Rean: The following is a fan-based story. The Legend of Heroes and all of its related characters and settings are owned by Falcom. Please support any of the official releases. Now if you'll excuse me, I have the role of protagonist to play as.
Elise: The following contains... no spoilers. Oh, how interesting!
In the vast field of flowers, colorful plants of many varieties, a child with dark blue hair kept a lifted book close to his face, red eyes scanning over the story he was proud to have partly written down on.
"The many perspectives of the people involved all tell an untold story."
He closed his book, and his crimson eyes stared up to the night sky, illuminated by both the silver moon, and the twinkling stars.
"But when our hidden perspectives are included, we manage to keep spinning the tale."
He smiled, and gave a childish chuckle.
"And one question remains: can we understand it?"
~{Arc 01 – The Erebonian Tour}~
Chapter 01: The Journey to be Told
Celdic, the Market Town...
Home to the famous Grand Market in Erebonia and what some would consider a second home for traveling merchants, Celdic has continued to thrive with the many people, either travelers, citizens, or merchants alike, for all the trade goods it promised. With a variety of products flowing from Erebonia's neighboring countries, along with the large empire itself shipping goods to the others, it proved that Celdic was indeed a friendly sight for all to see.
People weren't strangers to each other in the market, either. A simple conversation between customer and merchant led to strong ties for each other. One product from a buyer in the first day would be five times bought the next visit. It's relationships like these that allowed the Grand Market to flourish, no matter who they were, for they saw each other as good friends, even as close as companions if anything happened to the town.
But amidst all the marketing that kept going strong, people were suddenly wary, not toward each other, but to the future of Celdic as a whole. For one, the recent tax increases being pushed by Duke Albarea had stiffened the marketers, for without a proper balance of the taxes, prices would be more demanding, thus rusting the bonds between customer and merchant. Otto the Market Manager has done his utmost to appeal to the taxes, but in turn, the provincial army of the Albarea household has silently stopped supporting Celdic for the most part.
This was already bad, but it worsened another problem.
It started sometime overnight, when a large park over a highway had suddenly changed. Once the park ranger arrived on the scene, the entrance was the first thing he noticed something wrong. Gates crushed and forced open by large vines and plants alike, some of them even hanging over the cliffs with way too many flowers blooming everywhere. There was no doubt something happened in Lunaria Nature Park, but with the monsters there aggravated by the new change in their forest, along with the army having no desire to help Celdic's people, Otto was at a loss on how to save the park and give Celdic a greater reprieve.
Thus, their tense morning gave way to a sullen afternoon. The market continued as normal, despite the day starting out not so great. With news of the dramatic overgrowth of the park, people were beginning to feel restless, and it seemed unlikely the problem would be resolved soon, especially with the provincial army believing the problem didn't involve them in any way. As such, while the merchants would continue to greet everyone with smiles, inside everyone knew that it was a bad omen.
Little did they know the problem would be resolved in the same day it appeared.
Much less did they know it was the start of a bigger chain of events...
S. 1204, February 3 – Noon
"Excuse me..."
Otto was taken away from his musing of the day so far. He had expected people to remain calm for the duration of the day, and hopefully for the week to come should nothing else happen, but seeing them all doing so was still considered a miracle. As for this visitor, maybe it was another person wanting the news on what happened earlier. But he didn't want to get ahead of himself, for now.
He looked at his visitor from his seat, and found someone not quite from around these parts. Wearing a red jacket and holding what appeared to be a sword by the waist, the visitor with black hair gazed around the furnishings of the Market Manager's house before setting his silver-violet eyes on the old man himself.
"Mister Otto?"
The man smiled and nodded, preparing to greet a new face. "Yes, I'm here. Do you need me of anything, lad?"
The teen returned the warm smile, already in for a good conversation first.
~Rean Schwarzer~
"Yeah. I'm Rean Schwarzer from Ymir. I think I may be able to help out."
Celdic had given him a healthy impression of the market, or at least, the gist of it. It seemed to be just fine when he was watching the large fields belonging to the local farms, the grass and trees a little faded thanks to the wintry air, but still strong enough to maintain its green. When he stepped out of the station, however, he felt the tense atmosphere sink in almost immediately. He didn't need to look at the gloomy faces of the people there to know what was wrong, but it did clear the picture a little more.
That was why he resolved to ask them about the situation, anything that happened in Celdic. From the many little pieces he gathered to make a near-complete story, something caused the park's plant life to grow out of control, and because the provincial army stationed in the city isn't inclined to help out, the townsfolk have been on the edge of wariness lately. Some were having a hard time believing the story, but he was pointed to Otto for a more, concrete view.
The story happened to be true, as he figured.
"I have been appealing to the sales tax increases ever since Duke Albarea began to publish them. While I did manage them to a more fair amount, it put a pause on the army and restricted them from helping us. The disturbance in Lunaria Nature Park, for example, is one such event they could have at least investigated. But so far, no order has been issued for them to see."
Otto took this moment to savor his wife's tea again. Something to calm down from the pressing thoughts of it, Rean figured, but it did give him the chance to ask something.
"So if the army wasn't willing to, no one else went to investigate?"
As Rean took his own cup—Mrs. Pram's tea was really well done, he mused for a moment—Otto nodded grimly. "We've relied on the army for matters that are more suitable for them. Strong monsters, robberies, even keeping any commotion down to a minimum. But after the tax increases, the army has done not a lot for us recently. And with Lunaria Nature Park causing some distress to both townspeople and traveling merchants alike... well, you have seen it yourself."
Rean slightly frowned at the procedure of events so far. So the head of the Albarea household wanted the taxes pushed through that he'd willingly leave Celdic defenseless for dire situations if his plans were meddled? It's outright profane for a noble to follow through their points like this, but as much as he wanted to talk it over, he didn't have anything to actually solve the problem with the taxes.
Plus, and he hated to admit it, there was a bigger problem if he didn't deal with it.
"So it really is that bad," the swordsman hummed thoughtlessly.
Otto shook his head, but not in denial. "It's unfortunate for us. Johnson, our park ranger that is, has been trying to get in touch with the army just as well. I was glad he didn't do anything rash, but it didn't give us a better outlook. For now, I'm only able to accept this and hope in the future the disturbance does leave the park."
It was unlikely, they both knew, but Rean knew it much better. The incident with the large forest would not go away so easily, and its appearance there suggested a necessity for an investigation. It was definitely a shame that he had to leave the army out of this, thanks to Duke Albarea being way too stubborn about these taxes, so with the army being out of the question...
"Oh, I must apologize," the Market Manager spoke up, trying to lighten up. "You came to me because you felt something was off about Celdic, didn't you? Please, don't worry about our troubles for now. Just enjoy the Grand Market as it's still up. You shouldn't be perturbed by our worries."
Rean stayed silent for a moment, wondering how he was going to break it out to the old man about his involvement. Otto caught the hardening expression on the boy's face and sighed; he didn't want him to do anything foolish for their sake.
"I must insist, Mister Schwarzer. Your kindness is appreciated, but unnecessary. Leave these matters to us for now."
Oh, if only it worked that way...
Rean took another sip of his tea, now almost done. "Otto, there's something you should know. My coming here wasn't a coincidence. I was given the implication that something was happening here, and I think the disturbance in Lunaria Nature Park is what I'm looking for."
Lunaria Nature Park? Not the army? Otto was a little confused now. He had expected the boy's attention to be focused on the army due to their negligence, or even Duke Albarea, but the park? And what was this about his arrival being not a coincidence? Was the disturbance expected?
"The thing is," Rean continued, smiling bitterly, "as much as I want to help out on the tax problems—I really do—I can't do much if I hardly have the knowledge to confront the duke about it." He closed his eyes, and his lips became a straight line. "But that's a different concern, and what I should be after is the park, because I'm pretty sure there's something in there that I have to take care of. If it's out of control, that gives me all the more reason."
The Market Manager looked hopeful, but still unsure. "Are you certain?"
Rean opened his eyes and nodded. "It's probably for the best. I can't see myself confronting the army just yet, so I think I'm supposed to investigate the park. Otto," his expression became serious, but also had some kindness beneath it, "if there's anything you can tell me about Lunaria Nature Park, you can tell me now."
"Hm..."
This was certainly an unexpected surprise, the old man thought. So the boy wasn't willing to go after the army, which would have put him in legal trouble, but the disturbance itself, which was more dangerous than the former. Rean Schwarzer had the insight to not challenge the army, but what would investigating Lunaria Nature Park do good for him? Unless if he was right in his assumptions that what he was after was intertwined with the disturbance, and if that curved sword he had wasn't for show...
It seemed he wasn't here for only the Grand Market after all.
Otto had to recompose himself. It was already dangerous to enter Lunaria Nature Park at its current state, but if someone like Rean was willing to...
"If you really are heading there, I suppose I can't stop you," he sighed, dearly hoping this wouldn't cause more trouble. "You should look for Johnson before you go. He should know a few more things about what happened to the park. I'm sure he's still near the exit to the west highway, probably looking at the site from afar. But please," he pleaded, "one man's life is more important than an avoidable force of nature. Don't push yourself."
Rean blinked, realizing that he got Otto's approval to investigate. With an acknowledging hum, he savored the last of his tea and stood up, ready to prepare for his next step.
"Thanks, Otto."
"Oh no," the old man laughed heartily—he hadn't done so in a while, he realized. "I should be thanking you, for going out of your way to help us like this. But if you need to, you can stock up on supplies at the market before doing anything else. I'm sorry I can't do anything about the prices, though."
The swordsman smiled, as he felt some spirits being lifted up in this house.
"That's fine. I'll just take what I'll be needing, then."
Despite the events around them, the Grand Market was still lively than what he assumed to be, since they were energetically giving away their items and consumables for a slightly higher price. It did beat staying sullen for the day onward since the news broke out about Lunaria Nature Park, and it would be difficult to keep the customers satisfied with a drained look. It seemed they were worried about the taxes less than what was happening in the park, even with both problems inflicting the same pain on different accounts.
The market was the biggest part of their lives, yet the world around them still mattered as much, he supposed. Hard to do business if any event that passed by made them anxious.
Just as Otto had mentioned, he found a man having a dour look to the west highway, or rather what was beyond it. There didn't seem to be any other person around copying such an expression, so Rean, now restocked for the trip, made his way over to him. The man took notice of the swordsman walking up and glanced back, registering his features for a bit before giving a smile.
"Hm... you're Rean Schwarzer, right?" The man asked out of politeness. In turn, the teen gave his greetings with a friendly smile.
"I am, and you're Johnson?"
"Sure am," Johnson answered with a nod before giving a confused face. "Otto told me about what's going on. I'm kinda having a hard time believing it, though. We can't rely on the army to help us out, so we end up relying on a kid instead..."
