I can't believe I got the scholarship!" Sunny said with a joyous smile as they walked down the street. It was a cloudy day, so she glanced up at the sky in case it began to rain.
"I know!" replied the excited Cynoce, whose tag was wagging rapidly. "You were the boss there! You really were feisty behind that shy and timid facade! You should really remember to always roast, hon!"
Sunny and Cynoce giggled when a tiny raindrop dripped onto Cynoce's head, and more began to come. Cynoce growled, and he began to leap into the air, barking as he tried to bite the raindrops, which continued to pour down on him.
"Oh, Cynoce!" Sunny yelled aloud, running over to Cynoce and hovered her arms over Cynoce's head. "You're going to catch a cold!"
"Me? You're the one standing in the rain! We need an umbrella!" That was when Cynoce paused, and he suggested, "Hey! Sunny, you should try this trick where you can get anything you desire by just pulling it from your back!"
Sunny tilted her head to the side quizzically, "How does that work?"
"It's just how the Non-Law works, silly! Just try it, you may have the honors."
Sunny nodded, and she raised her hand, placing it behind her back. At first, she felt nothing of course, but then her thumb began to rub a smooth, wooden handle. She gasped, and she stretched out the item, finding an umbrella. "Cynoce, you're right! It really did work!"
Cynoce snickered, "Of course I'm always right! After all, I know everything about this place!"
But suddenly, Sunny was already walking away, unaware that she was leaving Cynoce behind.
"H-hey!" Cynoce called, sprinting towards the puddles. "Wait up!"
Sunny turned around, but the moment she noticed their distance, Cynoce suddenly tripped, falling flat-face into the mud.
"Jiminy crickets!" Sunny exclaimed, running over to Cynoce who raised his head, which was covered in fudge-like mud.
Sunny giggled, "You got a beard, Cynoce."
Cynoce grumbled, his arms crossed as Sunny took off her yellow shirt, revealing a single black long-sleeved shirt. With the umbrella shielding them from the rain, Sunny rubbed Cynoce's muddy face with her shirt until it was clean again. It began to rain harder, the raindrops beating down on the panels of Sunny's umbrella.
"Oh, dear." she said, looking up as she took Cynoce's paw and helped him up, his clothes however were stained with mud. "We're going to have to find a new place to stay at.." She then sighed, her eyes closed as she was locked in a trance, she was comforted by the warmth and remembrance of the orphanage, which had always been her home. She began to feel a sense of longing, for she wished that her life wasn't turned upside down. She wished that she didn't knew what a Emvyro tree was, she wished that she still had her shoes and socks, she wished that everything was still normal and safe, and she could share it with her friends and family back at the orphanage.
"Hello, there.." The elderly lady that Sunny helped before appeared, she was carrying her basket full of fruits, and she had a shawl wrapped on her head. "You were that young lady who helped a few hours ago…Thank you so much, my darling, I would've been squished to death because of that pesky honk-a-tweet. You know how fragile and delicate old ladies like us could be."
Sunny nodded, her cheeks turning pink with shyness.
The elderly lady giggled, and she gently pinched Sunny's cheek, "You're such a sweet one, aren't you? What are you doing out here in the rain like this?"
"Ma'am, I'm new here, and I don't know where to go." Sunny said, not even hesitating to speak the truth.
"Oh, dear. Do you not have any family? A mother or father, perhaps?"
Sunny froze for a moment when the elderly lady questioned her father, and she took a deep breath, speaking sadly, "I don't have any parents, ma'am. I grew up without a mother, and my father has been dead since I was a little girl."
The elderly lady covered her mouth, her eyes almost blurry, "Oh, that's horrible! It's no wonder why you're wandering around in the rain with your…dog?" She took notice of Cynoce, whose arms were crossed, he still had some mud on his face, and it looked like he had a slick brunette beard. The elderly lady rolled her eyes, "Oh, great. It's a cynocephali, dog-headed descendants of humans and werewolves."
Sunny's eyes twinkled in awe, "Woah, werewolves and humans together? I've never heard of anything like that before!"
Cynoce grumbled, "You got a problem with that, granny?"
