The Holders
"Wait, what do you mean she will join? Have you forgotten what she has done?!" Sheila angrily asked.
Ah, I knew it would be like this.
They couldn't possibly accept a queen who sacrificed her people for the sake of the giant Mech standing not far behind, while sitting atop the kingdom's walls, gazing at the sky and swinging both legs.
But, for some reason, I feel like the two of them would fit in well with us. That's why I decided to recruit the four former Rangers.
If it weren't for that feeling, I wouldn't want to add our burden.
"Sheila, please listen to me-"
"Listen to you!? She's the reason Nana has become like this! Can't you see, Cleo!?" she shouted, pointing to the monster now sleeping on the ground.
"Sheila, I know you're angry with her for all of this, and I understand. I won't invite her either, but do you remember what I said about Glory?"
Sheila was shocked and shook her head in disbelief, "Impossible. SHE'S ONE OF THEM!?"
I looked at Ryssa, who stood silently behind, folding her arms with her chin lifted high. Several times she glanced at us before finally turning her face away. "I still don't know," I answered. "But every time I'm about to find one of them, this feeling arises."
Suddenly, we found ourselves inside the large white room.
They looked around, cautious with their weapons ready in their hands.
Then, a voice emerged, and they all turned to find a large white cube figure. Its texture appeared so smooth in futuristic box patterns. In the middle of the cube, there was a big yellow circle that I believed to be its eye.
The circle glowed, moving to observe us.
"Zent, you have returned," it said with a resonating robotic voice.
"Zent, what is that?" Celine asked, concerned.
"They are the native inhabitants of this world. They are the ones who helped me search for the Glory Holder."
"Holder?" Rayven asked, not understanding.
"Let me explain, Zent," called the large cube in front, capturing our attention. "As Zent already mentioned, we are the native inhabitants of this world, Hexas. We are the ones who called all of you, calling every world that might have someone to become the Holder.
Before I explain what the Holder is, you all must already be familiar with Glory."
Glory slowly emerged from my arm, transforming back into a cube and floating in front of me. Not only my Glory, but Ryssa's Glory also appeared. However, when her last Glory was about to emerge from her arm, Ryssa screamed in pain.
I rushed to her, kneeling in front to see what was happening, only to find that her last Glory had merged with her arm.
"Hmm, I didn't know there could be someone even more daring than Zent, willing to exchange their soul for power."
"What?" I asked, surprised.
"That woman is the fourth Holder. However, at the same time, she has also merged with Glory and cannot be separated again. That is the price she accepted to attain the power she now possesses."
"Ryssa?"
Ryssa turned her face away, unable to look at all of us, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Glory, can grant you limitless power, just as Zent has often done. However, the price to wield each of those powers is also substantial. I'm sure Zent has felt his soul being drawn into it as a source of that power several times."
They all looked at me, concern and surprise evident on their faces. Especially Celine, who seemed like she wanted to scold me for such reckless actions.
"Glory is not a Pandora's box that can give you everything without sacrifice. Glory cannot bring back the dead, or it would violate the rules set in place.
As you've heard, Glory cannot create power that uses mana. That's why Glory is always underestimated by Naturals, as it can never compete with magic.
But what Zent and Wendryssa did is the best way to use Glory. They wield it differently. They don't try to create magic; instead, they create something entirely new.
No magic can match the power they now possess. No magic can summon giant waves and tornadoes. Zent even created something unique from his world and used it for fun."
In front of us, a hologram screen appeared, showing me having fun inside the ship. I was dancing and fighting while following the rhythm of the music. Every pair of eyes glanced at me as if I were someone who had lost their sanity and should be in a mental hospital.
However, when a recording of me dancing with Sheila appeared, not a single eye looked away. They were all amazed, unable to utter a word.
Even Ryssa, who was not so interested before, now gazed at the screen with sparkling eyes.
"Glory is not only used for power. It can also be used as you see now. That's why we chose Zent as the leader who will unite every Holder.
He knows how to use Glory. He understands that Glory is not just a power-giving cube like the GH has been doing until they were blinded by darkness."
The screen stopped playing the video, precisely at the moment when Sheila and I locked eyes, as if we were in the center of the world, capturing everyone's attention.
What surprised me was how happy I looked there.
I never imagined I could have such an expression.
"So, Zent's task is to find the Holders from each world, which I guessed consisting of ten individuals," Rayven concluded, still holding his chin with a slightly flushed face after observing the closeness between Zent and the beautiful woman named Sheila.
"Exactly, Rayven," Hexas replied. "There are only ten Glories in this world. Six Holders remain that you must find, and then the next task will be given. The task that will determine whether our dimension can survive or not."
"Are you referring to the World Devourer often mentioned by the cult followers?" Rio asked, curious.
"Yes, Rio. What they say is true. The creature does exist. A creature that will devour this world as soon as it sets foot in it. None of us can face it. Only by gathering the Holders do we have a chance to relocate it to another dimension."
This is the part I dislike about this plan.
"Wait, so you mean we will just relocate that monster to another world? But isn't that the same as destroying life in that world?"
The atmosphere fell silent as they heard William's words.
Each of them began to think that this plan was wrong, something that should not be done. Imagining killing everyone in the next dimension was too heavy a burden to bear.
Only Ryssa seemed undisturbed by it.
"What's wrong with it?" she asked, capturing everyone's attention.
"What's wrong with it, you say? Your head is what's wrong!" Sheila snapped.
She walked closer, looking like she wanted to hit Ryssa, so I reluctantly rushed to stand between them, extending my arms.
"Don't get in my way, Zent! This woman needs to be taught a lesson!"
"What harsh words from a traitor," Ryssa retorted coldly.
"WENDY!" she shouted, either forgetting or not caring that I was right in front of her, causing my ears to ring a bit. "You're lucky Zent is here! Otherwise-"
"What? What do you want to do? You, who have no power, what can you do in front of me?"
"Ryssa," I reprimanded, giving her a sharp look.
The queen looked offended, glaring back at me. "She started it!"
I was really beginning to think this was a mistake.
Why would Ryssa become a Holder?
Her personality, I wasn't sure if I could trust her with something like Glory. If we hadn't intercepted her, she might have already destroyed several other kingdoms or possibly died because of encountering those who could use magic.
I took a long breath, trying to calm myself. "Both of you, I ask you to restrain yourselves for now. We still have something important to discuss, something that will determine if we can survive or not. So, please, yeah?"
Sheila let out a rough breath, turned around, and walked back to her original spot. Of course, not forgetting to give me a sharp look that felt piercing.
Meanwhile, Ryssa just turned her face away, not wanting to look at me.
As for Zent, unaware of what was going on in the hearts of these two women, they were silently saying together, "Why are you protecting her? Not me?"
Celine and Sarah?
"I also want to be protected like that, by him," that's what they were saying in their hearts, each of them.