Location: Carnival?

  Time of Day: Night

  Lumina slid into her stance, katana ready, her eyes narrowing on the creature. "So... I'm dealing with you, huh?"

  The machine twitched, its lights flickering on and off. BZZT... BZZT... Inside the glass were bear plushies piled together, their button eyes staring out through the clear screen. At the center, where the controls should've been, was a wide mouth filled with spinning metal blades that clicked and turned like a shredder, chewing the air with a harsh GRRRT-GRRRT!

  At the top of the machine, red digital letters scrolled across its header "INSERT SOUL TO PLAY." It took a step forward, metal legs creaking as arcade clawed feet pressed against the red rug. From its sides, long arcade claws extended and retracted with a WHRR-SHNK! twitching as if trying to grab something.

  Lumina kept her stance, eyes locked on it. The neon lights above flickered a bit, painting her face with bright colors. "Tch. Please tell me this thing bleeds."

  The arcade around them was quiet… except for the machine’s metal teeth grinding as they turned and chomped. GRRRT! CLACK! CLACK! A battle was about to unfold. The machine let out a piercing screech from its metal jaws SKREEEEEECH! the sound echoing through the arcade. Then it lunged forward, heavy steps shaking the floor as it dashed straight toward Lumina. THUD-THUD-THUD!

  Lumina's eyes narrowed. "Time to use it!" she called out, trying to summon her Emanation. But nothing happened. The green aura that usually surrounded her refused to appear. ("Hm? My aura is not obeying my call it seems...") She shifted her focus back to the machine rushing toward her. ("Very well then. I guess this will be a great chance to put my raw skills to the test.")

  Her stance shifted instantly. FWISH! She dashed forward to meet it head-on. The machine's left claw shot out with a metallic whip-crack SHNK! but Lumina sidestepped in a blur, her sandal scraping against the red rug. The second claw extended a heartbeat later WHRRR-CLANK! and she slipped past it cleanly, her movements sharp and controlled.

  She leaped high, her silhouette flashing momentarily beneath the flickering neon lights. FWOOOSH! From above, she dove straight down, her blade glinting. SHIIING! The strike tore clean across its glass front, spiderweb cracks spreading out as the machine staggered back, sparks flying from its joints. KRZZZT!

  The machine placed one claw against its cracked frame, almost as if holding its head, and shook it off with a harsh metallic whine. KRZZZT! Then it twisted around and swung one of its claws straight at Lumina. FWOOOSH! Lumina reacted instantly and flipped backward, landing in a low crouch. Her eyes locked onto it as she stood up.

  "Not good enough!" she shouted, rushing in. SHIING! Her katana flashed in a flurry of precise strikes, each hit ringing out CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! against the cracked glass. The frame splintered further, almost breaking through. The machine stumbled again, its movements slow and clumsy. The spinning metal blades inside its mouth began to slow down with each hit it took.

  Lumina straightened, resting the blade at her side. "Either this thing is hiding something..." she muttered, eyes narrowing, "or it really is making this easy for me." She slid back into stance. "Either way, I need to take this thing down quick and find the others."

  The machine's systems sputtered and whined, then steadied - its front frame locking onto her again. Lumina didn't hesitate; she charged forward at full speed. FWOOSH! Both of the machine's claws shot out WHRRR-CLANK! cutting through the air like spears. She leapt, using the extended claws as steps. THUD! THUD! Each one served as a foothold as she sprang higher.

  "It's over for you now!" she shouted from midair, thrusting her katana straight down. "Take this!" SHIIING! The blade pierced the cracked glass frame CRRSHHH! shattering it completely. Lumina kicked off the top of the machine and flipped backward, landing a few steps away.

  The machine trembled, clutching its broken glass panel with its claws as if something important had been shattered. Its lights flickered erratically, its arcade claws and body twitching with each spark BZZZT! BZZZT! until finally... it collapsed, crashing to the floor. THUD!

  Bear plushies spilled out across the red carpet, rolling near Lumina's feet. She exhaled softly, sheathing her blade with a click. "It's done. Now. Time to get out of here." She turned to leave - but then, behind her, came the faint sound of glass shifting. CRR... CRK... She froze, eyes narrowing once more. CRK... CRK...

