing worked." She planted her face in her legs. "Nada funcionó. Le enterré... si hubiera llegado antes, podría haberle salvado... o si..."

"Stop," Felícia commanded. "You were in the store for fifteen minutes. How long does it take to get home?"

"...twenty minutes."

"Almost an hour then. Even if you barely stayed at the store, you probably wouldn't have reached him in time. Even if you did get home, you probably would have been killed as well." Who killed Dulce's teacher? What does Avó know about this? "I don't know what to say, but I'm sorry for your loss."

"...thanks," Dulce muttered.

Felícia shrugged. "So what's in the box?"

"I wish I could tell you, but Lǎoshī told me to never say a word unless they are trustworthy."

That round object in the box…maybe if Felícia divulged her own secret, that would be helpful. "Your round object, I think I have something similar." She took out her electrum amulet. "Does yours have sections like mine?"

Dulce stared, but a look of recognition flashed across her face.

"The top section says metal." Felícia pointed out the kanji. "The right section means yang and the left section is Yang Metal." She flipped the amulet. "Each of these little symbols is connected to a specific zodiac sign."

Her curiosity piqued, Dulce nodded along. "What is yours?"

Felícia smirked. "How about I show you? Oh, do you have anything magnetic on you?"

Dulce shook her head.

"Then we should be fine. To reshape myself, seek chaos." Felícia grasped the amulet as the familiar sensation took hold.

When it was finished, Dulce was astonished. "What a beautiful sight! How was it done?"

She adjusted the golden circlet on her head. "Say a sentence, and it just comes. It seemed to be connected with whatever I wanted."

"Your eyes, are they-"

"Yeah, they're red."

Dulce nodded. "Why did you ask about magnets?"

"First time I transformed, all of the magnets stuck to me. It took an hour to take off every single one. Oh, and there are two hidden sections." She flipped it to the front. "Bottom section means nine, and the character in the middle means Monkey."

"That explains the monkey tail."

"Yeah, I also turned into a monkey the first time as well. It took a while for Avó to stop trying to hit me with a broom."

Apparently, Dulce was not used to wild animals being shooed away, judging from her expression. "Were you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm already pretty nimble. It wasn't that hard to dodge."

Dulce breathed a sigh of relief. "I understand that we have only known each other for a day, but I believe that Lǎoshī would have chosen to trust you. I will show you my own medallion." She opened the drawer and pulled out a similarly shaped amulet.

Unlike Felícia's amulet, it was not made of electrum. Instead, it was pitch black and looked sharp enough to cut. It was divided into sections, only they were as black as whatever the rest of the medallion was made of. On top was the kanji for earth, the right read yin, and the left was Yin Earth. The centre section was blank and white. Felícia had no clue what the character on the back corresponded to.

"Lǎoshī said that this was the second most important." Dulce looked down. "Apparently…I was the most important."

"Did he tell you how to transform?"

"No, all he mentioned was that I would know when the time-"

It was only a moment, and before Felícia reacted, the window was smashed in by a small figure. Out of instinct, Felícia dove to protect Dulce. With a touch, the sharp glass transformed into harmless bits of sand that coated the floor.

"Who the hell are you and why did you decide to break into my house?" Felícia shouted at the trespasser.

The trespasser gave an impassive look. "This servant is only carrying out the orders of the light. The matter of a mere window is irrelevant."

"You broke into my house, so I think I'm in the right to demand a damn explanation!"

The bird mask of the stranger bobbed with his…her head. "Very well, it is clear you are unaware of my existence. This one has many names. The Great Beacon, the Sun Summoner, the Singer of Metal, the great and powerful Dawnbringer-"

"Why the hell are you here?!"

