Author's Note: Such a long chapter, such a long journey...
Disclaimer: I do not own any Tales of Graces characters, places or plot lines.
Red Chamomile
Chapter 2
Strahtan Orchid
I am the Gifted Chemist of this land. This desert land. As I walk on the sands of Strahta, I reflected on the request I was called to do. The sun was high in the sky and I was approaching my destination. My commission mailbox was stationed at Sable Izolle, a small mountainous city dedicated to general research, since nobody knows the location of Marin Terrain, the home of the exiled Acumens. Well, except for the Acumens. When I checked it, I was surprised to only receive one letter. Usually I would receive a few letters requesting chemical assistance. Making bombs for excavators. Making antidotes for the latest poisons. Making medicine for people with infections. It was from President Dylan Paradine in Yu Liberte. My dad.
He finally achieved his dream four years ago and is serving a second term. Since then, I've been active in the foreign relations of Acumens in Strahta, but I have made little to no progress. Acumens still have that bad connotation and if we were brought back to existence, we would all perish. We only have this connotation because of something that happened 400 years ago... Mom told me about it when I was about 9, but I still don't understand why such animosity towards us is still fostered... But receiving a letter from Dad… It must be serious.
I gave a sigh and continued to cross the desert. I was making my way from Sable Izolle to the capital, Yu Liberte to act on Dad's request. He asked me to come to the Capital and assist the research team with the valkines to propose several programs the government can utilize the eleth for the people. I gave another sigh. What can I do? My expertise is in chemistry and eleth chemistry. Since the valkines is pure eleth, there's nothing that can be done to modify it in a chemical point of view. Just extract the eleth and probably start some projects.
My hand found its way to my Lum Bird pendant. It was glowing orange. It's been glowing orange for a long while now... Maybe since Mom died... But even though I know this to be true, there's probably something I can do. I have to try. For Dad. He's all I have left after all. A glittery haze appeared at the horizon and a smile came to my face. Yu Liberte! I'm almost there. Am I presentable to meet with Dad? I looked down at my clothes. The knitted yellow sweater clung to my body due to the sweat that soaked through the yarn, the sleeves pulled to my elbows, held in place by pink ribbons. A white halter top with thick ribbons that tied around my neck was layered underneath, a little sticky with sweat. My Lum Bird pendant rested on the white fold over that circled the off the shoulder neck line.
A little bit of sweat is expected due to the hot weather and I don't stink. The tunic style sweater draped over my white shorts and the sheer brown tights reached to my white heeled boots. Tolly, Mom's trusty whip, was at my hip and a bag was clipped to the back of the belt that hugged my waist. My tights weren't too dusty… I decided that I was presentable enough to see Dad. I clutched my Lum Bird pendant again and shifted the weight of the humble brown backpack that I wore.
I've lived in Strahta all my life. The soft sand was easy to traverse in heels, at least, that was my opinion. It was probably very biased due to living here for so long. When Mom was still around, she would take me with her to other places in the world. I've visited Fendel only twice. I didn't like it. The snow was cold and I would shiver and be miserable. Either way, Mom didn't really have a good business in Fendel, seeing that we were only called there for only a week the second time we visited, but she was welcomed a lot in Windor. I remember that when I was nine or ten, Mom brought me with her to Barona to help her create a medicine for a young girl with an incurable disease. We never made the medicine because there was an incident that resulted in the girl recovering from the disease. I was a little disappointed, seeing that her case was one of my biggest milestones, but Mom told me that we were closer to finding out that truth that our family has been entrusted to find. If she knew she was leaving me two years later (or was it three?), then she would have never said that. All I can think about now is what she discovered.
I arrived in Yu Liberte. It was probably a two hour walk from Sable Izolle. I managed to avoid monsters, but there wasn't too many to begin with. I heard that the Rockgagong was blocking the way to the Capital a few days ago so the monsters were eaten up. Either that or a rampaging party of people passed through here and killed a lot of them. Probably the former idea is true. I shook those thoughts out of my head. I'm here now, so I just need to worry about meeting up with Dad. I walked through the commercial district of the Capital. Did I need to restock on some gels? Well… I do snack on Peach Gels sometimes… but I only do that if I was deep in an experiment. I didn't need a new weapon: Tolly has been with me for a long time now. It's a simple Battle Whip, but there's so many memories imbued in Tolly that I can't just let her go. Besides, I need to use her on bad monsters. I reached the residential district and my gaze turned towards the north.
A manor was here, a dark maroon with crystal glass and silk curtains. That's the Ozwell Manor. I used to wait outside near the fountain until a certain blue haired boy would come out. When Mom had business in Yu Liberte and she wasn't training me, I was able to play with the children in the Capital. And one of them was my best friend. I found him moping near the fountain in the commercial district. I didn't like people who mope, so I talked to him. He told me that his family gave him away and he was sad that they would do that to him. I felt bad for him and told him that I wouldn't throw him away. He got a little bit mad and told me that giving away and throwing away were different things and we got into a little argument. At the end of the day, he was a little mad at me, but he agreed to be my friend. Sometimes I would study, but I preferred to play of course.
When I was in the area and he wasn't studying or training, we would meet together and read comic books or talk about things that were bothering us. It stopped after Mom left me. He joined the military and he didn't have that much time for me anymore, but we would see each other on occasion. That reminds me; I lent him my entire collection of the Story of the Abyss series. I need to get in contact with him again so I can get it back. Story of the Abyss was my favorite tale in the Story Of series that Mom dumped on me as a kid. Of course, he lent me his Sunscreen Ranger collection, up to Issue 20, so I need to give that back soon. I didn't realize that I stopped walking and was staring off into the direction of the Ozwell Manor. I'll put it on my to do list. Right now, I have to go meet Dad. Until next time, Hubert Ozwell. Just thinking about his name makes me blush…
I finally made it to the government district. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this district is. Yu Liberte is so breath taking, but whenever I come to this final stretch to see Dad, my heart fills with the same emotion I felt when I first saw Marin Terrain. Is it awe? I'm not sure if it is. I pressed forward, approaching the shady terrace in the middle of the floating walkway. Just before me is the Presidential Palace. I should think about what I should say to the guard… I'm a pharmacist from Sable Izolle. I've been called to meet with the President. No, no… I'm one of the eleth chemists of Strahta. I've been called to meet with the President. No, no… that's even worse… I gave a sigh. Why do I need to be bad with people?
