The first spark of curiosity

In the world of Ky'lar, through the dome of the multilayered barrier isolating the space within the forest, the battles only grew more intense...

(¡¡¡FFFFFFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSS~!!!)

On one side, half of the forest lay frozen solid where Silver had neutralized and encased the Great Spirit of Earth, Eldora-Gideon, in ice, leaving the battlefield in a deathly silence beneath the relentlessly falling snow.

"Ughhhh!"

And there, in the midst of the arctic landscape, the silver Valkyrie remained on her knees, clutching her head in agony as the fragments of her forgotten memories returned to torment her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

At the same time, the structure of her dress-like armor was gradually staining jet-black, silently consumed by the outbreak of dark flames emerging from her very being.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡THUUUUUUM-CRASHHH-BOOOOOOM-SPLASH-KRRRR...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

On the other hand, at the opposite end, the terrain was sinking into a scorching hell.

"AJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA~!"

In the midst of the vortex of fire, Goldie maintained a brutal, direct battle of endurance against the Great Spirit of Fire, Keahi, making the earth rumble as the collisions of their opposing forces cracked the incandescent rock.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KABOOOOOOOM-TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAAK...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Meanwhile, at the very center of the forest, in the geographical clearing where machinery collided against the elements of nature...

(¡¡¡¡CLANK-CLK-CLK-CHHHHHHHH-KRNGGGGG...!!!!!)

Dense clouds of boiling steam erupted furiously from the core of the bronze fortress, spreading outward in white waves that covered the mud and scorched vegetation along the circumference.

(¡¡¡¡¡FSSSST-ZUUUU-SKRREEE~~!!!!!)

And among the gusts of steam dispersing through the destruction, one by one, the stance of the three Great Spirits tightened more and more...

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAK—SHWIIING...!!!!!!!!)

In the air, Volti-Gera's silhouette crackled with violent static, beating its four wings of solidified lightning as it channeled fresh, wild discharges onto the structure.

(¡SZZZZZ—CRASHHH—MET~)

Beside it, Lumina-Aura kept her formation of crystal prisms suspended, refracting bursts of golden photonic light in an attempt to liquefy the fortress's alloy.

(¡¡¡¡¡SZZZZZ-VOID-UMBRAA..._!!!!!)

And from the mud, Tenebris-Vagrant continued spreading its cloak of two-dimensional darkness, exerting a suffocating gravitational pull to keep the arachnid creature anchored.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRRR-CLAC-CRIC...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

However, what they had yet to comprehend was that at the center of that burning mist, the heavy bronze structure was still growing.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAK—CRASHHH—MET...!!!!!!!!)

Nevertheless, despite that, the Great Spirits had not yet realized...

"Hold on! Keep pressing, Volti-Gera!"

Because in the midst of the ravenous exchange of impacts, as the pseudo-liquid bronze joints screeched under the suffocating gravitational pressure, dissipating the extreme heat while the three Great Spirits maintained the saturation of their attacks...

(¡¡¡¡¡¡SZZZZZ—CRACK-SKRREEE...!!!!!!)

... A suffocating presence began to emerge.

"What was that...?! The barrier..."

As a result, regardless of the situation on the battlefield...

"The structure of the multilayered barrier is fluctuating!"

... Across the entire length and breadth of the forest... Spreading like a shockwave...

"Impossible... The Great Spirits on the outside should be maintaining the seal..."

In the middle of the massive deployment of energy, a subtle distortion in the air vibrated through the entire atmosphere, capturing the attention of all three simultaneously as they perceived the dull "fault" in the flow of energy.

"¡¡¡¡¡GWRAAAA-SHWIIIING-GROOOOOOOOO-GWAARRRGHHH-AAAAAAARRRGHHH!!!!!"

At the same time, a bestial, primal roar echoed from the deepest reaches of the isolated space, sweeping through the forest like an ultrasonic shockwave that shook the earth's crust and paralyzed the flow of air under unimaginable pressure.

"Gugh...! What is this sensation...?! This sickness...!"

Because of that, in response...

"Th-This presence...!"

In unison, the three elemental beings experienced a severe and inexplicable malaise—a suffocating cold sweat and a visceral rejection that temporarily destabilized their elemental avatars.

