Fate of Pandora - Book II

Lost

The mansion was quiet.

A moment ago, seven teenagers had a friendly reunion there, making the place vivid and cheerful. However, the peaceful day became a disaster when only two of them returned. Again, everything went wrong, and their chances to survive all the mess they were in had reduced drastically.

Based on their track record, they knew that their strength was in their numbers. What could they do now with only Ayame and Coalt left? Even though they had managed to come back after talking to the Gods of the rings, their future remained uncertain.

Coalt's entire body was numb, a reaction after having his string cut. If it weren't for Ayame's quick response, he wouldn't be there with her. Besides, it was all thanks to Lukas for covering their backs from Karina. He had sacrificed himself so the two could reach the portal and escape.

The boy sat up slowly and pulled the crying girl into a gentle hug. Ayame was conflicted.

"I-I thought they were right behind us," she said between sobs. "I thought they would reach the portal and everyone would escape. If I knew this would happen, I would have stood and fought with them. Maybe if I had, everyone would be here now..."

Kairi tried to console her as well, purring and leaning on Ayame in an attempt to cheer her up. With their help, eventually her tears ceased to fall and she recovered her breath. It was not like Coalt wasn't sorrowful as well; he was more scared and worried than anything else.

Once Ayame had stopped sobbing, Kairi asked them, "What happened at the Gods' realm?"

Coalt preferred to be the one to tell the story. "Everything went well until the very last moment. Thanks to Jay, we had reached the God's realm. We talked to the Gods and gained new powers. The problem was right after it. Out of nowhere, Karina appeared and attacked us."

"Karina?!" The nekomata looked doubtful. Her reaction was the same disbelief they had felt when they were face-to-face with the woman. Even though she was in front of their eyes, they had never expected to meet her there.

"That woman attacked the strings that connected us back to this world. She had cut mine first. I remember Ayame grabbed onto me before I lost consciousness." The boy and the cat looked to the girl to tell them the rest of the story.

Ayame breathed deeply, summoning courage so her voice wouldn't waver too much. "Jasmet told me to hold onto you tightly, so that I could take you back even if you had lost your connection. With their help, I jumped straight into the portal and I saw them following." Ayame bit her lower lip as she remembered the scene. "I saw Karina hurt Lukas too, and the entire group was rushing to the portal. They almost reached it when their attention suddenly changed to Jasmet, and then, the portal closed in their faces." The girl closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she tried to hold new tears from forming. "If only I knew, I..."

Coalt patted her shoulder, opening his mouth in an attempt to say something comforting, but nothing came out. He also felt guilty and wandered in the 'what if' land; if only he could have helped the others instead of being knocked down when they needed him most.

Kairi waved her two tails thoughtfully. "Was Karina carrying any sort of weapon?"

"She used a knife to cut my line," Coalt told her.

"Why did she cut your string when she could have just as easily stabbed you? Why didn't she kill you on the spot?" The demon cat's questions were a little disconcerting; however, she had a point. "If I understand it right, when you lose this string, you can't come back to this world, right? At least not alone."

The two nodded and the cat swung her tails faster. "Losing your connection isn't the same as dying, and it can be done with a simple knife." Her big green eyes were wide open as she contemplated the possibilities. "Cutting a string is easier and faster than trying to kill someone, and now everyone is stuck in limbo. Maybe she never planned to kill you there, but she managed to get most of you out of her way at once."