Chapter 6: Determination, Part 2: Unlock and Keys

Ahmond struggled in her binds as she Mynt forced her behind the counter. She would be found, eventually.

"You know, my parents are going to be pretty mad if I don't bring her back without an explanation," Mynt said, and removed the gag over Ahmond's mouth.

Ahmond winced from the ripping of fur via adhesive tape, and said, "That hurt! Was any of this about me, or only about you two?"

Mynt said, "Initially it was about you. But as you stayed in the shop, and worked, I thought you were doing good. Anyway, I met up with Lantorn and she said I'm perfect for her plan, and reviewing the evidence, I agreed."

Ahmond struggled to bite at the ropes surrounding her. She snapped, but they slithered away last second from any twitch of her body, preventing any access.

Mynt said, "You aren't the first to unlock any part of the book, probably not the last. But I know the three traits, and the first is the trait of empathy."

"A trait which I don't lack," Lantorn said as she leaped onto the counter and strode around on it. "But without this book, it doesn't matter how many you unlock. It matters who gets to each treasure first."

Ahmond said, "If you already know where the three treasures are at, why didn't you collect them?"

Lantorn smirked. "The instructions aren't clear, that's why it's easier to jack some from others. But I will admit you did get close to catching the first."

Ahmond thought to herself. She relaxed her body, and the two left. They greeted Arber on the outside, and Ahmond knew they made a major mistake of talking too much.

None of the information inherently seemed relevant, but if it was all linked to traits, that meant each of the three shared a trait with Vanos, Mosor, and Kyofi.

Now if only that mattered. The long night drained away into the day as the sun entered the atmosphere, and Ahmond found a restless sleep.

*

Vanos upturned any cushion and drawer he could to locate his little sister. Signs of her existence disappeared overnight.

"What happened, where is she?" Vanos asked himself, as he came to the conclusion that Mynt kidnapped her in the night.

Kyofi said, "May have to face facts, Vanos. She's gone, and Mynt took her." The air grew chillier but as still.

Vanos went downstairs, and out the door. He couldn't believe that she vanished, like that, in the night.

Kyofi came outside, and found Vanos chasing down Ahmond's scent, watching him stop. "This wasn't only Mynt."

That caused Kyofi a sense of a dread. Her heart stopped for a second, as Mosor came downstairs finally.

"She's not anywhere upstairs," Mosor said, providing an unneeded update on the situation. She saw everybody had panicked expressions from news she never heard. "But, I'm sure we can search elsewhere, right?"

"I think someone else helped kidnap her," Vanos said.

"Someone else could have walked the street," Kyofi said. "We can't jump to conclusions. Let's get police on this."

Vanos said, "No, I think I know this scent. It smells like a burnt out lightbulb... Lantorn, I think it's Lantorn." Vanos took a straight path down. The scent went the general direction of the ice cream shop. A mile away, it approached his vision.

The door dinged as Vanos threw open the door. On the counter, a note, detailing the deeds of Mynt and Lantorn.

"But I'll be pursuing them. I escaped the ropes. I'm bringing back the diary," Vanos read before he crumpled the paper and ripped it to shreds. Mosor entered, and watched Vanos scream in frustration.

"What's wrong, did you find Ahmond?" Mosor asked. But Vanos shook his head and she glanced away.

"This is great, now she's loose again, to grab that stupid Firefly Diary." Vanos slumped against the counter.

Mosor sat beside him, and placed a paw on his back. "This is your fault," he muttered to her. She did a doubletake at him.

He slapped her arm away. "You had to show that bit of compassion and we got stuck with a Diary. That diary has caused us too much pain." He buried his head in his arms as he said words he'd never take back.

Realizing, Mosor said, "You're right, and I'll throw it away. Vanos, I understand you're scared, I am too. But this isn't time to turn on me, or on you. This is Mynt's fault."

Vanos picked his head up and said, "Yes. We have no idea where they've gone, but, if I was Ahmond, where would I go?"

Mosor, having paid attention most to Ahmond's daily habits, said, "Well, she has a unique way of looking at anything. If I was Ahmond, and I was chasing a diary for my family, first thing I'd do is I'd assemble my friends."

