Dawn of Fate

19. Peter Rabbit

Luminous' hand gripped nothing but air when she went to reach for the sword she didn't have anymore. The night wind blew around dust in the desert sky.

Before Luminous could think the word shoot a coyote jumped out at her. She dove to the side barely missing its teeth, the second one jumped out at her right after. She couldn't recover on time and slipped on the sand falling down.

The lead coyote jumped out of the shadows baring its teeth at her. Luminous blocking it with her arm and it bit down on her until her arm trickled blood. The other coyotes surrounded her growling.

Luminous burst out laughing. The kind of laugh you do when you know you're screwed but can't do a thing about it.

"You know what, I wouldn't change a thing! I would keep trying to save the red prince and Chasm even if I died here! I would keep trying to save Vainglorious! I would save Janus! I would save Abyss, I don't care what Vainglorious says. I know she's a good person. And I don't regret believing that!"

One of the coyotes jumped to bite Luminous' head off. She shut her eyes tight...but nothing came. She opened her eyes to see the coyote turned into black dust on the desert ground.

A light spear came out of seemingly nowhere hitting another coyote. The corrupted coyote turned into black dust fading onto the desert floor.

The others soon followed in section one after the other until they were all gone.

Luminous looked up and in the desert moonlight, saw a very familiar nun.

"Abyss!"

Abyss stood in front of Luminous holding her thin wand, it looked dark but elegant in her hand. Even though she was panting.

"Abyss? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Asked Luminous. She walked up to the girl. "Abyss?"

Luminous touched her shoulder, jolting her to attention. Her dark blue eyes locked onto Luminous'.

"Did you mean it?" She blurted out not quite in character. "Did you mean it when you said that?" Luminous knitted her eyebrows. "I mean, what you said about...?"

"Oh, Abyss of course." Luminous smiled. "I'm never sure where you disappeared to when you leave. I'm so glad to see you."

Abyss started right at Luminous' small button nose as if checking for a speck of dirt or something.

"You're really scratched up..." She finally said.

Luminous touched the scratch on her nose and her cheeks. Blood showed up on her fingers still.

"Oh, it's been like that ever since I fought the Hall Monitor."

"and your arm..."

Luminous looks at her bitten arm.

"I'm fine, I can move it around still see." Luminous smiled, moving her arm around. "It's all thanks to you. I would have been dead meat if I-"

Luminous went in for a hug when Abyss blushed and threw a wad of clothes in her face. The clothes dropped to the sandy ground, Luminous opened her eyes.

"Hey, my chicken pajamas! My armor button!" Luminous exclaimed. "Sweat! Thank you Abyss!" Smiled Luminous.

"Get dressed. I'll clean and bandage your wounds, then I'll help you save Vainglorious."

Luminous' bright blue eyes sparkled. Holding her clothes close to her chest, smiling.

"Thank you Abyss!"

After Luminous got dressed and badged back up she and Abyss walked all night across the cool desert. The wind blowing every now and then.

"So I was thinking that after I rescue everyone, maybe we could go around the kingdom of Grayscale as a circus act," Luminous said while balancing herself on the desert dunes like a tightrope. "Now that kingdom red is gone and we all have nowhere to go..."

She paused in the middle of her pretend tight rope act, being to tear up.

"Oh? And what would you all do in a circus?"

Abyss gently held Luminous' hand. Walking evenly on the sand as if it were smooth concrete.

"Umm, well, Vainglorious could do some fancy ice tricks with his magic because he is a super good and talented wizard, I know he likes to pretend he doesn't care. But I bet he would help out if I asked. The red prince could be the ring leader and sell tickets. Since you know he's always been good with talking to people. He's stern. I mean not in a commanding or bossy way like Brenda the nanny bot. I mean he's. He's also super nice and gentle with his words too. I, I don't know how to describe it. He's just him. But Chasm could be the handsome fire swordsman who is shirtless, like the guy who eats the fire. I bet Chasm could pull it off. He's so smart and brave, he could do anything fearlessly." Luminous gushed on.

"Is Chasm the one you have a crush on?" Asked Abyss.

Luminous slipped on the sand a bit catching herself mid-fall.

"What?" Luminous blushed. "I uhh..."

"You don't have to answer." Giggled Abyss walking past her. Luminous let out a sigh of relief before Abyss continued. "It's written all over your face."

"I uh, I mean if you meet him. You would probably fall in love with him too." Luminous said, rubbing the nape of her neck.

"But if that happened we would be competing with each other. Would you be okay if I fell in love with him and started dating him?" Asked Abyss.

"I, uhh..." Luminous stopped for a moment. How did she feel about some other girl dating Chasm? She never thought about it before, and it made her stomach churn. "It doesn't make me feel good..." She finally answered. "But I've never had any friends, that were girls so, I'm very happy you're friends with me Abyss. Oh! You could be the disappearing act. I'm not sure how you do it, but you always disappear and reappear whenever I need you."

"But I can't be in your circus, Luminous. I'm a nun already, remember?"

"Oh," Luminous stopped in her tracks. "Do you have to leave? I just, I'll miss you, when this is over..."

Abyss stopped in her tracks looking back at Luminous. Before scanning the desert.

"I mean, I know how important your nun job is but-"

"Shh." Abyss held a finger to her red lips.

A brown fuzzy blur jumped out of the desert too fast for Luminous to react.

"Luminous! Cover your eyes!" Abyss held out her ever-dark tree branch and chanted. "Underneath your bed monsters are made, shine a light to make them fade!"

A blindingly bright light shone like the flash, lighting up the whole dessert. Something loud went off, as Luminous felt something wiz just past her hair. The brown fur ball fell to the ground rubbing his eyes with his paw. When Luminous looked closer she saw that it was a rabbit in a cowboy hat. The same rabbit that was with the coyote in front of the swan statue.

"Why if it isn't the mayor's right-hand man, Peter. Fastest gunman in Marron desert."

But when Luminous looked closer she saw the weapon he used on her back in the town laying on the desert sand. Then as quickly as she noticed it he made a sharp movement for it. In the next instant, he was pointing it right at Abyss.

"Watch out!" Luminous shouted jumping in front of her.