“Lightning tempest!”The talismans Corinne threw out formed a half circle in front of her and with a flick of her wrist, the talismans shot out, sticking on the monsters.Then, lightning struck down and cleared out the monsters, forming an empty space in front of Corinne. Corinne stormed forward with her sword; with all the monsters packed like a can of tuna, it was actually easier for Corinne to attack. With a swing of her sword, Corinne sent out an energy wave, slashing the monsters in sight. Corinne had her talismans circle around her, forming a protective barrier.No monsters could get near her, and whenever the monsters tried to sneak attack her, a talisman would automatically fly out and strike them with lightning.When Corinne finished wiping out all the monsters that were causing a ruckus, she was drenched in blood—blood that was not her own, but the monster’s.“Has Corinne always been that strong?” Mia gasped, looking at Claire.Claire did not say anything, and only respond
It was evening when Corinne headed straight for the palace. When they came this morning, Corinne did not take a close look at the exterior of the palace at all because they were in a hurry to prevent them from being late in meeting with the prince.Seeing Cakeland Kingdom’s castle right before her eyes, Corinne couldn’t help but gape.The castle looked like someone took a wedding cake and anchored it into the ground. The walls were made of fondant, champagne coloured with decorations and swirls that went around the castle. The towers looked like cupcakes with icing and sprinkles. The entire palace was frilly and delicate and too sweet to be real, too pristine. Each tower was a different shape, but each was cut to precision. Each turret was a different color, but each a unique shade of pink or yellow.The sweet smell of icing, butter, sugar, and a tad of frosting powder filled the air. Corinne’s mouth watered as she stared at the castle, she could almost taste it.Corinne walked towar
Corinne grinned all the way back to the cafe. But when she burst through the door, her smile turned into shock. Her eyelids fluttered like mad.Lying in a pool of blood, Perry lay dead with a look of terror on his face, as though he saw something frightening before his life was taken. His rib cage was torn open, and his heart was gone. Quinn was lying on a table, unconscious.“What happened?” Claire asked, panting as she came in through the front door.Corinne shook her head, “I have no idea, I also just came back.”Danny turned green, covering his mouth, and ran to the corner, retching.Mia had tears in her eyes, her whole body was trembling, “Is he…?”“He’s dead,” Ava said, her lips became a firm thin line.Hearing that, Corinne turned pale, “Quinn!”When she noticed that Quinn was still breathing, the breath that she didn’t even realize she was holding escaped her lips. “I… think Quinn is sleeping,” Claire said, her eyes twitching.An odd expression flashed through everyone’s fac
Mia placed the crystal ball in the middle of the table, her eyes wandering through her fellow travellers before fixing her gaze on her sister, Ava.“What should I ask?” Mia asked, biting her lower lip.She tore her eyes away from Ava, then looked at the others.“Hmmm…” Danny crossed his arms, trying his best to think.Corinne looked at him, honestly, they only known each other for a short period of time. However, it was really obvious what sort of person Danny was. Everything he thought showed on his face.“Danny, you don’t have you try so hard, after all you don’t want to short-circuit your brain.” Corinne said.Danny tilted his head, “Hm?”“You look more brawns than brain to me,” Corinne said, her lips twitching.Claire, always the sensitive one, pulled Corinne’s sleeve, giving her a disapproving look.“Corinne don’t be rude to Danny. You are definitely more brawn than brain too!” Claire said. Instead of feeling offended, Danny flashed his pearly whites, scratching the back of his
In the sky, the last few light rays faded away. All the lights were extinguished throughout the kingdom, and Ava could hear the monsters howling in the distance. Just like the night before at nightfall, the monsters took over the streets.Ava was lying in her bed, thinking about all the events that happened ever since she arrived at this station. She and her sister, Mia, weren’t newbie travellers, but when they arrived, the system clearly stated that this was a trial station for new travellers.It had been explained that their roles for this station were to act as a guidance and provide assistance to new travellers while at the same time completing the missions for this station. In exchange for assisting the new travellers they would get traveller’s points; the more newbies survived, the larger the points they got when this station ended.The odd thing was the only newbie seemed to be Danny. That wouldn’t be possible, if Danny were the only new traveller, she and Mia wouldn’t get that
“Poor Lady Eloise…not only did the royal pâtissier pass away, but she had to go through that tragic thunderstorm. Thankfully, even though the ship sunk, Lady Eloise survived…”Those words replayed in Corinne’s mind as she once again stepped foot into the castle.Sunken ship…
Corinne was in big trouble.A minute ago, she was laughing her head off for successfully pranking Olivia. But, after that karma came to bite her. Is that why Claire always warned her to refrain from pranking people?Here she was, standing in a room… wait, actually this was more like an attic. The attic was filled with bookshelves lining the walls, storage boxes scattered across the floor, and bags piled on top of each other.Just as Corinne was about to sort through all the belongings, Black Eloise suddenly appeared behind the pile of luggage. Her face was wet with tears, and she was clutching a photo album tightly to her chest.“My apologies that you have to see me like this.” Black Eloise said as she pulled out a dark handkerchief to wipe away the tears.Corinne glanced at the album that was set down in front of them; her eyes were drawn to the open photo album, and she couldn’t help but examine the picture inside.When Corinne saw the picture, her heart began to pound. It was a pho
With Mia’s question, the others dived into another round of discussions.Corinne’s eyes landed on the photos.What happened in the attic replayed in Corinne’s mind, Black Eloise was crying as she looked through the album.Did she cry because the maid that grew up together with her died in the tragedy at sea?Then, her words about the wand.Brows furrowed, Corinne’s eyes were sweeping around the cafe. From the chairs they were sitting on, to the counter nearby, then the lights.Her eyes grew wider as she looked at more things in the building.The lamps and windows were made from glass candy. The counter was pound cake. The decoration flowers were lollipops or cotton candy.Everything here was made from sweets. So far yet so near…So far… yet so near!Corinne’s eyes fixated on the table in front of her, her grip tightened on the table.The others finally noticed that something was wrong with the brunette.“...Corinne?” Claire muttered.Corinne abruptly glanced up, “So far yet so near!”