He didn't make any effort to convince otherwise. "Yeah, it does look that way, doesn't it?" He then hunched his shoulders for a second. "I think it's better this way. I had this feeling something would be happening here in Celdic, so I booked for it. I didn't think it would be this bad..."
The park ranger showed that he shared his sentiments with a sigh.
"It's unlike anything. We got the tax issue, and that was a problem, and now we got the park growing out of control. It got so bad, it even busted the front gate for good measure. And it tears my heart to see the park looking like that..."
Otto did say the plants were growing out of control due to the disturbance, and if his first stop in Celdic happened to involve the overgrowth...
"You don't look the part for handling situations like these, though," Johnson pointed out, curious as he appraised the teen. "Then again, maybe I'm not used to seeing guys without armor fight. I'll ask anyways—you sure you can handle it?"
Rean gave a nod, hoping that would be the last of their misconceptions about him. He was ready before he even arrived to Celdic. It would be a surprise if he wasn't after being drawn here. The park ranger hummed before he dropped his reluctance entirely.
"Well alright," he said, finally conceding. "If Otto's entrusted this to you, it has to mean something." He gestured his head to the highway. "I'll drop you off in the entrance. You can work out whatever is wrong in there, I hope."
The swordsman smiled. "Can't hurt to try, at least."
Johnson wasn't wrong when he mentioned the entrance was overwhelmed by the plants; as Rean progressed, he saw a great many wild flowers and large vines taking over the front gates of the park and the surrounding area of it. Once he entered, however, he saw how it was a lot worse on the inside. He would travel further in, and the trees would increase in size, up to double, and their roots, also being as large for the trees, often obstructed the main path and made it harder to stroll through. Not that he didn't make it through the nuisance, but it did prove to be a hindrance when those monsters were around.
...Sort of.
It would have been much more difficult if an occurring fortune hadn't distracted them. See, the wild flowers scattered across the forest carried all different kinds of smells, ranging from fresh and gentle floral scents to... whatever the indescribable bad kinds were. Naturally, most of the monsters wanted to follow the better scents and stay away from the ones that gave the stench, leaving a path, a plant-infested but still walkable path, to pass through. As long as he held his breath, of course, but he counted himself lucky that he didn't have to draw his blade against the stronger monsters.
He wondered how Lunaria Nature Park would look like if it wasn't overgrown. Or a strong-armed monster zone. Whatever that caused the overgrowth, he hoped it would disappear once he was done with it.
His trip through the park led him near a clearing, and... he wasn't sure why, but he felt some kind of strange air swirling the open space. He neared and neared, and found something that was too extraordinary for the forest to bear.
A large globe, floating in the center of the clearing, covered by a radiant light. After staring at it in awe for a bit, he wasn't sure how else should he approach it, so he walked closer, ever wary of his surroundings. He was able to see the faint image of a forest inside the large orb, and its atmosphere looked much better compared to the forest he was standing in. He couldn't make out anything else aside from the standard green, however.
But the question remained. What was it?
He just wasn't sure what it was. The more he moved closer to the glove, the easier he could tell it was giving off some kind of malformation in the area around it. Uneasiness affected him when he was right next to it. Was this what was causing the sudden overgrowth of Lunaria Nature Park? It didn't look normal by any means. He slowly lifted a hand towards the surface, curious about what this thing was supposed to do, and prepared himself for—
The world changed around him.
A blurry image of green.
It was the first thing he woke up to. A field of green, that looked vibrant, serene, but he could not make out the details very well, as it seemed his eyes woke up from slumber. Or was it caused by that globe he just interacted with earlier? He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to make the image clearer, and it did have a considerable effect before they shook it off on their own.
What he then saw about the field of green was how it wasn't anything like the park he was just exploring through. Was it even the same? Where Lunaria Nature Park covered itself from sunlight with trees reaching the heavens, this forest provided no form of shade, allowing the light to blanket on the road ahead. Even the road ahead, surrounded by verdant trees of many forms, wasn't hindered by the large roots like in the park, and the path was completely different...
He didn't fail to notice a figure leaning on a tree. Once his other senses were sharpened, he felt the presence just standing there, not making any sudden movements when he was a little unwell from the movement. That was kind of disconcerting. Was there supposed to be anyone else around Lunaria Nature Park? Or at least this extension of it, but the point stood.
Unless...
"Ah, so you have arrived."
A voice unfamiliar to him came from the figure he sensed of the roadway, and he turned his head to it. His eyes were finally clear, and he could make out the details. A dark cobalt-haired child, just a little over half of Rean's height, waved at him in notice. His apparel was a bit of an oddity, with kakhi shorts and a mostly black shirt with the color of sky blue covering the upper sleeves, a white tie of all things hanging on his neck, and black sneakers with outlines of white. Intrigued red eyes met curious purple, and Rean was at a loss on how to approach this kid.
"You are the 'participant' I have been waiting for," the child stated, not as a question, but as a fact. He bowed his head once in greeting and smiled.
~Orsten Seinel~
"I am Orsten Seinel. It is a pleasure to meet you, Rean Schwarzer."
Rean immediately dove into his thoughts as he folded his arms. A child? 'Participant'? He even knew his name. What was this all about? The signs of this kid being 'not normal' rose through the roofs. The child was not acting like one at all. His mannerisms, from what little Rean saw and heard, made him all the more wary of this child, Orsten he was named.
And if he knew his name...
"You're the one who kidnapped Elise...?"
It was his own tone of silent fury that prompted Rean to calm down. He was angry, he had every right to be, but he needed to make this as civil as possible, lest he create an unnecessary mistake. Thankfully, Orsten didn't have much of a reaction to his anger. He stood impassive at the heat of it and calmly shook his head.
"That would be Zentelos, the organizer of this challenge," Orsten informed, being kind enough to do so. "In order to force you to participate, he has kidnapped your sister, and will only release her should you complete his trials."
"Then what does he want with me? If it's just me he wants, he doesn't have to involve my sister!"
"Calm down." The two words cut through Rean's ire, enough to stun him and prevent any more unpleasant expressions he shared. With Rean staying silent, trying to reign in his anger, Orsten continued. "I understand why you are upset. However, it will not reward you anything if you choose to reject his challenge."
"I know that," the swordsman growled. The fists he had clenched tightly slowly loosened up. He shook his head to clear away his thoughts. Elise needed him right now. Whether or not he'd follow through this challenge in the end, he was going to save her, but he had to go along for now if he didn't want to lose her...
Orsten smiled again. There was some warmth to it, Rean noticed.
"I had known that it would be difficult if you were to accept his challenge in your current state," Orsten noted. "That is why I have asked Zentelos to assist you. He accepted, and so I volunteered to be your ally in your explorations."
Wait, ally? And...
"So, what exactly is this challenge, anyway?" The puzzled swordsman inquired. His mind flashed back to the image of that letter. It said something about the challenge Zentelos issued, but not the details in particular. Once he asked, Orsten widened his eyes a little.
"Ah, my apologies," the child said with a bowing gesture. "I had assumed you were informed, but I was mistaken."
Rean frowned at how that worked. If Orsten had asked Zentelos to help out, then shouldn't Zentelos have told Orsten he didn't explain the details? Then again, Rean didn't know what their relationship was like, so he couldn't judge...
Orsten looked at him directly. "This challenge Zentelos has issued, it comprises of ten worlds for you to explore. We are currently in one, so to speak." He spread his arms to the forest around him for emphasis. "These worlds are called the Dream Zones. To clear a Dream Zone, you must fulfill a specified goal to obtain the exit key. Once you use the key, you will leave the area, and the Dream Zone you visited will disappear, along with the effects they cause in the real world."
That sounded... simple. Maybe too easy, even if there is some difficulty behind it. As if picking up on the fact, Orsten waved a finger. He wasn't smiling anymore.
"People who enter the Dream Zones are literally marked as participants, Rean."
Rean raised a brow in confusion at first. "Huh?"
"Look at your right palm."
He did, and... found something that was obviously not there before. The marking of an unfilled black square, almost like a tattoo, embedded on his skin. He stared at it in awe and slight fear before he turned to the not-normal child.
"People who enter the Dream Zones are literally marked as participants," he repeated. "And those who become participants must venture through the Dream Zones and clear them, until the last trial is cleared."
Rean sighed. He figured as much. The letter had said something about a long journey, so it was a good thing he prepared well for it. He just hoped it wouldn't last over a month or two. There was something he needed to do by then.
"Next, I have this for you."
From his short's pockets, Orsten pulled out something circular, vaguely shaped like a pocket watch, and handed it over. Rean examined the odd gift. The design was... something. It looked a little large than most pocket watches, actually, and the silver cover had the shape of a black triangle, split into three diamonds of the same shape and size. Well, it seemed shapes were a common thing with Orsten...
"It is an orbment. I had created it for you, for the duration of this challenge. This will allow you to customize a variety of abilities you can acquire. I will explain it as we go on our way."
Ah, that explained it. He didn't see an orbment of this particular kind, though. Then again, if this was for the 'challenge' that involved little to no outsiders, he could understand why it looked odd.
"And another thing," Orsten said, his tone sounding slightly more serious in his explanation. "When exploring a Dream Zone, you need to take care of two key items. You will be using them often, because of how vast the labyrinths are, so do not lose them on any occasion."
Often? Rean was now intrigued. It sounded like they were very important if Orsten seemed to think so. At the silent gesture to move on, Orsten then reached into his pocket once more, and pulled out two things that initially didn't appear to be important.
A notebook and a pencil.
...
And like that, Rean got confused the next second. "So what's so important about them?"
"Do not question the importance of the notebook!" The child's immediate shouting caused Rean to flinch and step back. Orsten's red eyes appeared to have ignited, too, because they were on fire. "The notebook is the most important ally you gain whenever you venture through the vast forests, the darkened caves, the ancient ruins! Disregarding its value makes you a fool beyond the common fools!"
...All this shouting for a notebook?
'This is someone who's connected to my sister's kidnapper,' Rean thought wryly, slowly losing sight of the realism in this challenge. 'If only Elise were to see this...'
Luckily the child's anger didn't elapse for too long, having dissipated the next few seconds and returning to a more neutral look, almost like he was pretending nothing happened. Better to have him this way at least. He coughed before moving on.
"Right, now as I was saying, you use the notebook as a map. As you explore, simply draw one so you can use it as a reference to your location, where you found certain features of the Dream Zone, its hidden passages, and such."
Wait, that's why he considered it important? If Orsten wants him to use it that badly, then sure, he'd use it. Rean couldn't deny it; it's a basic traveling necessity for anyone having to explore and chart new areas, but did he have to make it sound so dramatic?
'I'm not complaining. He's being generous about it, at least.'