  Lumina turned sharply, her hand already resting on her katana's hilt. "Hm."

  The pile of small, fuzzy bears - each one a different color - scattered across the floor began to twitch. Then one of them stood up straight. Its stitched smile curved slightly upward, button eyes glowing bright red and fixed on Lumina. Then another pushed itself up beside it, pieces of glass sliding away as it rose. Then another. Soon, at least a dozen stood tall, their soft fur faintly glowing under the neon lights. PLOP... PLOP... PLOP...

  Lumina slid into a battle-ready stance. "Hmph. Cute... but deadly plushies coming to life." She unsheathed her katana. SHIING! "I knew something wasn't right here."

  The bears tilted their heads in unison... then their stitched smiles stretched wider. All at once, they lifted their plush arms toward the ceiling. Out of nowhere, tiny lollipop swords poofed into their hands. SHING! Each bear shifted into a stance, preparing for battle.

  Lumina let out a faint smirk. "Impressive," she muttered. She slid her foot back, katana ready. "Let's get started."

  The bears twitched once and then all twelve charged at her at once. Tiny feet pattered across the red carpet in a rapid PAP-PAP-PAP-PAP! Their lollipop swords raised high, glowing faintly under the neon lights. The first bear leapt and swung FWIP! its candy blade slicing through the air.

  Lumina tilted her head slightly, the strike missing her by inches. SHIING! Her katana flashed, splitting the bear clean in two, cotton bursting out like snow. But the others were already on her. One jumped straight for her face PLOP! She kicked it midair, full force, sending it flying across the arcade. It hit the wall and slid down in two halves, its button eye rolling across the carpet.

  Another bear was already at her feet, swinging at her ankles. Lumina hopped back, the tiny blade slicing through empty air, and then she dashed in and thrust her katana straight through its torso. The bear hung halfway down her blade before she flicked her wrist and sent it flying into a nearby arcade machine. Right away, two more appeared from the sides, leaping off the machines with front flips and hammering their swords down at her from midair.

  Lumina reacted in a flash. CLANG! She parried both strikes with the flat of her blade, then swept her katana in a wide arc SHK! cutting both bears down at once. Cotton burst out like a small explosion. Before she could reset her stance, another bear lunged from behind. Her eyes shifted sideways - just a slight glance - and she grabbed it by the neck mid-leap, slammed it into the carpet, and ended it with a clean thrust of her katana to its head.

  The final six bears didn't hesitate. They stacked themselves into a makeshift tower, wobbling but tall enough to try matching Lumina's height.

  Lumina straightened, her voice firm. "Cute plan. But that won't work on me."

  The tower-bear charged, tiny blades swinging wildly. Lumina didn't hesitate - she dashed forward. FWOOSH! SHK! Then back. SHK! Then forward again. SHK! In a blur of movement, she cut through every bear before any of them even realized what happened. The bears' lollipop swords cracked apart, and bursts of cotton and half-torn fabric exploded from all six. The tower collapsed with a soft FWUMP, scattering into a messy pile across the carpet.

  Lumina looked around the area, scanning for any more bears, but none came. Then SCRITCH... SCRITCH... The sliced bears began to crawl back toward their torn bodies. One by one, they mended themselves, refilling their forms with the loose cotton scattered around them. Their wounds closed instantly, stitches pulling tight on their own.

  Lumina's eyes tightened as she watched. "Impossible... How am I supposed to kill something that puts itself back together with cotton?"

  The bears regrouped, forming a small crowd in front of her, all their glowing red button eyes fixed on her, their tasty blades poofing back into their hands.

  Lumina steadied her blade and exhaled once. "All right," she whispered. "I need to think of another plan... or else I'll be stuck here all day."

  The bears suddenly froze and looked at each other. Then one raised its candy blade... and started circling around, dancing as if rallying the others. One by one, the rest followed behind it, each lifting their tiny blades into the air.

