A/N: Above is the photo of Patricia Ancelin Beauprè.
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Dark and cold. The only words fitted to describe the stomach of Cookie Monster. It smelled nothing, but the heavy wind carried by an upcoming storm. Zoe expected the worst, something like being squished by the disgusting intestine, but no. She was simply suspended in the air, surrounded by a deafening silence that made her heart sang a soprano better than an opera singer.
Being eaten by a mascot wasn't the best experience she had in the past seventeen years. It was like a roller coaster ride full of loops, that even now she could feel her body whirled in the air, as though tempting her stomach to do another revolt.
Remembering her greatest moment, she wiped her lips on her shirt and felt the uncomfortable grip on her ankle.
She kicked.
However, another hand grabbed her.
"Stop it," said by a familiar voice.
"Darcy?"
The young bodyguard let her go and floated to her side.
"I thought you were Cookie Monster," she laughed, tasting the last bit of sour pancakes in her mouth. It was a stupid claim, maybe it was the reason Darcy didn't respond.
Just how on Earth could it follow her inside its own stomach?
Zoe mentally slapped herself and cringed.
"Stay close," he whispered, "my powers are still restricted, so I can't summon any weapon."
She followed the direction of his voice, seeing nothing but pitch black. A cold breeze blew, yet she sensed a faint warmth laced with the wind, and she knew he was near. A wave of relief settled deep inside her, feeling grateful that she wasn't alone.
"So, you could summon different weapons?" she asked, feeling silly for speaking to someone she couldn't see.
"Yes."
She nodded, her eyes darting side to side. She wondered if he could cast spells like those from movies. Using ancient words and a magic wand to obliterate their enemies. Or simply made their daily life effortless. Unlimited possibilities popped in her mind, but those wouldn't help them right now.
Zoe pushed back other thoughts and tried to focus on the situation, reminiscing her secret ninja training.
And an idea instantly hit her out of nowhere.
She patted her back pocket, almost squealing with joy. Her mobile phone was with her all along. She started pulling it out when something bumped on her neck. She gasped and slapped it away, feeling the rough surface of a stick-shaped object.
"What is it?" Darcy asked.
"Something hit me," she said and brought out her cell phone. Zoe scanned through the applications and activated the flashlight. She focused it ahead of them and almost drop her phone at the sight of pure horror.
"B-bones?" she stammered, her skin going bonkers with goosebumps.
It was a sea of debris, bones of different shapes and sizes, drifting endlessly into the darkness. She spotted a few that didn't look like human bones and didn't dare to know what creature owned them.
"Something's coming," the young bodyguard warned.
The two shifted on their places, searching for any sign of danger from the vast open shade. Zoe balled her shaking fist, ready to strike any moment.
Darcy turned to her direction and pulled her shoulder, hiding her behind him.
"Left!" he shouted, which startled her.
Zoe quickly adjusted the white light, waiting for something to appear from the blanket of darkness. She licked her lips and allowed a series of ragged breaths to escape them. She couldn't die in this place. She would never allow it. If things turned into a worst-case scenario, she would do anything to survive, even if it meant biting her enemy to death.
Forever seemed to pass, yet nothing happened. She glanced up to Darcy, but his face was plastered with seriousness. She peeked on both sides and back in front.
Then something peculiar caught their attention.
Zoe squinted her eyes and Darcy prepared for an attack.
As the white creature closed in, the two froze and allowed it to move towards them. They watched the lamb floated by, unsure if it was harmless or a monster in disguise. In that moment, their eyes met and the lamb spoke.
A language they both didn't understand.
"I think we should save it," she said, feeling sorry for the lone creature.
Darcy moved for a reach when the animal suddenly burst into blue flames. The two backed away and stared as the lamb wriggled and cried with pure agony, filling the air with the pungent smell of burnt meat and blood. And in a few heart beats, the lamb dissolved into a pile of bones, slowly blending with the sea of bones.
The red haired girl clenched her stomach and veered away from the appalling scene, "What's going on?"
"Its life force was consumed," he said, still gazing at the remains of the creature.
"You mean... it was digested?"
"Something like that."
Silence.
Then blue flames spread above them like an angry storm ready to engulf the wicked. They looked up in unison as the whole place lit up to life. It swirled and ran downwards in a flash faster than lightning.
Zoe gasped at the thought of being barbecued to death, and found her throat dried from the absence of humidity. It was supposed to be hot, yet she was shivering as the fire blossomed around them.
Darcy spun in alarm and stretched his hand, but before he could reach her, fire exploded beneath them. A strong gush of wind hit them, immediately propelling the two upwards, and washing Zoe's high-pitched scream along the way.
***
Dedicated to dregsofsociety
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Fantasy|Book#1|Chronicles of Mamoria| A story that was forgotten by history. A secret kept for hundreds of millennia. A dark heart sheltered by the light. A young prince who gave up his pride to protect his people. And a teenage girl who was destined to lo...
