Affect Circumplex

Chapter 1: A Ripple within the Void

Juperos, an advanced civilization that existed long before the foundation of the Kingdom of Prontera, was once a floating island located on the North of Midgard. A piece of an artifact called The Heart of Ymir kept the whole island afloat, generating enough power throughout its entire existence.

One of its brilliant (or rather, mad) scientists, Vesper Newton, was experimenting with the possibilities that the Heart of Ymir could generate. Thoughts and notions passed through his mind, as his ideas grew from simple energy reactors to humanoid robot sentries and the possibility of an entire army powered by the pieces of the Heart itself.

Vesper Newton then created the robotic guardians of Juperos himself, in order to secure areas wherein the common citizens were not allowed. He was very confident that his name will be remembered in history as the great scientist that revolutionized Technomancy, a discipline fusing mechanics and arcane sorcery.

But his success was not meant to be.

During one of Vesper Newton's experiments, the piece of the Heart reacted violently and threatened to explode due to an overload in the floatation apparatus that he was developing. The scientist attempted to salvage the situation, executing all of his failsafe plans and backups, but to no avail.

The piece of the Heart finally succumbed to the tremendous pressure within the depths of Juperos and exploded with a catastrophic force, killing almost everyone in the floating island immediately due to extreme radiation.

Vesper Newton somehow miraculously survived the initial explosion, and continued still to maneuver the island by any means to keep it afloat. He was able to do so in the last remaining minutes of his life, as he was successful in salvaging three fragments of the Heart and then installing them immediately to the three islands about to disconnect from Juperos.

Vesper Newton died seeing Juperos' structures crumble one by one, people running around in panic, some crying, some wailing, some desperate enough to jump to their deaths on the island's edge, and some people blaming him till the last few seconds of his life.

As the last trace of energy blinked out of the apparatus that kept Juperos afloat, the island crashed with tremendous force in an area now known as the El Mes Plateau, killing any survivors left on the island except for the robotic guardians that Vesper Newton created. The three islands installed with the Heart fragments, however, were able to survive the tragedy, and remained afloat. It now overlooked the cavern where its parent island crashed.

The survivors of the civilization of Juperos were mostly Sages and Scholars. Horrified by the events that transpired, they decided to keep the area where Juperos crashed restricted to anyone.

In fact, they were so frightened of the outside world that they decided to isolate the three remaining islands of Juperos from any other influence.

The citizens that survived the cataclysm reconstructed what was left of the rubble, and then proceeded to connect the three islands together to create a new nation.

Today, that nation is known as Juno.

-Excerpt from the Annals of Odin, Located in the Divine Library of Asgard

Juno Engineering Facility-Hugel Branch, Hugel Village, 15km from Abyss Lake

Years before the Airship was invented, the citizens of Midgard treaded the land on foot or by mount. The people of Juno however, were more creative. The Scholars installed small fragments of the Heart on their footwear, making them walk as if the pull of gravity lessened. They can now jump higher than usual, and run a lot faster. Since then, walking people were rarely seen within the vicinity of Juno. The only beings that remained "grounded" were the guards of the isolated nation.

Juno's Engineering Facility was still researching materials for the creation of lightweight but durable materials. As their pathfinders discovered the abundance of a malleable element abundant on the east side of Abyss Lake, near the village known as Hugel, The Facility mobilized a group of Scholars, engineers, and workers to excavate the area.

A special division within the group, simply known as the Communications Division, maintained the relay of information from the excavation site to the main office.

Taking a quick break from the excavation, a member of the Communications Division made its way towards a structure easily recognizable as their group's headquarters. "Is it lunch already?" the twenty-something male thought, as sweat trickled down to his cheeks. The male had ashen hair, and light-blue eyes. "I wonder what's on the menu…"

"Hey! Savech! You're late!" screamed a voice coming from the headquarters' door. Focusing his eyes on the door, the male was able to distinguish the form of the person calling him. There, standing beside the door while waving its hand was a slender female about the same age as the sweating male. She had short, blonde hair that was arranged on the back as if they were peacock feathers. On further inspection, she had light-brown eyes, and a fair complexion. She was a perfect beauty basing on the sweating man's standards. "The others are waiting! Come on!"

"So that's why you're missing from the site, Althii." the sweating man answered. "You deliberately skipped our schedule for that briefing!"

"What briefing?" Althii replied with visible confusion "The scheduled briefing is tomorrow, you numbskull."

"W-wait, what? Seriously? Then I just spent the whole morning…"

"…Standing at the still-abandoned site? Goodness gracious."

"Sigh, I should really check the timetable twice."

"You can do that later. We'll all talk and eat inside. Come on."

