Author's Note: I love UlrikaxRoze. Also I call Roze, Roze instead of Raze. Characters from MK1&2 will be in this story, however, the pairing might not match your taste. I'll leave the pairings as a surprise, but I have reasons for them! The only pairing I'm completely dedicated to is UlrikaxRoze, but I do like to include other interactions.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mana Khemia or the characters.
In a land far, far away, there was a kingdom called Al-Revis filled with magic and a variety of creatures. It was built almost entirely out of magic and floats in the sky. The magic was cast by scholars who attained knowledge of the world and its works. They knew not only magic, but alchemy, the appliance of science to concoct items such as potions and even weapons. However, not all the residents possessed such skills. They were fortunate enough to be born into such a magnificent world. At dawn of every morning, the sun would strike the sky with its golden ray and cast its riches onto the land. Al-Revis was truly a holy, golden ground of fortune.
Beneath the floating city, the earth was known as Siver-La. The land wasn't as beautiful and glorious, but the soil was rich and embellished by nature. However, during the full moon a grey mist is cast upon the land and the touch of the moon's light enamored it with a silver glow, thus giving the land its name. But due to a misspelling on the official documenting, the name was never corrected for dear shame and embarrassment. Instead, the excuse was that the name derived from Silver Land and the original name became forever lost.
In the world below, magic was rare because it was only taught to those qualified in the upper world, but by no means unheard of. However, rumors believe that a small village hidden away in the depth of a forest, houses extremely skilled alchemists, but no one could ever locate that village. Many believed that the village exists, but never had one found concrete evidence of the shadowed land so now it is merely thought to be a legend. The village was truly a mystery, but where, if it did not exist, did such rumors come from?
Back to Al-Revis, it was once ruled by the all knowing, talented Alchemist, King Theofratus. He was the most talented Alchemist the world had ever seen. The king in his glory brought prosperity to the land and flourished the city to be the wealthiest land in history. Even among the previous kings, they were no match for his legacy. He had skills beyond what most alchemists could ever hope to possess, but unfortunately, so was his confidence.
One day, the King had set out to heal a sickly girl believing so thoroughly in his own prowess that he never could imagine that tragedy would strike. Misfortune had found its way and bound him to regret and a world full of woe. The girl was healed but in exchange, her life span had been reduced, but soon she vanished and was never seen again. The king could not forgive his own miscalculation, so in exchange he took his own life. The queen, Isolde, soon fell into a great depression and began to inflict her pain onto others. When she was no longer able to bare the pain and burden of loneliness, the Queen soon followed her husband into the very ground they raised. Even their son, Vayne, had left the kingdom and disappeared without a trace. Without an heir, the late King's younger brother, Eugene assumed the throne.
He was quite a skilled king, but royalty did not suit him, or so he says. After many years, he passed the title of king to his son who became a magnificent ruler, but misfortune struck the kingdom once more. Five years into his rule, the king, age 26, passed away in an accident no one foresaw and left behind his pregnant wife only months before giving birth. The queen too also met her end after conceiving their child.
The child grew up without parents, but was raised and loved by his grandfather and the servants within the kingdom. The child was bright and skillful and possessed enormous potential in the art of swordsmanship and alchemy, but he did not care much for the latter. In an attempt to keep the balance of alchemy and swordsmanship within their blood, his grandfather had arranged a marriage with a close, noble friend's daughter. It seemed to be the best choice as he grew up with the girl and didn't seem to interact with females besides a few others. Of course, he refused the idea, but his grandfather did not budge and reinforced how important it was to continue their line. It was apparent that the dear grandfather was worried. After losing his brother and soon his son, he feared for his grandchild and the generations after. Seeing his grandfather's pain, he accepted and complied with his wishes. The union between the noble lady, Lilianne, and crown prince Rozeluxe, would be held on his twenty first birthday.
It was the day before his royal matrimony. The sky city was bustling with energy. Streets were crowded, booths were full, even the air they breathed was full of words. The civilians were excited for oh! Their dear prince, for his 21st would mark the day he wed their beautiful lady. The prince Rozeluxe was dearly loved, even worshipped with a fan club and the lady Lilianne was clearly sought after by many, but not one person from the city doubted that the union between them was the most beautiful. Of course, that did not mean there weren't any, or should I say...weren't many, unbroken hearts.
Nonetheless, the people worked together to prepare for the wedding. Decorations, food, even fireworks were being made all for that day to come. It was joy to their world, for their lord would love, or so they believed.
