“The Fracture of Team Starlight” (80.4) (Kalei)

I didn't know what to say. I just shrugged.

"I wasn't really expecting you to say anything, don't worry," Zoey said. "I just wanted to see the looks on your friends' faces when they find out that their dear friend has been hiding that she's now friends with Jeans of all people."

"We're not friends!" I snapped. "I'm trying to help Aira get rid of her, I just—"

"Sure, sure, but do your friends buy that?" Zoey asked.

I could barely even glance to Zeta, Oka, and Lillia. Hell, I couldn't even look at Marms at the moment. I felt so alone, but it was entirely my fault.

"Are they just finding this out now? Or did you actually tell them?" Zoey asked.

She somehow got it from my silence.

"See, I was kinda hoping I'd be the one to get to say it," Zoey said. "When did it happen? Were you in the middle of fighting when my whole thing started? You wanna pick that up again?"

"The only person I want to fight is you," I said. "Drop that barrier, turn Raytris back to normal. You said I'm the strongest, I'll prove it. Let me kick your ass already."

"I could," Zoey said thoughtfully. "Really, that's the point of all this." She held the microphone with both hands as the spotlight mercifully went off me again. "I want to fight the strongest ones here, as well as my playthings. That and I want to destroy you all in spirit at the same time, but that's more due to Anastasia. I realize it's kind of vindictive, and not fair to you all, but really, it's her fault. I can be a little vindictive to you lot because of that. And! We're fighting for the greater good here. The only way we're stopping the threat is if I get stronger. If we get stronger. And that's not just me, Caeda, Chickadee, and my other companions. It's all of us."

She suddenly snorted and shook her head.

"OK, wait, wait," Zoey laughed to herself. "I forgot like to tell the whole thing! One more bit before we...let me just like. Put it together so you all can understand. I got so excited seeing Koridia that I jumped right to her. Give me one second, Kalei, dear."

Zoey composed herself, and continued.

"You may be asking yourself why an Echela would have power like this, right?" Zoey said, gesturing to her pointed ears. "That's because I'm greater than an Echela or a Cani. I'm something beyond. At the Taramin Labs, I've been receiving treatments to become stronger and stronger. Unfortunately, the set up for that is really annoying. We have to either find void imps or make them ourselves. Void imps are actually like super turbo batteries for the right people, and a brilliant scientist at the labs figured out how to give that to me. So we've been setting these up, going through the void imp thing, getting all the juice out of em, giving that to me, then I have to train a bunch to get used to my new power, and so on and so on. I've had Blade with me for a while, so she's like...like a battery on my back, I guess? You don't care about that part, just know that I've been slurping up the power of retention sprites or void imps or whatever the hell you want to call them, they're basically the same thing. And now I'm almost strong enough to face what's coming. I've decided on you all as my playthings. So I'm not gonna like, kill you today or anything. I mean, maybe you'll die if you suck ass and lose to me that badly, I guess. But that's on you, not me."

She clapped. "So that clear? Me get void imp power. Me strong, me want fight you. Simple. You're all going to help me get better like you were supposed to do with the devils before their lazy asses didn't do anything they were supposed to to get better. So other devils? You're on the other side now, you're the stone my knife will be sharpened against. My blade, heh, get it?"

Oh my god, I just needed her to shut up. Maybe she'd talk so long she'd be distracted enough to let her guard down.

"Maybe by the end of this you'll like me, but I hate you all, so I gotta work that out of my system first," Zoey said. "Aw, I hate you? That sounds so mean, but you can thank Anastasia Kathron for causing that."

Zoey stretched before she picked up Anastasia by her hair, then tossed her forward, knocking her against the barrier.

"Just being connected to her in any way makes you my enemy, the perfect training dummies to go up against. How are we feeling? Did I explain everything? Of course not, but I think that's enough to get started."

"I've watched you all enough to know how strong you are, so I know I'll win, but just beating you in a fight isn't good enough for this first round. Spiritual destruction, remember?" Zoey pointed to me again, and that damn spotlight went on once more. "Kalei! I was really hoping I'd be the one to tell your loser friends that you like Jeans now. When I pictured it in my head, you'd be all 'no way we're fighting' then WHAM! Zeta suddenly decks you."

"Oh my god," I think it was Ash that said it, but my mind was such a mess that maybe it was her sister Myles. "Your plan hinged on Zeta throwing the first punch?"

Some of the crowd that wasn't scared out of their minds at this situation or bored out of their minds at how long Zoey talked actually started laughing.

"Fair, fair, totally and completely fair! She is kind of a total wimp, so. I came prepared." Her grin turned wolfish. "I wanted to test out your skills, Downside. And if I can break up your little friend group for good, then that's a double win for me. Round one of our first encounter is gonna be a battle royal of sorts. I want you all to go at it, and the last one standing gets to face me. I may throw some curveballs in there though, so don't get complacent thinking it's just gonna be that, got it? Alright, let's do this!"

"Zeta, come get your sister, c'mon, she's right here," Zoey said, waving her hands and lifting a square out of the barrier like a window just in front of Zeta. "Raytris, let her go. Just her."

"Zates, don't—" I started to say but Zeta dove right in right as the slime at her feet moved away, reaching for her sister's hands right as Zoey pulled something from the back of her microphone. A bit of clear glass that looked kind of like a big sewing needle, something I was all too familiar with.

A Sharai Dagger, one that she plunged down onto Zeta.