A "gift" for you

ㅤ Seeing the device, Primula clutched her head, almost whining. 'Why didn't anyone tell me he escaped!?' She would never have believed that her and Keele's old enemy had been released. Now Keele was not nearby, but the bomb was in front of Primula. And she had no idea how to defuse it, because Keele always did that. 'Okay, Primula, think,' she tried to calm herself with thought, allowing logic and reason to prevail over panic and emotion. 'You're a detective. You can do it! Remember what we did with Keele back then.' Primula carefully examined the insistently ticking device, examining every wire—where it led and from. She thought deeply… 'I don't understand!!!' she screamed in her mind. If she had said it out loud, Keele, on another planet, would have definitely heard… Although the bomb was at first glance identical to the previous one, Primula had no understanding of its structure or wiring. She couldn't remember how and where everything had been connected last time. She barely managed to recall the sequence of wires being cut, and only because Keele had forced her to participate then. 'It can't be the same sequence? Hyura is too smart for that. But…' Primula trembled with fear and despair, 'I have no other choice!' She cut the first wires confidently, fueled by feigned determination. But the last one… Primula knew for sure it was purple. Just as she was sure of the previous ones. However, the fear of being wrong nagged at her. Not in the sequence of colors. In the assumption. 'It's too late to retreat: only one remains. Come on, Primula!' Gritting her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut, Primula clenched the hand holding the wire cutters. Click. Silence. Primula cracked an eye open—the bomb was still in front of her. But the ticking had stopped. 'Did it work?' she couldn't believe it at first. "It worked!" In her joy, she didn't immediately notice the secret compartment opening. She saw it when, in all her happiness, she hit herself painfully. Inside was a note with a mysterious set of numbers. Having calmed down from the experience and switched to a new puzzle, Primula began pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what the numbers meant. She thought for a long time, making many guesses. Only when she finally reached a dead end did she decide to examine the note more closely. She sniffed it first—she immediately recognized the familiar scent of Hyura's cologne. However, the most important thing awaited her on the back of the sheet! A reminder: 'These are the coordinates. Don't rack your brains; you're beyond your capabilities anyway.' "You…" Primula slowly seethed, holding herself back, "bastard!" Afraid of making a fool of herself… or rather, wanting to first explore the situation, Primula went to the meeting place alone. Who knows, Hyura might decide to deceive her or set her up. But no. He sat calmly and waited for her on a green hill, gazing at the sky, where the outline of Celestia was visible. "You're faster than I thought," he praised mockingly. "What were you thinking!?" Primula seethed. "You have no one left to play games with! Or did you really think to kill everyone?!" "Not at all." Hyura smiled calmly. "I know perfectly well what you can and can't do. Besides, there was no explosive charge in the device—just a box. It was a 'gift' especially for you. After all, I'll soon have more pressing matters to attend to." "What are you planning?" Primula asked warily. "If Keele thinks he's being clever by hiding from me on Celestia, he's sorely mistaken. I'll get there. On my own. Unlike that rogue who used someone else's powers. And in this battle of wits, I'll emerge victorious." Primula remained silent. On the one hand, she wouldn't mind going to Celestia to see Keele either… On the other, Hyura had always been their enemy. It's hard to consider someone who puts people's lives in danger a rival. "So, no more bombs? You won't cause anyone any more trouble?" "Little pranks are hardly a serious problem. But, in your words, yes. No more. However," he paused, "I didn't send you a parting gift. It was an invitation." "What?" "Don't you want to come with me to Celestia?" Primula was taken aback. Hyura had never expressed any interest in her; rather, he treated her with disdain, since she didn't satisfy his needs as a rival in his intellectual games, but only hindered Keele. "Why?" "So that everything would be like the good old days," Hyura admitted honestly. 'So that you would distract Keele from his new life, guiding him in my direction,' he didn't elaborate. "I'll think about it. If you really do find a way to Celestia," Primula didn't argue, deciding the option wasn't so bad. However, she added loudly, "But don't think I'll become your pawn!" "Then," Hyura grinned, giving Primula a sly look, "wait for the 'invitation.'" Primula shuddered, looking at Hyura with fear. Then she exhaled resignedly, glancing at Celestia out of the corner of her eye. "Just don't include the explosive part," she conceded, waving her hand and walking away. Hyura continued to stare at Celestia. But he didn't see it before him at all, but rather new, complex schemes—he was constructing a plan that would negate and perfect all the technologies of his world. Keele had provoked him greatly, so he couldn't simply let him get away with his refusal to return. After all, there was no one on Inferia worthy of his intellect… 'Perhaps I'll be able to find more and more interesting players on Celestia,' Hyura was already dreaming. ㅤ