Chapter 5
137.
Splitting into two teams, the group uses their time efficiently. While the racers enjoy the DustPit obstacle course, the other team meets up with Quaga. It didn't take that much time before they reached the building that was previously owned by Hideo. It's the main office of the Southern region now since it's the tallest building in the region. From condo units for the racers to different services all in one place; agency firms for various activities, main Soc-Med servers, and the office of the Head Developer.
Eve notified the Head Developer that they were finally at the building. A few moments later, the secretary went to the lobby and assisted the group toward the office. In due course, the group finally meets Quaga, tall, fit, and dark-skinned with an alternating black and white mohawk haircut, wearing a black suit and tie.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Quaga greeted.
"Ara~ he's hot," Maiko whispered to the group.
"Thank nyu again for taking care of the confidential files," Eve responded to Quaga.
"No problem, Head Developers should help each other," Quaga said as he walked toward his table with tons of folders on top of it. "So these are the documents that I've said, I found these in a sealed vault. When my team bypassed the lock, I scanned through the documents. it's like 30 folders with multiple pages, I only managed to read around half, which gave me the idea that I'm not the one who should be dealing with this." He explained.
"Looks like another reading game," Lulu commented.
"Feel free to thoroughly examine these documents here in my office. I'll go and get us some coffee." Quaga offered as he left the room.
Yuna, Hana, Lulu, Maiko, Eve, and FeLinE are now the reading group, each one of them gets a folder to read as they sit on the couch. Just like before, they need to assess each paper and categorize them for further analysis. After a quick scan, they created two categories; one for documents about UniPaws, and the second one for other realms, with that, the reading spree started.
Later on, the room service entered the office, delivering different sorts of replenishments, ranging from cold to hot drinks paired with pizza boxes. An emergency occurred, requiring Quaga's appearance. He messaged Eve that he would be back after some time, though the group didn't need to wait for him if they finished early.
It has almost been an hour and the reading session is still ongoing. The documents contain a wide variety of information: there's a folder that contains a list of realms. There's a complete map of the UniPaws with cross marks, locations where Hideo found a Runekey. There is also a mapping theory about the realms that Hideo was studying. Every folder is indeed valuable, but the last folder truly changed the atmosphere of the place, a documentation about Hideo meeting a King with tremendous talent.
Hana widened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she was reading. She called everyone's attention to discuss the content of the document. "It's noted here about the description of a Kemi who claimed to be a King. Unlike the other folders, this one is like a diary, having day-to-day updates starting from when they first met, up to the day the King left the realm." Hana explained.
"That… That could be King Luke…" Yuna responded while stuttering.
"We can call Queen Grace and ask if the description fits," Eve suggested.
"And if it does, this is the biggest clue that we ever got!" Lulu added.
"Hold on a second, I think it's better to communicate this directly with Queen Grace instead of through a call. We saw how the Queen reacted last time. We don't want her to do impulsive decisions, knowing that Hideo is also there in Kemitopia." Maiko argued.
"FeLinE agrees, let's all calm down for now. We should meet up with the rest first, and then confront Hideo." FeLinE:1000X said.
"Hai," everyone else replied.
The reading team carried the documents and then moved out in haste. Eve also contacted Quaga, informing him about their leave, and thanking him for his help. Eventually, they meet up with the rest of the group at DustPit, the racing team just finished their friendly competition and it's about time for them to head back.
The group boarded the passenger ship heading to Kemitopia, the only problem now is passenger ships travel way slower than the other ships. It will take some days before they can reach Kemitopia. While they are on their way, Lulu keeps Darli busy while the rest of the group studies the documents.
"Anoo… How come they are all inside the room and we are outside?" Darli suddenly asked.
"It's because they are reading some papers, it's actually boring there, I was part of it earlier," Lulu answered.
"Well, we are also doing nothing here," Darli responded.
"Oh, I got an idea! Nyu let me ride on the King of Sky, what if let's ride the King of the Sea this time?" Lulu suggested.
"THAT SOUNDS EXCITING, LET ME WRITE IT DOWN IN MY ADVENTURE LIST!" Darli replied.
"Nyu can do that later, let's sneak out while they are still busy," Lulu said.
