Time is a trick, A really weird trick. This is shown with time dilation, the simple fact is. Although five days have passed, it felt like five minutes to Hoshi.
"Wake Up"
A simple chant, but one that awakened Hoshi. His eyes were pitch black, his body wrapped in vines and branches as if it were hugging him.
Although his vision was blurry to the point where even colors were hard to differentiate, one thing was clear. Numbers, he could clearly see the numbers on his combo counter.
[Congratulations!]
[When the player achieves a Combo of 100, they get an extra second on their timer.]
[Current combo count is!]
[150,000]
[Seconds till combo reset: 1,503]
A smile crept onto Hoshi's face, his Venta black eyes searching for his opponent. "A little over twenty-five minutes, that's fine…but that must mean that it's been a while since I've been awake," he pondered as the coldness of the floor caused Hoshi to flinch.
Looking around, he noticed that he was still in the room that he passed out in; however, the coziness of it had died and was replaced with an awkward feel. Branches and vines covered the walls and ceilings.
Hoshi: "Sinn."
"I wonder where she is. Don't tell me that someone attacked us while I napped?" He questioned, unaware that it was, in fact, Sinn who caused this mess.
Hoshi: "Sinn? Sinn, are you okay?"
He walked upto the only door in the room, veins covering the knob. Hoshi went to open the door; however, as his fingers touched the brass material, the vines charged towards him.
His arm snapped back, quickly realizing that something was amiss with the vines; they had a dark, yellowish color.
Hoshi: "So a delicate approach isn't an option? I still have twenty-five minutes; however, I need to find who's responsible quickly."
—BOOOSH—
A drop of sweat left the red boy's temple as he relived just how much stronger he had become. With a simple punch, the entire hut was blown away, as if a tornado had just passed by.
His lip quivered at his own power, his arm slowly retracting. With a shaken fist, he spoke.
Hoshi: "I…I guess I never really had to go past a "Combo Count" of fifty, geez, one hundred fifty thousand is no joke."
There was a small pause before another realization jumped into Hoshi's mind.
Hoshi: "Oh shit! I'm gonna need to rebuild Sinn's home!"
"Oh, Dearist, no need to worry about that."
The calm voice was recognizable to the red-skinned boy. It was Sinn. She was sitting upon a throne made of moving branches and Vines. They moved like snakes slithering in grass.
Hoshi: "Sinn! You're okay, that's awesome! Don't worry, I'll–"
Sinn: "Hoshi dear, please go back to your room. Back to your cocoon, back to your safety."
Hoshi: "I, What?"
Confusion covered Hoshi; he tried his best to understand just what Sinn was saying. It didn't help that since he was sleeping for five days, his mind was still getting used to being fully awake.
Sinn: "Please, go back now."
Her voice, now stern, gave Hoshi a cold sweat, "What's going on? "Back to my safety." She isn't trying to keep me here, right?", as his mind tried to rationalize what was happening, Sinn grew impatient. The red boy looked into Sinn's eyes, searching for an answer to his own questions.
Sinn: "I said now, dearest, I won't ask again."
Hoshi: "I'm sorry, Sinn, you can't possibly expect me to stay."
Sinn: "I'm not expecting you to stay, I am telling you. You are staying."
Hoshi: "Well then, I'm sorry in advance."
The red boy shifted into a basic fighting stance, his left foot moved back, knees bent, and both fists raised.
His face was calm, although his heart was pounding, "I don't want to hurt her, so I'll just subdue her."
He crouched down, his thighs flexing as he then leaped towards Sinn, however, due to not being used to his new power. He moved too fast, making it simple for Sinn to whip a vine at Hoshi.
—CRACK—
His body danced across the air at the speed and force of Sinn's vines. "Shit! I'm not used to this, I knew that, but my main question is, when was Sinn this strong!" The air parted around Hoshi's body as it zipped towards the forest.
The ground cracked at Hoshi's landing, and a few trees fell as he finally stopped. Dirt piled behind him as he struggled to stand. His bare chest had a lash strung from his left shoulder to his right hip.
Sinn: "I don't know what or how you got so strong while under my spell. Once I noticed that you were getting stronger, I used my Ketsudan to absorb your power."