"Oh, there she is." I looked before me and saw a group of people approach me. It was five people. Five. That's a lot… My eyes widened with surprise and I shakily recovered.
"W-wha? U-um… C-can I help y-you?" I asked, my hands finding their way to my pendant. I just wanted to disappear… This is so embarrassing... So scary… All of them are looking at me… Five sets of eyes… The boy with rich coffee maroon hair and sea blue eyes spoke first.
"The President asked us to wait for your arrival. He requested you to take a look at the eleth chemistry, am I right?" Dad… asked me to… Oh yeah. He did. I remember he said that in the letter.
"Y-yes, he did. Um…" I scratched my cheek. The gruff man in the back continued the boy's inquiry.
"The President asked us to take you with us to the valkines. There's a problem with it that we might be able to solve, but we may need your help. Also, he mentioned he called you out here for an assignment as well." He said. The shakiness in my voice began to be more stable. But the eyes…! N-no… Just take a deep breath and persevere. I might just need to travel with these people to help solve the valkines problem. And then I can talk to Dad and be alone.
"Hmm… I see. But how do I know if you've been sent by the P-President? And are you sure you have the r-right person? I-I mean, I can be a random person just saying yes and just follow you to the ends of the earth… I-I've heard of stories of that happening…" I posed. Their gazes went to a white and red headed girl that was aimlessly enjoying the shade, not really paying attention to the conversation. My hand gripped my Lum Bird. I was confused. That was when a young girl with purple hair tied into pigtails stepped next to the blue eyed boy.
"He said to look for a girl with blond hair, pink eyes and gets really nervous when a lot of people look at her." She bluntly said. I blushed a little. Dad said that?! Dad! In that moment, I was the Quivering Sight.
"H-he said that? T-the nerve!" I looked to the ground, nervousness starting to consume me. Why would he say something that embarrassing?! He has no shame! Why Dad? Why?!
"He gave us an ID card if you want to see." The coffee haired boy said. I looked up to see the said item that he was holding out for me to see. Wow...! These people really are sent by Dad... He must really trust them then...
"It looks legit..." I breathed and looking up at the boy. "Looks like I'll be going with you guys..."
"Do you need to talk to the President for instructions?" The gruff man in the back asked. I shook my head with a bashful smile.
"N-no. I already received my assignment. But... If he knew I was coming... He didn't really need to give you guys an ID card since I have my own..." I replied, muttering the last musing to myself, putting a hand on my cheek.
"A-anyways…" I looked up. A wine red haired girl with bright brown eyes spoke. Wine hair… brown eyes… "Since we'll be traveling together, what's your name?" Hmm… Dad didn't tell them my name… My hand moved away from my Lum Bird.
"M-my name is Liseria Lilia. I'm a chemist specializing in pharmaceuticals, but I'm also one of the only eleth chemists in Strahta. U-um, pleased to meet you all." I introduced, giving a little bow at the end. It's just for a little, right?
"Woah, really?! A Lilia?!" The airheaded white and red headed girl rushed at me, grabbing my hands and staring into my pink eyes. Her eyes were an orange brown… Just like honey glazed miso eggs.
"Y-yes. I'm a Lilia." I replied, my eyes widening and trying to reclaim my hands, but the girl's grip was firm. I wanted to move away… she's too close and… she smells a little stale…
"Lilia? I've never heard that family name before. Are they famous?" The blue eyed boy mused, earning the scald of the girl who has held me captive.
"Like totally! The Lilias are eleth chemists that can make all sorts of medicine and bombs using pure eleth! Oh gosh, I never knew I would meet one in person before! I've read Anastasha's research and it's AMAZING." Anastasha… that's Mom. I never saw her as Anastasha. Maybe Tasha. That's how she would introduce herself. She would say "Hey, my name is 'Tasha. Nice to meechu!" "Hey, do you know her? Tell her that Pascal wants to meet her and stuff." I gave a smile. Mom, this girl wants to meet you. If only you knew… I finally ripped my hands from the girl, Pascal I think her name is, and gathered them at the helm of tunic sweater.
"I would if I could Pascal, but… Mom died four years ago." I told her, a look of surprise contracting her pupils. I just smiled though. It made me happy knowing that someone actually wanted to reach out to Mom. A little bit of a gloom enveloped the other four, well three, since the young girl was just peering at me curiously. Oh dear, maybe I should… "U-um, but we can continue introductions while we walk to the valkines. Shall we?" The gloom lifted a little and they nodded. Phew… At least their attention if off me… Maybe I can think straight for once…
"I'm Asbel Lhant." We began to walk towards the exit, my head turning to the maroon haired boy. I nodded curtly, my confidence returning now that eyes were off me.
"Lhant you say? You must be part of the House of Lhant then." I commented idly. I wonder if he's the son of the Lord... He's a bit young... Bashfully, he scratched the back of his head.
"Well actually... I'm the Lord of Lhant, but it's a bit complicated at the moment." He replied, looking a bit downcast.
"Ah... I see..." I blinked a little. I guess those complications led him to Yu Liberte...
"You shouldn't feel to concerned about Asbel's affairs." I looked beyond Asbel to see the gruff dirty blond man with the scruffy beard speak up. "I'm Malik Cesar." I nodded as Asbel's head snapped back up.
"Ah, Captain!" I tilted my head.
"Captain...?" Malik sighed a bit before responding to my confusion.