"Great. I needed that."

Upon entering the Division headquarters' door, Savech was immediately greeted by three more members. Seated on the sides of the rectangular table were two eighteen year-old males that looked extremely alike, giving the impression that they were twins, and a twenty-one year old, bespectacled female. The twins possessed short, brown hair and lavender-colored eyes. The older female who was wearing glasses had long, blonde hair in contrast to that of Althii. The female fixed her glasses in recognition to Savech, revealing that she had blue-colored eyes. She wore a distinctive uniform that accentuated her curves that made most of the workers drool.

"Oh… so you're all here already." Savech sighed heavily. "Anyway… what's on the menu?"

"You can ask the resident chef, my cookie…" answered the blonde female. "She's still in the kitchen, so hurry up."

"W-wait… did you just call Savech, "cookie"?" Althii raised her voice in disagreement. "W-where did THAT come from, Miss Lieutenant?" she told the bespectacled blonde.

"Come now, Althii… just call me Flireis when we're not working…" answered the blonde Lieutenant. "…and besides, I can call anyone "cookie", right?"

"She's right." the browned-haired twins butted in at the same time. "You're just jealous aren't you, Althii?" the twins continued.

"W-what are you talking about? Nelsvee? Nellyne?" Althii stammered as she spoke, her cheeks blushing profusely. "Why would I—"

"Hey, Siria!" Savech shouted suddenly, cutting Althii from finishing her sentence. "What's on the menu?" Savech asked the long and white-haired female with a bandana affixed on her head. Looking behind, the female is revealed to have deep, brown, and somewhat-longing eyes that made her look sick and weary.

"Just…" Siria, the resident chef, started with a soft voice. "… just some spicy condor meat, topped with melted goat cheese." she continued.

"That looks delicious! Don't mind me if I do!" Savech squealed, immediately taking the plate that Siria offered him. The resident chef just smiled in return, and proceeded to prepare her own share of the meal. "Uhm… is everyone seated?" she asked.

"Yes. Please sit and eat with us, Siria…" the bespectacled Lieutenant requested. "…and please seat beside the twins. They can get a bit… dirty."

"Hey… that's not nice!" the twins snapped back in disdain. "We can feed each other quite well…"

"I'm not so sure about that…" Althii added; her voice doubtful. "The last time you did that, the whole floor was a mess with spilled juice and food!"

Savech couldn't help but laugh at them, but was momentarily distracted by the delicious food that was served in front of them. "Please start the blessing, Althii."

The group started eating the midday meal.

"So, what's the news?" Savech asked the Lieutenant. "I heard that there was unauthorized entry inside Juno Academy."

"Not much is known about the infiltration, cookie." Lieutenant Flireis responded after taking another mouthful of food. "Anyway, Siria…"

"Yes? What is it, Lieutenant?" inquired the white-haired chef. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. I just want to say that your recipes are quite good!" the bespectacled Lieutenant answered back. "I could give you a recommendation to work at the main branch's kitchen!"

"But… I…" Siria stammered. "I'm more… comfortable working with all of you."

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Althii commented. "And besides, we'll all miss your delicious cooking if you leave." she continued.

"Neh, don't you have any possible suspects regarding the reported infiltration?" the twins questioned the rest. "It's just… a little unsettling."

"There is none in my head, so far…" Lieutenant Flireis answered. "…though the reports said that something was stolen from the Academy."

"Stolen? What was stolen?" Savech asked after gulping a shot of fruit juice. "Why wasn't this included in the report I received?"

"Savech…" the Lieutenant stopped him from talking. "You are not privy to such high-level information."

"It turns out that way..." Savech answered in defeat. Sighing heavily, he continued eating. He stopped short of devouring the food when he noticed something about the white haired chef. "H-hey… Siria…"

"Hmm? What… what is it?" Siria asked, her expression a little bit surprised. "is something wrong with the food?"

"No, it's great… But I just noticed something, though" Savech replied honestly.

"My, my… cookie." The Lieutenant goaded Savech on. "You keep on staring at Siria like that, and I'll be really jealous."

Siria's face flushed. She immediately hid her face in her palms and hung her head. Althii on the other hand was not amused.

"H-hey! Watch it!" Althii tried to defend her own sanity. "You can't just make pairings in thin air, Lieutenant!"

"Pairings? You're the only one thinking that way, Althii." mentioned the twins in unison.

"Now, now, Nelsvee… Nellyne. Cut it out. Didn't you notice something about Siria today?" Savech told the group, trying to calm them down.

"What's wrong with me?" Siria asked, her voice getting inaudible.

"Actaully, nothing. Just stand up so all of them can see." Savech told the chef.

