NOTE: This chapter takes all the scenes from Leic and Dimentia's side-plot in The Spiritverse. Essentially, this is a Leic-centered chapter as far as the Negaverse goes.
The First Church of Arceus (Play "Our Eternal Land" from Xenoblade 2!)
A young angel in a white robe and bluish-black hair raced up a towering stairwell, extending for miles above the Spirit World's surface. The hard stone of the stairs felt warm and welcoming under the angel's bare feet. The great structure was nearing closer and closer beyond the stairs: an enormous cathedral marked with a great statue of Arceus. Just staring at it gave one a sense of serenity, their very souls soothing. The chorus of hundreds of robed spirits flowed throughout the air, making all souls feel warm and welcome.
The young angel panted after finally reaching the top of the stairs. Before him was a vast courtyard. Circles of worshippers knelt before Arceus's statue in prayer. Otherwise, visitor spirits were roaming around, and angel guards were patrolling. White torches lit the courtyard. Miles beyond the church, the Spear Pillar towered to the heavens.
The angel saw the man he was looking for, beaming as he ran to him. "Mr. Landers!" The adult angel stopped, turning calmly toward the boy. Ash Landers had white hair and a butler uniform that went beautifully with his wings. He also had amethyst eyes. "Mr. Landers, I brought a gift for God Arceus!" He held up a golden wrapping shaped like the god in question. "It's chocolate!"
"Lord Balder is with Arceus today. They're probably quite busy."
"But you promised I would get to meet Arceus if I made it back." The boy frowned sadly.
"Patience, Leic. You'll have your chance some day."
"Mmmm…"
On the opposite end of the courtyard were stairs leading to an outdoor nave, where people sat at the pews as Father Amalthus, a blue-skinned man with long ears and white hair, spoke. "In the beginning, hundreds of small worlds existed in nothing, but their instability and fragility caused them to collapse. But, from their remains, from the fragments of scattered chi, an egg appeared. And from that egg hatched God Arceus. Arceus created Dialga and Palkia, and established the movement of Time, as well as the open Space on which they would build their universe. Then, Arceus created Palutena and Medusa, to establish the eternal law that was Balance, the Good and Evil which would clash within the universe. It was stated that all beings need a Balance, a second being to counter them, and thus, the Negaverse was built. But just as all beings needed a parallel to Balance them, so did Arceus. And so, the Demon King Demise was born."
The interior of the church's center was an entire sub-dimension of stars and planets, and a stairway of white light would carry one up to Arceus himself. Divine Leader Balder stood before the Supreme God. "Still doubting the Spirit KND's potential, Balder? Hm hm hm… I know their top priority is not to serve us, but they follow the example set by the heroes in the Mortal World. They and you were once alive, and they have not forgotten what drove them."
Balder didn't respond for a moment. He knew Arceus would favor their side. It saddened him… somewhat… "I honored you for one million years. From the day I was born, to the day of my death, to every day after that… I prayed to you, and you never answered… and when you finally return to us… you were just so complicated. Your hatred was powerful… your orders were, 'Destroy the mortals, destroy them'… and that's exactly what I did. The Negatar was the primary perpetrator who led the mortals to wrong you… and that's why, on that day, I invaded the Negaverse. All to please you. You don't understand the pain I felt… when you rescinded your orders."
Arceus closed his eyes. "I have sinned… Balder… and compelled my children to sin. Even in my scattered form… somehow, I heard the voices of my followers, the prayers… yet, my scattered emotions prevented me from truly listening. I was a terrible god, Balder. And that's why, after the KND set me straight, I ordered Dialga to lock me in a Stasis Bubble. For one billion years, I floated in that bubble, in sheer loneliness. I was completely deaf to all the prayers, and blind to the beautiful cosmos I had created. That was my punishment for attacking the mortals who were kind enough to revive me. Of course, only a day passed in real time. Although I did not deserve the prayers of the universe, I was not about to abandon it for such a long time. But after all was said and done, I am glad I returned to hear your prayers. I am truly grateful to have you, Balder…"
"And I am grateful to you… for creating us. I truly love this universe you have created… I am just irritated by the people inside it. So many mortals do not appreciate the natural gifts they have… some are arrogant to think they do not need the gods. And some act so irresponsibly and childish. But I know this Balance, this darkness… is necessary for their everlasting growth."
"Yes… mortals and spirits alike will continue to sin. But so long as they are capable of sin… they can persevere, learn, and grow. …Oh, but it seems someone would like to give me something." His eyes flashed.
To Balder's surprise, Leic Spirithive appeared beside him with a teleport. "Wah! W-Where am…OH! God Arceus!" The child beamed brightly. "Here! I brought you a gift!"
"What in the… Arceus! How could you just bring this boy in here?! He hasn't even got shoes, and this robe is so shabby!"
"What's wrong with no shoes?" Leic asked. "Most of the gods are naked! Haha, and Arceus only wears that gold ring thing!"
"Hm hm! It is all right, Balder. I do love a good chocolate~" Arceus used telepathy to raise the chocolate sculpture, unwrapping as it flew all the way to his enormous mouth. He chewed it with a delighted expression. "Ahhhh… so delicious." Divine tears escaped from his eyes. "This… is what I missed about the universe. Oh, how I loved Yosafire's apple pies. I must visit her… and hope I get to try one again…"
"My Lord…" Balder sighed.
"Oh…and Balder? You know of Dimentia, correct? I need you to inform her of something…" (End song.)
Castle Hell
The Spirit KND regrouped in the castle as Nolan and Dimentia recapped the incident to Death the Kid. "Skull Face… Tower of Babel… a parasite that developed from a Zanpakutō… is it even possible?"
"We have to do something about this!" Nolan stated. "Whatever those parasites are, there have to be a few of us that can destroy them and save the victims! They should technically be spirits if they came from a Zanpakutō!"
"We can't without the proper investigating. What if the parasites are ordered to kill the people immediately if we get too close? What if the parasites are linked to their life force? Even trying to capture Skull Face is a risk in that regard, especially if he's now holding Jirachi as a hostage!"
"But Skull Face also said they were made with Sound Chi. Remember what happened during the Pirate War? What if Sugar hosted a musicbending concert that all the patients heard, would the parasites be defeated by that? If her musicbending could reverse the effects of timebending, then surely…"
"That's certainly a possible solution, but it also brings attention to another concern. If Skull Face is targeting the Tower of Babel, he'll need the Firstborn Meloetta. No doubt, his accomplices will try to capture her. We should make a plan to find and protect Meloetta."
"We should also probably guard the Tower of Babel." Dimentia suggested.
"Balder mentioned that the tower was impenetrable without the Lost Voices." Nolan replied. "What are those?"
"The Lost Voices," Kid answered, "are the languages of four, very ancient civilizations that once worshipped Meloetta. They submitted their very own languages as the keys to the Tower of Babel, ultimately losing their ability to speak them. Now, those Voices are hidden in four hidden sanctuaries across the Spirit World."
"Pretty much falls in line to what Skull Face was saying. But in that case, we should probably secure them along with Meloetta. Skull Face's minions probably know where-"
"YOU will do no such thing."
They faced the entrance: Divine Angel Balder marched into the office. The head of the angel boy, Leic hung upside-down outside the office door, having followed Balder out of child-like curiosity.
Balder stood on the right of Nolan and Dimentia. "Mr. York, do not think I can't see into your heart. I was listening to the whole conversation, including Skull Face's suggestion that the Tower of Babel could restore their voices. You wish to unite the Lost Voices and open the tower."