At this very moment, the prince, Rozeluxe, confined himself inside his corridor. Many of his maids tried desperately to persuade him out of his room, but to no avail. He refused to come out and eat breakfast and also refused to let anyone even close to stepping an inch inside. Yep, the prince was being a jerktown, while the city was festive.
A resounding knock came from the door, but he doesn't bother to answer. Instead he laid in bed under the warmth of handmade quilts. The knock penetrated the room again, but he stubbornly ignored it. Thrice, the knock was heard, even louder than before, but the jerk- I mean, prince, remained in his bed. A few seconds later, the door creaked open and footsteps strode closer to him. He pretended to sleep, but it did not fool his guest. Seconds later, his blankets are ripped from his body, the sudden removal left him cold and alert so he glared at the figure before him.
"Good morning, your highness," said the smiling mana before him.
"Get out, Yun," growled the prince in a low tone.
The smiling mana, Yun, wagged his finger and replied, "Sorry prince, his majesty orders that you get up right this moment. Ah, he also wants you to apologize to all the maids, who love you so dearly, for snapping at them and sending them into hysteric wails and streaming tears. You should be nicer to girls, prince, maybe if you did, you probably wouldn't be in this sad mess called-"
"Shut up, Yun." Muttered the prince, his voice low, but audible. "I don't need to hear that from you. It's bad enough you work for that old fart, but you don't even show me much respect so there's no point in you addressing me formerly." grunted the prince.
Yun dropped his smile and crossed his arms. "Fine. Look Roze, just be gentler with women. They aren't as tough as you, plus I'm the one who's stuck with screeching banshees when you don't even spare them a glimpse. It's really frustrating in my position."
"What are you talking about? There's never been a single woman who's tried to approach me," answered the puzzled prince.
Sigh. "You know the maid with the braids, the one that always leaves a bag of chocolate on your table?" asked Yun.
"Who? What chocolate?" he pondered. "I thought that was weird stuff Puniyo collected and just left as a prank."
"And what did you do with it?"
"…I threw it into the horses' stable…"
"Correct, and she so happened to be there when you tossed it to a bunch of animals who got sick eating unfamiliar concoctions. To make it worse, she had to clean up the mess that was supposed to have gone into your stomach."
Roze's eyes widened for a split second as he took in this new piece of information.
"And do you also remember that older girl with the bob cut? No wait, you didn't even see her when she went up to you and tried to give you a birthday gift. You shrugged her off and told her not to bother you while you were studying because your grandfather was on your ass about education and didn't even lift your gaze from your paper."
"...I don't remember…" Roze muttered.
"Of course you don't. You never bothered to even try which clearly brings me to my point that you brought yourself into the situation you're in and don't have the decency to complain. I should be the one complaining." Yun gave him a distressed look.
"…" Roze did not answer.
"I'm glad you understand. Look, as much as you don't like how things are, there are some things you just have to accept. That's life." Yun continued to lecture.
"I know. But even so, I didn't want things to be like this…" said Roze looking away. His entire life had been set for him since the day he was born. He was a free man with power, yet he was bound to his title. The things he could do exceed the norm, but also excluded him from it. Almost twenty one years, but not once did he feel like his life was his own. And tomorrow marked the day he would share the rest of it with another.
"That, I can agree with..." said the mana with a hint of sympathy. "Come on, your grandfather's waiting for you. Tonight's the banquet to celebrate your engagement. Since it is taking place in the world below, we have a long trip ahead of us."
"I'll be down in a bit. Go ahead and report to him and check on Puniyo while you're at it," said Roze, quietly.
"Sure," said Yun as he walked out the door, but before leaving he turned around. "If…there's something you want to change, it's not too late."
The doors closed and the sound echoed through the large room. The prince smiled bitterly to himself before giving himself a cold stare through his mirror.
"Sure, but how many more people do I have to hurt?"
Night had fallen, but things were far from quiet. Siver-La was flooded with light and noise to celebrate the Prince's engagement. Although the Prince lived above, the people below also worshipped the royal family. They were almost seen as gods from heaven, if not for the fact they were human. Because of the great distance and use of magic, the world below rarely saw royalty unless it was for a special occasion. For the first time in over twenty years, the royal family would descend and share their blessing.
The celebration was held in the largest, main city, Aimehkanam and people from all over had gathered for this night. Tonight's celebration was not just a festival, but a grand banquet hosted for his royal honor. There was parade and a masquerade, too.
Among the rowdy crowds, there were two girls by the food court. One was blonde and the other was a brunette. The blonde ate her food quite rapidly while the other ate tediously. They were an unusual pair, the blonde seemed to lack status, but carried a hint of grace, while the brunette was mannerful and quiet. They both wore masks, but even beneath the masks, their features were still attractive.
