novelnext Spark of light…
Spark of light…
Under the cold and immutable silver influence of the twin moons of Ky'lar, the forest clearing remained submerged in a stillness that, on the surface, dragged the last vestiges of a delirious comedy.(Fssssssss)
Meanwhile, the wind hissed the persistent odor of gastric juices near the bushes; the muffled echo of alcoholic laughter from the tide of women in elastic, questionably sourced costumes, and the dying crackle of the improvised grills composed a scene of absolute earthly disconnection...
(Sssssshhhhh)
However, on the reverse side of reality, the very fabric of space-time was under an absolute state of siege.
(¡Fwup—fwup—fwup...!)
Invisible to mortal eyes, threads of pure natural energy mixed with an overwhelming spiritual density intertwined into a gigantic dome that covered the entirety of the forested expanse.
(Zzzzhhhhh)
This was not a chaotic attack; instead, it was a surgical deployment.
(Fuuuuhhhhh~)
Maintaining her presence hidden and dispersed throughout the area, the Spirit Queen, operating as the planet's relentless immune system, continued to manifest the perfect prison designed to contain, buffer, and isolate the evolutionary capability of the aberrant virus that inhabited the center of the clearing.
(Uuuuuuuhhhhh...)
Amidst the wind, each superimposed layer added a metric ton of conceptual pressure onto the environment, altering the elementary physical laws of Ky'lar.
(¡¡Krrr-clac...!!)
As a result, in the silence of the astral plane, the twenty-eighth layer settled with a dry and intermittent echo.
(¡Ssswiiishhh~!)
And instantly, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind, the air density in the forest increased imperceptibly for most, petrifying the underlying wind currents.
(Fwiiiiiiisssss)
Immediately after, the natural flow of the ecosystem was mutilated, forcing nature to act as a stabilizing and mitigating shield to prevent the imminent battle from collapsing the reverse side of the world.
(¡¡Cric... cric... clac...!!)
A few seconds later, the twenty-ninth layer slid over the structure, intertwining with the previous ones like a web of conceptual steel.
(¡Vvvvvffffhhhh!)
And with its arrival, the intermittency of the barrier began to stabilize.
"A... A... ¡Achuí!!"
Thanks to that, the space-time distortion intensified, causing a strange heaviness to begin leaking into the atmosphere, like a vibration so subtle that only someone could perceive...
"... Sniff... It feels... bad..."
High up on the structure of the inn, sitting on the roof, the little princess of the natural spirits rubbed her nose with the back of her small hand, blinking with confusion and annoyance.
"What is... Sniff-sniff... This...?"
Flora was the only creature in the clearing capable of physically tuning into the formation of the barrier. But her youth and inexperience worked against her; her childlike mind was completely unable to process the root of the problem or the reason for the discomfort within it.
"¡¡ACHÚ~!!"
For her, the effects of the barrier were oppressive and incomprehensible as the allergic rejection reaction amplified alongside a persistently dark bad feeling.
("¡¿?!")
On the other hand, right beside Flora, the small silver armor, Silver, reacted all of a sudden.
("Something is wrong...")
Although she was holding a handkerchief to assist Flora, her sharp instincts as a warrior seemed to tense up under a purely visceral impulse.
("... Danger.")
It was a primitive reaction, similar to that of a veteran warrior who perceives the edge of a sword brushing against the back of their neck before even seeing it.
("From where...?")
Therefore, knowing that something was deeply wrong with the environment, although unable to identify what it was, Silver went into absolute alert.
("...")
As a result, the small metallic being expanded her concentration across the entire surrounding perimeter, sharpening her invisible senses, ready to act or attack in response to any alteration in space.
(¡¡¡SHHHHHH—FROTT...!!!)
However, when the thirtieth layer manifested with an invisible shockwave that swept through the forest's astral plane, sealing the conceptual isolation of the forest in its entirety, it was then that they finally understood...
("... Zzz... Mmmgh...")
... The trap into which they had fallen.
("¡¡!!")
In a corner of the clearing, lying on an altar created by Clotilde and the others, the deep sleep in which Goldie was submerged seemed to be abruptly interrupted.
("What...?!")
She, as a hybrid existence between curse and divinity, could feel the exact instant the thirtieth layer settled, as a sudden intervention cut and sabotaged the flow of the surrounding forces, generating a violent interference in her development process.
"Oh, Goddess, we are sorry for waking you!"
However, unaware of such things, Clotilde as well as the rest of the women prostrated themselves in veneration, seeking forgiveness.
("... Something... is wrong...")
But at that moment, for the little golden straw doll who experienced an abrupt cut in her evolutionary connection—forcing her out of her trance and waking her all of a sudden in the midst of deep confusion—that was not a priority.
("... What is... This...?")
Floating in place, the golden straw doll remained motionless, but her mystical senses immediately extended like invisible threads, desperately tracking the origin of that deep discomfort that had mutilated her evolutionary sleep.
