Thanks to that encounter on the mission to the Celestial Tower, or whatever it's called, Pearl and Amethyst now have a slightly more relaxed relationship. In the end, seeing me being devoured by a magical bird isn't something that happens every day. For me, it was very exciting, although it nearly gave them a heart attack.
I also secretly went to see if the goat was still there. To my excitement, he or she is still in the same place. The truth is, I never knew, nor do I want to know, if it's a male or female, and I'm not interested in finding out. I just know that if I ever find goats around, I'll know how to recognize them immediately.
The girls, now that they've fused, want me to learn how to do it too. I'm not entirely sure I'd like the idea, but I guess sooner or later I'll have to try it. We did some really weird dances, and I made it very clear that they were ridiculous and even obscene. They blushed a lot when I said that. They explained the process to me, but I have no intention of trying it right now.
Connie looked at me, completely blank-faced, as I told her all this. "You've done all that?" she asked incredulously. "Yes," I replied proudly.
"So, you can fuse with other people, forming a different being," she said, still trying to process it. I looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I can do that. Why?"
"Well, since you're half-human, it's not like that, that's what you've told me," she continued. "Yes, I am half-human, and according to the theory my mind has constructed, I can fuse with humans too."
Connie's eyes widened, glowing with excitement. "So, you can do two kinds of fusions?" she said, almost breathlessly. "Yes," I replied, watching her and noticing how excited she was.
Glancing at her watch, Connie flinched. "I have to go, Steven. It was nice talking to you." She hugged me warmly and added that we'd see each other later, and that I should tell her how it all went on over the phone.
I just nodded and raised my hands in a gesture of farewell as I watched her walk away.
I returned to the beach house and talked to my father about the missions. He should be aware of everything that was happening, unless it was a secret she was keeping from me; in any case, I had no intention of telling him too much. When I entered, the house was quiet, empty, like so many other times. I wasn't surprised; I assumed the girls would be in their rooms, and with a mixture of frustration, I thought I couldn't get in.
I swear to my mother that when I try to open her room, the gem begins to sparkle as if laughing at me. I scoffed at my own attempts and cursed her under my breath. As I lifted my shirt in annoyance, the gem sparkled again, mockingly. It's probably just my mind, I told myself, but the strange thing is that this glowing thing only happens when I'm in front of the girls, and they don't notice, or simply don't want to know what's going on with my gem.
I snapped out of those thoughts just as the three of them started leaving their rooms, one by one. They seemed ready for a mission. "Hey, it's Steven," Amethyst said when she saw me, and just as casually, she added, "Do I want to come?" Pearl immediately came out with a warning about danger. "Nah, Steven's been through worse," Amethyst replied nonchalantly, but Pearl opened her mouth to object when Garnet rudely interrupted her and announced that I was coming with them.
I nodded with a smile. "He's carrying water in a backpack," Garnet added, with that calm authority she always displays. "Twenty bottles if possible," she specified, and I looked at her strangely, but I obeyed; who knows what would happen if I didn't have that. I quickly got ready and stood beside her. The portal began to light up.
"Where are we going?" I asked out of inertia, even though I knew they wouldn't tell me anything.
You'll find out soon enough, Garnet said with a mischievous smile, and in that instant I thought this Garnet was different from the Garnet in the series, more playful, more human. We soon reached our destination.
Oh no, I thought with a drop of sweat that wasn't funny; literally, I was already sweating. I put away my jacket, summoned the shield, and placed it over my head like a makeshift umbrella. "Okay, let's go," I said, trying to sound serious.
"What for?" Amethyst said, confused, because no one had explained the reason for the mission. "Whatever it is," I replied firmly, and started walking in a seemingly random direction. Garnet looked at me for a second and, without question, followed me.
"How does he know where we're going?" Pearl murmured, puzzled. "Lucky me," I shouted softly, moving a little ahead of them. With a collective sigh, they all followed me.
So the four of us walked through the desert, under a sun that made the sand sparkle like tiny crystals. After a few minutes of aimless progress, I broke the silence.
"Where are we going?" I asked, frowning as I adjusted my backpack.
Garnet calmly adjusted her glasses, radiating that sense of authority that always distinguishes her.
"We're going for a gem that controls sand," she said firmly. "It's like those TV shows you've seen where they control the four elements, only here... it controls the sand. To do that, it has to be in contact with it, so we can easily find it by the columns it forms when it's bored, I guess."
