Hylo ran up to Ether, who was still staring mindlessly in front of him. What he saw just minutes ago still shook him badly.
"Neddy -"
Ether snapped out of his trance, taking a moment to gather himself before facing his daughter. The stale air smelled of freshly grown apples, reminding him of his childhood.
Causing an influx of emotions to surge within his body. Some positive, others negative.
"Why are you out here? Didn't you leave to eat the sun?" she continued.
"I... yes, Hylo. Bergo is gone from our horizon. What remains is the kindred moons," Ether answered.
Hylo sensed something was off, but she couldn't tell what. Ether's tone sounded a little different, like an emotion one couldn't describe.
"Ah, okay. I was just checking in before I left to find Ketra," Hylo raised her shield and sword. "You think these will be enough?"
Ether nodded. "More than enough. Just as long as you remain calm and friendly, you'll be okay. That first hit is what matters, though. If you hit her hard enough, she'll be sure to die in that hit alone. But if you don't..."
"She'll become enraged and surely kill me." Hylo sighed. "I'm a bit nervous - to - to die, I mean. Just in case it does happen."
"I'll hang nearby, then. So if something happens, I'll be there to pull you out of there." Ether assured her.
Hylo felt less stressed after hearing her father's words. She tugged the sword into its sheathe, then slid it between her forearm and shield, pinning it in place.
Energy gathered within her palms as she raised them up to her chest. Black light radiated from the center until Hylo ceased to be in Pareidolia.
All three of the moons hung overhead in the starry night sky. Variants rested soundly, while nocturnal predators came out to hunt.
The meadow Hylo found herself in was coated with midnight dew. It smelled of fresh grass and drowsy evenings.
Cool temperatures topped it off, creating the perfect night of rest - the perfect night for the dreamers. As Hylo regained her senses, she realized something was off about her.
Several blue orbs floated around her, coming together around her head to form a hood. One of these same orbs lingered around the center of her shield.
"Shiny creature!" a booming voice called out to her.
Instantly after hearing them, Hylo recognized it came from Ketra. The odd accent, loud voice, and the presence of innocence notified Hylo.
"Aaaah! Shiny creature make baby Ketra sleepy. Are you a rock?" Ketra asked.
Hylo couldn't respond, she was too dumbstruck to even muster words. This was her first time meeting Ketra, oddly close in time to when Ether ordered her to strike at Ketra.
"No..." Ketra sniffed Hylo's dream-inducing spores. "So shiny, like shiny yellow rocks on Metrivious!"
"Y - yeah... Metrivious. W - would you um... like to nap..?" Hylo asked.
Right before Ketra accepted, she remembered the rogue Variants. Specifically, how Fruzzy described Hylo to her.
She reached into her mouth, taking out a drooled piece of paper with a picture on it. Hylo's general look took up the center, while finger paint took up the rest of the paper.
"Funny rock, is your name Hylo?" Ketra asked.
"I uh..."
"Your name is Hylo!" Ketra roared, catching the attention of another nearby pre-Noble. "Traitor!"
Hylo quickly took out her weapon, desperately trying to prepare before the Rampant Feral arrived. By the time Hylo removed it from the shield, Ketra was already a few steps away from her.
She hurled the sheathe towards Ketra, hoping to catch her off guard. It struck her against her cheek, but it didn't bother her.
Ketra kicked Hylo's stomach, knocking out all air in her lungs. This instantly sent Hylo into her second stage.
The extra weight of her body shed itself, allowing Hylo to become a waking dream - the one that escapes as one wakes up. Normally, a clear minded aggresser would be the only one capable of catching up to her.
But Ketra was so naturally stupid, that there were no thoughts within her brain. Just a simple directive: force Hylo to submit. Because of this, Hylo was still at a disadvantage.
"You are very mean!" Ketra roared.
Hylo struggled up to her feet, only to get crushed beneath Ketra's foot. The feeling felt horrible, it was like she was losing to the weakest pre-Noble.
Yet she didn't aim to lose already. She used her shielded arm to pull one of Ketra's feet right out from under her.
Causing the Feral to collapse. Hylo shot back up to her feet, then prepared for the second round. Sweat piled up on her brow, and anxiety urged her to leave.
But it would be seen as submission to do so. Hylo glared down at Ketra as she rose to meet her gaze.
Unlike the previous two attacks, Hylo prepared to fight back. She dodged Ketra's charges, countering with swift hacks and slashes to her skin.
Opening wounds, but not bothering Ketra. When she came in for the seventh charge, Hylo made the mistake of planting her feet flat on the ground.
Allowing Ketra to out-speed her again and slam her against the ground. A crater opened, seemingly becoming a grave.
When she jumped inside to pounce on Hylo, she didn't expect to receive a shield to the chin. It slowed her down enough to gift Hylo precious seconds.
"You're a tough one..." Hylo muttered as she jumped out of the pit. "But I've trained for hand-to-hand."
Her arms flicked the shield and sword off. Both tools digging into the dirt. If Hylo couldn't effectively out-speed Ketra, she would beat her with precision.
Like how Fruzzy taught her.
Ketra charged at her again, gearing up to deliver a straight. And in response, Hylo ducked and brought forth her own straight.
It clashed with her teeth, breaking the upper row. The hit had enough power behind it to cause a shock wave to erupt out of it.
"Meanest meaner ever!" Ketra's voice rung true with heart-felt anger. "Now I'm mean to you, too!"