The red boy stood up, blood escaping his lips as he stuck his head. "Stay awake." He told himself mentally that he squeezed a ball of nearby dirt to make sure that he still had feeling.
Sinn: "You just got that power, no restraint or control. I had five days to get used to this…so please, let me take care of you, just go back to your cocoon and when I think you're ready, I might let you leave your room."
-SPPT-
A small ball of blood slammed against the dirt ground as Hoshi whipped his mouth. His abs twitched out of pain while he sat up, and his thighs spasmed while trying to stand up.
Hoshi: "So it's been five days, huh? Mom must be worried. As I said, Sinn, I'm sorry, but my mother needs me home."
Hoshi got back into his stance, his voice now firm. Despite that, his hands still shook, his wound now agitated, lightly bleeding.
Hoshi: "I am going East, I am claiming the Tower of Babel, and I will expose Adam for what he is doing. I can't just learn something like that and stand by. If I am anything, I'm an honest soul, so please let me pass."
A sigh left Sinn's lips; it was clear that she was disappointed at Hoshi's stubbornness. A stubbornness that she seemed used to, even then, she slightly smiled as if that stubbornness was a reminder to someone or something, but that's all it was, a reminder, with that she reverted to that disappointed expression.
Sinn: "I won't let another die, I won't let you die. I can't trust you, humans, to just stay put."
Hoshi: "Humans? So have people before me passed here?"
Sinn: "Of course they have, this area is particularly dangerous. I have to see a poor human soul pass by my little home and die due to their own will to go home. You humans are too dumb to live; you can't be trusted to be on your own."
The vines and branches around the area began to valiantly move, charging towards Hoshi at breakneck speed. However, it wasn't clear if this speed had malice or sorrow behind it.
Hoshi quickly jumped to move out of the way, this time with more of an understanding of his strength, he cleared the tree line and was able to adjust his descent.
With time in the air, he looked over to Sinn's throne. "I can't tell what is and isn't her ketsudan. She mentions a spell, so there's another system of power down here. Damn, it's hard to tell the relationship between this Magic and Ketsudan." He thought to himself. Now in the air, he had another clear view of the surrounding area. The red leaves of trees stretched for miles. Even though he found the view beautiful, he looked back towards Sinn.
He noticed the pages of the book flip as the vines and branches used the tree to climb towards Hoshi. He adjusted himself and quickly stepped on the branches and Vines long enough for him to leap away from them, but not long enough for them to do anything to him.
"Her book, I'm guessing, the homing aspect of the vines isn't part of her Ketsudan," he quickly deduced. About a hundred yards stood between him and Sinn; he quickly jumped from tree to tree to close the gap. The space around him began to blur at his speed, a branch wrapped around his right leg causing him to trip. He quickly used his new momentum to his advantage, flipping around a tree to sling shot himself closer to Sinn.
As Hoshi charged towards Sinn, vines quickly snapped towards the red boy, "He's quick!", she thought to herself, his speed only gained as he used the vines to swing back towards her.
Sinn: "Just let me win, trust me to protect you!"
The branches of her throne whipped at Hoshi. With great speed, he blocked the attack. Since his skin was red, it was hard to tell when he was bleeding or bruising.
Hoshi: "Ack!"
The ground cracked like a rock on an icy pond at Hoshi's landing. For a moment, the boy grew unconscious. A loud, annoying ring pierced Hoshi's ears.
[Seconds until combo reset: 843]
"Shit, I need to finish this fast. She doesn't have the same time limit that I have. Once these fourteen minutes are up, I'm done for." He quickly assessed his situation in his mind as his body got back up. Although at this point, he is slow in his movements. Blood began to pour from his nose.
Sinn: "Tsk."
Vines wrapped around themselves to create a thick rope; it was about as big as Sinn's hut. It slammed into Hoshi's rising body, causing him to fall into the dirt. A cracking sound came from Hoshi's body, his heart beat the rhythm of a dying fighter. Slow, but still beating strong.
Sinn: "Stay down."
The rope was raised to check on Hoshi, to see if he had passed out. His arms shook as he began to stand again. His back bled into his hair; he tried to spit blood out of his mouth, but his lips were too weak, and the blood was too thick.
