Chiyo clenched her jaw as the laughter behind the wall grew louder. and her patience had finally run out. "Okay, that's it," she muttered under her breath, kicking her chair back as she stood.
Storming out of her room, she made her way to the kitchen. The door flew open with a bang as she stepped inside, surveying the chaos within. Kenji and Olorun were locked in yet another heated brawl, the clang of metal and bursts of energy echoing off the walls. Tony was busy at the stove, his expression calm but weary, as if this was just another day in the madhouse. Meanwhile, Eleo was standing on a chair, hands cupped around his mouth as he cheered.
"Go, Kenji! Use the move I taught you—no, not that one! The spinning kick! Come on!"
Chiyo sighed heavily, placing her hands on her hips. "Uh, leader," she said, raising an eyebrow at Eleo. "I need your assistance."
Eleo waved her off without turning. "Can it wait? I'm watching a cool battle here!"
Chiyo smirked, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "Oh, I see. Guess you don't care about all the carrots I found."
In the blink of an eye, Eleo was at her side, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Lead on!"
She blinked at his sudden appearance, momentarily startled. "That was… fast." Shaking her head, she grabbed his hand and tugged him along.
As they entered her room, Eleo glanced around, his expression shifting to confusion. "Wait a second. There's no carrots here!"
"Yeah, I lied about that," Chiyo admitted, leaning against the wall.
Eleo gasped, placing a hand over his chest in mock offense. "Ohhh, I get it. You just wanted an excuse to hold my hand. You like me, don't you? You want me to be your boyfriend."
Chiyo's face twisted in disgust as she immediately let go of his hand. "Eww, no! You're way too young for me. I'm sixteen, and you're, what, five?"
"I'm eight!" Eleo corrected, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Doesn't make it better," Chiyo muttered, rolling her eyes. "And even if you were my age—maybe. But anyway, forget that. There's some kind of noise coming from the wall."
Eleo's curiosity piqued, and he stepped toward the wall, pressing his ear against it. After a moment, he grinned. "I see, I see." Without warning, he shouted, "HEY! STOP MAKING NOISE!"
There was a pause, followed by high-pitched laughter echoing from the other side.
"See?" Chiyo said, crossing her arms with a smug look.
"Hmmm…" Eleo tapped his chin thoughtfully before leaning close to the wall. "Hey, sir! What do you want?"
The voice giggled again. "What do you want?"
"Why are you laughing?" Eleo asked, tilting his head.
"Because you're going to kill me," the voice replied, still laughing. "And you can't get to me!"
"We're not going to kill you," Eleo said earnestly.
The voice hesitated. "R-Really?"
Chiyo whispered under her breath, "I should be the one to kill you."
"Shhh!" Eleo hissed, waving her off. "No, we're not gonna kill you. As a matter of fact, you should join our team!"
"Join your team?" The voice sounded genuinely surprised. "Wow! Okay, but I'll have to make a little hole to come out."
Chiyo frowned, her mind racing. "Ohhh, so that's how you've been hiding this whole time because you're small. Figures."
Meanwhile, Tony's voice called from the kitchen. "Chiyo, Eleo! Food's ready!"
They returned to find Kenji and Olorun slumped against the wall, both bruised and battered. Olorun weakly raised a hand. "I… Olorun… have emerged victorious."
Kenji scoffed. "In your dreams, idiot."
Suddenly, Eleo kicked the door open with unnecessary flair, Chiyo following close behind with a deadpan expression. Eleo held his hands behind his back, his grin practically splitting his face. "Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to our new member!"
Tony glanced over from the stove, his brow furrowed. "Uh… it's just Chiyo."
"No, no, no!" Eleo said dramatically, stepping aside to reveal the tiny figure in his hands. "It's Timmy!"
Timmy waved shyly, their mushroom cap bobbing as they looked around nervously.
Tony's eyes widened slightly. "A Minari?"
Olorun perked up, his curiosity piqued. "What's a Minari?"
Tony sighed, leaning against the counter. "They're tiny forest folk. They live in harmony with nature—like little gardeners or caretakers of the woods. Curious, fragile, but clever. They don't usually… hang out with people like us."
Timmy nodded enthusiastically. "That's me! Though, um… I wasn't exactly hanging out. I was planning to steal your boat, but you guys came back, so I hid in the walls."
Chiyo groaned. "Of course you were."
