A/N: Sea of clouds, morning version :D

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BAM!

Zoe heard a loud bang when her body crashed into the wooden floor. It wasn't as dramatic as she thought. It was the kind of feeling she had when she tripped over her own foot. But even though the fall was light, she could hear soft ringing in her ears. She slowly opened her eyes and a night sky decorated by stars and aurora lights greeted her.

Did they warp to the far Northern lands?

She pulled herself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling heavy from her no-gravity adventure. The noise of battle called her attention, making Zoe turn to her right. Darcy was there, standing in a battle stance with his back facing her. He was holding a familiar sword, an obsidian metal beating with red unknown words.

However, the young bodyguard wasn't alone. He was positioned between her and a group of trackers. But aside from them, three more people were battling the monsters. She furrowed her brows as her vision adjusted, taking in the scenery from her left to right.

And reality slapped her, big time.

Zoe wasn't sure where they landed, but the fact that they were on a ship sailing across the night sky blew her mind away. Mixed emotions piled inside her like a fast-paced Tetris game. She was afraid of the unknown waiting for her, yet the thought of having an adventure brew so much excitement inside her. Nostalgia washed over her, filling her with a sense that she finally found the thing she was looking for a very long time.

She turned to face the chilly night breeze, allowing it to push back her long red hair. She was about to stand, but her hand landed on a pool of slimy goo. Zoe looked down and gasped when her eyes met the eyeless creature. She backed away, trying to wipe the goo on the wooden floor.

Her stomach revolted and instantly stopped like an undecided platypus. She stared as the tracker melted away, leaving nothing as if it never existed. She examined her hand and the black goo slowly became ashes until it left her hand and wandered with the wind.

Was it the reason why the tracker mysteriously disappeared that night?

"I can't believe," a guy shouted, knocking three arrows that killed three trackers at once. "That you're finally back!"

Zoe spun to see what was going on.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Darcy chuckled.

He slashed another tracker and Zoe watched its head rolled away from its body, leaving a trace of black goo in its wake.

"I think that's the last of them," said by a female voice.

Out of curiosity, Zoe got to her feet and cautiously approached the scene. She was aware that eyes peeked at her, but she couldn't avert her gaze from the atrocious spectacle. The wooden deck was painted with black goo as though an artist decided to transform it into something grotesque. Every possible type of death appeared before her. But before she could even enumerate them, the bodies started dissolving, leaving her with a jaw hanging in the air.

"Holy cow in panties! Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" the guy with bow and arrow shouted, gesturing at Zoe.

"Excuse me?!" she blew up with rage. "Did you just called me a 'cow in panties'?!"

"Oh no, deary!" he shook his head so many times that his curly brown hair looked like a chocolate coated popcorn. "I-it was kinda my habit."

"Forgive Ty," Darcy said. "He didn't mean to offend you."

"Fine," she crossed her arms and gave Ty a raised brow.

The three teenagers looked from the young bodyguard and back to Zoe, as though waiting for an explanation.

"But what is she doing here?" this time a guy in glasses spoke. He stepped away from the stairs and walked towards the group, his bright purple hair was the only color that stood out in the night. "We will be in grave danger if anyone finds her here."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say! Nox only said it first, but I thought it first!" Ty retorted and started nibbling his bow. "This is so so bad! First, the--"

"Will you shut your mouth and let Jao explain?!" the girl in black coat shouted, making the two guys cringe.

"Thank you, Krista," Darcy said, showing a sign of gratitude, his sword nowhere to be found. "Well--"

"Who's Jao?" Zoe interjected, craning her eyes, but the girl's face was completely hidden by the hood. It would be her first time to meet a female warrior. This day simply made her 'To Do' list much easier.

"So you really kidnapped her?" Krista stepped back in horror.

The young bodyguard chuckled and his smug smile was back on his face, "If she was an ordinary girl, I wouldn't even bat her an eye. With just a glance I can tell she's not worth my time."

"What did you say?!" Zoe's voice hit a soprano. She glared at him, realizing for the first time that his eyes were gold and faintly glowing again, but she didn't care. "Well, with just a glance, I can tell the same for you, idiot! You're the epitome of everything I hate!"

"Did she just called him an idiot?" Ty whispered as they watched the two bicker at each other.