Sinn: "Stay down!"
Again, the rope slammed down onto Hoshi, and again it rose to check on the boy. He got back up.
Sinn: "Please."
—BAM—
Sinn: "Just."
—BAM—
Sinn: "Just be good and stay down."
The rope slammed downwards again; however, this time, Hoshi stepped towards the left, lunging towards Sinn now that he avoided the attack.
With a cocked back fist, his Venta black eyes pierced into Sinn's. He opened his fist to quickly snatch Sinn's book. She tried tograb onto Hoshi, but she was too slow. Hoshi already descended back onto the ground and into the forest.
"Shit! He got the book, no matter." After reassuring herself, she quickly grew vines out from the ground; they created a sharp path towards Hoshi.
Hoshi: "So the Vines are your Ketsudan, it's the growing part where the book comes in!"
In blazing speed, Hoshi quickly charged towards Sinn. She went to protect herself, only to be confused when she felt the warmth of two arms wrapping around her body. His blood seeping into her clothing, the flowers on her dress gained a red tint.
Sinn: "What are you–"
Hoshi: "It's not fair, you've seen so many like me die. I bet you've been blaming yourself."
Those words cut deep into her soul, and her hands began to shake as Hoshi tightly squeezed her. Despite the pain, Hoshi chose to believe it didn't exist, at least for this bit of time. Enough time to show Sinn how much he trusts her at that current moment.
Hohsi: "I know it's hard to trust me, especially after everything you've seen. But please, I'm begging you to trust that I won't die."
Hoshi closed his eyes as he felt the drops of tears land on his chest. Sinn grabbed Hoshi's shoulders, torn between attacking again and letting him continue. Her tan skin was covered with Hoshi's blood, and she grit her teeth, trying to make a decision.
Sinn: "You won't die? How could I be sure? I, I can't just let you go knowing that you'll—"
She stopped herself as Hoshi squeezed even tighter. That annoying ringing began to fade. A look of realization hit the red boy's face; that strength he felt just a moment ago was fading with that, he broke the hug and smiled.
Hoshi: "Tell you what, why don't I help you rebuild your home and you teach me more about Infra, I'll leave when I'm confident that I won't die."
She went to speak; however, Hoshi quickly cut her off. He made sure to put extra energy into making himself sound and look calm.
Hoshi: "But I must go, do you understand?"
She looked away but nodded, she was looking at a tree, although every tree had red leafs this one tree had blue. After clearing her throat, she spoke.
Sinn: "As I said before, there is no need to rebuild, dearest. The hut you destroyed was a double. My actual home is underground."
With two blinks, Hoshi smiled. He tilted his head down a bit. A shadow was cast onto Sinn's face due to his taller stature. With a shaken and bruised body, the red boy spoke.
Hoshi: "Oh? Well, you don't mind if I pass out, right?"
Although having a joking tone in his voice, he really was about to pass out. Now feeling safe, he let his body give in to fatigue, falling backwards onto the dirt ground.
Sinn: "Ah!"
Quickly, she caught the red body and slowly lowered him onto the ground. She looked towards that blue tree again, and on its trunk there was a sign. "Orion" was written in gold ink.
A wave of nostalgia hit Sinn, causing another not in her throat. With a shaken breathe she whispered.
Sinn: "Maybe, he'll be like him."
Time is a trick, a trick well known. Hoshi rested in a bed unknown to him. With a snap of his eyes open, he quickly woke up. Sitting up at breakneck speeds, he yelped.
Hoshi: "Mom, I didn't eat the-"
He looked around, confused, before he remembered where he was. A bed, soft like a cloud, with a furry weighted blanket carefully laid on his body. White bandages hugged Hoshi; his torso and arms were the main focus.
Hoshi: "I, oh. Yeah, that's right. That was forever ago."
For a moment, the red-skinned man's face grew a frown, dreaming about a memory far in the past. A memory he had thought he forgotten, but the fact that he dreamt about it in the first place allowed the boy to smile.
Hoshi: "I'll just have to keep dreaming."
A creaking in the floorboard could be heard near the corner of the dark room. After a moment of silence, a flick of a switch caused the lights in the room to flash. With the room being properly lit, Hoshi was allowed to notice the details of where he was.