Vanos said, "To the hyenas?"

Mosor said, "I think that's the first place we should check. The second being the crimsons." They head out the door to see Kyofi about to enter. Being the slowest and fattest, it took her longer.

"We're going to the hyenas," Vanos said as he walked past her.

Kyofi said, "But I only got here, like, five seconds ago?" With her entire body jiggling in the breeze she followed her family. "You guys are killing me here, I'm going to have to eat Mynt when I see her."

*

Ahmond, Lilu, and Rosod walked the streets. No hyenas walking past questioned their motives. Only bystanders going, working, running, doing their day. The cold air brushed past, revitalizing them, instead of freezing. They walked at brisk speed, Ahmond calculating the best parts of town to look first.

Ahmond said, "I think, if I was a blob of light that walked, probably eat lightbulbs. Maybe a construction site would work, right?"

Lilu shook her head. "I don't think anybody eats screws but you." Ahmond couldn't find the derisiveness of the comment. Lilu said, "If your sister arrived by train, then we shouild stay at a depot for trains."

"That's a good idea," Ahmond said. "How'd you think of that?"

Lilu scrunched her face in confusion. "Magic," she settled on as her answer, before continuing their trail. Ahmond wagged her tail, having learned her friend knew magic.

Rosod said, "If they already took the train, we can't do anything. Trains come and go at certain intervals, and even if her train won't come soon, they'd probably hop on any train that took them away."

Lilu and Ahmond nodded. Lilu took them to the nearest train stop, and they sat down on a hard bench, waiting for any signs of Lantorn's gang or Mynt.

Three wolves jumped in front of the three girls and growled. Rosod climbed to the top of the bench, as Lilu pushed Ahmond forward, as she was the one about to get whooped instead of her.

Kyofi slapped Ahmond upside the head. "What were you thinking!?"

Ahmond groaned and rubbed her head, only to get slapped by Vanos who asked the same question. "I'll tell you if I'm allowed to talk!" She gazed expectantly at Mosor. Mosor gave an awkward little flick to her skull.

"Thanks," she said as the other two gave Mosor an odd look. She backed down sheepishly.

"Anyway, I know that diary is important. And I felt like we could get revenge on Mynt."

"Mynt and Lantorn have the book," Vanos said. He stared at the ascending sun. "Who cares about that dumb book anyway, besides Lantorn?"

Kyofi said, "I don't know, it could have made us rich if we found those treasures." The other five stared at her.

"I mean, it's good that we didn't get it," Kyofi said. "But we are struggling, money-wise, and maybe, that's enough? Maybe it's wrong we didn't expect any hardship. Like, hear me out, it's good if we use this as a way to learn more about ourselves. If Mynt and Lantorn wins, it's can't be anything good, right?"

Vanos stared down and said, "I know one spot." It startled everybody. "If Mynt joined Lantorn, then Lantorn promised her something, meaning Mynt's staying for some purpose because she has one quality that we all have had. I think I know what quality I share with Mynt."

Both Mosor and Vanos got covered in vines, Vanos' being pink with Mosor's being blue, and they stared at each other.

"Have you always had those?" he asked her, and she shook her head as she stared at Vanos' vines.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything different," Kyofi said, both looking normal to her.

"It must only be visible to someone who's unlocked the vines, but I think," Mosor said, "this must have come from the diary."

Kyofi said, "You guys can figure out your superpowers later. It's time for us to split and find Mynt if we're good on that part." She muttered, "I'm running a lot on my day off. This should count as overtime I swear."

*

The plateau stood as a reminder of all of Sunnyvilla, Wysdom. Lantorn gazed over at the land they escaped. "You sure they won't find us?"

Mynt sat down at the edge of the cliff. All of Sunnyvilla, from each district, even outwards to other parts of the kingdom. "I think that we aren't in an obvious spot."

"I would think again." Mynt, Arber, and Lantorn turned to face Vanos and the others. It seemed they figured out a location.

"How'd you find us?" Lantorn said.

