Latest / The Monster Catcher's Journal / Numora

Transcript

Numora · The Monster Catcher's Journal

0:26
Hello Travelers and Monster Catchers abound.
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I'm Stella Ferris and you've crash landed on
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the Monster Catchers Journal podcast. Today's
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episode delves into the recent catch I caught
0:35
called Numera. Allow me to offer some background
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of Numera. A long time ago when a school full
0:42
of children were playing, they came across this
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rare artifact that was said to bring things to
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life with love. They used it to bring a bunch
0:51
of clouds to life. Some say it was their laughter
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that brought them to life. The clouds were overprotective
0:57
over the children. So when they got mad, they
1:01
would rain broken gadgets, spoiled food, unlucky
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objects like black feathers or broken mirrors.
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There were also a mix of smaller enemies. The
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Wan Academy had seen this as a bad omen. So they
1:17
ran the clouds up the mountain. And that's where
1:20
they have been ever since that day. So now, let's
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get into the story. It was a warm summer day,
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the twin suns and three moons set in their normal
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spot above the academy. I was about to venture
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into the forbidden section of the academy. To
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tell the truth, this wasn't the first time either.
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I just had to steer clear of Professor Orion.
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He would never allow it. Or never let me live
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it down. But who's counting? I was standing outside
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the door. It was silver with a large biohazard
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symbol. Symbol. At the top said in red letters,
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authorized personnel only. I was about to enter
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when someone cleared their throat. I spun around
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coming face to face with Professor Orion. Professor
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Orion said, and where do you think you're going?
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And I replied, no, nowhere, Professor. I was
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just wondering where this door leads. I mean,
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there's a biohazard symbol. But no one is allowed
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to enter? Never you mind what's behind the door.
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Now get to class !" Professor Orion shouted.
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I pretended like I was going to class, but I
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snuck into the door, unaware that Luna and Xena
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had followed me. Outside, it was just a pathway
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that led up the mountain, made of stone and dirt,
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and it led all the way up until I came to a large
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pink crater at the peak of the mountain. Inside
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was a thousand... clouds. Some red, some green,
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some turquoise, but what I was looking for was
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a fluffy blue one with a towel. I continued to
3:07
look when I saw it. It's the only one of its
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kind and the first to be made. I opened my bag
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and pulled out my vapor glyphid. It's the only
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way to catch a vapor -styled glyph. I placed
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a glyphid and set it. The cloud got angry and
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scared. It turned dark and rained rotten food
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that landed on a bush. Xena and Luna were hidden
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in. Eww! Xena shouted. My hair is ruined! Luna
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cried. I thought I told you two to go to class.
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We wanted to help. Xena said to me. Besides,
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no one can know you're catching this glyph or
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you will get in trouble. They will confiscate
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it because of how dangerous it is Luna said Fine,
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but you know what happens if we get caught I
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said as I threw my hands up and defeat I Watched
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as the cloud tried to fight the glyphids power,
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but it lost and pulled and was pulled into the
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glyphid I picked up the glyphid and put it in
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my bag Me Luna and Zeno were about to leave when
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all the clouds around us started to turn dark
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gray My stomach lurched as I realized that this
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time Professor Orion was right. I should have
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listened, but as always, I never do. That's what
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I get. I should have left well enough alone,
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but as always, I had to have this glyph. The
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cloud started to barrel towards us. We came up
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on the door. It swung open and slammed shut right
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behind us. Standing there was an angry looking
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Professor Orion. His eyes knitted in confusion
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and anger. Stella, Ferris, Xena, Luna, what are
5:00
you doing here? I sent you to class. Professor
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Orion sad as his features changed to appear fear.
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Did you catch a new or did you catch one? Anumara?
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No, I lied. We were attacked before we could...
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You were right. This time, Professor Orion. Good.
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School's over. Go home, Professor Orion replied
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to me in a stern tone. So I was thinking I should
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move in with you. I mean, I could live in the
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basement since you only have two rooms upstairs
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and you and Zena are already staying in them.