The elderly lady's eyes widened, and she roared as she folded her parasol and smacked Cynoce multiple times on the head, multiple bumps growing each smack she gave him.
"Don't you dare call me 'Granny', you little furry brat! And get your cotton-furred paws off of me!"
After she was finished, Cynoce raised his head, he didn't bleed, he didn't have a purple eye, only a bump with multiple tiny bumps sticking together into branches, making it look like an evergreen tree.
"Oh, my goodness!" Sunny exclaimed, running over and kneeling down, caressing Cynoce's cheeks. "Are you alright?"
Cynoce grumbled as he smacked Sunny's hands away, "I'm fine, you can let me go now. Why do I bother coming with you?"
"He's right, you should let him go. Nobody would want to hang out with a feral child like him!" The elderly lady spoke.
Sunny gave the elderly lady an angry look, before softening her expression when she turned back to Cynoce, "Hey, I would never abandon you. You're my friend, and if I did let you go, then you would be just like me, all alone and lost…I don't want to let anybody have the same feeling as I did."
The elderly lady sighed, "Young lady, I can give you shelter if you like, I feel horrible for you and your little dog too, but that doesn't mean I actually care for him."
Sunny grumbled, "Listen, I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not going without Cynoce, so you either let me take him, or I stay out here in the rain."
The elderly lady scoffed at her persistence, but she sighed, gesturing for them to come along. But that was when she looked down, and to her shock, Sunny's feet were red with blood from the lack of shoes, it almost made her feel nauseous.
"Oh, dear!" The elderly lady gasped. "We'll have to take care of that when we go home!"
***
They were inside a small cottage that was near what appears to be the only green in a city filled with technology. It was like a fairy tale hole, surrounded by trees colored with lushful green and grass that was eternally evergreen. There were even woodland creatures like squirrels or rabbits, and they were living their best lives unharmed by pollution or technology. Inside, Sunny was given a small cup of tea by the elderly lady, who let her sit on her rocking chair as she wrapped Sunny's swollen feet with some bandages, her foot palms already numb and paralyzed from the agonizing, shoeless pain.
"How did you lose your shoes?"
"It's a long story, we were on Empusa."
The elderly lady raised her head, her eyes widened.
"The one with the witches and the phantoms?" she questioned, her heart racing.
Sunny nodded, and the elderly lady's grimy and wrinkly jaw dropped to the floor.
"Oh, dear!" she said. "It's no wonder why you don't have any shoes! You've forgotten them, haven't you?"
"Yes, and it wasn't my fault. They were after me and Cynoce, and we had to run away or else become an Emvyro."
"You poor thing." the elderly lady pitied, finishing bandaging Sunny's feet. "Don't worry, I'll get you some shoes that'll help you."
Sunny sighed, but then her somber, pained expression was replaced with a curious one, "Hey, do you know anything about Meimon Academy?"
The elderly lady turned around, and she smiled, "Of course! That is one of the most prestigious training schools for crusaders!"
"Well, I confronted the Roaster when he was holding up a challenge that whoever roasted him horribly would get the scholarship, and I won!" Sunny said with a smile.
The elderly lady's jaw dropped to the floor, her eyes popping out her sockets.
"That's wonderful, my dear, wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You're a truly lucky child, you know? Once they see you, they'll definitely let you in, especially since you saved me from being squashed that morning!"
"Wait, they know?"
"Of course, it's all over the news!" The elderly lady pressed a remote, and the television, which was a big, black board pressed against the wall suddenly zapped awake.
On the screen, the news reporter, who was a skinny man with a bushy mustache, spoke seriously, "Breaking news today, this morning, the coyote and the honk-a-tweet are at it again. They speed through the city, causing havoc everywhere they go and causing 12 barbecues to blow up, 20 dogs scared off and wandering around with their status missing, and an elderly lady nearly squashed to death. Thankfully, a young girl with brunette hair and olive skin managed to get in the way to save the elderly lady, and everyone couldn't stop going wild over her. Meanwhile, the coyote is currently paying charges for the damages he caused while the honk-a-tweet has once again raced off into the unknown."
