Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

33. (Light at the End)

"Well done, Lucky. I expect no less from you," Kaguya praised the cat as she had done reporting the status of her quest, "I'll contact Kappa Kodama as well. Your rabbit friend deserves some credit for this one.

"Say, Lucky, what are your thoughts right now?" she asked, "I'm quite positive that you have encountered some new feelings during the mission."

Lucky hesitated. The guard Inaris sat still as statues except for their steaming tails, and Kaguya showed no signs of urging an answer. The room was so serene, it left space for Lucky to rearrange her thoughts. The cat took deep breaths and closed her eyes, her tail stopped its motion, and her fists half-closed.

"I... I'm sorry," Lucky said those words with much difficulty, almost having to force the sound to come out of her mouth. Her throat went dry, and she held her head low, "I just don't know how to think about things right now. Yesterday, Kitsune told me how she wished to return this island from distortion to its former harmony. She sounded very upset when she talked about that, but she entrusted me as the Chosen One to carry on her dream. And this morning, Fukuro said that I'm incompetent for that title. I didn't take on that quest for something great, really. I didn't really compete for Champion Island, but I want to win."

Lucky's tail twitched uncomfortably, but she couldn't stop talking. That was the power of Kaguya's deity essence, the gentle force like moonlight shining upon the truth and truth only.

"And just now, I met Calvin. He had gone through so much since holding the title himself that he's now broken and unable to recover. I... I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared of facing Fukuro again. I'm supposed to be all set to face anything, that's what I thought when I came here, but now I can't even believe myself to even run away from a challenge."

The cat clutched her head with one hand while the other tugged at her scarf as if being suffocated.

"I just... can't. At first, I thought being called 'the Chosen One' was fun, like being a protagonist in those adventure games, but knowing that the fate of Champion Island relies on that creature, and that fate is real, and that creature is me, I don't know what to think anymore. I can't just drop the game, can I? I don't want to betray everyone's trust. But..."

At this point, Lucky was visibly shaking. She just couldn't explain herself. Anyone who had known her would probably not be able to recognize her right now, looking so miserably lost. A mild headache was surfacing as she spoke, and it strained her from thinking straight. Everything felt like one big, mushy mess, drowning her. Lucky shut her eyes, trying to concentrate the within. If it was any normal day, slipping into sweet subconsciousness would give her a peace of mind, time would stand still for her and the truest beauty of this world would show itself to her comfortingly. But now, nothing but the throbbing of her head and the irritation of being unable to concentrate showed up. She felt weak, and for the first time ever since she mastered her qi - which was five years ago already - she couldn't even bring herself to bring out a single flare. Like all energy had been drained from her core.

A hand placed itself on her head, and she felt at ease almost immediately. Her ears lowered, and she even leaned to the gentle touch. Kaguya had left her podium and kneeled down in front of the confused cat, using a fraction of her power to heal her soul.

"Fate is an option, not a story foretold," Kaguya spoke in a hushed voice as light as a breeze, "Do not give in to fate, nor give up on yourself."

Lucky looked up at Kaguya, into the bloodmoon red eyes barely looking at her, but somewhere faraway, like how the winds never stayed still. The cat's amber eyes might have tears welling up, but she kept them in, reminding herself not to break.

"Let me tell you something: it requires great bravery to face the unknown, including the feelings within yourself. You have given us hope and helped us so much in such a short while. Take a breather, Lucky. And let us return the favor. I am grateful that you are here, and we are here for you. Remember that."