"Velvet, I thought you said Kai murdered your family. Why has the Arcadia Kingdom declared war?"
"Karna, he's still their prince. The royal family probably used his death as a grievance to rile up the people. The kingdom of Arcadia is situated in a desert. Although they happen to be near an important river and are somewhat prosperous, many of its people can barely afford a roof on their heads. We've been blamed for their poverty, as our apparent selfishness is the reason they're starving, rather than the corrupt nobles who control things behind the scenes."
"So, they're using you as a scapegoat to get a war started and take control of this kingdom?" Velvet nodded. "Sobloeze is a very prosperous kingdom. No doubt, the royals at Arcadia have turned their greedy eyes here."
Karna thought about what she said. "Shouldn't we be worried? They're going to attack us."
"The kingdom is miles away from here. It'll take a few days for them to get here. The mountains offer some protection, and we have guards surveying the perimeter." She sat on his lap and stroked his hair. "Besides, if anyone attacks me, my new husband will take care of them, right?" Karna blushed. "I told you to stop teasing me already."
"Boo-hoo. You mean you're going to leave me?"
"Of course, I'm not. There's no way I'm going to leave you, so..." He sighed when Velvet giggled. "Karna, I'm just joking. Although..." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I appreciate the sentiment. You're one of the few people who actually care about me, so thank you."
"I still think your family cares about you, along with some others, too."
"Karna, my brothers, and sisters stay away from me. Even the maids keep their distance. If it's not out of jealousy, it's out of a sense that I'm don't belong. You, Lucia, and Sora are the only ones who accept me for who I am."
"I'm pretty sure some of the soldiers appreciate you." Velvet nodded. "There are some good people in the military, so of course. But you're the only one who truly accepts me and is willing to risk their life for me without complaining. It's why I love you," she whispered in his ear. She brought her lips up to his. Karna was thrown off by her kiss but accepted it nonetheless. The hasty nature of it led Karna to believe she kissed him so he would stop talking about her family, which was a sensitive topic to her. Karna didn't ask any questions and let her be. Velvet got up from his lap and started towards the door. "Where are you going?"
"Your brother said he wants some maps of the Chasm. Apparently, he's found a strange ruin on the third layer. He also asked if you could help him explore it. You should go."
"What about you?"
"I'll go, but only if you want me to."
"I'd love the company." Velvet smiled. "I'll get ready then. Sora wants to talk to you, so you should go see him."
"Wait, so the ruin you found is a temple for a particular Kami?" Sora nodded. "Yeah. His name's Angin. He was a wind Kami, and people worshipped him. If he's still there, we can hopefully persuade him to join us."
"Are you implying I should fuse my soul with his?" Sora nodded. "He had to be tough if people worshipped him. As the Cahaya, you can fuse your soul with two Kamis, which makes you unique. Angin may prove to be a useful ally, and we will need more than you, me, and Velvet if we're going to save the world from the darkness. I'll see you and Velvet in an hour, so be ready by then."
What remained of the temple was a little shrine, adorned with gold statues of what appeared to be Angin. Books lay on the floor, and Velvet picked one up. The ink on the pages was blurry, but most of the letters could still be read. "I think this describes a summoning ritual." Karna peeked over her shoulder. "What does it say?"
"If you want to summon the one who calls the wind, give an offering to him. Food and delicacies should do, although praying is a better option.
"Sora, do you know how we're supposed to pray?" Sora shrugged. "I don't know any more than you. I think we just bow our heads and plead for Angin to help us, although that's beyond me."
"Do you have any food or delicacies we can use, then?" Sora looked inside his pouch. He had dried beef, berries, and some cake. "Yeah, I got a slice of some pretty good cake. Think that'll do?" Karna nodded.
Velvet pointed to a small table. "The book says you're supposed to put the food there, then say a quick prayer."
"What do we say?" asked Sora. "Orang yang memanggil angin, terimalah tawaran saya dan bantu saya." Sora put the cake on the table, went on his knees, and murmured the prayer. Nothing happened. Karna looked around. "This temple is three thousand years old. Maybe Angin left?"
