Chapter 8
122.
Thanks to Raven saving the group, they can all breathe freely now. The priority now is to get back to the UniPaws without getting spotted, and it looks like Lulu has another bright idea. The group entered a rock almost the same size as their bag using Furo's talent. Raven then, lifted and tied it at the latter part of her motorcycle. She was able to carry the huge rock since Furo used his talent at the top surface, allowing Raven to lift the bottom part without entering the imaginary space as well.
"I knew that Furo could do that but wow, that's amazing," Raven said upon witnessing Furo's talent for the first time.
When everything was set, Raven started the engine and sprinted through the forest. This time, she took a detour to avoid the town, her racing experience gave Raven the skills to navigate the surroundings effectively. It didn't take them long before Raven reached the Ruin despite going in a different direction, she's the Racing Queen after all.
Eventually, Raven opened the portal using a Runekey that she brought and then crossed the Ruin without any further problems. The Nocturnal Kemis can still party without worrying about the intruders in the dungeon, while the group secretly accomplishes their mission as they flee.
It's also nighttime in the UniPaws since Noctambulist Land has a relatively close timezone to the UniPaws, some of the realms have the same setup while others are far off due to the distance in the cosmos. Now, it's time for Raven to tell Kita's group that they arrived safely at the camp, though a small doubt enters Raven's mind, thinking that she'll hit the huge rock when she jumps into it, "Okay, I just need to enter that huge rock, no biggy," Raven said to herself.
Doing exactly how the others did, Raven closed her eyes and made her way to the imaginary space. In the next instant, she saw an all-white place, a completely empty and colorless surrounding. The group is just lying in front of Raven, without anything around them. Furo was too tired to create details, that's why he decided to do nothing in the first place.
Raven was shellshocked, she was used to vibrant scenery since she grew up in the Southern region of Zenshin, and seeing an empty and colorless space is something new for her. "This place frightens me for some reason…" Raven said.
"Oh, nyu are here. Are we in the UniPaws now?" Kita asked as she stood up.
"Sorry for the lack of details, well, no details at all. I was quite lazy earlier, plus we were in a rush." Furo mentioned.
"It's all good, and yes, we are in UniPaws now, let's just all get out of here before I lose my mind," Raven responded.
The group went outside of the rock as Furo closed the space. Now that everything is peaceful, it's time for Raven to answer some questions. The group owes Raven their safety but they are still curious why she was there in the first place. Raven suddenly showing up is a mystery in itself.
"Now tell us the truth, what are nyu doing inside the realm?" FeLinE:1000X questioned.
"Ah… Anooo…" Raven hesitantly replied while scratching her head.
"Don't get us wrong, we are indeed thankful for your help. We are just curious how nyu ended up there, it's not like nyu could listen to our wristwatches coms through realms," Kita responded.
"That means Raven went inside of the realm without knowing our situation," Yuna added.
"Well… I knew the situation but I also entered the realm without a clue." Raven said.
"That doesn't make any sense?" Lulu confusedly commented.
"Okay, okay, I'll clarify everything now," Raven said as she calmed down everyone. "To be honest, I found a Runecrystal aaand… I'm kinda following it just like what Kita and others did," she added.
"What do nyu mean?" Hana asked.
"At first, I don't know what I'm doing but Maiko helped me understand how she fused with Runecrystal. I even asked Queen Grace for some guidance, and now I'm trying to be a better version of myself to fuse with the Runecrystal." Raven answered.
"Ara, everyone is here," Maiko said as she approached the group and joined the conversation. "That is all true. The Runecrystal glowed dimly when Raven picked it up. She found that Rune the night while we were setting up the base, right after your group entered the realm. That means the Runecrystal is for her, she just needs to be worthy of it." She added.
"The next morning, I held on to the Runecrystal and stood in front of the Ruin. It glowed, just like what from the stories of Kita. I remember they mentioned that they usually let the Runecrystal decide their next move. Because of that, I quickly got a Runekey and entered the realm. I did my best to trace your group, and eventually, I saw nyu lying on the ground while Hana was healing FeLinE. I watched from a distance since then." Raven confessed the truth.
