"Oh my Light… Oh my Light! DAMNIT!!" Dion shouted at the top of his lungs, pacing back and forth in front of the bench where Pandora sat silently, arms crossed, watching her newfound 'soulmate' pace like an idiot.
"People are staring, you know. The sun has risen, and I don't enjoy being the center of attention. So please take your tantrum somewhere else." Pandora said vexingly.
Dion completely stopped his hysteria and slowly turned to Pandora, a look of pure disbelief on his face. "You don't actually get it, do you?"
He got closer to her face. "I CAN'T leave!" Suddenly, Dion tugged on the golden thread protruding from each of their chests, and Pandora winced in shock.
"As long as THIS thread connects us, I can't go more than 40 meters away from you!" Dion ranted.
Pandora tried to hide the pit growing slowly in her stomach, but it was written all over her face.
She has to spend ETERNITY… with this nobody!?
"W-What!? C-Can't you cut it off or something!?" Pandora stammered uncharacteristically.
Dion ignored her question completely, slowly falling to the floor in defeat. "I-I… I almost had it! I would've gotten it back…! All I had to do was just board that ship to Erenam. But NOW, I'm soul-bonded to the fucking LUNI KILLER!!"
"You should speak to me with more respect, since you're so well-versed in who I am. That name was given to me by a bunch of dead men. My name is Pandora." She said.
Dion's astonishment only grew. "Oh well, golly gee shucks, what makes you think I give a fuck about that! -"
A horn sounded off in the distance, followed closely by the parting of large clouds in the sky, making way for a huge airship, powered by nothing other than light.
Dion felt a hole form in his stomach. "No… a Luni airship? In the capital? Why!? Why now!?"
The airship hovered just above its landing zone; Dion followed it with his eyes as it slowly descended, but where it landed was the last place Dion expected.
It landed at the docks, right by the boat that Dion needed to board. A few Luni on the ground approaching the airship hastily, all of them bowed their heads to the commanding officer who slowly descended down the steps of the ship's platform and began barking orders.
Dion quickly grabbed Pandora's arm, pulling her into a nearby alley away from prying eyes. "Look, YOU. As much as I'd like to throw the both of us off a building right now, our best chance of fixing this relies on me getting on that ship and getting us to Erenam."
Pandora smacked his hand away, crossing her arms with a scoff. "Tch. Fine by me, I was gonna kill you and take your ticket in the first place."
Dion's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "That's SERIOUSLY what this was about!? THAT'S what you were going to kill me over!? Why didn't you just ask me or something? I would've bought you another ticket!"
"Yeah, right." She growled. "You weren't going to help me; humans only know how to help themselves!"
A hunch-backed old halfling man suddenly walked by, spotting the two of them angrily hovering over each other.
"Hey! You young ladies stop kissing each other back there! There are kids out here!" He shook his fist in disapproval, his withered voice quivering.
"W-What? You need to get your eyes checked, Gramps! I'm a boy! I-I mean a man!" Dion fussed.
The old man just threw his hand up dismissively, walking off down the street.
Pandora pushed Dion back a few feet, stepping out of the alleyway. "Like I said, you're making a scene."
Her gaze landed upon the boat in the distance; now surrounded by Luni, it seems like they're handling the boarding of passengers. Dozens of creatures line up in single file, cautiously handing the overseeing Luni their tickets at the entrance of the large boat.
"So, we're meant to infiltrate then?" Pandora asked.
Dion grabbed his backpack that sat near the bench, rummaging through it. "No, YOU'RE meant to infiltrate the ship; I'm already supposed to be on there."
He brought the bag over to Pandora, letting her take a look at what's inside. "Thankfully for you, I have a plan." Dion smirked.
Her expression slowly shifted into one she doesn't wear too often, disbelief.
"…I am not wearing that." Pandora said.
Dion rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you liked the idea of being attached at my hip for the rest of your days. Just think about all the awkward conversations in the bathroom we could have."
"If you even try to put that on me, I swear I'll seriously kill you this time." She replied, even more firm in her stance.
Dion could only sigh. "Fine, just put a damn hood on and follow my lead."
Meanwhile at the docks, an angry Luni man begrudgingly checked tickets at the boarding entrance. "I am not going to repeat myself! Have your tickets clearly visible and in your hand, or I swear to Light I will toss you and your children overboard!" He shouted down the line; no creature dared show defiance.
After a few other Luni finished pushing passengers onto the ship, two figures caught the overseeing Luni's eye.
Pandora, keeping her eyes to the floor—the hood masking her identity—and Dion, wearing a surprisingly accurate pair of high elf ears, approaching the Luni with confidence and gusto.
"How fair are ye this day! My fine valiant betters? Here is our express pass on board your mighty sea cruiser!" Dion shouted in an over-the-top accent, promptly handing the Luni a single express ticket.
Pandora facepalmed under her hood, and the Luni cocked his eyebrow, continuing to check the ticket. "…This says it's only valid for one person."
