Shikon Tail

Chapter 34 -- Almost There

{Julia's POV}

"Are you sure you're okay Venn?" I asked with complete and utter worry.

"I'll be perfectly fine as soon as I figure out how I'm this bloody from a few scratches." He replied as he rubbed a damp t-shirt on the scratch on his face.

I laughed a bit. He was definitely back.

"Do you remember anything?" I asked, looking at his with a slight concern.

"I was in the facility for about a minute or two. Otherwise nothing really besides a darkness... then I saw you." He replied, slightly confused.

I told him what I saw on my end.

"I was really doing all of that?" He asked, shocked.

"Yeah." I replied, "Then you shouted 'Glitch I loved you. Stop this.', so I shocked your head to break you out of the trance."

He blushed hard, and laughed uneasily, "R-really?" His sweaty green hair falling in front of his eyes.

I nodded. I was about to say something else when a hologram of Trevor and Collin showed up over the partially melted water.

"I'm sorry team Julia and Venn." Trevor said with a straight face, "But I regret to inform you that you two have failed the LOGIC portion of the trials."

"What?!" I asked, "H-how?!"

"Venn submitted to his fears." Collin said, "Simple as that."

"But I broke him out of it!" I justified.

"He still submitted himself before you could do so." Collin replied.

"Congratulations on getting this far, etcetera, etcetera." Trevor said, "You and Venn may go join the other two teams, Ella and Kaylee at the camp." A door opened off to the side of us, revealing the bright sunlight from the outside.

Venn looked at me with concern.

I sighed, "Yes, of course master." I replied to Trevor, I turned and walked past Venn, "Don't worry about it." I told him.

He followed me to the door as I heard the hologram shut off.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Venn asked, breaking the silence.

"Really, I am." I replied.

"It's just that... I feel so bad." Venn said sadly.

"And why's that?" I questioned in return.

He stopped, "I've failed you twice." He said, "First at the Grand Magic Games, and now... This..."

"Hey now..." I told him, "It's okay! It's the furthest I've ever gotten anyways." I smiled reassuringly.

"No it's not!" He almost yelled, his voice cracking, "I've failed you twice! It is NOT okay!!"

{Tori's POV}

OOna and I go back into the cave to see something totally different. There were three colored pathways crisscrossing the floor, walls, and ceiling, all leading to a straightaway path toward a tunnel at the end.

I glance at OOna.

She looks about done with the world and steps on the floor.

"Wait OOna do-"

She steps foot outside of the trails and is flung back to the start right on her ass.

"I think we stay on the path," I say.

OOna scowls in stubborn agreement.

The three paths were blue, red, and white.

"I'll take the blue one," I say, standing at the beginning.