"I was Asbel's knight instructor, but he continues to refer to me as such."
"Ah..."
"It's because you're very knowledgeable Captain." The wine haired girl to my left added.
"The Captain is full of knowledge." The purple haired girl coined in as well, looking at me with her big purple eyes. Ah... For some reason I don't feel afraid when she stares at me... Though it seems like everyone here calls Malik Captain, so I guess I'll call him Captain too. It's only for a little while, but I should respect this group's customs...
"Ah, my name is Cheria Barnes." The wine haired girl said, my gaze centering on her kind expression. She looks familiar... Could it be that girl with the incurable disease in Barona...? All the features are the same... just matured and softened nicely. I doubt she remembers me. Mom and I didn't really do much to cure her disease... It happened on its own.
"Nice to meet you." I nodded, a hand coming to my cheek. I hope she doesn't remember me...
"And this is Sophie." Cheria introduced finally, the girl with the purple pigtails raising her hand with enthusiasm.
"Hello." I caught myself gazing a little at how cute the girl's mannerisms were before nodded in acknowledgement.
"Hello there Sophie."
"How come your eyes are pink?" My heart dropped momentarily at her question, my face paling as a cold sweat dripped down my temple. W-what? Could she know what I am?
"Don't worry about Sophie. She has amnesia, so she can't remember her past." Cheria explained.
"Yeah, she's been this way since we've met her. Don't feel alarmed if she asks you questions." Asbel added, flicking his gaze back to me before going back to his conversation about their current mission with the Captain.
"Oh... That's too bad..." I breathed, but all of my pity disappeared when I looked into Sophie's eyes. A look of wonder was in her eyes. In fact, when she looked everywhere, that look was sparkling in her eyes. She was so adorable… Pascal didn't introduced herself, seeing I knew her name now, but she kept lagging a little and stared at me the whole time. I was a little paranoid when people stared at me. I can feel their eyes on me and it made me feel gross. Sometimes it brings shivers up my spine and when there's too many eyes, I start suffocating and become crushed by anxiety… I probably know what she was thinking about too. When we finally walked past the west exit to the valkines ruins, I lagged a little and waited for Pascal.
"P-please don't feel bad Pascal." I said. Her ears perked up and she looked at me. I looked to the ground for a moment before looking back at her. "Mom would have been happy to know that someone would like to meet her. And… I'm continuing Mom's research so you can talk to me instead…" She grinned.
"Y'okay! Let's be buddies!" she said excitedly. I laughed a little with her. We can't really be buddies if this is for a little while, but okay let's go along with it. Pascal rushed ahead, in front of our pack, stopping when the full force of the sun hit her.
"Ugh, it's soooo hot." Pascal sighed. Asbel groaned along with Pascal.
"I can't even sweat anymore…" Cheria looked at him worriedly.
"Asbel, are you okay? You're not dehydrated, are you?"
"It's not… that… It's… the water eleth…" Pascal moaned before becoming silent, lurching forward a little.
"Pascal?"
"Pascal! Stay with us!" Cheria rushed to Pascal's side. I watched them tentatively. Pascal started to mumble to Cheria, surprising her before an annoyed look came to her face.
"Yes… I see…" she said a look of aspiration on her face.
"Is she all right?" Asbel asked.
"She says it's so hot that she doesn't feel like talking." Cheria bluntly answered. Asbel had an annoyed look on his face. He gave an annoyed laugh.
"She could at least finish what she was saying…"
"On top of that, she says the reason you're not sweating is because there isn't any water eleth in the air." Cheria added. What a character… I felt a pull on my sleeve and I turned. It was Sophie.
"Oh, hi Sophie. Did you need something?" I asked. She was like a little kid… It was so cute…
"Liseria, why do you wear thick clothing if you live in the desert?" she asked. I grasped my Lum Bird. Hmm… Why do I wear thick clothing in the desert?
"Well, at night, it's really cold in the desert. And I don't like being cold." I answered. Sophie tilted her head.
"But it's hot right now. Aren't you hot?" Cheria perked her ears and joined the conversation.
"Yeah, that sweater seems a little too warm for Strahta weather…"
"Well, I don't mind sweating and the heat… I've lived in Strahta long enough to be used to hot weather. Besides, this is made out of light weight yarn and I stuff the inside with wool at night."
"So, if we stay here long enough, we'll get used to it?" Sophie deduced. I nodded.
"And you know, there's a perk to being hot all the time. It means you can have as much ice cream as you want." I said. It sure does… Peach ice cream for breakfast… Darjeeling tea ice cream for lunch… Mint ice cream for dinner…
"Really?" Sophie beamed.
"No it doesn't." Cheria countered, an annoyed expression on her face. Sophie was still centered what I said though and mused if she could have Crablette ice cream all the time. I chuckled at her musing. These people aren't really that bad… The walk towards the ruins was pleasant. Sophie kept on asking me questions, mostly about the desert and the sand and why I wear heels in the sand. I would give her an explanation and lightheartedly relate it to something childish. She seems really innocent, asking all these questions and being so easily awed or intrigued. Sometimes Cheria or Asbel would chime in, but for the most part, it was really pleasant. The Captain didn't really say anything, not until we heard scuttling behind us. I turned and saw a wave of Desert Scorpions.
"Everyone, remember your training!" he called, his hand steadying and reaching to the bladerang on his back. Asbel rushed to the back to confront the monsters, his hand readying at his sword. Sophie appeared next to him, gauntlets on her hands, as she rushed out to strike the first blow.
"Dragon Dash!" she cried as Pascal took her shotstaff out and Cheria stood before me.
"Just stay back Liseria. We'll handle this." She assured, but I smiled.
"Don't worry Cheria, I can fight." I told her, following Pascal to the heart of the action. The Captain was casting, an opal light surrounding him. Asbel and Sophie were distracting the scorpions, but one took notice of Pascal, Cheria and me. It rushed towards us.