I looked at her seriously, trying to process the information.
"Okay... but how do you know so much?" I asked, hoping she'd tell me about her vision of the future to avoid trouble, though her answer nearly tripped me up.
Good luck, she said, adjusting her glasses again and flashing an amused smile.
I sighed and looked ahead. Too specific, I muttered as I made out some formations that could be sand columns, or maybe I was just being fooled by the heat.
Speaking of the King of Rome, Pearl commented, also pointing toward the columns.
Amethyst simply had her arms crossed over her head, relaxed, watching curiously. I was already drawing my fourth bottle of water when Pearl chimed in.
We'll take care of it, so you don't waste any more water.
But summon the shield anyway, Garnet said seriously.
If you said so, I replied, summoning the shield.
I paused for a moment, confused. "Wait... did I summon it twice?" I wondered, as the shield disappeared and quickly created a bubble around me, surprising the Gems.
"Since when?" Pearl exclaimed, astonished.
"There you are," I said, oblivious to their astonishment. "I'm going to look for a mummy," I added, looking around for a pyramid or structure to guide me.
"Okay," Garnet replied, walking firmly toward the columns, as if she already knew exactly what she would do.
Pearl thought she wouldn't find a mummy, while Amethyst silently prayed that she would. The three of them advanced toward the columns that appeared and disappeared in the desert mist, moving quickly and purposefully.
Walking for a while, the only sounds I could hear were the girls' thumps as they pounded the sand, focused on their task. I, for my part, watched something pink in the distance. Curiosity got the better of me, and I approached, noticing two columns of that color.
They look familiar, I muttered to myself, though I didn't pay much attention to them. Looking a little further, I discovered another pink patch. I approached cautiously, and when I was close enough, I was surprised.
A lion. And it wasn't just any lion. It was a huge pink lion, as imposing as it was strange, with a gaze that seemed to read me.
The lion watched me as it slowly approached. I just looked at it and asked casually:
Do you know any mummies around here?
The lion stopped. I would never have expected that question, and its expression said it all. I understood. It looked at me, and nodded with an almost imperceptible movement.
Wow, I whispered, surprised.
Suddenly, a fragment of memory came back to me, like an echo of something I had forgotten. The lion, now aware of what he had to do, approached majestically. I reached out, and he gently placed his mouth against it. At that moment, I knew I'd gotten a pet lion.
That's what would have happened, I thought, smiling to myself, just like in the original story that fascinated me so much.
Now, going back a few minutes, to a time when none of that had happened, I was walking through some sand mountains. I was looking for something, or rather, someone. According to my memories, the lion must be somewhere around here, and it would be key to avoiding death on more than one occasion. Of course, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get that furry friend.
Walking along the sandy paths, I noticed a figure in front of me. A pyramid, I thought in surprise. When I said I would find a mummy, it was actually a lie, but since I was there, the idea of finding a wise being from hundreds of years ago seemed irresistible. Perhaps it held secrets I didn't know.
Wasting no time, I walked toward the pyramid. As I approached the entrance, I noticed how surprisingly stable everything was. Fascinating, I muttered aloud, enjoying the solitude. The structures, with a shine like that of gems, were incredible. "Wait, gems," I thought, paralyzing myself for a moment. I looked around, my heart beating faster.
"Is that... a gem?" I wondered in confusion, advancing deeper into the pyramid. The door closed behind me, and without hesitation, I summoned my shield to protect me as I walked further in.
"Well, if I find a mummy, it will be worth it," I thought with a smile.
Entering a room filled with hieroglyphics, I stopped. "What does it say here?" I muttered, trying to decipher the symbols. As I walked, I accidentally triggered a trap. I looked down carefully and said, "If I don't move, maybe it won't activate..." but fate seemed to be working against me.
Suddenly, a void opened beneath my feet, and I fell, cursing the mummy who had somehow brought me there.
Falling, I ended up on a slide that dragged me down at full speed, sliding from one side to the other without control. The journey lasted only a few seconds, but for me they felt like an eternity, until I finally shot out and landed in an area full of doors. At least it wasn't a room of death traps, I thought, a drop of sweat sliding down my forehead.
