Sundays in the city known as Rio de Janeiro, especially on the cusp of winter, tended towards the balmy and pleasant. Most people would be enjoying themselves on one of the many beaches or relaxing in their homes. In one specific house, the granddaughter would be drinking peach-flavoured juice on her balcony while the grandmother would be waiting for seemingly nothing at all.
This was not one of those Sundays.
"You take the left, I've got the right!" Felícia steered the little white cloud towards the right limb of a flaming monstrosity.
Her partner could barely be seen from above, yet Felícia spotted the dark green tail feathers dashing through the molten edges. High above her head, the clouds remained a roiling dark gray, while her cloud left a streak of blue. What lay before her was a creature almost the size of Christ the Redeemer, a fiery beast that threatened to singe her hair off. Once she passed the blazing edges of what seemed to be fingers, she took five cards from her pocket and threw them at the seams of the creature's right arm. With a snap of her fingers, the cards became a tide of water. It let out a cry of pain.
"Not so strong now, huh?" If only a little bit of water hurts this thing, she'll be done in no time.
The creature roared in defiance and swiped at her. Felícia easily dodged, her cloud climbing higher. As a response, she threw more cards, all spouting water.
"Is that all you can do? No wonder only one girl gave you trouble. I wouldn't even call this a Calamity!"
It must have heard her, for that was when a fireball lit the dark sky. Before Felícia reacted, a vicious song erupted, creating a metal wall that absorbed the majority of the fireball.
"It would be polite to thank this humble servant of the light."
Felícia rolled her eyes. She never understood how the other girl could be heard amidst this chaos, and she certainly never understood the girl's many absurd names. Who called their child the great and powerful Sun Summoner? If her avó heard this girl's name, she would have cast one of her signature disappointed looks.
"You can't hear me!" She yelled into the darkened sky.
No response. Typical. Her tail curled inwards, just before she spotted a girl anxiously peeking over the wall. In a split second, her cloud was obliterated by flames and Felícia tumbled down to earth. Grabbing onto a lone tree with her tail, she jumped down, while the other girl sprinted over.
"Felícia, are you alright?" She started checking over Felícia's feet. "Your feet seemed to be unburnt."
"I think this would go a lot better if you figured out how to work your damn amulet." If her avó was here, she would have yelled at Felícia for using coarse language. The other girl was still fighting, singing songs of brave warriors and flinging metallic columns at the fiery monster, who bellowed loud enough to be heard on the other side of the world.
The other girl's eyes watered. "I am trying, for you, for my Lǎoshī, but...the words are not coming. I will try harder, but I do not know if it will work."
"Dulce...I know you are."
The world beneath her feet buckled under the power of song and fire, as meteors lit up the sky. Bright as the coming dawn, the other girl was faltering, the melody becoming ever so slightly weaker. Felícia tried to summon her cloud, but only tendrils of mist gathered at her fingertips. As much as she didn't want to admit it, they weren't winning. Unless Dulce activates her amulet in time, Rio is doomed.
YOU ARE READING
Zodiac Story
FantasyThe world is dying, and everyone knows it. Beset by calamities, the world can't survive for much longer. Its only hope lies within those who carry the hopes and dreams of the stars above and the keys to the gates and houses that hold the solution...