"Shoot!" Pascal started to shoot at the scorpion as I took Tolly off my hip and reached into my bag. I approached it from midrange and attacked, swiping with my whip and focusing on my foe.
"Full Circle!" I swirled in a circle, the tip of my whip smacking the scorpion. "Resplendence!" I stepped to the side and my whip sparkled with charged eleth and I lashed out to the right and left, sheering the scorpion. I repeated the action and stepped back. Pascal moved in and began to cast.
"Sploosh!" "Healing Circle!" Water attacked the scorpion as I looked to the side, a large circle of rainbow colors showering over Sophie and Asbel. I looked back and glanced at Cheria casting and refocused on the enemy. One more combo should do it… I brought out what was in my belt bag and threw it.
"Lilia Bomb! Kaboom!" My shiny orb bursted in the scorpion's face and I followed it up with one of my gravity bombs. The scorpion was enveloped in a gravity blast and dissipated into eleth. I chuckled, putting Tolly away and grasping my Lum Bird.
"That should do it…" I breathed.
"Woah, those are the famous Lilia Bombs!" Pascal gushed, rushing at me again. I squeaked and ran from her. "I have to look at it! Please, please!" I ran past Asbel and Sophie and weaved around to hide behind the Captain's tall figure. He crossed his arms and stared at Pascal as I poked my head from behind him, catching my breath.
"It's… a… family… secret." I told her through my breaths. I wasn't very good at keeping secrets, but this is one that I could never reveal. It's actually a super complex formula in Ancient Acumen, a language that consists of symbols and pictures. Even if I told her, she wouldn't understand it because some of the symbols don't really translate that well into our common language… Like names.
"Pascal, don't harass her." Cheria scolded, Pascal cowering in fear and running away from the girl. Asbel sighed with aspiration as I emerged from the Captain's back, heaving.
"Are you alright, Liseria?" he asked looking down at me as Sophie approached us.
"Yes, I'll be fine… I just need to walk slowly until I catch my breath." He nodded and walked ahead. I followed him, slowing a little when Sophie approached.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked. I smiled. She's so sweet… I shook my head.
"I'm just tired." I answered.
"Is there anything I can do?" I looked at her and thought about it. Well…
"You can hold my hand, if you want." She tilted her head as we walked.
"Hold your hand?" I nodded, a wider smile on my face.
"Mom always said that if you walk with someone while holding their hand, you'll never get lost because you'll be with someone." I told her. I knew you can still get lost that way, but it still comforted me knowing that the world can be much smaller that way. Sophie pondered for a moment before nodding and taking my hand. I chuckled to myself and walked slowly with Sophie. She looked up with me and saw my smile. She smiled too as we walked. Pascal and the others were a little bit ahead examining some sand figures. We held hands until we caught up to them.
"Thank you Sophie." I thanked the young girl. She smiled and nodded.
"Your welcome Liseria." Aw… this girl is so cute… We walked for another thirty minutes and we reached the ruins.
"The valkines should be here somewhere." Asbel related. Just as he said that, a Strahta soldier rushed at us.
"Halt! Outsiders are not permitted to enter here!" he cried. Oh yeah that's right… The valkines is under very strict surveillance… Asbel stepped forward.
"We've come to investigate the valkines cryas on orders of the president." He explained. His hand reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out his ID card.
"Ah! Forgive me." The solider replied. "You are free to enter. The valkines is located near the back of the ruins." He stiffly returned to his post as Asbel looked back at us.
"Let's go in." And we all nodded in response. We walked into the ruins. In the distance, I saw the valkines, but the walk way to it was blocked by some cargo, so we had to take the long way around.
"It's so strange to see the military on full alert in such a deserted area like this." Cheria observed.
"Is it just me, or does it feel cooler around the ruins?" Asbel asked.
"Hey, hey, I can answer!" Pascal excitedly jumped. She startled me. She's been so quiet in the desert that her voice sounded foreign to me. "That's probably because of the water eleth emanating from the valkines."
"Are you okay now, Pascal? We missed you talking back in the desert." Cheria asked. I nodded as we walked deeper into the ruins.
"You startled me just now with your quick explanation…" I commented. Pascal wiggled around with a grin on her face.
"Now that the valkines is close, I'm full of beans again! That's gotta be the effect of the water eleth right?!" she exclaimed. "Now come on slackers! Full steam ahead!" As usual, Pascal rushed ahead, skipping aimlessly as we all watched her push forward.
"But… that's not the effect of water eleth at all…" I meekly corrected. Captain Malik was very quiet, observing the situation.
"Pascal may be an obscure variety of fish." Or, maybe he wasn't really observing.
"She's a fish?" Sophie asked. I couldn't help but to giggle a little when Cheria began to scold the Captain.
"Captain Malik, would you stop teaching her all that nonsense?" But alas, the Captain continued.
"She must have gills. Let's find them."
"Captain!" My giggling wouldn't stop and Asbel looked over to me.
"Are you okay Liseria?" I wiped a tear from my eye. These people…
"Y-yes, I am. I'm just enjoying the Captain's unique sense of humor…" I replied, being the Highly Amused. "Anyways, we should catch up to Pascal. But please be on your guard. Valkines eleth makes monsters stronger." He nodded and we all caught up to Pascal. She had finished solving the puzzle to a broken walkway. As I expected, the monsters were more powerful than the scorpions in the desert. We avoided them to the best of our ability. I wasn't too keen on encountering a lot of enemies since I only brought a third of my regular supply of bombs. I had to wait until we were back in the Capital to make some more. Fortunately, we were able to avoid many of the monsters and Pascal took the responsibility of solving the broken path puzzles. We finally found our way to the pathway to the valkines. Wow… this is the first time I've seen the valkines so close… but something is off about it… Water eleth is a very vibrant blue... and the cryas stone of the valkines doesn't reflect that color... it's not blue enough…
"I hope Lhant is still okay." Asbel muttered in the background, but the rest of the conversation became drowned out in my thoughts. As far as I know, the eleth isn't flowing very well… but I can definitely test the eleth chemistry to see if there's any impurities. Although, seeing how this is a valkines, that shouldn't be the problem.