I sat up carefully, scared and ready to summon a defensive bubble. I drew my shield toward my hands, ready for anything that might emerge from that place. Walking through the corridors, my eyes fell upon new figures carved into the sand walls. They were images of gems, a record showing a kind of hierarchy. From the smallest, the size of an apple, to the top of the chain: the diamonds.
Four diamonds were clearly distinguishable. White Diamond, the head of all the diamonds; Yellow Diamond, the right hand; Blue Diamond, the left hand, not as important but equally essential; and, finally, the last figure, the support of them all: Pink Diamond.
Apparently, these images represented the early days, when they were just beginning to colonize the Earth, I thought as I walked through the murals, increasingly intrigued by the story unfolding before my eyes.
Moving forward, I came to a different room. It was round, with a strange and solemn air. I approached the wall and noticed a button carved into the stone, with the image of a hand. I hesitated for a few seconds, but my curiosity won out. I placed my palm on the relief, and immediately, the entire room came alive. The floor began to spin with tremendous force.
I wasn't prepared for that. Everything, absolutely everything, was spinning around me. I was so dizzy I could barely keep my eyes open. I'm... going to... vomit, I thought desperately as my stomach turned faster than the room itself.
The movement finally stopped, and, as expected, I ended up vomiting the accumulated food of the last three days. Exhausted and disoriented, I looked up.
Before me lay a magnificent room, so beautiful that for a moment I forgot my dizziness. Exquisite decorations adorned the walls, gleaming as if they had been created yesterday. And, in the center, a tower of stairs rose to the top. There, dominating the entire space, stood an imposing throne. A pink, glittering throne that stood out from every corner of the place.
I grabbed a bottle of water and drank desperately to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth. Still dizzy, I continued to examine the room carefully. One question kept repeating itself in my mind. Why? What? Was it really necessary to go through that revolving trap door just to get in here? I walked cautiously, suspecting there might be more unpleasant surprises hidden within.
Then my gaze fell on the most striking thing of all: the throne. Something about it compelled me to look closer. I squinted, concentrating. It was so large that I almost didn't notice it at first, but when I saw it clearly, I froze.
It was him. My mother's lion.
He was there, leaning back on the throne as if it were his own, breathing calmly. He raised his head to look at me and, as if he didn't care about my presence, settled back down to sleep. I felt a drop of sweat run down my forehead. Was he waiting for me? Or had fate simply decided to place him in my path?
I froze, wondering how to get his attention. But before I could do anything, I heard a slimy noise, like something crawling. The sound pulled me from my thoughts, and I quickly looked around.
You don't say anything, my mind muttered angrily.
A huge creature slowly emerged from the sand. My expression twisted with annoyance. It couldn't be...
A giant slug rose up in front of me, moving with menacing slowness.
The sand slug, I said, my soul full of irony. Now all I need is a lava slug and an air slug, and I'll have completed the collection of damn slugs. Damn my fate, I only get slugs these days.
The creature stared at me with the same expression a starving animal would have when faced with its meal.
What do you see me, dude? I snapped.
To my surprise, the slug remained still for a few seconds, as if it understood what I meant. But its calm didn't last. The ground shook as it began to advance toward me.
You want a fight? I muttered furiously, shrinking my shield until it was smaller and more compact. Come at me, damn slug.
With a viscous roar, the creature launched itself. I ran at full speed toward it and at the last moment jumped to the side, dodging its charge. Wasting no time, I scrambled onto its back. The slug writhed violently, sliding in all directions to get me off.
I gripped the compacted sand around its body with all my might, feeling my fingers sink into the simultaneously solid and slippery texture. The creature raised a sharp appendage of earth, transforming it into a spear aimed at me.
When the tip was inches from piercing me, I jumped with all my might and created a protective bubble. The momentum catapulted me upward just as the slug's tail lashed out at me like a whip.
The blow sent me flying, and I landed awkwardly on the ground. The impact opened a wound on my head, causing blood to trickle down my forehead.
In pain, I looked up. The slug had been pierced by its own earth spear, but it was still staring at me with hateful eyes.
Fucking slugs, I growled in my head as I prepared to fight on.
I braced myself, gripping the shield until my palms ached. I stared at the spear stuck in the slug with icy eyes and thought that if I pulled it out and drove it into its head, I would win. I smiled bitterly; there was no one coming to help me. It was life or death, me against the slug, one on one. This would be key for my life. I wouldn't always have the option of overcoming obstacles with ease.