"I already know he's trying to trick me!"
"And yet, you feel there is truth to his words. You feel that as long as you can stop him, you can safely use the tower. But such a risk is too dangerous. I, for one, do not believe that Skull Face's ability could destroy their voices, ergo there is no need to open the tower. If we do, then we risk the languages altogether, and there will be mass panic and chaos. We cannot open the tower for a second with such a risk. Vermin like Skull Face will not have their way. And speaking of vermin… Dimentia, I come bearing a message from His Lordship, God Arceus."
"A message?"
"Recently, Arceus has picked up a scent akin to the Daemonis, lurking around various planets in the Mortal World."
"A Daemonis?!"
"He wasn't sure if it was a Daemonis per se, but the scent is very similar. But he believes the duty should fall to you to see them dealt with."
"I'll get right to it immediately."
"But whatever it is, I can't help but wonder if your very being here is what attracted them to begin with. After all, isn't the usage of your chi what attracts them?"
"I only used a little bit when Skull Face attacked us."
"But you also sent a weapon to the Mortal World, did you not?"
"That used chi that was borrowed from Palkia, even though it was made with Phoenios tech."
"Be that as it may, the point is that your being here is a danger to this universe and it would be better not to have you around. After all, you were already abusing Jirachi for the longest time, and no one could do anything about it. What stopped you from attacking my homeland? I lived nearly one million years ago, during which time you had already developed your empire. I was among the many adults you mindlessly slaughtered in your pitiful quest."
Dimentia bit her lip, struck by this sudden revelation. Upon thorough examining… "You were one of the Lumen preachers… The ones trying to make children worship the gods…"
"My ways of teaching may have been strict, but they were not deserving of death, not that it mattered to you. No matter how much you think you changed, you're as big a menace as you were on that day!"
With a swift motion, his two-ended sword was drawn, one of them slashing through Dimentia and suspending a child in the air. Nolan recognized it as Dimentia's younger self in jester clothes, no different than what Valentine had done moments ago… and yet, Dimentia looked upon the child with confusion. "Who is… that?"
Balder twirled the weapon and forced the child back into Dimentia again. "My Zanpakutō can strip a person's early years of memory and make them embody physical form, their age relative to the amount of years taken. I wanted to remind you of the harm you caused to this universe. You should know that the gods are still very angry about that incident that occurred on the Noah. It is not only the fault of the Daemonis, but your superiors for not keeping a better eye on them."
"I was angry about it, too! But it wasn't my fault that they-"
"And now we are expected to rely on YOU to keep them at bay. Mark my words, if this 'Daemonis' causes too much damage and you are unable to stop it, I will see to it you are not welcome here again!"
Balder then faced Nolan and immediately continued, "And as for you, Mr. York, neither you nor your Spirit KND are allowed to get anywhere near the Lost Voices. My Divine Angels will protect them from Skull Face's forces and subsequently bring them to justice, but should we catch you in the area, you will be thrown into the Fog of Lost Souls."
"My friends were turned to statues, and my living friends are being poisoned, I need to stop them!"
"My orders are final. Kid, I expect you to keep them under control. Good day to you all." And with that, Balder turned—the Spirit Kids peeping into the room quickly retracted their heads, looking totally nonchalant as Balder marched out of the room. Once he was outside, the angel spread his wings and flew back to the Spirit World.
"Sigh…just stand down for now, Nolan." Kid sighed. "We can at least make a plan to secure Meloetta… provided he allows."
Nolan sighed with a grumble, stepping out of the room with Dimentia. "I… should probably get going." Dimentia said somberly. "What are you going to do?"
"Probably sulk for a bit, then go against orders."
"Hm-hm. Well, whatever happens, I hope you can stop Skull Face. I'm sorry I couldn't help, but… Balder is right. Interfering with the 'Fate' of this universe gives rise to Chaos, unless the Daemonis were interfering as well."
"Then you'd better stop them from interfering. Don't forget, Dimentia, we're still KND at heart. Protecting the people of this universe is our duty."
"Yeah… it is."
Gates of Heaven
Dimentia left the Underworld and stood by the Spirit World's gates to recollect herself. Beside her, a chibi being with blue shiny hair and white garb similar to hers appeared. "We mustn't waste time. We must focus our minds and locate the being Balder spoke of." the mini male said in a calm voice.
"I know, but… I'm just tired of always being forced back to my past, meeting people that won't let me forget."
"I hope Arceus will give him a good talking later."
"Yeah, like a talking ever really taught anybody."
"Who are you talking to?"
"YAH!" Dimentia yelped and whipped around. A young angel boy in an oversized white robe was staring up at her with an innocent expression, his cute head tilted, hands behind his back, and his feet crossed like a triangle. "Oh, hi there. …Haha, you're a pretty quiet boy if you could sneak up on me."
"I hid my chi! I kinda followed Balder from the church and eavesdropped on you guys. All that stuff he said was pretty mean. I hope you aren't too hurt."
"Well, I appreciate the consideration. But it's okay, I'm fine."
"That's good. Y'know, you remind me of someone I know. Kinda, sorta. Want some chocolate?" He held up a candybar.
"Sure, I didn't eat much at the party." Dimentia picked it up. "…Hey, wanna see a cool trick?" She focused power and turned the bar into a rabbit, then a duck.
"Wooow!" The child's eyes brightened. "That's like instant arts and crafts!"
Dimentia proceeded to eat the chocolate. "Anyway, I have to go. Thanks."
"Wait!" The boy grabbed her shirt. "You're gonna go fight an evil monster, right? Let me come with you!"
"This job is kinda dangerous for a kid."
"But I'm a Spirit Operative! A highly trained one, too. Look what my Zanpakutō can do: Pacify, Flutterwing!" He drew a sword as it transformed into a colorful butterfly shape, placing it to Dimentia's chest.
Butterflies fluttered out of her being as she felt herself laugh from a tickly feeling. "Hahahaha! I actually feel kinda better!"
"I could feel you were tense, so I turned your negative emotions into butterflies. They're gonna come back after a while, but a moment of laughter makes the soul healthy. I can turn spirits and energy into butterflies, too!"
"That's nice, but this job still might be too dangerous for you."
"But I gotta come! My friends just got done with a really hard war, so I can't let some monster ruin everything. At least let me tag along and watch you. You look cool!"
"Hehehe…" Hearing praise from an innocent boy felt refreshing after her previous talk. "Well… I guess in case some dark spirits try to attack, you can help me fight."
"What?!" yelled the chibi man. "Dimentia, this boy can't come along! This mission is totally out of his league, and besides, he's…"
"It should be fine if we're not keeping him from some major event. You're not busy with anything else, are you?"
"Nothing but the norm!" He cheered. "So, were you talking to someone?"
"Oh, I was talking to Plex. He's a voice in my head."
"Imaginary Friends are fun! My name is Leic Spirithive. So, where are we going?"
"Let me see…" Dimentia and Plex focused their minds, sensing for an aura that could resemble a Daemonis. "…I'm seeing a planet… whose upper hemisphere is covered in clouds, with a big tree at the very top. It's Mira!"
"Okay!" Leic happily climbed onto Dimentia's shoulders. "To Planet Mira we go!"
"No, you are not coming." Plex climbed up her left and tugged on his robe. "Off. Get off." He tried to slap him. "No children allowed."
"No offense, Plex, but traveling alone isn't the law of this universe. And I kind of prefer someone 'present.'"