"You thinking of something?" I turned to the Captain, his narrow gaze on me. I shivered a little.
"Just pondering… I might not be able to fix the flow problem, but harnessing the power of the eleth is one of my assignments as well…" The Captain looked forward, the hazy image of Duplemar before us.
"Just take one thing at a time. Life throws us a lot of problems, but we have to work with what's in front of us." I looked at him. My, such wise words…
"One thing at a time…" I echoed. Then I smiled. "Thanks Captain. I think I can approach this problem differently now…" He gave a smirk. The rest of the group joined us and we approached the valkines.
"Ohmigosh… I can't BELIEVE I'm standing in front of Duplemar…" Pascal gushed, at the head of the pack. Cheria and Sophie looked up in amazement while Asbel gazed at it with determination. I simply looked at it, thoughts passing through my mind. "It's amazing! I never thought I'd see it in person!" Pascal tossed her head to the side and crossed her arms. "But the color looks a little yeesh."
"I kinda got that vibe too…" I commented. Pascal looked back at me and our eyes met. She gave me a curt nod before she scuttled to Duplemar's left side, gazing up at it. Hmm… well… I might as well measure the eleth purity here. There was a moat of water around Duplemar, so I decided to start there. I went to the large rock's right and fished out my Eleth Catcher from my backpack. It was butterfly net with a mesh for the netting. There was also a slip knot that you could tie to trap the eleth. I stooped to the moat and adjusted my net's rod and slip knot. I dipped the net into the water and pulled the string, trapping some water. Okay… so I got the medium… Just need to extract the eleth. I coaxed the eleth to disassociate from the medium of water with my own. I knew I was successful when the mesh netting was glowing blue. I got my first sample. I took the net out, the water draining from the netting and sucked the eleth into a test tube. I labeled it and moved onto the air. I shortened the rod, captured some air and coaxed the eleth from it. I sucked that up into another test tube and labeled it. I turned around and gazed up at Duplemar. Suddenly, I heard a loud grinding sound and then a loud crash. Oh, is Pascal fixing it? I looked up and Duplemar reacted. The aqua blue of the giant cryas became alive, the color of blue pulsating through the giant stone.
"Oh, the eleth is flowing!" I cried, a look of happiness on my face. They fixed it! Oh wow… I should take a sample of this right—
CRASH. "Enemy attack!" We looked to the walkway and only saw dust. And from that dust, a swarm of flying wyverns came at us as a man with blond hair rode on the top of one. A sinister look was in his eyes as a dark wave of energy pulsated from him. H-he's scary…! Really scary…! But he's the enemy right? So I-I should take this sample really quickly. I got close to Duplemar and captured some air.
"Richard?! Why are you here?" Asbel inquired. I coaxed the eleth from the medium. Come on... "Hey! Answer me!" I couldn't see what was going on, but Asbel really sounds upset. I got another test tube out. There was a charging sound and a blast was heard. I looked to the pathway to see Asbel face down on the ground. I sensed wind cryas in the area around him. No good! That wind cryas will mess up my next sample. I sucked the eleth into the test tube and threw everything into my backpack. I'll analyze this later; that scary guy looks like he's going to attack.
"But why?" "Stop!" I rushed to the group that gathered around Asbel. He was getting up with Cheria's help. Sophie stepped out in front, a pained look in her eyes.
"No I… I can't…" Sophie gritted her teeth. "I can't fight… Richard…" I didn't really want to either seeing that he was really scary… Sophie's body was trembling… The man named Richard stared down at Sophie and his face twisted into anger. His pupils… almost disappeared entirely…
"…You dare to interfere?!" he cried before two of the flying wyverns shot at our group. Oh no! We all got out of the way as they swooped over us. As I stood, I took Tolly from my hip. This battle is going to be tough.
"Cheria, please heal us! Sophie and I will distract them while the Captain, Pascal and Liseria attack!" Asbel ordered while he and Sophie rushed to the frontlines. Cheria nodded and started the cast along with the Captain. I dug through my belt bag to get a few bombs while Pascal got into range.
"Photon Burst!" A ball of sheering fire bombed the wyvern that Sophie cornered.
"Pascal do it!" "Gotcha! Waboosh!" "Gravity Crush!" Pascal unleashed a flurry of bullets on the wyvern, accented by the gravity bomb I threw at it. We hastily moved away as the wyvern that Asbel was fighting tried to swoop in on us. When I got into midrange, I lashed out at the wyvern to keep it busy.
"Full Circle! Flash Two!" I charged in with a swirl around, following up with two quick overhand lashes. Asbel caught up to the wyvern so I stopped my assault and backed away. The wyvern wasn't too happy about being lashed at so it fired laser beams at me. Laser beams… Laser beams!? I was so surprised that I couldn't get out of the way. I guarded, but the beams sheered me as I hissed in pain. Laser beams! Really? Of all things, laser beams came out of that dragon! I think I hate laser beams now… I backed as far away as I could from the monster, my hand clutching my opposite arm. It hurts…
"Pixie Circle!" Suddenly, a circle appeared around me and my wounds were healing. Cheria… I smiled and ran back into the battle range. The Captain was on the defense, guarding with his bladerang as one of the wyverns tried to bite him. I had to help him!
"Thunderclap! Boom!" I threw a thunder bomb and a Lilia Bomb at the attacking wyvern. With a large boom of a thunderclap, the thunder bomb paralyzed the wyvern and the Lilia Bomb pushed it back.
