A few days have passed ever since the foreboding incident. On a happy note, it turns out that the other students of Orville J. Redmonn High have all evacuated, with the only cost being a few injuries. Nothing minor, but nothing major either. The few students that weren't at school during that fateful day were most likely sick and walked to school only to come back home once they found that the building was off-limits. Parents couldn't even give a proper explanation, even to some children that bombarded them with questions. They basically gave vague excuses such as, "It was an earthquake," or "The building construction broke down," or even the crazy theories such as "The school is cursed," or "Aliens." It always leads up to the theory of aliens. Back at the the neighborhood, Sonia finally garnered some much needed rest. There she could be found relaxing in her pajamas, comfy with Scruffles, and Matthew and having a good ol' dash of cereal and some early morning cartoons such as Yogi Bear and Top Cat. The good ol' days.
"Man... I still can't believe it," Sonia thought in realization and a smile, "I actually saved the day and became a mystic warrior... Just like in my fantasy comics." Sonia nibbled on a granola bar with a smile as she watched her cartoons. Matthew looked up at Sonia with slight concern. Things were peaceful again, sure. But now he felt as if there's more on the line. The little dog assures to her, "You know, with circumstances like these, we must be careful of what may occur and who we reveal this secret to." Scruffles pulled from the distracting cartoon and lightly added, "Yeah... But on the bright side, we get to have these exhilarating action moments that make my heart POUND for such adrenaline! Man, what a rush!!" Sonia gave Scruffles a weird look. With a smirk on her face, she comments with a laugh, "Gee Scruffles, Matthew told me you were afraid of his kind of lifestyle." Scruffles started to blush, embarrassed to the point of flailing her arms, trying to make a rebuttal, but it comes out as gibberish, making Sonia and Matthew laugh.
Her father enters the living room with a little bit of a slump as he undoes his tie and sits with his daughter and their pets.
"Hey, dad. Did you make it to work ok?" Sonia asked her father.
"Work? Pffft-hahaha! Traffic is horrendous! Since that freak mishap in the city, I can't even get out of our driveway. Besides, the minute my tires made an inch on the road, I got a message from my boss on my pager saying that work is canceled due to the destruction," Sonia's dad heckled, "Ah well..."
"A pager? The only people who use that nowadays are drug traffickers and junkies. Why would he have a pa-WAIT A MINUTE," Scruffles rambled to herself only to receive another punch in the arm by Matthew and then a sudden hug afterward. Scruffles gasps and tries to regain some air from Matthew's hug.
"You're... squeezing... TOO haaarrddddd..." Scruffles screeched and gasped under the muffles of Sonia's arms. She did this so Sonia's dad doesn't accidentally discover that her pets can talk. Sonia stared at her father with a smile, but as she looked away, her mind began to wander, and her smile slowly disappears. She asked herself quietly, "Can I keep this a secret from my dad...? If he ever found this out, I don't know what I would do..." Sonia's father noticed her mood and gently lays her on his lap and gently rubs her head. He asked his daughter if she was okay. Fearful of saying no, Sonia slowly nodded her head to assure to her dad that everything was okay. Only her pets, however, knew her true feelings about her newfound situation.
"Dad..?" Sonia asked with a little scare in her tone.
"Yes, Sonia?" Her father responded lightly. Sonia laid there as her mind rested like still water. She wanted to tell him the truth but is too afraid to do so. Instead of lying, Sonia precluded her thoughts with a more basic question such as, "Um... If we don't have so much traffic blocking the way today, do you think we can go out tonight and maybe grab some pizza or Chinese food?" Sonia's dad smiled and agreed, but he also added that if there isn't anything currently open, he can make Sonia a bowl of mashed potatoes, chicken and rice. Although that "potato-face" nickname still bothered Sonia, she couldn't resist the offer of her favorite food. Sonia agreed cute little giggle emerged from her slump, making her father laugh as well.
"It looks like your pets want to go out for a walk," Sonia's father notified as he saw Scruffles and Matthew pawing at the door, "Heh, you'd better let them go before they get cranky. And while you're at it, go and have some fun today." Sonia gets out of her dad's embrace to head to her room and change into her everyday attire. Once finished, she locked her pets on a leash and took them out for a walk. Sonia's dad watches as they go and calls out, "Sonia!"
"Yeah, dad?" Sonia yells back.
"I love you!" The father replies. Sonia has a small chuckle and shouts that she loves him too, then heads off for the walk. As the trio walk down the neighborhood pathway, Sonia smiled as the serene wonders of the neighborhood calmed her. But as Sonia smile, her eyes fell into a small depression. Flash visions of the demon attack, as well as the demon's threatening words clouded her mind, thus turning her smile into a frown. Her pets gently calm her down by rubbing against her legs as they walk, urging a small smile from the young ginger. They head down the old oak tree where they first had their demon encounter. The giant hole that the tentacle beast made after crashing into the ground was still there and resembled more of a jagged half-pipe filled with dirt rather than a large chasm.
"Huh. You'd think somebody would cover up that hole by now," Sonia pondered, and her pets agreed with her. Though, now it made gave the hill's "place where the sun sets" moniker a better meaning when you look at it differently. The ginger then sits under the old oak tree like days before and slowly closed her eyes. Scruffles and Matthew rest side by side with Sonia and closes their eyes.
The tree's leaves rustled against nature's soft wind. Petals bloomed, opening the reveal a cascade of beautiful patterns. As they rest under the old oak tree atop, the wind slowly disappears and the flowers stop blooming. Small magic orbs descend like flurries of snow. Such an alluring beauty slowly opened the eyes of our resting trio. As they open their eyes, they spot Feliferi standing over them with a loving smile and open arms. Sonia's eyes widen as she quickly gets up and runs to the beautiful goddess, hugging her close and buries her face into the goddess's clothing while small tears fall down her cheeks. Scruffles and Matthew immediately follow behind her, waiting to know what Feliferi has to say.
