Never in my life have I ever imagined a two-tiered traffic system as intricate as this. There appears to be two main types of traffic, the cell-people and "others" (I can't quite identify their species) who travel on foot below, and those who travel in hovering vehicles above. Furthermore, the highways are color-coded red and blue; the distinction between them I do not care to ponder deeply about–all that is relevant is the red road Drizzy has been driving us on. Despite there being so much traffic, more than I have ever seen or heard of, everything is running smoothly without issue. How the heck is a society inside a teenager–a noble one at that–more efficient than the human society her family runs?
"And here we are–the left ventricle. Sorry if my driving was a little bit wonky; I tried my best to maneuver through all of that traffic while mostly remaining within the speed limit. Also, I am not used to having others ride with me, so if my car's back seating was too uncomfortable for you two–"
"Everything is fine, so please don't apologize, Drizzy. You are a kind soul, and despite how weird this feels to say, I am glad to know that my closest friend has a faithful servant like you taking care of her from somewhere I cannot reach. If I brought extra gold coins on me, I would reward you on her behalf."
"Gosh, I never considered myself to be that special or anything–all of us cells were born to take care of Endori one way or another. It's more than just a job to us, but our livelihoods. So even if you had brought those coins, I'd still decline. Besides, we have our own currency here, see?"
After quickly digging through a small compartment near the driver's seat, Drizzy shows off a light blue cellular "coin" to his guests in the back seat. The coin is somewhat translucent; its bizarre properties mildly intrigues Serine, though Vex is too focused gazing on the world outside the hover car to notice.
"Ah, how foolish of me. It would make no sense for gold to have any use inside a human body…"
"No worries, your heart is in the right place. Speaking of hearts, I think you could express your gratitude by dealing with that foreign object that invaded Endori's. Every organism here would thank you, assuredly."
"Honestly, I was not prepared to deal with such a matter, but since I am here with Vex…against my will…I might as well support him to the best of my ability for milady's sake. So, Drizzy, where is this invasive object?"
"Well, I'm sure your partner spotted it by now, isn't that right, Vex?"
"Respectively, please never refer to him as my partner ever again, thank you..."
"..."
Just up ahead, I can see a seed-like object latched onto the heart walls. Its size doesn't seem big enough to completely obstruct the flow of blood traffic, though it's more likely the case that Endori's cells have adapted to it somewhat. The color that emanates from it…a combination of a sickly black and dark violet…I feel uneasy just looking at it pulsating. Is it a parasite?
"Yo, Vex? Are you still with us?"
Drizzy, using a slightly bolder voice, calls out to Vex, finally getting him to look towards everyone else. He shakes his head while rubbing his forehead, snapping himself out of his thoughts.
"Drizzy, could you take us to that pulsating object as closely as possible? I need to examine it thoroughly."
"Yes sir, I planned to take you directly to it from the beginning. Hold on tight! You too, Serine!"
"Like this, perhaps? There's no fastening of any kind now that I think about it…"
"Good enough!"
Vex and Serine brace themselves by tightly gripping the nearby handle bars; not waiting for a second longer, Drizzy slams his foot on the pedal and accelerates towards the mysterious mass. Despite this seemingly reckless speed, he smoothly maneuvers the hovercraft through the traffic. As he descends the hovercraft, it makes a loud beeping noise that alarms the cells walking below, making them scatter.
"Okay guys, we are here at last. This is as far as I can support you this time–I have to leave immediately, so I won't be able to drive you out of Endori. My advice is to just follow the flow of traffic and look out for an exit. Rest assured, there are plenty to choose from that will lead you out of this body, but you may not prefer all of them if you catch my drift, haha."
"...?"
Vex, feeling a sensation on his shoulder, turns his head, witnessing Serine as the culprit. She leans forward, getting close to his ear.
"Was that some kind of inside joke? He doesn't mean what I think he–"
"Who cares? Let's deal with the real issue and get the heck out of this fleshly dump."
"I may agree with your sentiment somewhat, but don't call my friend's body a dump, you swine!!"
Moving with a sense of purpose, Vex exits the hovercraft, inadvertently dragging Serine along due to resting her hand on his shoulder. Drizzy waves with a cheerful smile as he ascends back into traffic, speedily.
"So…this is the thing bothering Lady Endori, huh. I did not anticipate it being a physical object–a creepy-looking one at that."
"Your 'dearest friend's' body is a freaky place, so just expect what you'd least expect. Either way, you will still end up baffled."
"While your disrespectful descriptions of Lady Endori's body irks me to the point of imagining dark fantasies within my mind…I will not deny. Anyway, what's the plan of action to get rid of this unsightly thing?"
"Give me a moment, I'll try…something."
