He slept in much later than usual the next morning. Luca woke with a flutter of his eyelids as the warm sun filtered across the room, and he felt this peculiar weight on his body. He was taken somewhat aback by this and muttered, "Sick or something?"
As he shifted, a bump in the sheet caught his eye. He lifted the sheet and froze, Luca in utter disbelief. It was Tsumugi, lying on top of him, naked. His mind whirling, heart pounding in his chest, he stared, knowing full well what to do. His breathing felt heavy as panic set in.
Suddenly, Tsumugi stirred. She lifted her head, rubbing her eyes with a soft yawn. Brushing her hair back with her hands, she squinted at the sunlight. "Why is there so much light in the room?" she mumbled before turning to notice Luca's crimson face.
Luoch suddenly scrambled to the side until he fell off the bed in haste. He shielded his eyes immediately. "Wh-why are you naked?! Put some clothes on!" he stuttered. "And what are you doing sleeping on top of me?"
Tsumugi stretched lazily, still completely unbothered. "Calm down. You were warm, and I was cold last night, so I thought. you know."
Luca looked flustered as he said, "I-I don't know!"
"Alright, already," Tsumugi sighed. "Open your eyes."
Luca was hesitant but finally opened them, turning around very cautiously. And to his surprise, he found Tsumugi in her cat form, lying casually and licking her paw for grooming. He let out a sigh, exasperated. "Sweet. This is what I'm stuck with."
Tsumugi rolled over on the bed, grumbling, "I'm hungry. Make me something."
Luca groaned. "Alright, just stay put."
He headed to the kitchen, gathering vegetables and potatoes. He washed and chopped them very carefully; he paid a lot of attention to every step so that he wouldn't think about the initial shock. Luca boiled the potatoes, seasoned the vegetables in a pan lightly, and made a plentiful dish. The aroma filled the room while he carefully set everything on the table.
"Let's eat," Luca called out.
Tsumugi hopped onto a chair and took a bite. Her face lit up as she melted into her seat. "Wow. this is so good! I have my own personal chef now."
Luca sat across from her, taking a bite himself. "Alright, so yesterday you said today we would start to train, exactly how am I going to train?"
Tsumugi kept eating, then paused. "Wait a minute," she said thoughtfully.
Luca looked up, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"Did you bring what I asked for yesterday?" she asked with a nonchalant tone.
"The flower thingy? Yeah, I brought it. It's right there," Luca replied and pointed to a small pot beside the window.
Tsumugi then walked over to the plant, standing up. "Good," she replied as she checked the plant.
"Why did you need that?" Luca asked, much more curious now.
Tsumugi walked back into the kitchen, holding the plant. "This isn't any flower. It's Camellia sinensis. It's used to make tea."
Luca blinked. "Oh. Right, right." Then, it hit him. He had flown to mountains, searching for hours in flower. His eyes widened in realization. "You sent me to find a tea flower. so you could drink tea?!
Tsumugi smiled, undeterred. "Yessss, that is precisely right," she said as she readied the tea.
Luca groaned in frustration. "Do you know how long I looked for that? I thought it was for medicine or something vital!"
Tsumugi let out a light chuckle. "Don't be so silly. It was a great practice flight, and it was an exercise in practicing your tracking abilities, at any rate."
Luca slumped forward across the table, defeated. "Please… someone help me."
Tsumugi playfully knocked against his head. "Cheer up," she said, drawing a steaming cup in front of him. "Try it before grouching."
Luca raised his head, reached for the cup, and took a sip. His annoyance melted away with the soothing warmth rushing down his throat. "Gah. I missed this," he grumbled before hastily adding, "But don't think you get off that easily."
Tsumugi grinned. "I know, I know."
Then, she straightened her expression, setting her hands on the table. "Today, you're going to show me everything."
Luca's heart was racing. He got nervous and startled with the sudden change in her. "Y-yes… I will."
"Good," Tsumugi nodded, sipping more of her tea.
Elsewhere, Kenji woke to the silence of the dark continent. In swift motions, he shook Aiko, Lefn, Leon, and the rest of the squad awake. They were in shock as Aiko sat up, uttering, "What is happening?"
Kenji was low and urgent, serious. "There is no time. Up-now!"
Lefn, groggy, said, "What's happening? Tell us."
Kenji leaned forward, hissing, "The Naxons are closing in around us. I can fend them off but am not in a position to protect all of you. We cannot get away if they find us down here. We must go—now."
Leon nodded, firm. "Alright, what are we to do?"
"First, be quiet, and don't step anywhere," he told them. "Second, follow my every move. For every step that I make, you make.
They did so, as if following Kenji's every move in slow motion. He took them up to the surface, and they knelt in the shade. Kenji cast a watchful eye around the area; there, a few meters away, he saw the Naxons on reconnaissance.
