III

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Arc III Chapter 7

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27th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753

"..." Aurora studied her most loyal and fluffy subjects, who were following her everywhere since she had saved them from their untimely demise. The sprites repaid her with gratitude and by staying at her side. And by systematically syphoning on her mana. Her children adored the taste of her delicious mana. The minuscule amounts of mana that she was feeding them already sufficed to exhilarate them. In general, however, her fluffballs proved to be of dubious utility. At best, they were nothing but cute pets profiting from her protection, which was a smart move on their part for being just an amalgamation of aether.

A sigh escaped Aurora. "Do you not feel bored as well? Tell me, how do you deal with this endless monotony?"

"Zzzzz?" The sprites did not understand. They looked confused, dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the concept of boredom. Not surprising, considering that they were just masses of lifeless aether. Obviously, their sentience was quite limited at such an early stage of their development. The fact alone that such primitive aetherial creatures like them were already displaying animalistic behaviour and signs of basic intelligence was probably a miracle on its own.

"..." Aurora sighed, disappointed by their lack of understanding for her plight.

Her hand caressed her nearest child to the point that her other children grew envious of the attention that fluffball No 1 had received by their mistress. Turmoil erupted among her little sprites. They grumbled and glared at fluffball No 1, which enjoyed its moment of glory. They also wanted their fair share of attention.

Their cute reactions made Aurora giggle. They were truly like children. "Do you perhaps have any idea? I am certain that you are far more familiar with this place than I. I will even remunerate you accordingly. I will reward your efforts with a small mana treat." Her words showed an immediate effect. Her children were bouncing in joy. The prospect of tasty mana rendered them ecstatic.

Her children formed a council of war to debate and consult among each other. The debate intensified as different factions emerged with conflicting proposals and opinions. Some of her children even resorted to what amounted to the equivalent of name calling and physical violence.

"..." Aurora was not able to follow their conservation. She did not speak their language, but she was sure that the words 'idiot', 'retard', and 'imbecile' were thrown around more than just once. At least, that was her impression.

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The heated argument continued. "Zzzzzz. Zzzzz. Zzz", fluffball No 5 argued.

"Zzzzz. Zzzzzzz. Zzz. Zz. Zzzzz!" No 7 retorted, offended by No 5's uncouth provocation.

"Zzzzz?" No 5 smirked in derision. "Zzzzz. Zzzz. Zzzzzzzzzzz!"

"Zzzzzz. Zzzzz!" No 7 fumed as things quickly began to escalate. Both her children were at each other's throat.

"Zzzzzzzz!" No 5 prepared to fight.

"Zzzzzz.!!!" No 7 adopted its stance and attacked, charging straight at its hated enemy.

Both sides clashed, exchanging innocuous sparks. Their sparks were weak, so nobody got hurt in the process. The sprites were engaging in melee combat, nibbling on each other's aether in a laughable attempt at cannibalism.

Their fight was a rather cute sight to behold from the perspective of an uninvolved bystander, which forced Aurora to giggle. Their unwavering dedication moved her heart. Her children were truly a chaotic bunch for them to argue in such a spirited way. So much juvenile fire was running through their veins, yet Aurora intervened before her children ended up getting hurt. "Calm down, calm down, my friends, no need to resort to violence and bloodshed. We are civilised. We discuss matters peacefully, understood?"

Her children deferred to her wise judgement and ceased their senseless squabble. Yet, No 5 and No 7, leaders of their respective factions, continued to eye each other with patent distrust. Little love was lost between the two of them. Their battle might have ended, but the war continued despite their temporary truce.

Aurora smiled. "So, does anyone have any ideas?"

No 5 and No 7 exchanged knowing looks before nodding in unison.

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Escaping her watchful protectors had proven to be easier than expected. Worn down by their guard duties and increasing boredom, their lack of attention provided her with numerous opportunities to escape.

Little Aurora did not need to be asked twice and took her chance. Armed with her doll in her arms and a purple flame in her palm lighting her way through the darkness of the catacombs, Aurora followed her impromptu guides, past cobwebs and other less amicable contemporaries. Unfortunately, her guides left much to be desired. More often than not, her sprites appeared to be lost, with little idea where they were actually heading. At every junction, her friends hesitated, much to her distress. Yet, her trust in them and their orientation skills remained unshaken. Mostly. They would successfully get her through this labyrinth. Hopefully.

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Her trust was rewarded. Eventually. Finally. Her little party arrived at a ... dead end ... with a pile of debris blocking her way.

"..." Aurora narrowed her eyes in dissatisfaction, turning to her sprites. Her icy glare identified the culprits. "That is what you were trying to show me? A dead end? Is this supposed to be a joke?"

"Zzzzzz!!!" her fluffballs disagreed vehemently, pointing at the debris ahead. They were trying to show her something.

Indulging their little game, Aurora inspected the rubble. Among all the stone and brick, well hidden behind all the fallen debris, her trusted doll spotted a few lone rays of sunlight. Her doll discovered a narrow passage, a hole barely wide enough for her petite figure to fit through.

Her brave doll formed the vanguard and went first to establish a bridgehead on the other side. Nothing happened. No danger loomed. The coast was clear. Aurora followed after, despite nearly getting stuck in the process. Nothing, though, that some force and a healthy dose of grumbling and cursing could not solve.

After overcoming the obstacle, her hands dusted off her poor, dirty clothes. Her borrowed garments had served her well so far, and they would still serve her for quite some time to come, whether she liked it or not.

Taking a look at her surroundings, Aurora found herself surrounded by another vast hall, yet a familiar giant gate greeted her down the floor from the end of the hall. It was the same gate that she had been staring at for days and days. Just from the other side. Her fluffballs had apparently known a secret passage, which enabled her to circumvent the closed gate.

Exploration

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