"You are a rather imprudent monkey. On the day this one was awakened to the truth of the world, a dark and mysterious force was instructed to oppose the light. As a former believer in the dark powers, this one's faith was tested and proven true in conflict with this creature. For two days, this one has harried that foul creature across the great and magnificent ocean that divides our two lands. In the false belief that this one had vanquished it, this servant languished until the sacred fowl informed this one that her assumptions were incorrect. Due to this one's fight, the abomination was directed to this fair city. Its instrument of destruction is fire, which it wields as fireballs that scour the night sky and cause calamity in its wake. The sign of which is the darkening of the sky-"

So the sky darkening wasn't a trick of the light. Then…"You led a fucking Calamity into Rio!? This city hasn't seen a single Calamity since over a decade ago, and now you lead one into the heart of the bay?!" She wasn't supposed to swear, but her avó was in danger. Surely, she can forgive some cursing.

"As this one was saying, the foremost sign of its presence is the dark sky. The moment this one received the message, she sought visions, glimpses of those that could assist her from the heavenly messengers. When this one found you flying high on your misty steed, she knew that you could provide much-needed assistance to the light. To assure victory, this one watched you and this fair lady here."

The vulture, the figure last night. That was her?

"We must hurry. The creature is sure to make landfall today with fire and brimstone in accompaniment." She reached out with her hand. "Trust this one, for if you refuse, this city will be sunken into the mists of time like drowned Venice."

"If you think I would accept your offer after barging into my house, think again."

"Actually, the rooster has a point."

The rooster in question visibly brightened, her tail feathers bristling. "Finally, someone acknowledges this one's talent."

Dulce continued. "Two is better than one when it comes down to taking down..erm, a stronger opponent. I do not know Felícia's strength, or yours, but if the two of you worked together, maybe you can defeat the Calamity. You both gave the same element, do you not?"

Felícia contemplated this. She was never the best at working in a team, and the other girl seemed more interested in her own ego, but as long as they did as needed, it was good enough.

"Fine, I'll help you fix your mistakes on one condition: You don't tell me what to do, I won't tell you what to do as well."

The girl in the bird mask nodded. "This one agrees to your proposal."

Felícia's amulet started glowing, bathing the room in a sea of orange. Symbols flashed against the amulet. All Felícia recalled was a triangle, a square, and a circle with a wiggly line before it returned to normal.

"It is a sign. We must depart!"

It probably wasn't, Felícia thought. She didn’t know what was happening with her amulet, but a sense of familiarity washed over her.

----------------------------------------

Despite Dulce's proclamations, her feet started to hurt. Felícia pulled herself to the tree. A kick with her heel made Felícia grit her teeth in pain, but her feet sank into the mud all the same. In front of her, the sky was alight with fireballs and the clanging of metal. Although Felícia noted that the various steel columns inside the creature are melting in the heat. Her feet are starting to hurt less, the soothing sensation doing what it was supposed to do. Next to her, Dulce was staring at her amulet. What is it that you want, Felícia wanted to say, what do you want the most in the whole world? What Felícia wanted was to fight, yet her body refused that command.

"...where is she?" Dulce asked.

Felícia scanned the sky, leaning on her right foot. There was no sign of the other girl. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard the telltale singing in a while.

ー¡El gallo!

As much as Felícia barely liked the other girl, even she wouldn't have wished harm on her. Cursing in pain, she forced herself to keep running. A small pile of feathers seemed to be heading in her direction. Catching her, Felícia set her down immediately. Dulce was not far behind, checking the other girl over.

"...this one is fine. Do not worry," The other girl stated as the smell of burnt feathers wafted. "The feathers shall grow back into their full finery."

Dulce looked at the sky, the soot and smoke staining it black. "There is no possible way to win. We should go home, say goodbye to Sra. Tanaka-"

"No!" Something about her defeated attitude re-energized the other girl. "If we give up now, we'll leave thousands to a fiery end. Should we accede to submission, this creature shall end the cities of beautiful Brazil much like Rio today. When we meet our ends, do you wish that burden upon your soul?"

"Great speech," Dulce murmured. "But I question how we are supposed to accomplish this."

