Lisia flew through the air toward Mortis, who was still in his human form. His face twisted with fury, eyes burning red like a storm about to break. She raised her right hand, and ancient green light pulsed from her palm. The ground cracked open as thick roots burst upward, twisting around Mortis's legs and arms until he crashed to the ground.
"What the hell?!" Mortis shouted, trying to pull free, but the roots only tightened.
Lisia landed gracefully on the dirt a few steps away. Her long blue hair shimmered like liquid glass, her dress flowing as if underwater. She smiled, soft but teasing. "Hey, Mortis. Long time no see, baby."
He stared at her, eyes narrowing. "Wait… why do you look so familiar?"
She crossed her arms. "Mortis! It's me! Lisia! Piper's grandmother. Greta's mother. The late Water Queen. And also—Eileen's grandmother. You remember Eileen. Piper's sister, who passed away." Her voice cracked, then steadied again. "And most importantly… I raised you when you were just a little colt, remember?"
Mortis blinked, completely stunned. "No way. That's impossible. It's been seventy years… Lisia?"
She waved her hand, releasing the spell. The roots slithered back into the ground. Then she stepped closer, reached out, and pulled him into a soft, trembling hug. Her touch felt warm, nostalgic, full of memories that had never died. "Finally," she whispered. "I've waited so long for this moment. I'll talk to Piper soon too. But, Mortis… this human form suits you. You're ridiculously handsome."
Mortis smirked. "Oh, Lisia, tell me something I don't already know."
She rolled her eyes. "Full of ego as always. But soon you'll have to go back to your unicorn form. Still, I'm the goddess who'll grant you your prize—you did earn it."
"Before that," he said, stepping back a little, "I want you to tell me why you vanished. Why did you leave me and Piper alone in that damn forest?"
Her smile faded. "Mortis, if I told you everything, it would take years. I'm not exaggerating. But trust me, after Eileen died, everything changed. Piper fell apart completely. I couldn't stand watching it happen. I had to find myself again. I trusted you to look after her—and you did, better than anyone could have."
Mortis's voice hardened. "How dare you say it like that after all these years? Yeah, I took care of her. Yeah, I was there for her. But you—YOU—were supposed to be there! Seventy years, Lisia! Seventy damn years! I'm a hundred now. Piper too. And you—what are you, a million?"
She laughed softly. "A million? Oh, you haven't changed at all. I'm only three hundred, you fool."
"Three hundred? Lucky for you, you look thirty," he grumbled. "Anyway, Piper noticed you. But it's not going to be easy for her to talk to you, especially since you're literally fighting her in this tournament. What's your plan, Lisia? You gonna hurt her?"
Lisia's expression softened again. "Mortis, if there's one thing I will never do, it's harm my family. Even if I left, even if I made mistakes, I'm here now. I'm not leaving again."
Mortis folded his arms. "But you're a goddess. What, you're just gonna give up your title for us?"
"If I have to, yes," she said simply. "All I want is to be part of my family again. Ever since the tragedy with Eileen, since those days when our water kingdom stood united… I've grown stronger, wiser. I'm ready to start again."
Mortis's voice cracked. "Then bring her back. That's my request. Bring Eileen back."
Lisia's lips trembled. She looked at him with sorrow that felt endless. "I can't. I don't have the power to resurrect the dead, especially someone who's been gone for decades."
Mortis stared at her, furious. "Then what kind of goddess are you?! What can you even do—water some flowers?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she conjured a small window of light through a nearby tree trunk. A swirling image appeared inside—the Temple of Shadows.
Mortis frowned. "Why are you showing me that place? That's where Eileen's buried."
Lisia nodded. "And yet… I still see her aura lingering there. Her spirit hasn't vanished. Piper never absorbed her power, did she?"
Mortis rubbed the back of his neck. "Clara stopped us back then. She owns that place. We pretty much gave up on it. What would that power even give her now?"
Lisia's eyes filled with tears. "I'm glad you didn't take it. That means she can still come back. There's still a chance someone could revive her. The question is—who among your friends could do it?"
Mortis thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Ha. Kuina. We've got someone who's literally walked the path of resurrection. Redhead, tall, a badass fighter who loves women. She can bring people back, though I don't know if she'd succeed this time. Oh, and that maniac Clara also has revival powers."
Lisia smiled faintly and touched his shoulder. "I'll talk to Kuina. I'll beg her myself. Eileen died of a cursed illness—she never deserved it."
Mortis tilted his head. "Why not ask Ortus? Isn't she powerful enough for something like that?"
Lisia chuckled nervously. "Ortus isn't someone you ask for favors. She's all-powerful, yes, but even I have limits. Honestly, I'm a little scared of her sometimes."
Mortis raised a brow. "Then my other request… make me stay human. Forever."
Her eyes widened.
Back in the arena, the crowd was roaring. Lika stood frozen in front of Arrito. She looked nervous, shy, almost shaking. He stood tall and calm, confidence glowing from him like sunlight. Mira had already announced the start of their match, but neither moved.
Lika cleared her throat. "Um… thank you for the hug. It was… really nice."
Arrito smiled softly. "You're welcome. I'm here to give you hope, compassion, and love. I felt it in you—you have so much of it inside. Tremendous, endless love and kindness. That's why I'm telling you now—I'm not going to fight you. But I will let you fight me. I'll only defend myself."
The crowd collectively melted. "Awww, he's so sweet!" someone yelled.