"Then why don't we send one of our own to help, they'll certainly be more qualified!"
"They can handle their own problems. This universe is my home and it's my job to protect it, no matter what Balder says. In fact, for the sake of saving a bit of energy… Leic, can you Descend us down to Mira?"
"Sounds like a plan." Leic focused his chi and called forth a ray of light, carrying himself and Dimentia to the Mortal World.
Planet Mira; Gormott
The northern hemisphere of Mira was covered entirely by a sea of clouds. From these clouds were born the Alrest Titans, tremendous creatures that reached continental size and developed life. The Titans, like benders, were blessed by the gods with elements, so Titans were born with different topographical features. These Titans would produce blue gems called Core Crystals, which were designed to bond with worthy mortals and conjure a being known as a Xenoblade. A Blade would fight alongside their master and lend them power; for this reason, very few on this planet were given element bending, as they could awaken a Blade for such power.
"Those are the basics for this part of the planet." Dimentia said to Leic after they had landed in a forest. "This particular Titan we're on is Gormott. By the looks of things, it was given Plant Chi, so it's abundant with forests and grasslands."
"So, if people aren't born with bending, they can just get one of these Blade thingies?" Leic asked, enjoying the feel of the grass on his soles.
"No, the catch is that only natives to this planet can use Blades. And even then, not everyone is worthy of having one. It's basically 'random chance element bending.' Honestly, it sounds kind of annoying. It's like those card games where people buy a bunch of packs, hoping for a rare card."
"Does that mean there are super rare Blades?!" Leic exclaimed, fists balled and eyes bright. "I bet it would be super fun to finally find one! I sure wish I could use Blades!"
"He's one to look at the bright side, isn't he?" Plex commented, the chibi man looking away. "?! Dimentia, look!"
Dimentia turned with a gasp, and when Leic looked as well, they were being approached by a horde of Skelo-Bunnits. Bunnits were rabbit-like creatures native to the planet, with large tails to hold weapons, but these walking corpses possessed a deathly white aura and glowing eyes. "This chi… There's something otherworldly about their chi."
"I would say they fall into our legal boundaries." Plex said.
"Leic, get ready to battle!"
"Aye-aye, Captain! Whoops, hehe, keep thinking we're still fighting pirates!" Leic blushed. (Play "Gormott Day" from Xenoblade 2!)
Stage D-1: Gormott
Mission: Find the source of these strange creatures!
The Bunnits extended their skeletal tails to whip the duo from afar. Dimentia grabbed one's tail, whirled, and smashed it into another, and when two Bunnits charged her directly, she shot them with Space Arrows. One Bunnit dodged and leapt to bite her fist, but she slammed it to the ground and kicked it away. Leic released a swarm of butterflies from his sword to confuse the creatures, and enough stabs were able to change the spirits into butterflies as well. With the Bunnits dealt with, they hurried into the forest. Dimentia could sense the giant, skeletal toads lurking under the marshes, so she shot arrows to scare them out of hiding.
One of the Skelo-Brogs caught Leic on its tongue and pulled him into the corpse. The Brog began giggling with all the butterflies in its tummy, and was doomed to become one itself. Meanwhile, Dimentia defended from the second one's ramming jumps and dispersed it after enough shots. Reaching the larger swamp, Dimentia sensed one more Brog behind the large tree in the center, so she launched an arrow straight through the tree to destroy the living corpse. "Leic, let's go up there." Dimentia focused gravity onto the tree and pulled them onto it.
"Woooow! Walking up a tree is much more refreshing than flying!" Leic laughed, racing up ahead of Dimentia and winding around the trunk. Skelo-Gogols (gorillas) bellowed and blew down boulders made of their chi. Leic protected Dimentia by turning the boulders into butterflies (butter-fying), leaving the woman to shoot the apes in the heads. They made it onto the upper branches as Leic skipped upside-down along the underside of a branch. Dimentia took the right-side-up path, and skeletal eagles were swooping up or down from either direction, meaning the two were in charge of defending their side of the branch.
The end of the branch aimed at a ledge on the canyon wall, but a huge gap separated them from it. Dimentia pulled Leic up and carried him as she gave a running start, building up terrific speed to make the grand leap to the cliff. Leic cheered for joy as they flew and landed, but they happened upon a nest of three Skelo-Pippito. The Pippito were small and resembled ferrets, but their speed was insane as neither Dimentia nor Leic were able to hit them.
Instead, Dimentia launched some arrows around to form a circle, sealing them all inside a barrier. She ordered Leic to get down and curl up, and afterwards, she willed Space Lightning to completely fill up that barrier. The lightning touched everywhere except where Leic was; two of the Pippito were destroyed, but one tried to stay safe in Leic's zone. With an innocent smile, Leic kicked the creature into the shock zone. Dimentia disabled the Nega-Zone as they followed a path between a canyon.
There were bone-made watchtowers and fences being manned by Skelo-Tirkin (birdlike creatures). The tower Tirkin launched Bone Arrows, and land Tirkin were charging directly. Leic used Thief Style to nimbly evade their shots and slash the Tirkin until they butter-fied, while Dimentia shot the tower Tirkin from afar. Once all the birds were fallen, they continued through the canyon. They reached a slightly open area with some trees and bushes… and saw an impish figure in a black hood with bone designs on it.
"What… is that?!" Her bow ready, Dimentia marched up to the creature. "YOU! Are you the one creating all these-" When the creature turned, it was revealed to be Roger the Alien, his garb gray and black. "…things?"
"WHOA, settle down there, Katniss!" Roger remarked. "My name is Vyander Stringeater, a mysterious drifter who sells Halloween costumes made from demon fur."
"We almost thought you were one of the monsters!"
"Actually, I modeled this costume after this lady I ran into in the woods."
"A lady?! Where is she now?!"
"Beats me." Roger shrugged. "But I would stay away from her, she looks like some kind of addict. Heh, she tried to suck on me like some vampire, and I…heh, let's just say my body didn't agree to that."
Sharing a worried glance with Leic, Dimentia bypassed Roger, crossing another canyon that ended at a ledge overlooking the Cloud Sea. To their left, beyond the cliffside, was the vast grassland of Gormott Plains.
The two had already seen this while Descending onto the planet, but Gormott resembled a gargantuan giraffe with long horns on its head. As they Grav-Walked along the cliffside, Dimentia and Leic were attacked by Skelo-Quadwings, which resembled four-winged owls. Once they were in range of the corner of the field, Dimentia held onto Leic and made the running leap, falling the great distance, the wind brushing them powerfully, until the rush of adrenaline abruptly stopped once they hit the ground.
There was a pack of skeletal lions pursuing a group of Gormotti children (the Gormotti were humanoid with cat ears, light clothing, and long nails). Dimentia stuck an arrow into the ground and quickly shot arrows at the kids to warp them beside her. Once safe out of the lions' grasp, the kids looked with surprise as the strange woman ran to battle the monsters. Dimentia pulled her bow apart into twin swords to clash with the lions' boney claws, slashing one's head off, then kicking another near Leic as he butter-fied it. Dimentia flipped above the third lion and stabbed its spine, but Leic soothed its pain with a butter-fy.
"Dimentia, I feel a strong presence at the top of Gormott's head." Plex pointed. "Let's head that way quickly!"