"That was after the first night, right?" Furo asked.
"Hai, I was aching from a massive headache that day," Lulu answered.
"We were all occupied by that moment, I guess that's why we failed to notice Raven," Yuna mentioned.
"Look, I understand your point, going through realms without a talent might harm me. But I'm sorry FeLinE, I followed Kita's group to find a new purpose for myself. Now that I have one, I don't want to let this one go." Raven told FeLinE.
FeLinE walked forward and said, "Nyu did great. FeLinE is now considering your request, but FeLinE will decide tomorrow." She then proceeds to the camp.
"Did FeLinE just praise me?" Raven confusedly reacted.
"Welcome to the club," Kita responded as she tapped Raven's shoulder.
"She's learning how to communicate better now," Hana mentioned.
"That's the best part of interacting with others, we all learn a lot of things from different perspectives," Maiko replied.
"I like the new FeLinE. She's like an oven!" Lulu said.
"An oven? Why?" Yuna asked.
"Cold and metallic on the outside, but can still be warm inside!" Lulu explained.
"That's an accurately weird comparison," Furo commented.
"Chuu~ but it works!" Pily responded.
"Let's all head to the camp shall we?" Maiko suggested.
"Haiii~" The rest answered as they all followed Maiko.
The night peacefully ended as the group accomplished their mission, and also addressed Raven's determination to join the quest.
123.
The next morning rises and it's a breather for the group. Accomplishing 2 out of the 7 Mystical Runekey has been eventful in a lot of ways. The group managed to solve tons of problems but there was something that was left unsolved. After all the shenanigans that had happened, why is Furo not yet corrupted?
Eve notified the group that they were already on their way to the island. They also mentioned that they no longer need any assistance from Thirdy since they'll arrive later that day. While waiting for Eve, the group once again remembered Furo's situation.
"Furo is still doing fine…" Hana suddenly mentioned.
"Why? Is there something that happened to him?" Raven asked.
"I just remembered that he fused with a Forbidden Rune, and I'm wondering how is he still doing fine," Hana answered.
"Yeah, I almost forgot about that," Kita replied.
"I completely forgot that!" Furo reacted in shock.
"Maybe we should let the scientist check him up? I mean they can potentially tell how the Forbidden Rune interacts with his body, right?" Yuna suggested.
"I don't understand anything but I'm sure that's a good idea!" Lulu reacted.
"Aaa… Anoo… I've been their apprentice lately, so maybe I can provide some analysis. I'm not that good but I can try my best! If that's okay with everyone…" Celeste said shyly.
"Then Furo will be your first specimen!" Kita said energetically to boost Celeste's spirit. "GAAANBATTE!" Lulu added.
"Hai!" Celeste responded, she immediately headed out and prepared the lab.
"Is this a good idea?" Furo nervously asked, knowing that he would be an experiment for Celeste.
"Hai, hai, let's head there now," Hana said as she pushed Furo toward the lab. The rest of the group followed them. Upon arriving, Furo lies down on the laboratory stretcher bed as Celeste begins to explain the procedure.
"Rubi gave me a copy of her Database that contains DNA records. What we have to do is; get a blood sample of Furo, and then compare it to the other DNA. If there are some traces of DNA from the Forbideen Rune in Furo's blood sample, then it means it is still present in his body." Celeste explained while preparing the medical tools.
"But how are we going to know if he is not in a dangerous state?" Hana asked.
"We can observe the interaction of the foreign DNA in his blood sample, the behavior of the cell. That can give us a glimpse of how Furo's body reacts to the Forbidden Rune." Celeste answered.
"That will be a huge help, it will answer why Furo is still the same after a long time," Yuna added.
"Hai, let's start the examination then," Celeste said.
The procedure starts as the group watches Celeste perform what she learned from Eve and Rubi. Celeste is more invested in expeditions, and experimentation is not her field of expertise. Her job is to be the seafarer of the team, her dream right from the get-go. However, watching Eve and Rubi perform laboratory activities caught Celeste's interest. For Celeste, the methodology behind each study is somewhat similar to expeditions. It's like there's always an answer bound to be revealed at the end of the destination. Because of that, Celeste has been a mentee of Eve and Rubi.