A beam of green light appeared on the table, and a small figure, only half of Sora's height, came out of it. He had green hair and eyes and was wearing a lime robe. "It's been ages since someone offered me something to eat! He quickly nibbled on the cake. Sora was dismayed. "Who are you, exactly?"
"Oh, I'm Angin. I presume you're the ones that gave me the offering?" Karna nodded. Angin clapped his hands together. "Great! What can I do for you?" Karna scratched his head. "Well, I was wondering if you could fuse your soul with me." Angin raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want such a thing?"
"You see, I would like to have you as an ally."
"But why do you want to become a barong with me? You've already fused your soul with another Kami." Karna nodded. "Yes, his name is Visavi Shakti. I'm the Cahaya, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to fuse your soul with me." Angin shook his head. "No, I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"You seriously expect me to go with you on a perilous journey just because you offered me some cake?" Sora sighed. "Ok, you have a point. What do you want, then?"
"Well, let's see. The food you offered tasted amazing. If you could offer me more of that, I think about it." Sora opened his pouch. "Would you like anything in here?" Angin quickly ate everything. "Yum yum. If you could promise to give me more of that, I'll go with you." Karna swiftly promised to do so. Sora rolled his eyes. "You know, for a creature that doesn't require food, you sure are a glutton." Angin nodded. "My kind are so dull. They take everything so seriously and don't know to enjoy anything." A Kegare jumped out of the wall and attacked Angin. Three more attacked Karna.
"Pontianaks!" They were the spirits of dead women said to suck the blood of humans. One flew towards Karna, but Velvet flung a sharp piece of rock at it, and it dissolved. Sora shot a stream of water at another. Karna slashed the one that was attacking Angin with his spear. "Angin, I'm going to need your power here!" Angin nodded. "Do you promise to give me good food?"
"This isn't the time for that!"
"If you don't promise, I won't help you!" Karna sighed. "I'll give you as much food as you want. More pontianaks are coming! I need your help right now."
Angin nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you my name. Utter it, and you will become a barong with me." Karna nodded. "Badai!"
Karna's hair turned green, and he now wore the same robe as Angin. A staff appeared in his right hand. "I'll tell you how to use my power," Angin said in Karna's head. "I attack using hurricanes. First, imagine the size and scale of the hurricane. Swirl your staff, and call my name again when you want to create the hurricane. You don't need to say my name for every hurricane you visualize; it would be redundant." Karna did as he was instructed. A green hurricane swallowed up the pontianaks, and they all dissolved into the air.
Lucia was incredulous. She had never seen someone eat so much cake. "Um, Karna, if you don't mind me asking, who's your little green friend here?" Karna, Velvet, and Sora all sighed. "He's a Kami, although you may have thought otherwise. I promised him a lot of cake in exchange for becoming a barong with me, so I'm sorry about this." Lucia shook her head, chuckling. "It's alright, although I'm impressed. He ate three entire cakes already."
Sora stood on the balcony, watching the night sky. "You seem to be distressed. May I help you?"
"Oh, Visavi. Sorry, I was just looking at the sky." Visavi smiled. "I can tell you have a lot on your mind." Sora nodded. "I never would have expected my little brother to be the new Cahaya. I'm still getting used to it, to be honest. He's become so powerful." Visavi nodded. "Yes, but he still has much to learn if he wishes to defeat Yami."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, right. Yami is the lord of darkness. Your brother quips he's the final boss battle." Sora smirked. "That's quite accurate in this case." Visavi looked at Sora. "Yes, and Yami is extremely dangerous. The basilisk is nothing compared to him."
"Visavi, is there anything that can boost the power of a water Kami?" Visavi nodded. "There is a magical bow in the first layer of the Chasm. The entrance is near here. Why do you ask?"
"I feel as if my little brother's doing all the work, and I'm just getting in the way."
"Karna doesn't say that about you. He says you and Velvet have been a great help to him, giving him things he could have never gotten on his own." Sora smiled. "Yes, well, Karna tries to think the best of everyone, so no surprise there." Visavi nodded. "Well, if you wish to look for the bow, the temple should be to the northwest of here." Sora nodded. "Do tell Karna not to worry about me?" Visavi nodded. "Very well. Good luck retrieving the bow."