(¡¡SHWIIIIIP—ZUUUU...!!)

Yet, even under the pressure, Lumina-Aura, her crystal body trembling slightly beneath the refraction of her own golden light, turned her dismayed gaze toward the opposite horizon of the clearing.

"This is bad...! Volti-Gera, Tenebris-Vagrant... we must withdraw from this front and go support the Queen immediately!"

In that moment, she had panicked.

"SHUT UP AND FOCUS!"

Conscious of it on the battlefield, Tenebris-Vagrant berated her with a harsh voice that tore through the shadows.

"...I feel it too... The danger is absolute... but if we turn our eyes away from this metal creature for even a single second... it will devour us..."

Even as he perceived the imminent danger and his multiple spectral blue eyes dilated with terror, he kept his composure, maintaining control.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ZWUUUUUUUUU-THUMMM-ZRAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Even when, at the furthest, most remote distance of the Ky'lar forest, a colossal pillar of pure natural energy descended from the heights, tearing through space and slamming violently into the earth, his instincts never stopped screaming at him not to look away from the machinery.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KABOOOOOOOM-FLASH-ZAK-ZAK-ZAK...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yet despite that, he was unable to refrain from turning when, from the very epicenter struck by the column of energy, an aberrant discharge of destructive lightning erupted toward the sky—like snakes of dark plasma and wild arcs of electricity devouring space, twisting reality in their wake while the resonance of the roar continued echoing across the horizon.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAK—SHWIIING...!!!!!!!!)

But those moments of distraction...

"What on earth is happening over there...?!"

... Were a grave mistake.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡CLANK-CLK-CLK-CHHHHHHHH-KRNGGGGG...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

In that miniscule fraction of a second when the three Great Spirits lowered their guard, rattled by the distant catastrophe and the collapse of the barrier, the machinery's quantum processor did not waste the margin of error.

[Tactical opportunity detected: Initiating self-destruction sequence]

And it immediately proceeded to counterattack.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FSSSSSSSSSSSST-ZUUUUUUUUUU-SKRREEE...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

As a result, a deafening, high-pitched, metallic whistle burst from the bowels of the mechanical fortress-inn.

"?!"

"What...?!"

"Watch out!"

The internal valves sealed shut all at once as the temperature of the pseudo-liquid bronze core spiked to critical levels...

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM-FSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Consequently, before Volti-Gera could complete the warning, Brownie unleashed a massive detonation via self-destruction—generating an explosion of hyperbaric, boiling white steam that erupted in a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc, turning the forest clearing into a hell of absolute thermal pressure.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FLASH-ZRAAAK-SKRREEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The violent shockwave of smoke and stellar heat pulverized the mud, fractured the bedrock beneath the soil, and swept away Tenebris-Vagrant's shadow chains, disintegrating them instantly.

"Ghaaaaah...!"

Because of that, unable to maintain their offensive formations against the brute force of the impact, the three Great Spirits were violently hurled backward.

"Damn it...!!"

Volti-Gera was forced to retract his four wings to stabilize his trajectory in midair.

"To think it would go this far?!"

Lumina-Aura watched as her crystal prisms were blasted in all directions after losing their photonic synchronization.

"!!"

And Tenebris-Vagrant's two-dimensional cloak was torn apart by the friction of the steam, rippling through the mud like charred cloth before it could reorganize itself.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FSHHHHHHHH-VOID...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

In the end, as the curtain of steam began to heavily dissipate over ground zero of the explosion, the three readjusted their stances, staring in disbelief at the smoking epicenter where the machinery had just sacrificed itself.

[Environmental analysis: 100% completed]

... Or at least, that was how it appeared.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FSHHHHHHHH-VROOOOOOMM...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

For as the dense cloud of steam blanketed the area, a spherical shadow burst forth from the heights, ascending at high speed.

[Tactical simulation executed: 14,850,000 scenarios processed in 0.00001 seconds]

What emerged from that vapor cloud was a complex mechanical sphere packed with exposed gears and brass valves spinning at frantic revolutions.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ZWREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—BOM-BOM-BOM~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

From which, without warning, it released a destructive omnidirectional sonic wave that vibrated through the confining space, catching the three Great Spirits completely off guard and disorienting their senses.