"Your amulet," Felícia stood up, despite the massive pain. "Back home, you said two is better than one. Well, the three of us can easily defeat that. I find it hard to believe that someone like you, who travelled across the Americas for the promise of shelter, would have nothing that drives you. Your teacher believed in you, for whatever reason."

Dulce nodded. "I do not know if this will succeed." She traced her fingers on the amulet. "All I have ever wanted was a simple life, learning from Lǎoshī, drawing, giving back to the community, and helping people when needed. Now more than ever, I want to rise above, above the obstacles and challenges that I face. I need to be resilient to face all that is to come."

Nothing happened.

Dulce shrugged. "That was a good-"

The amulet exploded. For a brief second, the three girls were awash in black and white. Finally, Felícia thought.

The moment her feet lifted off the ground, Felícia wondered if all transformations had a side effect. The tree that she was leaning on earlier was uprooted, as well as some of her neighbours' houses. Multiple shirts, free of their lines, floated like birds. When she looked down, almost all of her neighbourhood was suspended in the air, ripped out of the earth. The other girl was visibly in shock and trying to swim through the air.

"Meeeeeé."

She looked at the origin of the sound. There was a sheep flailing around, its white wool a stark contrast against the black sky. Grabbing onto a branch, she dove in and caught the sheep in her arms.

"Meeeeeeeé." The sheep looked at Felícia.

"Dulce?"

"Meeeé."

"Well, alright then. Keep us in the air, I'm pretty sure that sudden contact with the ground will kill everyone. Do you know how to become a human?"

Dulce shook her head. "Meeeeé."

"It's simple. Think of yourself as a human. Imagine hair instead of fluffy wool, or something like that."

She took Felícia's advice to heart, for no sooner was Felícia done speaking that she felt a comfortable sensation in her hands. White wool, attached to a human arm. Dulce stared back, her white hair billowing with her large cloak.

"I guess it worked?" She asked.

Felícia nodded. "So, ready?"

"Yes." She took out a small paintbrush. "I remember using this."

"I'll leave you to it."

As a house swung into view, Felícia grabbed onto the clothesline and used it for momentum onto another clothesline. The other girl had apparently recovered, judging from the loud chanting that seemed to fill Felícia's ears. Felícia herself summoned the little cloud and hopped on after enough clotheslines. The towering creature was unaffected, its feet firmly rooted. Guiding the nimbus upwards, she spied the other girl forcing metal girders around the molten legs. The titan called forth more meteors from above, but they were suspended in midair. Felícia grinned, grabbing a few cards from her amulet and speeding along next to the creature. As she moved, she noticed Dulce on one of the buildings drawing something with her paintbrush. Interestingly enough, the ink hung in the air. With her other free hand, Dulce flicked and the meteors soared upwards into the sky.

Coming close to the creature's head, Felícia let loose a barrage of mud and sand. With another card, she transmuted it into stone.

"Heh, it'll never see me coming."

Something about Dulce's transformation set her mind running. While she never tried it, maybe she possessed the power of magnetism. Swinging back to the other girl, she tapped on her shoulder.

"Hm? Why are you here?" The rooster's mask reflected the light of the fireballs.

"I need to ask you a favour." For her idea, Felícia needed to work with this girl, crazy as she is. "Can you make some iron rods?"

"Oh? This one made the agreement upon the condition, insisted upon by the monkey, that her business would not be interfered with."

"I am not-"

"Very well, then this one has her own terms to dictate in the future. What are your designs regarding the rods?"

"Stick them in that monster, see if I can attract other magnetized objects, and maybe ask Dulce if she can draw something."

"What makes one think that she can execute this design?"

"You know how everything lifted in the air once Dulce transformed? For me, anything that was magnetic was attracted to me. I might be able to harness this."

"A risky design, but one with no failures should we succeed. Very well, this one will produce the needed rods."

The other girl started singing again. The air shimmered as iron rods took on shape. At that moment, Dulce appeared cradling a goat horn and holding her paintbrush in one hand.

"What are these for?" She asked.

