…
"T-That kid…!" said Scias and Sean while pulling their sword out. "Hold on, you two!" said Marco whilst standing in front of Scias and Sean, halting them from attacking.
Shortly, Nina realizes a very thin line of mana energy in the air, her eyes shudders in shock and turned around in a blink of an eye. Her magical eyes discovered an invisible flying creature charging at her. She tries to cast, even though she knew that she won't make it.
The little girl then throws her rope darts in an incredible speed, passing above Nina's head and impaled the invisible creature right in both of its eyes, making it revert to visible for everyone's eyes. Surprised, Marco, Scias and Sean, now turned their sights to the invisible creature, which turns out to be an imp demon with wings.
The citizens around them were shocked by the appearance of a monstrous being.
"W-Why there's a monster in here?!"
"Run!"
"I don't wanna die!"
"Call the guards!"
"Somebody save me!"
Sean points his sword, so does Scias with his stance. But without a second, the little girl pulls back her darts and throws them again, but this time, the dart swirls around the demon, tying it still. She then forcefully pulls the demon back to earth with full force. The demon roars out loud, it twitches endlessly, trying to set itself free.
In the middle of her effort, the little girl shouted, "M-Mister…! Kill that… thing!" the girl voiced out while holding still. Her tiny arms look like they would break if held on longer.
Marco has his gun ready. He then shoots the demon right in the head, penetrating it through. The demon did not backlash after being shot, since it died almost instantly. To assure the demon's dead Sean slashes the imp demon's head fiercely, destroying it entirely, while Scias dices the imp's body.
The encounter was short-lived. The demon was confirmed dead by the kingdom's guards, which arrived a few minutes later.
"M-Missy… you are… good?" the little girl asked Nina with a kiddy voice.
"I'm alright. I suppose I owe you my life, little one." She said while smiling to her. "Yeah… only god knows what will happen if you don't jump in sooner," Aily added. She then thanked her, from the bottom of her heart.
The little girl… did not reply. She simply stared at the twin siblings. She scratches her head for a short while, "I was not… protecting you." She said with a blank emotion.
"Eh?"
"I saw a scary mean looking thing coming to me, so I kill it!" she said childishly. Nina and Aily looked at her with a confused face. "…but demon is strong, I need help from kind mister!" the girl added while pointing her fingers at Marco.
"I-Is that so…" said Nina in an awkward voice.
"Then why were you asking whether my sister is alright or not?" Aily asked with a scrunched face.
"I did?" she asked back while having her finger touching her chin.
Nina and Aily shared the same thought just like Sean during his first meeting:
This girl… has some serious issue.
…
..
.
"Phew… that was a close one," said Marco gladly. "U-Uh." Scias nodded lightly. Marco then goes to the girl who was having a chat recently with the twin siblings.
"Yo!" he greeted with a smile, not knowing that Nina and Aily was in confusion. The little girl looked back at Marco. Her face shines happily. "Mister! You… amazing!"
"O-Oh, that so?" Marco replied casually.
"Hey, Marco…" Aily called out.
"Hm? Yes?"
"Who is she exactly?"
"Just an acquaintance. We met a few hours ago on Cavil's place." Marco replied with simplicity. The petite girl who's shorter than Aily smiled brightly, "Mister's cooking… reaaaallly good!"
"Why, thanks. Wanna have more?" Marco offered kindly. The girl looked very happy, she nodded twice, and another thrice to affirm her acceptance. Marco was a bit startled, he was practically joking about offering it.
In his mind shrieks out, "What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?!"
He begins to sweat hardly. "U-Um… I just realized… I actually couldn't make it anymore! Haha..."
Nina and Aily looked at him with a cold stare. Marco sweating intensifies, he can tell Nina and Aily are saying things in their head.
The petite girl melts into sadness, "…uuu… why?" she cried.
Marco's sweating gets far more intense. He never made a kid cry, let alone a little girl!
"U-Um… w-well… it's uh…"
"It's because we're on a long journey, little one." Nina jumped in. She explained that Marco was on a journey and this kingdom is only a small stop for him and his party. Of course, she talked to her with a sincere and kind smile that would sooth anyone when talking to her.
Aily on the other hand says, "He can't make you food because of that. So… we're really sorry."
The girl still looked unhappy. "A..Ah… I know! Let's… um… go to your house! I'll teach you how to cook my special dish!" Marco offered something else. He tries his best to comfort her. Aily elbowed him slightly, she whispers, "Are you sure? I don't think staying along with her would bring us good luck, though…"
"Hush, don't be like that, Aily. She wanted something, so why not help her grasp it?" Marco whispered back. "W-Well… that's true, but…"
The girl was pausing oddly. Nina then asks her first, "Before we do that… why not introduce yourself?" she said kindly.
