Ranthi of The Void

The trees swayed as Noel pounced from one tree to another, leaving marks so that the others would be guided as they set their foot after him – as what they have primarily planned.

Moving in extreme speed, the cold breeze kisses Noel's fur. The bright stars and the three moons have given Noel the unique trait his animal transformation the ability to turn invisible, although he can only use it during the night, it is very useful when scouting and hunting enemies during a mission.

Meeting halfway near the monster's territory was the original plan, "I hope we can defeat that monster." He whispered to himself as he went down and clawed a tree, leaving a mark and swiftly leaped back upwards.

Noel was about to leave a mark on the other tree when he noticed that something was wrong and immediately hissed and looked at his side. Even with his invisibility, the figure who slowly walked out from behind a tree has seen him and slowly approached him.

Noel leaped backwards, imposing that the creature who have seen him is a threat and started to prepare himself for a possible battle. A species capable of seeing invisible things is as dangerous as the turtle monster whose impenetrable shell is a topnotch. "A paral." Said the creature who moved out revealing its true figure. A woman dressed in black, her eyes were covered with a black veil with a single eye on top her head. Her nails were painted in black, along with his feet – walking barefoot.

Noel stood in silence, he had never seen such species roaming around the forest and the marshland before. "Who are you?" he asked. Although Noel doesn't know what a paral is, even though she's talking about him, he asked what is she first to convince himself if this creature is a friend or a foe.

"Ranthi, one of the eight." She said calmly, her right hand was on her chest as she introduced herself.

Noel did not speak immediately but rather looked intensively at the figure in front of him. What does she mean one of the eight? Does that mean there are other seven who looks like her? He moved his eyes on the woman's feet where he saw the space around her voided of everything, the grass and ground itself has faded in an instant as if she was walking on a shadow, encircling around her.

Noel mustered his strength as she treats this woman as no ordinary being, "What do you mean one of the eight?"

"You are a human, in possession of a paral." The woman replied. Only leaving Noel in another clueless state. "What's a paral?" he replied.

"A four-legged animal capable of invisibility when the night comes. Although it doesn't end on that. And I am the guardian of the void, Ranthi." She explained. "But a paral is the monster and not you, you just acquired its power." The woman added.

"So, what you call that black panther was a paral?" Noel asked.

"I don't know what you call that in your past world. But paral is what we call it here." The woman explained.

Noel sighed and put his big claws away from his body when he was trying to prepare himself for a fight, and considered this woman another voice, worthy of listening. The woman's voice was calm but fierce, like she possesses so much authority in this world. "So, what do you call me now?" Noel asked.

The woman chuckled, "I don't know, paral human?" she said.

Noel could not stop his mouth from giving a grin, as he remembered the title of the song that sounded almost the same – Paraluman. He stopped himself, "Well I guess I'd stick with my name, Noel." He replied. "However, you said that I get another power from the moon which gave me invisibility. Do I have another else?" Noel said, trying to make use of the information himself. If he knows that he can do other things other than being invisible, then it may help him when engaging in future combats.

"Yes, but that won't go without a price." The woman's voice turned from calm to something sinister and Noel did not like it.

The air around them seemed to stop flowing as the atmosphere turned intense, "What do you mean?" Noel asked pretending to be calm in the situation.

"The other humans are coming here. I need you to stop marking the trees and stop here already. I need someone from them, to --." She did not finish her sentence.

Noel's eyebrows met, confused. "What are you going to do with them? They are my friends." He argued. Even with the little time, Noel's feelings towards humans are real, maybe because he's a human, too. And they should be the ones to help each other so they may survive and thrive to these new lands.

"Friends for now. One of them possesses something that may destroy the balance in this world. The boarders have already been breached. Were you not confused how a creature like you end up in the marshland?" The woman said, her voice in full sound of authority.

"What do you mean? I just passed by a tunnel connecting the two." Defending himself.

"Tunnels do not exist when boarders are still intact, human. It prevents other creatures from other habitats to enter the other." The woman explained.

"So why did it happen?" Noel was dumfounded.

The woman sighed, "That I don't know. Not long before monsters we haven't seen before started appearing. Guardians are powerless against them. They're monsters of divine origin and we don't know, as guardians, know what to do."

Noel felt that something is going on, that something should be fixed. But he still needs information. Without it, they wouldn't know what would happen next. I have enough of queen bees and turtle monsters. What are we supposed to do with these monsters of divine origin? He thought.

"Good for you, your kind is suited for the marshland. these habitats exist to give life to the creatures living in it. if other monsters set foot to another environment, it would mean losing its life." The woman added.

Noel suddenly felt the urge to help, "What do you want me to do? Do you think that someone who possesses great power is in the group I was helping?"

The woman nodded, "when that someone appeared and was transported into this world, the boarders started to lose control and tunnels started appearing."

"Do you know that someone?" Noel asked. If Ranthi knew beforehand, the name of this human. He may help her by bringing him that person himself. But the woman moved his from side to side, giving Noel a sign of not knowing.

"That's why I have to take them myself, and examine them myself." The woman said.

"By what method? Torture, mutilation, by taking them to prison?" Noel argued.

"I don't have a choice, I will put less harsh methods on consideration, but bringing them to a prison is a must. That way I can interrogate them." Defended the woman.

Noel's strong physique went numb as he undid his invisibility. The class he ought to help would end up getting interrogated by this woman who he doesn't know if she's telling the truth or not. He wants to know more of his power, yes. But selling his friends who sought to help him is not an option to be even considered. But what is she's telling the truth? If monsters spawn with divine origin, it means ending all of them at once. Thoughts flooded Noel's simple mind.

"Why don't you get help from other seven if you're powerful." Noel asked.

"We can't. for the simple reason that we can't even meet. That means destruction to the habitat we guard." She explained.

"Then what are you doing here? I thought you're from the void." Another question sparked Noel, asking the mysterious woman in front of him.

"I am the only one who can go from worlds other than mine. The void exists in every plain, in every habitat." She explained.

"But if the tunnels appeared, does that mean the guardian in this land, have already seen it and did not take action on how to seal it again?" Noel asked.

"If she did, then I wouldn't be here. Nevertheless, she won't be able to stop it. I'm the only one who knows that person exist, the person who was responsible in all of this. My sister doesn't. she must have considered the abnormality of the boarders as something that the nature has all planned." She said strongly.

Noel clenched his paw as he was torn between helping and betraying his comrades who are on their way to the turtle monster. But this woman, what this woman is saying impose a greater threat than this monster. But Noel, as a human faces sympathy to those who have no clue that they would be put into danger as they continue to their mission.

"No." Noel said, his answer could not be changed as he said it with full confidence. He may be put in danger, but betraying those who treated him as a friend will not out ease to his conscience. "I am done being alone!" he cried. Knowing that this being might kill him for he knows she's way stronger than him. However, betraying them is the last thing I would do.

"Out of all the siblings, I have always been the lesser good." The woman said and the eyes on her head started to glow. Numerous black hands appeared on Noel's body, pulling him deep into the ground, where the eartheaters stood by making a black pond that sucked Noel deep into the void.

The marsh became silent as Noel sucked in extreme depth. "I have to do now; Rabi might see me." The woman whispered to herself. The black shadow below her feet has also sucked her, leaving the scene with no evidence of what had just happened.