The Ferret Universe

Chapter 8

That evening, we were seated at a long table for the banquet. I watched with amused anticipation as Ian took his seat—his eyes widened for a moment before he fell into a black hole I instantly summoned.

A thud was heard in the bathroom a short distance behind me, followed by a splash in the toilet. Sherwin, Erwin, and I exchanged glances, stifling our laughter.

The bathroom door flung open—Ian was dressed as if nothing had happened, though he was panting, as he had frantically used his Elemental Powers to dry himself and restore his well-groomed appearance. He quickly returned to his upright posture and made his way to his chair again.

Welp. That was about as entertaining as things got in this banquet.

As soon as Clarence and Clara arrived, everyone had to either remain silent, or speak with formality.

And I was hating this white robe more and more.

It was all I could do to restrain myself from jumping on the table and starting a food fight.

At last, there was a small cling that made everyone quiet down. Galactic Queen Clara was tapping her wineglass with a thin, metal stick.

"Cosmic Warriors of Galaxy Prime!" She spoke in her high-pitched voice, fixing her grin across the table. She turned to Clarence beside her and gave a big nod.

Galactic King Clarence rose from his seat and fixed his relaxed smile on everyone. He proceeded to speak in his calm, yet overly-formal tone.

"Now. You must all realize that it is a privilege to live in Galaxy Prime—the wealthiest, most resource-rich galaxy known in this Universe. And you must all realize that such a galaxy has become that way, thanks to the strength, wits, and skills you all Cosmic Warriors have implemented in your Cosmic Battle Sessions. Without your efforts, our galaxy would not be what it is." He dipped his head. "Even I, the Galactic King of such an esteemed galaxy, give you Warriors my most sincere respect."

While some of the Cosmic Warriors gazed at him with awe and astonishment for his gesture of gratitude, I found myself struggling to stay awake.

My head was bobbing up and down as I tried to keep my eyes open.

Before I knew it, everything around me was fading.

I found myself in a hazy state again.

Then things cleared up a bit. I started to feel a surge of energy.

My vision brightened and I found myself flying through golden, billowing clouds. Flying—not soaring or swirling. I had wings again.

And I felt that amazing, unseen presence again.

I flew faster. Soon, I heard Lula's distant, gentle giggle.

Then it was no longer distant, but next to me. Above me. Below me.

She, too, was flying with her beautiful white wings, maneuvering all around me while keeping her calm, sassy smile on me.

I felt another surge of exhilaration, and I gave her my daring smirk. I darted around her—we both alternated between lunging and dodging each other.

Then everything became a blurry haze again.

When everything cleared up, Lula and I were wingless. I was in the galactic space, riding on my enflamed motorcycle while she rode her mattress covered in blankets and pillows.

We were zooming faster than the speed of light, faster than we had ever zoomed before.

Everything was a blur around us.

It was day 5 of the Mission. The power of our Speedverse Orbs coursed through our veins as we whisked through more galactic and intergalactic territories, covering more areas than any ferret could have ever covered in a matter of seconds.

Our eyes were focused on the transient form of a jet-black ferret—the Soul Bandit. Each time he disappeared into a black hole, it was just moments before we zoomed through countless galactic and intergalactic territories before we caught him again, a split second before he darted into another black hole and the cycle had to repeat.

Then we heard a loud, earsplitting scream. A boom went off—Lula and I were thrown off course. We crash-landed onto a desert planet.

Soon, we were zooming side-by-side through a large city full of golden buildings and blazing-hot roads.

The earsplitting scream pierced through the sky again, followed by additional screams and shouts as panicking ferrets dashed around us.

Lyla was swirling across the sky in haphazard directions, though this time, her face was contorted with crazed anger— a stark contrast to the panic-stricken gaze she had in the previous dream-like experience.

And her screaming voice sounded much more vehement, full of pure rage.

"THE HANGERS GOT THE SLAB! HOW DARE THE RAFAFA PUT THE MOLD ON MUNCH SLAUGHTER-HOCUS! RAHHHH!" She thrust her head aside, crashing against a building and causing it to blink—it alternated between a building and a display of red flames, before it exploded into flaming broken table legs, enflamed piano keys, and an enflamed fridge-table-Ferrari conglomeration. The obstacles zoomed over us and the other ferret citizens of the desert city, crash-landing in various portions.

Then Lyla stopped in midair, breathing heavily with her twisted, enraged look while gusts of sand blew in the air. Her breathing deepened and quickened, causing the sandy wind currents to blow faster. In a matter of seconds, a huge sandstorm had developed.

Lula and I tried to do quick, slithery dances and tail-flicks to cause the sandstorm to go away, but it was just a split second before Lyla would let out an enraged scream and cause the sandstorm to return and intensity.

And of course...each time either of us tried to summon a black hole around the crazed ferret, it would instantly dissolve into nothingness. She was completely immune to any Elemental Power.

Lyla's head tilted slowly from side to side as she shifted her eyes across the panicking, running ferrets below her. Many were coughing, sputtering, and tripping over each other in the sandstorm.

Then Lyla began moving her head in circles. She let out a series of rapid, unintelligible words and became a blur, darting in haphazard direction in the sky.

Headless ferret dolls shot up from random areas of the ground.

Lula and I came to a halt as a ferret-doll burst from the ground in front of us, enlarging to three times our size—the doll's neck was half-torn so that its head was hanging. It hovered in front of us for a second, then burst into a bunch of flaming sparks.

Lula and I fled in opposite directions to evade the scattering sparks.

I was unprepared for the incoming crowbar with a ferret-doll head merged at its end—it zoomed up to me from behind and hit of my head.

In an instant, I jerked my head up, panting.

I found myself back at the Palace, still sitting at the banquet.

Galactic King Clarence and Galactic Queen Clara were still rambling on about how special we Cosmic Warriors were.

I slowed my panting, hoping no one had noticed me tuning out. I turned to see that most the Cosmic Warriors were staring at the King and Queen, looking bored. Sherwin had his Z-Phone under the table—he was sending Miriana and Agatha a selfie he had taken of himself kissing the butt of one of the white ferret statues in the Palace, while one of the robot-ferrets he summoned was positioned mouth to mouth with the statue.

I sniggered, then looked around for Lula. I almost flinched as I saw that she had rested the side of her head atop the table. Her eyes were closed and she had a mild smile on her face.

I stifled a laugh. She looked so peaceful, sleeping like that.

I shifted my gaze to Jedidiah. The old ferret also looked like he had fallen asleep— he was sitting up in his chair, with his head slightly tilted down. His hood was covering the angles of his face so that no one could notice he was asleep.

Seeing them sleeping made me sleepy again. My head began to bob up and down, and soon, I had tuned out once more.