It's been almost an hour and Celeste is evidently lost in her findings, the confusion can be seen on her face. The group noticed Celeste's state, they didn't want to interrupt or pressure Celeste, but they were also worried about what was happening. After a couple more minutes, the group starts to ask Celeste.
"Aaah… Anooo… Celeste, is everything alright?" Hana politely asked.
"Ah, etoooo… I actually don't know…" Celeste embarrassedly said.
"Why? What's the matter?" Hana replied.
"Well, I did just like what Eve and Rubi taught me. I've been retrying over and over but there's no trace of Forbidden Rune DNA in his blood sample…" Celeste responded.
"WHAT?" everyone else reacted in shock.
"I'm so sorry! Maybe it's just a mistake on my end." Celeste apologized as she bowed her head.
"Did nyu observe the Cell's behavior, just like nyu mentioned?" Maiko asked.
"Hai, Furo's cells are in normal condition, there are no signs of him getting corrupted, completely different from the data that we have from Ridsae and Raccus," Celeste answered.
"Wait, I think that makes more sense… I mean, if Furo is not yet corrupted after a long period of time, then maybe he is not infected by the Forbidden Rune in the first place?" Yuna hypothesized.
"Then why can he use his talent?" Kita questioned.
"It means he fused with a Runecrystal, not a Forbidden Rune." FeLinE:1000X intervened.
"But Furo said that he picked up a color violet Rune," Hana argued.
"No no no, what I said was 'Maybe it's violet.' I'm not sure since it was dark that night. I only assumed the color since I had already seen a violet Rune elsewhere, and it was the same shape as the one that I picked up. Back then, I was clueless as to whatever that was, but when your group entered my imaginary space and talked about how I'll get corrupted, it made me think that I fused with a Forbidden Rune." Furo clarified.
The discussion gets more confusing as the Kemis realize that there has been a misconception all this time. Maiko cut the conversation as she suggests, "Celeste, can nyu please compare Furo's blood sample to a Runecrystal?"
"Ha-hai!" Celeste responded.
A few moments later Celeste said, "I-it's… a match…" Everyone was surprised. It turns out, that all this time Furo fused with a Runecrystal, which explains why he is not getting corrupted. It also means that Furo has the same situation as Hana and Maiko wherein they fuse to Runecrystal immediately unlike the others.
"Oh… Sooo… I'm not at risk? That means I no longer need to tag along?" Furo asked.
"Hai, we'll drop nyu to the previous island before we head to the next one," FeLinE:1000X answered.
"Plus, we didn't take that long this time, so there's no need to restock at Kemitopia. We can proceed as FeLinE said." Raven added.
"NYATTA!" Furo gladly shouted.
"Aw, but I don't want to carry backpacks agaiiiin!" Lulu complained.
"This journey has been full of confusing and questionable moments…" Hana commented.
124.
As the story continues, Eve and Rubi eventually reach the island. To prove Celeste's findings, she immediately requested her mentor to validate her claims. After cross-examining the data, Eve and Rubi agreed with the results, which makes Celeste's statement even stronger. Therefore, the assumptions were right, it was the misunderstandings that created the problem. Each one of the group took part in the mistake, and everything is cleared up now. Furo did help the group tremendously and it's only fair to finally let him return to his realm.
Going back to Eve and Rubi's purpose of visit, they are already done studying the age of the documents that were handed to them by the group. They began to explain the in-depth results and as per the findings; the papers were almost ten years of age, the same length of time as when King Luke disappeared. Not only that but the materials were also confirmed from Kemitopia. Zenshin and Riverania don't have that type of paper ten years ago.
After presenting the evidence, it now highly suggests that those notes were probably from King Luke or one of his followers. It is not yet guaranteed that King Luke wrote it since the possibility of having similar penmanship exists, though it is certain that the documents belong to someone from Kemitopia.
The group immediately asked how Queen Grace reacted to it and surprisingly, the Queen handled the situation better than last time. Eve and Rubi also for an extra day before traveling to the island, just to make sure that it was not just a strong front. From the perspective of Queen Grace, this news gave her signs of hope. The probability of them being alive is still low since the documents were written ten years ago, but the possibility opens up as it leads them to the next clue.
