LUCEM
XCIII Chapter

"We've been surrounded, but we're safe for now, here. Mars, I'm gonna go check on Magenta, "moonflower said.

"You too?" I asked Jiso who was in Moonflower's hand.

"Yes, it will be easier to find our troops there with me, you must understand what I mean" Jiso replied.

"But-"

“Hey,” Moonflower said, her voice suddenly closed. “I have a hunch, four more months I will fall in love with you, so please don't kill yourself and die here, okay?”

I will respond to his words when I feel a sudden gust of air. I heard it glide, into the sky, and though I knew I wouldn't see it, I stuck my neck out as if I wanted to see it go.

And just like that—

She went.

My heart was pounding in my chest, blood was rushing into my head. I felt confused, frightened, excited, hopeful, horrified. All the best and worst things always seem to happen to me at the same time.

Unfairly.

"Damn it," I said out loud.

"Come on," I said to the rat squad. "Let's move on."

We moved past Marbella who was silent watching the outer side of the protector. Dozens of armed troops marched against us from all sides without being able to touch us.

When Marbella asked me to play my old flute, the situation slowly heated up. A wave of rats entered from a direction I could not explain into the ranks of the guard troops, it was hundreds.

I stared in disbelief at the scene outside. How could I possibly summon thousands of rats in this strange place?

Marbella immediately interrupted my astonishment, when my flute stopped, she firmly asked me to keep chanting, "don't stop, Mars, " he said.

I-i understand. The flute again flowed the soft-sounding tones in my teking. Each flute burst as if raising thousands of rats from the ground. Armed forces were attacked by an overwhelming panic. Irregularity had opened up their defensive gaps and Marbella witnessed that.

"King Grimo."

Marbella's eyes glittered sharply. I followed his view. And what I found was a terrible figure among the bloody riots out there. A large mouse with a white robe and a hat high on his head, stared fiercely at my brother.

I'm sure, my singing doesn't summon that kind of rat, or has something changed without my knowledge? My cage stopped again.

The huge wave of rat attacks stopped.

Drone stops.

The armed forces returned swiftly to form a formation under the command of a man after getting a rat attack that ravaged the ranks of the troops who might have been training for it for days or perhaps months, or even a year without estimating that we have that kind of great help.

Marbella is silent. His face was tense, shouldn't he be happy for the result?

From a distance I could still watch the pool of blood slowly seeping through the grass. Bodies with no complete parts were lying in just any place. Bodies full of wounds wriggled on the ground.

Not sure, I'm not sure it's real.

A brief strike of less than five minutes has made many bodies bleed. An attack with almost no resistance was meaningful. Surprise.

Is this the war? I shudder.

"Marbi."

"Why did you stop?"

"There's a rat that's too big, but I'm not sure."

I looked back to where I was sure the big rat was, but nothing.

"I'm sure he was there," I pointed.

A gust of wind, strong coming from above. Magenta, Moonflower and Jiso are back. Without the rat troop we're looking for.

I asked immediately. And Jiso shook his head. "They were held in a place that we could not simply penetrate, they had actually predicted our presence. But Magenta has found the clue, we'll get them back."

I nodded to reinforce Jiso's statement. We can definitely get out of here together, and go back home.

"Marbi, is that why I can't sense their existence?"

Marbella nodded. "At least, we're already here."

Moonflower suddenly shrieked, sharp and painful. But, it was not his usual voice. The girl had turned into a half-bird figure.

Like an order—

Thousands of rats outside rose again, moving, like waves of water in the ocean, crashing into the armed ranks with ease. Like it's not real.

Then, another screech sounded from out there. And the black wave rolled up a big wave of our rats. Sparks of blood in the air and screams of pain. My stomach is pressing up. Humans and rats were thrown in the air and thumped violently to the ground. Broken, bloody. Their bodies, their souls. I staggered.

Marbella pulled me to turn around. "It's me" he said. "You don't have to force yourself to see what you don't want."

"Yes... Yep... Yeah..," I answered. Short breath.

"I found him, and you'll be released soon" said Marbella. His hand was clutching tightly to my wrist.

I digest Marbella's words. Slow.

This is all for me? All this mess for me? Wh-wh-what for? Whahuh? All those questions popped into my head, and then another question followed. Nasty questions with answers that are also sickening of my own.

The slow movements came back to meet my view. The sounds are nothing more than a rhythmic hum. Begetar protective chamber. I saw a different picture than I should have.

"Don't let him lose consciousness!" magenta's voice crept into my ear.

Marbella's panicked face, my sister said something. He shouted, loudly. But I can't hear his voice.

A punch in my face. It hurts, it hurts. I wanted to complain but my lips could not be moved.

Why did Marbella hit me so hard. His hand movements were slow, but why was the result of his punch so painful, my cheek was hot now and the corner of my lips was bleeding. And now he's hugging me. Why is my sister crying?

I felt my body lift up. I tried to open my eyes. Successfully, slightly. I peeked out from behind my wet eyelashes, it felt heavy to get rid of. My eyes hurt so much that I closed my eyes again.

Now Marbella's voice was slowly heard again, faster than before. The crowd came back in to fill my hearing. Shouts, screeches, unpretentious people in boisterous conversations that are hard to understand.

Moonflower Voice.

Jiso's.... Jiso!?

"Akh. pufft, ummmm. Why are you sitting on my nose, rat?" I jumped up.

My hands rubbed my face and mouth. Jiso chuckles.

"Successfully," he said.

I glare.

I again glared wider as my eyes caught the sight outside the protector and realized our whereabouts. The war really happened. Moonflower at the forefront with wide black wings flapping violently swept through the air.