"Duskwald! Lord Sialumis, I want to go to Duskwald!"
She even leapt into Emilia’s arms, clinging tightly to her chest, owing again and again, as if trying to shake her master out of her decision.
Seeing such stubborn determination from the little Noctifelis, Sialumis lowered her head slowly, her vast eyes narrowing in thought.
"Hmmmm... Mimi, would you mind explaining why you would choose that place?"
Mimi then leapt off Emilia’s arms and turned to face Sialumis, her little tail flicking with determination.
"Well, I know Duskwald is dangerous, but it’s also filled with opportunities! I can level up much faster there, and maybe even get my first evolution in no ti!"
"Hmmm, but so is Verdelun. Mimi, sotis it’s best not to be hasty." Sialumis frowned. "I know you used to be the best player in the entire ga, but this isn’t a ga anymore. This is real. It’s very dangerous."
Right...
One mistake, and it would be ga over. Dead. Permanently.
And if she died, Emilia would be dragged down too.
But Mimi still refused to back down.
"But I already have my plan!" she owed fiercely. "If Duskwald is the sa as the Duskwald I rember, then... the dungeons should be the sa too, right?"
"Yes, they are the sa," Sialumis answered.
"And that ans the bosses too, right? Down to their very skills?"
"Well, of course," Sialumis replied, her brow furrowing.
"Then it’s decided! I must go to Duskwald! Because there’s a boss I’ve always wanted to beat!" Mimi declared, her eyes blazing.
"...Hmmmm..." Sialumis narrowed her eyes, lowering her massive head. "And what boss might that be?"
"It’s—"
...
As soon as Mimi spoke the boss’s na, Sialumis’s eyes widened. She, too, realized what Mimi was aiming for.
"Oh! I see!" Sialumis exclaid, her tone shifting with sudden understanding. "Hmmm... that boss, huh? Interesting! Who would have thought that such an impossible monster would be challenged by a level 1 Noctifelis? Haha!"
"Yeah! That’s my plan!" Mimi owed proudly. "So, can you please approve it, please?"
"But still," Sialumis warned, lowering her voice, "aside from that boss alone, everything else in Duskwald would still be extrely dangerous to you. You know that, right?"
"Yes! I know!"
Mimi then turned to Emilia, tugging at her clothes and shaking her with her little paws.
"Please, master, please choose again! Choose Duskwald!"
But of course, Emilia couldn’t understand a word of her ows.
So Sialumis translated gently, "Emilia, Mimi is insisting that you go to Duskwald."
"Huh?" Emilia blinked in shock. "Duskwald? Wait a minute—Mimi!" She turned to her partner, staring hard at the little cat. "A-are you sure about this?"
"ow!" Mimi answered without hesitation, her voice brimming with confidence.
"But why?" Emilia pressed, her brows furrowed. "You know Duskwald is dangerous, right?"
"ow!"
Emilia turned toward Sialumis, looking for answers. "Lord Sialumis... what do you think? Do you believe this is a good choice?"
Sialumis sighed softly, her great eyes narrowing. "To be honest, I am still very worried if you two go to Duskwald. But... Mimi is not wrong. There is sothing there that might be worth the risk."
Emilia’s eyes widened. "And... what is that ’sothing’?"
"Forgive , I cannot reveal the exact details," Sialumis said firmly. "You will have to trust Mimi if you choose Duskwald. But let’s just say—it is sothing that could help her level up quickly, perhaps even evolve sooner than expected. And if her plan succeeds... you will also secure your place in Luminaris."
"Woaaahh! Is that true?" Emilia gasped.
"Yes," Sialumis confird with a nod.
"I-I see..." Emilia murmured, then turned back to Mimi.
Mimi’s eyes were blazing with confidence. There was no hesitation, no fear—only determination.
"Mimi..." Emilia whispered. "You... you’re really, really, really sure about this?"
"OW!" Mimi yowled one last ti, her voice echoing with certainty.
And with that—
"Yosshhh! Then it’s decided!" Emilia pumped her fist high. "Lord Sialumis, we will go to Duskwald!"
Sialumis’s eyes softened as she regarded the two of them—one human girl with a newly forged destiny, and one small cat brimming with boundless determination.
"Very well," she said at last. "If Duskwald is your choice, then I shall grant you passage."
Her wings slowly unfurled, their radiant light illuminating the place. The air grew heavy with divine power, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
With a single motion of her claw, Sialumis drew a glowing arc in the air. At once, the space split apart like torn fabric, revealing a swirling dinsional portal. Its edges shimred with pale silver light, but the center was a storm of shifting shadows.
Emilia instinctively stepped back, her breath caught in her throat. "T-that’s... the portal to Duskwald...?"
"Yes," Sialumis replied. "Beyond this gate lies the land you seek. A place of of endless night, where danger lurks with every step. But within that peril lies the opportunity you both desire."
Mimi’s tail lashed with excitent. "ow!" She was already prancing toward the portal, her little paws pattering against the floor.
Emilia, however, hesitated. She looked back at Sialumis. "Lord Guardian... is there anything more you can tell us? Any last advice?"
Sialumis lowered her massive head.
"Yes. Rember this, Emilia Silvervein: courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing to move forward despite it. Duskwald will test you, body and soul. Trust in your bond with Mimi, for that bond will be your greatest weapon."
"Yes...I will rember that," Emilia whispered, placing a hand over her heart.
Satisfied, Sialumis extended her claw. A gentle breeze of divine energy pushed at their backs, urging them forward.
"Go now," she said, her voice echoing like a bell across the space. "May the light of Goddess Fauveline guide your steps... even in the land of shadows."
With that, Emilia clasped Mimi in her arms and took a deep breath. Together, they stepped into the swirling light.
The portal swallowed them whole.
The world around them twisted, colors stretching and bending into unrecognizable shapes. There was a mont of weightlessness, of being suspended between realms, before the light abruptly vanished.
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