  Lumina blinked, confusion clear in her voice. "What are they up to...?"

  All twelve plushies moved in a perfect loop, their pace picking up fast. As they spun, their candy swords dragged across the carpet, leaving a glowing circle around them. The moment the loop completed POOF! All twelve plushies vanished, leaving only their candy swords clattering to the carpet. Their colorful fabric and cotton scattered into a large pile around the glowing circle.

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  Lumina lowered her stance, watching closely. "Where did they go...?"

  The pile of fabric twitched. The colorful cloth and cotton began pulling inward, threading and stitching themselves together as if guided by invisible hands. The pile rose higher, reshaping with every SHRRRP... SHRRRP... After several seconds, it finally stood complete. A giant colorful teddy bear, almost twice Lumina's size, its button eyes glowing a deep red.

  Lumina stared up at the colorful bear, tightening her grip on her katana. "...Great. First I had a bunch of tiny problems." Her eyes narrowed. "Now I've got a big one."

  The bear took one heavy step forward THOOM its stitched smile stretching wider. Lumina raised her katana, both hands tightening on the hilt as she prepared herself. The bear stopped right in front of her... then SHING! Black claws slid out from its fuzzy paws.

  Lumina slid one foot back, eyes sharp. "Well then. Ready when you are."

  The bear's red eyes flashed. FWOOF. Then it lunged. Lumina met the bear's claws with her katana, steel grinding against the black tips. The creature's strength pushed her back several steps. She gritted her teeth, shoved its claws aside, and kicked its soft belly. The bear looked down at her foot... then back up at her, smiling as if to say that didn't hurt at all. It swung down at her THOOM! black claws gleaming under the neon lights.

  Lumina jumped back FWISH! the claws ripping through the carpet where she'd just been. She landed lightly on her feet and dashed forward. SHIING! She struck once, and then again. Her cuts were fast and precise, slicing clean through its fluffy chest. The bear staggered, cotton bursting out from it. FWOOOSH!

  Lumina slid back into stance, her breathing steady. "What will you do now?"

  Its massive paw reached for a torn piece of its own fabric lying on the floor. Slowly, it pressed the patch against the open cotton and pushed it in. Threads slithered out from inside, stitching themselves back together SHRRRP... SHRRRP... until the wound sealed completely, good as new.

  Lumina's expression hardened. "Tch. Figured as much."

  The bear's red eyes glowed brighter, its stitched mouth curling into a wide grin. It roared a deep, muffled sound that shook the arcade. HRRRRMMMMM!

  Lumina raised her blade again, voice firm. "This is getting annoying."

  Then the bear lunged again, each heavy step shaking the floor THOOM... THOOM... Lumina leapt, her katana flashing. From midair she slashed downward SHIIING! but the bear shifted slightly to the side, her attack missing by inches. Before she could recover, its massive paw shot up and grabbed her mid-air. GRAB!

  Lumina's eyes widened. "Not good..."

  With a powerful kick BOOM! the bear launched her across the arcade. Lumina crashed hard into the restroom wall, the wood cracking from the impact. GAH! Blood trickled down the side of her forehead as she lifted her head up.

  The bear stepped forward, honing its claws SHINK... SHINK... showing it was far from finished.

  Lumina steadied herself, vision blurring for a moment. ("This thing... is actually putting up a fight.") ("Hmph. Didn't think a pile of cotton would be able to stand against me.") ("...I must get up.") Her eyes then closed shut.

  From beside the restroom wall, a door creaked open. CREEEAK... Captain stepped out, holding his rifle firmly. "What the hell was that noise?" He moved forward, the neon lights glowing over his clothes. As he turned, his eyes landed on Lumina sitting against the cracked restroom wall, just a few steps from him. "Hm? ...Lumina?"

  HRRMMM! A low, muffled growl rumbled through the arcade again. Captain's expression shifted as he finally noticed the big colorful bear standing across from her. "What the...? A bear?"

  Captain raised his rifle at the bear. "What the hell happened here?" Still aiming, he moved sideways toward Lumina, keeping the creature in his sights. Once he reached her, he crouched and shook her shoulder. "Hey. Hey! Can you hear me, Lumina!"