"Good thinking! Sounds fun!" Darli excitedly reacted.
"Listen to me Pily, go to the room and wait for them to finish. Once they ask where I am, tell them Darli and I rode Thirdy, and we will meet them at Kemitopia," Lulu instructed.
"Chuu~ Okay!" Pily responded as he hopped toward the room.
Lulu called Thirdy and upon his appearance, Lulu told him to get a boat where they could fit in so they could cross the sea safely. Thirdy then immediately moved out, wanting to impress Lulu. Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers on the ship were speechless about what they just witnessed. Minutes later, Thirdy showed up with an expensive yacht on top of his head, looking like he stole it from the Northern region.
"I'm not gonna ask where he gets that, anyway, let's go!" Lulu said.
Darli and Lulu ride on Gili's back and then the Dragon flies to the yacht. "Remember, swim safely but not too boring," Lulu told Thirdy.
Thirdy begins to swim through the vast ocean as Lulu and Darli enjoy the salty breeze. "THIS IS SO MUCH MORE FUN THAN READING PAPERS!" Darli shouted. "I KNOW RIGHT!" Lulu echoed the sentiment.
"LET'S GOOOO!" Darli and Lulu shouted once more, enjoying the thrill of their first sneak-out.
138.
On the other hand, the rest of the group is too busy with their document analysis. They must be prepared before they reach Kemitopia. Asking Hideo will be a hard thing to do because neither Ovae nor Hideo hasn't answered any questions from them ever since they got locked. There must be something in the documents that can make them speak.
"Can't we just question them using these papers?" Kita asked.
"They can just admit everything and still not spill a thing. It's like repeating what's already written here." Hana answered.
"I kept on reading these papers over and over again, but I still can't find anything to use against them," Yuna said.
"I remember, Zela told me that Ovae and Hideo let us catch them on purpose. They found out something was already happening and they'll just wait for the perfect timing," Maiko mentioned.
"FeLinE thinks that Ovae doesn't know about the diary." FeLinE:1000X suddenly said.
The group was surprised by the sudden claim, "Why do nyu think so?" Raven questioned.
"From what we know, Ovae is the mastermind and Hideo is only following her orders. Keeping in mind that Hideo managed to infiltrate the Hidden Den by himself, we also know that he is capable of manipulating everyone. His tasks were to study the civilization in UniPaws and gain status if needed. There was no mentioned interaction between the King and Ovae. FeLinE's assumption is; that Ovae is clueless about the King and this diary." FeLinE:1000X explained her theory.
"That actually makes sense… Plus he can Riftwalk through places, meaning he can immediately switch places, helping him effectively sneak from everyone's radar." Rubi added.
"We can assess Hideo's reaction once we question him in front of Ovae," Celeste suggested.
"That's a great idea, Ovae will also react differently if she truly doesn't know anything about Hideo's diary," Maiko responded.
"If that's the case, let me prepare the set of questions. I've been studying creatures' behavior for a long time now," Eve said.
The discussion went lengthy and thanks to FeLinE's keen observation, the group finally saw an opening for their interrogation. With that, they decided to go outside of the room to breathe some fresh air. As soon as Yuna opens the door, Pily welcomes her with some news.
"WHAT? THE TWO OF THEM SNEAKED OUT?" Yuna reacted in shock.
"Chuu~ technically it's not sneaking out because Lulu sent me to this room to notify you. But since you all took a lot of time before opening the door, it's a delay notification now." Pily defended Lulu.
"I guess it's our fault?" Celeste confusedly reacted while Yuna heavily sighed.
"They are with the King of the Sea and a Dragon, I'm sure they'll be fine," Kita said. Deep inside she is genuinely proud of Lulu for sneaking out.
Leaving them no choice, the group just accepted their situation and spent the rest of their time waiting for the end of the voyage. After a couple of days, the ship reaches the coast of Kemitopia. The group rushes to the Royal Castle while Lulu and Darli are having sewing lessons with Aoi since they arrived. Upon stepping to their destination, the group thoroughly explained the situation to Queen Grace. The descriptions are accurate, perfectly matching the notes, it means Hideo met King Luke years ago. They all immediately proceeded to the prison to start the interrogation.