"The way you said that sounds suspicious and I don't…"
Vex glares sternly at Serine, straight into her eyes without blinking. Receiving his message loud and clear, Serine releases his sleeve.
"...sigh, since Endori entrusted you, I'll let it be. Just be gentle, I beg. This is still her body, after all. We can't let anything go wrong, beyond just political reasons…"
Giving a thumbs up as acknowledgment, Vex continues forward, directly in front of the object.
"*whistles*"
I wonder if this thing is a mass of energy or something with a physical texture. Touching it directly feels like a bad idea, but there's no time to waste thinking of an alternative.
"Here goes…"
It feels firm, yet gooey…like a hardened slime; my hand is even sinking into it a bit. Yet somehow simultaneously, I don't really feel anything at all. What if I tried…
Vex reaches his other hand and fully embraces the "seed" with his body. Such sporadic behavior draws the concern of not only Serine, but the cell people passing by from a short distance away. Though while the cells are giving him strange looks, Serine holds her breath in suspense.
"Umm, is your 'plan' going…well? If you need me to step in, just–"
"Ack!?"
As if experiencing an electrical shock, Vex stumbles backwards onto Serine, taking light recoil.
"Are you okay? What just happened?!"
"That sensation…I know that I've felt it before not too long ago. "
I could feel a sharp zing instantaneously travel throughout my body, but without any lingering pain at all. It just came and went, but it was there. Just like when Nazz cursed me; I didn't recognize it at the time, though no there's no mistaking it.
"What sensation are you talking about?"
"I have an idea of the kind of person responsible for this. Is there a way you can contact Endori from here? It'd be convenient for her to see this with her own eyes."
"That's not…huh, that idea makes reasonable sense actually. I'll try contacting her now!"
Serine quickly runs her fingers through her dense hair, from which she withdraws her insignia to then immediately activate it. After a brief moment of silence, a true patience tester, a hologram of Endori finally emerges. She washes down what she just swallowed with her tea.
"Serine? Are you attempting to contact me at this time, or was it a mistake?"
"I had my doubts, but the transmission functionality works just fine as it would in a…normal location."
Hearing the interjection of a familiar voice in the background, Endori swallows the big bite she just put in her mouth–what would normally require a drink to wash down without choking, easily slid down her throat as though her "drink" were ecstasy.
"! I recognize that voice–Serine, please show me Vex right away!"
"Milady, we need to inform you of something that needs your dire attention."
"What is it? Did you two find the issue? Why am I still only seeing your face?!"
"Well, yes we did…though it's best for Vex himself to explain. I apologize for the slight delay, I will show him now."
Serine gives Vex a nod, inviting him to go near her. She points her transmitter towards Vex, ensuring that only he can be seen by Endori; though she maintains her sole grip on the device, not even giving Vex the chance to make direct contact with it.
"Endori, take a look–this strange-looking object is the culprit weighing down your heart."
Signaling Serine to follow his pointer finger, the transmitter displays the sickly monstrosity within Endori's body to the outside world. Endori, witnessing her own internals, carefully examines the scene displayed to her, bearing a somewhat stoic expression externally. Her face becomes gradually more rigid the more instantly she stares, squinting her eyes.
"If I may ask, where are you two, exactly? Inside my brain?"
"No, we are literally inside your heart. This thing has taken root here–even your own cells have noticed it."
"Amazing…I can't see much from this limited view, but there really is a living society within my body after all…"
"Right right, but more importantly…"
"Yes, this foreign object resides within my heart. Have you figured out a way of dismantling it?"
"No I haven't, unfortunately, but I think I know the culprit responsible. When I touched this thing, I felt a familiar sensation similar to how I felt back in Gannet–when Apostle Nazz cursed me."
"So the implication is…?"
"The one who cursed you is none other than the apostle of Fraus whom you recently met. At least, it's the most likely explanation."
"My, that is certainly a bold claim. I can't just accuse such a person of that status without potentially being accused of blasphemy."
"Then leave that to me. After all, this is my theory, so I will take full responsibility. I don't have much more to lose in terms of status, anyway."
If my hunch is correct, this apostle could also be the one who commissioned Flenn…meaning that he likely knows Lily's whereabouts.
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
"??"
What's with this sudden tremor? Feels like an earthquake–a really low magnitude earthquake. I don't see a change in behavior of the cells, so this must be natural.
"V-Vex, d-did you feel that? It's not just me, right?"
"That vibration? We are inside a heart, so beating is natural, isn't it? Just try to hold still for a little longer, and we should be out soon."
"You sound really confident. Foolishly might I add…but if you say so…"
"Just put me back on screen."