Dion forced a fake gasp. "No! Really? Bah! That darn ticket lady must've shorted me! Orcs, am I right? Their big hands can barely hold a little ticket!"
He continued. "Ah, but you see… My beautiful wife has had such a long and arduous walk all the way down here! On my honor as a gentleman, I promise to return with another ticket; all I ask is that you let my wife rest her weary feet inside the comfort of your—
"Alright! Alright!! By the Light, shut up already!" The Luni remarked angrily, his eyes locked onto Pandora's face. She never returned his gaze, but it was clear that he couldn't quite place her. He scratched his head.
"Ugh… Just go in; I don't have time for this. Damn knife-ears." He grumbled.
Dion bowed dramatically. "Oh, bless this day! Thank you for your kindness, my grace!"
They both wasted no time in boarding the ship, greeted immediately by a wooden atrium made of many upper decks and levels, with creatures of all kinds idling in the lobby.
After they both finally relaxed their nerves, Pandora turned to Dion. "What the hell was that!?"
"THAT was called 'acting.' Dion smiled proudly to himself. "I wouldn't expect a plebeian like yourself to understand. Heh, my grandpa always said I had a future in theatre."
"Hey!" A voice called out from the entrance; dread instantly shot through their spines.
Three of the imposing Luni from earlier, including the ticket inspector, approach Pandora and Dion—their vibe entirely changed.
"Pull down that hood; I want to check something." The ticket inspector gave the order, but since Pandora had her back turned, they were unable to get a good look.
"W-Wait, sirs!" Dion panicked. "H-Haha! My wife is very self-conscious about her ears; they weren't exactly as pointy as the other kids! -"
"Shut up." He pushed Dion to the side, reaching out to grab her hood.
Red light filled her hands—chains began to materialize in her grasp. She was just waiting for the right moment to strike…
CRASH!
The roof of the ship came crashing down on top of the Luni!
Before they could even react, two figures dropped from the holes in the roof. Pandora and Dion quickly turned to get a proper look at them.
One young man wore a black suit, his fists engulfed in blue light, and the other, a white suit and a rugged sword—just from a glance, Pandora instantly sensed he wielded the same power as her, the red light.
But most notably, they both wore the star of Lychinus on their lapels. The symbol of Lychinus High School.
There were even more humans here!? What the hell was going on in Tenebris?
"Dammit, Castor! Drashira JUST said we need to move in stealth!" Pollux shouted.
"What? No! She said we need to 'keep these guys in good health!' Castor replied with genuine confidence.
Pollux's eye twitched. "Why the FUCK would she say that, Castor!?"
"And you didn't even do that right! You just dropped a roof on them!" Pollux retorted.
Castor threw his hands up in confusion. "W-Well, I don't know how she thinks! Maybe she wanted to keep them to feed her dragon babies!"
As the Luni began to recuperate themselves, Pandora and Dion made a mad dash deeper into the ship, running and pushing their way past confused and screaming creatures.
They made it to the cabins inside of the ship but unfortunately were stopped by 6 Luni—all of them crowded their path so they couldn't get through.
"You two!" Each of the Luni unsheathed their swords. "End of the line! I don't know how you two got down here, but you can explain it all before the King after we bring you back. Now stand down."
Dion raised his hands in surrender. "Wait! You all just need to listen to me! We aren't!—"
"…I'm never going back." Pandora dropped her hood; Red Light engulfed her body once more, and her chains materialized in her palms.
Every Luni in the room radiates a different shade of light, raising their weapons in preparation.
But it didn't matter. Pandora didn't even rush them. She just stepped forward slowly, the chain dragging behind her with a metallic hiss.
The first Luni could barely get his weapon up.
The chain snaps forward, and it wraps around his arm mid-motion, coils tightening with a violent jerk, and in the same breath she yanks, and his body lurches to the floor.
And with inhuman strength, she brought the chain down upon him, cleaving his entire ribcage from his torso; blood splattered across the ship's tiles—the light faded from his eyes almost instantly.
Another Luni shouts behind her, but Pandora doesn't look; it's like she can't even hear them, entering an entirely different state.
The chain shoots backward, coils around a guard's neck, and tightens. He instinctively grabs at it, fingers desperately scratching at his throat—his heels drag across the floor as she walks forward, pulling him with her like he weighs nothing.
The last three all try to charge her at once, but it's futile; in a single motion, she swipes her hand across the air in front of them, her claw-like fingernails cutting each of their jugulars wide open, and they tumble to the floor—not even enough time to process that they're dying.
With one final movement, Pandora violently yanks her chain backward; the man who was attached screamed in agony, his stomach popped open like a door.
The blood sprayed on Dion, who could only watch in sick silence; he didn't even blink.
Just like that, it was over. He watched Pandora stand in the middle of it; she watched each of the mauled, lifeless bodies.
Six bodies that never even stood a chance.
Slowly, she turned to Dion. "…What?"
"…I-I… I just…" He couldn't formulate his thoughts.
"You just…
…really are a monster."