A Campfire Chat
'It's dark..'
Nox opened his eyes. Rubbing his head, he slowly got up. He seemed to still be in the forest. The ancient trees seemed even more overgrown than before, blocking almost his entire field of vision.
Hearing a voice, he recognized it as the girl he met earlier… or the other day.
After all, who knows how long he was out for?
He pushed through the thick greenery as the voices slowly got louder.
"You're so cute! Who would've expected the gloomy guy to have such an adorable child.."
Nox frowned. He wasn't THAT gloomy.
"Please stop-"
There, sitting on rocks near a campfire, were the two girls. Elysia was aggressively hugging Opal while the child was trying to push her away.
'Hold on, she could talk?'
Surprised at the development, Nox stumbled on a branch. Splintering apart, it alerted the duo.
Instantly, a blade of wind manifested itself, threatening to impale the bush where he was hiding.
"Who's there?"
Stepping out from the bushes with his hands raised, he coughed.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare anyone.."
Seeing that it was him, Elysia sighed and collapsed onto a nearby log. Opal took the opportunity and scrambled out of her grasp, running towards him.
Nox pat her head as he wiped some dirt off a large boulder. Sitting down, he observed the situation. Burnt sticks were littered on the ground along with a small pile of fish bones.
His stomach growled in distress… it had been a while since he'd eaten.
He nudged the girl in his arms, "Opal… is there any food left?"
She pointed at a small bucket behind Elysia. It contained a few skewers of grilled fish. Walking over, he picked up a skewer and started to eat. It was cold, after being left out for a while.
The three sat around the campfire in silence, the only noises being the occasional rustling of the leaves and the sound of fish bones hitting the ground. The flames flickered and kept him warm as he relaxed.
After a while, Elysia spoke.
"The way you eat, you're from the outskirts, aren't you?"
Spitting out a fish bone, he nodded.
"I am. I somehow stumbled my way into this Challenge, everything is pretty new to me."
"Stumbling your way into it, huh…"
She picked up a rock and threw it. As it flew through the air, she suddenly slammed her fists into the ground.
"Damn it!"
Taken aback, Nox stared at the young girl. She looked around the same age as him. Her eyes were red, with blood slowly dripping from her torn hands.
She raised her bleeding fists, ready to do it again. However, Nox intercepted it.
"Calm down, Elysia."
He didn't know why the girl was so upset but, he couldn't watch a teammate hurt.
"My parents died when I was little," Nox said out of the blue.
She stared at him, then pulled her hands out of his grip.
"Why are you telling me this-"
"I know something probably happened to you." He interrupted.
"The only thing we can do is to stay calm and try our best to survive. The Pheonemon isn't kind to anyone. Everyone has their reasons of being here."
Elysia gritted her teeth, but nodded and sat back down. Grabbing a nearby branch instead, she laid down.
"I'm sorry... I don't know what got into me. It's just… everything is going horribly. I wish- gah!"
Opal dove into her arms, knocking her back. She then hugged her tight.
"S-stop it!"
The blue-haired girl held on to Elysia, not letting go. Eventually, the black-haired mage gently pulled her away.
Wiping her eyes, she gave Nox a small smile.
"I haven't asked for your names yet."
He smiled back.
"My name is Nox, and she's my familiar, Opal."
"So that's what it was!" Elysia seemed a little surprised.
"You already have a familiar? Do you have a contract with a Constellation?"
Nox scratched his face.
"Well… it's a long story."
"I mean, we have a pretty long time here," she smirked.
He stared at her shining eyes and sighed again.
The trio spent the night exchanging stories. Laughter and chatter filled the dark forest. On another part of the island, a nightmare was being created.
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A mysterious figure stood atop a corpse. It was burnt to a crisp and dissected in an unrecognizable way. The masked man jammed his hand into the beast's head, easily piercing through the tough hide. Then, it pulled out an orb the size of a marble.
It gave off waves of energy, disrupting the air around them.
He took out a purple pouch. Opening it, he dropped the marble inside where it joined a few other orbs. The figure examined the charred surroundings and tattered trees, pondering deeply.
The corpse of the beast slowly transformed, revealing the broken corpse of a red-haired girl, corrupted beyond recognition.
It then stared into the forest for a moment, before disappearing back into the night.
Back in the real world, a commotion was happening in 'Interface'. A panicked scientist ran into a dimly lit room.
"Sir! We are unable to access planet 74U. Something is blocking our connection."
A man replied calmly.
"I see. Abandon it."
"Sir, abandoning a Challenge will cause conflicts with the families of the royal Otherworlders-"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
The scientist gulped, feeling something wrestling for control in his body.
"...yes sir."
The suited man turned his gaze to a small screen on his desk. There, multiple Villain attacks were being reported. He pressed a red button on the device as the door to his room slammed shut. Hundreds of steel bars barricaded the entrance as the windows fell to reveal a hidden exit.
Frost spread through his chair as it froze and shattered simultaneously. Standing up, the man stretched his body. The air around him dropped in temperature as he dove into the darkness.
"Damned insects, I will drive you all to extinction.."
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[Point Leaderboard]
[1. Neo : 8]
[2. Pierce: 6]
[3. Ruby: 5]
…
…
[175. Elysia: 2]
[176. Nox : 1]
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