Then I'd do it the hard way, I shouted, more to convince myself than the world. I ran toward the slug, and it responded with an equally furious movement. I leaped several meters into the air; the creature followed me and tried to swallow my whole body. I enlarged the shield until it covered my torso, and for a few moments I was inches from its jaws. I couldn't be devoured while the shield protected me.
I quickly hatched a plan. I expanded the shield with all my might until the slug began to roar in pain, banging its head against the walls and floor to try to dislodge me. This wasn't in my calculations, but I persevered. Just like with the bird, I allowed myself to be swallowed even with the shield in the creature's mouth to prevent its digestion from reaching me, if that monster had a will or was playing digestion games.
When I fell into its belly and saw bones sticking out in the darkness, I hoped they weren't human. I made a bubble around myself, and in the last instant before it was all over, I suddenly expanded the bubble and my shield in a desperate maneuver. There was absolute tension, a silence that stuck to my ears, and then the slug exploded in a cloud of sand, a detonation of dust and fragments that swept the room.
The lion resting on the throne, as if it had expected this ending, calmly sat up, stretched its paws, and walked slowly to the gap left by the battle. There it found me in the middle of the mess: bruised, bleeding, but with a victorious smile plastered on my face. The gem was round and resembled the green worm from days before, though I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I encapsulated it in a bubble as I had practiced so many times and held it close to me, still panting. I looked at the lion and, with a mixture of defiance and relief, asked if it would eat me now.
The lion snorted, indifferent, and lay down beside me as if it were his custom. "Is that all?" I thought, half-euphoric. Did I tame him with my strength or what? The lion glanced at me lazily and closed his eyes again. I lay down next to him, feeling the cold sand beneath my back, and for the first time in a long time, victory tasted like something more than dust: it tasted like relief.
A few minutes passed in this way, during which no one said anything. Well, it's not like the lion was much of a talker. I lay down next to him, trying to catch my breath, until a thought struck me hard and I jumped up.
The girls, I exclaimed, suddenly remembering that I'd been left with a mission. The sudden movement startled the lion, who opened one eye and looked at me calmly, as if wondering what was going on. Hey, since I tamed you... or whatever happened, will you take me with them? I asked, my eyes hurt.
The lion watched me for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. Then he crouched down a little, letting me know he wanted me to climb on top. With a tired smile, I stroked his mane and said in a husky voice, "Good boy." I climbed onto his back, and he started walking down a different corridor, one I hadn't noticed before because I was too busy fighting.
When we finally approached the exit, I noticed there were two paths, and apparently I'd chosen the wrong one. Damn, I thought, but at least I have a lion. I felt strange, a mixture of pride and relief as I watched him calmly advance, his pink mane moving in the dry air of the pyramid.
A few minutes passed in silence until we both heard two hysterical voices echoing in the corridor.
Amethyst, Pearl screamed, he found a mummy and my baby was eaten. I was totally upset.
Come on, Pearl, I don't think a mummy ate him, Amethyst replied, shrugging, although her voice also held a hint of concern.
Garnet, in the distance, had seen me for a while now. She didn't say anything, just watched with that serene air she always had, although something didn't add up in her mind: she had seen many futures, but none of them had seen Steven return with a lion. From the moment she saw him, she was shocked.
And who says no? Pearl insisted dramatically. Let's imagine she found one of those pyramids and fell into its deadly traps. Even worse... that she ran into a politician.
Amethyst looked at her in disbelief. A politician? she repeated in a dry voice.
Bad things, Pearl said seriously, almost trembling.
It was at that moment that a lion appeared right behind her. Amethyst screamed, startled, and pointed desperately.
Back away, Amethyst shrieked.
"Huh?" Pearl said, confused, turning slowly. Her face collided squarely with the lion's snout, which snorted in annoyance to push her away.
"Ow!" Pearl cried, leaping into Amethyst's arms.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Amethyst protested, trying to hold her up without falling.
"Girls," I interrupted in a cheerful voice, peeking out from under the lion's soft mane. "I didn't get a mummy, but I did get a lion."
The three of them froze, their eyes wide open. Garnet was the only one who didn't scream, although inside she was just as amazed. Not even she, who had seen so many futures, expected this outcome.
And there I was, atop the majestic pink mane, with a proud smile, introducing them to my new companion.
End of Chapter 12.