Sunny gasped as she watched the video of her heroic act play on the screen, her heart thumped a little, and she couldn't help but smile, "Oh my, so I guess everyone knows me now."
The elderly lady giggled, "And so did the Divine Quartet. They're the commanders of the Holy Crusader militia and they give out orders for them. They also run the academy as administrators, so they would definitely sign you in because of your heroic act. You see, crusaders are known to be knights in shining armor who defend the city, such acts being so honorable that those who are acceptable come over, if they are interested. Are you interested?"
Sunny giggled with delight, and she happily declared, "Interested? I'm more than interested to join! I love helping people, even strangers! In fact, it may help me out with how shy I am around people!"
Cynoce rolled his eyes as he remained seated on the floor, "Yeah, yeah, she's the best."
The elderly lady scoffed, "You're just jealous because you can't go to a prestigious school like Meimon Academy like her! I want you to know that this is a virtuous Creatorist home, and that I can't stand things like you!"
Sunny tilted her head to the side curiously, "What's a Creatorist?"
"You don't know? Creatority is a religion that centers around the Creator, he is known as an omnipotent deity who guards the planet. Despite the fact that we could never see or hear him, we know that he's always there."
Sunny had a dreamy look on her face, she was fascinated by the Creator, it was like she was meant to understand who he is, "I want to worship him too."
"Well, you can!" the elderly lady said with a smile, patting her shoulder to snap her out of her trance. "I can be your tutor, and I will teach you how to worship him. After all, I am the High Priestess, Judith. I work at the temple of the Creator, and that's where we all pray. It's not that far from my house, but I can take you there in your free time."
Sunny's eyes literally twinkled, "Woah, that's so amazing! The temple must be grand for a deity to be worshiped there!"
"It sure is. Oh, and since you have a scholarship and you'll be coming to the academy, I want you to know that the interview for the recruits is going to be happening tomorrow!"
"Jiminy crickets!" Sunny exclaimed, her palms becoming sweaty and her face becoming pale. "I gotta get going! How do I make a good impression? What do I do to make sure I don't do anything stupid?"
"Calm down." The elderly Judith patted her shoulder. "Tell me, child, are you really a Mythiawoman? Are you really from this place?"
Sunny paused, her face turning pale with fear and doubt, she gulped, a lump in her throat forming.
"I'm an earthling, ma'am. I ran away from home when I shouldn't have, and these bad men threw me down this portable hole that sent me here where I met Cynoce, and together, we made it to Meimon because of a portable hole." she then sighed, her eyes misty. "I feel so stupid, and naive too. I shouldn't have run away. I don't get why I'm always so reckless all the time to the point things go wrong."
"Sometimes it's alright to take risks, darling." Judith patted her head. "You poor thing, having to wander around with no shoes, and almost putting yourself in danger frequently. I would've been heartbroken if someone too horrible had happened to you, and I wasn't there."
Sunny paused again, she was reminded of Granny, the elderly woman who appeared to be sadistic yet hospitable, but was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. But this time, it was different, she could see Mrs Starling in the elderly Judith's eyes, she was so genuine with her words and actions, despite her hatred towards Cynoce. She couldn't help but crack a smile, it was a relief that she found someone who wouldn't lie to her, and would actually care for her without having to keep secrets, it was like a break from all the grief inflicted on her.
"Now, listen carefully." Judith said, her expression becoming serious. "It's time I tell you about the crusaders themselves, I'm going to be teaching you what they're like. You see, since the dawn of time, it was man vs man, brother vs brother. There was no moral compass, no virtues at all, it was just a dog-eating-dog world. However, disaster struck, there was a huge devastation that erupted the planet, and the fruitful remainder of humanity stuck together, all of them working together to survive. It was the most unusual thing ever to stick together, but nonetheless, they lived. One person is strong, but a team is stronger, which is why they've become crusaders. So you see, virtues like patience, friendship and kindness with no repayment are very welcome here, and we all are encouraged to follow these virtues."
Sunny's eyes glimmered even more, "I'm going to make sure that I follow them, I swear it!"
"That's the spirit, my dear." Judith patted her head. "You're going to be an amazing crusader. It's evening, would you like some dinner?"
