Another anomaly.
Standing on glass-like ground where darkness shimmered underneath, a being made of incandescent white light stared up into a sky. An evening sky dotted with countless purple and blue stars.
Incomplete, the word perfect to describe the story of Leion Halfheart. When first writing the original draft of the story, the incandescent being had been quite ecstatic. It was not often it took such time with a single story, for such was rather tiresome, but the more it wrote the story of Leion Halfheart, the more it grew to like the extra effort.
Slowly but steadily, that like turned into love. The being fell in love with the character of Halfheart and the endless adventures he went on. The more it wrote, the more it desired to see this story come to fruition. When finally completed, the desire reached a peak, and excitement bloomed as it set the pieces of the start of the story in place.
So.
Could you imagine its disappointment when none of the pieces connected together?
It felt loss.
Could you possibly understand?
It felt sadness.
Could comprehend the meaning of such a thing?
It felt fury.
The being had been cheated of what was rightfully theirs. In the face of such disrespect, how could it let the perpetrator roam free? Wickedness to that degree needed to be punished, and so it was. The lands of the Common were a fitting place. In a place where madness and pain thrived, pleasure, joy, and even happiness were mere figments of one’s imagination. Casting Halfheart there, the being expected some reprieve from the terrible feelings burdening it, yet none whatsoever was found.
In fact, a new anger grew as it discovered the perpetrator busily enjoying themselves while it was left empty and deprived. It was then, upon this discovery, that a new punishment was constructed. A payment of equal or greater value. Of course, it naturally knew that the perpetrator would try and hide to avoid paying for its crimes, but it came prepared.
At least, it thought it was prepared…
Yet.
Another unforeseeable event occurred.
An anomaly appeared.
One that disrupted every plan the incandescent being fashioned day in and day out.
Lacking a story, the creature simply existed by its own will. Interacting with the world, the incandescent being meticulously crafted. It charted a path forward shamelessly and boldly, disrupting the natural flow of events. Observing such a creature, the incandescent being was left shocked and disturbed. How can something exist without its allowance? Initially, it tried to rid its world of the anomaly but quickly came to a rather even more disturbing realisation.
It couldn’t touch it.
The creature lacked a story in which to interact with it.
It was invisible to its power.
In light of this unsettling development, the incandescent being was forced to get more creative. The creature, the new anomaly, had interacted with its world. While concerning the incandescent being hadn’t noticed until now; it still meant one thing. The creature did appear in the story of others. With that knowledge, the incandescent being was able to get a grasp on the creature. It then manufactured a cause to get her away from Halfheart.
The plan worked but resulted in Halfheart following along.
A failure ultimately.
It would need to try again.
“—No leaving my sight.” (M)
Standing in front of the tiger woman, Leion struggled not to let his frustrations show. His “Master” seemed to have such a low opinion of him that it wasn’t even funny. Instead of spending the morning getting ready to leave, Leion spent the vast majority of it receiving quite possibly the longest lecture in history.
“I get it already…” (L)
The murmur was a little bitter, but Leion couldn’t help it.
Everything listed in the lecture were ways he would find himself back up here. Another new set of rules that, should he break, would result in his immediate abandonment.
“Lei-Lei….” (M)
Her voice was ever stern.
Leion avoided her biting gaze by looking down.
‘Agh, why did I say that?’
He wanted to leave, no? Being rude and uncooperative was the exact kind of behaviour that would get him left here. Trapped alone on a high-up mountain with those blasted fairies. Right now, he should be his most well-behaved, and yet…
“Let’s go!” (A)
A sudden shout from outside broke the tension that had started to build.
Leion felt the gaze of his “Master” shift before she let out a soft sound.
She sighed.
He shifted in place.
Since when did she sigh? In all the time together, she had never sighed. She would at most make a frown whenever Leion did something she disliked. Hold a gaze here and there but never sigh. Was taking him along with her that exasperating? It really couldn’t be… but then again, Leion had been the only one to overestimate how close they were in their relationship.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
A small pit formed in his gut.
