Door
Summer of Noxus Calendar 975, Besilico Pier Beach
"Did she see us?" a low, slightly shrill voice asked, belonging to a short, hairy yodal scout who nervously huddled behind a rock.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" came another, slightly calmer but equally shrill voice from his companion. This scout wore a slightly oversized hat, trying to appear more authoritative. "Our disguise is flawless! To mortals, we look like two hermit crabs discussing philosophical questions! At most, crabs with exceptionally large bodies!"
“But she keeps looking this way! That silver-haired human child!” The first Yordle shifted uncomfortably.
“Perhaps…perhaps it’s not very common to see two crabs walking hand in hand under the moonlight on this beach?” The Yordle in the hat tried to find a reasonable explanation, but his tone was less confident.
Two young Yordle scouts, Pok and Jimmy, had just finished a less-than-successful expedition on the eastern side of the Great Barrier—their main achievements being a collection of glittering but useless pebbles and a near-fatal chase off a cliff by a herd of giant mountain goats—and now they waited anxiously. Hidden on this particular reef was a secret portal connecting the material and spiritual realms. Only during brief moments of celestial alignment and tidal convergence would this passage quietly open, their path back to their home city, Bandle.
"Never mind her, Jimmy! Focus! The door's about to open!" Poker, the one in the hat, tried to calm himself down.
However, the expected magical fluctuations did not appear. Instead, there was a terrifying shriek that tore through the night sky and a deafening explosion!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannon fire from the Fendo City warships, like the drumbeats of death, instantly transformed the tranquil beach into a living hell.
"Oh my God!" Jimmy jumped up in fright, nearly throwing his hat off. "What's going on?! Why isn't the door open?!"
"It's human warfare! They always like to blow things up!" Poker scrambled for cover, a shell exploding very close to the reef where they were hiding, sending up a towering column of water that splashed them with salty seawater. "Quick! Open the door!"
The two Yordles were frantically pacing around amidst the gunfire, desperately trying to send their thoughts to the faintly sensed magical nodes inside the reef, praying that the portal to the spiritual realm would open quickly.
As if in response to their desperate cries, a miracle finally occurred. Moonlight and starlight traced a fleeting, shimmering amber pattern on the rocks. It was an endless ring of light and shadow, cleverly combined, and from a certain angle, it resembled a doorway to the land of eternal sunrise.
Whispers and song-like echoes quietly emerged, like secrets carried by the sea breeze; these subtle sounds were beyond the comprehension of ordinary ears. The air made a soft "pop," like a bubble rising from the surface of a lake, and a stable portal, radiating a soft glow, quietly took shape at the very center of the reef.
"The door's open! Come in!" Poker shouted, pulling up the still trembling Jimmy and eagerly trying to squeeze into the portal.
The moment they stepped into the portal, a missile that veered off target struck the beach not far from them.
A petite body, thrown by the shockwave of the explosion, flew like a kite with a broken string, and landed squarely on the newly opened portal entrance, slamming into two Yordles!
"Oh my goodness!"
"What's going on?! Humans from the material world have broken in!!"
Poker and Jimmy were stunned by this unexpected disaster. They struggled to crawl out from under the unconscious Alice and stared dumbfounded at the silver-haired human girl who had barged into their way home.
"Quick! Before the door closes, throw her out!" Jimmy shouted in a panic, frantically trying to push Alice back onto the war-torn beach.
However, fate played a cruel joke. Almost simultaneously, another shell whistled through the air, this time striking the reef that served as the magical anchor point for the portal.
Boom!!!
Amidst the deafening explosion, the reef shattered! The portal, which had just stabilized, suffered a fatal blow. The light screen twisted and flickered violently, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable strain, before collapsing and vanishing like a shattered mirror! Only chaotic magical aftershocks remained, announcing the complete severing of this passage between the material and spiritual realms.
The energy turbulence caused by the collapse of the gate plunged the two Yordle scouts into a great panic.
"It's over! It's all over! We can't send it out!" Jimmy clutched his head and squatted on the ground in despair.
Poker looked at Alice, who was still unconscious on the ground, and then at the portal that had disappeared in front of him, his little face full of struggle.
"What...what do we do now?" Jimmy asked, his voice trembling with tears.
“We can’t… we can’t just leave her here, can we?” Poker hesitated, looking at Alice’s pale face. “Look at her, she looks injured, and… she’s just a child.”
"What?! Bring a human back to Bandle City?! Are you crazy?!" Jimmy screamed.
Poker took a deep breath, trying to puff out his small chest and mimic the instructor's posture: "Jimmy! Have you forgotten the oath we took when we joined the Bandle City Scouts? 'To lend a helping hand to every friend in distress and in need, no matter where they come from or what race they are!'"
Jimmy paused for a moment, then blinked: "It seems... there is such a rule..."
Poker pressed his advantage, a sly glint in his eyes: "That's right! If we rescue her and get her back safely... or at least settled in, wouldn't that fulfill our oath? Maybe... maybe we can even get a 'Help a Stranger' medal for it! That's something you can pin on your sash!"
