Ancestors: The Other World

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Her eyes opened to reveal an empty void.

Sophie could feel her body tremble. She was...cold? She hadn't felt cold in...quite some time. She was always warm.

She felt alone.

Something was missing. She couldn't figure out what. Then it struck her.

"Radiance!" she croaked out. The name only riveted against the walls of the void. Where was she even? What in the world was happening? And where was Radiance?

Her Phoenix friend was nowhere to be found. She couldn't even move. The best she could muster was twitching the tip of her fingers while floating lifelessly through the void. Her memories flashed back to when the Thunder Cuff had gripped her neck, shocking her with pulses painful beyond anything Sophie had felt before. Where were her friends? Had they abandoned her? They wouldn't. Would they?

A door.

A door came into view. She tried to swim away, but she continued floating towards it. It was open ever so slightly. With no choice left, and her curiosity getting the better of her, she peeked through the gap in the door.

Radiance!

But the Phoenix didn't look mighty. Not at all. Radiance was chained to the wall at the end of the room with a muzzle over its break and its eyes filled with agony. She tried to reach out for her friend, but the door slammed shut and she felt a stinging pain sear through her chest.

Then the world exploded into unbearable light. She wanted to shut her eyes, but she couldn't. Faces appeared before her.

"Sophie!"

She heard the voice of her good friend.

"Sumedha!" she choked out, feeling her muscles groan as she attempted to sit up. Her helpful friend helped shift her pillows so she would be more comfortable. "Hello? How many fingers is this?" she snapped her head towards the voice of Xin Ming, who held up three fingers. "Three. I'm not blind," she muttered coldly. Xin Ming's face creased into a cheerful smile. "You're alright!" he clapped his hands together. She tried to return the smile, but her cheek muscles said 'no'.

The confused Kelvin stumbled into the room, holding a bowl of mashed potato. "Where did you get that food?" growled the constantly annoyed Jarrett, staring at the bowl with irritation. "The nurse gave it to me. She said 'shut up and take this'," he explained, seemingly pleased with the outcome of whatever had happened outside.

"Are Andrew and Jarrett still as bossy?" whispered Sophie the moment Andrew opened the door and entered the room with Paul, who held the door open for Hanlu and Felicia. The timid Hanlu backed away from the door while the more confident Felicia just walked in to greet the groggy Sophie.

"Queen Starling says it isn't your fault the Thunder Cuff was strapped to you, so she let you go free. No jail time required," Felicia announced proudly. A gut feeling of Sophie's told her that there was probably something else that happened, but she wasn't about to question it.

"H-hello Sophie, h-how a-are you?" stammered Hanlu awkwardly. "I'm fine. Uh...are you scared of me or something?" questioned Sophie, tilting her head in slight confusion. "N-no. We've been friends for so long. I just...started the habit since making new friends," she explained stiffly.

Jarrett got to his feet, nearly barrelling into Andrew, who let out a frustrated yelp, "What is your deal and always getting in my way?!"

Sophie could sense the building fury between the two, while Xin Ming and Paul tried to stop them. Kelvin on the other hand...what the heck was he doing? He was scraping at the bowl and having a rather angry chat with himself. (chewing Mashed Potatoes is normal and it shouldn't be judged)

"The Doctor said you could be discharged," Andrew grunted, dragging himself away from the argument. Sophie kicked off the blanket, mentally regretting her decision to do so. Her muscles were not agreeing with anything at the moment.

"How many days have I been asleep?" she asked as she shoved the door open, deciding to give up on the burning ache in her arms. She had already been electrocuted to the point of near death. Did she really have to care about aching muscles?

"3 days. The portal closes tonight. You think we should head back?" Hanlu replied and Sophie rubbed her face sorely. "I didn't get to learn about Inpundulus," she sighed. "You've experienced fighting one firsthand. I'm very sure you learnt quite a bit," snapped Jarrett sarcastically. She rolled her eyes, controlling her internal urge to throw him at the door.

They left the city silently, everyone tired and tensed up. Sophie's leg hurt, but she would live. The walk to the portal was far, and it was there they bumped into a familiar face.

"Hello!"

The orange furred kitsune girl popped into view, her two tails swinging about in the wind. "Hikari! Good to see you," greeted Kelvin, which left everyone with open jaws. Did Kelvin...greet someone normally? Even Hikari seemed stunned. Sophie's jaw closed as her mouth curved upwards and her eyebrows raised, a glint in her eyes.

"What?" Kelvin noticed everyone smirking, and he gave his head a scratch. He tried to imitate them, but earned a well-deserved slap on his head from Jarrett. Hikari's face was glowing, which Sophie barely picked out, since the dusk light made her blush close to invisible.
"I saw you uh...lose your mind," Hikari turned her gaze to Sophie, who shifted uncomfortably. "It was a Thunder Cuff. She didn't mean it," defended Jarrett, before turning to glare at Andrew.

Andrew swallowed his urge to lash his wolf claws, which were forming, across Jarrett's face, and let out a long exhale, eyes darting back and forth between Jarrett and Hikari. "I...will I ever see you all again?" she questioned anxiously, her gaze flitting back to Kelvin, who wasn't paying attention.

Silence.

"I'm sorry Hikari," Kelvin began. Her face dimmed. "Maybe never, hm?" she chuckled, her tone flat, as if knowing this was already going to be the answer. Kelvin picked her hand up, stunning everyone around him. "I'll find you again," he mumbled before letting go. Sophie clamped her mouth shut with her hand, her other hand gripping her trembling stomach. What was going through Kelvin's head???

Jarrett was unable to hold his laughter back and let out a snort, but Sumedha dragged him away so he wouldn't ruin the moment.

"Let's...go?" Andrew called over his shoulder. He was already making his way back to the portal. Hikari's orange ears flattened, her tail drooping. Suddenly, she clenched her fingers and yelled out, "I'll find you too!"

"What kind of confession-"

"Don't even start, Felicia."

"Sorry, Andrew."

The portal was right before them as the moon rose, creeping across the sky. The darkness was really making things hard for them. "Wait, I'll make light," Sophie hissed as she opened her palm.

Darkness lingered around their eyes.

Where was the flame? Or even a tiny spark?

Sophie's memory jolted back to Radiance. Chained. Muzzled. Trapped. Locked.

No wonder...it was so silent. Radiance was gone. Wasn't it a nightmare? What was that void? What was happening? Where were her powers?

NOTEBOOK NOTES:
Inpundulu - Ferocious raven-black birds who can manifest itself as lightning. Is able to control the movement of clouds, giving them access to weather control. Live in treehouses, and the Queen stays in the Golden Tree Palace. They are carnivorous, and one of the most versatile flying hunters out there. Due to how monstrous they are, they are able to stand against many things, but their main weakness is their vulnerability to fire. Even though other attacks still damage them, fire is the best option if you want to actually make it out alive. They use their control over electricity as a way to sense energy paths, but sadly cannot redirect the energy glow. The tall treehouses are all clumped together to form a city.

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