"Thanks! Rah! Darkness!" The Captain attacked the wyvern before him. The battle raged on. Sometimes, when I was in range, I was able to attack it, but I tried to conserve my bombs. What if we have to fight that scary guy next… I shivered at the thought. As the battle went on, one of the wyverns fell to Sophie's mighty Phantom Dance and only one more remained. I was to its left when it happened. When it cornered Cheria.
"Oh no!" she cried as it attacked her relentlessly. She was doing her best to dodge and guard, but it was quickly overwhelming her. I think it caught on to the fact that she's been healing us and it was mad that we killed its friend. Asbel came to her rescue, drawing its attention away, but not before it shot a laser beam at the poor girl. She collapsed to the ground and I rushed to her side. Oh man… this is bad… We need some medicine and quick. I dug through my belt bag and pulled out a bottle. I've been working on this for a while… I hope it works. I gathered eleth into my body… I heard the groans of Sophie and Asbel as they were getting hurt. Just a little more… "Ice Spires!" "Grim Sylphie!" The Captain and Pascal's cryas artes echoed in my ears… Just a little more… now! I threw up the bottle and it popped open.
"Rainbow Soda!" A mystical light engulfed the area as the delicious Rainbow Soda healed their wounds. The light surrounded Cheria as she sat up from the ground.
"Huh… Liseria?" I smiled at her and helped her up as the Rainbow Soda Adapt.
"Yummy, right?" Whenever I use my Rainbow medicine, I have to distribute it using eleth. Usually, it just heals wounds, but for some of them, they have a unique taste. I'm rather proud of my line of medicine. Cheria nodded, touching her finger to her lip. We refocused our attention to the battle. It was waning. The wyvern was tiring and Asbel had it on its last ropes.
"Concussive Bolt!" With a bolt of electricity, Asbel cut the wyvern down. Its body fell to the ground before it bursted into eleth. Finally… My body was tired and heavy. After the hard battle, we looked about. Where was…?
"Where's Richard?" Asbel mused. And we all turned around. There he was. The big scary guy on the wyvern, his hand outstretched and eleth flowing into his body. Duplemar's eleth.
"That's Duplemar's eleth…! N-No!" I cried, fear in my eyes. That light blue; I knew it anywhere. When eleth was concentrated, it's visible to the naked eye as a colored light. And Duplemar's eleth was being sucked into that scary man's body right before my eyes…
"What are you trying to do now?!" Asbel cried. The researchers in the area panicked.
"He's… He's draining out the valkines cryas!" one of the researchers cried.
"According to our instruments, there's nothing left! What do we do?!" another cried. My eyes widened. N-no more eleth in Duplemar…? B-but that means… My hands shook, gravitating to my Lum Bird. I've never gripped my Lum Bird so hard in my life… The man named Richard looked down at us and a disgusted look was on his face.
"I find the sight of your face… utterly disgusting." He spat those words out like venom. "As long as you exist… we can never know peace!" He's saying such confusing words and I'm finding myself really hurt by them. H-he stole what allows Strahta to live… "We will settle this someday. So prepare yourself." And he left.
"Wait! Hgn!" I looked down and Sophie was kneeling, clutching her heart in pain.
"Sophie, what's wrong?" "Ah, Sophie!" Cheria was at her side at an instant.
"N-no… Richard… Richard is my friend…" She gasped through the pain. "I can't do it… It will make everyone so sad…"
"Sophie, get a hold of yourself!" Cheria coaxed. I watched Sophie's pained expression ease down after a few moments. Was it… the stress of the battle?
"I'm… I'm all right now." Sophie looked up at Asbel. "Asbel… About Richard… If we don't stop him soon, something bad will happen." I hung my head. Strahta… Marin Terrain. What will happen to you now that Duplemar can't save us…? "But… But Richard is our friend. So it's wrong… to fight him." My hands let go of my Lum Bird. He's… their friend…? … I thought friends are supposed to help you and love you… not endanger the people you love… I saw Pascal walk with a researcher to the back of Duplemar in the corner of my eye. "And yet… I tried… I tried to attack him…" Sophie looked down. "I'm sorry." Asbel thought for a moment before kneeling down to Sophie's height.
"Sophie… We all feel bad about it. We need to know why he's doing these things before we fight him." He nodded to her and she nodded back after a moment.
"It's so strange." Captain Malik's voice found my ears. "I don't understand what happened. How was King Richard capable of such a feat?" I heard Pascal's hum.
"Well, I'm sorry guys… Even I don't know what to do now…" She called.
"But this is terrible…! What will happen to our nation without the valkines cryas…?!" An air of gloom hung in the air as the researchers moped. My hands found their way to my Lum Bird again.
"What will happen to our home…?" I asked despair coating my voice. What will happen to Yu Liberte? And Sable Izolle? And Oul Raye? …and the Acumens? What will happen to Marin Terrain? Will we be finally wiped out…?
"Asbel? What are you going to tell the President?" the Captain asked.
"I'm going to tell him the truth. I think that's all we an do now." He replied. All we can do now… I batted the tears away from my eyes. All we can do now and just one thing at a time… I still have the research samples and I still have my assignment. The tears were pushed back now and I stepped away from the group. I'll get more samples before we leave. That's all I can do now. It was in that moment that I was the Baby Steps Girl.
We took the Turtlz Transport back. While we sat in the Turtlz carriage, I analyzed the eleth samples I took from Duplemar's site. I didn't have to use my eyes for it; I just needed to evaporate the water eleth and see the volume that was left and test it for the main other two eleth groups and the trace phenomena. I was also able to write my assignment report and learn a little bit about the situation. According to Cheria, the King of Windor, King Ferdinand was murdered and they were helping Richard ascend to the throne, but now he's gone a little crazy. He attacked her hometown, Lhant, where Asbel is from, and now he stole Duplemar's eleth. We were now in the Presidential Palace, approaching Dad's office. Dad…! He's going to be disappointed in me… I know it… I watched that scary guy steal Duplemar's eleth and I did nothing to stop him… We walked to his office, Asbel leading us all. But Dad was already talking to someone. Blue hair… blue eyes… glasses hiding a stern expression and permanent scawl… T-that's…!
