The sudden commotion made Shaggy turn to see what was going on, and his jaw dropped as well.

“The Kaiju King is summoning you…!”

Both you and Louise turned to stare at him in disbelief. Why now? You couldn’t leave yet. There were still people that needed saving!

“How do I stop it!? I don’t wanna leave you guys!” you exclaimed. “Can I bring you all with me?”

Shaggy shook his head in resignation, and you thought you could see visible relief in his expression.

“I’m afraid that it doesn’t work like that, lass. If the King has put out a summons, then it means that he has need of you.” he said, sounding more calm than he reasonably should. “His safety takes priority over ours. Don’t worry about us. We can finish things up here.”

You felt like he was saying this more for your sake than anyone else’s. You wanted to say more, but any thoughts you had regarding the matter were suddenly blown away when Louise leaned in to give you a gentle kiss on the cheek. Your face felt like it was on fire after that.

“He’s right. Stay safe, Petit Cindy. We will come find you after.”

“Wait! No-!”

But it was too late. Your vision swam, and your stomach turned. It was the same feeling as last time, except not nearly as disorienting. You managed to retain your senses, and you hoped that you’d be able to prevent yourself from throwing up that soup you had at that inn.

Several seconds later, you found yourself crouched down before a dais. You brought your head up slowly, recognizing the Kaiju King’s throne, as well as the man seated atop. He hadn’t even stopped to regard you. He was feverishly drawing, his pencil moving so fast that your eyes could barely keep up. The giant dragon-man, Slizzik, was hovering behind him protectively, his large slitted eyes scanning the room.

Blearily, you did the same, noticing that it was slowly filling with monsters. These looked like pedestrians, and the ones that weren’t being led inside through a crack in the giant stone doors were being teleported inside via the Kaiju King’s summoning method.

A thought passed through your mind, and you squinted, narrowing your focus so that the life energy of those present became more apparent. And to your great relief, you recognized your grandmother’s aura almost immediately. You shoved through the crowd, barely stopping to apologize in your haste. When you found her, she was laying down on the cold hard floor, looking more exhausted than you’ve ever seen her.

A crowd of monsters were gathering around her, looking more than a little concerned. But you noticed a few of them gasp and back away slightly at the sight of you.

“Grandma!” you shouted, moving to kneel beside her. Your eyes searched her wrinkled face for any signs of life, but it was as if she had been placed in a deep sleep. You could barely sense any life energy in her at all!

“Grandma, wake up! It’s me!” you urged, gently shaking her by the shoulder. “You have to wake up. We need you.”