"Damn piece of junk...!"

However, reacting with fury in response, Volti-Gera extended his right hand and unleashed a violent stream of lightning that tore through the air, pulverizing the bronze sphere into a rain of nuts and glowing shrapnel.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAK—FLASH...!!!!!!!!)

Yet, the explosion of the first machine was merely a calculated distraction.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KABOOOOOOOM-CHAK-CHAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Hidden by the curtain of smoke and the flash of the explosion, two new mechanical spheres emerged silently from opposite flanks, positioning themselves on either side of the Great Spirit of Lightning.

"There are more...?!"

And before Volti-Gera could react, the devices deployed crossing arcs of energy, intertwining to instantly seal him inside a rigid electromagnetic barrier that neutralized the flow of his lightning wings.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ZUUUUU-TZZZZZZZ-SHWIIING~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Parallel to the spirit's isolation, within the dense mist of steam, the massive figure of the arachnid inn had vanished.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡SHHH-ZIP-SWISH-SKRREEE...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

In its place, shrouded by the burning haze, a mysterious silhouette moved at a terrifying speed, slicing through the fog while the echo of steam vents and the dull screech of metal against tree bark echoed across the entire area.

"There it is! Do not let it escape!"

Detecting the threat moving through the shadows, Lumina-Aura flashed her crystalline halo, firing crossing bursts of solid light at laser pressures that pierced the fog, seeking to incinerate the path where the shadow was passing.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡SHWIIIIP-ZIP-ZUUUUM...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

However, with impossible agility and acceleration, the silhouette slithered through the air and across the ground amid the steam, dodging every photonic beam by precise millimeters.

[Optimizing morphology: Acceleration, trajectory... Confirmed]

Every turn in the penumbra expelled dense streams of supplementary steam that rendered the light spirit's marksmanship entirely useless.

(¡¡¡SZZZZZ-VOID-UMBRAA-SWISHHH...!!!)

Simultaneously, Tenebris-Vagrant desperately extended his two-dimensional shadow appendages, causing spikes of darkness to sprout from the mud to catch the creature's steps.

"Predictable."

Yet the silhouette did not even decelerate; shifting trajectory at right angles with the metallic sound of hydraulic thrusters, the figure glided over the shadows before they could solidify, maintaining an invisible perimeter around both spirits.

"Where is it?! I can't pin down its position!"

Hidden behind the white veil, Brownie's processor executed analytical calculations at an unreachable scale.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡SZZZZZ—FLASH-ZAK-ZAK-ZAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Because of that, the clash in the penumbra turned frantic; streams of solid light pierced the air while Tenebris-Vagrant's spears of darkness erupted from the mud in a desperate attempt to corner the evasive shadow.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡TZZZZZZZ-ZRAAK—BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

It was in the midst of that frenetic exchange that a photosensitive discharge, unleashed by Lumina-Aura by exploiting the chaos, struck the two mechanized spheres—destroying the electromagnetic prison and finally freeing Volti-Gera.

"Thanks for that, honey!"

However, even with all three fronts reunited, the Great Spirits were unable to take the initiative.

"Now is not the time for that!!"

The silhouette responded to every offensive with surgical precision, counterattacking and forcing them backward step after step.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRRR-CLAC-CRIC-SKRREEE...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Every attack was blocked and countered by a sudden deployment of heavy machinery assembled on the spot that repelled their elemental strikes, forcing them back into a chaotic defense as the steam began to heavily dissipate under the force of the shockwave.

"The smoke is starting to clear!"

Thanks to that, with the haze completely dispersed by the gusts of wind, the entity's true form was finally exposed.

(¡CLANK-CLK-CLK...!)

In the center of the degraded clearing stood a fragile-looking young girl—a child with medium-length brown hair gathered into a neat side ponytail.

"Interesting. Very, very interesting."

Her attire, a refined Victorian style enriched with brass details and exposed gears, fitted her small frame while her mechanical skates settled onto the fractured bedrock.

"...A girl...?"

In that moment, for the very first time...

"I want to learn more."

... Brownie would begin to experience.