Ignoring how fashionably talkative Orsten was when fretting like this, Rean silently took the notebook and pencil. The contents contained in the notebook were filled with empty pages, of the line and graph kinds. There... seemed to be a lot of them. Mapping mazes should be easy since he wouldn't run out of pages to write on, at least. He just needed good hand-eye coordination.
He looked back to the child after disregarding the notebook for now, and the child nodded, ready to move on.
"Now, there are a few more things I would like to discuss for this challenge," Orsten then said before lifting a hand in a gesture, "but this will suffice for this Dream Zone. The rest of my advice, they will come when they are a necessity, and should not be given so early."
"So... those are the rules?"
"That is correct."
The child extended an arm.
"And so, Rean Schwarzer, I welcome you to the first Dream Zone, Delirious Forest. Accept these conditions, and I will help you for the first three Zones."
He gazed at the boy's offered hand, carefully regarding the options he had before he could make any commitments. He could sense no malice from this kid, nothing degrading the child's best intentions for the participant. If honesty was his sort of thing, then Rean could see why it was a little easier to trust Orsten compared to his accomplice. There probably was nothing to gain if the child lied. That, Rean could be somewhat sure of.
Incidentally, there were still some questions running in his head, important ones like his sister's condition, and if Zentelos could be trusted. But he had this feeling Orsten wouldn't answer any unless necessary, and he didn't see any other option, especially since most of them were thrown out the window the moment he stepped into this Dream Zone. On top of it all, though, this was the only way he knew how to rescue Elise, even if it meant playing into Zentelos' plans. But if he allowed Orsten to assist him in this journey, it suggested that the mastermind of this 'challenge' was far from malevolent. Not evil, in other words, but not necessarily kind either, just that he had a form of graciousness for giving him an ally.
If he was going to save his sister, after anything and everything that could happen in this journey, what else could he do but participate?
Orsten smiled when his hand was locked with Rean's.
"Then let us begin, Rean, and may you hoist your sword well for the first campaign."
"Delirious Forest. The first steps to bliss. Nature's blooming soul. The providence of greens. The lush woodlands that pleases wanderers with a wondrous sight of life budding from the roots to the tallest trees. Within its pathways are the birds singing atop the branches, rare, beautiful flowers found in the more secretive sites, and perhaps docile animals running through the area. Oh, and angry large bears. But I suppose that is typical for wild forests. It would be empty without them."
Rean took in Orsten's brief explanation of the first Dream Zone. Delirious Forest provided a sense of peace for any travelers new to the occupation; the air was a lot more clean and fresh, all plant life were moderated to prevent obstruction, the flowers that bloomed were less wild and more scenic, and there were new sights to see and points of interest to look for. Most of the monsters here were actually lightweight compared to the ones he saw in the park, which made it easier to stroll through and interact with this Dream Zone. Orsten Seinel did mention how it was fun investigating certain areas of the labyrinth, and he'd often urge Rean to check them out.
Like this first one.
"Rean, over here."
He was taken from his leisure walk through the woods by the child, who pointed upwards to the tree's produce. There were blue fruit hanging from the branches of a tree that looked ripe enough. Rean stared at the unusual appearance they took. A sky blue skin, which wasn't that strange as fruit could take on as many colors as flowers, he supposed, but their shapes resembled cubes.
"That's…" Rean paused, incredulous of it all, "an odd kind of fruit."
"They are," Orsten responded a bit dismissively. "They carry a unique taste, so you should try one."
The teen looked at him. "You know what they are?"
The child nodded. "I have tried them before." Of course, this was a Dream Zone he made for this challenge.
Rean looked back to the fruit that hung over them. Now that he thought about it, the tree was pretty tall, a little ways higher than he could reach with his tachi. He contemplated about how to get them down when Orsten already provided the means.
With a crouch and a knife on one hand, the cobalt-haired child skillfully sprung up to the branches. It was a rather high jump as he easily reached one of the mid-level branches and sliced through one, carrying a single fruit. He then landed nicely and caught the falling cube-shaped fruit with his free hand.
Rean watched it all, and found it a little disturbing.
'How can a child like him jump that high? I already got the feeling he wasn't normal, but to be fair, I don't know him all that well…'
The not-normal child walked back to Rean with a cubed fruit shoved his way. Orsten merely smiled.
"Do you wish to try one?"
Despite his misgivings and uncertainties, Rean didn't mind. Orsten went through the trouble of getting the fruit for him; he may as well take a bite at least. With a nod, he caught the leaping fruit and examined it. Aside from the shape, it didn't look overripe or withered, having a fresh look to him. Fearing nothing else, he sank his teeth to the product, and…
…The taste turned out to be pretty good. Its appearance was odd, but that was that. The taste was a bit reminiscent of an apple. There was this funny, tingling aftertaste to it, though. He wasn't sure why.
"Well this is delicious," Rean spoke after swallowing his piece, "and it's kind of juicy all throughout, and I don't think I've ever had any fruit as sweet as this except for grapes, which kind of reminds me of the time Elise got me some perfectly-ripe grapes that one dinner night, and I snacked almost all of it while Master Ka-Fai just leveraged himself on the wine my parents bought the other day, and then I had to see a drinking contest unfold between some other visitors that time, and thank goodness I was doing something other that time because I don't think it would have been easy to put up with the drunk on a cold night, and I believe that was when they were shouting something about who had a bigger sword which was something I didn't get the context to but Master Ka-Fai and the others who weren't drunk had to keep them quiet to stop anything that could escalate, but I was hoping Elise was just red from hearing that and not the wine because I'm not sure what a drunk Elise would be like since she would probably..."
He blinked. He stared back at the blue fruit.
"...What the hell?" That rant was low on context and extremely verbose for him. Did the fruit do something to him?
"Those are the effects of the blue fruit, yes," Orsten informed, not bothering to hide his grin. "They stimulate a few nerves in you and prompt you to run your tongue off."
Rean whirled his head from the fruit and to the child, looking very affronted. "You made me eat it without telling me what it was!" He accused.
"Oh, hush," the child laughed softly. "There was no reason to tell you because the effects were not potentially life-threatening."
He was right, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Rean sighed, stopping his anger from boiling. It wasn't so bad. Just a harmless-little prank, that's all. At least there was the implication that Orsten would warn him if there was something deemed dangerous to interact with. But now it seemed he had a mischievous side to him. Well, so long as it wasn't a hindrance for their explorations.
He looked back to the partially-finished blue fruit. This kind of product made the consumer go into a talkative state. Why it did so, he didn't know, and judging by the shrug Orsten made when he looked back, the child didn't know either. It seemed strange to Rean when Orsten did so. Did he not know everything about this Dream Zone?
Rean sighed again before dropping the fruit. He supposed the inhabitants of this world would finish it off. Despite the... long rant he somehow worked with, he felt his body feel a little lighter. As if his reflexes were more breezy compared to before the first bite.
"Is this another effect of the fruit?" He asked as he flexed a hand for a bit. "I feel a little energy running through me."
The child nodded, smiling. "It is. It restores your spirit by a margin. Enduring the 'side-effect' of the fruit is worth the benefit, if ever so slightly."
So that's what it was, Rean mused. Although he could actually keep one just to get a small boost in his vitality, he wondered how talkative would he still be if monsters ambushed them. Knowing that it would only serve as a distraction if he wasn't careful, he obliged to leave the cubed fruit alone, a little disappointed that he would miss the good taste, but not as much thanks to the side-effect.
They left the fruit tree not long after.
Rean had picked the perfect moment to sidestep from an incoming attack.
The armadillo-like Roller was a mere inch away from nicking him, but it instead crashed on the tree instead. The damage it received from missing the target and instead hitting on something rougher was considerable, and to him, very much needed considering how difficult it was to strike it physically. With a little bit of extra time given to him, his mind concentrated, and his orbment hummed as codes of light circled him. Before the Roller could try another offensive, a distorted projectile was launched by him with perfect timing and finished it off.
He turned away after using that Soul Blur as a finisher, and came in contact with another Roller, spinning its way towards him. From what he could tell with those eyes, it wasn't happy having its family-friend get killed by his hand.
"One's a bother with its defense. And now there's another one?"
The gentle light that enveloped him when he readied his sword once more halted his thoughts for a moment. Glancing back, Orsten gave him a smile after casting Saintly Force, before the child went back to deal with the other enemy. The second Roller made its way to Rean in a dash, only to miss just as badly as Rean sidestepped more nimbly. A quick counter by a swipe of his sword, followed by a split-second attack that threw curved strikes all over the enemy, ensured its defeat.
Orsten was faring just as nicely with the different enemy. The Angry Baboon was kept from Rean's own field when Orsten volunteered to distract it. Actually, he did so literally; all the attacks the monster landed on was the ground, or a nearby tree, and not once did Orsten gain even a graze. The child would dodge any overhead swings and swift hooks with finesse. Perhaps, Rean thought, wielding the lightweight knives with his already agile form was how the child could follow the flow of battle more easily.
So when he made a gesture of mockery by clapping sarcastically... well, Rean wouldn't get the attention anytime soon. Enraged than ever, the baboon became more ferocious in its attacks, flailing more wildly with even less accuracy than before, and Orsten simply made use of that for his own advantage by dodging all attacks and outlasting in stamina. Really, his entire fighting style only made his enigmatic appearance more harder to understand. Rean wasn't wrong when he knew Orsten Seinel wasn't a normal child to begin with.
A nod came from Orsten to his way before he fell back to dodging more attacks, and Rean understood it.
Sheathing his tachi for the moment, Rean crouched slightly as he eyed the movements of the two. He focused on the Angry Baboon again, noticing the monster's attacks starting to lose ferocity. There also seemed to be a widening gap of time between each attack as it tried to keep up, already drained from its rage directed to Orsten. The timing was about to get close.
Then, when the monster launched one last hook—a painfully slow one at that—Orsten stepped back and threw a knife at its forehead, and it struck... by the hilt. It wasn't a direct attack with the edge itself; he just struck the forehead with a solid blow, stunning the baboon in a daze.
"Now!"
Rean dashed onward, his speed being unforgiving to normal eyes as he landed a powerful slice towards the baboon's frame, knocking it further off balance.
"Fire!"
One by one, the knives were launched and all struck the enemy. Arms, torso, face, waist, shins, golden-yellow hair, all body parts of the baboon were pierced and rendered unusable, to the point that the large monster lost its will to keep going.
It collapsed from the Silver Storm technique, unable to take further damage.
Rean gave up a breath he held in as he sheathed his tachi. Orsten slid his weapons in his pockets and smiled.
"That went well." The child simply said. It was an understatement, but it was nothing to celebrate about either. At least these monsters were the easiest to get through.
Still, the ones in this makeshift forest provided a new look on its diverse inhabitants. Rean hadn't seen species like the Rollers and Angry Baboons outside the Dream Zone, almost like this place was instead their habitat.
