"You have summoned the Great Doki—Oh Freso! What in Maja happened here?!"
Max furrowed his brows. The five portals flashed his friends' whereabouts as if granting his wish. He never called them out loud. How did they hear him call?
"What are you doing here?" he asked them.
Olivia stepped out of her portal with Minmin hovering over her shoulders. "I thought I heard your voice, so I called Toki and Doki just to make sure." She stared at the others. "But err... we weren't able to notify everyone so..."
They watched their three friends doing mundane things, oblivious to the portals inside their rooms.
Snow was preparing a large bundle of peace offerings. She had her full attention on her work and failed to notice the portal opening right in front of her face.
Kid was nowhere to be seen, but his whistling of a nursery rhyme they hadn't sung in years echoed around his room.
Clover was staring at the ceiling while sipping on her Kewl-aid. Already tucked into bed, counting sheep. Olivia wondered if she knew Kewl-aids won't help her sleep. She probably didn't, and wouldn't care, nevertheless.
"I hope Max forgives me with this. I hope Max forgives me with this." They heard Snow muttering to herself before noticing the portal. "Ahh! What are you guys doing?!"
She surveyed her friends and sensed something was wrong, so she immediately hid the bundle away from their view. She stepped inside the portal with flushed cheeks.
"I wasn't doing anything—" Her eyes widened—"Chancellor!"
They turned their heads to the Chancellor, and like Snow, both Toki and Doki froze on their spot upon seeing his wounds. They'd never seen him in such a vulnerable state. He was the Chancellor, and they spent their entire lives looking up to his noble figure. Even Olivia stood like a statue. She surveyed the entire room, and her eyes adjusted to the dark. There was debris scattered on the floor.
"We need to treat his wounds," Max said. "Can you help me, Olivia?"
Olivia nodded her head before running to Max's side. "Let me check his wounds." She pressed her hands on the Chancellor's abdomen, and he let out a muffled grunt. "This is not good."
"What's wrong?" Max asked.
"His wounds are turning green… from poison."
Snow gasped, "Poison?! What poison?! Is it lethal?! What are we going to do?!"
"Calm down." Olivia stared at one portal. "I still don't know what it is for sure, but we need Clover's help."
Doki waved his hands in front of Clover's portal. "Clover! We need you here! Hello, Clover! Can you hear me? Yoo-hoo!"
"Tsk," Snow rolled her eyes, "She's sipping on her Kewl-aid, can't you see? There's no way she'll hear you."
She stepped inside the portal to drag Clover out, expecting Clover to jump in fright. But it was Clover, after all. She just smiled upon seeing Snow's face. Like seeing a friend coming out of a portal in the middle of the night was a normal thing.
"Come," Snow smiled back, "We need your help."
Once they were out of the portal, Olivia beckoned Clover to come closer. She noticed the councilor bleeding to death, but no sense of panic showed on her face. Only sadness and worry.
"Uncle..." she murmured after squeezing her Kewl-aid to its last drop. "Are you hurt?"
"W-well, uhm," the Chancellor lied, "It's not that bad."
All of them could tell it was a lie, of course, except Clover. She kneeled in front of the Chancellor. "What can Clover do to help?"
"I need some Derabin leaves to treat his wounds," Olivia answered. "Can you make some for me?"
She nodded.
"Derabin?" Snow mumbled, "That plant takes a century to grow. How is Clover gonna cultivate one in this instance? She might not even know what it looks like."
Doki bit his lips. "I know, right? Isn't that too much to ask, Olivia? Any other alternatives, perhaps?"
"That's already our second option. The first one... it's impossible to make," she said, "Here's a picture of a Derabin plant. I hope it helps."
Minmin popped his small tablet, and Clover stared at the picture. The plant had prominent circular marks on its pink leaves, its roots changing from brown to green and red. She smiled before taking a small handkerchief out of her pockets. There was a spoonful of soil glowing inside.
While envisioning the Derabin plant inside her mind, her hands glowed. A small sprout emerged from the soil, and they watched in anticipation as it grew into a different plant.
"A strawberry," Snow said. "That's not what we need, but you can try again, right?"
Clover closed her eyes once again. But the second, the third, and the fourth plant were no better than the first. Soon, there was a mountain of fruit rejects piled behind her.
"Oranges, grapes, blueberries, and lemons?" Toki sobbed. "Aren't those her favorite Kewl-aid flavors? Huhu. What are we gonna do now?"
"Shh. Be quiet," Olivia said. "Let's give her some time."
She didn't want to put pressure on Clover's shoulder, but one look at the Chancellor was enough to tell her time was growing scarce. They needed those Derabin leaves as soon as possible.
The Chancellor's vision went dark, and Max held his hand to keep him conscious. Clover was growing tired as well. Exhausted from all the attempts she'd made.
"Clover..." Max's voice was pleading. "If you manage to make one... I'll buy you every flavor of Kewl-aid there is."
At once, the sweet, angelic, and tired Clover vanished. Her eyes burned with an inextinguishable fire of determination. Like a devil incarnate, she chanted spells they couldn't recognize, just to realize she was chanting, "Every flavor of Kewl-aid there is. Every flavor of Kewl-aid there is," on repeat.
"What a way to encourage yourself," Toki said while rubbing his arms. Shivers were running up his spine just from watching Clover. "But I think it's working, look!"
A pink leaf started to sprout, and as it grew bigger, the circular rings started to emerge. At last, with the power of Kewl-aid in her mind, Clover succeeded in summoning a rare plant!
Before passing out from exhaustion, she gripped Max's arm, saying in a weak voice, "You...better keep your...promise."
Max nodded his head. "I promise."
Olivia was fast to catch Clover when she passed out. The last thing she heard was, "We'll take care of everything now, Clover. Good night, Sweet dreams."
While her friends tended to the Chancellor's wound, Clover dreamed of her sweetest Kewl-aid that night.