("... Ugh.")
However, the conceptual vacuum of the barrier left her blind.
("What should I do...?")
There was no recognizable energy signature, nor a tangible enemy releasing bloodlust; only a dead atmospheric pressure that sabotaged the energy flow.
("... Mama.")
Therefore, Goldie tilted her head slightly, blinking in the twilight of the clearing, completely unable to understand the true source of that anomaly suffocating the reverse side of the forest, trying to reach out to her mother...
"Please, forgive us!!"
But while the divine hybrid debated within her silent dilemma, on the ground, prostrated before her, Clotilde's voice rose in a shrill lament, cracked by the effects of alcohol and the weight of an oversized guilt.
"We deeply regret not having taken your intentions into account!"
Prostrated on their knees, with their hands pressed firmly against the fertile earth in a posture of absolute submission, all the women in the clearing, regardless of their state in tight bikinis and snug outfits, prostrated themselves.
"I know this might sound presumptuous on our part... But please... Speaking for all those present... Allow us to venerate you..."
In that place, before little Goldie, a tide of female figures prostrated in unison, bowing forward until their foreheads almost touched the ground of the clearing, forming a chorus of apologies, begging for forgiveness.
("Adore...?")
Thanks to that, not knowing how to react, Goldie froze.
""""Please""""
Thus, her small doll body went completely rigid before the mass of warriors begging for forgiveness, trapping her in deep confusion.
(Fuuuuhhhhh~)
Following that, the wind blew gently, sweeping through the area with an almost peaceful subtlety.
(CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...)
Immediately after, the dry, heavy sounds of invisible gears resonated with force in the stillness of the environment.
(¡CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...!)
Inside the inn, unlike her sisters, Brownie remained static.
"Hey, Brownie..."
Remembering with painful clarity the previous warnings that Melioris had secretly entrusted to her, she was the only one among all those present who truly knew the magnitude of the conceptual danger looming over the forest of Ky'lar.
"Emotions are a wonderful thing that drive us to move forward and act... However..."
Nevertheless, despite possessing that privileged knowledge and understanding the nature of the dome that was finishing densifying, Brownie was completely unable to do anything to stop what was about to begin.
"... They can also be something... Utterly cruel..."
The weight of events surpassed any countermeasure.
"Because they lead you to do things you never imagined doing."
Because of this, and remembering those words spoken with a melancholy smile, heavy with a feeling that Brownie could barely analyze, she...
"That is why I ask you, please..."
... Conscious that she could act... Capable of altering the final outcome... She, as her first act of will...
"Let them bloom."
Chose to trust.
(???? Sssshhhhhhhiaaaaaaa... ♫)
Therefore, Brownie did not move, limiting herself to preparation, ready for action as the wind swirled like an ethereal and celestial murmur flowing among those present.
"...."
And in the midst of such a crossroads of hidden scenarios, conflicting desires, celestial wills, and stories threatening to collide with each other on the reverse side of reality, a single figure stood completely motionless at the epicenter of the clearing.
(???? Sssshhhhhhhiaaaaaaa~♫)
Around her, the air danced like a playful and melancholy echo of the past, gently lifting the edges of her attire in an almost ethereal swaying motion.
(¡¡Fwuaaa—fwuuu...!!)
The silhouette possessed an androgynous and stylized beauty, with fine features that evoked a mystical purity, while her long hair of a resplendent silver tone fell straight down her back, waving with elegance at the touch of the miraculous breeze that caressed her strands.
(¡¡Ssshh—ssshh...!!)
In turn, enveloping her body and rocking with the wind, she wore a fluffy and highly elaborate dress.
"I-I..."
The design played masterfully with an absolute duality, employing black and white as the predominant colors, where layers of dark and light fabric superimposed in perfect, puffed folds.
"... I-I don't understand."
However, breaking the sobriety of that scale, an intricate web of embroideries and chromatic ribbons extended along the edges of the attire, flashing with multicolored reflections that mimicked the vividness of a rainbow under the light of the twin moons.
"... W-What... are these...?"
And right at the center of her chest, binding the seams of the dress, sat a heavy golden medallion in the shape of a reptile devouring itself, coiled in an infinite loop.
<<"Ahahaha... It's about to begin!">>
Meanwhile, at the center of that sculpted jewel, a large gem remained embedded.
<<"... Aaaw~... Yes... It seems so...">>
Nonetheless, at that precise moment, the gem appeared completely dead.
<<"Ufufu... I wonder... How will it end...?">>
It lacked brightness, opaque and colorless, devoid of any trace of the overwhelming energy that once shone within it.
(¡...!)
But at that moment, without anyone noticing it just yet...
(¡¡Blic...!!)
... deep within the inert crystal... Just as the space of the clearing finished sealing itself under the last layer of the reverse side...
<<"Let the chaos begin!!">>
... A faint, tiny, and solitary spark of color flashed.