"Okay," Nox said, carefully stepping towards the two. "Please, calm down. We won't be able to figure this out if we keep drifting away from the topic."

"He's right." Darcy turned his gaze on Nox and to the group. "Just to make things clear, I did not kidnap her." His thin lips curled into a smile as he glanced at Zoe. "She's The One."

Ty let out an exaggerated gasp and clapped his hands. "You finally decided to have a girlfriend?"

"No!" Darcy and Zoe shouted in unison.

"Never," she glared at her bodyguard.

"Right back at you!"

The three cleared their throats, making them turn back to the group.

"As I was saying," he said, "let me introduce you, Zoe Hanielet Beaupré, the Lost Heroine of Mamoria."

Silence.

For the first time, Zoe found herself uncomfortable in her all pink attire and fluffy slippers. She swallowed and her eyes shifted from one to another, meeting the same expression--bewilderment.

"So," Nox broke the mystified silence, "the legend is true?"

Darcy flatly answered, "Yes."

"Is this the reason why King Braham tried to isolate their continent?"

"No, she's not from the land of Roendal." He paused and Zoe saw his jaw tightened, yet he continued. "She's from another realm."

"This," Ty started. "This is so so so bad!" He paced back and forth, his chubby cheeks kept jiggling. "This day is so unlucky. First, we have to kill a Poi, then--"

"What?!" Krista and Nox blurted.

"It was clearly a Bulpa." he claimed.

"No way! It's a Rangda!"

Ty stepped between them, acting as a referee. "I know you guys are tired from the trip. But I'm the sharpshooter of the group. That monster is definitely a Po--"

The girl grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, "Are you saying that my eyesight is bad?!"

"Oh no, deary. I was--"

"Then, you think that I'm lying?!"

"Of course not! I mean--"

"If so--"

"Krista, Ty, that's enough," Darcy's voice was weaved with such authority that the two instantly backed away from each other. "It's not a Forsaken creature."

Everyone looked at him, waiting for an explanation to the unknown.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, "but it's not a monster nor a living thing."

Distress spread across their face like a wildfire, even Zoe opened and closed her mouth, unsure of the right words to say. All their terms just made her head spin as if she was drinking highfalutin words.

"I think he was right," Ty said. "I've never encountered a monster that burst into blue flames and teleports people after it died."

"Can you elaborate?" Darcy asked.

"Well, I was the look-out for the night. And while I was patrolling the deck, it came out of nowhere, like poof!" He acted as though there were fireworks exploding in the sky. "I sound the alarm and tried attacking it to buy some time. But I noticed something was strange, because it didn't attack like a regular Poi. I mean, I'm the sharp shooter and--"

"Just continue your damn story!" Krista cracked her knuckles.

"O-okay," he sweat dropped and added, "I shoot a few times and it didn't try to dodge. So I aimed for its head and boom! It burst into blue flames. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by trackers. After that, Nox and Krista came to my aid. And I was so shocked when you appeared."

"I see." Darcy nodded. "There's a lot I need to confirm, so I don't want to disclose any conclusion. But one thing is for certain, this monster changes form based on our fear."

"The heck?!" Krista blurted and removed the hood of her coat, revealing a short light purple hair like Nox. Zoe thought she looked so beautiful, but when the girl turned towards Darcy, she cringed at the sight of her left eye-patch.

"I'm not afraid of Rangda! Definitely not!" She pulled her coat around her and glared at the three guys, making them turn the other way as if nothing happened.

Zoe thought they were a cute team. It was like how she read from books. She couldn't help but wished to be part of one. A second family she would always treasure. She glanced up at Darcy, his words slowly sink in and a question hit her with a blinding light.

What did Darcy saw when he encountered Cookie Monster?

"Alright," the young bodyguard pulled Zoe from her reverie. "I believe you guys did a good job while I was gone," he smiled and gently patted the three on the back. Then he faced Ty. "Tell Hubert to change the course of the ship. We're heading for Lumiresia."

"Are you sure about this?" Nox asked, his brows almost creating a knot.

"For now, we need to keep her safe. Even though I hate to admit it, he's the only one we could ask. He knows this legend better than anyone else."

"Who?" Zoe asked.

"My brother," Darcy said, unmasked bitterness resonated with his voice. "The King of Lumiresia and best of the Great Historian, Hachal Deidre."

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Dedicated to When_Your_Lost

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XOXO