Lika blushed. "Arrito, I appreciate that, but please don't underestimate me. I want a fair fight, a clean one. Fight me with everything you have."
Arrito smiled again, patient. "No, Lika. This isn't a battle. It's a lesson. You need to grow stronger than you are now, and violence from me won't help. I may be stronger, sure, but that shouldn't stop you. This is your chance to show everyone here, and me, who you really are."
Molly squealed from the sidelines. Kuina and Kylie watched, smiling. Piper stood with her arms crossed, unimpressed. "Damn it, I should be with Mortis right now," she muttered. "Why won't they let me go?"
Clara skipped over to the fence. "I came to watch with you girls!"
Kuina tried to stand, but Kylie wrapped her arms tighter. "Hey, don't leave me. We're cuddling here."
"Come on, Kylie," Kuina sighed. "Just a minute, I need to talk to Clara. I'll be right back. Um, Piper!"
Piper glared. "What?"
"I know it's weird, but could you hug Kylie for a bit? She needs it."
Kylie flushed. "Kuina, I only want your hugs, not Piper's, no offense."
Piper groaned. "No way. I'm not in the mood for hugs."
Kuina raised her voice. "Piper, please! It's only for a few minutes!"
Piper ignored her. Molly jumped in. "Um, I'll hug her, if that's okay."
Kuina smiled. "Of course. Thanks, Molly."
Kylie looked mortified. "No need, Barbie Girl, I'm fine."
Molly grinned and pounced on her. "Oh, come onnnn! Give me a warm hug! I need it too, not just you!" She wrapped her arms around Kylie until the smaller girl gave up and giggled.
Kuina pulled Clara aside. "You okay? Need anything?"
Clara smiled sweetly. "I'm fine, cutie. Just tired from that silly match earlier. I'm here to watch the others."
"Why did you surrender to him, Clara? Why?"
Clara blinked. "Because he threw a shirt at me. And honestly, I didn't want to continue. It felt like a performance, not a real fight. Mortis went way too far."
Kuina frowned. "I'd have shoved a sock in his mouth and finished him off. It's funny, but seriously—you should've acted tougher. It's a fight, not a play."
Clara giggled. "I'm not you, Kuina. Thanks for the advice, but I can't fight much. It drains me. I'm okay with being soft." She leaned in, kissed Kuina on the cheek, then gave her a quick lick. "Meow! Haha! Let's go back to watching."
Kuina looked horrified. "Clara, you're giving me secondhand embarrassment. Stop with the meow thing."
Clara blinked. "What's 'cringe'?"
"It means stop saying meow."
Clara laughed. "But I'm your cat girl, Kuina. I like lightening the mood."
Kuina rolled her eyes.
From above, Mira shouted, "Come on, Lika! Listen to Arrito and show us what you can do!"
Lika spread her hands and unleashed a wave of shimmering magic. Arrito lifted one finger and deflected it with ease. "Good! More power! More confidence! Come on, sweetheart!"
Lika blushed. "O-okay!" She lifted both arms. "Ultra Hypnotic Shock!"
Arrito laughed. "Not bad! Nice attack, but it won't affect me, darling."
Lika dashed forward, fists flying. Arrito dodged every move with gentle precision. "That's it, Lika! You're doing great! Take your time!"
Mira sighed. "Is this a fight or a training session? It's cute, but come on, people want action!"
Ortus groaned. "That Arrito… his compassion drives me insane sometimes."
James muttered under his breath. "Pathetic."
Kuina returned to Molly and Kylie. "Having fun?"
Molly grinned. "Kylie fell asleep. Want to hold her?"
Kuina smiled. "No, let her rest."
Meanwhile, the crowd started booing. "Fight already! This isn't a dance class!"
Ortus clenched her fists. "I swear, I'm about to lose it."
Prestik panicked. "No, Ortus, please don't. You know how Arrito is."
Then someone from the crowd jumped the barrier. "Fight properly, sluts!" he yelled, sprinting forward with a weapon. Lika turned her head, shocked, as he fired a bullet straight at her.
Kuina moved faster than thought. In a blur, she caught the bullet midair and slammed her foot into the man's face, sending him flying across the arena. Silence fell like a wave.
Back to Mortis and Lisia.
"I can grant your request," Lisia said quietly, "but what would that give you? You're a unicorn by nature. Becoming human permanently—why? You can already transform for thirty minutes a day."
"It's not enough," Mortis said bitterly. "I'm tired of being a pet. I want to be human like the rest of the group. Yeah, I'll be the only guy among them, but at least I'll be one of them, not some shiny animal."
The magic holding his human shape began to fade. His body glowed, stretched, twisted, and in moments he was back in his unicorn form, gleaming white, majestic, and furious. "See? There. Look at me now. Who's gonna take me seriously like this? A few minutes ago I was sexy, elegant, charming. Now I'm just a damn horse with glitter."
"Mortis," Lisia said softly, touching his mane, "you're special. You're beautiful. You're not the only unicorn left in this world."
"Yeah, but this is my wish. My prize. I want you to make me human."
She sighed. "And what will Piper think? Do you think it'll be easy for her? Her best friend suddenly human forever? You might think she'll accept it, but it'll break her inside. So tell me, Mortis—do you want to be human for others, or for yourself?"
Mortis looked up at the sky. "What, is this the part where I get a tragic flashback or something?"
Lisia blinked. "Wait… what?"
He laughed quietly, almost to himself. "Never mind."
To be continued.