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Luna said excitedly as we walked away. That would
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be amazing. I'd love the idea. Move in with us,
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I said. Yes, move in. Then we can have a sleepover
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every night, Xena said as she wrapped her arms
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around me and Luna. So back at the sanctuary.
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Now it was time to acclimate Numera into the
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fray of glyphs in my sanctuary. I placed the
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glyph and pressed the button. The glyph slowly
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opened up, and from the glyphid came Numera.
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He looked left, then right. He floated over to
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a spot where the moons of Nivru, all three, were
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shining through the window. He swirled in circles
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like a dog trying to get comfortable, and he
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laid down and went to sleep. Well, it's safe
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to say he loves the sanctuary, I said. So much
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so that he went to sleep. Luna said as she chuckled.
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I spent the next few hours watching Numera. He
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slept, flew around, and played with the other
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glyphs. His favorite was Orabi. All of a sudden
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there was a knock at the door. My heart sank
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because I knew exactly who waited on the other
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side. I fear that he had already figured out
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that I lied to him earlier, and that he was coming
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to take my Numera away. You have to hide, my
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friend," I whispered to Numera. Numera hid, and
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I walked over and answered the door. As expected,
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it was, indeed, Professor Orion. He wore a solemn
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look on his features. His hands were tucked behind
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his back, as if he were in thought. May I come
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in? Professor Orion asked stoically. Of course,
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I replied, nervously. Professor Oren stood at
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the door, hands tucked behind his back. Still.
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For a minute before he entered. He walked in
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slowly, eyes drifting across the sanctuary. The
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glyphs sensed his presence, some retreated into
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their resting spots. Others stood curiously still.
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I kept my back straight, hiding the anxiety twisting
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in my chest. Behind me, Luna and Xena stood silently.
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exchanging glances. Professor Orion, without
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looking at me, said, Tell me, Stella Ferris.
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Did you truly think I wouldn't know? My breath
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caught. I didn't answer. He walked toward the
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sun -drenched window, where, just moments ago,
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a numera had curled up. Faint traces of vapor
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still shimmered in the air, you know, slightly
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touching the ground with his fingers. His voice
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became a little softer, with the next line he
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said. It's here. I can feel the resonance. He's
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here. Numera, as if sensing his name unspoken,
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slowly floated out from behind the pillar where
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he had hidden, his fluffy form pulsed with a
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pale blue glow, the tip of his tail trailing
9:00
glittering mist. He made no sound, no expression,
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just drifted silently beside Aura Beak. who ruffled
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his wings protectively. Professor Orion stood
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up. You caught Numera, and you brought him home.
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I did, I replied. He's not hurting anyone, Luna
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said. He just wanted a place to rest, Sena said,
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stepping forward. Orion looked at the three of
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us, his sternness faltering, a crack in his armor.
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You don't understand the pressure this puts on
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all of us. Numera is connected to something much
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older. The cloud you saw at the crater. Those
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were guardians. When you pulled him from their
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circle, you broke an emotional tether. It will
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stir unrest. They're already moving. He's safe
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here. He doesn't want to go back. Numera floated
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gently to the center of the room, circling once
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beneath the beams of moonlight, spilling in through
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the arched windows. Then, like a feather, he
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lowered himself and curled up again, peaceful,
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content. Professor Oren watched closely. He's
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dormant. That's good. He likes it here. It's
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not just a glyph. He feels things. He plays.
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He naps. He has a favorite spot by the window.
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Orabic shares his food stash with him. That's
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rare, as Enna said. After Luna. Professor Orion
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exiled and turned towards me. I'm not taking
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him away, Professor Orion said. You're not? I
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blinked. No, but this isn't over. I need to prepare
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the sanctuary. There's a storm, or no wait, sorry,
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I need you to prepare the sanctuary. There's
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a storm coming. The clouds will search for him
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and they will not stop. You must protect him
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and yourself. He made his way to the door, pausing
11:03
before he left. And Stella Ferris, next time
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you break into a forbidden zone, at least wipe
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your footprints. You'll let Luna and Xena into
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danger. Note it, I replied. He disappeared into
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the evening, the door clicking shut behind him.