"You heard him, Leic! Er, I guess you didn't." The duo raced across the Gormott Plains, slashing down any Skelo-Bunnits that tried to ambush from the grass. A gigantic Skelo-Gogol shook the earth as it charged at them, whirling its bulbous fist to smash down on Dimentia. The woman raised both arms to keep the fist uplifted, while the Gogol tried to smash Leic with its other fist. Leic was swift in dodging it, racing up the beast's arm to shoot butterflies into its face. The beast sneezed from the tickly butterflies, but had accidentally released Dimentia from its fist, the woman slashing its foot off. She leapt above and impaled its back with arrows, and enough damage allowed Leic to butter-fy it.
The two raced down the hill to an oasis, slashing down Skelo-Brogs. "YOW!" Leic's foot was bit by a Skelo-Piranhax under the shallow water, and Dimentia quickly shot the beast off. She sensed more of the piranhas underwater and formed another arrow circle, and when the piranhas swam inside, she willed them to be crushed inside their own gravity. Once past the oasis, they Grav-Walked up another cliff to get onto the middle-back of Gormott, from which they could make the journey up the giraffe's neck.
Gormott's neck was segmented into layers of cliffs, each of which had its own grass field. One field was absolutely frolicking with Bunnits, but they were running from the monstrous Skelo-Bunnits. Dimentia made another Nega-Zone, wherein the skeletons would become detached from gravity, slicing half of them while Leic got the other half. Another field had Skelo-Arachnos (four-legged spiders) that shot solid bone-webs that could puncture their skin. Dimentia slashed down the webs as she ran to the giant spiders. Leic was able to distract them with butterflies, but their cravings would go unfulfilled by the time his partner was finished with them.
When they were near the head, the duo came face-to-face with a Skelo-Sauros, a spike-backed dinosaur. The dinosaur endured Dimentia's arrows as it charged forward, gnashing fast enough to catch the Inviere in its teeth. It bit and swung her viciously, but she escaped by throwing an arrow to the ground, then sticking herself with another to warp to the first arrow. She ran away to recollect herself, while Leic was making a giant butterfly. The creature sprayed a yellow powder to soften the spirit's being, letting Dimentia land some strong, rapid slashes with the twin blades. The beast spun and whacked her away with its tail, but Leic would stab its tail and turn it into butterflies. Leic jumped off and ran from the dino, giving Dimentia a view of its rear as she shot an arrow into the empty tail hole. Her arrow burst and destroyed the corpse from the inside.
The duo Grav-Walked up one more cliff and made it onto the Titan's head. They raced up the slope, seeing the source of the dark energy. (End song.)
The culprit was a gray-skinned woman with black and gray clothes with bone designs, a slick black cape with tears, and she had white hair with black stripes. She held Core Crystals in her skeletal hands as she bit and crunched them like bulky cookies. Lain on the ground before her was a Blade, with white mechanical armor and leggings, long pastel-blue hair, but otherwise peach skin.
"STOP what you're doing!" The woman slowly turned toward Dimentia and Leic, her dark eyes showing no emotion. Dimentia's bow was pulled, and Leic bore an adorably fearless expression with his sword raised. "You're the Daemonis, aren't you?!"
"I've never seen this one before." Plex said. "In fact, it doesn't really feel like a proper Daemonis… its body feels fabricated, but its soul…"
"This is a bother." the woman spoke solemnly. The unconscious Blade cracked open her magenta eyes, silently listening. "I thought I could finish this meal before you arrived. Seems that most of the Styles I sent out to distract you were already destroyed by those bothersome kids."
"You mean KND operatives?" Leic asked.
"At least these Blades made a decent snack. Still, I don't really like fighting all of you."
It was then Dimentia realized a small group was journeying up the Titan's head from the left. "…Just what are you, anyway?!"
"I'm Sylistys. That's all I could tell you, really. You look like the one my masters warned me about."
"Your masters? …So, you ARE with the Daemonis!"
"They built me as a way to 'counteract' you. I wonder… just what it is we share, 'Dimentia'? I hope you find me again, so I might learn more."
"Find you…?" Before Dimentia could question her, Sylistys seemed to pull a small marble from her pocket, dropping it on the ground as she poofed in an instant. "HEY! Where did she go?!"
"Her presence on this planet has disappeared…" Plex replied.
"Haha, I've seen that magic trick before!" Leic laughed. "There must be a trapdoor!"
"HEY! YOU THERE!"
The group that Dimentia just sensed had just arrived. One of them was a boy named Rex, with golden eyes and blue salvager's outfit; he wielded an energy sword connected to his Blade, Pyra, who had red hair and armor; there was Nia, a Gormotti girl with silver hair and a yellow suit, and her Blade was Ursula, a little girl with an icy-blue dress that matched her fluffy hair, faded feet, and riding her pet polar bear, Beary.
"So, you're the one that kidnapped KOS-MOS and took all those Core Crystals!" Rex yelled.
"You better not have hurt her!" Nia yelled in a Welsh accent. "Do you know how long it took us to find a Blade that rare?!"
"Is that why you care about her?" Ursula asked.
"Er, and she is a very dear friend to us!"
"Rex, I can sense God Chi inside that woman!" Pyra cautioned.
"Should we just go all out then?"
"Yeah, good idea." Pyra glowed a bright green and began to transform. (Play "Battle Theme" from Xenoblade 2!)
"Wait, this is a misunderstanding!" Dimentia tried to reason. "The one who attacked her was-"
"Dimentia, you might wanna run." Plex said in worry.
Pyra had transformed into Pneuma, her hair turning green and growing into a ponytail, complete with white and green sci-fi armor. Rex had donned similar armor as well. With a panicked expression, Dimentia whipped her blades to defend from a swarm of green energy swords conjured by the powerful Blade. Rex and Pneuma both grasped their extended sword and clashed with Dimentia, their speed frightening and strength deadly.
"Oh, neat, a god-fighting weapon! I'll go now." Dimentia grabbed Leic and zipped away like a Road Runner.
Dimentia leapt down the first cliff of Gormott's neck, crossed the field, then leapt down the second one—Rex and Pneuma caught up to them with surprising speed, but Dimentia dodged their mighty slash by making gravity pull her toward the cliff. The couple flew to stab the cliff, so Dimentia ran to the side of Gormott's neck. Suddenly, Beary dropped and grasped onto Dimentia, while Ursula swung around her companion and blew a Song Beam into Dimentia's face. She endured the musicbending attack and used the Arrow Warp to get the Blade off, but barely had time to dodge Pneuma's Starburst (not to be mistaken for the spacebending move, as Pneuma's Starburst is a green laser).
Dimentia dashed down the neck with full speed, but Pneuma kept up with lightspeed. Dimentia suffered cuts from her Radiant Flare, but was able to block some attacks. Dimentia launched an arrow across Gormott's back, jabbed Leic with another arrow to warp him, then warped herself. "Leic, hurry up and Ascend us!"
"Haha, got ya!" Leic climbed on her shoulders, quickly but calmly focused his chi, and uplifted them both in a ray of light.
Rex and Pneuma searched around the area, but having lost sight of the stranger, Rex cursed, "Dang it! She got away!"
"Was that woman some kind of alien?" Pyra asked after reverting back to normal.
"Rex, we were able to heal KOS-MOS!" Nia called, she and Ursula catching up, along with the armored Blade that had been KO'ed. KOS-MOS had magenta eyes that showed little emotion.
"Where did that scary lady go?" Ursula asked. "And who was the small boy that was with her?"
"You are mistaken. That woman was not the culprit." KOS-MOS said in a soft, robotic voice.
"She wasn't the culprit?" Rex asked.
