Kurai Yoru (Darker Night)

26: Hybrid

"Mm." Ani looked around her room, searching for a certain object. She slowly got out of her bed, her whole body now healed. "Where did I hide it again?"

The blonde rummaged through the piles of teddy bears and dolls sprawled around her bedroom, but careful as to not make much noise. "Eh, nope. Nope, what's a chainsaw doing inside my room?" She tossed it behind her. "I thought I already threw this away last week."

"Aha! There you are." She pulled out a jar hidden behind a mountain of mangas, the insides of it blurry and indescribable. One thing is for certain though, the sloshing of liquid inside hinted what could be in it. "Tamamo-chan regenerated a new eye for me, but I only like you!"

She pulled out a round object, but before it can be seen, she hugged it. "Now, if I could just... mm... this new one."

Pop.

"Then, put you back...! There." She blinked a couple of times, the right side of her face now drenched in blood. "Err, why can't I see in my right eye? It's all red." Then she smiled. "Oh well, I like red anyway!"

Celleya noticed their 'wounded' friend giggling inside her room. She knocked from outside, stopping the blonde girl from her antics. "Ani? Are you okay there? Do you need something?"

"Yikes!" Ani covered her mouth, and dived back to her bed. "I-I'm okay, Celleya-chan." She feigned a weak voice, all the while poking her right eye. 'Why is my vision still red! Do I have to turn it on?' She mentally whined. 'I don't know where's the switch though...'

She stared at the ceiling of her room, having nothing more to do. "I guess I'll just wait for it to heal. I mean, I accidentally cut my hand a few months before, and it healed in just 3 days. Surely this'll heal too." She covered her head with her bedding as she closed her eyes.

"I wonder what's happening to Hexhine-chan now." Ani giggled.

=≠(Unknown Palace: ??:??)≠=

The endless sea of clouds above the sky hides a gigantic castle. Mysteriously, the dark palace floated in mid-air, with only the huge inverted mountain below it. Various statues of gargoyles sits atop the many pointed rooftops, their crimson eyes making them look more alive than what they're supposed to be.

As if it wasn't enough, the pitch black surrounding of the palace added even more to its already terrifying appearance. Looking down below, the bottom isn't even visible to a human's eyes. Numerous debris of rocks and boulders orbits around the whole premises, looking like gravity doesn't even have any meaning in this wretched place.

A yell broke the mind-numbing silence, seemingly coming within the menacing castle. Inside, a struggling girl can be seen tied to a pillar of some sort, with four other more lining beside it. Below the bounded maiden was a huge purple gemstone. Several white particles can be seen coming out from the black-haired girl, going directly to the aforementioned rock.

"Ugh, can somebody shut that girl up now?" The Crimson-eyed VampMaiden, Mimi, spoke from her throne.

Quasar, who was leaning on one of the pillars before, stood straight, scratching his head. "I'd like too, though I can't knock her out. Damn goddesses."

"She's weakened, you weakling!" Mimi threw her chalice at the boy, who easily dodged the normal attack.

"Then why don't you try it yourself?! You can't get her under you illusions too!" Quasar yelled, a tick mark appearing in his face.

"Tch." The blonde sat back, not having any comebacks for that. "And when we need our stupid boss, she's nowhere to be found."

"Goddesses really are on the league of their own." Quasar crossed his arms while leaning back again. "Especially Lesha. Good thing she's on our side."