The Challenge of the Masters

⊱⊰ 22: Deceit [Revised] ⊱⊰

Scorpio clapped her hands, filling the atmosphere with a steel sound. Arisa gazed at the Purple Guardian in disbelief. She always knew that sooner or later she would cross paths with the Guardians, yet she didn't expect to see one of them so soon.

"I'm so happy to hear that you still remember me," said Scorpio. "I would have been heartbroken if you didn't. After all, I must have left a mark during our first encounter."

Arisa's heart wouldn't stop pounding as unpleasant memories invaded her mind. She remembered Scorpio mocking her during the attack in Moonlight Town. She remembered the Guardian giving her a time limit to save her friends from drowning in the Forbidden Lands. If it weren't for Nala, that day Arisa would have died from Scorpio's poison.

Arisa clenched her fists, pushing away those horrible memories.

"Axel," said Thelma, looking at him, "what's the meaning of this?"

Axel glanced at the asphalted ground. "I'm really sorry."

Thelma's forehead wrinkled upon hearing his words. As Arisa gazed at Axel, she could see that he meant his words, yet she couldn't understand what was going on.

"Ugh." Scorpio folded her arms. "There you go being a softie. You have been with us for almost a year. You should show more confidence, Cancer."

"Cancer?!" the trio said in unison.

Axel gained the courage to look at them. Arisa's eyes widened as she noticed that streams of dark blue water were dancing around him. A few seconds passed and the streams intensified, bathing his figure. One blink and a dark blue armored figure stood before them.

Arisa blinked repeatedly, speechless. She was stunned by what she was seeing.

"So you were also a Guardian," said Kazuya.

"Never mind that," said Thelma, finding her voice. "Where's my cousin and what do you want with her?"

Scorpio laughed and tilted her head. "I don't know. She could be somewhere around this bridge or the river itself."

Arisa examined her surroundings, nervousness spreading in her veins. Her gaze met the spacious illuminated road with the tall light brown towers decorating the area. Despite glancing around carefully, she didn't spot the short braided girl. As she tried to spot her, she noticed that there were no cars passing by the road. She rubbed her arms as a sudden chill crawled on her skin.

"Stop playing around!" ordered Thelma. "Where's Aadila?"

"Alright." Scorpio gestured with her hand. "I'll make everything easier for you."

A sudden sound of waves met Arisa's ears. She examined her surroundings. A gasp escaped her lips, noticing that the water of the river was moving and forming multiple paths. It was as if the river had shifted into a labyrinth. A few seconds later, she saw several bubbles coming from the water, with some scattering to the bridge close to them.

"Aadila!" Thelma rushed to one of the large bubbles.

As Arisa followed her, she noticed that the transparent purple bubble had a thin layer of water around it. Her heart wrenched when she saw Aadila, who seemed as though she was sleeping. Arisa's arms trembled, wondering if Aadila was really in a state of slumber.

Thelma touched the bubble's surface. "Aadila, wake up."

No response came from Aadila. Thelma hit the surface of the bubble repeatedly, begging her cousin to wake up. Aadila didn't react to her call. Arisa could hear Thelma breathe rapidly as she continually hit the bubble. Arisa's eyes widened when she noticed irritation and anger tainting Thelma's expression.