"Oh…ok." Siria responded quietly.

After standing up, Savech placed his hand atop Siria's head.

"See that, everyone?" Savech presented Siria to the group, his hand still on top of her white-haired head. "You barely noticed, huh?"

"Oh gosh… did she just…" Althii was at a loss for words.

"Hmm… so that's it. Good!" The Lieutenant commented.

"Siria just got taller! Siria just got taller!" the twins cheered.

The white-haired chef, noticing her friend's delight, looked upwards to Savech, who then smiled at her, making her face flushed even more. She sighed, and calmly took Savech's hand off her head.

"Oh, sorry." Savech apologized to the chef. "You didn't notice it at all, eh?"

"No, that's ok…" responded Siria calmly. "I just…"

"Don't sweat it, Siria." Althii said. "Savech can be such a jerk at times."

Siria nodded, as if agreeing to Althii's statement. Savech stood up in protest, but was then subdued by the Lieutenant, making him sit down again. The twins kept feeding each other, taking care not to spill anything.

"About the stolen item from the Academy…" Flireis mentioned after the meal. "The reports mention that it's a magical tome."

"A magical tome?" Savech inquired. "What's the subject of the tome, then?"

"Technomancy." The Lieutenant replied calmly. Everyone inside the room fell silent.

North Abyss Lake, 5km from Thanatos Tower, 20km from Hugel

Abyss Lake has existed for millennia as far as the records of the inhabitants of Juperos are concerned. It was just a short trip from the giant tower on the north which housed the memory of the great warrior, the champion of mankind, Thanatos.

The lake was the home of multiple races of dragons, notably Ferus and Novus, as well as the Hydrolancer and the deadly Deutarderus. Anyone who managed to take a stroll within the cave's depth will never return alive, according to local lore. Deutarderus is believed to devour anything, in order to guard an untold amount of gold within the deepest cavern of the lake.

"Running" swiftly across the rugged and marshy terrain of the Lake was a trio of rogue excavation workers. They wore the casual uniform designated for their position, and carrying with them a large, sealed bag.

"Where are we going, Lenard?" frantically asked one of the rogue workers who had a huge scar in his cheek. He had gray hair and yellowish eyes. "What are we going to do with THAT thing you're carrying?"

"Will you just shut up, Harvey?" Lenard snapped back with rage. He had fiery, red eyes and dark-brown hair. "Just make sure that nobody is following us!"

"Seriously, Lenard…" said another rogue worker who wore work goggles. He had jet-black hair and green eyes. "What is THAT thing, really?"

"You mean THIS thing, Xavier? It will give us all the fame and fortune we can ever want!" Lenard shouted with glee. "Those fools from the Division, they don't even know what's happening underneath their noses."

"THAT thing is expensive?" Harvey questioned further. "I had no idea…"

"Well of course, it's expensive, you idiot!" Xavier shouted to the other worker.

"THIS thing…" Lenard began. "THIS thing is the source of power everyone wanted, and we finally have a piece of it! Hahaha! With this, we can become independent from those fools from Juno!"

"Lenard! I see… Thanatos Tower… up ahead!" Xavier exclaimed, panting.

"Don't tell me we're going to…" Harvey said in confusion.

"We're going to take a break from all the running, guys!" Lenard declared. "Both of you, head towards Thanatos Tower! Double Time!"

Lightning and thunder raced in the sky, as the clouds threatened to pour a heavy load of rain. The trio was now on their way to their own freedom.

The City of Lighthalzen, 12km from Einbroch, 30km from Juno

It was just another typical day in Lighthalzen.

It was so typical, so cliché, that people who lived inside the walls that separated them from the poor took their easy lives for granted.

There was extreme segregation in Lighthalzen. Only the upper and middle class families were able to afford the housing fees, creating a rift between them and the poor living on the right side of the city, near the Somatology Lab.

Speeding on his bicycle was a young male on the way to his client's house. His job was plain and simple, and quite stereotypical. He was delivery boy.

But according to his clients, he was no ordinary delivery boy at all. He always brings their requested items and effects with such speed and accuracy. He has never missed a schedule in his entire career. The citizens of Lighthalzen from all societal status have dubbed him with a single name.

Ether Brake.

What made the citizens name him as such was not only because of his speed and accuracy in delivery, but because of his somewhat unique way of delivering things. He drove his bicycle with a speed comparable to a Grand Peco trained for racing. One thing was peculiar about his bicycle, though.

His bicycle had no brakes.

Typically, one would crash and burn at the thought, but Ether Brake makes no difference from a normal bicycle to his trusty no-brakes one. He will drive and drive until his legs get tired for the day, which rarely happens. He has this energy of the typical teen.