"This is it," Kenji whispered, removing the shield he had made. "Fly, everybody." Kenji shouted, and with another strong outburst of his telekinesis, he flew into the air, carrying Aiko, Lefn, Leon, and the squad into the air with him.
Aiko's eyes went wide with wonder. "You can fly, just like Luca! And you're carrying us with telekinesis!"
Kenji chuckled. "Who do you think taught Luca how to fly, huh?" He giggled briefly, but as they cut through the air, his face showed seriousness directed ahead at something that bothered him.
Lefn picked up on this. "What?"
Kenji's voice had tensed. "This is bad."
Leon sounded concerned. "What's bad?
Kenji's finger pointed toward the rim of the Dark Continent. "Look… There, at the entrance. Naxons. They're lined up, blocking our way."
Aiko urged, "Just don't go down. Keep moving forward!"
Kenji hesitated. "I can't. I can't leave the dark continent."
Lefn frowned. "Why not?"
Kenji looked down, a weighty regret in his voice. "I'm cursed. If I leave… I'll die."
Mei, silent till now, suddenly spoke up. "I have an idea."
Kenji turned to her. "I'm listening."
Mei explained, "You see that big tree down there? We go behind it. I can make us invisible. Then we walk up to the Naxons. You feign lonely, and when they charge at you, we'll slip by unnoticed."
Kenji nodded, impressed. "Nice thinking. Let's go."
They flew down behind the tree and Mei powered on, making them invisible. They moved carefully, working their way toward the Naxon line. Standing in the centre was the Naxon Kenji had fought before.
The Naxon sneered at them. "You didn't mind if I brought some friends, did you?"
Kenji smirked. "Absolutely not. They're going to experience what it's like losing to a lone human being."
The face of the Naxon twisted in anger as he raised his hand. "Kill him!" he shouted.
Hundreds of Naxons charged at Kenji, and he met them head-on, cutting a path through their ranks with his strong telekinesis. Meanwhile, Aiko, Lefn, Leon, and the squad moved silent as ghosts, slipping past the chaos.
They were nearly off the dark continent when Aiko happened to step on a branch, which snapped. One of the nearby Naxon sniffed at the air, catching something off, and approached them with caution, nose twitching.
Out of nowhere, a huge boulder falls on the Naxon, crushing it. Kenji had noticed it and used his power to save them.
Aiko, Lefn, Leon, and the squad broke free from the dark continent and started running at full speed towards the village. Meanwhile, back on the dark continent was Kenji in front of the colossal Naxon. Their fists met with a deafening crash against one another; the air received the shocking waves.
Back with Luca and Tsumugi, Luca was standing in the field while Tsumugi lay lazily in cat form on the staircase of the house.
"Alright," Tsumugi said, "Now try to enter your Symbiote state."
Luca nodded, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He focused, and in an instant, his aura wavered, and weak purple waves of energy circled around him. But the light was weak, flickering, just like the dying of the flame.
Tsumugi watched closely. "Interesting… that's one severe power. The energy touching my skin gives me chills down my legs."
Luca was irate and weary. "Now what? What am I supposed to do?"
Tsumugi, who was still lounging, replied lazily, "Continue doing that."
Luca's ire overflowed. "I've been doing this for days! Days! And it's not working!"
Tsumugi yawned, stretching lazily. "Mmm, I get that, but still, keep at it. I'm going to go check on my vegetables in the garden."
Luca stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious? What a lousy teacher."
Tsumugi turned over her shoulder as she walked away and said, "I heard that, young man!"
A few hours later, Luca was desperately trying and trying, pushing his limits past exhaustion. Throwing in the towel, he headed into the house in search of Tsumugi. He caught a whiff of something burnt in the air.
"You're a bad cook," Luca said flatly.
She shrugged. "I know, I was cooking eggs, but the fire was too strong. It completely ruined them."
As she continued to talk and talk about the burnt food in detail, Luca noticed something: He wasn't even clearly listening to Tsumugi's voice anymore; her voice was far away, his mind elsewhere.
Tsumugi took note of the distanced look across on him. "Are you even listening? I said I'm sorry; I'll make another—
The moment she could get her words out, Luca had already spun around, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her toward him. Tsumugi's face had turned bright red as she stuttered, "Wh-what are you doing?"
Suddenly, Luca's eyes shone with realization: "I've got it! I've got it!" he shouted, releasing her and running outside.
He ran into the middle of the field, where he stood as a fit of sudden energy burst from his body. This time the release was weaker than in the previous case but powerful all the same. The swirling purple energy was dancing around him, and the changes in his appearance began: Tsumugi has stood far away, watching these changes with a proud expression, when suddenly she felt an urge to approach him.
She smiled and said, "I knew you would figure it out. So, how does it feel?"
Luca stared at his hands now formed as claws and the purple shoulder pads that had formed on him. He smiled, feeling the power running through his veins. "I feel amazing."