"There are some monsters that I don't see often," the swordsman remarked, looking thoughtful. "Are they native here?"
"In a sense," Orsten answered. "The place Delirious Forest is based on, they contained such enemies like the Rollers and Angry Baboons. You will find more, various enemies as we venture deeper into the labyrinth."
Sounded like an interesting outlook, Rean mused. If these kinds of enemies were only found in the Dream Zones, he wondered what the rest of them would be like. He wasn't too excited, though, with all the baggage it could have if 'various' also included 'absurdly difficult'. Still, not like he was going to fight some kind of dragon that breathed scorching fire, or a grim fantasy monster that resonated with death, or something, but he hoped his journey wouldn't come to that.
He really hoped.
"Yes, we will be fighting stronger enemies as we go further."
Rean whirled his head towards Orsten, who had just finished saying that after reading his expression.
"Orsten, please tell me we're not fighting mythical creatures, please."
The cobalt-haired child looked back quizzically, not accepting his response as the one he anticipated.
"Mythical creatures? Rean, I was talking about the bears."
"Oh..." Rean sighed deeply, calming his nerves in realizing Orsten wasn't on the same topic...
He blinked.
"Bears?"
The Cutter, a large bear-like monster with notable, powerful claws that roamed through the areas of Delirious Forest. A dangerous...
"Um, Orsten—"
"Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens."
Right, FOE, whatever that term Orsten mentioned was, as it was otherwise called. The tales that surrounded this fearsome beast were the darkest tales, probably infused with some stupidity on some incompetent explorers, but all the same horrifying. Once it sets its own sights on an adventurer, running is the only option if the adventurer is sorely unprepared and lacking in both skill and equipment. If even running isn't an option, all that would await the poor soul is the large claws shredding their life, their meaty pieces flying out of their very being.
...
Maybe Rean was looking into it a little too hard. When he sighted the first Cutter from afar, the FOE just happened to be going back and forth on one side of a lake with a length of at least twenty arge, not once going around it. Yes, it appeared threatening, and yes Rean could sense malicious intent radiating from the monster, but... it was simply not looking into prey in other areas at all, with the Cutter walking around beyond the lake in front of the two travelers. Orsten happily provided an explanation to what Rean was witnessing.
"It is traversing its own territory. A mere patrol movement to see if any prey would wander into their own areas. This one... just so happens to select this side only."
Well... okay, it was following its instincts. That made sense, Rean supposed. "Maybe if we're more closer in its sight, it'll start chasing us."
"Right now, we are well-prepared to engage it," the child offered, "so I have no objections if you wish to. Alternatively, we can fight it later, before we clear this Dream Zone."
"We can fight it later. I'd rather not risk it for now." He wondered for a moment how the others would have felt if he lost to the very first test out of many. He did see a few paths up ahead, beyond the Cutter's territory. "Are we required to fight it to explore more areas?"
"Not at all, since you can evade it if you plan your movements just right." Orsten raised a finger. "However, if you wish to achieve a perfect archive of what you have encountered in the Dream Zones, you must at least encounter and analyze it."
It was one thing Rean didn't get—not only doing simple cartography on the Dream Zone's layout, but also recording anything considered notable. Things like monsters for a bestiary, number of treasure chests found, number of 'features' in a Dream Zone, even 'people' if he encountered them. He had already been informed partway through the forest's labyrinth, but whatever this information meant to Orsten, it had to be important to him.
Which was strange, considering how Orsten at one point mentioned that he created these Dream Zones. So why recorded information of a world seemed so important to its creator, Rean didn't happen to know. He was getting a reward for achieving a 'perfect archive' out of it, so he had a lot less room to complain, but that was different compared to his curiosity. And even then...
"So... Orsten, why is it that I need to record information of a world when you created it?" Rean jabbed at the obvious as he continued to map the area down.
"If I told you now, it would dilute the meaning behind it, Rean."
Orsten would just shamelessly avoid the answer when it was just simple curiosity, much to Rean's irritation. Was it that classified to—
A sharp rise in malicious intent came from his left, and judging by Orsten's expression, he wasn't the only one to notice. Turning their heads to that direction, their fears doubled the moment another Cutter came into view, and this one spotted them with more ease and higher interest very unlike the other FOE. Dread wasn't filling in them yet, but just standing in their spot while watching the Cutter get closer would surely do the trick.
Orsten glanced at Rean with an expectant look... and a very unnecessary smile. "Ah, if you wish to fight it—"
"Not right now! We need to get moving!"
He wasn't sure why did Orsten suggest to fight against a monster already mentioned to be currently more powerful than them. If Rean guessed right, the child preferred the strongest enemies for a taste of blood. But this was obviously not the best time for such things. They bolted the other way, with Rean hoping they wouldn't encounter it so soon, and Orsten looking visibly disappointed.
The other Cutter that was walking around the lake didn't seem to care much. They weren't in its territory, right?
It didn't take long for them to ditch the chasing FOE, brutal and fearsome as it was, but they found themselves in another location in Delirious Forest, much to their collective disappointment. Still, it was considerably better to get lost instead of staying dead.
"We appear to have lost the Cutter..." Orsten notified, his breathing being noticeably louder.
"That's great," the swordsman said between breaths. "I didn't want to risk taking it on if we weren't sure about our luck."
The child gave an acknowledging hum as he looked around the clearing they ran into. A garden of blue and white roses, an area newly discovered since the exploration. Definitely not a place they... Rean, rather, was familiar with. Orsten decided to point this out.
"Fortunately... or unfortunately, our escape has led us into this new territory. With the chase, we did not have a chance to draw our path to here, either."
Rean looked around their surroundings as well, and found the same blue and white garden Orsten was gazing at. A beautiful field of snow among the sea, metaphorically, surrounded by the verdant nature. Rose petals of two colors would occasionally be drifted to the air by sudden gusts. He hadn't found anything like this in Delirious Forest so far. The beauty within this area, estimated with a length of 20 arge, was remarkable—Rean was too amazed to say anything of it, however.
So it was up to Orsten to speak up again.
"At the very least, we have found a sight to behold. There are no monsters in the vicinity, so we are safe in here."
Rean took the note gracefully, especially when he himself felt no presence of any monsters nearby. But when Orsten called it a 'sight to behold', he thought back to their previous conversations.
"Orsten, didn't you say you created this place?"
The cobalt-haired child looked up to him. "I believe I did."
Rean folded his arms in suspicion, but nothing of accusation. "Even this garden?"
Orsten hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes. Do you like it?"
Did he? He wasn't going to lie and say it didn't interest him, but it wasn't what he was thinking of.
"It's... not that. I'm just wondering why did you create something like this."
The cobalt-haired child tilted his head. The meaning behind Rean's words was more easier for Orsten to understand. He already had a good guess on the swordsman's personality ever since he rolled into the Dream Zone. To counteract the misplaced modesty Rean was giving, the child began his explanation by pointing his arm to the blue and white garden.
"Rean, what would this area be to you if there was no garden of roses here?"
The son of the Schwarzer family raised a brow, but nevertheless answered.
"Um... it'd be an empty field. Just grass, I guess."
Orsten nodded, and then asked another question. "What would that fruit tree from earlier be if it bore no blue fruit for you to eat?"
Rean was starting to hesitate in confusion. "A regular tree." Just what was the purpose of these questions?
"Do you see?" Orsten's lips became a frown when Rean remained clueless. "A Dream Zone may be a manifested interpretation of a world I can create, be they from memories or fantasies, but the most important rule of them is that they must be given life in their surroundings. The blue fruit tree, this garden, they are the features that help make this world more unique. What point would there be in a forest that contained nothing but the definition of it?"
The Eight Leaves practitioner stared in silence as he mused on Orsten's reasoning. So the kid wanted a Dream Zone like Delirious Forest to be more lively instead of making it a barren forest with nothing notable to see. That's an interest he hadn't thought of until now and made sense, but he still didn't understand something else.
"So, you do this, even though I'm in a challenge I have to overcome?"
"You must clear the trials, yes, but allowing you to examine the scenery like this should not be withheld, Rean."
Even with the purpose of a Dream Zone being a trial, Orsten chose to include the extras of Delirious Forest for Rean to discover and interact with. The swordsman was finally starting to understand the reasoning behind it, but he felt a little guilty when he noticed Orsten looking none-too-happy on explaining it.
'That is kind of my fault, isn't it? Maybe a break to sort things out would be nice...'
Having made his decision, he thumbed to the garden. "Why don't we rest for now, then? If no monsters are present, we can stay for some minutes."
The child's ruby eyes lightened up a little and overtook his frown. "We can. Please, try to enjoy your rest as well, Rean."
He nodded dismissively. He needed a few minutes to think about Orsten's known reasons anyway, and all those battles so far gave him the need for a break, especially when they needed to flee from an FOE just now. He picked a tree to lean on in front of the garden of blue and white roses while Orsten sat nearby, both travelers eyeing the dual-colored flowers and their scattering petals. No sign of monsters, no conversations for now. Just a rare scene accompanied by winds of varying strengths.
Blue and white... peaceful...
Had Rean not been given many things to worry about, he could have enjoyed the scenery a little more...
"Hey, Orsten?"
The winds rushing past them felt nice, but did little to ease their inner panic. "Yes, Rean?"
He kept on running, his sentences being a bit awkward due to his fast pacing. "Don't you think having to destroy the honey-scented branches by drawing the Bloodbears' attention too quickly was dangerous?"
As if to emphasize his point, the sound of the fifth set of branches being broken occurred behind them, and out came the fifth deadly Bloodbear. The differences it had from the Cutters was how their fur was colored black ash and blood red, compared to the usual variations of gray and tan. With a rage-sounding roar, it joined the pursuit with the four other chasing Bloodbears, all against the two travelers in the midst of this labyrinth. And while Rean and Orsten were surely able to take one down at this point, they could not find a good answer for attempting multiple at once.
Orsten, still running from them as was Rean, gave a hum first before answering honestly.
"No. Why?"
Rean gave a disbelieving expression in response.
"You do have to explore the areas at any rate, if you wish to understand the forest's layout for the perfect archive. All of it."
Rean then gave an exasperated face.
"Of course, if you ever desire, we can defeat them, especially now that we have grown much stronger since—"
"Orsten, if you ever realized why running from five large—"
The sixth set of branches they just passed through was demolished, and to Rean's horror as he looked back, another roar resounded through the forest as one more feared monster joined the 'Chase Rean and Orsten Down' club.
"...six large bears is the best option, then maybe it's best if we stick to that option and not suggest something else!"
"Ah, I am merely listing out all kinds of options that you can choose!" Even from this uncontrollable train ride, Orsten gleefully bantered. "Then again, I suppose listing out the options that point out your immediate demise are not the ones you would so obviously decide on..."
"Then stop listing those out!"