"I had woken up while they were talking. The person who kidnapped me, and that woman were two different individuals."
"Oh, no… Did we attack an innocent person?" Ursula asked guiltily.
"Then, I wonder who they were?…" Rex thought aloud. (End song.)
Dimentia and Leic had returned to the Spirit World to catch their breath. "Huff…well, then… wasn't prepared for that…" Dimentia panted.
"Hee hee, that was as exciting as some of our team's getaways!" Leic laughed, his hair ruffled.
"Well, misunderstanding aside, it seems 'Sylistys' has escaped." Plex said. "Let's resume tracing her whereabouts immediately. She may choose to attack another planet."
"Yeah, we can't rest for a minute." Dimentia agreed, closing her eyes and searching for the strange being's signature.
Gates of Heaven
Dimentia had been sitting silently as she tried to search for Sylistys' signature. "That marble she used…" Plex began. "It looked like one of Pyronem's. Perhaps he lent her a few abilities. That was some sort of teleport."
"Yeah, and now she's using some sort of Chi Concealing. By the time we trace her, she'll probably have hurt a bunch of people. Sigh…and if we don't find her soon, I might not get to…"
"Hi, Dimentia! I got you a drink~"
Dimentia turned. Leic was holding a glass of chocolate milk in both hands, his smile sweet and innocent. "Oh…thanks, Leic." Dimentia took the drink and decided to have a sip.
"Chocolate milk is my favorite! Do you like it?"
In truth, Dimentia might have asked for something warmer like coffee. The clunky milk didn't really loosen the weight in her heart, but she didn't want to hurt Leic's feelings. "Yeah, it's delicious! But I'm not really that thirsty at the moment…sigh, I still can't trace that woman down. And even if we do find her, what if she runs away again? If she gets away too many times, the Angels will think I can't handle it…"
"Don't worry, Dimentia." Leic walked up and lightly petted her hair. "We'll stop that mean old lady. We just gotta stay positi-" His fingers bumped one of her head feathers.
"YAAH!" Dimentia dropped the milk and zipped behind a far tree out of shock.
"…?" Leic blinked confusedly, his hand still in a petting position.
". . . . Uhhhh…hehe." Dimentia flushed. "Don't touch my head feathers."
"That's it! You crossed the line now, you brat!" Plex began pounding and biting Leic's legs.
"Oh…Dimentia…" A big smile formed to compliment Leic's sparkling, adoring eyes. "Are you ticklish???"
"Uh…yeah! Sort of! My head feathers are just extremely sensitive, that's all…"
"Tee hee, don't worry, Dimentia! I'm sensitive, too! I even kinda feel an itch on my legs right now." Leic bent down to scratch his legs, knocking Plex away in the process.
"Graaah!" The chibi jumped up. "Dimentia, just tell this boy to go away!"
"Relax, Plex, he didn't mean it." Dimentia consoled, walking back over. "Sorry about your milk…"
"It's okay, I got more. …You're not mad, are you?"
"No, I was just a little startled. Just be careful next time, heh heh…! Oh!" Dimentia sensed a surge of energy. "I found her! Sylistys! She's on Historia! She must've just become active again!"
"See, I knew milk was the answer!" Leic cheered, leaping onto the woman's shoulders. "Then let's go save Historia!"
"HE'S NOT BEING CAREFUL AT ALL!" Plex bellowed.
"You better not tickle me, Leic." Dimentia told him with a smirk. "Or I'm gonna tickle you next time~"
"Haha, then let's put our faith in each other!!" Leic swung his feet with glee.
"I am not ready for kids…" Plex sulked.
"Just take a breath and enjoy the ride, Plex." Dimentia picked the chibi up and threw him onto Leic's shoulders. The sweet-hearted angel focused and Descended them down to Historia.
Historia; Stone Kingdom
There were some worlds in the universe that strictly limit travel. These were usually "primitive" worlds, ones with limited technology. These worlds were thought to be close with nature and were to be respected as such, and unless these worlds were to somehow contact and accept an alliance with Galactic Council, they were left to naturally develop their worlds and their technology. The intergalactic government, meanwhile, would protect these worlds from invaders and manage travel operations.
Historia was unique in that sense in that it was composed of ancient Earth cultures. No technology was allowed here, but benders were still natural.
"And yet, crooks and supervillains somehow manage to find their way onto this planet and cause a mess." Dimentia remarked, she and Leic walking through a cave. "Still, I would hope we're exempt from the rule, provided we do our job."
"But I wonder why that Stylistic girl came here?" Leic asked. "Unless she really likes caves. …Ah!" A drop hit his nose. "That tickles!"
Dimentia stopped, facing forward. "Something's coming."
The cave sloped up and shifted leftward up ahead, but they could see something rolling: it was a green object with wide eyes. It was being chased by skeletal raptors. "Aaaahh!" To their surprise, the object—actually a melon—grew a human body and stumbled on their feet. They appeared to be a small nine-year-old, wearing a knotted rope necklace, a blue dress over their whole body (there were no holes for the arms, so the dress was suspended by the arms), and small stone platform sandals. "M-More weird monsters?!"
"Look out!" Dimentia drew her bow and shot two of the raptors while Leic stunned the last one with butterflies, finishing it off afterward.
The melon-headed child turned around with fright, but was relieved to see the monsters were gone. "Suika was almost eaten… Thank you for saving her." She bowed to the two.
"What are you doing down here? Is your home nearby?"
"Suika promised to bring Senku a diamond she found. She almost had it, but a strange, gray woman attacked her. She tried to eat Suika, but Suika barely escaped and lost her in the caves. Then a bunch of skeleton lizards tried to eat Suika."
"Sylistys." Dimentia knew. "She… tried to eat you?"
"That's bizarre." Plex said. "I don't feel any particular flow of chi in this girl. She's completely ordinary, no bending, no magic, anything."
"Who are strangers?"
"Oh…we're, um, angels." Dimentia thought it best to give a simple answer for the girl. "We're here to slay those monsters. You should run home; are there any strong people in your village?"
"But Suika promised to bring Senku a diamond. She wants to go back and get it."
"Whoever Senku is, I'm sure he would care more for your safety. Just explain to him what happened."
"But Suika wants to be useful. She doesn't wanna be afraid of monsters."
"Suika, just worry about your own health-"
"Wait, Dimentia!" Leic gasped. The young angel slowly walked up, bending over the curious melon-head. He looked her very closely in the big, blank eyes. Why, her head almost resembled a big, silly bug. "… … …I understand!"
"Understand what?"
"Dimentia…" Leic turned to her: his expression appeared unusually serious and strict, and yet his tone possessed its usual bubbliness. "We have to PROTECC Suika."
"P…Protecc?" Dimentia couldn't believe what she just heard.
"We have to PROTECC this girl at all costs… I feel that, if anything bad happens to this girl, something terrible will happen to us. I feel as if the universe would never forgive us if this girl were hurt. We have to PROTECC her… but at the same time, we need to behave ourselves around her."
"You have been nothing but a nuisance." Plex sighed in aggravation. "Dimentia, find where this girl lives and just warp her with an arrow if you have to, or just protecc—PROTECT her in a sub-dimension, something! We can't just let her run around with the Styles everywhere. …Dimentia?"
The woman had been quiet for a moment. She was focusing… intently on the curious child. Her big, melon-covered eyes, and her tiny 'o' shaped mouth… "I understand."
"Pardon?"
