Sky Garden—-
Omariro and Rika followed the cheerful Escorts as they approached the bars, which were surging with lightning.
"This way!" they hummed.
"How do we get in?" Rika asked.
The two Escorts pointed to Omariro. "Use your authority, God-King! Touch the bars and open them!"
Rika watched as Omariro walked over to the bars, reaching out his frail hand and touching them. With a flash of golden light, the bars shook and disappeared, revealing a path of glowing torches that led deep into the cave.
"Yippie!" the younger Escort cheered. "Now we can go save our brother!"
They entered the cave, which had golden bats flying around, spiders with electricity dancing off their legs, and even a few white snakes.
Rika noticed a spider on her arm, and she quickly batted it off, rubbing the area. "For once I'm glad Zaria isn't here. She'd be losing her mind."
She turned her attention to the Escorts. "So…do you girls have names?"
"I'm Jade," the older one introduced. "This is my little sister, Juna! What about you?"
"Rika," she replied.
"That's a cute name!" Juna complimented. "Where did you find her, O' mighty God-King?"
Omariro kept walking, not uttering a word. Rika cleared her throat. "Well. Technically, my friends and I…one of them's a former friend, long story, met him after he saved us from this lava boss! Then, we snuck into his house! Cool, right?"
The two girls gave Rika a curious look as Omariro slowly kept walking, a look of annoyance crossing his face.
The cave grew more narrow as the group treaded further along the path. Rika touched the size of the cavern wall, only to receive a painful shock. "Ow! Is everything in this dungeon lightning-charged?"
"Sure is!" Juna giggled. "Stay up here long enough, and you'll lose every strand of your hair!"
Rika shuddered. "I think I'll pass! Let's just find this Beast's wife and hurry back."
The cave led downward, with the line of torches eventually tapering off. At the end of the tunnel were more golden bars, and everyone stood back as Omariro approached them.
"Wait, sir!" Rika insisted. "Shouldn't you be careful? What if something jumps out and eats you!"
"Irrelevant."
Omariro touched the bars, causing them to disappear. The space opened up, and behind it was a large mining cavern, where Escorts were chained at the waist as they used pickaxes to field yellow ore.
Every time a piece of ore was mined, it turned into a thunder sigil, and other Escorts placed it onto a cart and transported it to a back room.
"This is how Sigils are made?" Rika wondered.
"For the most part," Jade explained. "Mint the right ore, and you'll get some kind of sigil. These thunder ones are exclusive to the Sky Domain, though."
Escorts continued their work as Omariro watched, and a young female Escort noticed him. "Hey, isn't that the God-King?"
Everyone stopped their work immediately, staring directly at Omariro.
"Hey, it is!"
"God-King! Save us from this torment!"
"Did the King of Beasts send you, O' Great God-King?"
Escorts began to swarm him, tugging on his clothing and crowding his space. Rika got pushed back as the crowd overwhelmed her. "Hey! What the hell? Act like you've got some sense, people!"
Omariro teleported away from their grasp, tapping his staff on the ground. "Calm. Enough."
The Escorts stopped.
"Aurelia," Omariro demanded. "Reveal location, now."
One of the younger Escorts pointed to a nearby mineshaft, which had a cart on its tracks. "She's in her room, with that boy, Jotaro. He's in the process of feeding her right now."
"That's him!" Jade realized. "God-King, we must hurry!"
Jade and Juna sprinted for the cart, with Omariro and Rika following behind. They all entered, and Jade pulled a lever, which got the cart rolling through tunnel after tunnel.
"Is she running some sort of operation down here?" Rika wondered.
"She's attempting to escape," Jade replied. "But due to the seal that the Sky King placed on her, she doesn't have enough power to break her barrier."
"Meaning she needs thunder sigils to do so!" Juna added. "Anyone who refuses, they get eaten!"
The cart rode them all the way to a vast subterranean chamber, with a quartz nest in the center. Bones were scattered across the floor, while rivers ran throughout the area.
A boy was busy cleaning blood off the ground, and once the two girls saw him, they rushed over, wrapping him in a hug. "Jotaro!"
The boy took off his hood, lightning flashing across his skin. "Sisters? How did you find me? Who led you here?"
They both pointed to Omariro, and his eyes widened. "No way…God-King? After all this time, you've come to save me?"
Omariro didn't reply.
The three siblings all took a bow before Omariro as the sisters thanked him, but Jotaro looked at the nest, his face suddenly grave. "Wait, you shouldn't be here, God-King! If she notices that you're here—-!"
Right on cue, the nest began to shake, crackling with a dark form of lightning. Jotaro quickly pointed to a few gaps in the cavern. "We must hide!"
The group all slipped into the cracks as a large Simurgh bird burst through the nest, landing on the cavern floor and surveying the area. Rika peeked around the corner to look at her.
"My gosh, she's huge!"
"Shh!" Jotaro hissed.
The bird trampled a few skeletons as she walked forward. "Hmm. Thou could have sworn thou left a young male here. Do thou's eyes deceive her?"
Aurelia kicked off a chunk of the wall, but nothing happened. With a grunt, she continued, and Rika could notice a glowing talisman connected to her foot.
"Must be her seal…"
The bird flew atop one of the cliffs, chewing a few bones she came across as an Escort came in with a cart of thunder sigils.
"Here, my Queen," the Escort told her. "A fresh batch, these hold more power than the previous ones."
"Thou hast done well," Aurelia replied. "Leave thou at once, and ensure exits are secure."
The Escort left as Aurelia picked up a thunder sigil, crushing it. A bolt of lightning struck her tailsmen, but there was no effect, and the bird growled.
"Preposterous!"
