Quest

Oliver's features slowly turned into a scowl.

"Since when did Goodd join the equation?"

"Since the start!" JaNyx replied, standing up from his tree root in excitement. "Oh, I'm so excited to meet my AU self!"

"'AU'?" Oliver repeated. 

"Alternate universe," Olivia completed the acronym for him. "JaNyx, what do you mean you're excited to meet her? Are you going to come with me to the other side?"

"I sure am!" He pumped his hand in the air. "I also want to check how opposite your world is from ours and--"

"Are you sure you can just enter and exit out of the well as you please?" Olivia queried.

"Same question," Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Of course not," JaNyx wrinkled his forehead. "Where'd you get the notion that I am?"

Both Twynes looked at him in confusion, and JaNyx gave them a look of amusement.

"Gosh, the two of you really are carbon copies of each other. It's almost scary how in sync you two are. But anyway," JaNyx shook his head as he changed the topic. "We need to talk to Goodd to help trigger the portal of the well to open."

"I still don't understand how Goodd was added to the conversation," Oliver muttered.

"It really takes so much time for you to catch up, huh, Oliver?" Olivia commented.

"I-I-I'm not slow!" Oliver protested. "The both of you are just weird!"

"Your argument doesn't make any sense." Olivia deadpanned. "And your lack of vocabulary is sickening."

"His argument rarely does, and yes, he isn't very creative with his words." JaNyx agreed. "But for your benefit, Oliver, let me explain to you in layman's terms."

"Who is layman?" Oliver asked stupidly.

Olivia rolled her eyes in irritation, but JaNyx continued anyway, already used to Oliver's lack of brain power. 

"Think of it this way, Oliver." He spoke as if he was explaining to a child. "You were attempting to throw Goodd into the well on our side, while on Olivia's side, she was the one being thrown by Goo--I mean, Badd. So the prerequisite to opening the portal to the other side is--"

Oliver snapped his fingers as if he had just unearthed the greatest revelation in human history, "Having our opposite selves throw another set of opposites into the well at the same time!"

"Exactly!" JaNyx and Olivia clapped their hands enthusiastically, causing Oliver to glare at them. 

"But it still doesn't make sense for us to ask Goodd's help," Oliver said, his expression still menacing. "Because if we follow your logic, Olivia has no way of returning home because we need to talk to the Goodd in her universe to throw 𝘮𝘦 into the well.

"But there are two problems in this scenario. First, I am here in 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 universe, so Goodd--"

"Badd," Olivia and JaNyx corrected at the same time."

"Whatever," Oliver rolled his eyes and continued. "So Badd has no one to throw. Second, we have no way of contacting her to do the plan, so--"

"Just give up, kids." An old woman spoke, irritation evident in her voice. 

The trio looked around to look at the source of the voice, only to see The Maestro magically appearing in front of them out of nowhere, with her sparkling clothes and bejeweled staff. 

"Oliver is right. There's no way for Olivia to get into the other side." The Maestro then turned her gaze at JaNyx, forming a curve on her lips. "And I appreciate it, Nyx, that you're trying to apply magic logic with your prerequisites or whatever. But--"

"Holy sh*t!" JaNyx laughed heartily. "So 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 the Maestro!"

"Yes," The Maestro placed an arrogant hand on her chest. "Yes, I am."

"I'm a big fan!" JaNyx walked toward her and offered his hand. "Sending a bullied teenager to an alternate dimension, damn! You're so cool!"

The Maestro looked hesitant but shook it anyway. 

"What does he mean by he's a big fan...?" Olivia looked at Oliver for an explanation. 

Oliver shrugged.

"Hell if I know."

"So..." JaNyx drawled, a smug look on his face. "Is it 𝘮𝘺 turn that's why you're here?"

The Maestro made a polite smile before answering bluntly. 

"No." 

She then side-stepped Janyx and walked toward the two Twynes. Meanwhile, JaNyx fell to his knees and cried dramatically.

"My isekai dreams shattered!"

"Oliver, Olivia," She greeted. "I assume you two are doing fine?"

"I still have a head injury, but mostly, I am," Olivia replied sarcastically.

"I got slapped, but I'm fine, too," Oliver said.

Olivia gave him a death stare, which Oliver completely ignored. 

"I assume that the slap came from Olivia?" The Maestro looked at Olivia in disbelief. "You are quickly getting the character development I expect from you, dear. Though, I advise you not to hurt your alternate self."

Olivia opened her mouth to argue, but The Maestro continued.

"Don't try to jump inside the well to get back into your universe, Olivia. Whatever you and JaNyx were thinking has no truth in it." 

"What?" Oliver darted his eyes at the Maestro, then Olivia, then to JaNyx in pure puzzlement. "You made me do mental gymnastics, and it wasn't even possible to begin with?!"

JaNyx was still crying on the grass while Olivia shrugged and retorted.

"Hell if I know."

Oliver narrowed his eyes.

"There are no prerequisites for the door to the other side to open." The Maestro explained. "It's whether I decide to open it or not, that's all."

"So there is no hidden mechanism behind it?" Olivia pressed.

The Maestro chuckled.

"Of course not." She clarified. "That's why I was so genuinely surprised that you and Nyx were incessant in forcing your human logic with my dimension doors that I needed to come here myself just to explain!"

"Did the portal disappear the moment you jumped into the well?" Oliver probed. "Because it means I was right all along, and these were just making my head hurt!"

"It did." The Maestro confirmed.

"I am so gonna beat up Nyx for making me look like an idiot." Oliver cracked his knuckles, walking toward JaNyx (who still had his face planted on the ground), but Olivia blocked his way with her arm.

"So, what's the real reason why you're here, Maestro?" Olivia demanded. "You didn't go here just to tell us our assumptions about the well were wrong, right?"

The Maestro gave a crooked grin.

"You really are smart, my dear Olivia." She spoke in a tone of amusement. "You're right. That's not the reason why I'm here."

"Then what is it?"

The Maestro laughed manically like some sort of evil villain and not a magical fairy, like what everyone assumed her to be.

"I'll give you some quests, Olivia and Oliver Twyne. If you satisfy me with your outcome, I might send Olivia back to her universe."