Bloom

35: The Escape

"I can see it in your eyes, mother. You want to protect them from the dangers out there too, right?"

"That's absolute blasphemy, Pepper! I have captured them strictly as a measure to prevent further harm being done with the flow of time."

"No, mother. It's not just that anymore. In fact, I am certain that is not your only reason."

"That's enough! What makes you say that anyhow, hm? You may have a gift, but you are still young, which means you have much to learn."

"I saw the flower, mother."

"..."

"You know the purple flower I am talking about. The one that seems to follow us everywhere. It was also where you found me."

"....."

"Don't quarrel with your inner battles anymore, mother. Please. I know your true intentions. This isn't the way to go!"

"Pepper-"

"The curse should have been lifted long ago! Stop excusing your intentions for what others are telling us to do!"

----------

Thunk!

Tulip falls backwards from the static jolt. The pink waves ripple wildly. No matter how much they bang their hands against the barrier, it refuses to budge. Their eyes dart around them. Why isn't Pepper removing it? Their eyes catch someone from a hill. A figure pokes their head above. They hold their breath once they recognize it's Dante.

Their head turns back at the barrier, but there's no sign of it disappearing. Dante is coming closer. They slip into a flower bush to hide. Twigs poke their skin. Their back aches more. But they cover their mouth and hold their breath.

"Where are you, traitor?" Dante sounds close, making Tulip's heart skip a beat.

Sounds of feet crushing leaves. Tulip peeks through a hole and there he is. His hands pull apart a nearby bush. And another. And another. Tulip doesn't move, doesn't breathe.

"Oh traitor," his voice is playful, with a hint of annoyance. "Come on out. This isn't a game of hide and seek."

He stands and looks around for a few more seconds before strolling off to the waterfall. Tulip lets out a sigh. They know, though, they still aren't safe. So they crawl to a further place. Suddenly, their hand snaps a stick in half. They freeze again. Slowly turn around. Dante isn't anywhere to be seen. It only increases their heart rate.

They crawl. Faster and faster. Keeping an eye both out for Dante and the barrier. From behind, they hear a loud masculine voice. It's Torrentus, and he's angrier than before.

"I saw the little brat run out here!"

Then rustling leaves from afar. They assume Dante is hiding now.

"They won't be far, dear," a goddess says. "We can find him later. Please come back inside so we can remove the redness on your face."

"It wouldn't have hurt so much if that damn clumsy deity didn't directly hit my face!"

"Your poor skin. I hope citrus fruit hasn't become a weakness."

"Nonsense! It was only the scalding heat!"

While the other two deities chatter away, Tulip takes the chance to resume crawling. As they continue their skittish trek, they realize the barrier is making strange rippled patterns. They seem to be motioning to a certain area, so they follow it. Their mouth opens wide in a gasp.

A miracle.

Several feet ahead on the barrier is a ten-foot wide hole. At a slow pace, though, the hole is shrinking. They take one last quick look around, assume it's safe, then run towards the hole. The pain doesn't die down from their back. A sharp jab hits them, making them scream and fall to their feet.

"What was that?"

Panic resurfaces. No no no! Not now, please! They plant their hands firm onto the ground and try to stand back up, but the pain continues to push them down. They look up. The hole gets smaller by the second. I have to do this! Any second I'll get caught! With closed fists as support, they pull one knee up after the other until they are in a kneeling position. From the corner of their eye they catch movement. They don't know who it is, but they brace for it and, against the pain, run through the hole. To their right is the gorge, so they retrace their steps and keep running. They hear more noises behind them, more voices, but they don't bother looking back. Their feet ache, their back more, but they refuse to slow down.

Gorge. Forest. Sunflowers.

Gorge. Forest. Sunflowers.

Gorge. Forest...

Gorge...

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"Why must you be so concerned about an anomaly, dearest? Interacting with them will only lead to trouble, and I will not allow it!"

"Well... what if I told you I love them?"