Hideo notices the folders that the group is holding, and because of that, Hideo starts talking, "I see, you finally found my notes. Judging from your appearance and shreds of evidence, I'm guessing your group crafted trap questions to make me talk."
"That's cute. To compensate for your hard work, I'm allowing Hideo to answer all of your questions. Anyway, It's too late for you to do anything by now~" Ovae added as she chuckled.
The group was confused, they didn't know why Hideo and Ovae were cooperating with them all of a sudden. "Too late? What do nyu mean?" Yuna asked.
"Hmmm… How many months it has been since you met this Sentient Kemi?" Hideo responded with a question.
"Probably around 6 months by now?" Kita answered.
"FeLinE was unconscious when transported here. FeLinE doesn't know how long FeLinE was unconscious." FeLinE:1000X added.
"So it has been 6 months, plus the days or even weeks you were unconscious. That was the length of time when the King successfully infiltrated the Realm Sanctuary. I think all of the Sentient Kemis sent to different realms, it so happens that you ended up here in the UniPaws. The King is already in the Sanctuary, we just bought time, waiting for an opening." Hideo said.
The truth behind FeLinE's sudden appearance is finally revealed. Hideo immediately realized that the King managed to achieve his goal the moment he first saw FeLinE. He also told Ovae about the King's plan of entering the Realm Sanctuary while they were on an island near Zenshin, that's why Ovae agreed to let the Royal Guards capture them. Ovae's plan is to destroy the Realm Sanctuary, but since someone already reached the place, all that is left is to wait.
Everyone in the group is having a hard time digesting the truth, even FeLinE is tremendously shocked. "Can nyu at least tell us what nyu know about King Luke…" Queen Grace requested.
"Let's see… I entered this realm 5 years ago, and I met your father in the Underworld a year prior, so it has been 6 years ago. As I remember, your father is an ambitious man. He claimed to have a talent that can see the past, present, and future, and it was surprisingly true. According to him, the history of Oceanaia is bound to repeat itself, and it's already happening to other realms, right?" Hideo said.
When Hideo mentioned Oceanaia, FeLinE immediately remembered what happened back then. Every missing bit of her memories flashes back as FeLinE falls down on her knees, trembling in fear, and for the first time, it brings FeLinE to tears.
"FeLinE!" The group reacted in shock as they assisted FeLinE.
"Are nyu okay? What's wrong?" Hana worriedly asked.
"O… Oceanaia… FeLinE finally remembers now… A Forbidden Rune that corrupted everyone… FeLinE was there… The young ones were crying from pain… That realm no longer exists because every Kemi there died from the corruption…" FeLinE:1000X said while stuttering. Due to the sudden outburst of remembering everything, FeLinE collapses in the next instant.
139.
After securing that FeLinE is comfortably resting on her bed, the interrogation continues. Hideo answered everything that the group wanted to know just like what Ovae promised. For them, it's pointless to keep secrets because it's too late now, plus Ovae and Hideo want to see the group try and savor their reactions when they fail.
Meeting King Luke made Hideo curious about the UniPaws, they talked a lot when King Luke was in the Underworld. King Luke never truly revealed his whole plan, though it's clear that he is desperate to reach the Realm Sanctuary. Because of that, Hideo teams up with Ovae. He knew that Ovae wanted to invade the Realm Sanctuary too, and going to the UniPaws was her first plan. That was the opening that Hideo was looking for to start his research about the King's plan, by going to the place where the King came from.
Eventually, the interrogation is finally over. Eve and Rubi tidy up the information gathered while the group takes a rest. Everyone was bombarded and it's better to let the situation simmer down while they are waiting for FeLinE to recover.
A few hours passed and FeLinE finally woke up, suffering from a massive headache. Lisa handed her a herbal tea to aid her pain.
"What are nyu doing here?" FeLinE:1000X asked.
"When Kita picked up Lulu and Darli, she asked if we had some remedy for nyu. We also got the news from her that's why the maids followed Kita." Lisa answered while FeLinE drank the tea.
"Where are the others?" FeLinE:1000X replied.
"They are in the meeting room. Shall I notify them about your current state?" Lisa responded.