The room again was small, there were no windows, "I must be underground." Hoshi assessed mentally as he continued to scan the room. To his left was a clump of blankets and a weird-looking washing machine, to his right was a staircase, and descending it was Sinn wearing new clothing.
She was wearing extremely bag long pants, they had a lily flower pattern, a T-shirt that was blank and velvety. Dry drops of blood could be seen on her left cheek, her tan skin hiding that fact. She had a slightly fatigued look on her face as she descended the stairs.
Sinn: "I wonder if he likes pumpkin or butterscotch pie?"
After she muttered to herself, she quickly let out an,
Sinn: "Ah!"
Realizing that Hoshi was awake, she quickly ran up to the red-skinned boy. Her fatigued expression was replaced with one of worry as she approached Hoshi; the weird washing machine buzzed.
The machine was blue with an infinity sign at the top; the metal of it looked like it was sagging. As if it were run through a volcano.
The clothes piled lazily sank into the woman's arms as she quickly gathered and placed them into a small blue basket. She slowly walked upto the bed and sat at the end of it.
Sinn: "How are you feeling? I, I'm sorry for hurting you to the extent that I did. It's been a few days, sorry for stalling your journey again."
Hoshi: "No, no, it's okay! You were doing what you thought was best for me. I can't really blame you."
After giving a dismissive wave, Hoshi stood up, revealing his bandaged body. He opened his arms, allowing the chill air cover his body.
Hoshi: "I'm fine, see?"
A small smile forms on the tan woman's face. The bed shifted at Hoshi's weight as he sat back down, his point proven. He looked downward to his lap, and grinded.
Hoshi: "So, Miss Sinn? Am I free to go?"
Sinn: "Well…"
She looked into Hiroki's eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up and walked towards the stairs.
Sinn: "Stay right there a moment."
She quickly moved up the stairs and into the rest of the underground house. After a few seconds of waiting, she rushed back downstairs with a bag.
Sinn: "Here, dearest, some clothes and other supplies. I'd hate for you to travel shirtless."
He looked through the bag, which was filled with various clothing, cooking supplies, and a book with a quill. The book was a dark purple with an odd symbol that he couldn't quite make out.
Sinn: "That is aspecialu book with space-time magic, it's used to connect to its other half. Kinda like texting with phones, once you leave, you can inform me of your travels."
Hoshi: "Whoa, that's cool. Wait, you know what a phone is?"
Sinn: "Well ofcrouse, Time is inconsistent in Infra, different time periods, different technology."
Hoshi: "Really? So you're saying that one moment I could be in the nineteen thirties and the next I'll be in the two thousand nintys?"
He thought about what he was just told and the implications of how the spirit world works. "What are the chances that I get sent back in time after I climb the Tower of Babel?" he pondered on that question for a moment. Sinn panicked, sensing what he was thinking.
With her hands raised and frantically waving around, she spoke with a panicked twist to her usually calm voice.
Sinn: "Don't worry, though! The tower is always in sync with the current time period. So if anything, once you pass through, only a few months might have passed!"
Hoshi: "Months!?"
Sinn: "Well, dearest."
With a heavy sigh, she looked forward. For a moment, she seemed to consider her approach to how she was going to explain this next part.
Sinn: "This journey, the one you want to go down. It's going to take some time, not to mention the spirits you'll find, the people you'll cross. Even then, your biggest obstacle will be the tower. Like everything in Infra, the Tower is alive."
Hoshi: "I see, so what? Does the tower move or something?"
Sinn: "You could say that. Truthfully, dearest, the tower moves away from those who seek it. It was a precaution to keep spirits from leaving Infra: "If you run towards my exit, then my exit will run away." That's what the man who built Babel said, or at least that's what his spell was."
Hoshi: "I still don't get the whole spell and magic stuff. Up in Pangea, we have Ketsudans but no spells."
Sinn: "Well, we have Ketsudans down here as well, but yes, we also have magic. But, oddly, you don't use it. I mean, Magic and Ketsudan are linked tightly together."
Hoshi: "How so?"
Sinn: "Well, if a Ketsudan is the promise to your soul, the magic is the trust. When you are keeping your promise, your Ketsudan begins to trust you more."