Eventually, the team started to disassemble the camp. It's been a rinse-and-repeat process for them and everyone already knows their part, just a simple order from Raven is enough for the rest to carry on the process. Following FeLinE's plan, they went to the previous island first. This time, Celeste insists on voyaging normally and only asks for Thirdy's help at crucial times. As a Seafarer, Celeste thinks that putting a ship on top of a Giant Beast's head lessens the purpose of the ship, the main goal of a ship is to set sail in the first place. The group agrees, showing respect towards Celeste, it's her passion after all.
After some hours, the ships arrived at their destination. The group finally said their farewell and gratitude to Furo. Furo also feels the same way, even though it was all a misunderstanding, he is still thankful for being part of the journey. FeLinE then, opens the Ruin connected to BijouTerra as Furo gets back to his home. Kita also gave Furo a Runekey and a map, so he can still visit UniPaws whenever he feels like it, though navigating the realm will be all up to him.
When everything was settled, on to the next island they go. It is already afternoon and the Catgirls enjoy the fresh warm breeze on the ship's deck. FeLinE approaches Raven to finally give her answer.
"Raven," FeLinE:1000X called Raven.
"Hai?" Raven responded. The rest of the group closely listens as they anticipate the next happenings.
"FeLinE is already done analyzing the situation, and FeLinE has an offer for nyu," FeLinE:1000X said.
"Let's hear it then," Raven responded.
"Your resolve is remarkable, just like your leadership in guiding the base. That made FeLinE conclude that it won't take long before nyu fused with the Runecrystal. Here's the deal, FeLinE will allow nyu to join the quest for the 3rd Mystical Runekey. Once we obtain our target, nyu must fuse with the Runecrystal before we can safely return to UniPaws. If nyu fail to do so, then that's the end of the road for nyu." FeLinE:1000X said.
Without thinking it too deeply, Raven smirked as she replied, "Deal." Raven and FeLinE shook their hands as a form of agreement.
"That deal was a tough one," Kita commented.
"Well, nyu did challenge the Racing Queen without any prior plan, it's time for me to step my game up!" Raven replied.
"Ara~ I love the spirit," Maiko said.
"Kita's decision-making is contagious," Hana added.
"Hey, nyu phrase it like I'm a disease or something!" Kita complained.
"Then maybe we should check her up, just to be sure." Rubi kiddingly said.
"Oy!" Kita madly reacted as everyone laughed.
Raven stood up to the challenge without even the slightest assurance of winning the bet, just like what Kita did in City Race. It may sound outrageous but Kita managed to hand the Racing Queen her first loss, which in and of itself, is an example of how nothing is impossible. What's important for Raven is a chance to prove herself, it's time for her to go big or go home.
The Catgirls continue to have a joyful conversation, but it is interrupted when Thirdy suddenly shows up on the right side of the ship, following them on their voyage.
"Did nyu summon him?" Yuna asked Lulu.
"No, I'm also clueless why Thirdy is here," Lulu answered.
"Did he hear what I said earlier? I hope he doesn't take it personally…" Celeste nervously said, pertaining to her previous statement about voyaging normally.
"Chuu~ let's just ask Thirdy," Pily suggested.
Lulu walked closer to Thirdy, she then said, "Hi Thirdy! What's up?".
Thirdy looked up at the sky as he answered Lulu.
"Thirdy said that something is coming, he just showed up to offer protection for us," Lulu told the rest.
"What's about to come that needs the King of the Sea as the protector?" Eve questioned.
In the next instant, the orange scenery highlighted by the afternoon changed into pitch-black darkness when something covered the skies. Thirdy roars in full strength, making everyone flinch. The unknown creature leaves before anyone can even fathom the situation as everything goes back to normal.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Kita loudly asked.
"Thirdy said that it's the King of the Sky…" Lulu answered.
Everyone was bewildered by the sequence of events, but they were more shell-shocked when they heard Lulu's response. From their perspective, something is bound to happen.
End of the Tale of BijouTerra & Noctambulist Land