Isobel slowly opened her eyes, disoriented.
Isobel : "Where am I...?"
Juliet, sitting beside her, leaned in with relief.
Juliet : "Ah, you woke up! How are you feeling now?"
Isobel : "Good..." she murmured, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. Then suddenly, as realization struck, she asked,
"Wait, we're in Triforce, right?"
Juliet: "Yes. Master Shun brought you here so you could recover properly—under the care of your planet's own doctors."
Isobel : "What... what happened to me?"
Juliet: "We still don't know. There were no visible injuries, but your body looked like it had been slashed all over. Master said you needed rest... and time."
Isobel: "I see..."
Juliet smiled softly and stood.
Juliet : "I'll go tell the others you're awake."
Moments later, the door burst open.
"ISOBELLLLLLL!" the boys shouted, rushing in.
Nahru : "How are you feeling right now?"
Isobel: smiling "Good. I'm fine now."
Damian : "Thank God... You don't know how much we were worried!"
Ryan stood quietly, smiling—but his eyes trembled with concern.
Ryan: "Isobel, you're fine, right?" He hesitated before asking softly, head bowed,
"He didn't... hurt you, did he?"
Isobel immediately understood.
Isobel : gently "No. I'm truly fine. I'm safe. No need to worry."
She smiled warmly at him.
Ryan finally breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Damian watching Ryan
Isobel thought to herself:
"I know, Ryan... You're always more sensitive when it comes to me and Juliet than Damian and Nahru. Maybe it's because of what you went through... You never flinch when we're hurt in battle, because you know that's part of the fight. But when it comes to something like that..."
Damian: "Come on! Since Isobel's okay and we're in Triforce, let's explore a bit before we head back to Earth."
Juliet: "Great idea! But Isobel still need a lot of rest "
Isobel : "No no I am fine let me show you lots of beautiful places!"
Nahru: "Yeayyy!"
Damian : "Wait... there's just one thing. We don't know this planet's language."
Nahru : grinning "Wait—you guys never wondered how Isobel and I can understand your language?"
Juliet : "Honestly... no."
Ryan : "Probably because you two are aliens."
Isobel and Nahru both burst out laughing.
Isobel : "No! Nahru, show them."
Nahru: "Alright, alright. Look here."
He pulled out a white stone.
"It's all because of this. Every Guardian and upper-level fighter gets one. Just hold it in the air for 30 seconds and... then lick it."
Everyone stared.
"Lick it?"
Nahru : "Yeah. Then it adjusts your language to match the environment."
All : "OHHHHHHH!"
Isobel : "My father has one too."
Juliet : "Okay then! Let's goooo!"
Next Day – Before They Leave
Juliet : "Hey, Isobel!"
Isobel : "Yeah?"
Juliet held out a ring.
Juliet : "This was in your pocket... The one you wore during the fight."
Isobel took a closer look.
Isobel : "Oh—yeah. That's mine. It's my mother's wedding ring."
Juliet : "Your... deceased mother's ring?"
Isobel : softly "Yeah..."
(Isobel had been raised by her father alone. Her mother died when she was just two.)
They all explored the planet together, Isobel showing them its beauty, but even in moments of laughter, something clouded her mind. A thought she couldn't shake. A weight in her chest.
Back on Earth – A Few Days Later
Everyone gathered for a meeting. The light-hearted joy from Triforce had faded. Their faces were now tense, their minds heavy.
Nahru : "So... we lost all the scrolls."
Ryan : calmly "Don't worry. There's still one left."
Juliet : "Well, someone's optimistic."
Ryan : "What else can we do?"
Damian : "True. But the final fight for that scroll won't be easy. This time, Shadow might come himself..."
Juliet : "And let's not forget that masked bastard."
Isobel looked up sharply.
Ryan : "He's strong. Really strong."
Nahru: "I'm certain now—he's one of the cursed ancestors' descendants."
Isobel: "Wait—who? Vendine?"
Everyone turned.
"Who's Vendine?" her friends asked in unison.
Isobel : softly "That masked guy. His name... they called him Vendine."
She then pulled out the same ring Juliet had found.
Isobel : "And this ring... it's not mine. It belongs to him. I'm sorry, Juliet—I lied."
Nahru : "Wait—did he propose to you!?"
Ryan : shocked "And you... accepted it!?"
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
Isobel : "No! No! It's not like that!"
She explained:
"That night, when I was taken hostage, I couldn't sleep from the pain. I remember seeing him... holding something. I must've passed out and when I woke, something hard hit my hand. I was annoyed, picked it up, looked at it, and just... pocketed it. Now I realize—it was this ring. It must've been what he was holding before he passed out."
Juliet: "He must've fallen asleep and dropped it..."
Isobel : nodding "That's what I think too."
Nahru: leaning closer "I'm certain now—the stone in that ring is from Planet Noha."
Ryan: "Planet Noha?"
Isobel: "Nahru, please tell us everything."
Nahru: "Alright... let me start from the beginning."
Nahru's Tale of Planet Noha
"About 1000 years ago—before I was even born—there was a nation on Planet Noha. They were merciless, ruled by greed and conquest. They began invading other planets, spreading destruction wherever they went. When they became unstoppable, the Guardian of that time—Arnold's predecessor—intervened.*
He and destroyed their leaders and placed a terrible curse on the people. A dark soul was sealed into their hearts, corrupting their bodies and minds. From that point on, they couldn't show kindness. Not even to their own children. Not even to themselves.
Once or twice a day, they are judged—and if they disobey, the pain is unimaginable. Many killed themselves. Others killed their children because of that devil Soul. Their aura—tainted by darkness—hurt even there nearby
Juliet: "That explains the burning I felt when his aura touched me..."
Nahru: "Yes. That was the dark soul lashing out. They're forced to live like this—slaves to a curse passed down through blood , they born slave and have to live there life according to that soul....just evil ."
Damian: "But how does this solve the problem niw they are bound to act evil?"
Nahru: "That's the thing. At first, they thought the curse was a gift—a new power. But the more they used it, the more it consumed them and at the end you lose your mind or die. It stripped away their sanity. Over time, their numbers fell. Eventually, they had enough. Nineteen years ago, they started killing each other to end their suffering. And the cursed line was nearly wiped out."
"But seven years later... one child remained. He killed the King of Noha. He plunged everything into chaos. That child was..."
Damian: "...Vendine?"
Nahru : "Yes. Maybe."
Isobel: tearfully "But isn't that cruel? He was born a slave... He lives in pain every day. He can't even do a single kind act. That's not justice."
Her voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes.
Ryan: gritting his teeth "Yeah. It's wrong. Paying for your ancestors' mistakes... that's beyond cruel."
He clenched his fists, eyes glowing with a buried fury—his own past resurfacing.
A silence hung in the air. Heavy. Real.
Then, Isobel stepped forward.
Isobel: "Guys... please. Leave Vendine to me. Let me handle him."
Without hesitation, Damian nodded.
Damian: "Okay. I trust you. You must've seen or felt something we didn't. Do what you think is right."
Everyone agreed silently.
Ryan looked at Isobel, his eyes pleading—"Help him, if he deserves it."
Isobel locked eyes with him. Her heart was clear.
"Ah... I will,"she thought.