"I'm so glad we came out here!" said the blonde as she stretched her arms. Her voice was solid, but very innocent.
"...The next time you drag me out somewhere unbearably loud I'll make sure to have an incantation to silence them." Said the brunette in a low deadly, yet soft voice.
"Geez, Chloe. Lighten up! It's our first outside festival right? We have to enjoy it, I mean don't you think this is exciting? I've never seen so many people." Exclaimed the blonde.
"The less there are, the better. Should I get rid of a few? Hmm…maybe I should just get rid of Ulrika…I can use my cur- I mean incantations and get rid of...Ulrika at the same time. Hehehe," chuckled the brunette softly.
The blonde shuddered as a chill ran down her spine. "I heard my name," she mumbled. "Chloe, whatever you're up to, it's not funny."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ulrika." Chloe wore an innocent smile.
The blonde, Ulrika gasped. "I-I'm serious! Don't hurt anyone okay? It'll be bad if we get caught here! We're not suppose be out here so don't try anything!"
"And who brought us out here? If you're so worried about letting the cat out of the bag and then getting stuffed into one yourself, you should have thought before you dragged us out."
"B-but it's a once in a life time chance!" Ulrika defended. "Who knows when the next time a royal family comes down? An event like this is too hard to pass up, it's worth the risk!"
"Fine, but if anything happens, I'm leaving you," said Chloe softly.
Ulrika gulped. "Come on Chloe, you don't mean that…hahaha."
"Of course not," smiled Chloe at Ulrika who then relaxed. "I'll come back for your body."
Ulrika paled. "A-anyways, just relax a bit and have fun. I mean, what could possible go wrong?"
The music started to play and everyone started to gather towards the center of the city.
"Ladies and gentleman!" called out the announcer. "Tonight is the night that we have all been waiting for! I present to you Prince Rozeluxe and soon to be Princess Lilianne!"
"Hmm? Can you see what's going on Chloe? There're too many people in front of me," said Ulrika.
"…."
"Chloe?"
"…."
Ulrika glanced around and struggled amongst the crowd. She stood on her tiptoes but could not see amidst the heads.
"I would like you all to grab a partner and get ready for the dance!"
Ulrika gasped. "Oh no…." And she drowned into the mass.
Music started to play and the crowd began to move. She was pushed and shoved around as she moved. As hard as she tried, she could not fight it. Instead it sucked her in and swallowed her. Next thing she knew, she was being passed around, arm to arm, twirled around, passed again to another, almost lost balance, but caught and swung towards the next person. This went on for another ten minutes until Ulrika reached the edge and was finally able to pull away from the crowd. Exhausted, she tried to find a table to sit. She had almost given up looking for Chloe until she saw a familiar flash and glow near the woods. Ulrika gaped.
"I-I can't believe her! She used her wings of Icarus and just left me here! I don't want to go back yet…but it's not fun to be alone…" The blond grumbled a few curses, but sighed afterward. Well, as long as she was here, she might as well enjoy the festivities. As she sat alone, her eyes wandered around trying to catch something of interest. Her eyes wandered into the forest near the place where Chloe vanished. There was a mysterious light glow emitting from the dark. Curious, she made her way.
"Lady Valendorf, congratulations! I wanted to share my blessing with you and Prince Rozeluxe. Unfortunately I can't seem to find him anywhere." said the host.
"Thank you, sir, I will relay this to him when I see him. He's wandering and enjoying the celebration for himself." Said the Noble lady.
"That will not do! Leaving a lady such as yourself to be alone is outrageous." The man cried. "Surely he should intend to keep such a beauty for himself!"
"Thank you, but do not worry. I also have my attendant. Now, if you don't mind, I'll excuse myself." As she walked away, she couldn't help but wonder.
Roze…where did you go?
Ulrika walked towards the forest and looked for the mysterious light. As she walked deeper into the forest, she grew cold and scared. Obviously, the girl acted before thinking and went straight into the forest without caution.
"Come on Ulrika, you're twenty! You can't be scared of the silly dark," she whispered to herself.
She heard movement from a nearby bush and let out a small cry and instantly bolted. As she ran through the forest, a mysterious figure appeared before her. In her hurry, she did not notice it until the very last second. She had tackled the mysterious form to the ground and used it as a cushion to soften her own landing. The sound of something breaking cracked under her. She stood up quickly and darted away from it. Ulrika did not realize how far off she had gotten until it was nearly pitch black. She heard movement again and turned around to see a glowing light.
