Revelator

Corruption

"Mommy~!"

Laima adjusted to the hustling, little body that suddenly appeared near her, gracefully catching the child that was roughly over six, "Hello, my beautiful daughter~."

The child's innocent, white grin stretched from ear-to-ear on her face and Laima gently rubbed over her rosy cheeks and marveled at her majestic, cherry blossom eyes. They shone brightly as they were filled with courage, righteousness and a determined spark that only a hero or heroine would inherit. The child dug her face into Laima's roomy bosom and wrapped her little arms around the goddess, feeling over her white, frilly dress that had layers of small decorations that stopped way past her knees. Laima treasured her presence as she held her closer to her body while sitting, holding the small body full of bolstering life in her arms.

Laima's visitor interrupted their affectionate interaction, "Um, sister?"

Laima stifled an uncomfortable laugh and blushed lightly, "Sorry, Giltinė~. This is your first time seeing my daughter, correct?"

She sat still as she faced them with her legs tucked underneath her upper body and her hands balled in her lap, "Yes, this is my first time seeing her. What is her name?"

The child pulled away from the body of her mother and stood on her own two feet, stabbing her small thumb into her chest cockily with a little smirk, "My name is Neclaytia and I am the personal knight of Laima: The Goddess of Fate."

"A knight, you say?" Giltinė mocked the child's little mind. "You think you could protect your mother from me, girl?"

Neclaytia didn't back down, her eyes blazing with amusement of a challenger, "You wouldn't be the first! I protected mommy from Dievas too!"

"Cheeky little—"

Laima pulled her daughter back into a hug, "Isn't she just cute, sister~?! My little daughter~!"

"She's quite…confident," her sister replied, but suddenly looked grim at the dead flowers around her. "Sorry about the flowers."

"It's alright," Laima brushed aside her blonde, sweeping bane. "No matter what, you are welcomed to my domain."

Giltinė blushed, but felt guilty for indirectly ruining her flowers. She was isolated in a ring of death from the rest of the bountiful flowers of varying birth which made her feel rejected by the land her sister had created with her divine power. The Heavenly Domain was the home of the gods and goddesses and was individually a cluster of their creations and homes. They all were separated by a barrier, but close to one another and could enter if the creator wanted them to. Laima rested her chin on her daughter's crystal white head, running her fingers through her straight hair with loving care, "This is your aunt, Giltinė, my little knight. Please, don't be so harsh on her."

Neclaytia stared at Giltinė, meeting her creepy, cat-like amber eyes that sharpened at being watched by the child. They both stared deeply at each other for a long moment while Laima closed her eyes to the tide of gentle air which carried her long, blonde hair that glittered from the sun above. The land whispered in her ear, all of nature speaking on the newfound relationship being created in front of her. Neclaytia opened her mouth in awe, pointing at Giltinė, "Are you a princess? You have a crown."

"P-Princess?" her aunt was shocked to her sudden words. "I'm the Goddess of Death: Giltinė. I'm no princess, child."

"Nope, nope, nope~. You are Princess Giltinė now. Do you want me to be your personal knight too? The heroes in the stories are always the knights of princesses and beautiful ladies. Oh, but I must warn you, my heart will always be true to mommy."

Giltinė smiled faintly to her absurd response, looking at Laima's apple-colored eyes in wonder, "Stories?"

"Oh, yes!" she responded quickly. "Neclaytia is very fond of stories pertaining to heroes. I believe her dream is that she wishes to become one of those heroes in the many legends of our world."

"You could just look ahead in the future and figure that out for yourself though," her sister stared.

"That would be cheating, dear sister~," Laima giggled, feeling the heart of her child beat as she wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I'd rather see her grow with my own eyes."

"Neclaytia."

The body underneath the dark sheets of the long bed rolled over defiantly, bearing no signs of heeding the words of the speaker. The speaker huffed and allowed his austere face to meet with the morning sun's rays coming from the cracked window in the room, speaking in a low, husky tone, "If you want breakfast, I'd advise you rise up. We have a long day."

A cringing, inner cry came from the body underneath the sheets, but soon a soothing and waning speech reached his ears, "More training?"

"We have a job," he replied, relaxing a little now that the girl protected by the warmth of the bed responded. "There has been sightings of a BOSS nearby Lemprasa Pond called the Woodspirit that has been causing trouble for the civilians in that area. They are asking for local mercenaries and are paying quite nicely. Are you interested?"

The girl who was nearly passing adulthood underneath the sheets revealed her crystal white head and slanted her sullen and sleepy cherry blossom eyes at the man, feeling the urge to plummet back into slumber, "What has the Woodspirit done?"

