Still catching their breath, they wandered over to the far edge of the amusement park where a Ferris wheel rose like a silver crown against the sky. Its compartments were crystalline, slowly spinning with elegance. Cherry blossoms danced in the wind around its base.
"I've never seen one this tall," Yumi commented.
The ride began its slow ascent. The world around them shrunk—roller coasters like toy tracks, stalls like colorful specks. Then, as they reached the very top, the city of Celestia bloomed before their eyes: floating islands held by crystal pylons, rivers of light winding through sky-suspended walkways, spires that shimmered like icicles under the sunset.
"It looks different," Yumi said, her voice quieter now.
Mei leaned against the glass, arms crossed. "Yeah… this view is beautiful."
Then, with a lopsided smile, she added, "But it feels a little different today."
Yumi glanced sideways. "Is it because you're with me?"
Mei tilted her head, her grin turning smug. "No. It's because at this angle, I'm taller than you."
A silence.
Then Yumi exhaled, very slowly. "You ruin everything."
"And you love it."
As their cabin descended, Mei lightly bumped her shoulder against Yumi's. "Come on. Let's find the others before they break into the control room or something."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Kaito tried to 'fix' a working machine just for fun."
"Or if Takashi tried to politely apologize to a security golem."
They both chuckled softly, stepping off as the wheel touched ground.
As they strolled deeper into the heart of the park, they found themselves standing before a glowing sign that read:
"Zero-Limit Zone: Anti-Gravity Coaster"
Mei's eyes twinkled with devilish glee. "This one's calling my name."
Yumi raised a brow. "You're not scared of floating through the air with no seatbelt?"
"I have demons stronger than gravity," Mei replied, already hopping into the queue.
The ride launched them upward like bullets. Inside the transparent capsule, they soared into loops, spirals, and sudden free-falls—except in reverse. At one point, they were gliding upside down over a pool of glowing mist, hair suspended like ghostly banners.
"This feels like being trapped in a spell circle mid-failure!" Mei shouted over the air pressure.
Yumi actually laughed. "You're oddly poetic for someone who just bit her tongue!"
When they landed, slightly dizzy and levitating a few inches above the ground due to residual anti-grav particles, Mei giggled uncontrollably. "Let's never do that again… unless we want to pass out stylishly."
The sun hung lazily over the amusement park, casting golden slants of light across the cobbled grounds. At the heart of the newly opened Celestia Amusement Park, two boys and two girls reunited in front of a massive, dome-shaped ride labeled Zero Flux: Anti-Gravity Cart Arena.
"About time you two showed up," Takashi said, hands on his hips, pretending to scold Mei and Yumi as they joined from the east sector.
Mei waved him off. "We were just testing the boundaries of sugar intake. They had hellberry crepes, Takashi. Hell. Berry."
Kaito bounced on the balls of his feet, clearly holding back excitement. "So, this is the famous anti-gravity cart ride! It's one of the park's specialties, right?"
I nodded, rubbing my hands together. "We've got time for one last ride. And I've got an idea."
"Oh?" Yumi raised an eyebrow, looking calmly interested.
"A challenge," I said, pointing at the cart station. "We all enter. Whoever stays on their cart the longest wins. The others? Bump them off. Simple."
Takashi blinked, already sweating. "B-Bump each other? Mid-air?"
"That sounds awesome," Kaito beamed, fists clenched in victory pose. "I was born for this!"
Yumi smirked faintly. "I farm aura while sitting still, so... sure."
Mei stretched her arms, amused. "You're all on."
Soon enough, we were all geared up in floating single-person carts, strapped in with a single button-lock vest, helmets slightly oversized and bobbing on our heads.
The arena was a glowing sphere with visible gravitational rings floating mid-air. Inside, colorful orbs floated, and magnetic tiles spun along invisible lines. A robotic voice echoed, "Ready to begin the Zero Flux Challenge? Countdown begins in 3... 2... 1..."
The moment the ride activated, my cart lurched, flipping into a semi-barrel roll before stabilizing mid-air. Kaito was immediately spinning like a loose screw.
"Whoa! This is wild!" he laughed as he tried to get a grip, steering straight into a floating tile and bouncing backward with a boing.
Meanwhile, Takashi was gripping his handles tightly, looking panicked. "Why is it going up?! I didn't press anything!"
Yumi, completely calm, was gliding effortlessly in circles like some kind of anti-gravity samurai.
I tried to steer toward Kaito to bump him, but he dodged last second—accidentally. "Haha! Did you see that? I'm basically pro!"
"You just got lucky!" I shouted back, narrowing my eyes.
Then came Mei—zooming in like a homing missile. "You guys are wide open!" she yelled, twisting her body and cart to knock both me and Takashi.
Takashi screeched and spun out, his cart losing momentum and floating toward the edge. "Nooo—!"
Mei giggled. "One down."
Kaito was still bouncing around like a pinball. "Strategy time!" he declared before immediately getting bonked by one of the floating orbs and spinning out in dramatic fashion.
"That wasn't strategy!" I shouted.
"Wooooorth it!" Kaito shouted as he drifted out of bounds.
That left me, Yumi, and Mei.
I locked eyes with Mei.
"I'm not going easy on you," I said.
"Good," she smirked. "I like it that way."
Yumi floated between us, cool as a cloud. "Try me, lovebirds."
Mei immediately charged at Yumi—who countered with a flip that sent Mei spinning. I tried to charge at Yumi from the side, but she dipped her cart just enough to dodge.
I was beginning to wonder if Yumi had trained for this.
But just then, her cart blinked red—low power warning.
"Oops," she said, eyes widening as her cart started to descend slowly. "Too much aura control, huh."
She was out.
It was me and Mei now.
"You ready to lose, Izumi?" Mei teased, sparks practically dancing in her eyes.
"You wish."
We both collided mid-air. I tried to spin and throw her off, but she mirrored my move. For a moment, it was just a tangle of limbs, laughter, and sheer willpower.
Then her helmet slipped.
"Wha—?!" she yelped, trying to adjust it.
And that's when I tapped her cart—lightly. Just enough.
Her cart spun slowly toward the border. Her arm reached out dramatically.
"Nooooooo—!"
BOOP. Out of bounds.
"Winner: Izumi!" the robotic voice declared.
I let out a victorious breath, hands high above my head. "Yes! Finally! I won something without crashing or getting cursed!"
Mei floated back to the landing platform, helmet crooked, pouting. "That was cheating. Helmet sabotage!"
"You said no rules," I teased.
Yumi gracefully landed. "Entertaining. But not impressive," she said with a faint smile.
Kaito clapped dramatically. "Izumi! Our undefeated champion! May he reign over the anti-gravity realm!"
Takashi sat in a corner with his helmet still on. "I still don't know how I flew upward."
–TURNING POINT–
We laughed, the kind of laughter that fills up your chest and bubbles out with no resistance. Just friends, having fun. The whole park buzzing with joy and energy, and we were right in the middle of it.
And for a while... it felt like nothing in the world could go wrong.
But just when we were wrapping up, ready to leave, Mei casually invited us to her place. Everyone was laughing and smiling, just walking out of the park with joyful exhaustion written all over their faces.
That's when Mei suddenly stopped.
Her smile dropped.
"What is this that I sense?" she muttered.
Yumi's eyes sharpened instantly. "This… this is—"
Mei's voice cut through. "A ley line distortion!"
Before I could even react, she tu
rned to me sharply.
"Careful, Izumi! Spirit Art: Humming Coat!"
A burst of incantation left her lips faster than I could breathe.
And then—
Boom.
The sky turned white.
To be continued...