Wonderer's Wish World: An Empty Land

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Kipo slowly raised a hand up, and shakily felt along the cold rock. It was slightly bumpy and uneven, but more importantly, it wasn't a portal.

"Oh no." Kipo lowered her hand, raising it to her mouth instead. Distantly, as if they were a million miles away, she noticed that the other two had gotten up, but she was too wrapped up in her thoughts to really care. Just what had she done...?

"Kipo?" Kipo startled at the hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to find Luz looking at her sympathetically.

"Luz..." Kipo shook out her head, trying to form a coherent thought. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... I just..."

"Hey, hey, it's alright!" Luz said, reassuring in her tone but not at all gently. She pointed through the tunnel, at the castle. "You said that there's a person here, right? Well, then it's a GOOD thing we came here. I wasn't even going to check."

Kipo blinked. That was true but... "But what about the portal? We shouldn't have..."

"No, I shouldn't have closed it before checking," Luz sighed. "But that just means we're even, right? I shouldn't have closed it, and you shouldn't have gotten trapped! Though I have to admit... my wrong is probably worse than your wrong. Better to be here with that person then that person trapped here all alone. Also..."

As Luz rambled on, Kipo thought about what she was saying. She was... right, of course. Obviously, she was. It was better to be in here, where they would be with that girl, than never seeing her at all. Kipo was being a little ridiculous. It was weird... like she couldn't trust her own thoughts anymore.

She quickly stopped that train of thought. No, that was a worry for another time. For now...

"...Actually, speaking of which, where even are we?" Luz asked, voicing Kipo's inner questions. As if on cue, the three of them looked around at their surroundings: a big black tunnel that probably wouldn't fit Kipo's mega jaguar if she'd happen to transform, though it still looked pretty tall. Kipo couldn't say for sure though, as it was almost too dark to see, even with her night vision.

Wait... no... that wasn't right. Kipo squinted; it wasn't her vision that was the problem, it was just at this tunnel was completely painted black. It was confusing her.

Beside her, Luz was frowning to herself. She was also squinting, Kipo noticed. "Hm... I didn't even think to ask Six where the portal led... and I'm really getting no context clues from here, except for that moon..."

"What's so important about the moon?" Kipo asked, and Luz glanced at her.

"You hadn't noticed? This world, at least where we were, it didn't have a moon."

Kipo was taken aback. "What?!"

"When I was traveling, I was always sleeping in some kind of tent, but I was also under the stars," Luz explained. "I didn't really chart all my progress, but I'm certain I've been here for months. But no matter how long I was here, the moon just never showed up in the sky."

"Really?" Kipo tilted her head. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen it either... But the scientist in her still couldn't believe this. She turned to Kris. "Um, Kris, have you...?"

Kris shook their head, and Kipo froze.

That... no, that just didn't... how???

"That doesn't make any sense," Kipo said aloud, and she saw Luz shrug.

"Yeah, it is really weird," Luz said. "When I asked, Six just said that it's been missing for a while... but no longer! We've found it!"

Luz was excitedly motioning through the tunnel again.