"Plex… there are some people in the universe that are more than what our senses tell us at first. You really have to look… really have to think… This girl possesses a nutritious chi. An extremely rare variety. I'm positive this is what attracted Sylistys to this world. No matter what… we must PROTECC her."
"I…I don't even know you, anymore." Plex shook his head.
"Suika… you're looking for a diamond, right? Then let's go and find it. We promise no harm will come to you."
"Suika doesn't understand." the child swayed her head. "But strangers seem friendly, so Suika accepts their help. It's easy to get lost in the caves, but Detective Suika knows the way!" (Play "Central Cavern" from Banjo-Tooie!)
Stage D-2: Stone Cavern
Mission: PROTECC Suika!
Suika stumbled on her unbalanced sandals up the cave, tripping every few steps, but would be up on her feet with a Melon Roll. Skelo-Lizards crept up along the ground and ceiling: Dimentia shot down the ceiling ones while Leic butter-fied those on the floor. The road was blocked by a stone gate, and there were three vines lodged into the ground. "One of these opens the way. Detective Suika will find it."
"It's the right one, just pull the right." Plex pointed.
"Shhhh." Dimentia hushed him. "Detective Suika will find it."
Suika examined each vine thoroughly, unaware of the Skelo-Lizards trying to bite her. She studied the middle one first… then went to the right one… She rolled over to the left… the middle one again… no, maybe it was the left… "Suika is positive!" She pulled the left vine—"Aaaah!" only then did she notice a lizard crawl up to her, so she jumped back in a haste—pulling that vine caused a large rock to fall. It crushed the lizard in place of Suika. "Uhhh…or maybe this one." Suika went to pull the right vine. The gate opened. "Aha! Suika knew it!"
The gate led to a watery cavern. Suika climbed onto a stalagmite, balancing unstably on its tip. Afterwards, she leapt to a platform with a frail stem, and there were a series of such platforms along the water. Dimentia, meanwhile, made a Grav-Path along the left wall for her and Leic. Dimentia saw the Skelo-Piranhas lurking in the water, but would snipe them before they would dare have their fill of Suika. "AAH!" A Skelo-Spider latched onto Dimentia from above, but Leic quickly cut it off. Dimentia gasped, seeing a piranha quickly bounce along the platforms from ahead of Suika, and she barely shot it in time. Suika seemed to be mindlessly twirling on one foot, halting her own progress. Ten piranhas jumped her from all directions—Suika bounced across the platforms quickly, dodging as they all bit into each other.
The spirits were quick to catch up once she had made it across. The cave would turn left… there was a brutish, terrifying Triceratops Style guarding the next passage. Dimentia was ready to attack it… before Leic called her attention to Suika. The little melon-head was bouncing up some platforms toward a huge wasp nest. "SUIKA!" Dimentia cried. "Don't touch that! Don't-!"
Alas, when Suika's curiosity compelled her, there was no stopping it. She made it up to the wasp nest and tapped it… It fell off its perch. "Waaaah!" Seeing the wasps buzzing in anger, Suika stumbled down the steps and rolled toward the triceratops. The wasps chased her in a fury, while the undead dinosaur opened its mouth to welcome her. Suika rolled directly toward the mouth, stopping in front as her melon faced the bees. With the swiftest motion, she dodged around the dino, tricking the wasps into flying into the mouth. The bugs stabbed their stingers through the bones and black chi, causing the dino's corpse to fall apart.
"Wow… those are deadly bees." Dimentia remarked. With that, they hurried after Suika. The child was mindlessly running around a dim cave in panic. The eyes of giant Skelo-Turtles glowed in the darkness, curling in their spiked shells to spin at her. Dimentia used the Arrow Warp to get the turtles away from her, which became rather tricky as she couldn't predict Suika's random course of movement. She was patient with the child regardless, and she found her way through the cave.
Suika immediately halted, stumbling on one foot before she could fall down an imposing cliff. When Dimentia and Leic caught up, they saw that the cliff sloped down and curved along the right. Suika curled up and rolled down that slope, picking up speed as Skelo-Earthworms emerged to bite her. Dimentia's quick snipe work saved her from the overgrown worms, but one of them popped up in surprise—when Suika rolled over it, her tucked-in hands grabbed the worm and yanked it out. The worm rolled with her into the next cave. "!" Sensing danger in that cave, Dimentia bolted down the slope.
There was a ravenous Skelo-Mammoth awaiting Suika, and it would've slurped her in its trunk—Suika chucked the earthworm up the trunk. The mammoth felt an awful sensation coursing through it, shaking furiously as Suika managed to get around the beast. When the others caught up, Dimentia trapped the mammoth in a Nega-Zone and spatially split its body into pieces. The earthworm flipped out, only for Leic to cleave it into an earth-butterfly. They caught up to Suika, who was stopped at another stone gate with a key-shaped slot. To their right was a tunnel. Up along the ceiling corner was a narrow path leading to the key.
"Suika will get it!" She curled up and rolled into the tunnel, a perfect fit as she flowed through like a ball in a machine. She would come out on the top path, in which Dimentia would shoot down Skelo-Bats flying to bite her.
"You could easily just jump up and take it." Plex stated.
"I could've, but Suika volunteered to get it." Dimentia replied with a simple argument. Leic fought against the Skelo-Hounds that tried to thwart Dimentia's protection, and the Inviere knew she was safe with the butterflies fluttering around her. Suika grabbed the key-shaped stone, dropping back to the ground and raising it proudly. She put the key into its slot, triggering an ancient mechanism that opened the gate. Suika skipped her way up some stairs, leading to a tunnel of glittery crystals.
The crystals were big and sharp, so Suika would stay away from them. However, opposite of the crystals, Skelo-Toads were puffing their black chi throats and trying to blow Suika into the spikes. Dimentia wouldn't dare let her melon be punctured, so she shot the toads without mercy. Some toads tried to rudely crush Suika from above, only to end up with an arrow through their throats. One more toad blocked the exit tunnel, but Dimentia couldn't get a lock on with Suika in the way. However, the child curled up, building momentum as she rolled against the toad's gust. She plowed through and blew the toad down. Dimentia killed the remains, having to crouch to crawl through the tunnel.
The three exited into a wider crystal cavern, light poking through gaps in the crust. "There it is! Suika's diamond!" She pointed to a small, shiny, posh clear gem on a flat-stopped stalagmite. Suika simply hopped up some steps above a pond and waddled toward the diamond. Dimentia and Leic smiled for her and followed behind- (End song.)
"AAAAAHH!" The head of a skeletal leviathan, what could only be part of a giant ancient fossil, exploded from the ground and snatched the spirits in its mouth.
"Angels?" Suika turned to them. At that instant, Sylistys emerged from the ground, grabbing the child by the neck. "UAAAAH!"
"LET HER GO!" Dimentia demanded, Arrow Warping herself out of the beast, but it was quick to attack her again.
"I don't know what it is, but the scent of this girl's chi is exotic." Sylistys said. "When I taste it, it may finally give me the strength I need… to consume the Heart of a World!" Hissing like a vampire, her fangs bared, she loomed to bite through Suika's melon.
"Waaaah! Waaaaaah!" Suika shook and vibrated frantically, helpless to escape—SLOOP! Her body was instantly sucked into her melon, out of Sylistys' tight grip as she flipped and hit the ground. The woman growled and tried to grab her, the melon maneuvering swiftly around her. Sylistys bent giant bone fists from the ground, shaking the cave each time they missed Suika. She rolled against the pedestal with the diamond, and said pedestal was shattered by another Bone Fist! Little did Sylistys know of the large stalactite above herself, and the rapid quakes caused it to loosen and fall.
