Melody of the Holoverse

Episode 29: Freedom

Elsewhere . . .

"Oya? Oya?"

Heading to her seat, the Keeper of the West spotted a peculiar character nestled in one of the booths.

"Is that a refined dragon I see?"

The elder beast turned her face away, but the Keeper persisted, plopping herself down in the seat across.

Miss Tatsuki gave a tight smile.

"Why, hello, Lamella," she said. "I didn't expect to find you here."

The Keeper gestured to her macchiato. "Best drinks in the Other Side. I've been coming here for years and they never fail to make my day." She leaned in. "If anything, I should be the one surprised. Would've never thought you'd step foot in such a peasant-infested establishment. Surely you're risking bringing utter shame to the family name by being here."

The dragon lowered her eyes. "I humbly ask you not speak of me in such a low light." Her sadness pulsed like the beats of her heart. "I'm still trying to stomach my own reflection."

Miss Lamella smiled kindly.

"Hubris," she said softly. "One of the most unforgiving sicknesses out there. You don't realize just how crooked it is until you're paying the price, and by then, you've already lost it all."

Shame glistened in Miss Tatsuki's demeanor.

"At the very least, I'd say you're on the right path," the Keeper said. "To redemption, that is. Admitting you're the problem is the first step and, quite arguably, the hardest. Hang in there, Mayla. You'll be able to make things right."

"Somehow, I doubt that." The elder dragon stared out the window. "I threw that girl away like garbage, all because she wouldn't let me toy with her destiny. I tried to stitch strings into her and she wouldn't have it, and somehow, I thought that meant she was at fault." She wiped her eyes. "What a fool I was. Between her departure and my husband's, I deserve the quiet home I sleep in."

"If it makes you feel any better, your girl is a star in her department. Very dependable. In fact, I'm quite tempted to make her chief officer, assuming our previous one doesn't return soon."

"Then you would be making the right choice." Miss Tatsuki sat tall, proud. "That girl did many things I didn't condone, many things I found foolish. But let me tell you one thing: She is the greatest Tatsuki to ever step foot into this galaxy. Bold. Tenacious. Hungry. She has the fortitude of a castle and enough brilliance to illuminate the darkest of valleys." The jubilant mother beamed. "But more than anything, that girl is strong—stronger than I will ever hope to be. I am proud to call her my child."

The Keeper grinned.

"Repeat that when she comes back and you just might have a daughter again."

* * *

Across the onyx skies, flashes of azure and violet exploded like catastrophes. Scorching flames kissed the city, the luminosity bold. Shattered walls. Ruptured rooftops. Fissures tore through the streets, merciless.

But the duo of beasts paid no mind to the devastation. In fact, they craved it, their attacks only growing more unstable each sequence.

"Chaos Art: Marvelous Hunt!"

Kai's blaze spewed monstrously from her jaws, and like shapeshifters, the strands morphed into a symphony of colossal serpents.

The violet dragon soared straight through. The flames curled around her body, tried to burrow into her veins, but her scales mimicked the finest of fortresses.