Hoshi: "I see."
The man pondered for a moment before something stuck in his thought process; it was realization. He looks at Sinn with propelxity causing the tan lady to grow worried.
Sinn: "What's wrong, dearest?"
Hoshi: "Isn't it weird that we both use the same name for Ketsudan? I mean, we call Infra 'the spirit world,' up in Pangea. Is there any other name you call Ketsudans in Infra?"
Sinn: "No, actually, as a matter of fact, the first few humans that fell here and the ones I've met didn't even know what a ketsudan was."
Hoshi: "Well, regardless, is there any way you could teach me Magic? As I said, I'll only leave when I think I'm ready, so that will be my checkpoint. Once I learn magic, I'm off."
The tan woman looked away for a moment, "It won't be easy, but he beat me, didn't he? Besides that, Ketsudan of his isn't something to scoff at. In that fight, that was the strongest I've ever been." After mulling over his words, she looked into Hoshi's black eyes. With a smile, she responded.
Sinn: "Okay, I'll teach you."
Hoshi: "Yes!"
Sinn: "Tomorrow, you still need to rest, not only that, but as I said, Ketsudan is the promis but Magic is the trust. While you rest, I need you to think about what that promise was."
With that, she gave Hoshi a pat on his shoulder and stood up.
Hoshi: "Oh!"
Sinn: "Hmm?"
Hoshi: "I love pumpkin pie, since you were wondering."
After hearing that, Sinn headed upstairs with a smile. "What my promise was, it's been a while since I've thought about that." While Hoshi's train of thought was running, he lay back down on his bed. After pulling the soft blanket over himself, he continued, "I got it fighting that bear, but I don't remember promising anything to my soul then, all I was thinking about was…" before he could finish his thought, he fell fast asleep.
The day burnt brightly as the sun warmed the red skin of Hoshi. After removing the bandages, the ebony spots appeared on his torso. With the sound of a plop, the heavy bag sagged to the ground. He opened it to be met with a sea of clothing, grabbed a white shirt, and put it on himself.
Hoshi: "White on black, geez, if mom saw my fashion sense she'd probably kick my ass."
After muttering to himself, he gave attention to a sound coming from an opening in the area. A hatch swung open, only for the black hair of a tan lady to appear. Sinn was holding onto a book. "That's a different book from the one she had yesterday," Hoshi observed, his mind was correct as the book Sinn was holding was red and old, a contrast to the purple one she was wielding in their last battle.
With two pats on her lap to dust the dirt off her clothing, she placed the red book between her right armpit. She was wearing loose-fitted clothing, a red tank top with odd, whirling black pants.
Hoshi: "What's that?"
The question lingered in the air for a second as Hoshi pointed at the red book. Sinn held it up almost pridefully as she answered the question.
Sinn: "A blank grimoire! I tend to collect magical objects and knick-knacks like that, so I have a few. Your ketsudan will link with a grimoire, and once that happens, you can't link with another one until that book is destroyed. Hence why I can touch the book."
She gave the grimoire to Hoshi, as he opened the book a glowing aura began to transform and mold.
Hoshi: "Am I doing this right? Like, is the light show supposed to happen?"
Sinn: "Ofcorse dearest, it's reading your soul and creating spells that best fit your ketsudan. Now listen, there are three types of spells. Support, Light, and Heavy. Now, since you have an athletic build, I'd suggest starting with support or Light spells."
Hoshi: "So, my physical build affects which spells I could cast?"
Sinn: "Yeah, let's use the sports you have up in Pangea. A Football player would start with Heavy spells, A basket ball or Volleyball player would start with light spells, and a golfer would start with support."
Hoshi: "So what would I expect in the different types of spells?"
Sinn: "Well, dearist, Support spells are buff spells, healing, soul connecting, things of that nature. Light spells and Heavy spells, on the other hand, are more about the amount of energy the spells use."
Just as she finished her explanation, the book slammed shut, with the front having a name on it. "Combination" was molded into the red leather of the grimoire.
Sinn: "Combination?"
Hoshi: "Yeah, It's my Ketsudan. Well, my fathers, we have this ability to grow stronger depending on how many times we've attacked an opponent. However, if we don't land a subsequent attack within a time limit, our strength resets."