He was too energetic for his own good.

"Good morning, Madam!" greeted a cheery looking seventeen year-old to his client. The young male had short brown hair, and apricot-colored eyes. "Here's the delivery you requested! Delivered safe and sound…"

"Thank you very much, Arnulf." the young lady with long, wavy black locks said. "Please, don't call me Madam, ok? We're of the same age! Call me Audrey!"

"I have to, Madam!" Arnulf replied immediately. "I'm just following the company protocol!"

"You're so silly." Audrey told the super compliant delivery boy. "Next time, ok?"

"Yes, Madam!"

"Hey, Arnulf…" the young lady suddenly called out to him.

"Anything else, Madam?" was the lad's default answer.

"Please drop by tonight."

"Why?"

"I have something to give you."

"Is it… for delivery?"

"Silly… it's for you."

"Oh. Thanks a lot then."

"You can tell that later when you get your gift."

"I'll make sure to finish my job early today."

"Good luck, Arnulf."

"See you later then, Madam."

It was just a typical day. So typical, it bothers Arnulf to no end. Every lady he met in this city offered him gifts as a sign of gratitude for his hard work and dedication.

But Audrey's gift was the most special.

Racing through the cemented streets of Lighthalzen, Arnulf the Ether Brake proceeded to his next client with a big smile present in his face. "It's going to be a long day. I better finish early." he told himself.

Meanwhile, Audrey remained outside her house to open the recently received package. She smiled for a second, stared at the contents, and then closed the package neatly. She then went back inside; waiting for Arnulf to come back after his job was finished. "He'll surely love it." she said to herself.

The City of Rachel, Capital of Arunafeltz, 2km from Ice Dungeon

Reports of increased activity within the caverns of the Ice Dungeon alarmed the devout servants of Rachel Temple. Is the guardian angry? Did we do something that offended the goddess, Freya? Did anyone tamper with the seal within the dungeon?

The Pope of Rachel, a young female chosen by the clergy of the temple, saw to it that the devout followers of the Freyan Religion were to be calmed and briefed about the true nature of the situation.

Calling for an immediate meeting, the Pope gathered her most trusted clergymen, and instructed them to investigate. She then proceeded to talk to the troubled followers of the Temple.

"Your eyes show weary, my countrymen." the Pope addressed the crowd. She wore linen and silk robes that hid her features, sometimes making her gender ambiguous to everyone unless she speaks. She had long and wavy white hair that reached up to her ankles, the trademark of every Pope that ever ruled the Temple of Freya. "I know the source of that weariness."

The people responded to her address with moans and wails, mentioning the possibility of the Great Fire Seal within the Ice Dungeon might be weakening.

"Do not be alarmed, my people." the Pope continued. "I have sent elite members of the clergy investigate the strange phenomenon."

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the follower's voices died out naturally, and listened to the Pope as she began her sermon.

"The world is changing, as you may have noticed. We, the faithful servants and followers of Freya, must not falter with our duties. We have been entrusted with the welfare of Arunafeltz, and there is nothing in this world that will stop us from serving the least of our brethren. We will do all that we can to help for everyone, rich or poor, healthy or sick."

The followers bowed their heads in unison, openly accepting their Pope's message in their hearts. The Pope then continued with her sermon.

"Do not worry devout followers of Freya. The great goddess shall not abandon those who love, worship, and follow her with all their hearts. She will give rest to the weary, justice to the oppressed, and strength to the weak. Our goddess will always be there to help us in times of need. When did our goddess falter? When did the great goddess forget us? Never has it happened in history since the foundation of Rachel."

The followers then raised their heads, then their hands, and clamored for the Pope. The Holy Words have reached their hearts and minds. They were now at peace. Free of weary and doubt, the followers of Freya lived with constant security of their lives, with the eternal grace of the great goddess.

"Our faith in the great goddess Freya knows no bounds, my brethren." the Pope continued. "One must put their trust fully on Freya, for she alone will listen to our grievances. She alone loves us with her whole heart, and she alone will grant us peace when we all leave this mortal plane."

The crowd of devotees chanted Freya's prayers as they sat on their knees on the Temple's marble-laden floor.

The Pope smiled at the devotees, and then headed straight to her personal suite within the temple.

"Someday, the goddess will return to this world." she told herself while staring at the giant mirror in her room.

"Freya will come down from Asgard, revive the dead that served and followed her, and grant rest on the loyal ones. She will be the shining symbol of the truth, the pure, and the loyal. She alone will deliver this world from the oppression of death, and save everyone in Rachel with her." the Pope smiled contently in front of the mirror. "She will judge the unrighteous, the bent, the wicked, and the impure."