Eznar's eyes narrowed in frustration as he tracked the icy moose darting and weaving through the air with spectral grace. Sensing his task was complete, Zirko morphed back into his standard form and landed gracefully beside Purnama.
"You can fight without worry now?" Eznar taunted, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "It seems someone was brave enough to stay. Or perhaps... just foolish."
"Didn't know you were a type of Manusya Puaka that talked a lot," Purnama retorted, his voice steady despite the oppressive aura.
Eznar sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
"You know, only weaklings go to Rona. The truly powerful remain here to rule!"
With a sweeping gesture, Eznar unleashed a tempest. He conjured a swirling vortex—a furious tornado of snow and ice that trapped them within the cirque. The roar was deafening, creating a jagged barrier that cut them off from the rest of the world. Nothing could enter, and nothing could escape.
"This guy is too powerful," Zirko growled, his icy fur bristling with defiance.
Purnama nodded, his focus narrowing until the world outside the vortex ceased to exist. In a display of unwavering loyalty, Zirko channeled his Shakti into his master.
A protective aura enveloped Purnama, materializing as a magnificent pair of moose antlers upon his head. Their icy points gleamed with an otherworldly light, radiating a silent, frozen threat. A surge of raw power erupted from Purnama, crackling with untamed energy that distorted the air around him.
"Hahaha! This is more like it!" Eznar boomed, his laughter a raucous torrent that ripped through the wind. "I was starting to think the stories of the White Calamity were empty boasts!" His dark red eyes blazed with predatory excitement, burning like molten fire as he savored the coming clash.
Meanwhile, across the dimensional veil, Suria and Riang hurtled through a vast, kaleidoscopic void. Swirling patterns of light enveloped them in a dizzying display. They found themselves sliding down a rainbow-colored slope that twisted and turned like a celestial rollercoaster.
"Wheeeeee!" Riang squealed, her laughter echoing through the emptiness. "This is amazing! It's like a giant slide!"
"Hold on tight, Riang!" Suria shouted, her wool cloak billowing like a sail behind her.
At the bottom of the slope, a shimmering, clear wall of water loomed, reflecting the light like a massive mirror.
"Whoa, whoa! What is that?!" Riang's laughter died, replaced by a flicker of terror. "We're going to crash, Suria!"
"Damn it!" Suria cried. She reached out with fierce determination. "Hold my hand, Riang! We can't risk getting separated!"
With a resounding splash, they collided with the surface. It pulled them into a cool embrace, suspending them in the space between dimensions.
As they sank deep into the liquid light, a tingling sensation spread through their bodies—every cell was being rearranged, their identities twisting and merging into shifting forms.
Then—everything went blank.
A moment later, Suria's eyes fluttered open. Her vision sharpened, revealing a breathtaking landscape. Above, the clouds were shapeshifting into one object after another, swirling in vibrant hues of pink, blue, and white.
The air smelled of sweet candy floss, and lush meadows stretched toward the distance, where a soft, melodic lullaby drifted on the breeze.
"Uh... am I dead?" Suria mumbled, her voice echoing strangely.
Sudden panic surged as she looked at her own hands.
Her skin was now a vibrant, chitinous orange. She had transformed into a two-foot-tall ant soldier, complete with a red beret perched jauntily on her head and a gummy sword strapped to her thorax. A miniature leather bumbag hung awkwardly around her segmented waist.
"Waarggghhh!!" she shrieked, her ant-legs twitching nervously. "What in heaven's name have I become?!"
Nearby, a cheerful, jarring sound drew her attention. She scurried instinctively toward a calm lake.
Beneath a lemon tree with withered but fresh leaves, she spotted something bizarre. The lower half of its body was that of a delicate deer, with hooves and a twitching fishtail included. Its upper body was a chaotic blend: a furry caveman torso, a donkey's head, and a long, reddish braided beard.
The lemons on the tree were actually singing a lively jazz tune, and the creature was enthusiastically lip-syncing along, hopping in rhythm before it stopped and turned its ridiculous face toward Suria.
"MEEEEHEEEEE!! Hey! Is that you, Suria?!" it brayed, its voice a jarring blend of donkey and human. "Look how cool I am now!"
Suria stared, utterly speechless.
"Riang...?"
"The one and only!" Riang responded proudly.
"Wow, you sure look... different."
"With this physique, we can search for the motel Purnama mentioned faster. Look how fast I can go, Suria!" Riang's deer feet twitched, and she dashed around the lemon tree in a blur of fur and hooves before making a sudden stop to flex her muscular new body.
Suria looked at the deer-legs, then the donkey-head, and sighed through her mandibles.
"....well... thank goodness you got the leggy form. Come here, my ugl... um, lovely ride!"
"MEHEEEEEE, let's get going, Suria!"
With Suria on top, Riang excitedly galloped off with her new, powerful legs—only to collapse, panting and exhausted, just a short distance away.
"Fuh, fuh, fuh... Meheeeeee..."
"You should not have wasted your energy just now!!" Suria snapped, scurrying up to her. "Dang it, now I'm stuck in this beautiful place with a useless, weird-looking donkey."
"Meeeeeeheeeee!!" Riang chuckled breathlessly.
"Arggggh!!"
Here, in Rona, the realm of the Bunian, second chances beckoned. It was a sanctuary where souls were reborn in new physical forms, their past burdens stripped away like autumn leaves.
Here, a single day stretched into a month in the outside world—a magic that slowed the relentless march of time.
The gateways were fickle, hidden in volcanic peaks or even in village back alleys, shifting like grains of sand. But for the ant-soldier and the donkey-deer, the journey had just begun.