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Sunlight. The next day when I woke up, I was...
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Greeted by the sunlight streaming through the
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high windows of the sanctuary, and it was filtered
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by the dome skylight. Birds were chirping from
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the tree -chopped glyph towers, and the peaceful
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hum of sleeping creatures gave the morning a
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dreamy calm. I stepped into the main chamber,
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stretching with a yawn, still writing the glow
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of last night's peace. But something felt off.
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Numura hadn't moved. He floated in the exact
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same spot right under the moon window, where
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we left him. His glow was dimmer than before,
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and his tail swayed slowly, listlessly, like
12:02
a drifting thread. He hasn't eaten or even tried
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to stare his food stash again, Luna said. He
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looks sad, Luna said, frowning. I approached
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carefully, gnawing beside the mist curling around
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his base. His eyes opened. Just barely. No sparkle.
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No mischief. Just distance. You miss them, don't
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you? I ask softly. Nomura floated a bit higher,
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hovering toward the window where the three moons
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and the sun hung low in the sky. We could take
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him back just for a visit. Maybe he needs closure.
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I said, or as Inna said, we can stay nearby.
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If things look bad, we'll pull him back into
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the glyphid," Luna said. I hesitated, glancing
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toward the glyph terminal. Where the vapor glyphid
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rested, this felt risky. But then Numera turned
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slightly and brushed his tail against my hand.
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It wasn't a nudge. It was a nudge goodbye. The
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wind was still as we arrived at the crater. It
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was quiet, no movement, no clouds. Numura floated
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from my sight toward the crater of the pink stained
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basin. He stopped and waited. Maybe they're watching?
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Luna said, hopeful. Maybe this is going to work,
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Sena said. For a moment, it looked like it would.
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A soft breeze stirred the edges of the crater.
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Bits of glowing dust rose into the air. Then
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the sky darkened, fast. That's not normal cloud
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movement, Luna said. Something's wrong, Zena
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said, drawing out her glyphid. The cloud surged
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over the crater ridge, angry and swirling violently,
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not graceful like Nomura. Chaotic. The colors
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flickered unnaturally, pulsing with heat and
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static. They didn't greet him, they rejected
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him, and they attacked. Black rain fell, not
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water. But corrupted enemy cliff fragments shattered
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drones twisted scrape beast Sorry scrap beast
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Spined metal birds they dropped like bombs materializing
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midair hissing and screeching deploy deploying
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brass shade Ignis or I got into a position or
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a beat go I shout it. Verdelem Intercept, which
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was a move that Luna's Myrno had. We launched
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our glyphs as the battle lit up. Metal and mist
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clashed, vines ripping through enemy bots, feathers
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slicing through air. Brass shade shielded Luna.
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just as a bird -like enemy dive -bombed her.
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It was a move that was meant to protect. Myrno
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still shaded her with the brass shade shield.
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They're aiming for us, not him. I glanced at
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Nomura. He was in the center, frozen, surrounded
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by attacking enemies, ignored. His tail flickered,
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a tear. of vapor streaming down his side. They
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blame us. They think we stole him, I said. Suddenly
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an enormous jagged vapor cloud dove at me, only
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for Orabique to crash into it midair, taking
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the blow. We can't keep this up, there's too
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many. Retreat, regroup now, I said. Just as we
16:07
begin to fall back, a massive pulse of light
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slams into the crater. The clouds retreat, instantly
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vanishing like smoke on the wind. The enemies
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collapse into sparks and vanish. Professor Orion
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stands on the ridge, eyes glowing faintly, his
16:23
cloak billowing. He looks like a storm given
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form. Professor Orion says, booming, what have
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you done? We stand in silence, bruised, bleeding,
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holding our half -fried glyphs. I warned you.