Sunny nodded, and she sat in her chair while Judith entered the kitchen, turning on the stove and heating up a pot full of stew.
***
It was evening, and Sunny was with Cynoce, just rubbing his stomach like how one would do for a dog. It was a relaxing moment for the dog-boy, who was on the floor, his arms folded and under his head, acting like a pillow.
"Darling!" Judith called. "Dinner's ready!"
Sunny and Cynoce both get up, and they head to the table, just sitting down to find themselves face to face with a plate of pizza awaiting them, the cheese glistening because of the rooflights. Sunny sighed in relief, while Cynoce grimaced at the sight of the ketchup which rested near the napkin holder.
"Ew!" he exclaimed. "Who puts ketchup on pizza?!"
Judith gave Cynoce a glare and sat down herself, holding a mug of coffee in her hands which she began to drink, Cynoce shuddered, and he took his spoon and began to gobble up the stew while Sunny quietly ate her dinner. It didn't take long before they were finally finished, and Sunny had a tearful smile on her face.
"Jiminy crickets, this is so heavenly!" she said. "Life is good, I've barely eaten for almost 2 days!"
Cynoce's eyes widened, and he grimaced sheepishly, remembering how he gobbled all those fruits and berries that she rightfully owned. He sighed, shaking his head and mentally face palming himself for his stupidity.
"Uh, hey." Cynoce nudged her arm. "I can repay you for those fruits and berries you gave me the other day."
"That's alright." Sunny rubbed her eyes to dry her tears. "I don't mind sharing. Besides, I only gave them to you so that I could help you, not get anything in return."
Judith chuckled warmly at Sunny's kindness, and she nodded her head in approval for her actions, she truly was a girl with a heart of gold.
***
"Sunny, Sunny, wake up!" Judith called from out the door, the young girl was resting in her bed, her blanket wrinkled and her head tilted to the side.
"Good morning.." Sunny yawned, her eyes still closed and heavy as she raised herself into a sitting position. "Who is it?"
"It's me, High Priestess Judith! Today's the day, remember? You gotta have your breakfast!"
"What time is it?"
"5:30, you have lots of time and it's best if you use it."
Sunny let out another huge snore, her hand against her cheek as she struggled to keep herself up.
"Sunny?" called Judith, who could sense her barely awakening form through the door.
"Who is it?" she asked again.
"Uh, it's still me, Sunny. Just come out, darling."
Sunny finally opened her eyes, and she saw her clothes prepared for her, her eyes widened, and she had a huge grin on her face as she leapt off the bed and hurried into the shower. It was only a few minutes and she made it out, wearing her clothes and heading down from upstairs and into the kitchen. Cynoce, like the messy little boy he was, was gobbling up his bacon and eggs, using his paws to grab his food and smashed it into his mouth.
"Manners, young boy!" Judith said with disgust as she shook her head. "Look at Sunny, she always uses her manners, why can't you be smarter like her?"
Coincidentally, Sunny had arrived, and she sat on the table, the shine of the sturdy egg yolk and the rusty color of the bacon felt satisfying to her mind, and she took out her utensils, casualling taking a bite of her meal.
"Always the best, Mrs Judith!" she said with a thumbs up.
Judith giggled warmly and patted Sunny's head, "You're such a good girl, Sunny, you're always making everyone's day!"
Cynoce rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, she's always making sure that everybody's happy and stuff, nothing so special."
Judith gave Cynoce another glare, "You're jealous, Cynoce. Do you know that we, the priestess of the Creator's temple, loathe jealousy? It's a vice to be envious of one's abilities, you should be lucky that you're living in a warm house right now thanks to Sunny." Then she turns to Sunny, her eyes softening. "Anyways, my dear, I think you should go to Meimon Academy. Remember, you'll find a grand and gothic castle-like building with walls of protection and a wooden bridge that acts like the door as well when you walk down Elysia street!"
Sunny nodded with a smile, taking the backpack that was at her side, and she put on her shoes, her cold feet reuniting with the warmth of its fabric.
"I'll see you guys later!" she said, waving goodbye as she walked out the door, finally making her way to her destiny.