The roars intensified, and so did the two travelers' running speed.
"That's a large monster..."
The dull colors of gray and black were on most of its fur, beside the head and below the waist, which were predominantly crimson. It had lengthy claws seemingly stained by the unfortunate blood of those it met. It kept on growling, the only sound it made when it was breathing normally. The pair of its eyes had an unearthly yellow glow to them, leering at them with no short amount of malice.
The Berserker King, a formidable monster that stood on the end of the labyrinth, and without a doubt the last enemy they needed to face. After a few hours of monster hunting, treasure scoping, and area searching, Rean and Orsten stood just thirty arge away from the beast, planning ahead before today's showdown. And as he figured, he could sense the malevolence it radiated towards them.
"That monster is the Berserker King," Orsten informed, to the point. "It is also the enemy we must face to gain access to the Clearing Key, the proof of your succession. It will grant you the exit of the Dream Zone."
"I see..."
The fast-flying explanation flew over his head for a second, but he understood it all the same. One more monster to take the first step in this trial, one step closer to reaching Elise. Once it was down and gone, he will have cleared the Dream Zone by then. But even Rean could tell this might be a very tough battle, more than the Formido... FOEs they had encountered.
As he felt both hands on hilt and sheath, about to get into a stance to strike down his foe, he felt a tug on his elbow. He looked back to see Orsten giving a small smile.
"I believe in you, Rean. Please, let us do our best to succeed."
And from that moment, Rean felt that it didn't matter about Orsten's position in this journey. It didn't matter that he was allied with Zentelos. Strange as it was, all he felt was the companionship he managed to forge with the child over the little time they spent in this day. Through all the battles they breezed or struggled through, all the encounters with Delirious Forest's extraordinary wonders, he couldn't find him as merely an ally for traveling. He was... much more than that.
He was a person. A companion. And... Rean couldn't deny Orsten wished to be his friend.
Was that what he was getting from this? Hm...
He turned away from Orsten and stared back at the Berserker King, the monster seemingly having its attention fixated on them. He allowed himself a smile too.
"Thanks, Orsten. Let's do it."
The feral grizzly gave a roar unlike its lesser species. Both tachi and knives were drawn, and both wanderers met with the ferocious beast.
The long blade made the first contact as a slash to the Berserker King's chest. Much like the Cutters and Bloodbears he had fought before, the demonic bear's skin was thick and high on defense. Nevertheless, the slash was noticeable to the giant as it focused on Rean. With a roar, it raised its right arm and began a front sweep. As he stepped back nimbly, he admitted how impressive it was for being faster than the other FOEs.
Orsten went in next, twin knives at both hands. The large monster was quick to attempt to retaliate, pushing its right arm for a low swing, which was fortunately an attack that was easy to jump over. Flying over and near it, the child swung sharply and carved on its right shoulder, the sound the beast made afterward easily telling how damaging it was, as he landed safely from the high leap.
It was not enough. The feral giant was again quick to recover and set its sights on the child. Orsten only had the momentum to raise his twin knives and block the swipe, once, twice, both blows dangerously unbalancing his stance. It was only one attack short from his defense falling apart; this attack was intercepted before it could connect, the tachi accurately slicing the monster's elbow that would have been used. Another step Rean made, and the sword slashed twice on its right shin, pushing the Berserker King back and away from them by a few of its large steps, rearing back in pain.
Then it roared again, the voice tainted and amplified with newly-founded rage, enough to send the bravest of birds from the trees to fly away in fear. The demonic-looking bear rushed on and nimbly closed the distance, the overhead strike meant for Rean being carefully blocked by him as Orsten sent a mirage knife to the cheekbone of the monster. The strike did little as it only gave the large bear more reason to stay angry. It began a relentless series of swipes, all aimed at the swordsman as he tried to keep up the attacks, exhaustion bearing down on his arms.
The breaking strike came down on him, a blood-red claw driving to the sword with enough force to push it away. Rean held on to it desperately as he tried to align himself again, only for one more attack by its right arm to nearly cost him. It was Orsten intervening at the right time with a translucent prism wall being formed by both hands stopping the blood-tainted claw from going any further, but judging by his pained expression, even he had trouble stopping the beast from its resumed attempts at breaking any of their bones.
"Fall back for a moment, now!"
The child's command was given, and as he gave up keeping the gleaming barrier in place, both travelers stepped backwards, and in time to avoid one more deadly swing. As they began to regroup, they could see the Berserker King starting to breathe heavily, but barely looking any wearier. From their distance, they collectively caught their breaths while keeping eye to make sure there wasn't any sudden movement. It was still a little soon to recognize any achievement.
"Taking it on at once will only put us at a disadvantage," the knife-wielding child intoned. "I should focus on support."
Rean looked back to the child; he did have a number of Arts at hand, more than him, at any rate. "Go for it," he commanded before looking back to the large monster.
It didn't take another second for the battle to continue.
Still far from the Berserker King, Orsten had immediately begun casting as Rean moved forward, tachi still at hand. He immediately paused one step away from the giant bear's large swing, having their expectations in their movements come to a peak, as the forced gust from the missed attack ruffled his hair. His chance being presented, he stepped forward again, striking on the torso—once, twice—before falling back to avoid another mauling from the giant. He sidestepped in good timing to avoid a follow-up from an overhead blow, then stepped back again, away from a sweep.
Orsten's Saintly Force was once more focused on Rean, as the swordsman felt his strength and reflexes improved significantly. Going for another attempt, Rean dashed onward. It was by adjusting a few of his movement patterns from last time that he was able to mess with the Berserker King's perception, the giant noticing too late that Rean didn't stop in front of it, instead sliding just under its body, and the desperate attack from the monster counted as a miss. Just behind it, Rean felt more at ease at letting his tachi howl and slash relentlessly on the giant's rear. The pain it received was enough to get its full attention, and the monster pushed itself to be more agile. Rean was quick to eye the raised fist as the monster turned...
But it didn't matter, because a single Fire Bolt struck the Berserker King from its turned back, the burning projectile having been sent by a smirking Orsten. Yet again, this opened up another chance to strike for Rean. Quickly sheathing his sword and going in a stance, he focused his strength in preparation for a dash. If he could get the timing just right, just before the large bear could try to take notice...
...There!
"Autumn Leaf Cutter!"
He propelled himself forward, tachi unsheathed, and a flurry of slashes grazed through the demonic-looking grizzly's thick skin before the giant was able to regain its senses. Rean made it through the monster's large frame again and appeared on the other side. He briefly saw Orsten smirking while the child was already casting something. The swordsman moved away from the bear and stopped in the middle of the battlefield, drawing in fresh breath for a second as another Saintly Force was placed on him, improving his strength even further. He had to shake his head for a moment; Orsten sure liked this Art quite a lot, even if it was an excellent Art to use as support.
The battle was far from over. In spite of the damage received, the large monster was able to recover its senses and turn back to its opponents. Using its built-up rage, the Berserker King gave out an inhuman roar that was surely as loud as a mighty thunder. Having it sound like thunder while being close to it was damaging to Rean's ears, for he was the one standing closer to it. Gritting in pain, he directed his free hand to an ear in an attempt to dull the pain, but as he feared, this only let the Berserker King ready its claw for a strong attack...
"Look out!"
The blow didn't land on Rean. It instead landed on Orsten, who quickly ran up to him and solidified enough light to conjure up another shield and match the blow. The child grunted the moment the attack connected to his barrier—the Berserker King was never light on its attacks—but this time, the strike didn't send him back. The mirage-built defense held nicely against it. Rean was impressed as he watched while trying to calm his ears. Orsten had the appearance of a weak yet nimble child, low on vitality but strong with speed, but it was becoming more and more apparent that he had tricks up his sleeve to make up for his weaknesses.
Now it was Rean's turn to smirk. Orsten was no pushover, and Rean would fight just as hard.
Shaking off the last of his disorientation, Rean readied himself again. Orsten took to the front line, now that he had the monster's attention, and proceeded to keep the situation that way to let his partner plan ahead. As Rean quickly mulled over his decisions, an Art came to mind, and readied the orbment in his pocket as magical coding encircled him.
Meanwhile, Orsten continued to have the time of his life. The large bear wasn't any slower than most enemies in the labyrinth, yet its speed and strength was no match for someone who managed to avoid the attacks from many monsters in the labyrinth. Really, it was just another Bloodbear-like enemy, he thought as he ducked beneath an overhead swing. He jumped to the left when the monster tried to smash him with a descending palm, claws still stretched out and all. The boy had been given enough time to show another circle of mirage knives appearing just above him, all aimed at the grizzly...
"Hah!"
But just before that, Rean shot an arm forward and launched a darkened and distorted projectile that headed toward the Berserker King. Soul Blur was released from the orbment and struck the target, and the two found out that it was a direct hit. Not only did the large monster stumble back from the attack a little, it appeared to be in a daze from the projectile's effects. It was the perfect cue to go all out!
"Fire!"
The knives gleamed and were launched one by one, each piercing attack sending a new ripple of pain on the monster as it tried to snap itself out of its daze from earlier. All it was able to achieve was feel stronger pain for even trying to shake off its delirious breakdown, and it gave a better confirmation for the group to keep going.
"Now!"
Rean took the signal well, and the steel blade struck the oversized grizzly once again, allowing it to feel yet another sense of pain on the front. With Rean not letting up, the tachi carved the monster's torso once more to drown in its building aches, even as it tried to shake off the last of its daze. He glanced back at his partner almost immediately.
"Orsten!"
"I am with you!"
Rean and Orsten raced up to the downed frame of the Berserker King, the curved sword creating yet another gash on the front and the small knives carving more lacerations on its head. The rush had inflicted much more damage than had they done so normally, but despite the large bear being left in a critical condition, it was surely not dead yet...
But that was fine, because Orsten was more than ready.
"I shall finish this."
It was the first thing he said the moment several of tens of mirage daggers appeared just behind him, many more compared to his usual Silver Storm. As Rean stepped back for a bit, Orsten gave a dreaded smile and directed the daggers with a wave of his left arm. Upon the motion, the short blades flew to the monster with such speed that it couldn't be compared to fired arrows. From one strike to another, each and every flying knife dug through and exited out of the monster, the continuous pain becoming a repeated experience.
"Fall under the grace of my fragmented world."
A gesture of his right hand, and the daggers returned, all of them encircling around the Berserker King for a split second before diving into the beast in another set of repeated thrusts all around it. The knives, after having done this phase, were then directed by his right hand to fly straight up. All the translucent knives seen and used were being combined, the small weapons of light being forged together to form a new, much larger weapon. From what Rean could see in his point of view, its size was perhaps no more than sixty arge tall. The merged weapon's tip continued to hover over the monster, the large bear no longer able to move freely after the merciless onslaught.