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I told you to keep him safe, not parade him into
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the storm. Do you have any idea what you've awakened?"
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Professor Orion shouted. He was sad. He thought,
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if he saw them, if they saw him, I said, my voice
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shaking. They don't see him as one of them anymore.
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You broke the bond when you took him. And now
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they see you as a thief. Professor Orion shouted.
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After our big fight with Professor Orion, we
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headed home. We just didn't want to hear any
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more about how we did wrong. So, numeralized
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curled up near the skylight again, silent, dim,
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smaller than before. We sit in silence, Xena
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wraps her wounds, Luna stares at the floor. We
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thought we were helping. I said. Instead we nearly
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died. The clouds didn't want Numura back. They
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wanted revenge. Now the storm has truly begun.
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Yeah. Both Luna and Xena say. The following days
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the sanctuary had never felt so quiet. Even the
18:07
usual nighttime hum of chirping glyphs and glowing
18:10
moth flutters had faded. Outside, the wind had
18:16
stopped. Inside, the air was thick like the building
18:19
itself was holding its breath. Numura hadn't
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moved since we got back. He was curled beneath
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the skylight, tail limp, his glow barely more
18:30
than a flicker. His breathing, if you could call
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it that, was shallow and pulsed, in uneven rhythms.
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I think he's heartbroken, Luna whispered. They
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turned on him. It was like they didn't even recognize
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him, Xena said. I sat on the floor, staring at
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my hands, still faintly shaking from the battle.
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My glists rested and their pods drained. Ignazura
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and Myrno had burns. Orbeak's wings was scuffed.
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None of us had escaped untouched. The crazy part
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is I had thought we were doing the right thing
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by giving him clothes, but bringing him home
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wasn't the right thing because the clouds didn't
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want to welcome him. They wanted him back in
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pieces. Suddenly the door creaked open. Professor
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Orion stepped into the room, his boots echoing
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softly. His expression hadn't changed since the
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crater hard. Disappointed, unreadable. We stood
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up instinctively, racing for another round of
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fury, but instead, he looked at Numera. He knelt
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beside the small blue form and ran his fingers
19:56
through the mist trailing off its tail. Professor
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Orion looked at us and said softly, he's fading.
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Zeno started to panic as she said, can't we heal
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him? Luna chimed in, there has to be a way. We
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didn't ask for this. Orion sighed deeply, placing
20:15
a small cube on the floor. It pulsed once faint,
20:20
blue light, scanning numerous shape. He's not
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dying, not yet, but he's retreating. Vapor glyphs
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are highly emotional, especially ones born of
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laughter and love, if their emotional bonds are
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severed too violently. Orion said, they collapse
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from the inside. You nod it grimly at me. You
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need stability, new bonds, new identity, one
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separate from the others, Professor Orion said.
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Can we help him do that? Then I ask or in looked
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at us really looked for a moment something softened
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behind his eyes You three may may be the only
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ones who can But understand the clouds will come
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again not for him for you for your interference
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and next time They will fight Luna said or Luna
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said firmly Or then will fight Luna said firmly
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No, this time we'll prepare, Xena said. We began
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building that very day. Lift defenses, reinforce
21:38
shields, cloaking fields. I even worked on modifying
21:41
Numera's glyphid to stabilize his energy through
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emotional sinking and channeling sharp memories.
21:50
Laughter, calm. Numera didn't move, but sometimes
21:54
his tail curled. toward the sounds of our voices,
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or his glow pulsed faintly when Ourobeak dropped
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pebbles by his side. He was listening, he wasn't
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gone yet. We'd faced storms before, rogue glyphs,
22:10
shadow beasts, even spectral contagions from
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the hollow depths. This was different. This was
22:18
personal. Numera wasn't ours, or Numera was ours
22:22
now, and we were going to fight like it. We thought
22:27
the catch was the end of the story, that bringing
22:30
him home was the hardest part, but it wasn't.