‘…Whatever, I am going to leave anyway. It doesn’t matter much’
She could make noises she wanted.
Leion didn’t care.
“Yes, let’s leave.” (M)
The front door of the cabin was already open.
Aurelia had already been waiting outside for some time now.
A hand extended out to Leion.
He grasped it weakly.
Walking outside, he surveyed the distant mountains. Though most of their bodies were obscured by the ever-present fog, their snow-covered peaks still stretched out endlessly before him. Placing his free hand on his heart, a vow was made.
This body liked the cold.
Before they left these ranges, he would find a new place to stay.
A new home.
Leion stared up at the mountains behind in a mixture of disbelief and bitterness.
They had left the mountain range.
‘So much for my vow…’
He hadn’t just underestimated the speed they were travelling at; he had greatly underestimated it.
‘Where… where did it go wrong?’
The start of the descent had been typical. Leion walked side-by-side with his “Master” and Aurelia. They made it about quarter ways down the peak before his legs gave out and he was forced to hitch a ride. It was then, in the swaddle of his “Master”, he fell asleep. When he awoke next, he found them at some unknown point but still on the mountains. Again, he walked side by side with his “Master” until his legs gave out, and he hitched a ride.
This cycle repeated itself once more until Leion found himself here in the clearing.
It was now that he realised what they were doing.
They were intentionally tiring him out in order for them to move faster when he fell asleep.
Grrrr
A low, guttural growl sounded.
Leion felt his ears instantly perk up. Without much delay, he turned around and walked back to his “Master”.
‘Ha… that couldn’t have been more than five minutes’
Reaching the out-of-place snow pile that stood alone in the green plains, Leion climbed to its top and waded through it. Unfortunately, this was one of the many agreements he was forced to make. In exchange for coming, he was required to always be in eye’s view of his “Master”. Any moments he had stolen for himself were only because Aurelia had argued in his favour.
She really was a good person.
Leion grimaced at the thought.
Without her occasional interruptions, he wouldn’t have been even able to explore the surroundings of the areas they had travelled. Was it possible for him to escape at this pace? So far, his most basic plan had already failed. If things were to continue the way they are, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
“Ah, already back? That was quick!” (A)
Leion smiled awkwardly while sneaking a quick glance at his “Master” who was tending to the fire at the centre of the snow pile. It felt really hard to go against her words.
“Come, come!” (A)
Walking over to where Aurelia was patting down, he sat beside her.
“Soooo, how was it?” (A)
“It was…. okay? I guess.” (L)
There honestly wasn’t much to see. Just an endless grass plain that stretched on to the horizon. Leion had seen grass enough times to have grown bored of it in his last life. Even in this fantasy-like world, grass was grass. Boring.
“Really? Is that all you have to say?” (A)
Leion paused for a moment.
What was the best response to hearing that unhappy tone? Lie? Change the topic? Ignore the question? It is really hard to pick in these types of situations. There were no right answers after all, but then again, it wasn’t like Leion needed a right answer. He just needed one that led to the most positive outcome.
“Uhm, I was going to ask…. Where are we going?” (L)
He decided to change the topic.
“T-That….” (A)
To the only thing that would make this chatterbox clam up.
“Ah! Looks like your meal is ready. Let’s go eat, okay?” (A)
Leion wasn’t curious about where they were headed. Ultimately, he planned to be gone before they ever arrived. It didn’t matter, but say he had been curious as to where they were going; he knew asking Aurelia was a lost cause. She seemed to be under the impression saying anything to him would make him cry again. Although, from the meagre information he could gather, it appeared they were still going to abandon him in the care of some other randoms. This trip was nothing more than a way to soften the blow.
They weren’t taking him all the way with them.
They were still leaving him.
“Right, let’s go eat.” (L)
Getting up, Leion strode to where his “Master” was and sat beside her. In her hands was his ration for the day. Without much ceremony, she placed it down, picked him up, and then proceeded to stare at the burning flame in front of them.