"The Medal for Helping Strangers!" Jimmy's attention was immediately drawn, and his panic was temporarily overshadowed by a sense of honor—perhaps mainly by his longing for the medal. "Yes! We can't stand by and watch someone die! Bandle Scout, let's go!"
And so, the two diminutive Yordle scouts struggled to carry the unconscious silver-haired girl onto the path leading to the mysterious Bandle City, a path filled with unknown spiritual realms.
The best path between two points is to connect them upside down, then reverse the direction and make it round again!
------------------------------------------------
"Hurry!" a yodal shouted as he ran.
"What happened?!"
"Jimmy and Poker brought back a human!" The news spread like wildfire.
The gates of Bandle City were crowded with all kinds of Yordles, young and old, who watched curiously as Jimmy and Pok carried a human girl into the main city. Some kind-hearted people, upon hearing the news, hurriedly made an extended stretcher.
"Look! Poker and Jimmy caught a big one!"
"Wow! It's a real human! Alive! I've only ever seen them in 'Temo's Top Secret Diary (Illustrated Edition)'!" The little Yordles excitedly gathered around, but dared not get too close, just standing on tiptoe, their big, round eyes peering curiously.
"Why is she sleeping? Was our welcome ceremony not loud enough?" A Yordle craftsman said, pulling out a trumpet-shaped ram's horn, blowing hard, and spraying out a bunch of colorful bubbles and a sound like a fart.
Alice was temporarily placed in the clinic, which looked like a kettle from the outside. Poker and Jimmy carefully placed Alice on a "bed" covered with soft moss and dried flowers. Soon, the clinic was packed with fluffy heads.
A group of yods surrounded the girl, chattering excitedly.
"Is her hair made of the moon? It's so sparkly!"
"I bet her eyes look like two giant strawberry candies when they open!"
"She looks soft and fluffy, like a big marshmallow!"
—The Yordles began to understand this human girl using the things they knew best and were happiest about.
“Pok! Jimmy! Is this your new pet from some market? Can it do backflips?” a Yordle onlooker shouted. Pok puffed out his chest. “It’s not a pet! It’s…we fulfilled our scout oath! We rescued this…this lady in trouble!” He tried to make it sound more official.
"Now... what do we do now?" Jimmy looked at the unconscious Alice and scratched her furry head.
Poker took a deep breath, trying to recall the contents of the scout manual: "The manual's... uh, whatever the number, just make sure the environment is safe and comfortable, and observe vital signs!"
He found a huge leaf with a calming aroma and covered Alice with it. Then, together with Jimmy, they moved a small stool over, rested their chins on their hands, and stared intently at her, beginning their "serious" observation.
Observation Log (Bock and Jimmy version, dictated by Bock and written by Jimmy in a scout's notebook using a charred stick):
Time: Around the time the sun yawns for the third time?
Object status: Large, silver-haired humanoid creature, in hibernation mode. Breathing is steady, at a rate of approximately... Jimmy, did you count correctly?
Jimmy: "The time it takes for her chest to rise and fall once is enough for me to eat three berries!"
Poker (taking notes): "...long breathing, consistent with the characteristics of a large organism."
Note: Her hair really seems to glow! Her skin feels... (Bok carefully poked it)... soft and warm, unlike our furry skin!
Breaking discovery: She moved! Her eyelids twitched! She's about to start!
"Xiao De... Sister Kui..." she uttered a muffled syllable, as if talking in her sleep.
This excited the Yordles who were secretly watching from outside the window and door.
"She spoke! It was an ancient chant!"
Yodal linguist Mrs. Fifi the Whisperer pulled out a magnifying glass and a small notebook: "Shaw-d...ke-y-je...this must be some kind of ancient blessing spell! It means 'May the trees grow strong, may the bubbles last forever!' What a kind and friendly creature!"
Alice's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her red eyes were misty with confusion and the unfamiliar surroundings. The first thing she saw were two small, furry creatures with huge, round eyes staring at her, followed by a colorful, fantastical roof that seemed to be made of candy and sunlight. She whispered, "...Who are you? Where is this?"
The Yordles outside the window erupted in excitement: "She's awake! She's activated! Look, her expression is moving!"
"She can communicate!!"
"Quickly ask her which channel she's from!"
Ask her what flavor of raspberry she likes!
"Her eyes! They're the color of lava candy!"
Poker and Jimmy quickly stepped forward, their faces beaming with friendly smiles.
“Hello! Big friend! Welcome to Bandle City! I’m Pok, and this is Jimmy! You’re safe now!” Pok said in an exaggeratedly slow voice and gestures, as if he were communicating with a baby who couldn’t understand him.
Alice watched them, her fear slowly replaced by curiosity. She cautiously reached out a finger and gently touched Pok's pointed ear. Pok tickled and flinched.
“She likes me!” Poker said smugly to Jimmy.
Alice's eyes were full of confusion: "Band... Bandle City? I... wasn't I by the sea? Where's Little D? The artillery fire..." She tried to recall, but her head was a little dizzy.