"?!" The bonebender was crushed beneath the stalactite's tip. Suika uncurled from her melon and faced the assaulter confusedly. Sylistys pushed herself off the ground and the stone away as well.
"Oh?" Suika noticed her diamond was discarded on the ground. She picked it up. Suika noticed a tiny sun ray above her and curiously held the diamond up into it. It exploded with light, shooting multiple directions.
"AH!" The light hit one of Sylistys' eyes, a mild irritation at best. "You little-!" She threw another Bone Fist that Suika dodged, then thrusted one up from below to propel her to the air.
Suika spun in her melon-head, but swiftly unraveled as she fell toward the woman and STABBED the diamond's point into her eye. "AAAH! Little BRAT!" She KICKED the child, sending Suika's curled melon form bouncing around the walls and bones. A stroke of luck would bounce her into Sylistys' face, further forcing the diamond through her skull. "AAAAAHH!"
Meanwhile, Dimentia was able to carve the leviathan's head into pieces, which were then made into butterflies. To their surprise, Sylistys was writhing in pain, digging her boney fingers into her eye as she yanked the diamond out painfully. "AGH! UCK!" She slammed it to the ground in a fury. Sylistys sensed the spirits approach and turned to them, her bleeding eye pulsating with rage.
"Heh…I guess my work's already done." Dimentia smirked.
"?!" The remark touched a nerve in Sylistys' mind. "I won't be outdone by that little brat! …L-Little… brat… little brat, little brat…"
Dimentia and Leic exchanged a curious look. The culprit was beginning to twitch, holding her aching head. "Brats… kids… little…"
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Grrr…with you around, I'll never have a chance to eat that child, anyway. What a waste of time for this wretched insect. This isn't over, Dimentia!" With a quick motion of her hand, she grabbed and dropped another marble—Dimentia lunged to grab her, but only smoke seeped through her fingers.
"S…Suika is… confused…"
Dimentia sighed, unable to sense Sylistys' presence on the planet. …She looked down at Suika with a smile. "That was amazing, Suika!"
"Amazing?"
"You beat that scary lady all by yourself! She ran away crying!"
"Suika did… Suika beat her?"
"You sure did!" Leic beamed. "And look! You even found the diamond you were looking for!"
Suika remembered the diamond on the ground. She wobbled to pick it up. It was dirtied from the attack, so she wiped it on her dress. She then popped out a lens from her right melon socket to magnify its beautiful texture. "…Hey." Suika turned to them. "Why did the monsters wanna eat Suika?"
"It's because…because you're a very special child." Dimentia replied earnestly.
"Suika is… special?"
"Yes." With a smile, the Zathurian approached and sat before Suika on her knees. "I can tell you're a blessed child, Suika. I may not understand why, but… you possess an aura. A special kind of aura that gods envy."
"The gods envy… my aura? What does that mean?"
"It means you're pure. You're a child whose purity outshines even a god's. It's because you're so pure that those monsters tried to eat you. Monsters like them are jealous of such purity. They wanted it for themselves."
"Then… if Suika keeps being pure, more monsters will come?"
"Well, there is a chance of that. But you needn't worry. Like I said, we're angels, Suika. The angels serve the gods… but the gods serve the humans. That means you have both of us to serve and guide you."
"Gods serve humans? Suika didn't know that."
"But it's true." Leic winked. "The gods make land for humans to live and make food for humans to eat. It's their job to make the perfect world for good children like you. But while the gods may work for you, you mustn't overly depend on them. Believe in yourself and you will succeed, just as you helped us scare off those mean monsters!"
"Believe in… myself?" Suika pointed at herself with a little smile. "Then… Suika will keep being useful! She will do her best for the Children's Club and all her friends! She won't be afraid of any monster!"
"That's the spirit, Suika!" Dimentia cheered.
"Hey… is it okay if Suika gives a gift to the angels?"
"Uh…is it?"
"But of course!" Leic beamed. "After all, mortals deliver gifts to gods and spirits all the time, for like holidays and stuff! It helps them stay close to the mortals. Plus, who are we to turn down a gift from this blessed child?"
They followed Suika to the beginning of the caves. The dank depths had been cleared of the monstrous Styles, ensuring a pleasant trek back. Once at the outside of the forest country, Suika reached into a gap within the wall. She pulled out two fine glasses like those at a bar. They had an apple juice inside them with a straw, and a cucumber decoration on the rim, resembling Suika's helmet.
"Suika was saving these to drink when she got back." She held them up to the spirits. "But Suika wants to thank the angels for helping her."
Dimentia and Leic politely took either glass. "When you drink half of it, put Suika's helmet in the glass."
Following her instructions, they sipped the straws. The first taste alone felt refreshing enough after such an excavation. Then, with half the drink gone, they put the cucumber helmet in. They sipped the rest.
A taste of watermelon flooded their mouths. With apple transforming to watermelon, thanks to an addition of cucumber, it was a magical feeling with a heavenly taste. A sun was shining over their hearts as they felt their souls drift to Melon Heaven.
"Suika's friend made it for her. It's called 'Two-Side Sunshine.'"
"Two-Side Sunshine… It really is." Dimentia said with bliss.
It was clear that Suika was a blessed child… but to receive such a divine gift from her… the spirits also felt blessed. To be thanked and rewarded by such a pure soul… there was no greater feeling. …Though now that Dimentia thought about it, this type of glass was very unusual for this region of Historia… or even the planet in general. It felt… too modern. If she didn't know better, she would've suspected these were snuck onto the planet by someone… Well, it probably wasn't her problem, either way.
With a final farewell, Suika began to roll her way back home. "Honestly, how could you fill her head with such ludicrous thoughts?" Plex asked. "Calling her a blessed child, saying the gods will serve her, she'll think she can get away with anything! What if Sylistys and her goons return, she could never survive on that dumb luck forever!"
"Plex, there are some powers in the universe that go beyond gods or demons." Dimentia replied with a knowing smile. "There are many people in this universe alone with that kind of blessedness… and Suika is one of them."
"As if 'blessedness' alone ever stopped the Daemonis. If you weren't around, Dimentia, she would've been killed, simple as that."
"Hee hee… you really don't understand, do you?" She giggled at the apparent obliviousness.
"Excuse me?"
"Dimentia, not to interrupt you and your Imaginary Friend," Leic cut in, "but should we try looking for Stylist some more?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess we should. What do you think was going on with her just then?"
"She prob'ly had to use the bathroom!" Leic grinned.
"Ha ha ha! Then let's ambush her there!"
"Good idea!" Leic hopped onto her shoulders and Ascended them to the Spirit World.
Gates of Heaven
Dimentia had returned to searching for Sylistys' signature. She felt a tad more at ease with Leic's butterflies covering and fluttering around her. "Do you like butterflies, Dimentia?"
"I guess they're pretty, but I never really thought about them that much. You must collect them for a hobby, I bet."
"Yeah, I do! I like it when they fly around my room. Sometimes, they tickle me when I'm laying in bed~"
"Doesn't that make it hard to sleep?"
"No, I still sleep. But my dreams are filled with tickles!"
Dimentia giggled at that. Plex felt the need to remind her not to be distracted, but thought it might be pointless all the same. "Miss Winkiebottom?"