The flame danced erratically before them as if showcasing its might.
It was very hot.
It was also very uncomfortable.
The body wrapped around Leion subtly shifted in place. Slowly, then all at once, it cooldown. The warmth that stroked the front of Leion’s body gradually disappeared. Replaced by a familiar, inviting cold that soothed his body. The aches, born from his usual exercise, faded away with abnormal ease.
Sat in front of a fire, Leion felt cold.
An icy breeze tickled his face.
“You went far.” (M)
The remark hung in the air.
Leion didn’t respond.
Instead, he turned and looked for Aurelia. She said, “Let’s go eat” as in, “Let us go eat”. So why is she then eating back there by herself? The person who needs the fire the most?
“Lei-Lei…” (M)
Leion’s name was called in a tone he didn’t recognise.
He couldn’t respond.
She sighed again.
In complete silence, she fed him, and then they went to bed.
Day 1 over.
Leion couldn’t sleep.
Turns out sleeping for the majority of the day might do that to you.
Shifting in place, he tried to get more comfortable. Right now, he was in full tiger mode, which was a pleasant gift considering the first rule. Apparently, Aurelia didn’t count as “others” in his “Master’s” eyes. Frankly, if Leion knew this, he would’ve used this method to escape her crashing hugs.
After swishing his tail for a bit lost in thought, Leion got up.
He needs to fall back asleep.
Luckily for him, this was not his first encounter with this specific problem. Leion had countless techniques to help with this specific problem. It was his expertise at this point, for crying out loud. A quick debate with himself resulted in him picking one of those said techniques. Given his current limitations, the best option right now would be taking a walk around the snow while meditating.
Leion carefully manoeuvred himself out of the cold embrace of the giant tiger.
He then climbed out of the small depression at the centre of the snow pile and began walking its edges. The snow pile was only a couple of layers deep with a small depression at its core. The whole area the pile occupied wasn’t large, but it was still considerable. Especially since it was more than unnatural given the green around.
Leion stopped walking.
He gazed at the grass.
It was so close. If he stretched a paw out, he could easily touch the grass. It would be so easy to just jump and run—
‘Ah, who am I kidding? I wouldn’t get far’
The thought had crossed Leion’s mind many times as soon as they stopped. It looked too good to be true, and… well, it was. The snow pile here wasn’t just for show. It acted like some sort of domain, an extension of his “Master’s” powers. She was acutely aware of everything that occurred upon it. Earlier, when Leion stepped off the snow, she immediately knew.
‘Is escape possible at this point?’
From the rate at which they were moving to his inability to slip past them, it all seemed but impossible to escape.
Leion collapsed and started rolling in the snow.
He was going nowhere at this rate.
He rolled, rolled, and rolled, taking his frustrations out on snow. When his body finally tired, he stared up into the sky with a blank expression.
‘Why can’t things just go my—!’
A golden flash of light suddenly caught his eyes.
Leion quickly sat up from a back-lying position.
He scanned his surroundings.
It was coming from somewhere in the grass, a little beyond the border of snow. The light dimmed and then flashed repeatedly as if trying to attract his attention. Leion stared at it for a moment before quickly growing bored.
‘Guess those bugs exist here too, huh?’
As soon as he thought this, the aforementioned “bug” moved in a strange, unbug-like manner. It darted back and forth within the air with freakish precision and coordination. Pausing to hover occasionally as if to assert dominance.
There was something very wrong with this “bug”.
Leion pulled back.
It pulled forward.
‘What the—?!”
The “bug” rushed at him with unmatched speed as he panicked to turn around.
Leion closed his eyes.
…
Nothing happened.
He peeked them open.
The light bug thing had shrunk. Part of its mass had been dedicated to constructing a single, floating character within the air.
It was Manmanic.
Leion stared at it for a long while before he was able to grasp its meaning.
With eyes now as sharp as in the day as in the night, he understood.
Help?