"Asking around a lot," Vanos said. "It was pretty tedious, and hard work, but you and I both knew I'd arrive, right? Because we share the same power, or same willpower, right?"

The book flipped open, and Lantorn saw the next section about Willpower. Born from one's inner strength, same as Empathy, but in a different manner.

Mynt stood up and she became covered in orange vines instead. "I think you've learned too much."

They approached each other, but the book shined and consumed them all. Stars flew out from the book as they now stood on the moon itself.

"This is new," Mosor muttered, and realized it was only her, Vanos, Arber, Lantorn, and Mynt. All of them had vines glowing.

"It must only work on those who've unlocked their powers," Vanos muttered. Arber had green vines, and Lantorn had bright yellow vines, like the rest of her body.

Lantorn scoffed and said, "This is a first. But the book can force onto me as many rules as it likes, I'm still winning anyway."

A golden mirror levitated over them, and the book revealed it was the treasure of willpower itself.

Vanos jumped, and the lack of gravity allowed him to grab at it. Mynt intercepted with a headbutt to his gut.

Mosor took a running start at Lantorn, and jumped. She miscalculated and jumped over Lantorn, and towards Arber who clotheslined her down. Lantorn shot a ball of pure light at her, kicking up space debris, and rocks.

Vanos observed. "This is actually the moon," he said in shock. Mynt took her next jump, but he jumped onto her and used her as a platform.

He clawed at the mirror but it floated right out of reach, before shooting like a star away from them.

Mosor, being the quickest, ran forward, but Lantorn followed behind. They chased down the shooting star, but it whipped around.

The game continued, but Mosor and Lantorn collapsed from exhaustion, still, Vanos and Mynt took turns jumped at it despite the fact it kept going away the second they could touch it.

Vanos had to leap over Arber as Arber kept striking at him. Mynt and Vanos sweated, but kept the chase up. Vanos took one more leap and fell with a thud.

He stood up and Mynt asked, "How are you still getting up?" She growled at him.

But Vanos only told her, "It's all I know how to do." He jumped up and reached for the mirror, which flew away.

Mynt said, "I give up, anyway." The mirror stopped and floated to Vanos, who bit down and shattered the world between worlds.

"Mirror of Storms," Lantorn said as she stared at the treasure in Vanos' maw. He thought about it, and stormclouds summoned themselves, surrounding the area in mist.

"Make your escapes," Vanos said, but he could see in the mist and he grabbed The Firefly Diary. As they ran, he saw Kyofi inspecting the item. He remembered she wasn't there, and figured he'd fill her in later.

*

"One more diary entry, coming right up," Vanos said as he wrote in The Firefly Diary. "I guess you could say this was a crazy night, Goddess Lhyna, but one I expect will happen again."

"Mostly because we're signed up to this crazy thing," Kyofi said, "and have decided we're going to go after it because why stop now?"

Mosor said, "It's good we learn about ourselves and we get new opportunities, even if it means facing that cheat, Lantorn, again and again."

Ahmond told Vanos, "I didn't think I was running away. But it's good to know that we're staying together, and Mynt isn't splitting our family."

"No, because I am," Vanos said. Mosor, Kyofi, and Ahmond stared at him, and he said, "We're going to have to go rogue after this. We finish The Diary, then maybe we can go back to our family. But if I know Mynt, she's swaying events to them as we speak via letter. And if I know her, we're going to be facing our entire family." He watched them absorb the information.

"But you agreed it was a good idea because we shouldn't let Lantorn win," Kyofi said. "Because then she might... Do something bad, even if we don't know what."

"We're talking about somebody not above kidnapping a child," Vanos said. "I have a feeling anything she's planning can't be good for any of us. But I think we've concentrated this on ourselves."

He went to the couch in the living room. Kyofi sat down, and knew she had to protect her family all costs.

That night was lonelier than ever before, as Vanos slept with the mirror under his bed and Kyofi slept next to Vanos, and Mosor with her, and Ahmond with her, as protecting that mirror was important they decided at that train station, until they got hunted down. Maybe it would be this way forever.