After a quick explanation, she nodded. "If I draw a fence, it may delay it long enough for you to enact your plan. As for where…the bay perhaps?"

Felícia agreed. Directing the little cloud to the bay, she loosed most of her deck in the bay. Two iron rods erupted out of the surface of the water. She tested with a gentle nudge. They stuck together. Satisfied, Felícia looked up-and found the giant starting to break free of the fence, a molten fist emerging from the paint coming off of the fence. Calling for her cloud, she zoomed in front of the giant.

"Hey! You there!"

The fist stopped trying to grasp Dulce, whose cloak seemed to be unharmed.

"How about we play a game? Just you and I, a little game?" Felícia grinned. "Pick a card. If you draw Hearts or Diamonds, you'll remain trapped. If you draw Clubs or Spades, I’ll free you.” Although in the battle she wasn’t able to touch the creature without being severely burned, she trusted that it would be easily visible.

Though there was no sign of acknowledgement, the hand reached out and delicately touched one of the cards. Before it burnt to a crisp, Felícia read the card the creature picked.

“The Ace of Clubs. A deal’s a deal. Dulce, ¡borras el valla!”

Dulce did as asked, while the other girl looked askance at her.

“What are you doing?” She asked Felícia.

“Just trust me.” She whispered into the rooster’s ear

Soon, the fiery creature was freed, surprisingly docile to the girls. Felícia watched Dulce painting and motioned with her hand to the creature to the bay. The other girl followed, softly warbling all the while.

The water sizzled inside the bay, with steam clouding Felícia’s face. Her cloud trembled, apparently not used to near-boiling temperatures. Dulce was working on the finishing touches, and the other girl was waiting patiently, holding a few cards in her hand.

“Alright, so there is a prize at the bottom of the bay. Go grab it, and I’ll let you go.”

The creature lumbered outwards, with steam following in its wake. Felícia trailed behind, watching the surface of the water. At the deepest part of the bay, it lunged downwards, presumably in an attempt for the prize. Above her, the rooster is watching with interest, hanging off of a floating staircase. The creature’s body is starting to cool off, its hands and legs sizzling into solid rock. With only the back having any sort of blaze, Felícia floated closer to the back.

She almost wished a prize was at the bottom of the bay, and snapped her fingers.

The cards whistled in the air as they spun, Felícia brushing her fingers against them. In an instant, small fireworks exploded above the creature's head. The sudden rising of the head prompted the other girl to cry out. The metal rods impaled the giant through the chest provoking a roar and a vicious swipe. The girl jumped and kicked the stone hand. Felícia realized that there were spurs on the back of the girl's shoes, sharp and pointed. They formed a small crack in the creature, who released a bellow of pain. Watching it trying to remove the rods, Felícia descended below the surface of the bay. The iron rods barely breached the surface. She held onto it with her hands, focusing her willpower into the two rods. Above, the towering giant was fighting the rooster and Dulce when it seemingly lost its balance, but she knew better. Urging the cloud up, they breached the surface with water droplets clinging to her hair and clothes. Attracted by the rods in the ocean, the rods in the giant propelled themselves to them. Felícia moved to the side as a wave of water rose from the giant. She smirked when she looked at its face. The stone melded with the rest of it, rendering it blind. Hopefully, that gave enough time for Dulce. She zoomed around the titan.

"How does it feel to be tricked by a teenager? Actually wait, three teenagers." Felícia held up three fingers. "Can you see my fingers? No? How come? Is that because your face is covered with stone now?"

She heard grumbling beneath the waves. It heard her. Dulce was still putting the finishing touches.

"So you can hear me still? Tell me, why are you here? Surely not to fight teenagers, since you are doing a terrible job of it."

There was no sound.

"Oh nothing huh? Now-"

A hand grasped Felícia, with the cloud disappearing into mist. Her feet are throbbing again.

ー¡Ahora Dulce!