They turned as an Angel had just flown in from the gate. "Mr. Landers!" Leic beamed. "Dimentia, this is my mentor! He's the one who gave me my status."
"And what would you be doing with my student?" Ash asked.
"Um…Leic is helping me with my mission. He asked to help, so I allowed him."
"I don't think Lord Balder would approve of that. Fighting the Daemonis should be the responsibility of the Phoenios, not a sweet young angel as Leic."
"But Mr. Landers, I fight evil spirits all the time." Leic replied with a cute frown, twisting his foot on the grass. "And I haven't been a burden, have I?"
"Of course not, you've been very helpful." Dimentia assured.
"Leic, the Daemonis are outsiders and are thus the responsibility of outsiders. You are burdened enough with both spiritual and mortal enemies, so do not let these invaders trouble you."
"W-Wait a second." Dimentia stood to full height. "You're right that the Daemonis should be the Phoenios' responsibility, but isn't the protection of this universe the KND's responsibility? Didn't the KND just fight some of the most dangerous outsiders of all time?"
"Are you saying you intend to push your responsibility onto the KND?"
"I'm saying that the KND are strong and capable of defending this universe from invaders. Even Tanzy needed my help back then. I didn't want to trouble anyone else with this mission, but since Leic came to me, I felt like… maybe it was Fate at work. …And besides, Sylistys doesn't feel all that strong. She keeps running away from us, so we're bound to stop her once we have her cornered."
"Hmm…I'm not saying you're wrong in that regard. It's just… souls like Leic's are very rare." Ash approached the child and knelt to his level. "His heart is so clean… so precious… that I fear the effects that war and dark spirits could have on him, let alone those outsider demons…" He gently patted Leic's hair, stroked his cheek, and pinched the soft skin under his chin.
"Tehehe!" Leic giggled from the affection. Dimentia merely looked at this with an uncomfortable expression.
Ash stood to face Dimentia again. "In any case… it's not that I disapprove of you, but it's mostly for Balder's sake. He would feel the same way about one of our children helping you."
"I feel terrible for what I did to him."
"I'm sure you do, but it isn't just you he has a problem with. Lord Balder-"
"Dimentia!" Plex shouted. "Do you feel that?!"
Dimentia flinched to attention and began focusing. She gasped with surprise and terror. It can't be! Along with Sylistys, I feel… another one?! And this aura… it feels just like…
"Is there a problem?" Ash asked.
Dimentia cleared her throat, "Ahem. We just found her. Leic, can you Descend us down to Mechanos?"
"Uh-huh!" Leic climbed onto her shoulders once more as they warped.
"Hmm…are you quite certain they aren't that strong?" Ash wondered.
Underworld underground, some time ago…
Sylistys had returned to her hideout, a deep, dark cavern in the Underworld. She lifted a large rock and uncovered a secret stash of bottles, containing elemental spirits. She opened two containing a Fire and Earth Spirit, proceeding to drink. They weren't as sustaining as full benders, but were enough to suffice.
"Not really what I'd choose for a secret bunker."
Sylistys gasped with a start at the seductive voice. She turned as a woman stepped out from the shadow of the corner. She had posh black hair with bright blue highlights underneath, dark-blue horns, and a black shirt with gold buttons and rims. Sylistys didn't know who she was exactly, but she knew she was a Daemonis. "Did my masters send you?"
"I came of my own accord. Call me Varcrutis." She approached the bonebender and stroked her hair with a sharp, black-gloved finger. "My, what happened to your eye? Did Dimentia do that? She should be visiting too, shouldn't she? Did she give you too much trouble?"
"…" Sylistys hesitated to respond. The first time, she chose to retreat because of the group of strong kids who were about to arrive alongside her. But the second time… she wouldn't want to admit the truth behind her wounded eye. "She's a little stronger than I imagined her to be. I feared if I used too much power, then others would be able to track my signature and make things more difficult."
"But that's exactly why we made you. We may have tweaked your aura, but you're still a denizen of this universe. That's why you're in the right to raise some havoc on this place. Besides, it's not like these gods would do anything to stop you." Varcrutis turned away, frowning and glaring. "That Dialga… he really pisses me off. During the heat of that space battle with Skaios, I decided to pop open the tiniest rift in space and sneak in. There were probably so many distortions that I thought no one would notice. Despite that, it seems the gods were still alerted to my arrival… and you know what he said to me?"
Varcrutis quietly peeped out from behind a rock on the Avatar Realms. While a chaotic battle took place in the distance, she tip-toed like a cartoon spy, a conniving grin on her features.
"Hello there!"
"AAH!" Var was totally blindsided when Dialga exploded out of time.
"I can see that you're a visitor! Not only that, you seem to fall under the 'Deities or High-Ranking Spirits' category, which also includes demons."
"I-I wasn't doing anything wrong!" Var spoke with a bubbly smile, morphing her body to a chibi state. "I was just out for a walk, la la la~"
"…" Dialga stared at her for a moment. "That's all good, then! However, I am inclined to lay a few ground rules." At that instant, a bulky blue book labeled 'Laws of the Universe' crashed before her. "You are forbidden from interfering with mortal affairs, including business meetings, political gatherings, quests, and even presenting yourself in public areas is not recommended without the proper permission from either gods or mortals who request you. Naturally, attacking denizens of this universe is strictly forbidden, but you have a right to defend yourself from any who attack you. Many of these rules generally apply to us as well. I'll trust you to read the others, but so long as you follow them, feel free to have a good time!"
Varcrutis grit her teeth in confusion: the God of Time felt a bit more lax than she imagined. "You do know who I am, right? You really expect me to follow these rules?!"
"But of course I know you, Miss Depraritas. And maybe I know what you're going to do. Regardless, it won't be my duty to stop you. Enjoy yourself!" And he vanished through another time warp.
"That cocky bastard, acting like I'm not a threat." Varcrutis raised a finger to Sylistys' throat, glaring directly in her eye. Her teeth bore the sharpness of an orca's. "He KNOWS I woulda trashed the Noah! I woulda had those brats, if not for Golden Child swinging his Master Pencil around the place! Not to mention there was a freakin' Inviere on the boat, you know who I mean!"
"Sounds like some pretty rotten luck."
"I tell ya, The Thirteen were probably our one good chance to reap this universe for all it has, but now that the gods are in charge again, it'll be a miracle if we can get anything out of this place. Luckily, I think we have a place to start." Varcrutis whipped out a business card between her fingers from her collar.
Sylistys took the card. "Eggman Empire?" There was a logo resembling a round, grinning face with a spiked mustache.
"Yep! My first choice was Giovanni, since he was affiliated with The Thirteen, but he was busy with other matters, so he redirected me to Eggman. Apparently, the dude's a specialist at catching and harnessing ancient creatures, so we could come to an agreement. Maybe I'll trade him some weapons, knock a few heads for him, and he'll give me some juicy goods in return. It's a place to start, right? Heck, he might even have a nice snack for you. Whaddya say we go together?" She put an arm around the bonebender.
"Do you need me to protect you from Dimentia?"
"Ha ha ha ha!" Varcrutis smacked Sy's back. "Dimentia couldn't take me if she tried! I'm just worried if she'll contact backup… Looks like we'll have to be quick about this interview. On the bright side, Mechanos has a mostly robotic population, not what you'd call 'mortal,' right?"
"Would a population like that have actual organic bones?"
"Ohhhhh, shoot." Var face-palmed. "You're not a metalbender, are you? Heh, 'guess Pyronem was right to prepare this for you." She withdrew a small marble.