"Mewr!" Star's meow seemed to echo as it affirmed my words.
"Rera La Ma Lu, Bestowa Lifanda Re Vu!" The magical words left me and the room was engulfed with light that blinded all of us.
Once it dimmed, I was back in control, and I noticed Lia's ring was suddenly different.
The clear crystal jewel that twinkled prism colors was now surrounded by five crystals, not four. My eyes widened at the new addition, the gem a glistening pink color with hints of red and teal. It gave me unicorn vibes, but I knew that crystal not only represented Uzziah but his gift of time.
Lia had kept her word of safekeeping the born ability, and I looked up to see Uzziah's eyes were mismatched with his left eye being red, orange, and gold, while the other was pink, blue, and purple. The left had bits of white in it, while the right had black accents around his iris.
He looked at me and had an uncertain look on his face.
"I feel different, but did it work?" he inquired.
My lips curled up as my instincts told me to summon the same card from the deck. The card in question manifested at my calling, appearing between us as it floated in mid-air.
We all looked to see the time stamp symbol on the back of the card, and there the clock was ticking again. My sigh of relief was joined by the others as I willed the card to flip around and display the winning result to Uzziah.
Seeing the flood of happiness that took over his entire face was priceless, leaving me to realize he truly did want to live and not abandon us.
"Thank you," he whispered and looked up at me. He then looked over at Star, who seemed to be on my head. "Thank you, Star."
"Mewr!" she replied and yawned. With a poof, she was gone to sleep away after all the amazing deeds she'd done for us without our knowledge.
"At least that's settled," I whispered, my shoulders sinking as I suddenly realized the weight of the scythe and almost fell right over.
"Fuck!" Wolfgang was the one to catch me, and I didn't realize Uzziah had attempted to do the very deed, but almost face planted the floor if it hadn't been for Dimitri’s swift movement in catching him.
"Man down," I teased. "And woman, I guess. Fuck, this scythe is heavy."
"Makes you wonder how Death lugs it everywhere," Wolfgang muttered. "Are you two okay?"
"A bit drained," I admitted and relaxed against Wolfgang as he began to help me up.
"My legs feel like jelly and my eyes are tired," Uzziah admitted. "Which means I need a nap."
"I think we all could use a nap." Ryuu sighed. "We have twenty hours before we have to accept or decline."
"Meaning, we have twenty hours to accept," Yuriel corrected.
"Basically." I sighed and watched the scythe begin to fade away. The absence of its weight made it easier for me to stand on my own, but Wolfgang still took most of my weight as he hooked an arm around my waist.
"We have to activate the medals, which may require magic. I think we should nap for a solid ten hours and then get things rolling then."
"Would be smart to have a few more hours before we make our decision," Ryuu agreed.
"At least after we accept, we'll be able to get checked by Mitten and make sure everything is okay. It would also be a good idea to ensure the gene is officially gone from Silver," Dimitri emphasized.
"Agreed," the others stated. I wasn't worried about the gene. I knew without a doubt that it was left behind in my old body. Now that I had recalled that gift of drawing, I'd have to learn how to use it to my advantage, but that time would come when need be.
For now, we had to take advantage of these few resting hours and face the challenge of accepting our roles as spies.
To meet these so-called mentors who have a message for us within the medals.
"Meet back here in ten hours then?" I concluded.
Everyone nodded.
"Yup," they replied, followed with Dimitri asking, "We're all heading to Silver's room, right?"
"Yup," they replied, but the other three then looked at Uzziah, who yawned.
"I know you guys hate my guts but let me at least enjoy sleeping in the same room. I'll take the floor if need be."
"You can sleep next to me, Uzziah," I hummed.
My four men returned my gaze with pouts that made me weakly giggle.
"Argue when we're on summer vacation, boys," I teased.
They decided to let it go this time as we began to make our way to my room.
Thank you, Lia.
I hoped she’d receive my thanks after what she’d just done for me, and I’d surely show my appreciation to Star when she returned from her nap.
Within minutes, we'd all snuggled up in my small bed. By the time my head hit the pillow, it didn't matter how the guys positioned themselves.
As long as we're together, I know we'll figure the rest of this madness out.
To Accept Or Decline, Part Two
My fingers wrapped around the golden medal, my eyes scanning it for what felt like another ten minutes. I was sure I'd been sitting in the quiet comfort of my room like the others.
The ten-hour nap was exactly what we needed to give our bodies and minds a break from the information overload of our current circumstances. Once we’d all woken up, we decided to prepare for the worst.
We showered, ate together like it was our last meal, and now had two hours left to make our decision. It was amazing how time could go by so quickly when a life-changing decision had to be made.
It's not like we didn't know what route we were about to take, but would the final stages of our acceptance bring us to the destination we desired?
Sitting cross-legged on my bed, my fingers continued to hold the golden award tightly as I fought hard to keep my breathing slow and my mind clear. I somehow knew what needed to be said to activate this, but I hesitated.
Do I want to see who I know will pop up in that hologram?
There wasn't a choice in the matter, but it was a question that continued to repeat itself again, and again, and again.
I promised the guys we'd return back downstairs thirty minutes before our time was officially up, which meant I had to stop delaying and let this show go on. Saving Uzziah was what seemed to be the trump card in this deal, and it was thanks to him that the final decision was going to be a unanimous yes.
We can't give up. That's what will let the Dark Kingdom win.
Closing my eyes and slowly inhaling and letting it out slowly, I finally decided to get on with it. It was time to face the truth I'd been dreading but anticipating since it was revealed before my eyes.
My father is alive and the headmaster of S.S.S. Sky Division.
"I call upon the power invested in me to reveal the hidden secrets this medal has protectively concealed. Allow me to meet my mentor and discuss what needs to be said. Protect the walls around me, giving absolute privacy as I seek the truth of one's actions."
It was good that I'd changed outfits; my body was now cloaked in a black jumpsuit, and I was ready to battle if need be. My hair was down in loose curls, and I'd taken the time to look presentable with a bit of makeup and red lipstick.
In my mind, I still assumed my father was dead and that this was one of those rare occurrences where I was given a blessed opportunities to talk to him one last time. He deserved to see the strong woman I'd become after striving towards becoming a spy like he'd wanted.