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The hardest part was proving to a broken creature
22:35
that they still deserve love. So we build, we
22:39
guard, we prepare, because the storm is coming
22:43
back, and next time it won't be just rain. Numura
22:48
floated happily through the upper rafters of
22:50
the sanctuary now, trailing soft ribbons of glowing
22:54
mist. He moved differently, lighter, freer. He'd
22:59
even become mimic in Myrnau's grounded spin and
23:02
power hops. Though he often paused to stare out
23:07
the window at the sky beyond the forest, the
23:10
ritual had worked. He was brighter, stronger,
23:13
but that didn't mean he wasn't still wondering
23:15
what might have been. Luna was seated cross -legged
23:20
on the floor of her room, a soft hum of ambient
23:24
music. Playing from a crystal embedded in the
23:27
wall, Ignizura, her gleaming sapphire and ruby
23:31
striped tiger glyph, lay curled near the bookshelf
23:34
soaking in the heat of an enchanted lamp. Luna
23:43
scribbled in her filled journal, her brow furrowed.
23:48
Numera's glow has increased by 14%. Emotional
23:51
resonance stabilized. Still dreams often muttered
23:55
and missed. We'll continue observation. She paused,
23:59
tapping her pen to her chin, then looked toward
24:02
Ignizura, who raised his head and let out a faint
24:05
time -like growl. You feel it too, huh? He's
24:11
not done healing. Ignizura stood stretching his
24:14
crystalline limbs with a crackle of energy and
24:17
patted over to rest beside her. with a huff that
24:21
sent a soft breeze through the pages of her journal.
24:25
Zena lay across her bed with one leg hanging
24:28
off the side, her boots still on, and half her
24:32
tool kit scattered on the floor. Myrna, her rhino
24:37
meerkat hybrid glyph sat perched in the corner
24:40
beside a wall of magnet sensors, monitors, his
24:47
thick shoulders hunched forward in alert curiosity.
24:50
She clicked through her handheld receiver adjusting
24:53
frequency dials. I knew those clouds weren't
24:56
done. Fiorna snored it and scraped his horn like
25:00
his horn like brow against the side of the glyph
25:06
scanner. Static buzz then faint glyph pulses.
25:11
Zinnia set up fast. Here we go. The three of
25:16
us gathered around the glowing glyph terminal
25:18
as data streamed across the screen. Xena had
25:22
her goggles over her eyes now, scanning frequency
25:24
overlays. Multiple vapor type readings, high
25:28
contraption or concentration sorry. Movement
25:34
patterns suggest a formation circling something.
25:40
Xena said, they're not headed for us. Luna said,
25:45
arms folded, eyes narrow. No, but they're doing
25:49
something, something deliberate, Zena said. Where?
25:53
I asked. The Hal Spire Mountains, Zena said,
25:58
tapping the screen. The name made my stomach
26:00
knot. That whole range had been dormant for years,
26:04
sealed off by the Academy due to unstable ley
26:07
line activity. They're either building something
26:12
or waking something. I said, thinking out loud.
26:17
Outside we could see Numera float toward the
26:20
tall glass window. He hovered there in eerie
26:23
silence, gazing towards the jagged silhouette
26:26
of the distant mountains. Later that night, in
26:31
my room, the moon cast cold silver shadows on
26:34
the floor. I said in the dark, my recorder glowing
26:38
faintly in my hand. Quietly for Myself, I said,
26:46
Today was a win, but it's not the end. The clouds
26:49
are still moving, gathering. It's something deep
26:52
in me. No, it's they're not just coming for revenge.
26:56
They're building towards something bigger, something
26:58
ancient. Numera isn't the first ripple, and we're
27:01
standing at the edge of a very deep ocean. And
27:05
with that, that's the end of our story. This
27:08
is Stella Ferris, signing off. May the many gods
27:12
of Nibiru shine their ever true light on you.
27:15
Until next week. And maybe next week I'll talk
27:19
about the many glyphids that we use to catch
27:23
our glyphs. And with that being said, thank you
27:27
for listening and I'll see you next week.