For a moment, I almost snatched the insignia out of her hands, but caught myself in time. If it were a second longer…oh great, now I have to make a conscious effort not to stir the pot, no matter how annoyed Serine makes me.
"Back to the topic, can you tell me this apostle's name? That'd be a great start."
"The apostle's name? If I can recall, his name is…is…is…?"
"?"
Endori is furrowing her brows and even rapidly rubbing her forehead. Sheesh, I bet if we were still up there in her head, we would have felt that like an earthquake.
"...I forgot! My mind is foggy, but perhaps Serine remembers his–"
"My apologies, but neither do I. I was not directly involved in your meeting as requested, so such a detail I did not keep track of."
"Translation, you were slacking off on your job."
"Mind your own business, will you?!"
"Serine, are my ears hearing you scold Vex so thoughtlessly? I thought we discussed how I expect him to be treated."
Endori's stern voice sent a shockwave of shivers down Serine's back from the moment her name was said. While she displays no obvious signs of fear, her composure resets.
"I meant to say, 'Would you please consider leaving this private matter to me?' The lack of fresh air here is negatively affecting my mind, milady."
"For goodness sake, does anyone remember this guy's name? It's driving me insane!"
"The people of Fraus certainly would know better than anyone…! I know, you can ask Lord Waltine!"
"Finally–any lead is better than nothing at this point. Once we get out of here–right after this transmission–I'll inquire, then set a plan in motion. Since Nazz was the only one who could undo the curse she placed on me, I'm sure it's the same situation with this apostle."
Though why would he curse Lady Endori? There has to be some sort of activation clause at play…
"Before you and Serine go, can you say that again? The line you said about responsibility earlier?"
"What, that I'll take full responsibility or whatever?"
"To clarify, you are declaring to me that you'll take responsibility on my behalf? You're taking responsibility for my heart, which you are residing in as we speak?"
"To be clear, when I said that I'd take responsibility, I meant that–"
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump!
"?!!!"
Those tremors from a moment ago are back? The walls of Endori's heart are rapidly beating to the point of ensuing chaos all over the place! The traffic of cells around us is now rushing everywhere in a stampede.
It's confirmed–something is off and it does not bode well for us foreigners. It's not ideal, but I'm holding on to this thing!
"Uh, what's happening right now, Vex? Is this current event normal?!"
"Look, I don't know, but it's clear that Endori's heart rate has suddenly increased drastically! Try grabbing this crap with me–it's fairly firm."
"I knew that I felt that something was wrong earlier, but you dismissed it as no big deal! Now we're going to–eeeee!"
"Serine?!"
Dang it, the increased blood pressure is carrying her away like a strong current! If we get separated amidst this crowd, there's no telling where we'd end up. Even worse, if one of us–likely Serine–becomes lost and succumbs to the curse. Even though she deserves it, I dragged her into this mess, so it wouldn't sit well with me if Endori's personal maid doesn't make it out.
Then there's only one thing left to do…
"Serine, hold on, I'm coming!"
Vex lets go of the little grip remaining, giving in to the blood flow as it overtakes him, carrying him in the same direction as Serine. Refusing to idly wait any longer, he accelerates his speed with rapid strokes, allowing him to cleanly cut through traffic. Thanks to his efforts, he manages to close the once growing gap as they quickly flow out of the heart and into Endori's veins. Contrasting Vex's technique to a sharp degree, Serine is flailing her limbs–her speed remains constant.
"Serine, calm down–doing that is useless at best!"
"What do you expect me to do?! I can't swim very well!"
"What? You never learned in school or during your maid training or…never mind that. Here, grab on to my hand!"
"...huh?!"
Serine's eyebrows raise up, her jaw hangs down completely frozen. Her face looks genuinely perplexed…with a sprinkle of disgust in her pupils.
"Oh, don't look at me like that! If we get separated in this riff-raft, we are likely to get scattered across Endori's body and end up stuck here for good. I'm confident that I can make it out of here in one piece, but are you?"
"I…I…sigh…"
Serine closes her eyes, then slightly turns her head as she simultaneously stretches her hand outwards. Seizing this moment without hesitation, Vex takes one final stretch; now the two are jointly together, being carried by the blood flow.
"Now that you've caught me, what's the plan now?"
"Look out for an exit. That's the best I can think of."
"What kind of exit?"
"At this point, any would do. Whatever comes up first."
"..."
"..."
"Vex…"
"?"
"For both of our sakes, I think it's best to keep this moment between us."
"You and Endori are truly friends, despite everything, huh. Typical teenage girls."
"What's that supposed to mean? You sound like an old man."
"You really think so? Then…"
The sound of flowing blood as loud as a rapid river in conjunction with background chatter from the cluster of cells drown out the remaining words.