Chapter 105

INTERMISSION Partners in Crime Distraught In a space cut off from the rest of the world lay Minnalis and Shuria, their powers exhausted. “Haah…haah…haah…” “Hoo…hoo…hoo…” They lay sprawled on the floor of a cubic room, its six surfaces all the same shade of gray. “Is that all you’ve got?” came the displeased voice of the man standing over them. “I deign to offer my services, and this is all you can muster? I ought to finish you off right here and now.” The man was tall, and his coat was lined with fur. He ran his hand through his slicked-back gray hair. “Wow, Garratt, you’re a monster!” “Silence, you useless Goddess. It was only because you asked that I offered them my guidance.” The man named Garratt gave a disgruntled snort at Luna’s playful remark. “With a true vampire such as myself teaching them, they ought to have advanced in leaps and bounds, yet here they are, sleeping on the ground like children. Pathetic.” “Of course they are! You’ve been training and training for ages! I’m bored! Give me something to do!” “I’m not here to entertain you, Goddess. It’s your fault we’re all in this mess to begin with. You have no right to make demands of me.” “Waah, Garratt’s bullying me!” “Tch, useless Goddess. Fine. I suppose a little break is in—” ““Wha—?! Aaaaaaaaahhh!!”” Before Garratt could finish his sentence, Minnalis and Shuria sat up and screamed. “I…I can feel him,” said Minnalis, wrapping her arms around someone invisible. “Master… Master’s back!” “He’s here! Oh, goody, he’s here!” sang Shuria, shedding tears of joy. Garratt furrowed his brow. “Well, well, what’s gotten into those two?” he muttered. Meanwhile, Luna nodded along. The pair on the floor just lay there, unable to wipe their tears, until they passed out from weariness. “Oh, that won’t do. They’ll catch a cold, sleeping there like that.” Luna approached, a blanket mysteriously in her hands, and tossed it over the sleeping duo. Despite the dirt, the bruises, and their tattered clothes, they looked happy. “Hopefully, they can protect him this time,” she said, while the man called Garratt stared at them, saying nothing.