Sinn: "So that's why you kept getting stronger over those five days. Well, regardless, look over your grimoire, let's see what spells you've got."
The pages flipped without Hoshi's touch; his eyes scanned as they flipped back and forth. "It's just moving on its own," his mind tried to understand what was going on with the grimoire.
Hoshi: "Is it supposed to move like that?"
Sinn: "It syncs with your mind. Try clearing it, and it'll flip to a page that's right just for you, dearest."
Hoshi: "Right."
With eyelids closed, he took a breath. The pages slowed down and eventually stopped near the beginning of the book. Once he opened his eyes, a face of disgust grew on his face.
Sinn: "Is there something wrong, dearest?"
Hoshi: "Do I have to say the cantations?"
Sinn: "Well, at first, yeah, but once you get used to the spells, as long as you think of them, then you won't have to. Why? What's wrong with them?"
Hoshi: "There, Um."
His black eyes looked into hers. With the sound of a clap, the book closed.
Hoshi: "These cantations are so cringy."
Sinn: "Oh come now, don't be like that, sure, right now you'll hate saying them, but once you start fighting those who want to hurt you, you'll be thankful for them."
Once she finished her sentence, her right leg moved backwards and tapped her foot twice on the ground. With that, a purple book appeared from thin air. The pages flipped to a page in the middle of the grimoire.
Sinn: "There it is, a nice spell for today's practice."
Suddenly, a root tore through the ground and stood up tall, it was about meters high. Once it established a height, it began wrapping itself with other roots to form a training dummy. Sinn allowed her grimoire to levitate off the ground.
Sinn: "Now then, let's begin. First, find a light spell to use."
Hoshi: "Yeah, okay."
Again, Hoshi closed his eyes, and the pages flipped. "A light spell, maybe I should just choose a random one." With that thought, the grimoire stopped at a page near the front of the book.
Hoshi: "Do I really need to say them?"
Sinn: "I insist."
Hoshi: "Right, right. Geez, hold my power until my time is ready for my fighting spirit to-"
Sinn: "BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"
As the tan woman laughed her ass off, Hoshi seemed rather annoyed. The pages of her grimoire seemed to respond to her joyous state, causing flowers to bloom on the training dummy.
Hoshi: "Oh? Is something funny?"
Sinn: "Sorry, sorry. Truthfully, you only need to say the names written in gold."
Hoshi: "Tsk."
As his eyes scanned the pages, he stopped at one that made him curious, "{Stockpile} Within ten seconds from casting, all power gained from 'combination' will go into your 'stock', after the ten seconds, your next attack will reflect that strength." After reading, he muttered to himself.
Hoshi: "Sounds cool."
He looked at the dummy and got into his usual stance; the grimoire glowed with a purple aura. The tan woman stepped aside to give Hoshi and the Dmmy some space.
Hoshi: "{Stockpile} !"
That color again, Venta black. His eyes changed to that black color. With that, he lunged towards the dummy, quickly he stretched his upper body to grab the ground and axe kick his target with his left leg.
Using his momentum, he flipped himself, and a right cross hook knocked the target back a few meters. Once he got his footing, he quickly followed his attack with a left upper cut. "Usually I get strong with every attack, but I guess that's what the downside of {Stockpile} I have to be able to fight on the level I was once I start the spell." With that last thought, he finished the ten seconds by head-butting the dummy.
A right fist bashed into the "chest" part of the dummy, "This is the attack that holds four attacks' worth of power." The force was too much for the target, in just a second it seemed to explosed form the inside out. Once the dummy fell, the sound of clapping could be heard from Sinn.
Sinn: "Well done, dearest!"
Hoshi: "Well, that was really fun! So like, is there a limit to the spells I'm allowed to use?"
Sinn: "Well, as I mentioned before, magic is the trust between your Ketsudan and you. The more and more you keep your promise, the more spells the grimoire will let you use."
Hoshi: "I see-"
Sinn: "It also works oppositely."
Hoshi: "Huh?"
The tan woman walked towards Hoshi. She knelt beside him, her expression serious.
Sinn: "Out there, it'll be easy to lose yourself. Don't lose yourself, okay, dearest?"
