BEYOND THE REALM

"Okay, what do we do now? Run?" Jaita suggested.

"Run to where?" Feturi called out. "Come into the car both of you, I'd like to partake in your little outing as well," she smiled widely at them.

"I know very well that smile is not a positive one," Jaita whispered to Yuki.

"I'm glad you do," Yuki nodded, quite flustered at the sight of Feturi.

That was the first time Jaita had seen real fear in Yuki. Although she herself could not blame her as she was also terrified by Feturi, when the only thing the poor lady did was to stand afar from them with a broad smile.

"Uh...we're...we're not really going somewhere," Yuki stammered. "I mean, we are, but it's not really a big deal, we were just about to take a little drive around, to you know, relax ourselves and all." She explained in a slightly high pitched tone.

"That's right!" Jaita chipped in with a firm nod.

"I'm not doubting that, if you remember vividly, I actually asked to join your little outing, so I already know it's no big deal." Feturi replied, her stern eyes darting from Yuki to Jaita.

Everything about Feturi spelt trouble from where she stood and the only cordial, yet scary thing about her appearance was the unfading smile firmly plastered on her face.

Yuki made a soft throat-clearing sound and proposed her next argument. "Well, if you also remember vividly, we were heading back into the office before you announced your presence."

"Yes!" Jaita backed her up. "Something urgent came up and it requires our immediate and undivided attention, so..." she trailed off, expecting her to figure out the rest.

Feturi's facial expression darkened immediately and the sudden gust of wind that blew through the parking lot was enough warning that she was not in the mood to play.

"If I repeat myself one more time!" She roared and immediately returned her enigmatic smile to her face.

She didn't need to say much, Yuki and Jaita had already gotten the message. They rushed towards the car and settled in, Feturi at the driver's seat, both of them at the back.

"It's almost two days now, Yuki. Care to explain why you haven't come home?" Feturi began.

"It's not even up to three days since my departure, besides there is no important event going on at home that I'm aware of," she replied.

"As a result of your careless and unspeakable shameful act, you were warned to present yourself at the start or end of the day for one full month. Am I mistaken?"

Jaita's pupils dilated involuntarily, exposing the shock she felt as she realised that she had been to busy to remember that she was on probation.

"Am I mistaken, Yuki?" Feturi snarled, obtaining a shaken reaction from them.

"You're not mistaken," Yuki replied.

"Once, you have wowed the entire kingdom with your recent despicable behaviour of forgetting the culture and rules of your land. Twice, you have let the activities of these irrelevant beings overcrowd your sense of reasoning."

"I would like to remind you today that you have only three strikes during your probation of which you have used one. Once your two strikes are used up, you would be indefinitely stripped of one quarter of your powers. Need I remind you that?"

"I am fully aware," Yuki responded solemnly.

"You are fully aware?!" Feturi sparked. "That's the same thing you keep saying, yet you act carelessly and irresponsibly, constantly bringing shame to your father and the throne of recent times!"

"Would you be able to withstand the vile sovreign of Oviawe, your father's rival? Your uncle's ego is being fed constantly at the expense of your errors! Little errors a demon as old as you are is not expected to ever make!"

Yuki opened her mouth to say something in her defense but was cut short immediately by Feturi.

"I don't care whatever it is you have to say, I want you home now," Feturi glared at her from the rearview mirror.

"Like we've told you before, we have something to urgently attend to, I'll come immediately...."

"Now!" Feturi resounded.

"It's not going to take time. Just let me...."

"Now, Yuki! Now!" Feturi maintained her ground.

Yuki glanced round and adjusted herself in her seat, leaning towards Feturi, she began calmly in a slight whisper.

"The thing is, this place isn't home. We're on earth, in the human's land. What would my employees think of me disappearing in broad day light?"

Yuki watched as Feturi turned quiet. It seemed as though she was reflecting on what she had just said, so she snatched that opportunity to make a proposal that would buy her more time.

"Since you're dead set on me returning now, how about you let me drive home first before coming?"

"You have less than ten minutes!" Feturi hissed.

"Look at you calling a temporary dwelling place in this filthy land your home," she scoffed; "you have only one home and it's in the royal house of Mystika!"

"Stop fooling around with this," Feturi turned to Jaita, "thing," she glared hard at Jaita with a note of finality and vanished into thin air almost immediately.

"At least she trusts me enough to disappear in my presence," Jaita gasped.

"I wouldn't call that an achievement."

"Yeah, I shouldn't. So what's the plan?"

"What's the plan? I leave immediately! I was only buying you some time to send you off."

"Uh, well there's definitely not enough time for me to get to the airport on time."

"Yeah about that, the flight leaves in about ten minutes," Yuki nodded.

"And the airport is approximately thirty minutes from here. You just threw such huge amount of money away," Jaita shook her head.

"Just drive out at least! I have no time at all!" Yuki prompted.

Jaita nodded and slipped into the driver's seat and in an instant, she turned on the ignition and drove out of the parking lot.

They had just driven a little distance from the office when Yuki snapped her fingers. The whole environment changed at once and it didn't take Jaita any more than a second to realise that they were in the airport already.

She looked down at her wristwatch and gasped in shock; only a minute had passed.

"Now, I have less than ten minutes to save my head from getting wrung out of my neck, so if you don't mind, run out and help yourself before the plane takes off."

"I'm sorry, but I'm basically clueless here," Jaita said, making no attempt to step out of the vehicle.

"Well, help yourself out. Someone is waiting for you beside the plane already!" Yuki replied impatiently and shooed her out of the car.