Ivana finally got to the clearing, and she made herself comfortable on the flat, soft grass that had been softened for sitting thanks to her constant visiting and staying there.
She crossed her legs under her, and finally, she pulled the golden ball out of her bag. The sunlight bounced off the ball's smooth surface, and as Ivana held it, and she was once again welcomed by its awkward warmth… A warmth that contrasted greatly with the rather cool temperature around her.
There was a soft hum in the air around the ball, and Ivana's green eyes stared curiously at this weird object she now considered to be a puzzle.
She looked at it closely under the sunlight, and she felt it with her fingers. She noticed that every time she moved the ball or pressed some places, she would hear soft clinks from within the ball. Clicking sounds so soft, she would have missed them if not for her beast meddling with her hearing.
Ivana kept feeling around the ball and pressing certain places, and it wasn't long before she discovered a pattern. When she pressed some places, the clicking sounds seemed clearer, and when she pressed other places, the clicking sounds seemed to grow softer.
"Hmm…" She hummed as she brought the ball closer to her eyes in search of something she might be missing, and that's when she saw it—a small part… very easy to miss.
It wasn't as smooth as the rest of the ball, and that caught her attention.
Ivana's brows knotted as she ran her fingers over the rough part that looked deliberately worn down, and she couldn't help but wonder. Was this how the ball was made, or could someone have done this in their desperate attempt to open the ball?
Knox purred in the distance. Knowing not to get too close or bother while Ivana tinkered, and Ivana threw her another moonberry.
"Go play. But don't go too far." Ivana then instructed, and as if understanding her, Knox ate the berry and flew into the distance, chasing after grasshoppers and butterflies.
Ivana turned her attention back to the ball, and finally, she noticed a small line running along the middle of the ball. Her jaw dropped, and excitement twinkled in her eyes as she realised she was making progress… she was finding clues.
The little line didn't look like an opening to what was inside the ball, but it looked like a small section that was hiding something, and this only spiked Ivana's curiosity.
She bit her upper lip as her mind started racing, and finally, an idea popped into her mind. She closed her eyes to remember all the points on the ball she pressed earlier that made the clicking sound louder.
Praying that the ball wasn't a bomb of some kind, she placed her fingers on all those spots, and with a deep breath, she pushed.
The ball began to vibrate softly, and soon, it cracked open slightly. She gasped as a violet-coloured light shone like a sudden swoosh from within the ball, through cracks she hadn't seen earlier. And just like that, the lights vanished.
She then heard a soft hissing sound from the ball, and she raised a brow. There was a clear clink this time, and she saw a part of the ball open. Specifically, that line she had noticed in the middle. She pushed the opening fully, and inside it was a small hole that looked like a thumb pad.
She licked her lips as she weighed her choices, and she sighed.
"What's the worst that could happen? "She questioned with a shrug before taking her right thumb to the pad.
She pressed it against the pad, and for a second, nothing happened. Until clear, whirling sounds and clicks began to come from inside the ball.
Ivana watched with wide eyes as the ball began to reshape itself, and she stayed frozen with her eyes glued to it as it contorted and reassembled. She looked up at Knox, which had stopped playing and was now watching the object transforming in Ivana's hand.
The ball became a weird, golden bracelet, and Ivana raised it to her eye level.
She stared at it in shaken awe for a few seconds before pride erupted in her mind.
"I solved the puzzle! "She exclaimed excitedly before standing up to do a happy dance.
She didn't mind that the bracelet was a weird golden thing with violet lines pulsing through it via cracks all over.
She was just glad she was able to solve a seemingly ancient puzzle.
"Who's amazing? I'm amazing! "She sang as she hopped around with Knox watching, and eventually, when she was out of breath, she stopped.
She looked at the weird bracelet in her hand, and she smirked.
"I can't wait to show this off to Aunt Evie! "She muttered as she wore the bracelet on her wrist.
"I solved the puzzle and got a bracelet out of it. Double score! "She exclaimed proudly as she raised her hand to admire the bracelet, and that's when it happened.
Clank
The bracelet suddenly tightened around Ivana's wrist, and she froze.
"What the? "She questioned as she pulled her wrist back down, and her eyes widened when the bracelet began to melt onto her skin.
Liquifying and absorbing into her skin.
"Oh shit! "She panicked as she began to pull the bracelet, but it wouldn't budge.
She watched as the object slowly vanished into her skin, and her heart pounded with fear as she watched the last bit of it melt into her body.
She felt her beast stir inside her, and she knew something was wrong. Obviously.
Some weird, old thing had just entered her body.
"What just- "She began, but white hot pain suddenly knocked her to the ground, and Ivana felt like every cell in her body was expanding.
Insane pain shot through her spine and body, and her vision went white as she began to convulse on the ground.
Knox flew over to her in worry, but there was nothing the poor thing could do.
Ivana felt like her brain was going to rupture, and through all this pain, she couldn't even scream.
She felt something violently making room inside her, and her beast once again did nothing to help her.
She was sure she was going to die, but she suddenly heard something. A voice.
A male voice.
Loud and clear inside her head.
[About time. I was getting bored in there.]
That was the last thing she heard before everything faded to black.