Hoshi: "..."
The motion was quick; his red skin wrapped around the tan woman. Hoshi gave the woman a slight rub on her back.
Hoshi: "I'll be just fine. See, I feel great!"
After the hug was broken, Hoshi stood up with a smile plastered on his face. A single tear left the tan lady's eye, and it rolled down her cheek and onto the ground.
Hoshi: "Tell me, does that book you've given me allow me to send pictures?"
Sinn: "Well, yes, but you have to physically place it in the pages. Why?"
Hoshi: "I'll send you a pic of my mom, I bet you two would get along just fine!"
She let out a short giggle, her shoulders rising and lowering at each chuckle that left her lips.
Sinn: "Just, don't mention that I tried to kidnap you, okay?"
Hoshi: "It would be a fun story, though."
After that, Hoshi looked towards a pathway between the red trees. He chuckled and gave Sinn one more hug. With that, he began to head east.
Hoshi: "I should be off, thank you for the pie, and I'll make sure to write as often as possible!"
Sinn: "Yeah, you better! Or I'll destroy half of Infra finding you!"
Hoshi: "I don't doubt that to a second!"
Each step made the two feel lighter. The red man smiled as each foot pointed eastward, the forest surrounding him behind him, however, was a waving tan woman, slowly walking back to the hatch leading down to her underground house.
The sun danced across the sky as the man continued his journey, although a few hours had passed, his match never faltered in speed. "So, I have access to three spells at the moment. {Chainlink} a support spell, {Stockpile} my light spell and for the heavy spell {Ego}." Hoshi's mind raced as he walked. The sky is getting dangerously close to ending its dance and allowing the night to cover the sky.
Once the stars scattered across the royal blue sky, Hoshi walked in front of a cave. "It won't hurt to get some sleep, Sinn did mention that it'll take a while to get home." With his situation assessed in his mind, he walked towards the cave. The walls were moist with an odd-looking liquid coating them. As he continued to march further into the cave, he heard the ringing of a bell.
Hoshi: "Hello? Is someone in here?"
???: "My my! Oh my. Is someone here to pay lonely old me a visit?"
Hoshi: "Hello?"
???: "HELLO!"
Hoshi: "Ah!"
The red-skinned bitch boy jumped at the sight of a weird-looking cat; it was big, almost as big as a car. Its fur was dark purple and on its left ear was a bell attached to it.
Hoshi: "Oh, sorry for my scream. I'm-"
???: "Hoshi Morningstar, right? From a small town called Arcburg, right?"
Hoshi: "Y-yeah, how did you-"
ALT: "My name is ALT, A cat that knows knowledge no one knows."
Hoshi: "Oh, for real? That's so cool! So like, can I ask you some stuff?"
The purple cat smiled and let off a slight purr, its giant tail wrapped behind Hoshi, letting him sit down. Hoshi looked at the cat in its giant yellow eyes.
ALT: "Ask away."
Hoshi: "Okay, so how do you know stuff no one knows?"
ALT: "Well, well, I have friends, you see. Beyond time, they see every story ever told."
Hoshi: "Oh? So how does my story end?"
ALT: "Your story, the story of Hoshi Morningstar…"
The cat paused, then smiled, then began to kakel. Its body bounced up and down with every exhale.
ALT: "It's an interesting one, even my friends can't see your end. But they do see ahead."
Hoshi: "Ahead?"
ALT: "Yes, yes, you seek Babel, but I'll tell you that to pass into Babel, you must battle a worthy warrior, three to be exact. One of Life, One of Death, and One of Reset. If you want to get home, you'll need a party, a party you can trust. You'll need to meet a warrior of Escape and a warrior of Control."
Hoshi: "Wait, a party? And what's with this needing to-"
ALT: "South-east in a town called Rabid, you'll find the warrior of Escape. If you ever hope to get home, you'll need to head South-east."
Hoshi: "I-why are you telling me this?"
ALT: "Because, I think-"
In the middle of his sentence, the light of the sun began to rush into the cave. A smile never left the cat's face as he continued.
ALT: "-This story will be a fun one to watch."
Hoshi: "I-"
With the sunlight covering ALT, he disappeared, leaving Hoshi alone with his thoughts.