"Hey!" Timmy protested, stomping their tiny foot. "I thought it was abandoned!"
Eleo crouched to Timmy's height, grinning. "Well, now you don't have to steal anything! Welcome to the team!"
Timmy's eyes lit up. "Really? I get to be part of your team?"
Tony shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Sure, why not? We're already one big, chaotic disaster. What's one more member?"
Chiyo muttered, "This is going to be a disaster."
Tony chuckled. "When isn't it?"
Eleo beamed at Timmy, crouching to meet the tiny Minari's eye level. "So, Timmy, do you want to officially join my team?"
Timmy's face lit up, their mossy hair bouncing slightly as they nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!"
As soon as the words left Timmy's mouth, a glowing blue message materialized in the air:
Timmy has joined Eleo's team.
Eleo's Team: Tony, Kenji, Olorun, Chiyo, Timmy.
Timmy stared at the message in awe. "Whoa! Is that normal?"
Eleo straightened up, puffing out his chest with pride. "Of course, it is. My team is so awesome it's got notifications."
Timmy clasped their tiny hands together. "Thank you, Eleo!"
Eleo grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem, little buddy."
Timmy looked around the room curiously. "Do you guys have books? I love books!"
Olorun scoffed, flexing his arms dramatically. "Books? Why bother with books when you can work out! Knowledge doesn't win battles; muscles do!"
Timmy blinked, then scratched their head. "Oh, um, my mistake, I guess…"
Tony chuckled as he walked over, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Chiyo, Eleo, your food's ready"
Eleo gently placed Timmy on the ground before rushing to the table. He grabbed a plate, speared a piece of meat with his fork, and took a big bite. "Mmm!" he exclaimed. "It's good, but not good enough for carrots. Still, I'll eat it!"
Chiyo grabbed her plate and took a seat. Without hesitation, she sank her teeth into a slab of meat, her vampiric instincts kicking in as she sucked the juices from it with a loud slurp.
Olorun stared at her, his face scrunching in confusion. "Chiyo… what the hell are you doing?"
"Drinking," Chiyo replied matter-of-factly, not pausing her meal.
Kenji raised an eyebrow. "How the hell is that drinking?"
Chiyo smirked, holding up the now dry piece of meat. "I'm basically drinking the meat's juices. Efficient"
Timmy, perched on the edge of the table, raised a hand. "Hey, what about me? I'm hungry too!"
Tony handed his untouched plate to Timmy. "Here, you can have mine. I'm a skeleton—I don't need food."
"Thanks, Mr. Skeleton!" Timmy chirped. With surprising agility, they leaped onto the table, grabbed the plate, and started munching happily.
After everyone finished eating, they piled their plates in the sink, leaving the cleanup for later. Eleo stretched his arms above his head as he walked to the deck. Looking out at the horizon, he grinned. "Wow, it's already nighttime."
Behind him, Chiyo yawned, stretching lazily. "Time to head to bed," she said, turning toward her room. "Good night, Eleo."
"Good night!" Eleo called after her, watching as she disappeared down the hall.
Olorun emerged from the kitchen, holding up a hammock triumphantly. "Hahaha! Guess who gets the hammock tonight?" he taunted. "That's right—me! The rest of you can enjoy sleeping on the floor."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "You're insufferable."
Tony ignored the banter, heading to the ship's controls. "Let's get moving," he said, flipping a few switches. The gangplank retracted with a hiss, and the wings on the sides of the ship unfurled. With a hum of energy, the ship lifted off from the island and soared into the night sky.
Timmy rushed to the window, pressing their tiny hands against the glass. "Wow! This ship can fly?!"
Kenji crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Yep. It's the fastest ship in the skies. Pretty cool, huh?"
Timmy nodded enthusiastically. "It's amazing!"
As they all head down in the lower section of the ship, Olorun set up his hammock, smirking at the others. "Well, goodnight, losers. Enjoy the cold, hard floor!"
Timmy glanced around nervously. "Wait… we have to sleep on the floor?"
Tony settled himself in a corner, leaning back with his arms crossed. "Yep. Welcome to the team."
Eleo flopped down next to him with a satisfied sigh. "It's not that bad once you get used to it. Builds character!"
Kenji chose a spot against the wall, closing his eyes. "Try not to overthink it, kid."
