Melody of the Holoverse

Episode 20: Sincasa

As brisk as blinking.

Perhaps even quicker.

One minute, I faced the fox of fortune;

the next, I stood in a dim, cramped space, my nostrils overwhelmed with a murder of acrid odors.

"Did it work?" I heard the dragon whisper. "We're not falling to our deaths, so I thought I'd ask."

"You've been making a lot more sense than usual lately," the swordswoman praised.

"Thanks?"

We could barely see three inches in front of us.

"Hang on." From atop Selen's dragon hand, a tiny bundle of purple flames suddenly burst, showering the space with illumination. "There. Much better."

We stood in a dilapidated cellar, the wooden flooring infested with rot as dense mold ravaged the cracked stone walls and iron pipes. Scraps of destroyed furniture scattered beside our feet, with a mound of broken crates leaning against a far corner.

"We did teleport, right?" Selen asked. "Nina didn't just send us, like, thirty feet away?"

"We're definitely not at the manor anymore," Pluto assured. "It's not exact, but I'm getting a feeling similar to when we entered Mythica Park—like we're surrounded with a new reality. That"—she clutched her chest—"and something just seems . . . different."

I knew what she meant. It felt like shards of ice drifted aimlessly in my chest cavity, caressing every vein and artery as a light chill coursed through my marrow.

Selen headed for the ascending staircase nearby. "Why speculate when we can just check for ourselves?"

"Wait," Pluto insisted.

The dragon paused.

"Assuming we are in enemy territory, we can't just stroll around like dunces," the swordswoman explained. "This is the Underworld. Our very existence is on the line. We need a plan."

"I have a plan." Selen grinned. "Kill the King."

"Remember your 'plan' you had against Filian? How'd that one work out?"

"She's a borderline divine being. What do you want from me?"

Pluto kept up her stare, until ultimately, the dragon folded.

"Okay, okay," Selen said, "I'll bite. What do you have in mind?"

"This is the enemy's yard," Pluto said, "and like what Nina told us, we don't know what to expect. For all we know, it could be a warzone up there. Before we do anything rash, we need to get a lay of the land."

"All right, so we split up and scout," Selen suggested. "Meet up back here?"

Pluto shook her head. "There's a good chance the regime already knows we're here. Maybe not us exactly, but at the very least, new arrivals. He wouldn't be King of the Underworld for nothing. For now, we stick close and gather information; ask around. You're right, though: We should use this place as a base. Sound good?"

"Works for me," Selen agreed.

I nodded.

"Let's also leave our weapons," Pluto suggested. "Never heard of someone coming to the afterlife armed."

In agreement, we hid our gear amongst the rubble.

"All right, ladies." The dragon furrowed her brow. "Let's try not to get killed."

* * *

Two sides of a story.