She needed to escape first. The giant's hand is forming a fist, but the space is large enough for moving around. She wasn't able to squeeze through any of the gaps between fingers as a human, but…as a monkey she can. The only problem is how. Is it the same as transforming? Probably not, otherwise, she would have transformed into one the ten times she used the amulet after the first time. She tried to imagine herself as a monkey. One with dark brown hair and a tail and–

A soothing feeling overcame her. When she lifted her hands, they were decidedly hairier and rougher. Her tail was larger now. She scurried towards the gap between the index and middle fingers. Finally free, just enough time for Dulce's massive net to start falling towards Felícia. Dulce was floating on a beam, her paintbrush tracing a faint shape around the giant. Felícia summoned the nimbus, who obeyed her immediately. Dulce was nice enough to leave tiny holes, which Felícia happily sped through.

The shape was now complete, so Dulce floated upwards on her ladder. Felícia tried to speak, but all that came out was screeching sounds. She popped back as a human a few seconds later.

"Do you know what's going to happen?" She asked Dulce.

"I do not know, but it would be best to be a safe distance away," replied Dulce.

The shape was now a gaping square maw, swallowing the giant, the net, and a decent amount of seawater. Dulce erased it quickly. Heading back to the city, Felícia dismissed the cloud. Dulce was reassembling the favela, and the rooster was watching the horizon.

"I never had the time to ask, but you mentioned you came across the ocean. You from Portugal?" Felícia asked.

"No, this one is not from the sun-kissed lands of Iberia, despite this one's proficiency in both of their tongues. This one is from a beautiful land of rich wine, passionate love, and bright summers."

"France?"

Felícia swore the girl beamed as bright as the sun. "Oui."

"You know, you were pretty alright for someone who led a Calamity here and broke my window."

"And this one would speak to your skills and quick mind despite your ill-tempered character. Now, this one believes that a fair lady seeks your attention."

Dulce waved at Felícia, only for the other girl to take her hand.

“It was a pleasure serving the will of the light alongside you, and this one finds you much amicable and of great power.” The rooster leaned in and kissed Dulce’s hand.

Dulce blushed red. ーU-uh-uh, gracias.

ーDe nada. ーThe other girl just smiled.

They just met, what right did that girl have to kiss her hand? Felícia rolled her eyes. The gall of that girl.

A few minutes later, she was walking with Dulce back to her home. Dulce's spirits seemed to be lifted, her two black strands bouncing with her smiles. Felícia noticed sheep ears where Dulce's ears would usually be.

"You know, the three of us make a great team. It has been a while since I have talked with anyone without fear, and I would like to be with you and the Dawnbreaker." Dulce mentioned.

"Thanks for the sentiment."

"You know, there is another item that Lǎoshī gave me. A…world map with many dots. No labels, maybe you can help? Am I saying this right?"

“Probably where the others are located. Was France on the map? And yes, you’re getting slightly better.” Are all of the French as crazy as the other girl?

“From what I…remember, yes But you can help!”

Her smile was beaming and deeply genuine. To explore the world, outside of her little empire…A tempting thought, but-

"Sorry, but Avó needs me."

"Of course! It is important to attend to family. The Sun Summoner and I will be here for a day or so." With that, Dulce walked off. "Tell your abuela to not worry about me!"

"I will!"

Calling up the cloud again, she commanded it towards her house. There, she was startled by her avó staring. Three suitcases were packed and Avó's room was empty.

"Avó, what-"

"Neta." Avó straightened up. "Go with the girls, Dulce and the other one. I have to leave this house. Don't worry about me." She kissed Felícia's forehead. "Go."

"Why-" The shutters were shut in her face.

What was going on? Felícia was about to leave when she spotted an unfamiliar object attached to her house. Upon closer inspection, it was a thin black antenna. At the tip was a blinking hot pink light. Felícia glanced around. There was no one nearby, animal or human. A single touch and peaches tumbled at her feet. Felícia took a bite out of one and placed the rest on the cloud. Away she flew, yet questions danced in her mind.

Who placed that antenna on her house, and why?