  Her eyes slowly opened, blood trailing down the side of her forehead. Her vision blurred at first... then sharpened, Captain's face coming into focus. Lumina exhaled, her voice soft but firm. "Either I'm dreaming... or my student really is saving me from a giant fuzzy nightmare."

  Captain smirked. "Hmph. Glad to see that you're still alive and kicking." He offered her a hand. "Can you stand up?"

  Lumina nodded. "Yeah. Thanks" She grabbed his hand, and Captain pulled her up to her feet. She brushed the dust from her clothes, then reached down and picked up her katana from the ground.

  Captain focused on the bear as it stood looming over them. "So," he said, gripping his rifle, "Mind explaining to me what the hell is going on around here? One second we're in the forest, and the next we're in..." He glanced around the arcade. "...whatever this place is."

  Lumina wiped the blood from the side of her forehead. "I'm not entirely sure... but somehow, we all got dragged in here while we were asleep."

  Captain shifted his gaze to her. "Hmm. Hey, by any chance... have you tried using your Emanation?"

  Lumina nodded. "Yes. And I'm sure you noticed that our auras won't respond to our call. For some reason, we can't use Emanation in this dimension."

  Captain's brows tightened. "Dimension?"

  Lumina gave a small hum. "Mm-hm. It somehow feels similar to when I was in the Feast Dimension." She turned her head toward him, her expression serious. "Which means we're dealing with some kind of Echo. And this is their dimension we're stuck in."

  Captain looked down for a moment, jaw tight. "Dammit... I really hope the others are okay."

  Lumina answered calmly, "I'm sure they're fine. Hikari and Slayer aren't the ones to falter so easily."

  Captain looked up at her. "Yeah... guess you're right about that one." He shifted his gaze toward the towering bear. "So, you think there's more of those things roaming around? I actually had to deal with some ugly-looking creature in the restroom I just came from."

  Lumina raised a brow. "Really now?"

  The bear released a low, muffled growl, reminding them it was still very much present.

  Captain steadied his rifle. "I'll explain later. Looks like it's getting impatient." He smirked slightly. "What do you say we take it down?"

  Lumina smirked back, swinging her katana once. "Was waiting for you to say that." She stepped forward. "Let's get it done then."

  Captain quickly added. "Oh and just so you know..." He checked his mag with a quick glance. "I don't have many bullets left, so I wont be able to cover you for so long."

  Lumina nodded once. "Then let's make them count. I'll push forward and keep it pinned. You flank it and..."She paused, glancing aside as if trying to find the right words, then refocused on him. "...make something magical happen."

  Captain looked at her confused. "Uh... not sure what kind of magic show you think I'm running, but alright. I'll play along."

  Lumina narrowed her eyes, "Alright. Let's move in."

  They moved together, Lumina charging straight at the bear while Captain circled wide, slipping behind the arcade rows. He ducked behind a machine, staying out of sight. The bear's glowing red eyes tracked Lumina immediately, its attention locked solely on her as she approached. Lumina closed the distance first. FWOOOSH! She dashed in low, her katana flashing upward in a tight arc.

  The bear swung down with its massive paw THOOM! but Lumina slipped aside, leaping just out of its reach. She landed light and immediately sliced across its arm. Cotton burst from the wound. FWOOF! The bear growled and raised both claws to crush her, leaving its side completely open. That was Captain's cue.

  From behind the arcade machine, he stepped out and raised his rifle, lining up the shot. "Got you," he muttered under his breath. BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots tore through the air, slamming directly into the bear's exposed side.

  Lumina expected cotton but Instead SPLAT! Dark red blood sprayed out, splattering across the neon-lit floor. She froze in place, eyes widening. "Wait a second..."

  The bear staggered, letting out a muffled roar as it pressed a claw against its wound. Blood poured out, dripping down its colorful fur.

  Captain raised his rifle again. "Guess that really hurt it."

  The bear twisted its head toward Captain. Its glowing red button eyes locked onto him now, completely ignoring Lumina.