"It has taken innocent lives of travelers and harassed the citizens with its entourage mixing of the Kepas, Weavers and the Hummingbird Stingers. They have terrorized them for a week it seems," he scanned over the parchment paper in his hand that contained cursive writing. "They are asking for the assistance of Noblesse."

She sat upright in bed, stretching out with her arms as her expression depicted that of a tired infant. He watched her yawn, which was oddly cute with her eyes closed, and finally he asked her, "So, are you in?"

She ran her hands through her messy, bed hair, reeling at her stinky breath, "I'm in. Just give me time to freshen up."

"Alright," he gave a slight wave and exited the room. "I'll be in the dining room."

She nodded off in the opposite direction, stressing to keep her eyes awake. She forced down her urge to fall asleep and climbed out of bed, feeling the wind crawling into her room slide across her tanned skin. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself once she stood up and walked around the side of her bed. The wind pulled her closer to the window and as she gazed out, a friendly chirp was heard from the ancient tree standing beside her home.

Neclaytia planted her elbows on the frame of her window and absorbed the calming tide of warmth that intertwined with the cool, morning wind as her hair spoke in rhythm with the atmosphere. The chirping came again and she stared up at the nearest branch, acknowledging the black sparrow beaming its beady dark eyes at her. She tilted her head with a faint smile and rested her rosy cheek in her palm, leaning out her free hand, beckoning the young bird. Without hesitation, the bird fluttered and flew down to her opened hand, taking a seat up close to the girl it admired. She said, "You always liked being a sparrow. I'm starting to think you might fly away from me, Nier."

I would never leave you, Neclaytia. It's my duty to be by your side.

She stared at the sparrow for a while, "Very flattering. I'd prefer you return back to normal. Speaking like this isn't very appealing."

If that is what you wish.

The bird jumped from her hand and landed on the bed after a series of flapping. She turned to the bird that suddenly glowed a faint azure color, and almost immediate, a girl that looked about her age took the place of the bird. She had wild, but uncanny unpigmented hair that swiftly curled at the tips that stopped at her waist and washed over her shoulders, carrying a fresh aroma that resembled oak wood and sunflowers. Her unexpressive face reflected perfectly to her distant, but clear deep sea blue eyes and slowly the girl placed her hands over her lap. Neclaytia smiled, "Good morning, Nier~."

"Good morning, master," the girl responded solemnly, almost robotically. "Did you rest well? You seem to be unsettled this morning."

"Ah, well…I just had a dream is all."

"It was about Laima, wasn't it?" Nier stood up and brushed her hand over her winter dress, touching the fabric of her black laced long-sleeved top and trailing down to her short, white skirt stamped with dark roses until the sweeping hems. "Another nightmare?"

"It wasn't a nightmare this time," Neclaytia fiddled with the straps her dark grey sleeveless shirt that had a huge pink heart on the chest. "It was a dream about the time I met Giltinė with mama. You know, I wonder what my aunt has been doing all this time…but then again, she could have disappeared just like mama."

"It's a possibility," Nier agreed, nodding politely. "Ever since the gods and goddesses abandoned the world, nothing has been the same when we were young. It almost seem like a foreign time we just so happen to come across."

"I guess so," Neclaytia managed a small laugh, "You've been a great friend, Nier. I appreciate you joining Noblesse with me. You really calm me when papa isn't around to comfort me."

"I never imagined being a part of a band of mercenaries," Nier responded, looking down at the floor. "However, I'll help in whatever way I can. After all, you are my best friend."

Neclaytia frowned at her boring expression. She leaned over and pulled on the edges of her pink lips, compelling her lips to bend and become a stretching smile. Nier pulled her eyebrows together and mumbled, "That hurts, master."

"Call me Neclaytia, Nier~," her master ordered as she stretched her porcelain cheeks. "No need to be so formal~."

Nier responded bashfully as a light blush crossed her exquisite features, "O-Okay."

Neclaytia pulled away and placed her hands behind her back, "Let's go get some grub~. Altis, Monaco, Rena and papa should be in the dining room."

"As you wish."

Neclaytia and Nier walked side-by-side as they traversed the edge of the wide estate building, looking over at the lush nature on the highest floor of the house. The girls were prepared and ready for the sudden job they received early in the morning and now that Neclaytia was wide awake, she ran over the details the man, Altis, had told her with a sharp observation. There had been complaints from the residents from Lemprasa Pond, but nothing of huge significance that it demanded trained mercenaries. Even then, hiring an elitist group like Noblesse warranted a problem that even the knights of Orsha couldn't control.

