Author's Note: This is my first story in this category, and i say that the scope of the series a bit too good and the manga a bit too exiting, so i decided to craft this work. I must honestly say that I'm an Erstin fan, especially in the manga- though I was saddened by her demise in the anime. This also concerns the HiMe notion that the good guys return from the dead- and also a way for Ers to acquire her manga only GEM in the anime standpoint- and hope not pull too much- Basically, the continuation of the series in a miniarc with manga details. I still don't know the details of the BigBang Project yet, but i wish that Sunrise would churn more than just items.
And yes, there will be tons of S/N situations, most of them comical, some of them either serious or dramatic- and with Nao getting the short end of the stick sometimes.
Prologue
Rainbow Rhodonite or its more formal name as the Rose Pyroxene of the Colorful Clouds…
Ask this name to any Coral or Pearl Otome in the street and they will answer with a resounding "I don't know", or "Never heard of it". Ask this name to any historian and they will say the same, as well as the politicians or even the nobles that you are able to ask… they will reply the same.
But ask this to any of the residents of the Nekkogami Area, or to any of the converted ex-Schwarz slavelords, or even the five pillars of Garderobe Academy, and you will either see one or both of these reactions- fear and fulfillment.
Why you say?
I took the time to find (not really actually- just a matter of convenience) and talk to a certain Midori, who was happily eating ramen in one famed ramen house in the Nekkogami Area- but being famous, I guess being placed in the former Black Valley still has an effect of sales, or it's simply off-season for vacationers. From what I've heard, she used to be in the list of dangerous criminals until a year and a half ago, when the war with Artai had progressed- but I'm now looking at a woman who was simply fulfilling her body's daily need of nutrition.
She then answers my question with this line…
"It's a tragic love story with terrible scenes boy, why ask?"
Just heard of it lady and I have no intention of delving into that kind of story- it might hit me hard like one of her hulking mechanical buddies tripping over me. Seriously, why did I have the nerve to ask that senseless question about that is loosely related to anything shiny and dangerous? Just as I was about to leave, the proprietress shoves another bowl in front of me and collected the payment from the Midori lady.
"It's on the house." The owner/chef says, wiping the previously occupied spot clean. She then asks "Why ask for such a stone?"
Seeing that the routine of evading answers from meisters like her is too much for me to bear, and really, in my short stay here, Meister Mai's ramen can force one to do anything, summon a slave, materialize or power up or anything foolish just to eat them, might as well tell her why, well I do need to thank her for the extra bowl. I tell her that the stone was part of an obscure story my mother used to tell me- obscure because I was still a baby then- I didn't understand normal language then. But nonetheless, that story held deep respect in my family and many others from where I came from. Her answer was simple really…
"Why don't you find it then?"
Sorry meister but I have to go now.
I have other things and a person to search for… and an experiment to complete.
Excerpt From:
Walking a Rainbow, Chapter 35.
By "Kagatsuchi"
-----
-----
A man in a white cloak was waiting at the base of the restaurant's steps when his contact arrived from the top- apparently he was eating before he came down. The contact had shades over his eyes, obscuring their color, but his hair was a lustrous light violet- a shade lighter than the Windbloom Queen's own hair, tied in a manly tail behind his head.
"Sir…" the cloaked man spoke.
"I know- I've been too long away… I'll make this and Wind as my last destinations and do my last searches before we return to the homeland. I know that we can find it…" the contact then spoke.
"We must hurry though, the scientists are about to pack their things for their scheduled leave."
"Well, they'll still return after a few months right?"
"Yes, but in fewer numbers, I suppose. The council is already pulling half of our funding out and into more urgent matters, such as relic hunting."
"I also do relic hunting- so be assured of funding. But what we need to focus in on what is lacking for success in the experiments. So far we are only able to restore a body, only the heart and soul remain."
"Have you searched the entire Wind city?"
"No, I'll do it tonight- get the hovercraft ready for our departure."
"As you wish…" the cloaked man then vanished with that response.
Moments later the man drew what seemed to be a silver sword from his coat, with a diamond shaped ring near the handle. He then placed himself at a secluded area and began to recite something incomprehensible, all the while the middle of the sword gathering energy, manifesting as a point of light in the middle of the ring.
"Spatial Transport… Destination, Windbloom… Begin!" he then spoke.
The command began to work, with the sword wielder vanishing into a point of light. Moments later, he reappeared, this time near a pair of open iron gates. He entered the boundary protected by the gates and found out it was the best place to look- for it was a cemetery. He gazed at the seemingly endless rows of tombstones, occasionally broken by a mausoleum or two. In the distance, there was a burial happening, and he proceeded to that spot of activity on the otherwise land of the dead.
Meanwhile, at the burial site, the people gathered there were finally resolving one dramatic chapter in their lives, with the proper way to end it- with a burial. They were waiting for the priest though- and it seemed that the mourners, namely the Five Pillars, some Pearl Otome, the Queen and her Otome were growing impatient.
"We finally managed to get this together…" Natsuki, the Second Pillar and the academy principal commented. "For Arika's sake."
She looks at the Queen's Otome, Arika of the Sky Blue Sapphire, looking distant and then looks at the two graves that were dug, with two caskets placed near them- they are empty and purely symbolic though, as the bodies of those who were supposed to be inside of them were long destroyed- but memories still remain. She then notices someone approaching them.