Orsten nodded.
"Shattered Skies!"
The mystical and oversized dagger came crashing down from above, sliding inside the target with such force and breaking the foundation itself that Rean could have sworn he saw the world literally being cracked apart easily.
At that point, any doubts he had about Orsten being normal only multiplied from there on out.
The Berserker King was no more after the final attack. Neither Rean nor Orsten could see any sign of it. The battle it got into, if it could be called a fight instead of a beatdown, was more in the boys' favor, and it was also a testament to show how far they improved since the beginning of the exploration.
Rean couldn't agree more that their time and attempts in keeping an archive of everything encountered in this place paid off more than thought possible. He was, initially, feeling skeptical when he was told the Guardian of the Clearing Key was more powerful than the FOEs of the labyrinth. He had been proven wrong right away when he felt the Berserker King's malicious presence outweighed the other monsters they encountered in Delirious Forest. It was thanks to Orsten for suggesting that they look elsewhere to train and find other places of interest to see if he could get any stronger, first by taking down the less powerful FOEs to the stronger ones.
It actually did more than just train him in strength. Reading the movements of the Cutters and Bloodbears helped him read the Guardian's movements more easily. He was even able to find other items worth of interest just by exploring, like extra items and quartz, even finding places to rest on. And to him, he was starting to understand at least one reason why did Orsten want him to keep an archive of a Dream Zone.
It was more of a survival guide, to help not only themselves, but other people who came into this Dream Zone. To have explorers take heed of areas to rest in and monsters to watch out for. But that just brought up yet another question: who was going to enter a Dream Zone when the challenge was specifically for him? It was one question out of several he was hoping to ask, now that the Guardian was finished, and his map seemingly complete, with missing details of what was behind the largest monster around.
And rightfully so, with very little else that was behind the monster. Nothing but a dead end, and what appeared to be a shining, golden orb on top of a pedestal. Rean decided to make the guess that if what they fought was the Guardian, then the golden orb had to be the Clearing Key. Orsten picked up on his thoughts and nodded.
"That is indeed the Clearing Key. It is usually found when you reach the end of the Dream Zone. By holding it and reciting the activation phrase, the Dream Zone will be cleared, and you shall exit from the labyrinth and return to the real world."
Rean figured as much. It didn't make him any less relieved, however. He had expected... worse, throughout this exploration. Still, if this was the end of the Dream Zone, maybe this could be a good time to ask a few things...
"Orsten." He glanced at the boy with a serious expression. "Do you mind... if I ask you a few more questions?"
The not-normal child gave a smile. "By all means, Rean."
"When you were talking about the marking on my hand," he said slowly as he raised the marked fist, "you said participants... in plural. Are there supposed to be more people participating?"
The child's raised eyebrow made him look like he found Rean's question funny.
"There are."
Rean's stare narrowed. "I thought you only wanted me in this challenge. Wasn't that the purpose of kidnapping my sister?"
"Do be mindful, Rean," Orsten calmly responded, "that we have not mentioned a rule where you are not allowed to have allies in this journey. And to add, I will most definitely be selecting certain people to assist you."
"You shouldn't be taking people away from their lives just because of me."
"You are not the one who decides that, Rean."
They didn't say any more about that topic. The closed fist Rean was shaking during the conversation was left open and hanging by his side. He really wanted no one else to get involved in his problems, but just as Orsten said, he wasn't the one with the reins in this challenge. It was... irritating, the fact that more people would be involved because of him thanks to these trials. He didn't want to turn down help when he needed it, but for Zentelos and Orsten to be this forceful...
He took a deep breath. It was one question down. He had to move on to the next.
"So... are all Dream Zones about exploring labyrinths?"
It was a lighter topic that he presented, and they both felt more at ease.
"Broadly speaking, yes. In certain Dream Zones, you will be associated with areas inhabited by people. They will not be places you recognize in Zemuria, but you may think of them as towns all the same. You will see people behave the way they want to as well. With the labyrinths, they will be just outside those areas."
"And the Clearing Keys are located in those labyrinths?"
The child's smile fell a little. "Not quite. The labyrinths are a requirement, but they may only be advancements to the events in a Dream Zone's inhabited area, and may not always hold the Clearing Key. In those times, it may only appear after completing a series of events."
That's certainly a twist to the typical exploration, Rean thought. At least this gave a sense of an original flavor each time he would enter a Dream Zone. Now he was curious about the kinds of towns he was going to expect, especially if they weren't found anywhere in Zemuria. That was to be for another time, however. There was just one more question he need to ask.
"So... about this 'Perfect Archive'..."
The child jumped right in the topic as he ruffled his cobalt-colored hair. "Ah, yes. The records of a Dream Zone, you may hand them over for an evaluation after you have obtained the Clearing Key. Be warned that you will not be returning to the Dream Zone when we clear it, so take extra caution if you wish to complete all records of an area."
So he was being graded for it after all. That was what those rewards were for when Orsten mentioned it.
"As for the reason why I want you to archive it..." Orsten smiled with a rare showing of bashfulness. "Well, I suppose I can tell you."
Now that got Rean's interest. Truth be told, he was actually wanting to ask about that.
"I am sure you know how ordinary travelers perform cartography, keep a log on monster species, finding treasure chests and points of interest, yes?" Ruby eyes were sparking with adoration, Rean noticed.
"I kind of had that feeling when you gave me the notebook and told me to map Delirious Forest," Rean answered, laughing lightly.
"In truth," Orsten admitted, staring at the grassy ground, "I would like to think that the whole exercise is another way to make memories."
"Memories?"
"Memories of places you have been in. Memories of people you have encountered, of life you have witnessed, of many things that you would not see in an ordinary life. A way to reminisce all fantastical moments in a journey."
The child raised a hand to the sky, a gesture to show the world around them, as he looked back to Rean.
"When I asked you to record the things you can marvel in here, it is because I wish for you to experience what life is like as an explorer of strange lands. I want your perspective on the places I have recreated to see people enjoying them and how they do so." He smiled, a bit guilty. "If you do enjoy a world like this, then you are happy with it. And if you are happy with it, it puts me at ease, because I put in the effort to allow many possible ways for you to interact with the Dream Zones. It makes my creations worth it."
Orsten blinked, his red eyes looking as if he hit a surprise after saying all that.
"Ah, and here I am, rambling about my reasons," he laughed for a second, shaking his head as he looked back to the participant. "I believe I have already mentioned this, but recording everything in a Dream Zone is merely optional. You should not be burdened with something akin to perfection, you know."
Rean just stared at the child, having found a new point of view about him after hearing his reason. At the beginning of the exploration, he made for an odd companion despite being extremely helpful to the exploration. Any answer he was prompted to give was held off for another moment, continuing up until the defeat of the Guardian. He purposely dodged the questions because he didn't want Rean to know right away, and it just made him more suspicious.
But now Rean understood the reasons why, and he felt a little bad for it. Since the beginning, Orsten just wanted to make this a more pleasing journey for Rean to go through, to make sure he was less troubled by how this challenge operated. The child didn't want to explain it often in the beginning, either because Rean didn't want to trust him at the time, or because his answers would be meaningless unless they were already applied to their exploration. Either way, it was a show of kindness, moreso when Rean remembered that it was Orsten that wanted to help him in his journey.
It was starting to make even more sense on why Zentelos allowed him to help, if only temporarily. Aside from kidnapping his sister and not showing his face to Rean to earn his trust, not once did he act with any malevolent intention towards him, not since the journey began, and never in their exploration through Delirious Forest. He could have just gloated about her being held hostage, or even let Rean figure out Delirious Forest on his own with more difficulties, or... whatever black-hearted tactic Zentelos could think of. Instead, he allowed Orsten Seinel, the creator of the Dream Zone, and apparently the most friendly associate to both Elise's kidnapper and Rean, to assist him because Zentelos did not wish to see him having a hard time throughout the challenge. Orsten's assistance managed to make the transition to this journey much more simple than what he originally believed, and Zentelos knew that for a fact.
It may have been so early to assume such things, especially if there was a reason for taking away Elise and inviting Rean to participate, but if Zentelos truly had no dark intentions in the first place...
His right hand landed on a patch of cobalt-colored hair, and Orsten, startled from the contact, looked up to see him.
"Zentelos... he's a good person, isn't he?"
The child was still reeling from the sudden contact—hair being ruffled and all—until he realized he was being asked. His red eyes showed his warm expression.
"Yes. He is, even if he does not make it obvious on purpose."
"I see." It took a few more seconds before the swordsman's hand left Orsten's head. "I don't think I can still forgive him for taking away my sister, but now I can believe you two have a good purpose behind all this. Sorry for doubting you guys."
"It is of no consequence, Rean," the child responded before bearing a guilty look. "I only wish that it did not come to this."
Rean nodded seriously. "Same here. But I won't hold it against you, now that I know you guys want me to succeed, at least."
A slow nod. "Hm..."
Another question rushed into Rean's head as he thought back. "But you're not going to tell me what's the purpose of the challenge anytime soon?"
Orsten's smirk returned despite himself. "If I told you now—"
"—It would only dilute the meaning," Rean interrupted flatly, echoing the words he heard constantly from the child. "Yeah, I heard you the first time."
"Then you should not need to ask," the child responded, laughing lightly. "Depending on the decisions of Zentelos, I might have the chance to tell you in his stead. Otherwise, you will learn of our reason by the end of the journey." He paused, musing to himself before shifting his shoulders. "Or perhaps you will learn of it on your own terms before that time. Whichever might be more plausible to happen first."
The Eight Leaves specialist raised a brow. "I can take a guess?"
"You can, but we will not tell how right you would be. Do not be too disappointed if it is not the answer you were expecting, however," he finished with a smile.
"Right..." Well, that question could be considered a loss. He didn't mind it that much, however. Most of his other questions, they were given much more solid responses when compared, though all the pros and cons about them were just balanced. With those answers in mind, he could think further in how this challenge would play out for the rest of the journey. The additions of other participants, the exploration of new worlds and possible inhabited areas, and to make memories with these worlds... and the more he thought about it, the less malicious this challenge seemed to be, even when his sister's life was on the line.
Elise...
"You need not worry." Rean focused on the child again the moment the latter spoke up, Orsten having easily noticed the teen's pained expression. "Elise will be safe for the duration of the challenge, and will most certainly return to you once you are finished. Continue to have faith for her, and for yourself as well."
"...Yeah."
He couldn't see her again, not until this was over, but Orsten was making sure there would be no further complications with the gap that stood between them. Until then, Rean could only take his word for it, and after accepting their intentions to assist him, he was more than willing.
"On to one more matter," Orsten spoke up to bring back a topic. "As I have said before, I can evaluate the amount of information of a Dream Zone you have recorded in your notebook so far. This includes mapping, local monsters, the area's features, and the treasure chests discovered, along with what else could be included in a Dream Zone. By completing information and upon finding the Clearing Key, you will be rewarded by me for achieving a perfect archive."