"A-A g-ghost!" she cried. Ulrika panicked and pulled out her sphere with a chain attached that hung around her waist, and swung it towards the glowing light. It dodged her attack swiftly and came even closer. If only she could see, then maybe she would be able to run, but the area was too dark. She wanted to use light magic, but that would only cause a commotion if someone saw. Unfortunately, she could not reveal herself even if it meant that it would save her.
I wish Uryu was with me! She thought, but that was too dangerous. She couldn't risk her mana being caught. As she contemplated a plan she decided he best choice at the moment was to use ice magic, that way, no light would give off her location, but it also meant she would not be able to see her target. Good thing she was fighting a glowing ball, not.
When the light drew closer, Ulrika unleashed her spell. The light suddenly disappeared. Ulrika did not let her guard down until minutes had passed. Exhaling her breath, her body relaxed. As soon as she did, an arm captured her body and a hand was raised towards her neck. The glow had mysteriously appeared before her once more.
"Who are you?" asked a low voice behind her. "You're not from the kingdom."
Ulrika struggled to break from the grasp. Just where did the man come from?
"Don't move," said the calm but serious voice. "If you do, I will hurt you." She could feel something cold and sharp press against her neck. Fear flooded her nerves.
"L-let go…" she choked.
"Answer and I will."
"…"
That's impossible.
"Well?" he waited, but was given no reply. "Fine, but I'll have to take you back to the kingdom with me. Whoever you are, you're not from Al-Revis and judging from the magic you use, you're not from here either."
Ulrika's eyes widened as she gasped and tried once more to escape. This was the worst case scenario. Her body began to tremble with fear as she thought about the consequences. There was absolutely no way she could allow him to take her. She needed to get away and fast before anyone else finds them. Glancing down, she knew she had only one hope. If only she could reach it.
"I told you to quit struggling!" but she didn't. She continued to fight back but her strength could not compare to his. Her eyes dilated to specks when she felt arm liquid dripping onto her clothes. Her breath hitched in her throat. Seconds later, she gave up completely. Sensing that she'd given up, the man loosened his grip. Ulrika instantly took that chance to escape his grasp and swung her sphere at him. He let go of her and she reached into her pocket to pull out a necklace. The man had stumbled and fell to the ground. The glow darted away and hovered above the man who now laid on the ground with his face plastered against the ground. The light shone just enough that Ulrika could almost see him clearly. She touched her neck to feel for her wound, and was met with surprise.
There's no wound...But how? I felt it, the blood…
Her gaze lingered over the male.
...Unless…
Hesitantly, she walked over to him. With a closer look, she could see a black blotch smearing his entire upper body and slowly reaching his lower region.
…It wasn't my blood…
The man breathed hard and grunted in pain.
Did I do this?
The light silently hovered over the man while Ulrika was devoured by guilt. She could hear footsteps from a distance and talk as if it were urgent. Panicked, she tighened her grasp around her necklace. She couldn't get caught, not here, not now. But what was she going to do with the man in front of her? She could just use her wings of Icarus and leave now, but what if no one finds him? How much longer did he have? What if they do find him, but it was already too late? Her head flooded with questions and her stomach churned.
She was confused between making a decision to risk her secret or the man's life. Her head told her to go, but her heart refused to let her. Right or wrong, the decision was hers.
"I have to leave now," she whispered to herself. "...before they get any closer. They'll definitely arrest me."
Ulrika pulled the man carefully into her arms before activating the necklace. The light she was once afraid of was now clear to her. It must have been the man's mana. She allowed the mana within her vicinity and using the power of her wings, she disappeared from the forest.
...I'll save you...
"Yun, have you seen Roze?" asked Lilianne.
"No, he's been gone for some time. I suspect he wanted to be alone, but he's been gone far too long for even me to consider it normal." Informed the mana.
"I see. Tell me if you hear from him."
"Yes, miss-"
"Sir Yun!" a voice called.
Yun turned toward the man running towards him.
"I have urgent news about the crown Prince!" the man was out of breath, after running a very long distance.
"What is it? Did something happen to Roze?" asked Lilianne.
"Lady Valendorf, Sir Yun, we have urgent news. After two hours of searching, we finally have a clue about the the Prince, however, it is grave. Without much lighting, it was a difficult task, but we found the Prince's mask."
He handed the mask over to Yun.
"The site was covered with ice and close to where we found his mask, there was a puddle of blood. We believe there was struggle, but the worst part is...we could not find him and...the blood may be his."
End of Chapter
A/N: I edited it a bit so there are some changes. I still plan to continue the story.
