Oh! You're here again! Welcome.
Ah, but what's this? We're no longer in the basement? Yeah, I actually took this opportunity to plug in the activity in Rans mind. The situation happening there is truly remarkable and by the end, I hope you appreciate this somewhat of a repeat chapter.
You see, when Ran was in the illusion, the void, the citizens of Rans imagination were not in a good mood. Well, it's understandable since they're all just figments of Rans imagination, so it makes sense that they reflect him in some ways.
But it was the how. It's ALWAYS the how. After all, the citizens can't be in a good mood when several bubble-thunderstorms the size of hurricanes bombard they're faces with the pure essence of the anguish of sorrow!
The grey rain dropping into the mysteriously colored ocean made Olly's fat fish lips frown. Similarly, the figure-which was still on the beach-also frowned. They both couldn't imagine what had happened for them to experience this torrent of pain.
Well, they did know as the thunderstorms were made of bubble-clouds containing Rans memories. All the bubble-clouds in the sky had his memories, but some were discolored and grey. These were his worst memories, usually ones that contain events where Ran felt the most pain mentally.
And worst yet, the bubble-thunderstorms were getting stronger as more grey bubble-clouds joined. Some others stayed back, however; as if biding their time, ready to strike at Ran when he's most vulnerable.
And as if things couldn't get more catastrophic, some of the ones that continued to lay back seemed to be able to contend with the bubble-thunderstorms.
Boom! A series of crackles sounded as grey lightning zoomed through the pain-filled clouds of gloom, mutually strengthening each other. Suddenly, the series of crackles grew louder and louder as the lightning gained in ferocity; then like actual lightning, it rained down on the citizens.
Like the hand of God, the single discharge of lightning that had the area of a football field spontaneously spread out into thousands of "fingers"; grasping the neck of every living being, squeezing them until they all turned purple from strangulation. Within an instant, their suffering ended as they became puffs of smoke; they all disappeared.
Oh, you guys are fond of Ann? Welp, she's gone. Bob? Well, nobody liked him anyways (I'm sorry, but somebody's gotta be the butt of the joke). Even Olly wasn't spared. Everyone was gone, no exceptions. Well, there is one (cause there has to be). Surprisingly (or not), the figure at the beach had long fled the scene.
Yet, all those puffs of smoke didn't leave. No, only the worst possible situation happened at this point. Like a true hurricane, the grey bubble-clouds of death rotated on an axis, the eye of the storm.
The winds it swept destroyed most if not all the cities, shattering into dust. Even the roots of the Giant Sakura tree were beginning to succumb to the great powers of the bubble-hurricane as they were uprooted one by one.
All the puffs of smoke and dust and just… everything. Everything was veered into the hurricane as it was nurtured and only grew stronger with every second of every thousand milliseconds of every million micro seconds of every billion nanoseconds of every… uh… I can't think of what comes after nanoseconds. Anyways, you get the point!
At this point, in the illusion, Ran was just staring at his mirrored self. Yet, the bubble-hurricane only grew and grew until it completely surrounded the tree from all sides; it rumbled with grey lightning weaving through its interior-as if-angry at the very existence of the tree.
The situation only grew more tense as the tree prepared itself for a barrage of heartfelt and destructive lightning of epic proportions. It shook with wariness.
The crackling of grey lightning within the bubble-hurricane grew exponentially more potent until it finally reached the climax of its objective.
Boom! Zerp!
As if Zeus himself appeared… no, this is worse. After all, not only is yourself your best ally, but it is also your greatest enemy. In the end, a burnt hole the size of a small country was carved all the way through.
Rustle. This time, however, the Giant Sakura tree was angered. While it was afraid of the hurricane, it wanted to destroy it.
At the center of the Giant Sakura tree:
A figure can be seen crouching while wincing in pain. The figure had a hole in her stomach, though it wasn't very worried about it at the moment.
"Come on, we need you again. Sigh, I didn't know we could be so sentimental." The figure whispered while softly caressing the wood in front of it. The wood had a dull sigil carved into it, it was a permanent addition to the tree and existed as if it was always a part of it. But then, like always, a smirk was raised.
"Heh, I also didn't know I would love being so sentimental." It said those words with affection towards the sigil, though its mouth couldn't help but twitch. It "also" couldn't believe it had said those words.
But its eyes grew sharp when looking at the bubble-hurricane that wanted nothing more than to see the disappearance of this whole world; and all of its inhabitants.
Pfft, as if they would let that happen.
Buzz.
At that moment, the figure looked expectantly towards the sigil. Now, it wasn't unresponsive. No. Instead, it… flickered.
"Come on, you can do it! Remember when Ann gave us that spicy hotpot!? Remember afterwards!?!" The figure rushed the sigil with urgency.
S**t! Now I don't know if I should laugh or feel bad….
Yet, that seemed to work as the sigil, after some attempts, finally started up like an engine.
The sigil shined an incredible red-pink, one so bright that the bubble-hurricane seemed to have noticed it and took a "step" back. IT was the one that was afraid now.
Yet it didn't end there as the sigil's runes began running amok, twisting and turning. Rotating and revolving, spinning, you name it. While it might sound incoherent and disorderly, it was actually the opposite. Well, it was all in preparation for what came next.
But the next instant, a red-pink light ray shot out of the center like the light of God; coming to grace everyone with his presence!
"Shiny!" The tall figure saw the light ray and booped it, its finger went through it completely before it retracted it.
Yet, the next second, its eyes shone a sparkly light as a silly grin appeared on its face.
Why? Oh, no reason; just that a sparkly chain appeared out of the light ray, casually ascending into the skies like an eagle! As free as the wind.
Then, the rune-infested chains glowed even brighter as it swung itself down, before it spontaneously split into countless other chains. The chains continued downwards until they burrowed straight into the wood of the tree.
They glowed incessantly as soon enough, the tree too began to glow.
In that instant, a red-pink gelatinous substance oozed out of the wood around the wound that the bubble-hurricane had made. It joined together before it completely covered the wound. Then, like nothing ever happened, it healed, but it didn't end there (as I've said multiple times already).
The inside of the Sakura flowers that were as soft as cotton began glowing an exorbitant amount of red-pink aura. And by now, the bubble-hurricane realized the situation it was in and began retreating; but it was all for nothing.
The Giant Sakura tree had already begun shaking in a celebratory manner, as if it didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
At the center, the chains shook as an eerie sound came from within the center of the sigil.
"ROAR!!!" The shaking chains grew increasingly angry, as if they finally had enough of what was in its sights as they shook while aiming at the bubble-hurricane.
"Ooh, someones a little annoyed." The tall figure just stood there, happily playing with a chain while humming a tune, as the eventual demise of this menace was upon them.
The bubble-hurricane was already hundreds of kilometers away from the tree and was already planning to retreat. Before that could happen though, it couldn't help but look behind itself.
Why? Well, if you must know, it had heard some strange popping noises earlier and it was honestly just… curious.
Well, by then, its fate was sealed for now. After all, those popping noises were from itself! It gasped as it had all its memory bubbles popped one by one, in a sweeping manner.
The chains ruthlessly thrashed themselves around, popping bubbles left and right, as the sound they produced was enough to make one's skin crawl.
The bubble-hurricane couldn't even put up a fight, and it never thought about retaliating in the first place.
IT knew its place.