A moment earlier
Frey and Lum had been coming down the stairs for over twenty minutes now.
"What's the point of this world having such beautiful landscapes around us if all we do is wander underground over and over again" Frey complained.
"Stop complaining, I remind you that I had to carry you here" Lum replied. "Just be glad I made the effort to take you and Mike instead of letting you do your daily workout by running over here, Mr. Muscle"
"Aren't fairies supposed to be good-natured? I feel like there are a few exceptions"
"Hey, I don't have a bad temper, you're the one who's unbearable! And anyway the cliché of the sweet fairy without personnality is outdated anyway"
"Oh really? Well, maybe that would have been better than a fairy who loses her temper at the slightest opportunity"
"Eh?! What are you talking about, I can perfectly control myself."
As Lum finished her sentence, Frey flicked her on the nose:
"Why did you do that, you dumbass!" Lum swore.
"Well, you see you're losing your temper over nothing" Frey chuckledas Lum nudged him in the ribs.
The two continued to bicker for a few minutes before calming down:
"I was just joking" Frey said. "Discovering all these things about the Ark and the Platonic Sea is really terrifying but thanks to you, Mike and I we managed to put the fear aside, it's much better to be with you than with a walking cliché"
"Come on, stop it, you already have a girlfriend" Lum mocked.
"Yep, the difference between you two is that she has a sense of fashion"
"Hey, I don't allow you- wait, I think we there!"
Indeed, Frey could vaguely make out an exit ahead of them. They continued walking and eventually came to a long alley lined with many cells. Most were unoccupied and one even contained what appeared to be a skeleton.
Up until then, Lum and Frey hadn't really liked the sight, but that was until they saw a group of people in prison outfits, with Jase and Paulia in the center.
"Pauly!" Lum said, throwing himself into Paulia's arms for a hug.
As Frey realized that they must have gotten closer when he and Mike went looking for Citura, his attention refocused on one prisoner in particular. He was quite young and didn't look at all as exhausted as the other prisoners. His hair was jet black, his eyes were green and his gaze was determined.
"Frey, good to see you again" Jase said. "I present to you the leader of the resistance, and incidentally Paulia's brother and my best friend, Damien! Damien, this is Frey, he's one of those who helped us find Citura and get here. I hope you get along well"
So this person, Damien, was the main character? It was true that he seemed out of the ordinary, but even then Frey was expecting someone a little more impressive.
Still, Damien and Frey got along well and they quickly got to know each other.
After several moving reunions and several discussions between those present, Frey finally spoke, attracting the attention of everyone present:
"Everyone here, you're going to have to give me some of your attention" he said. "I know you are all happy to have found freedom after so long, but it is not time to celebrate yet"
"What do you mean ?" Jase asked.
He had gone straight to save the prisoners after Citura appeared, just like the other resistance fighters. As a result, it was likely that none of them knew of the arrival of the destroyer.
"What I mean is that right now there's a psychopath with superpowers who is breaking into Inversia and they're coming for one person in particular: you, Damien" Frey said, pointing at the person concerned. "They will not hesitate to eliminate everyone they meets on their way, so we have to hurry to Citura so that Damien is out of danger"
"You... you're kidding, right?" asked Jase. "It's not possible that as soon as we get rid of the king, there is another threat coming right behind, is it?"
"Yes, and I think the situation is even worse now" Lum intervened. "We have to go and meet Mike upstairs at all costs and-"
But that's when the part of the ceiling near the stairs collapsed, startling everyone and blocking access to the exit.
"There's no way, how is it possible to be so unlucky?" Paulia complained.
Frey suspected it wasn't just bad luck. After all, Citura had told them they could go there, which meant the god deemed the basement safe. His doubts were confirmed when one of the freed resistance fighters exclaimed:
"Everyone! Look at this!" he shouted, pointing at a part of the wall near where the ceiling had collapsed.
It was brief, but they could all see a black figure pass over the wall before disappearing into the shadows.
"What was that thing?" Paulia said with a frightened look.
"Impossible, he followed us here too" Lum said, terribly pale.