Nier had her hands behind her back as she walked, searching the horizon that consisted of a sea of trees, sharp mountains and circling rivers. This land was important to Neclaytia, for it was where Laima and her father, Allegretto Lapis, had cherished their happiness in peace. It was also the same land Neclaytia last laid eyes on Laima before she simply vanished in thin air, forgotten and unseen to the entire world. It pained Neclaytia to relive in that memory that became occurring nightmares; however, Nier was there to calm her.

The girls made way to the door down the long corridor and entered a wide room on the other side, finding the other members of Noblesse. Neclaytia leaned over the rail of the balcony next to the door, staring down at the group below, "Good morning everyone~."

The woman sitting with her legs tucked underneath her upper body glanced up at the girl, "Oh, Neclaytia! Good morning~!"

She smiled brightly, resembling the bright features of her appealing mother. There was another response from the boy beside her who ruffled his short spiky, bright indigo hair, "Mornin'."

Altis was found leaning up against the wall nearby the kitchen, his resolute denim eyes scanned over the girls as they descended the stairs nearby the balcony, "Coming with us on the job, huh?"

Nier answered for her master, "We will be accompanying you. This seems to be a dire situation for the residents of Lemprasa Pond."

The woman nodded curtly, beforehand sipping roasting green tea in a coffee-like cup without reeling back from the stinging liquid, "It is very dire. Orsha cannot deploy their knights because they don't know the cause of the problem, but also that higher-ups won't allow their men to lose their lives because of some monsters when they could be protecting the kingdom from invaders."

"Sounds like they are expecting a war," Neclaytia said. "Ever since the Slavery Order came into play, the kingdom hasn't been the same at all. The kingdom demands its people to fend for themselves and struggle with poverty. Then those who are nothing more than dogs to them are used as slaves, beaten and traded like discarded items. It's sickening."

"Let's not sweat that right now," the boy with indigo hair darted his vale colored eyes over his allies. "If we aren't talking about doing somethin' about it, we might as well bury the conversation. This ain't the time for pointless chatter when we are on a job."

Neclaytia didn't like the impression he gave off as he slouched in his seat, lazily placing his hands on the table in front of him. She felt the urge to counter his words, but Altis jumped in before she could speak, "He's right, but I don't agree that we should turn a blind-eye to the heart of the problem. As of now, we just handle our job. The future comes next."

Neclaytia settled with his response, looking at Altis as he ran his hands through his cowlicked, ash brown hair, gently running through the waves perched on top of his head. His shoulders were finely leveled and burly, indicating the fortitude coursing through his shoulders and the rest of his body was equally identical. From staring at him, she noticed he had shaven recently since hairs weren't present along his beard line. His square chin was stony as he did a simple gesture, swinging his head into the kitchen, "Food is ready for you two. Enjoy. Rena made it herself."

The woman, Rena, looked bashfully almost as the girls stared at her, "I-I wanted to do some cooking for once. Altis and Monaco say it's good, but I just don't know if they are just lying to me or not."

She became flustered as her iris colored eyes succumbed to their glances at her, hinting that she didn't desire attention to herself that much. She had lean shoulders along with a slim figure that resembled that of a stunning model. Her copper red hair fell past her shoulders in a furious mess of curls and waves, burning just as bright as her almond skinned face and she had a tiny dark mole just above her red lips. She managed a nervous, small grin that revealed her flashing white teeth and she tilted her head, "W-Well, just try it and tell me what you think~."

"It's not bad," the boy across from her, Monaco, said in her defense as he darted his agate colored eyes at Nier and Neclaytia. "It's pretty good. I know you two are used to Allegretto cooking for us, but he's out at the moment. Rena picked up some skills from him to fill the gap in the group in case your pops was out."

"Oh, thank you, Rena~," Neclaytia's features brightened. "Always the backbone of the group."

"Aw, why can't I be the arms or the legs~? That role seems too important. I figured Altis would suit the backbone pretty well," Rena whined as her thoughts muddled with negative thoughts of herself.

Monaco sighed and scratched his head as his chin slanted up sharply, opposing against his slouching positon. Nier studied his umber skinned face that bore an ancient scar that ran diagonally across his nose, wondering of the history behind it, but no one in Noblesse spoke about their past. It was all forgotten history, or preferably, water under the bridge to all of them. They came together for one reason, and that was to save lives and earn a living with the talents they had. They were talented exterminators and well-endowed with abilities that no regular man could ever possess and were naturally brothers and sisters to revelators, for their hidden powers was equally similar; however, Neclaytia was distanced greatly from their power, for she was a demigod, one of the strongest forces on the planet.

Neclaytia smiled, feeling quite at home with everyone present and said, "Alright. We'll eat up and hopefully papa comes back when we are done."