Rean had been interested when Orsten suggested the rewards for a 'perfect archive'. He was still interested, but he was now more motivated after learning the actual reasons on why Orsten wanted a perfect archive. The swordsman said nothing else as he brought out a key item that the cobalt-haired child asked for. Orsten took it away and scanned through the contents that Rean was able to record for Delirious Forest.
...
"Your mapping is perfect. You walked through all areas, and marked down paths and all points of importance. Delirious Forest is small, but an easy place to get lost in without the map, is it not?
"You have encountered all 9 kinds of enemies. I imagine you have also realized certain enemies appear in only certain spots, yes? Do be mindful of this behavior as you continue the journey.
"You have interacted with all 6 features in this labyrinth. Very impressive, and truly kind of you to see what this Dream Zone had to offer.
"You have found all 7 treasure chests located in Delirious Forest. Haha, it appears I made some places very obvious if you were able to find them all."
Rean stared back. He almost couldn't believe himself, but Orsten had just said Rean found everything important in Delirious Forest. When the child returned the notebook to a somewhat-stunned Rean, he cleared his throat and raised a fist to his chest.
"For achieving a perfect archive of the first Dream Zone, Delirious Forest, I present to you your reward, the Opal Badge."
A flash of white covered the entire area in less than a split second, and when Rean was able to see again, a kind of accessory was floating in front of them. An oval-shaped black gem, its sides surrounded by fresh and sturdy steel material, with a silver pin attached behind. Rean slowly grasped the floating gem and felt the hard texture in his palm. It was very faint, but there seemed to be an inclusion of a particular element inside. It was no quartz, though, but a badge, an accessory.
"Keep it," Orsten stated as an order. "You can have it as a reminder of your ability to skillfully record a place."
Rean wasn't complaining. He wasn't sure what this enhanced accessory could help out on, but it was an extra piece of gear. He tucked the badge away in the rest of his inventory and looked back to the child.
"Thanks, Orsten."
He shook his head finding the thanks very unnecessary. "I should be thanking you, for enjoying my creation. Now then..."
The Clearing Key that sat on the pedestal continued to shine brightly. Orsten was in no rush to pull it away, but there was definitely nothing else to talk about. The golden orb was soon resting on his two palms, and was brought forward to Rean.
"Hold the Clearing Key in your hands, and recite the activation phrase to clear this Dream Zone. After completion, two days from now, a second Dream Zone will activate. This will be located in the area of Heimdallr."
Rean blinked as he slowly took the golden orb from the child's hands. "So Heimdallr's my next stop, two days from now."
Orsten smiled. "Yes. When it activates, you will know by the cause of an abnormal activity. I suggest you start heading there by tomorrow."
"I still wish you didn't have to cause such an uproar to tell me," the swordsman sighed, still recalling how Delirious Forest became a disturbance in Lunaria Nature Park. "The overgrowth will be gone once I clear this place, right?"
"Correct."
So this was it, then. The end of the first Dream Zone.
"Alright, what's the activation phrase?"
Orsten raised a hand high, and answered. The answer caused Rean to blink before he chuckled.
"You sure are strange, Orsten. I don't think I've ever heard a phrase like that, but even knowing you for just a little bit of time, I think it fits you."
The child just laughed softly in response. "You may as well adjust to my world, Rean. I am however I am."
Rean smirked back, and lifted the Clearing Key high up.
"I shine this light of victory!"
The world faded to white...
"Shall we meet again, Rean."
Evening
Outside of Lunaria Nature Park...
He was the first to witness the drastic change from the altered and overgrown forest to its current, natural form. Paths that were once blockaded by large roots and hindering vines were all gone, their source of growth no longer available, and the state of the wild flowers had changed; the native ones shrank in size while others outright vanished. The monsters in the area were no longer agitated from the sudden shift of the environment as well, so it even quieted the park for the most part.
He stepped out of the gates of Lunaria Nature Park, now surprisingly restored and repaired to the way it should be. It seemed the reversal of effects had accounted for the damages on human-made works. That was... honestly a relief to him. While he didn't want to know if it also reversed harm on people anytime soon (and he hoped it wouldn't come to that at all), having structures repaired upon a Dream Zone's completion was good enough for keeping the locals at ease. It would be hard to calm them down if their works were still demolished even after the abnormality's disappearance.
He sighed as he noticed the sky's blue hue, along with a sun nearly starting to descend to the horizon. Evening was beginning to set in. How long had time passed in the real world, at any rate? Orsten mentioned how time in a Dream Zone varied when compared to the outside world. Then again, considering the traveling from Celdic to the Dream Zone, it made sense that a few hours were counted off from the day. It was still winter as well, so the sun was bound to set earlier.
"Heh, and it's only the first Dream Zone..."
Well, his perspective of time would definitely take some time (he cringed at the wording) to get used to. He had nine more Dream Zones to clear, and his next stop was Heimdallr. But for now, he had to take a break from all that exploring and fighting. He still needed to tell Otto and Johnson about his success in stopping the overgrowth in the park, too. He'd probably figure out what to do from there.
Nodding at himself, he made his way through the Celdic Highway, and back to the Market Town...
He was mildly surprised to see Johnson leaning at the entrance to Celdic—he knew to expect the park ranger to be waiting for his return—but he was a little confused to the girl that was beside him. Bright yellow hair, with a single, red-colored hair decoration by her left side, and light brown eyes that seemed interested in him. Judging by the clothing, she was also a resident of Celdic. He wasn't going to assume right away that she was waiting for him and his report as well, but it might have seemed like it.
Rean caught up to Johnson at the entrance, with the sky gaining an orange hue to signal the evening hours. The park ranger didn't smile just yet, not until he was sure about the park being safe again, but Rean being alive is what counted the most.
"So, how'd it go?" The man asked right away.
Rean had little trouble answering as he smiled. "Some things happened, but it looks like I was able to do more than stop the overgrowth," he answered. "Lunaria Nature Park's returned to normal, to the point that it even looks like it didn't damage the roads as well. The source seemed to be a one-time thing, so the forest shouldn't grow out of control again."
"Wow," the girl beside Johnson remarked, brown eyes twinkling like stars. "You weren't kiddin' when you said he'd get the job done."
Rean looked back at her curiously; apparently she was informed of what was going on, too. Once she was acknowledge by him, she smiled.
"Sorry 'bout that!" The golden-haired girl nodded her head. "The name's Becky! I... kinda overheard ya talking to John here 'bout the park before ya took off. I did nae mean ta." Becky's smile became more guilty. So that explained it.
"It's fine, I guess," Rean answered softly, unsure of what to feel. "I'm Rean Schwarzer from Ymir, if we're going to introduce each other," he added before humming in thought. "You didn't tell anyone about this, right?"
"We didn't," Johnson responded in certainty. "I figured you wouldn't want that, actually. I mean, if you couldn't figure it out either and we got everyone's hopes up for nothing..."
It made sense—he didn't want anyone to be lulled into a false sense of security—and he didn't mind. But it's not that success was impossible, considering he was directed to be there in the first place. He was just grateful the damage was reversed to a more cleaner state.
"Still, this is good news!" Becky eagerly exclaimed. "With the park back ta normal, we got one less problem ta worry about! Even the army could nae wear their boots right and fix the park for us! Ya did good, Rean!"
"That, he did," the man laughed a little at the girl's words, feeling the long-needed relief. He looked back to Rean. "You're gonna tell Otto about this, right?"
He nodded. "That's the plan. Let's get going." He glanced at Becky for a moment. "Since you heard about it, you can come too, if you're interested."
She was slightly surprised when she was offered to tag along. She didn't take another second to answer cheerfully, ever since she was intrigued in how the tale went.
"Sure thing!"
The three made their way to Otto's house, keeping quiet of the situation for now. The hours would pass, and the commotion would later be emptied of fear and anxiety, and filled with the reprieve of joy, once they would hear that Lunaria Nature Park would no longer put them at unease...
It didn't take long for Rean to do the explaining back at Otto's house. He was being honest of the report he gave, but he wasn't going to mention that it involved going through another forest in other to clear the trial there and take another step to save Elise. It wasn't important to them as it was to him, and he wasn't sure what else could they help with on that end. He had, at least, mentioned that he was partnered up with someone exploring the area to help him slay a powerful monster and put an end to the anomaly. It made the half-told story a little more believable, at least.
The Market Manager found himself smiling from hearing the good news and all the benefits from it.
"So Lunaria Nature Park has returned to normal." Just saying that almost made him want to disbelieve it in instinct.
"Yes," Rean confirmed once more. "There shouldn't be any signs of potential overgrowth as well, so it's very unlikely to happen again."
"Well Johnson," Otto said, turning to the park ranger in question, "looks like Aidios got us a miracle the same day we asked for it."
"Heh, yeah," he responded, cracking a smirk. "Now I can get back to my job with the park back to normal."
"That tale must've been amazing, though!" Becky spoke up gleefully as she stared at Rean. "You said some brute was standing in yer way, but you an' yer partner had none of that and took it down easy, right? I would have loved ta see that!"
Rean chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Maybe if the park wasn't so dangerous in the first place," he responded lightheartedly.
"It makes me wonder who your partner was when you were trying to save the park," Johnson admitted curiously. "Where is he, anyway?"
Rean scratched his head as he tried to pick his words carefully. "He left... he said he was helping me for the forest, then left on his own terms. His name is Orsten, but there's not much else I can say about him. Aside from dark blue hair and red eyes, that is."
"Orsten," Otto said to familiarize himself with the name. "It's not a name I know of... or a person I've seen recently." He then mused deeply. "Hm... if he helped you restore the park, then I say he deserves a reward for doing so. A shame he isn't here right now..."
The swordsman idly wondered how Orsten would feel about being rewarded for solving an incident he himself caused. At least he wasn't pretending to be a hero and taking a reward for that. Or maybe he found it unnecessary since he's not a normal kid to begin with. Well, no harm done in him not making lies for his own benefit.
"Well, Rean's here," the girl suggested lively. "Nothin' wrong with giving him the reward since he helped saved the park an' all!"
"That is true," the old man hummed at the idea. "Is there any way we can repay you for your assistance, Rean? You've been a great help to us all for today."
He had seen this coming a long distance away. A reward was nice, but he didn't purify the park just for that. He was only here on an untold quest to save his sister. He wanted to be a little modest about this.
"No, it's fine. I wasn't in Celdic looking for a reward, anyway."
"But that ain't right, Rean," Becky said, feeling a little worried. "You should be given something 'cause of yer hard work. We cannae leave you with nothin' but jack from us after your help."