No doubt, it was definitly them. Noir. Frey and Lum didn't understand why this thing had followed them here, but what they did understand was that the situation had just gotten even worse, if that was possible.
"You seem to know a lot about this thing that has just locked us in here, would you mind giving us some explanation?" Damien asked.
Frey began to answer:
"Well actually, this thing has been chasing us for quite a while now, and-"
But he was interrupted by Lum:
"Sorry everyone but we don't really have time for explanations" she said. "We absolutely have to get out of here and go to Citura, otherwise we will have a problem that'll be much more serious than that of the king"
"But..." Paulia began, before stopping when she saw the seriousness in Lum's eyes.
"How are you going to get us out?" Damien asked.
"What do you mean, can't you see that she's a fairy?" Jase said, pointing at Lum's wings.
"Yes, I realized that. Only, unless we give the power to pass through walls, fairy wings won't really help us" Damien said. "Which brings me back to my first question: how do I get out? I don't see us taking the time to clear the way if the situation is as critical as you say"
Frey noted that his thinking ability was well worthy of the leader of the resistance. Indeed, clearing the path would take too long and Frey didn't really see how Lum's wings could help. In this situation, the only real viable outcome was to use Imagination, but the important thing was how exactly and unfortunately, Frey didn't have any good ideas coming to mind.
"No need to think that far ahead, we'll just transport ourselves straight to Citura" Lum said, causing the people around her to stare in amazement.
"What are you talking about ? You mean you're just going to teleport us or something?" Damien asked.
"Precisely" Lum replied. "With the help of my friend Frey right here, it won't pose the slightest problem"
"Can you actually do something like that?" Jase asked.
Clearly he had doubts, and yet he was the least skeptical of all.
"Of course we can" Lum replied. "We managed to bring back a giant eagle god from a superior plan of existence, how would that be more difficult?"
"Yes, we just need to discuss the details in private for a moment" Frey said before dragging Lum with him away from the group. "It may take a bit, so don't worry"
Once far enough away to not be heard, he asked Lum:
"Can we actually use Imagination to teleport?"
"Of course, Imagination is basically the power to be omnipotent depending on how well you use it" Lum said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"For real!?" Frey exclaimed, however quietly enough so that the resistance did not notice him, apart from Damien who gave him a short sideways glance.
"Well yes, what did you think, that it was just a sort of magic bag from which you can bring out random objects if necessary? No, Imagination is…"
But Lum was suddenly cut off by a voice they knew all too well:
"Imagination has the power to shape our world; it is the source all materials, all concepts, and even all physical and logical laws come from. With Imagination, it is even possible to create in reality, things that do not even apply to the real world: indestructible matter, new colors never before seen, a true afterlife after death, and so on. Comparing it to the Platonic Sea and the Primary World would be like comparing a drawing and its author. In short, Imagination is all powerful, teleporting with it doesn't pose the slightest problem, as long as you can draw enough power from it... and you're not a jerk like the two of you, hehehe"
The person, or rather the creature who had told them that was Noir, who had just appeared in front of them with their usual smile.
"So it wasn't enough for you to lock us in here?" Frey asked. "Do you also have to come and add more and taunt us?"
Oh come on, don't take it like that, after all, I just came to give you some information... my dear Frey"
Saying that, Noir started laughing again:
"By the way, is your girlfriend feeling better? I heard she was in a coma after a fire, poor thing, I wonder who could have done that"
Every muscle in Frey's face contracted:
"You little piece of sh-"
But Lum stopped him immediately:
"Calm down Frey, I know you're angry but this is really the worst time to throw a tantrum"
"Yes Frey, listen to the fairy" Noir said. "After all, even if the guys with you can't see or hear me, they can hear all your angry cries"
In fact, some of them had already started to stare at him suspiciously. Lum put his hand on Frey's shoulder, as if begging him to stay calm.
"Tssk… speak, what do you want?" Frey asked, trying to make his voice as intimidating and authoritative as possible, without hiding the anger it contained.
Noir looked more amused than anything as they replied:
"Hey, sure. In that case let's continue our little discussion, but be careful, Frey. After all... time. Is. Running out. For you" Noir said, sending shivers down Frey and Lum's spine.