"The beach? Oh! That noisy place, full of 'bang bang bang' sounds!" Jimmy waved his little arms, imitating an explosion. "We rescued you from that boring place! As for 'Little De'... is he your pet? Is he lost? We can help you post a lost and found notice, using dandelion telegrams!"
Poker quickly covered Jimmy's mouth: "Jimmy! Be polite!" He turned to Alice with a bright smile, "Don't worry! Now that you can talk, that makes things much easier! First, let's have a welcome party! It's standard procedure here!"
"Feeding time!" someone shouted, and the Yordles immediately sprang into action.
First to squeeze in was Nora, the Yodal baker, wearing a tall chef's hat, carrying a tray of freshly baked "Joyful Breads" that seemed to bounce slightly on their own. "Try this, darling! It'll make you laugh all day!"
Alice hesitated before taking a small piece of bread. The bread melted in her mouth, and a warm feeling and a strange sense of pleasure made her eyes widen slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"She smiled! The bread worked!" the Yodals cheered.
Then, pharmacist Piss squeezed in, holding a bottle of shimmering liquid: "This is my newly concocted 'Rainbow Hiccup Potion,' the burps that come out are rainbow-colored!" Luckily, Poker was quick enough to stop him: "Piss! She's too big, the dosage needs to be recalculated!"
Then came the Weaver Mimi, who was holding a piece of cloth that was so light it seemed to be made of clouds and spider silk. She gestured that she wanted to make Alice a new dress that "could change color with her mood." The Weaver Mimi took Alice's hand and wanted her to stand up so that she could be taken to measure.
"Thank...thank you," she uttered a muffled syllable, trying to stand up, but the motion sickness made her dizzy and she fell back down.
"Look! She's trying to make a space jump! But she doesn't have enough energy!"
Wow! Is she from a place where everything floats?
"I understand! She's not incapable of walking; she's simply chosen a more advanced method of movement—levitation by thought!"
After learning about Alice's ground vertigo, the master craftsman Blank began to consider whether to create a "mobile garden chair" for her using pumpkins and vines to solve her "advanced habit" of "preferring to float and move".
The Yodel people excitedly pushed all sorts of outrageous "vehicles": a swing made of dandelion fluff, a rainbow snail shell driven by beetles, and even a bubble capsule that needed to be constantly blown up to expand... in an attempt to help her "better adapt to the gravitational field of Bandle City".
Soon, the story of Alice spread throughout Bandle. Some Yordles said she was a princess who fell from the moon and was cursed by a dragon, and that only the laughter of Bandle City could break the curse!
Some Yordles say, "She is a warrior who fled from a terrible world full of explosions and loud noises!"
Some Yordles said, "She's actually a walking, giant, humanoid marshmallow. We should take good care of her so we can share her when she grows up..."
However, this version was quickly refuted by other Yordles, though some secretly believed it.
A few days later, Alice became the most popular "attraction" in Bandle City. The little Yods loved to gather around her, teaching her their games:
"Chasing the twinkling spirit beast": In reality, they were chasing a glowing insect with an illogical flight path. Alice sat in a rainbow snail shell carriage driven by beetles (a masterpiece of the Yordle craftsmen), pushed by the little Yordles, shuttling through the psychedelic forest, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, leaving behind bursts of clear laughter.
"Building a tower with giant acorns": Giant acorns of various shapes, sizes, and hardness became building blocks. Although Alice couldn't get down to the ground to work, she would direct them with her voice, "Over there! That round red one!" The little yodels would then happily go and move them, eventually building a crooked but imaginative "castle," and then everyone would cheer and knock it down.
"Guess what the cloud looks like": Everyone lay on the soft grass looking at the sky. One yodl said the cloud looked like a flying hippopotamus, another said it looked like a teapot wearing a hat, and Alice whispered that it looked like a throwing axe thrown by a druid. The yods would then seriously discuss whether the "throwing axe" was some kind of new and particularly powerful musical instrument.
Some mischievous Yordles would even cast little prank spells, temporarily turning Alice's silver hair rainbow-colored, or making shimmering musical notes float around her. Whenever this happened, Alice would look at her hair in surprise, then be infected by the Yordles' triumphant laughter and laugh along with them.
One evening, an elder from Bandle City, an old man with a beard long enough to be used as a scarf, named "The Thinker" von Pyre, came to visit Alice, leaning on his cane.
He circled Alice, who was sitting on the dandelion swing, three times, stroked his long beard, and said, "Hmm... a quiet little guest from a noisy world. Her heart is like unblemished crystal. The joy of Bandle City is her best nourishment. Let her stay..."
Poker and Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief and then straightened their backs—they felt they were one step closer to the "Help Strangers" medal!
And so, Alice, the girl from the material world, settled down in the fantastical, chaotic yet incredibly warm city of Bandle. She became a special "silver-haired star" in this eternally joyful city, surrounded every day by all sorts of quirky kindness and pure happiness.
Meanwhile, news that "a human has arrived in Bandle City" spread across the continent of the material world through the mouths of various scouts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