"H-Hubert!" "Hubert! What are you doing here?" Eyes were on me. Seven pairs of eyes. Oh no… I can't bear it…! There's so many eyes… looking at me…
"Liseria, why are you here?" the boy asked. H-Hubert Ozwell…! Why you…! I blushed a little.
"P-President P-Paradine asked me to come with these p-people to do my assignment." I replied shakily. Stop looking at me… please stop looking at me… Dad… save me… Hubert shook his head.
"I see that your scopophobia is getting worse." He observed. Anger flared before me. Why that little…!
"I'm getting better… Somewhat…" I refuted weakly, the anger ebbing the anxiety created by my fear. Hubert just shrugged and looked towards Asbel. "And to answer your question brother, the situation has changed." B-brother…? Wait… What?
"Windor has pulled her armies out of Lhant and stationed them in Barona." Dad's voice continued. "More on that in a moment. Let's hear your report." Eyes were peeling off me now. Ah… I took a deep breath. I wasn't breathing…
"Um… well…" That eerie gloom thickened the air again. "You see, King Richard appeared at Duplemar and then he… Um…" Asbel was having a hard time breaking the news to Dad… Hubert and Dad shared a glance.
"Did he absorb all the eleth from the valkines cryas?" Hubert asked. The gloom in the air was obliterated. They knew!
"How did you know?" Asbel inquired in his shock. Hubert adjusted his glasses before continuing.
"It's the reason why Windor's army pulled back. King Richard absorbed the energy from the valkines cryas in Barona and then vanished." He explained. Gloandi? It's gone too…? "Apparently, the capital is in chaos."
"We have no idea why, or how, King Richard would do such a thing." Dad added. Everyone in the group had mixed expressions on their faces, but my gaze lingered on Hubert. "Regardless, we cannot stand idly by. The time has come for action. There are two issues. First, we must deal with the loss of our valkines cryas." Dad looked over to me. Thankfully, only Asbel, Cheria and Hubert's eyes followed his gaze. "Liseria, have you finished your assignment?" I nodded, clutching my Lum Bird.
"I was able to analyze my research samples, so I can offer a few possible solutions to the current issue, but they can only be temporary…" I replied. "Though, I was able to complete my assignment as well, even if we can't implement it at this moment." Dad nodded.
"I will meet with you after then." I smiled. I get to sit down with Dad…! "Second, we must find King Richard and ascertain his ultimate goal. This new development is a threat to all nations and we much put aside petty international squabbles." Hubert nodded.
"As two of the valkines have been drained, we must assumed he will target the third as well. That means he's likely headed for Fendel." Dad nodded once more and turned to Asbel.
"Asbel, I must ask of you a great favor: Will you take up the pursuit of King Richard?" Asbel was taken a little aback.
"Does that mean you're sending me to Fendel?" Ooo… Fendel… I'd hate to be them… I hate the cold…
"Your friend knows about valkines and you know the king. I can think of no better people for the job." Dad answered. "Please know we will support you with every resource at our disposal." Asbel nodded.
"Very well, Mr. President." Asbel looked about to the other members of his group and they nodded as well. "We have our own concern about both the valkines and the king so we accept your proposal." Dad smiled then looked at Hubert.
"Hubert? I want you to accompany Asbel." We all looked at Hubert and his face was in shock for a moment before recuperating.
"But, sir!" he protested.
"Mr. President, Lhant will be lost without Hubert!" Asbel protested as well. Dad listened to Asbel and turned back to Hubert.
"If I allow you to choose the next governor, will that put your mind at ease?" he proposed. "I understand you might have concerns about who I would nominate and I would want your mind clear and focused for the upcoming investigation." He looked back at Asbel. "Well, Asbel Lhant? Do you find my terms acceptable?"
"Yes, Mr. President. Thank you very much." Asbel bowed as Hubert hid his face with his hand, adjusting his glasses. I smiled. Hubert was embarrassed. He did that a lot when he was a kid. If he was feeling bashful or embarrassed, he'd hide behind the glasses that would fall down the bridge of his nose. It was a cute quirk of his…
"I merely made a decision in our country's best interest." Dad then turned to me. And all the gazes were back on me and a panicked expression immediately graced my face. N-no…! "Also, can you take Liseria with you as well?"
"W-what?" I stammered. The eyes… They're on me… Just me… This was a trap! He looked at me to get me nervous and control the conversation…! No! I must… fight… "B-but Strahta needs me…W-with Duplemar's eleth gone, the eleth chemistry will get out of control and everything m-might dry up and… a-andd…" …What else happens when valkines eleth is depleted?! I need more reasons to stay… My throat shriveled.
"I'm sure we'll be fine if you give us a detailed report on your analysis at Duplemar. Besides, you're the best eleth chemist in Strahta. I'm sure you'll be an asset to these people." Dad said. I looked down at the ground, feeling the pressure of my anxiety crushing me. If I keep on refusing, King Richard gets closer to another poor valkines… and if I accept… I looked up and I saw Hubert looking at me with his hand resting on his glasses, forever pushing them up to oblivion. There's that.
"F-fine. I'll go with these people." I croaked, my hands squeezing my Lum Bird as tears welled in my eyes "J-just stop looking at me… I-I really d-don't like it when a lot of people stare at me… P-please?" Asbel hurriedly looked away from me and Cheria and Sophie looked at him, irritation and confusion respectively. As the gazes peeled away, I was slowly able to breathe again and felt the cold sweat that developed in my mini panic attack.
"Well then, enough talk. Asbel? Hubert? All of you? Good luck." Dad said.
I waited until everyone exited the room. My frown was on my face as I looked at Dad. The door closed behind them and my mouth opened.
"D-Dad! How could you?" Dad only chuckled.