  Lumina tightened her grip, mind racing. ("Why did blood come out this time... instead of cotton?")

  The bear started walking toward Captain. Lumina stepped forward, shouting, "Captain! For some reason your bullets are doing real damage to it!"

  Captain kept his rifle raised as the bear closed in on him. "What do you mean by real damage?!"

  "There's no time to explain!" Lumina called back. "It's coming for you! I'll move in and distract it so just get a clear shot and aim for its head this time!"

  Captain immediately backed up, slipping between two arcade machines. "Alright just give me the order!"

  FWISH! Lumina rushed in, the bear still focused on Captain. She cut across its side SHK! then its arm SHK! then its leg SHK! Cotton exploded from each strike, but the bear growled and whipped around. It caught her next slash with its massive paw. CLANG! The black claws scraped against her katana, sparks popping from the impact. Lumina gritted her teeth and leaned in, forcing the paw aside. She spun around behind the bear and slashed again SHIIING! her blade carving clean through its back.

  The bear parried with its other arm, smacking her katana away with a heavy THOOM!

  Its claws sliced the air inches from her face.

  Lumina slid back, breathing tight but focused. "Come on... almost there..."

  The bear roared and lunged at her again, fully distracted. Lumina caught its swing and parried hard. "Do it now, Captain!"

  Captain used the opening instantly. He stepped out from behind the arcade machine, raised his rifle, and locked onto its head. "Alright, big guy..." he muttered. "Lights out!"

  BANG! BANG! BANG! Three precise shots cracked through the air, each one striking dead center between the bear's glowing red button eyes. SPLAT! Blood burst outward, spraying across the arcade machines. Its face became unrecognizable, the red glow in its eyes flickering violently.

  Lumina froze mid-motion, watching.

  The bear staggered... swayed once... and collapsed with a thunderous THUD! shaking the entire arcade floor. The glowing eyes dimmed and then... it went dark.

  Captain lowered his rifle, exhaling slowly. "Looks like it's down."

  The bear lay motionless on the floor, its oversized body slumped over in a spreading pool of dark red blood. The neon lights above flickered a bit across the mess, painting the scene in shifting colors.

  Lumina approached slowly, sheathing her katana. Captain followed beside her. They both stared at the blood... the thick, real blood... dripping down the bear's colorful fur.

  Lumina's voice came firm. "Looks like its down for good," She glanced at Captain. "But this doesn't make any sense. When I cut it, nothing but cotton came out. But your bullets..." She eyed his rifle. "...they somehow made it bleed."

  Captain ejected the warm mag from his rifle, checking it briefly. "I thought it was supposed to bleed," he said. "Why? Was it not supposed to?"

  Lumina narrowed her eyes. "Well, every time I damaged it, it just put itself back together... rendering my cuts useless." She turned her gaze to the bear. "So the fact that your bullets were able to hurt it makes your rifle a valuable asset in this dimension."

  Captain nodded slightly. "I see. So that means I should use these bullets wisely, assuming there are more of these creatures around."

  Lumina exhaled and crossed her arms. "Yes. That would be for the best." Her tone sharpened. "Actually, how many bullets do you have left, by the way?"

  Captain checked his mag with a low click. "Tch... looks like I've got three bullets left."

  Lumina blinked at him. "Seriously?" She paused, thinking for a moment. "Well... in that case, let's make sure we don't spend it all in one place.

  Captain let out a low breath. "Not sure how much we can actually do with just three bullets left, but sure. I'll keep them safe." He slid the mag back into his rifle with a click.

  Lumina's eyes shifted toward the exit door at the far end of the arcade. "The others are probably out there somewhere." She looked back at him. "We should go and find them."

  Captain nodded. "Agreed. Let's move out."

  Together, they stepped past the fallen creature, heading toward the glowing exit sign at the far end of the arcade. As they pushed through the glass doors CREAK... they stepped into a faint fog. The neon lights of the arcade faded behind them, replaced by the dark night... and the glow of carnival lights. Game booths and food stands were scattered all throughout the area. The sound of carnival music drifting in from nowhere.