Rising Shards

A series of giant screens lit up with a white background, blaring over the darkness surrounding them. A blue checkmark appeared in the center, transitioning to a video of Kitty Kilander in full pop star gear.

“Hi hi! It’s your favorite-est pop star, Haven fighter, TV star, movie legend, whatever else, Kitty Kilander! I am your official host with the most for this exciting event! In one corner, Wildfire Hearts!” Cheering sounds rang out, as Kitty bopped to the cutesy music playing. “And in the other, Rising Shards!” Booing sound effects followed that. “But I guess I should go over the rules, so put your cotton candy and Kitty Snax (trademark of Kilander Inc.), I know what you’re thinking, rules are boring! Let’s do a song first, you say? Hmmm, I weawy weawy wike the sound of that!”

As the video of Kitty changed to her singing, I rounded a corner, sprinting as fast as I could past concession stands and rides, barely keeping up with Oka. Something flew past, I think it was a potted plant, thrown from behind us with a load roar and landing with a shattering crash. In the shadows, Laenie was close in pursuit, fully in her Exa Cani form. We rushed into the line area before one of the rides, which had a bunch of metal bars dividing the space, conveniently blocking Laenie, who rammed headfirst into the roof above that was just a hair too short for her. The sound of her thick Exa Cani skull ramming into the metal made an incredibly loud percussive noise, and she roared as she grabbed at her forehead.

“Laenie, you brought that one on yourself!” I yelled. “I’m not sure why I’m trying to reason with her.”

“Also, it’s a bummer we’re even facing off with her again like this!” Oka said. “Don’t let her eat your bloodsaber this time.” Her eyes widened. “Wait, that’s right!”

Oka quickly opened her backpack, pulling out a plastic tub.

“Beets!” She beamed proudly as she revealed a handful of vegetables. “I’ve been bringing these every time just in case we ran into into another Exa Cani! I didn’t think it’d be Laenie again.”

“Oh!” I said, memories of our last fight with Laenie rushing back to me. “Cuz beets!”

“Yeah, they stop the Exa thing!” Oka said. 

"You're really cute!" I blurted out. The beets thing made me fuzzy and this was a very stressful situation, I couldn't help it.

"Aww." Oka stopped just long enough to blush at that, then turned back to our pursuer. “Here Laenie, take this!” Oka chucked a handful of the beets toward Laenie. They bounced off her giant arms and she didn’t react as they rolled away from her.

“Dang.” Oka said.

“I think we’ll need more strategy than that.” I said.

“Maybe?” Oka said sheepishly. “Let’s just get back to the us running away plan!”

“Right!” I said.

We took each other’s hands, rushing through the metal line area. Our wristbands lit up with a call.

“Hey, how're you holding up?” Diast asked.

“Well…bad!” I said. “Not injured or anything, just…”

“Laenie’s still chasing us!” Oka said as we dodged another throw from Laenie, this time a box filled with Kitty Kilander merch.

“Good on ya for getting her away from the others, at least,” Diast said. “Once we finish dealing with the drones and monsters over here, I’ll be right to you.”

“Got it!” I said. “I’m starting to get a stitch so talk to you later!”

“Right, good luck, bud.” Diast said.

“Why is talking on the phone while running harder than just talking to you?” I asked after the call ended.

“Maybe we should find a place to hide and catch our breath.” Oka said.

We darted into the nearest ride, which had a whole tunnel we had to walk through to get to the actual ride part, where boats slowly floated past, shaped like (what else) Kitty Kilander holding her arms out in a hug holding a bowl or something.

“This might not be the best getaway spot.” I said, wincing at Laenie’s echoing roar in the tunnel.

“We don’t have much of a choice now,” Oka said.

We climbed into the nearest boat, hoping Laenie wasn’t in the mood for boat throwing.

“Can Exa Cani swim?” I asked. 

“Can Laenie swim when she's all regular?” Oka asked.

We were a bit of the way into the ride when we heard a loud splash and another wail, that grew quieter the further we went.

“Well, that answers that.” I said.

“I hope the water's not deep enough for her to drown...” Oka said.

We caught our breath, still having our bloodsabers ready in case Laenie suddenly caught up to us.

“And the ride we stumbled onto is...” Oka said, looking around.

“Looks like a tunnel of love?” I said. “Probably a bad time to ask now, but do you get seasick?”

“I took a boat off of Tesata and was fine," Oka said. "How about you?"

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been on a boat, but I feel OK right now?” I said.

The tunnel of love felt a lot less lovey dovey despite its red and pink mood lighting, knowing a raging Exa Cani was probably still stalking behind us. Still, we did keep holding hands. And despite the situation, when we got to the pitch-black part of the ride, Oka snuck a kiss on my cheek that nearly made me wheeze as hard as the stitch in my side while we were running did.

“We are definitely going on another tunnel of love soon,” Oka said as we stepped off the boat once the ride finished. “Hopefully one that doesn’t have my aunt’s gross face on it.”

“Definitely!” I said. We started running again, getting past a few more roller coasters without hearing any roaring behind us.

“I think we lost her!” Oka said.

Before we could celebrate, a bloodsaber ignited ahead of us. I hoped it was one of our friends or teachers that had come along, but I recognized the robes as the ones Wildfire Hearts students wore. As the girl approached, a mournful look on her face, my heart sank.

“Aira…” I said.

Aira stopped, taking a fighting stance.

“I can’t let you.” Aira said, her head low.

“Aira, you don’t have to do this,” Oka said. “Any of this.”

“Whatever this is, it’s gone too far,” I said. “We just want Kalei to get back home.”

“And Laenie has to get Rem back,” Aira said. “And stopping you from stopping the others is the only way we get him back.”

While I could outrun Laenie, I couldn’t fight Aira.

“I don’t want to do this,” Oka said, getting her own bloodsaber out and igniting it as I just stood there, frozen in a mess of feelings. “But I didn’t forget what you helped put Zeta through.”

“I know,” Aira said. “And nothing I can say can make that right.”

As memories of the last time Aira and I were face to face flashed before me, memories of being tied to a chair, of Aira and Laenie gently holding my hand before leaving my parents to forcibly induce a monstrous form of my own, one far less stable than Laenie’s Exa form, I wished I could say something, anything, to avoid a fight here. Oka gestured for me to stand back, as she and Aira approached each other, the glows of their bloodsabers cutting through the night.