Fate of Pandora - Book II

Decisions

Karina was still stuck inside the portal. The time she had spent in that dimension between space and time was tearing her soul apart. Added with Luna's special assault that shook her resistance, she didn't have much time left. The side of the portal that would take her back to Earth had closed unexpectedly, and on the other end was the group of demigods watching her every move. Even if she could, she wasn't confident about returning to the Gods' realm. For one, the children were waiting to continue their eternal fight, and she was sincerely getting tired of it. Second, there was a high chance she could get lost in the void on the short trip back.

"Kira?" she kept calling for her best option. "Kira? Kira! Answer me!" She was angry with her loyal servant until she finally realized that she couldn't feel his presence anymore. "Ho-How? How could you be defeated?"

The woman flinched when a big chunk of her leg disappeared. She looked down at her own body filled with holes and missing pieces and then back to the group of teenagers. She gritted her teeth once she understood what had happened.

"This is all the Gods' doing. He was defeated by the other brat's special power the same way the ones stuck here are giving me trouble," she said out loud to herself as she tried to weigh her options.

Her eyes finally landed on the small golden box she held tightly against her chest. The box that contained all knowledge. The strain of looking inside it was too much for a physical body... but if she were to look while she was only a conscious soul, and then hop into a strong spiritual body with her newly acquired intelligence, it would be a different story. That was her goal. It was supposed to be simple; all she had to do was find the hidden treasure and a suitable vessel for her empowered soul.

She overcame all the difficulties that had appeared before her. Pandora was able to overcome her physical death and prolong her existence in the world. She had defeated everyone who dared to stand in her way. She had discovered how to search for her box, even if the demigods kept attempting to hide it from her. At first she eliminated them and destroyed their rings; it was only later she realized the rings' attraction toward the hidden treasure. The magical items refused to help her or be used by her minions, but they couldn't stop being drawn to the box. They were made from the same divine material, after all. And the more rings she had gathered, the easier it was to read them, and thus she arrived in Tokyo.

At that point, there was little more to accomplish in her mission. All that remained was to win the race against the last ring bearers and find the missing box. In her way was just a bunch of frightened teenagers; nothing but small pebbles in her path. Yet, how had those small pebbles become a mountain? It was the first time she had seen so many of them together – maybe it really was a desperate attempt to stop her. They soon became an annoyance with their luck and combined powers, enabling them to escape death so many times.

Now, they were playing their last cards. These special powers, also combined, were enough to ruin her perfect plan. Kira was probably dead now, and Karina wasn't in a good situation either; it was a matter of time until her entity disintegrated forever. However, not everything was lost. The box was still with her. She could look inside it and, even if she couldn't go back to Earth yet, she would probably discover a way to escape the vortex.

That was it. She held the box firmly in front of her and tried to open it, though it wasn't an easy task when your hand was dismantling at the weight of a thin metallic top.

"Come on, just a peek inside will be enough for now."

All this time, Jasmet had been trying to call Karina to return, warning her about the danger of staying in there. Lukas was conflicted. He wanted Karina to dissolve in that place and end their suffering, but he also felt bad for desiring such a bad thing. Risa was concerned about Luna, who had fainted for a short time and was just awakening now. Luna was too tired to move and was feeling disoriented. Arika observed everyone silently, thinking hard. What bothered her most was that, if Karina disappeared inside the portal, so would the box, and their job wouldn't be complete.