"I noticed your bravery, young one," the goddess began, "You have proven your strength in conquering the beast." Feliferi gently rubbed Sonia and knelt down so that the two could see eye to eye. She also gently rubs the heads of the cat and dog, congratulating them on a job well done. Sonia quietly cries, admitting that she was petrified and felt weak. She felt as if she had no control of herself, and that she doesn't know if she can keep this secret from her loved ones. Sonia rambled on, feeling worthless and doesn't feel ready for the daunting task of becoming the champion that would save the universe.
Feliferi listened to Sonia's spouts of negativity, yet her smile doesn't change. She gently holds by her chin and kisses her forehead. The goddess then softly speaks, "Sonia, It will all be okay. What I see a brave warrior. A brave warrior that can conquer all evil that surrounds her. Things will be difficult, and there will be times where you would have to question your own ethical morals... But much like any mortal, that is all a part of growing up."
"How-....how do you know..?" Sonia asked through her tears.
"Because I have undergone similar situations, even before I became a goddess," Feliferi responded with a gentle smile, "I felt as if I would never live up to caring for every living creature in the universe. I felt as if no one would enjoy my presence or my hand of protection. I was scared and alone. The people who used to be my friends, only bow to me instead of enjoy my company like in the past. I was anxious. But as time passed, I grew. I began to accept my new duties, and find ideas that allowed me to interact with my old friends and continue my duties all at once. Things are not always as bad as they are perceived." Hearing these words gently calm Sonia. She regains her smile and looks into Feliferi's eyes and feels safe.
"Thank you...." Sonia softly replied, "...but I do have one thing to ask though..."
"What is it, young child?" Feliferi asks.
"Is there a way that we could set up a few training sessions... of sorts? I don't feel comfortable with the amulet having control over my body..." Sonia requested. Feliferi smiled and nodded her head without question. The goddess then waves her crystal staff around them and transports her prodigy to a quiet garden. The garden was a place where gentle winds blow and pink, sparkling petals cover the ground, and an ancient temple is shown in the foreground. The mouths of trio open in awe. Just the sheer beauty of this place is just... astounding.
Feliferi then instructs Sonia to remove her shoes and step into the pond ahead. Sonia quietly obeys, takes her sneakers off, and rests them next to Scruffles before slowly walking into the pond. As she walks into the pond, the water slowly gets deeper and deeper until she stops into the very middle of the pond, with only her torso and upper body being visible. Feliferi then touches the pond with her crystal staff, causing white rings to glimmer through the ripples and surround Sonia, the amulet, and her sword. The shades of light close Sonia's eyes and raise her slowly from the pool allowing the control of the mystical artificers to transfer into Sonia's heart, giving her well-being full ownership over the amulet. When the transfer was complete, Sonia is gently lowered into the goddess's gentle arms. Sonia slowly opened her eyes and looks up at Feliferi. A smile emerges. Sonia felt a sense of comfort in the goddess's motherly arms. Sonia gently hops down and goes to put her shoes back on. Show now had full ownership of the amulet and its untapped potential. Time will tell of the kinds of power she'll be blessed with
"Thank you, Feliferi" Sonia humbled before respectfully bowing to the goddess. Feliferi giggles and gently rubs Sonia's head, giving her an assurance of good luck in her upcoming battles. The goddess then waved her magic staff and sent the trio home. Sonia, Matthew, and Scruffles are suddenly transported back to the old oak tree atop one of the two hills that capture the sun, however, the time had already changed into a brisk, early afternoon when it clearly was an early morning before Feliferi had arrived.
"Huh... Time flies when you're thrown into interdimensional portals," Scruffles muddled, "We should probably start heading home now, huh?" Sonia agreed and prepares takes them home.
"Whaddya say, guys? We can all go get some lunch with dad. How about that, guys?" Sonia insisted with a smile.
"FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!" Scruffles and Matthew exclaim with excitement. The energetic ginger, and her spry young pets, sprint down the trail to their house with glee, happy to go home and relax from such a traumatic experience. Sonia realized that her life has changed, given the spark that she'd once been searching for. While this new lifestyle was highly unexpected, and the daunting task may seem scary for Sonia, those weren't going to stop this ginger from living up to becoming the champion destined to save the universe from Eternal Darkness. Just as long as she can keep up in her classes without any more mishaps that is.
However, not everyone was celebrating. Deep within darkest folds of the galaxy, Solaria looked down from his decrepit castle, staring down Sonia through a crystal ball made of diamond shards and demonic mass. The demon lord slumped in his throne, cursing Sonia and threatening that this was only the beginning.
"Just you wait, you insipid little girl... For this is only the beginning..." Solaria spoke darkly before he crushes the small green crystal ball under the strength of his claws. The entity of evil then hurls its remains into the looking glass, shattering both objects to pieces, "And as for you, Feliferi... You will be mine once again..." Solaria then rose from his throne and hovers to the balcony of his castle. There, him and his minions stare into the countless void of space. The minions fall to their knees, bowing to him, hailing him and worshiping the leader of their dark empire. A slow cacophony of chants and laughter echoes through time and space. Solaria cackled, greeting the universe with his dark, dangerous, and vicious laugh. A laugh that travels across the galaxy... A laugh that resounded through the solar system. A laugh loud enough that even a cheerful girl like Sonia could faintly hear it from deep within the distance. This was no laugh of hope. This was a battle cry. A battle cry that notified that this... was only the beginning...
The Beginning of The Legends of Eternal Darkness...
The End