II

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Arc II Chapter 19

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Aurora suffered from a mild concussion, accompanied by a severe case of motion sickness. Disorientation. Confusion. Dizziness. Her headsie kept spinning. Her poor ears rang. The tinnitus was the worst.

Aurora couldn't tell left from right and licked her wounds. The concussion would pass. It was only a matter of time and patience.

Time passed and her vision returned.

An enormous crater welcomed little Aurora and her dolly companions.

The crater was her handiwork. The diameter was considerable.

Aurora scratched her head and sweated. A slight miscalculation on her part, but wiser men had erred before.

The detonation proved far more powerful than expected. The crystal vein ran deeper than anticipated. The aetherial cataclysm ripped the ground apart, pulverising earth and stone alike in a shower of debris.

The explosion roasted the puppy, toasted by a few million volts of energy. He took the brunt of the blast.

Aurora felt neither pity nor compassion. He deserved his fate.

The will-o-wisps seconded her opinion. The sprites danced in joy. They survived the ordeal, and defeated the evil demon.

Aurora rewarded them with a benign smile. They made it. Somehow. They defied the odds against all expectations.

Aurora complimented her comrades in arms. “Excellent work, you didn't disappoint me.”

The sprites fell for her flattery. Their chests swelled with pride. Forgotten was their anger about being used as cannon fodder.

Aurora approached the smoldering carcass and took petty revenge. The wolf was dead. He wouldn't fight back.

Aurora kicked the carcass. Her kicks proved ineffective. Her weak legs possessed little strength. Her small boots did little damage, but her revenge was primarily symbolic. “Told you so, who is laughing last now?”

Aurora punished the carcass with another hateful kick. Cute little girls were no adequate food source ...

“Are you mad! What are you doing there? Get away from it!!! Immediately!”

Aurora froze. Her body petrified. This was bad. Little Aurora was where she wasn't supposed to be. They had found her.

Aurora recognised the tender voice. The cadence was familiar.

Aurora turned. Her hands fidgeted, sweating. Her radiant smile masked her guilt. “Sister Iris, nice to see you. What are you doing here?”

...

...

...

Iris and Rudolf exchanged looks.

Rudolf didn't care. He wasn't the type for niceties, and less docile than Iris. The little princess had overstepped her boundaries.

“Listen, lass, this is not the way things work around here. We asked first, so answer, what are you doing here? We want answers.” Rudolf narrowed his eyes. He demanded answers.

Aurora smirked in secrecy. Subpar move. Rudolf gifted her with an opening, and Aurora gladly accepted the opportunity.

Aurora rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. Tears rolled down her cheeks.”But ... But ... But ...”

Aurora hugged her doll and started sobbing. “I only wanted ... I only wanted ...”

.

Aurora broke out in tears and Iris glared at the culprit, “Good job, Rudolf, you made her cry. Your children skills are impeccable as usual.”

Rudolf fumed. His temper got the better of him. “Don't be fooled, Iris, the girl is playing with us. Don't fall for her act ... Are you even listening?”

Iris ignored his words and comforted the crying girl with a hug, patting her back. “Calm down. Don't cry. Sister Iris will protect you.”

Aurora sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Her look scared and terrified. “Really?”

Iris cherished the precious little girl. “Tell sister Iris what happened.”

Aurora mustered her courage. “I ... don't ... know. Everything is so confusing. Everything happened so quickly.”

Iris offered an encouraging smile. “Don't worry, take your time. One step at a time. Just share with us what you remember, understood?”

Aurora nodded.

“Good girl.” Iris patted her head. Aurora enjoyed the head pat. The gesture calmed her. The head pat reminded her of a past long ago, of times long-lost to the darkness of history.

Iris smiled. “Tell us, why did you leave? We were worried about you. You can't leave like that.”

Aurora lowered her gaze, deeply ashamed. “Sorry.” Her meek voice was barely audible.

Aurora cuddled her doll. “I wanted to experience an adventurer explore the ruins and, but then the evil thingy ... appeared.”

Aurora pointed at the smoldering carcass. Smoke rose from the blackened mass of grilled flesh. “The beast attacked me. It wanted to eat me.”

Her aetherial friends supported her version of the events. The sprites aggregated around their saviour and agreed.

Much to Auroras surprise, neither Iris, nor Rudolf showed any reaction. Their gazes never focused despite the frivolous activities of her fiends. The will-o-wisps danced and floated around like idiots without them reacting, but their presence went ... unnoticed.

Could it be ...

Aurora pointed at the slain wolf. Iris and Rudolf followed her direction and fell silent. Their blood froze solid like the coldest glacier. Their eyes widened in horror.

Rudolf's hands began sweating. “Holy spirits, this is ... This is ...”

Rudolf gripped his spear and approached the beast. His hands gripped his weapon.

He poked the carcass from a safe distance. He poked a few times to be sure. His fears were fortunately unfounded. The beast was dead, deader than dead. Lucky girl.

Rudolf sighed in relief and returned his spear. “It's dead.”

Rudolf studied the carcass. “A fully-grown dread wolf. I have heard about them, but to think they wander this far south these days. I always thought you only find them up north.”

Aurora sharpened her ears. “A dread wolf? What's a dread wolf?”

“They are powerful aether beasts affiliated with the dark elements, ice, lightning, fire. They are a common sight farther north along the border. The vast boreal and alpine regions of Vallar and Mirgard are full of them.”

Rudolf shifted his gaze. “You are a lucky girl. Dread wolves are dangerous creatures, easily capable of slaughtering even seasoned adventurers.

I have not even the faintest idea about how you survived. Have you sold your soul to a demon?”

Aurora shook her head. Her sniffing subsided. “Nothing of that sort. The wolfie killed himself.”

Rudolf blinked. “Pardon, what?”

Aurora nodded vigorously. Aurora doll nodded vigorously. Her will-o-wisps nodded vigorously.

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