Timmy sighed but lay down on the floor, curling up against their tiny wooden staff. As they stared at the ceiling, they thought to themselves, Well, this group seems… normal. Maybe joining them wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Soon, the ship hummed softly as it soared through the starry sky, and one by one, everyone drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Chiyo lay in bed, still cocooned in her blankets, when she noticed an unusual chill. Air seemed to flow into her room as though a fan were blasting, and it prickled against her skin like frost. She groggily opened her eyes, seeing small snowflakes drifting through a crack in the window. Her eyes widened as she shot upright.
"Snow?!" she muttered, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. she stomped toward the door, muttering curses under her breath. As she opened it, the chill hit her full force, making her shiver. She glanced down the hall and then stormed toward the lower deck.
Chiyo burst into the room where the others were sleeping, yelling, "GUYS! HEY! IT'S SNOWING!"
Olorun groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes. "Snowing? What are you talking about, Chiyo?"
Chiyo crossed her arms impatiently. "Yep. It's snowing. You might want to get up and see it before I freeze my ass off alone."
Eleo stirred from his spot on the floor, blinking at her sleepily. "Snow? Really? I wanna see!"
Tony stretched, his bones cracking audibly. "Guess I better check it out. I haven't seen snow in a hundred years."
The group groggily made their way to the deck. As they stepped out into the open air, they were greeted by a dazzling scene of falling snowflakes and a blanket of white powder covering the ship's surface. The cold hit them like a wall, and all of them began to shiver.
Olorun rubbed his arms, his teeth chattering. "How the hell is it snowing out here?!"
Timmy, perched on Eleo's shoulder, piped up. "We must be near Lala Island! It's the place where it snows forever. A magical phenomenon or something."
Eleo's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wow! I want to see this place! It sounds awesome!"
Kenji stepped forward, but as he did, a bundle of rolled-up posters smacked him square in the head. "What the hell?" he growled, grabbing the bundle and unraveling it. His eyes widened when he saw the first one. "Guys, look at this."
He held up the poster, revealing a smiling picture of Eleo. The text read:
ELEO
Age: 8
Threat Level: 2½ Stars
Alias: The Bunny Kid
Eleo stared at the poster with awe, his grin stretching ear to ear. "Wow! They finally know who I am! I'm officially famous!"
Kenji smirked, pulling out the next one. It showed Tony casually smoking, with the same star rating.
TONY
Age: 1,000
Threat Level: 2½ Stars
Alias: The Skeleton
Tony looked at it, chuckling dryly. "Well, I guess my smoking habits made it into my wanted poster. Speaking of which, I forgot to buy cigarettes back at the city."
Kenji rolled his eyes and unrolled another one, revealing his own face. His cold stare seemed to pierce through the paper.
KENJI
Age: 16
Threat Level: 2½ Stars
Alias: The Swordsman
Kenji smirked, pride flickering in his eyes. "Hahaha! Looks like I'm a big deal now."
The next poster was of Olorun, his smirk practically radiating confidence.
OLORUN
Age: 16
Threat Level: 2½ Stars
Alias: The Lightning Man
Olorun pumped his fist in the air. "Woohoo! I'm famous too!"
Finally, Kenji unrolled the last poster, revealing Chiyo flipping off the camera with a scowl on her face.
CHIYO
Age: 16
Threat Level: 2½ Stars
Alias: The Vampire
The group stared at her poster in stunned silence before speaking in unison. "Wait—you're a vampire?"
Chiyo rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Yeah, and it doesn't matter. What matters is why these posters even exist!"
Tony tapped his bony chin thoughtfully. "Oh, that's simple. If you join Eleo's team, you automatically get hunted by the Supreme Council and their military forces."
Chiyo, Olorun, and Timmy stared at him in shock, their voices overlapping as they yelled, "WHAT?!"
Eleo looked around, confused. "Why are you guys surprised? I thought it was obvious we're the coolest—and most wanted—team out there!"
Timmy tugged on Eleo's sleeve. "Does this mean we're all in danger?"
Eleo grinned, giving Timmy a reassuring pat on the head. "Danger? Nah. It just means we're important enough for people to chase after us. It's kind of flattering, really!"
Chiyo smacked her forehead. "You've got to be kidding me. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
Tony shrugged. "It's just the way it is. We're outlaws now, like it or not."