"This would be good for you Liseria." He said, walking back to his desk. I pouted, following him to the chair that sat in front of his desk.
"But what if they find out? What if other people find out? If that happened, it would be a matter of time that Marin Terrain would be found…" I said, sitting down in the chair. Dad sat in his plush leather chair, folding his arms.
"I don't know the answer to that. So that's why you need to take the chance. You never know, these people might be your greatest allies in the future." I clutched my Lum Bird. Dad… He never does something without a reason…
"…I'll try then. B-but if my actions jeopardize the Acumens… I don't know what I'd do. You know my life's mission…" Dad nodded and unfolded his arms, setting his hands in his lap.
"The hardest part is making the decision to tell someone a secret. But you shouldn't be troubled since Hubert will also be traveling with you. And I know how you feel about him." A blush burned at my cheeks. Why did I tell Dad how I felt about Hubert? No, I didn't tell him. He just observed our conversations and asked me about it to confirm it, but still!
"A-anyways, it's just for a little while, right? Until we solve this problem with King Richard and the valkines, I mean." Dad nodded, but a frown was on his face.
"This could mean more positives than negatives Liseria, for yourself and the world, so can you look forward to this positively?" I sighed and nodded.
"Yes sir." I took off my backpack and grabbed my report. "We can talk about this later. I have my report for you."
"What did you find out?" I flipped through the assignment to refresh my memory.
"As you know, Acumens only will deal with the valkines' eleth if it will be used for the good of the country's people, not war. Fortunately, the energy released by the eleth can be harnessed for its freezing and medicinal qualities." I skimmed over the third and fourth pages before looking up at Dad. "As of now, the country must limit its usage of water eleth as a cooling agent and use it in its liquid form for survival. That's one strategy we can use for the time being, but after this ordeal, I was thinking that the eleth can be used chemically to cultivate a few oasises. Or at least, eleth springs."
"Yes, that sounds logical." Our discussion continued as I told Dad of the eleth concentrations, densities and potentials that I recorded and a few ideas that came to my mind. Offer more eleth support for Sable Izolle's water supply, the creation of an instant water ration, more focus towards water eleth medicinal value to relieve strain on herb crops. I gave a sigh when I came to the last page of my report and placed it on his desk. I did add a few liberties and addendums to things that I briefly wrote in my report, but I added a few notes as I reported.
"Is that detailed enough? Should I make an after report to supplement what I wrote?" Dad was taking notes in his notebook, looking up from his page.
"No, this will be enough. Thank you Liseria." I nodded, putting my backpack on and standing.
"I shouldn't let them wait any longer then. I'll see you when we get back from Fendel Dad." I said. Dad finished his last note, dropping his pen and standing as well. He approached me from behind his desk and began to walk me to the door of his office.
"Stay safe. Your mother would have my head beyond the grave if something happened to you." He said. I gave a small chuckle. Although Dad remarried, he still cares about Mom. To what extent, I don't know, but he accepted me into his life again and casually references her from time to time. It makes me wonder if he was hurt when I told him that Mom was dead that one day…
"Don't worry about me. Worry about Strahta in my stead. That's much more important." I replied. Dad looked at me as we came to the door. We stood in front of it for a moment.
"Don't count yourself out, my dear. You'll always be one of my worries, even if you're in danger or not." Dad stepped closer and put his large hand on my head, petting my hair. I closed my eyes in delight. "Remember that Liseria."
"I will Dad. Wish me luck!" I replied under Dad's hand. He smiled and removed his hand as I stepped to the door. I waved to him and exited his office as he mouthed two words that only Acumens use. I left the Presidential Palace and went to the inn in the Commercial District. The sun touched the horizon and was a hot blazing piece of candy on a jet blue curtain. The temperature was steadily going down, goosebumps rising on my exposed shoulders. It's getting cold… I should hurry to the inn. After a ten minute walk, I entered the inn, clutching my sides for warmth.
"That was quite a meeting." I was greeted to him and Asbel sitting in the lobby of the inn for god knows what reason. Anger flared in my eyes.
"Hubert Ozwell! You're in trouble!" I cried, putting my hands to my hips. My eyes narrowed at him as he shrugged his shoulders.
"What did I do now?" Asbel looked at Hubert with bewilderment.
"How dare you take advantage of my scopophobia like that! You have no shame!" Just like Dad!
"You're acting like a child." I huffed. He always is quick to insult. He never continues an argument and draws the childish card. Asbel was rubbing the back of his head. The expression on his face was grasping for the information that was never given to him, escaping him in an invisible storm. He gave up and just changed the subject.
"Anyways, how did the meeting go with the president?" I gave a sigh, my anger flowing out with my exhale.
"Everything here should be fine. Starting tomorrow, the country will be rationing the eleth and only use it for vital functions. People will be uncomfortable, but the water eleth is used necessarily for water supply. Still, if this doesn't get resolved…" My hand came to my cheek. Marin Terrain… I hope they get a message of some sort about the shortage…
"Don't worry, we'll solve everything!" Asbel cheerfully said. I removed my hand and raised my brows.
"You really think so? I hope so…"
"I expected no less from my brother to say that." Hubert commented. Asbel looked at the blue haired jerk with irritation, my head tilting.
"Wait, you really are his brother, are you Asbel?" I came to the realization. Asbel looked at me with those blue eyes and nodded. So that means… My gaze fell to the ground, reflecting on my memories. Hubert talked to me a lot about an older brother… I smiled and narrowed my gaze at Hubert. "I see now…" Sensing my thoughts, Hubert put his hand on the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up into oblivion.
"It's been a long day. I suggest we retire." He quickly said. Asbel nodded and I stifled a chuckle. I'll tease him another day. I followed the boys to the rooms, my hand coming to my Lum Bird. It's just for a little while… I'll come back to my country and help my people…
Author's Note: Neverrrrrr. It won't be done sobs.