"She's right," Johnson agreed with her, having a neutral look. "We'd feel bad if we were indebted to you. Are you sure you can't think of anything you'd want?"
And Rean then realized he should have seen this coming as well—pushing him to accept their thanks. Again, while he was more than thankful at the thought of them helping him, there wasn't a whole lot they could do. He was going to reinforce his option when a rather loud sound interrupted his, everyone's trains of thoughts. The sound of something growling coming from Rean.
...He dryly laughed. He wondered to himself, how long had it been since he last ate something after the exploration and subsequent battles? Now he had to accept their help, especially when he noticed their all-knowing grins being directed at him after hearing the growling.
"...I guess a place to stay and eat would be nice," he answered honestly, admitting defeat.
The three made sounds of snorts or short chuckles until Otto spoke up. "I can arrange a room for you at the Weathercock Inn, and I'll let the owner Margot know of what's happened and ask her to prepare dinner for you. All for free, of course."
"You hear that, Rean?" The golden-haired girl was once again in glee. "It's on the house! Better enjoy it while ya can!"
The park ranger snickered. "Not a bad reward, all things considered."
"Haha..."
He was reluctant to say anything else, lest it would cause them more worries about his selfless state. He wasn't going to lie to himself, either. He started to feel some exhaustion filling in his body after the Dream Zone's exploration and returning to Celdic, and a free pass to the inn was one other way to have them not look after him constantly, to put it modestly. It was already getting dark as well, last he checked...
For once, a break sounded nice to him. He still needed to sort his thoughts out after everything that happened in this day so far. It was just one day of adventure, and yet a hectic adventure through parts unknown to save his sister was definitely a once in a lifetime to people. A brief night of peace and quiet would probably do wonders to his state, he supposed. The journey was only getting started.
One down...
'Elise... you can wait for me, right?'
She woke up to the field of flowers all around her.
It was a strange feeling at first. She wasn't under the covers of her bed, and she felt the touch of petals poking her. She was able to recall retiring to her room last night, so she felt more than confused as to why she was on top of a flower bed, and not an actual bed. The second thing she noticed was her present location. Unlike her room in the Schwarzer household, it was instead an open field, a garden of common greens and multiple types of flowers stretching across several hundred arge. Not only that, but when she first woke up, it was to a moonlit sky, with countless stars spanning across the horizon.
The next thing was the sound of a woman nearby.
"Ah, you're awake."
She turned to her, and tried to discern her. A peach-haired woman, probably in her early 20's by her appearance. She had a silver long coat on, fashioned with an array of black-colored constellations all over it, and matching plain, gray pants. Under the coat was a cottoned white shirt, the half-covered black prints of two flowers on the left and right sides that seemed to glitter in different views. Topping the style off was a white hibiscus on the top of her waist-length hair, dancing gently to the small winds.
She was on a wooden chair. It was coupled with three other chairs and a three arge-squared table. The complete white tea set was on it as well, a saucer and a cup being held by the woman, who brought the drink to her lips after a period of silence. While her eyes were closed for the time, once she opened them up again, the girl could see them, the calming blue eyes that regarded the sleepy girl herself. The silence was broken by her speaking again.
"My my, you sure are surprised." The woman laughed quietly, and the girl noted how regal the woman's voice sounded. "Are you in that much awe? If you take a seat, you may try to compose yourself."
The girl nodded dumbly, still feeling too lost to even try to understand her position. She lifted herself up and trudged quietly to the seat opposite of the woman, not trusting in herself to make a remark just yet. Once she sat down, she felt the waft of the finest herbal tea coming from the set, freshly and expertly brewed, not unlike her mother's recipe. It was helpful, a little, to wake her up. She stared back at the peach-haired woman, who offered a smile.
"Tea?"
The simplest question from her only earned a shaking head as an answer. The girl didn't feel up for tea just yet, even when her body felt the desire for a relaxing drink. She stared back again, and the woman hummed in slight disappointment.
"Oh well, I suppose that's later." The saucer and cup were gently put down. The contents were still inside, but the woman figured a little talk wouldn't disrupt the temperature too much. "At any rate, it's fortunate that you woke up just now. With so many things happening in the past several hours, I waited for the chance to have a calming conversation with someone."
She sounded at ease for a reason, the girl noted, as the woman spoke up again.
~Medielia "Meddy" Maryanne~
"My name is Medielia Maryanne. If you like, you may refer to me as 'Meddy'. I hope I can be supportive of your time here, Miss...?"
The girl blinked, initially unsure of how to proceed from here. After a few seconds, she dipped her head a little and politely returned the greeting.
~Elise Schwarzer~
"M-my name is Elise. Elise Schwarzer." She tried not to sound too timid. A lot of things were going on right now, but she didn't want to feel too hopelessly clueless so early on. "Um, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Meddy."
The peach-haired woman smiled and shook her head. "Just 'Meddy' is fine. I'm usually not one for people calling me 'miss' with my nickname." She lifted her cup for another sip, and placed it back. "Miss Elise, I apologize for bringing you out here without your input, but it was a necessity."
"Just Elise is fine." It was only fair if the woman wanted to be called by her nickname, right? But Elise felt wariness on the woman's last statement. "What did you mean by bringing me out here? Were you the one who took me here?"
She had known the answer already, but it wasn't something she liked, true or not. Meddy answered with a confirming nod.
"Yes. I brought you here while you were asleep." The honesty was there in the woman's words, but not the whole truth. Before Elise could inquire further, Meddy preemptively continued her answer. "The circumstance behind your captivity is unusual, and I feel reluctant to tell you only half-truths of it, I'm afraid."
"No, it's okay," the girl answered, starting to feel mentally firm. "You can tell me."
The woman blinked once and stared into the girl's eyes. She could see a hardened will in them, even if it was ever so quiet. It was not something the girl could muster easily by desire—it would take time for someone like her, and she was obviously still young to steel herself completely, but she did not need to do so now. That would come at a later time, maybe soon, but not now. The woman then hummed gently.
"Very well. Please bear with me." A slight pause before she continued. "Elise Schwarzer. You are under captivity by a group of people: Zentelos, Orsten, and I. You will stay here for a few weeks until the time comes when you can be reunited with your brother, Rean Schwarzer."
Another moment of silence. Meddy could see Elise appearing frozen in movement, trying to understand her revelation completely. The many thoughts swirling around in the girl's head was testing her resilience. But she knew better. There was nothing to gain in a panic. Seconds passed to nearly half a minute, the sounds of deep breathing being heard, and Elise found her tension going down at last.
"Okay." It was... not exactly the worst news to listen to, but she was somehow capable of taking it in stride, almost. "So... why? Why did you kidnap me? Does this have something to do with my brother?"
She could see Meddy's expression soften a little. "Yes. Zentelos, one of my allies, has taken an interest in your brother, and organized a series of trials for him to take part of. In order to make sure he participates, Zentelos needed you to be in our care to force Rean into these challenges."
Another silence, with the quiet winds filling in their world. Meddy could see the captive's muscles gradually tense, and her downcast face hinting her anger.
"And you're... you're fine with it?"
The woman's head shake was immediate and her expression was stern. "Honestly, I was against the idea. I still am. You shouldn't have been a necessity for us to force his participation. But Zentelos deemed it urgent, and so I had to comply." She paused again, her face softening and looking truly apologetic. "I'm sorry."
It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault, Elise tried to assure herself. It really wasn't. Meddy just had to go along with it, and Zentelos is to blame, that's all...
"It's... it's fine." It was not fine at all, but she didn't want to blame Meddy for something she had no choice over. Another deep breath, yet another one... Elise looked back to the woman, losing steam and tried to find some hope in the conversation. "You... mentioned I will stay here for a few weeks."
Meddy nodded, her smile returning a little. "That, we can keep our word. At the end of those weeks, you will be free."
That was better than nothing. The peach-haired woman was very sure about it, too. Hearing that being confirmed allowed Elise to relax some more. There were still so many questions roaming in her mind, however. Their current location, the purpose of these trials, the trials themselves... and her brother's condition... the look on Elise was more obvious to the woman, and she felt obliged, as she always did, to ease the fears of her captive. The girl was going through a lot at the moment, so someone to talk to for the time being was something Meddy could easily fulfill. Her giggling was what broke Elise out of her train of thought.
"You are rather perturbed by the constant questions in your mind, Elise," Meddy laughed warmly, hoping to calm her. "But you needn't worry. I can answer most of your questions to the best of my ability."
Elise blinked as she took in her words. "R-really? Is it no trouble at all?"
To that, the woman casually disregarded the idea. "I fail to see why it should be. If you have any questions, by all means, ask. It is the least I can do for keeping you here."
That was... not the idea Elise expected. Did kidnappers do their best to help accommodate the needs of their captives? She didn't know what Zentelos was like, but Meddy here, she was doing her best at it. If anything, she was a lot more nicer compared to how Zentelos was made out to be. She may have been a one of a kind captor, being so benevolent to the girl without question. If she was willing to answer, then what could Elise do but ask?
She wanted to learn more about her predicament. She wanted to know where she was, what she was going to be doing, what her brother was up to, what the trials were for, why her brother was involved, who Zentelos and Orsten were... she wanted to ask so many questions, and Meddy was more than happy to answer them. If there was something, anything that could help her by knowing, she could probably feel more safer. She would even feel better knowing how her brother fared.
And if Meddy was willing to help her through this...
"Thank you, Meddy..."
"I accept your thanks. Now then, tea?"
This time, Elise was thankful for the tea that Meddy brewed for them. Under the moonlit sky and the countless constellations, surrounded by a field of vivid flowers, she felt as if she was simply talking to a good friend under a cool night, her fear of her captivity being washed away. She would start on her list of questions that needed to be answered, and while they were, she would take short sips of the tea.
It really was as comparable as her mother's.
Hah. So this is what ten days of being alive without Internet can amount to. Looks like I'm going to be inspiring myself to use it less then. At any rate, a few choice pointers.
It's a rather odd date to pick as a starting point. There are many, many reasons for that, and I'll let the story reveal them as time goes on. That being said, there will be an arc, one showing Rean and Elise's travels to Crossbell, being displayed at a later time before we get to that, but updates for that will come slow, until at one point in the main story.
Any 'inconsistencies' found, such as certain character reactions, may be addressed. Some will be genuine narrative mistakes (no one's perfect, right?), but others will have to be kept a close eye on.
Still not an Etrian Odyssey crossover. Even with certain monsters and plot elements being similar to varying levels, to me, the settings (general locations/characters) would have to be included to call it one. This means in this story, Elise will never be a member of Tharsis... wait, shi-
And lastly, specific spoilers will be mentioned in post-chapter notes instead of having all kinds of spoilers displayed just once in the summary. Can't get too confusing with this on what really spoils, now can we?
And so, thank you, and Until the Dawn of Another New Morning...