Olorun crossed his arms, a determined glint in his eyes. "Well, if they want to come after me, let them try! I'll show them what lightning can do!"
Kenji smirked, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I'm not worried. Bring it on."
Chiyo groaned. "You guys are insane. I'm surrounded by lunatics."
Timmy puffed out his cheeks in frustration. "Wait, how come I don't get a poster?"
Tony glanced at him, shrugging nonchalantly. "Well, I mean, you just joined. These things take time. Bureaucracy and all that."
Timmy groaned dramatically. "Ahhh, man! I want to be famous too!"
Eleo, grinning ear to ear, placed his hands on his hips. "Don't worry, Timmy! Stick with me, and you'll get a poster in no time. Trust me—I'm great at making people famous."
Chiyo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, infamy is more like it."
Ignoring her, Eleo spun around and pointed toward the horizon. "Alright, everyone! Let's head to Lala Island! I've got to see this place for myself!"
Tony reached into his pocket, pulling out a crinkled map. "Hold on, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's see where we are." He spread the map out on the ship's wheel, scanning it. "Hmm… Lala Island is due north. Good news, we're heading in the right direction. And we're super close."
Kenji frowned, crossing his arms. "Wait a second. None of us brought jackets. How are we supposed to handle the cold?"
Tony gestured to himself with a smug grin. "Doesn't affect me. Perks of being a skeleton. But you guys, yeah… you're gonna freeze solid if you don't bundle up."
Olorun threw his hands in the air. "Well, that's just great! I'll be a popsicle before I even step foot on this island."
Timmy chimed in, his voice tinged with nervous excitement. "Oh, and by the way, there are monsters on Lala Island too."
Olorun groaned. "Fantastic. Freezing temperatures and monsters. Just what I wanted."
Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Relax, big guy. We've handled worse. Besides…" He turned back to the ship's wheel, spinning it slightly. "We're here."
The ship slowed as it approached the island, gliding over a glassy stretch of water. Snow fell steadily, covering the deck in a fine layer of white. Tony brought the ship to a halt, lowering the gangplank onto a frosty shoreline.
"Welp, welcome to Lala Island," Tony announced, motioning for everyone to disembark.
The ship hovered near the icy shoreline of Lala Island, giving the crew a clear view of its surreal landscape. The snow covering the island wasn't ordinary; each flake sparkled like crushed gemstones, catching the faint, silvery light of an overcast sky. It wasn't just cold—it was a chilling beauty that felt almost otherworldly, as if the place were caught in an eternal winter dream.
Massive ice spires rose high into the sky, their surfaces impossibly smooth and shimmering with faint rainbow hues. The spires were like frozen towers of glass, refracting the dim light into soft, multicolored beams that danced across the landscape. Within each spire, strange, shifting patterns seemed to move, almost like constellations frozen in time.
Dotting the land were peculiar trees, their trunks translucent and pulsing faintly as though they were alive. These trees had no branches or leaves; instead, they bore clusters of crystalline fruits that glowed faintly in soft blues, pinks, and purples. These fruits emitted a gentle hum, a soothing, melodic sound that blended with the quiet winds swirling around the island.
The ground itself wasn't entirely solid; parts of it appeared to be made of compacted ice, while other areas seemed to glow faintly with an unearthly energy, as though the island was alive and aware of its visitors. Small streams of liquid light ran beneath the surface, crisscrossing like glowing veins in a giant, frozen body.
Occasionally, strange creatures could be seen darting across the island. They looked like large, frosted rabbits with shimmering, snow-like fur that glittered with each movement. Their ears were unnaturally long, almost like antennae, and glowed faintly at the tips. As they moved, they left glowing trails in the snow, which faded after a few seconds.
Above the island, the sky was a swirling mix of gray clouds and shimmering auroras, with streaks of soft greens and purples weaving through the atmosphere like ribbons of light. Snowflakes fell steadily, though they seemed to float lazily rather than fall directly, as if gravity held less sway here.
From the safety of the ship's deck, the crew could see the island stretch far into the distance. Small, glowing caves lined the edges of the ice spires, their entrances emitting faint, golden light, hinting at mysteries hidden within. Despite the breathtaking beauty, there was an eerie stillness to the place, as if it were holding its breath, waiting for something—or someone—to disturb its fragile serenity.
"This place…" Tony muttered, leaning over the railing to take it all in. "It's beautiful, but something about it feels… unnatural."