Aurelia knocked the cart over, sending it crashing into the floor as she perched atop her nest. "Time and time again, I've spent decades attempting to break free of this wretched prison! Only one being matters more than the traitorous whelp I call husband."
Her eyes locked directly onto Omariro's hiding spot. "Did you really think I would be unaware of your presence, Omariro Nyugawa?"
With a loud squawk, lightning shattered the rock around Omariro as Aurelia swooped over and grabbed him.
"Master!" Rika called out.
Aurelia flew high into the air as she held Omariro firmly in her talons, her eyes holding a glint of obsession. "You! Thou art the one who can free me, God-King! Do so and you shall have thou aid once more!"
"Bird will not go free," Omariro told her. "Return to nest."
She slammed him into a wall. "You deceiver! Thou would dare leave one to rot in this misery? And for what?"
Aurelia noticed Rika and the others, and a thought clicked in her mind. "Ah. Thou hast attempted to sneak under one's nose. Hmph. A feeble attempt."
She landed in front of the others as they backed away. Aurelia tossed Omariro to the ground, and Rika caught him. "Sir, are you okay?"
Aurelia stretched her wings. "Thou should worry about one's self. Jotaro, you have brought insubordination to my doorstep, and thou will not leave unpunished for this."
"Wait, Queen!" Jotaro pleaded. "Please let the God-King, his student, and my sisters go! This isn't fair!"
"No, brother!" Juna shot down.
Aurelia beat her wings, causing a rush of wind. "No! None shall leave! Not until I taste freedom! Otherwise, thou shalt all remain down here with me!"
"Sir," Rika worried, keeping Omariro upright. "What should we do?"
Omariro pointed his staff at Aurelia. "Beast will go free on one condition."
Rika and the others stared at him, shocked. "Sir?"
Aurelia tilted her head. "What condition has thou proposed?"
"Beast will deal with husband. Husband must come to handle Land Beast. If beast sway husband, beast will be free."
Aurelia flapped her wings once more. "Thou hast no love left for that traitor! Talking to him is the last thing thou wishes to do!"
"Then beast will remain here."
Aurelia remained silent for a long while as Rika gripped Omariro's shoulders. "Is this a good idea, Master? Won't she eat us?"
"Beast will behave, or else beast goes to cage."
Aurelia huffed, before standing straight. "Thou does not like your terms, God-King, but due to one's respect for thou, one shall agree."
"Beast will let Escorts go," Omariro ordered.
"Thou no longer needs them. Now, grant thou's freedom."
She extended her talon, and Omariro reached out, touching the talisman. Golden energy shot out from his body, eradicating it.
The bird examined herself, basking in her newfound freedom as she flew around. After a few minutes, she landed, allowing Omariro and his group to climb onto her back.
Aurelia burst through the mineshaft tunnels, eventually reaching the mining quarry. The moment she appeared, all the Escorts cowered in fear.
"Take your freedom, peasants," she mocked. "Thou hast no more need for you."
With a clap of her wings, lightning struck the chains, turning them to nothing more than shattered metal. All the Escorts stared, confused, before noticing Omariro on her back.
"The God-King has freed us!" one cheered. "He has saved our kind once again!"
"Praise be to the God-King!"
The Escorts tumbled over each other as they fled the cave, with Aurelia flying through behind them. She landed on one of the garden's trees, admiring the view.
"Thou hast not seen such sights in a long time," she noted. "Wonderful."
She flew down to let off the others.
"This is not how I expected this to go," Rika admitted.
"The God-King is capable of miracles!" Juna cheered.
"Indeed he is, sister," Jotaro agreed. "Indeed he is."
The siblings climbed off the bird, and Omariro turned his attention toward them. "Children must honor end of deal."
"Of course, God-King!" Jade replied. "Follow us!"
Jade and Juna skipped over to a golden gate, which had a bridge leading up into the clouds behind it. Both girls pulled out a pair of keys and inserted them at the same time.
〈Access Granted.〉
"Follow the bridge's path," Jade explained. "It will lead you to the dungeon gate that the Sky King resides in."
"Good luck, God-King!" Juna added.
Omariro gestured to the bridge. "Advance, beast."
Aurelia flew out of the garden, heading upwards and disappearing within the clouds. Jotaro embraced his sisters as he watched the bird vanish.
"It's been so long since I've laid eyes on the God-King," he recalled. "I wonder why he's using that vessel?"
"Maybe he's saving energy?" Juna wondered. "Or trying to disguise himself?"
"Perhaps…"
Jade grabbed his arm. "Come, we should take care of the garden. If we're lucky, he'll come back, and we can pick tons of delicious fruits for him!"
The Escorts began tending the garden, but not long after, the sky turned gray, and Jotaro immediately stopped.
"Hmm? There should be no storms up here…"
A large slimy hand grabbed the edge of the island, followed by another. And another. The Escorts watched in shock as a gigantic slime blob pulled itself onto the island, its eyes glowing green.
"That's…" Jade realized. "That's one of the Mujinsha Elite! Emerald the Executioner!"
"The same ones who destroyed our home?" Juna gasped. "Why is he here? Why now?"
"It doesn't matter!" Jotaro interrupted. "Run!"
Escorts attempted to flee the garden as Emerald stomped his way forth, knocking them off bit by bit. Jotaro pushed his sisters forward, only for Emerald to grab him.
"Tell me, Escort," Emerald growled. "Where is Omariro Nyugawa?"
"I'll tell you nothing!"
Emerald noticed the open gate, tossing Jotaro aside. "Too late. I've already gotten my answer."
Emerald stalked his way through the gate as Escorts tried to stop him, and with a powerful leap, he disappeared through the clouds as well.
——