Hywel, horrified about witnessing Timothy's might, swallowed down his saliva and concealed his fearfulness by becoming collected. "Do as you please..." He trekked outside of the dining room, "Shanya. Come with me." He ordered, and momentarily, Shanya paused. She heeded Hywel, following him, and passed by Timothy, looking at him from the edge of her eye.
Chiaki moved the chair backward upon standing up, wearing a blank expression, "What on earth are you trying to do?! Show off so that the god of wind comes to you because he sees you as a valuable foe! Or are you trying to make a poor impression on the people we're trying to help?"
Timothy's silly expression made him blink multiple times. He scratched his cheek, seeing Chiaki ticked off about his terrible act.
She strode before him, squeezed his collar, and yanked him close to her face, forcing him to look into her eyes. He blinked, trying to solve what her sense was, and attended. "There are three things I cannot tolerate: insanity, bad haircuts, and horrible sense of humor, and, unfortunately, you possess all three of these at the moment." Dumbfounded by her statement, Timothy gradually raised his finger, pointing it at himself.
"And one more thing..." Chiaki disrobed Timothy's jacket and flogged it behind her, "Your clothes are all muddy. You smell like crap. So, clean yourself before you go out into the forest like an oddball." She turned around, pulling his white jacket behind, "...and you too, Elliott." Timothy couldn't comprehend what he just witnessed and remained silent and bewildered.
-
Kou and Aurora ventured deeper into the lair. They reached a gleaming opening full of shimmering azure crystals and spiky rocks.
The cave appeared empty, unobstructed, without anyone living inside it, so Kou gradually started becoming more composed, depending on his instincts to escape the den.
"It's almost like a grotto," Aurora claimed, following Kou and breathing in the beauty assembled by the breathtaking, illuminated crystals. "There's writing on those crystals..." Kou pointed out, drawing Aurora's engagement and piquing her curiosity. "It's one of those sacred handwritings done by the god of terminology." She used her knuckles to bang on the crystal, making a ring-like sound.
Startled about Aurora's knowledge, Kou sensed an odd sentiment around him, "It sounds like some unnatural rumbling..." he thought in his head, turning around and surveying the cave, "but where's it coming from? It sounds close."
Aurora peeked at him, "What's wrong?" she inquired and felt Kou's palm cover her lips, "Shhh, something's coming. Don't make too much noise." He declared, showing her to stay hushed with his finger in front of his mouth.
A person's body emerged from one of the crystals. They were covered by a hard-as-steel substance that seemed like a diamond. They didn't strike or talk to them. However, Kou and Aurora heard their mumble that kept repeating the same word; bride.
The man's diamond body continued latching his eyes onto Aurora, walking like the undead. However, he had a clear mind of what his mission was and didn't let up. "Bride... for our leader..." Aurora didn't comprehend the man, "B-Bride? Wh-What?" she tried to converse with him, but he reiterated the same sentence without other explanations, "Bride for our leader..."
Kou became aware, "I think he's after you, Aurora." His statement amazed her, bewildering her more than she knew, "Me? Why? I don't know anyone here. Why would they be after me?" Kou gradually guided her to back away and did as requested, "I.. don't know. But I think they see you as a 'bride material' for someone." Aurora looked at him, flabbergasted, "Ehh?! You mean like marriage?!"
Kou felt talking about it was awkward, but he confirmed, "Y-Yeah... I-I don't think there are any other meanings for 'bride.'" Aurora argued about the terrible idea of her getting married, "I'm not marrying some random guy! I'm too young for that to be even thinking about marriage!" Kou formed a kitty face, whiskers practically growing from his nose, "You're 20, old enough."
Aurora became aggravated and furious, "I am *not* ready! Besides, I have no plans to partake in a wedding!" Kou peeked at her from the hub of his eye, becoming straight, "Then stay back. I'll take care of this, trust me. I may or may not be a 'kid,' but I got some skill." Aurora looked at him unimpressed, "You are a kid." She assured as Kou hollered at her, "Shut up!" his eyes blazed, and mint energy encircled him.
"Bride..." the man said, "Perfect bride..." He continued steadily approaching Aurora, ignoring Kou, who obstructed him. "Can you even hear me?" Kou asked but didn't receive a response, "I guess that's a no..." He realized that the man was getting closer, so Kou finally acted.
He rushed into offense, sending a kick toward the man's head. However, the man halted in his tracks, and the moment Kou's instep collided, the man didn't flinch. He was like a sturdy, moving rock.
Kou clutched his foot, jumping on the other while crying out into the cave, "Damn it! What's your body made out of?! Crystal?!" Kou inquired, bounding backward and hearing Aurora, "I'm pretty sure that's what his body's made out of." Kou turned in her direction, irritated, "Nobody asked for your opinion!" Kou let go of his foot and positioned it on the rocky terrain.
As the man of diamond got closer to them, Kou finally sweetened his strength and transformed his energy into a more radiant form. He walked ahead while pulling his arm behind him, punching the air in front of him. He conjured up a powerful wind that wheezed and slammed at the man's robust frame. It briefly caught him off guard and forced him to take one step back, but he quickly resumed its approach.
In order to demolish the floor and raise the cutting edges of the stones that were ready to strike the man, Kou raised his leg and stomped the ground.
The man of diamond clenched his muscles to the point that his own fist began to quiver before unleashing a powerful blow into the ground. From the earth, he created diamond crystals that grew and struck the stones.
The stones were dominated by the crystals, which caused them to fall to the ground and break into pieces that scattered across the room and almost impacted Aurora in the head. Fortunately, she was able to duck and hide.
Once Kou had his face covered and could see again, he began to feel a little worried, "I'm starting to believe this won't be easy as much as I hoped it would have been."
When he made his announcement, he saw more diamond men emerging from the cave's crystals. They had no choice but to fight or flee, neither of which appeared safe enough to do so.
To be continued...