"No need, let's just go there. The tea that nyu made helped me a lot," FeLinE:1000X said as she stood up.
The two of them headed to the meeting room where the rest were waiting. FeLinE opened the door and everyone welcomed them, worried about FeLinE.
"Are nyu truly alright now? Nyu don't have to force yourself." Kita said.
"FeLinE is fine, no need to worry. Oceanaia triggered FeLinE's core memory, that scenario was deeply engraved inside FeLinE. Now, FeLinE remembers everything. Allow me to tell nyu what truly happened." FeLinE replied.
The group gathers around as FeLinE starts to tell her story, "A few months ago, the Sentient Kemis were puzzled when King Luke suddenly appeared at the Realm Sanctuary. He was fully corrupted but still in his right mind. He started to explain his purpose, though no one listened to him. We were supposed to heal and assist him back to UniPaws but he managed to escape from us. He simply out-skilled us, predicting every move that we will make. King Luke went straight to the storage of Sacred Runes, and we were surprised when he unlocked the gates protecting the storage. He then picked up one of the Sacred Runes. We thought he was only bluffing because only the Guardian Kemis can wield the divine technology. But by the next moment, FeLinE was already on the Island of the Beast Mimis. No clue on how long FeLinE was unconscious and memories were partially erased."
The shocking revelation of the truth made everyone lose for words. Everything finally connects now, the only thing that they need to figure out is the true goal of King Luke. In their further discussion, the group believes that King Luke is preventing something rather than plotting a bad one. The fact that the realms are still intact up to this date, even though the Sentient Kemis were transported elsewhere, proves that King Luke has been saving everyone from something they don't know.
Even with that said, the group still needs to move faster. They were preventing this idea before, but since they could not afford to lose more time, the group finally decided to split the team into two; one would go to Hachtile while the others would go to Blizshore. Also allowing Raven and Darli to join the venture once more. Since Hana can heal corrupted Kemis while FeLinE finally remembers how to deal with those, the two of them should be on different teams.
Scrutinizing their plan, the group finally crafted the best selection for each realm. Kita and Hana are the best fit for the frozen realm of Blizshore. Hideo told them that the followers of the King were in Blizshore, and because of that, Queen Grace would join the team too. Celeste will be their navigator, while Maiko is for Beast control, she lives in the Snowy Tribe after all. With regards to the base on those islands, Eve, Rin, Aoi, and Lisa will be in the Blizshore Ruins.
The other team that will travel to Hachtile are FeLinE, Yuna, Lulu, Raven, and Darli, they were selected with almost the same reasoning as the first group, making sure both teams balanced out. On the other hand, Rubi, Mae, Mittsy, and Coco are the ones in charge of the camp in Hachtile Ruins. Everyone has their own role to play and it's time for them to secure their 4th and 5th Mystical Runekey, both at the same time.
With a finalized plan, the group immediately moved out. Team Blizshore boarded a separate ship and Centi carried them to make their travel time faster. Team Hachtile does the same thing and Thirdy is the one who carries their ship. FeLinE and Darli joined team Blizshore for a moment so FeLinE could enter Blizshore and draw the map to the Mystical Runekey. Afterward, Gili will take both Darli and FeLinE back to the Hachtile team.
As the afternoon came, both teams were now ready for their quest.
"The other team already entered Blizshore. FeLinE gave the map to Celeste." FeLinE:1000X said.
"I'm sure Celeste will do just fine, she's an expert navigator by now," Raven replied.
"And I'm sure that we will obtain the Mystical Runekey faster than them!" Lulu enthusiastically said.
"Oh, another friendly competition, this is fun!" Darli added.
"Well, that's not our main goal, though I would love to beat Kit," Yuna replied.
"I know exactly how nyu feel." Raven agreed with Yuna.
"Are nyu all ready?" FeLinE:1000X asked.
"Hai!" Yuna, Lulu, Raven, and Darli firmly answered.
"GANBATTE!" Rubi, Mae, Mittsy, and Coco supported.
FeLinE inserted the Runekey into the Ruin, opened the gates, and the group crossed the portal. Welcome to the realm where Reptile Kemis originated, the Hachtile realm.
End of Chapter 5