"So it is you again…" She comments as to who approached, drawing the looks of the remaining pillars to the "intruder"- the person who had seen the burial from a distance, sword now hidden and shades off, revealing purple blue eyes.
"Pardon my intrusion, Miss Principal, but before I leave a city I always pay respect to the departed…"
"No, it's my fault to doubt- you are a writer after all- you need to see these things." Natsuki replied.
"It is in form to pay respect to the fallen…" Maria, another of the academy seniors, replies. "It was a request to symbolically bury these two here, instead of the burial ground we've always used for our fellow meister sisters- it might do for Sister Rena, but as for her…"
The "writer" looked at the second coffin. He then takes out something out of his coat- a brown book with a golden cross in the middle, drawing the looks of the pillars further.
"Allow me to pray over them as well." He then speaks, drawing the attention of all who were there now. "Your High…" He then starts to look at the queen and is shocked for a bit. "…ness… allow me to pray over them as well. Just to put your hearts at ease…"
Mashiro could only look as her friend and otome, still looking distant. She could only nod, as it may be the only thing that might help. And so the writer began to say passages from his book, the ancient words evoking respect and soon, Arika begins to cry, head buried in the hug of her friend and master. He then finishes the reading, retreating back to his place beside Natsuki.
"Thank you for releasing all of her sadness." Shizuru then spoke.
"I have to go now…"
And so he began to leave them, walking slowly to look at all the memorials to the fallen. As Arika's cries began to fade in volume, something crosses his path, something small and glowing with sacred green.
"Rena Seyers and…" the cleric's words from the burial site were heard loud and clear, and something clicked in the writer's mind, who was still looking at the drifting green sparkle, muting the second name.
"Could it be?" he then thought as he quickly took out his sword and ran towards the back of a mausoleum. He then thinks hard and thought. "Rau, are you still there?"
"Yes sir…" came a mental reply- no doubt that it was the person in white back at the restaurant.
"What is it?"
"Get the recording equipment ready… and meet me when I say so." The writer then thought once more, sword now charging for another transport.
"Yes."
And so the writer vanished and reappeared on top of a building, looking down, and he saw more green sparkles. He again repeated the procedure, finding lots on one area and none on another. Then he managed to place himself at the skyship port and noted the time- it was already night. He then took a second look and was really shocked, for the area was awash with the green lights, as if the area was clouded with them.
"This must be where the source is… I wonder…" he thought as he held his sword in a ceremonial pose, close to him.
Then something became drawn at his feet, an intricate seal, an intricate star not the likes of royal seal of wind. After a few moments, he stopped, with the seal vanishing- and he opened his eyes in realization.
"This is it… this is what's missing…" he then speaks softly, and then again thinks hard. "Rau, now!"
Once again his white cloaked companion Rau appears out a flash of light, on his back a backpack and on his hands a couple of cases.
"Shall I set up?" Rau then asked.
"Yes please… I'll start as soon as the recording is complete…"
"Are you sure about this?"
"I have no idea… but I hope these green lights will help." The writer replies, pointing at the millions of green sparkles.
"Green lights?"
"Set up already…"
And so Rau vanishes with the cases and moments later returns with them empty. Meanwhile our writer had taken out the contents of the backpack he had ordered brought in- It was a strange silver device, with three crystals on top of it. He then placed the device on top of a provided tripod and began to tinker with is as it was now placed on one spot. He then presses the three crystals down into the device prompting a most unusual response, what seemed to be a screen appeared out of thin air as soon as he backed off a bit.
"Okay we're ready here…" the writer then speaks, punching some things into his floating screen. "Though we can only document about two years of events with the energy we have on hand- but that's enough…"
"All clear, nothing within the area…" Rau then spoke. "Begin!"
The writer then jumped far and back, carefully looking at four points- the four directions of the silver device- where Rau had placed something. The four directions began to flash, and then, lines of light surged from the points, forming what is when seen from above, a diamond shape, with the silver device shining at the center. Seconds later, it all faded, with the central device disintegrating, leaving a clear crystal behind. Rau gets the crystal and stuffs it in his cloak.
"Okay, now to gather all of the lights…"
"But you know sir, most of them died in that way… there could be a possibility that…" Rau protested.
"No… I can just feel it- this is what we need…"
"Okay then… it's your choice sir."
Rau moves back and packs the equipment his writer boss began to hold the sword in another ceremonial pose, this time sword pointed down on an angle, reciting another aria, once again in an incomprehensible tongue. By the time he raised his sword, the lights began to gather at the gap of the sword's ring and by the time it was over, a green jewel had formed in the gap, which was easily taken out by a simple push on the stone.
"Here we go… I hope this works." He thought before turning to Rau. "Let's go…"
Moments later at the outskirts of the city; near the sand port, they reappear beside what seemed to be a pile of trash. But with a wave of the writer's hand, the pile vanished, revealing a vehicle the likes of which was never seen before on this planet- basically, A Terran Hovercraft. The board the two-seater and powered up its somewhat quiet engines, quickly and silently cruising out of the Windbloom area and into the wilderness, heading due south, the general direction of the Aries Republic.