The girl looked at Nina in the eyes, she blooms her smile again and nods. The girl stands in front of the three. Before she said anything, Scias suddenly joins them.
"So, what's cooking?" he asked metaphorically. The little girl reflectively replies instantly, "Mister's Food!"
"Huh?" Scias got confused by her words. "Um… Marco, who is she?" he asked whisperingly.
"She's about to introduce herself, and you came in the worst timing, dude. Yeah, great, super great. She'll mumble about my cooking now…" Marco grits his teeth in a scrunched face.
"Oh, sorry," so said Scias shortly, casually, and without remorse in his head.
…
"My name… is Pio!" she reveals with a happy smile. "My long name… uh, no, I mean full name is… Pio Perenitzia!"
"Pio, huh? What a cute name," said Nina sharing the same smile. "I am Nina, Nina Meridia. Nice to meet you, Pio."
"I am Aily Meridia, her younger sister. Pleasure to meet you," she waved her hands hello. "…And this 'mister' you're calling here is…"
"Marco! Hehe, that's my name. Nice to meet you, Pio," Marco gives his hand to shake Pio's.
But Pio, however, returns back to her curious face while having her finger touching her chin. She blinks twice in wondrousness. "Nice to 'meat' you? I am not meat, why you say I'm meat?" she asked.
"Hah?" Aily and Marco retorted in the same time. "What do you mean?" Aily added.
Nina realizes something was really off from her, she knelt down to her height and held her hands. "It's called an introduction greeting, dear. It's m-e-e-t, not m-e-a-t, got it?"
"M-e-e-t? Meet? Meet! Hahaha, nice to meet you!" she replied cheerfully. Nina realized that she lacks of common knowledge. While the rest of the party thought she was suffering from lack of common sense.
Scias, who's beside Marco standing tall, shares the same thought too.
"This girl… has some serious issues."
"Alright, then, Pio, lead us to your house and I will teach you how to cook like a real man!"
"She's a girl, Marco." Scias burst in quickly. "Oh! Then like a real girl!"
"But you're a boy." Scias added again. "Blasts! Then, like anything you want to be!"
Pio looked at the bantering boys. "But… I don't have a house." She said with a blank emotion.
Silence.
"…T-Then, where's your family? I will think of a way to teach you, no matter what!" Marco changed his direction.
The girl pauses shortly. Her expression melts down quickly as if she remembered something. She stares at Marco with a glum face. "I don't have family. I'm alone." So said Pio with a darkened emotion, her red eyes emit that of sadness. Even now, her eyes fissures into tears falling down.
The good end point conversation turned off entirely. It's an utter silence.
"…I have sister. But I don't know where she is. I'm alone… no one wants to help me. I'm alone…"
She is a childish kid, but deep in her heart, she harbors a great sadness. She kept saying the same words over and over. "I'm alone… I'm alone… I'm alone…! *hic* I'm alone…"
Nina softly caresses her and cuddles around her. The little girl's tears wet Nina's dress, but it doesn't matter for her. Nina rubs her head gently, while giving the warmth touch of her sisterly kindness.
"You've been through a lot, aren't you…? Now, now…"
Marco and his friends thought she was simply impoverished. But she was far more destitute, and what's worse is that she is left alone in the kingdom, in which Nina knows that the kingdom is full of scams.
"Everything will be alright. You can stop crying now."
Pio tries to stop her tears from falling, but it was inevitable. She couldn't hold her true emotions. She then reveals that her sister left her one year ago, exactly when both worlds, Gaia and Tellus combined into one. It is unclear whether she was from the world of Gaia or the world of Tellus.
Aily empathizes of what she felt until now. In her mind thought, "What if my sister left me, too? I would've cried louder than her. Being alone… is just painful."
Aily herself sees her sister, Nina as the most precious person in her life behind her father and her mother. Thinking of losing her, not to mention a year-long, would be the worst nightmare.
"I feel bad now…" Marco said quietly to Scias.
"I know that feeling, bro. But I'm never good and handling kids. I believe… Nina knows what best to do."
"Dammit, me… I should've never come up with that question."
"Huh… remember you cannot take back what you've said, Marco."
"Sheesh, don't remind me, dammit. I know."
…
..
.
While Marco, Nina and the rest are trying to comfort the young little girl named Pio, Sean was piecing together a puzzling mess.
"There's a demon attacking this kingdom… impossible if a demon would charge human countries by their free will. They still think of their own lives, too.
Unless… there's someone commanding the demon! That must be it. It makes sense, no, it's the only possible thing!
…Then there's no doubt about it. That 'hatted masked man' from Napre, who was responsible for summoning monsters from beneath Napre…
…is here at Alidia!
And I will hunt him down for good!