Chapter 3:
"Christine!" yelled Thomas, as he entered the front door of the mansion, "Christine, are you there?"
Christine entered the foyer, donning a lace necktie to conceal Harmonia's Necklace.
"I'm here, Thomas," she said, "What did you learn?"
"At the library," he began, "I met this woman...I swear I've never encountered her before, yet she somehow knew who I was. She explained everything to me. The men who attacked us, the necklace, even Soul Edge – They are all connected!"
"What? How?"
"That is the Necklace of Harmonia, forged by the Greek god Hephaestus. I know it sounds insane, but hear me out…Hephaestus gifted the necklace to his daughter, Harmonia on her wedding day. The necklace allegedly grants eternal youth to whomever wears it, but it also brings grave misfortune..."
"M-Misfortune, you say?"
Christine slowly backed away from Thomas, her right hand resting lightly upon the lace tie.
"Yes," said Thomas, "Why? What is it?"
"Thomas," she whispered, "It won't come off…"
"What won't come off?"
Christine carefully removed her necktie, revealing the Necklace of Harmonia underneath. Thomas stepped back in shock.
"You put it on?" he demanded.
"I was curious," Christine replied, tears in her eyes, "And now I can't take it off! Oh God, I don't know how, but it's hurting me!"
"I-I-It can be removed," said Thomas, nervously, "W-We'll cut it off using a-a-a dagger or something!"
"Don't you think I've tried?" said Christine, "Nothing works! I can already feel its dark energies sinking into my skin…"
Without saying another word, Thomas embraced his distressed wife. At that moment, a servant entered through the front door.
"Apologies, monsieur," he said, "Some people are here to see you."
"We'll, er, be right out," said Thomas, "Just give us a moment."
The servant nodded and slowly closed the door.
"The woman I spoke of," began Thomas, "She's arrived. Maybe she will know what to do."
Minutes later, Thomas and Christine stepped outside the property to find Kyria alongside her two companions. One was a young woman, no older than twenty, with pale skin and jet black hair styled into a wavy bob and held in place with a small headband. She wore a blue vest with a white skirt and iron sandals. She wielded a spear along with a short sword.
The other was a man, tall and muscular, wearing a chiton like Kyria, but with one of his pectorals exposed. He was extremely handsome, possessing olive skin, a chiseled jaw and neatly-combed dark brown hair. His weapon of choice was the Kopis.
"Good to see you again," said Kyria, "Is that your wife?"
"Yes," replied Thomas, "Kyria, meet Christine. Christine, Kyria."
"A pleasure," said Kyria, "Thomas, these are my comrades: The woman to my left is my student, Pallene. This will be her first mission. The man to my right is Sarpedon. We owe him a lot for his bravery; much of what we know about the Fygul Cestemus is due to his espionage."
"Sarpedon?" asked Thomas, "I recognize that name! Is it not the name of the Lycian king from Homer's Iliad?"
"Indeed," said Sarpedon, "And for good reason; I am his direct descendant. That in turn, makes me a son of Zeus."
"So you're a demi-god?" asked Christine, dumbfounded.
"Do not listen to this man's lies," chuckled Kyria, "He has been making that claim for as long as anyone of us could remember."
"Watch yourself, woman," warned Sarpedon, "My skills alone are proof of my divine heritage. If you do not believe me, perhaps you and I should hold a contest to see if your so-called 'Amazonian prowess' can match my ability!"
"Wait," began Thomas, "Kyria, you're an Amazon?"
"The last of my kind," said Kyria, "Most of the Amazonian race died centuries ago following the destruction of Themyscira. I am among the last of those who can trace their lineage back to the Amazonian Queen, Aegea."
"Incredible," said Thomas, "I-I mean, uh, the part about you being an Amazon, not, er, the dying race part…"
Christine folded her arms and chuckled at Thomas.
"Enough pleasantries," began Kyria, "Where is the necklace? We have a long journey ahead of us and…"
"About that," said Thomas, rubbing the back of his neck, "I, er, well, you see…"
"I put it on," Christine said.
"What?" snapped Pallene, "You fool!"
"Hold, Pallene," said Kyria, "Mockery will not ease their situation. How long ago did you put it on?"
"I don't know," replied Christine, "While Thomas was out. Two hours ago, maybe?"
"Alright," said Kyria, "Then there is ample time to save you."
"Save her from what?" demanded Thomas.
"The horrible fate that befalls anyone who wears the necklace," explained Kyria, "If we leave now, we can get to…"
"Wait," said Christine, "I'm not going anywhere! I did not agree to this voyage!"
"I don't understand," said Thomas, "Can't you just remove it?"
"The necklace is bound to her now," said Sarpedon, "Once it bonds with a person, there is no known way to remove it. Not without killing the person anyway."
"Indeed," continued Kyria, "The only way to safely remove it would be to bring you to the forge of Hephaestus. Only in its fires can the necklace be destroyed."
"The forge of Hephaestus?" began Thomas, "What is that?"
"Eons ago," began Sarpedon, "Hephaestus fell from the sky and landed in Lemnos. There, he was rescued by the island's inhabitants."
"In exchange for their kindness," continued Pallene, "Hephaestus built a mighty forge, granting the mortals of that island the opportunity to craft some of the most powerful weapons known to mankind. This proved to be a terrible mistake."
"Using the forge's sacred fire," said Kyria, "The mortals forged what would eventually come to be known as Soul Edge."
"Jesus," said Thomas, "And if the cult find this forge?"
"They will use it to reconstruct Soul Edge," said Kyria, "Harmonia's necklace, a vessel of Hephaestus' vengeance and wrath, is the necessary component to awaken the evil in the sword. Once Soul Edge is rebuilt, the cult will hand it over to Ares, ending all life, as we know it, on Earth."
"That is why," began Pallene, "You must join us on our quest. You will never be safe for as long as you wear it!"
"I don't know what to say," said Christine, "One minute, life was great and I had everything I wanted – A beautiful house, a loving husband, a stress-free life – And now…O, Seigneur!"
Christine buried her face in her hands, prompting Thomas to move in close and embrace her.
"Christine," he assured, "I promise, I will be there every step of the journey. There is no way I would ever let you out of my sight!"
"Thomas…" whispered Christine, staring into his eyes.
"You may join us if you wish, Thomas," began Kyria, "But do not be a burden. We cannot guarantee your safety."
"You underestimate me," Thomas smirked, "After all, I did find Soul Edge, did I not?"
Kyria chuckled and shook her head.
"If you insist," she said, "We depart for Venice tomorrow morning."
"Venice?" asked Christine.
"Yes," explained Kyria, "We have a contact there willing to help us. He will provide us with a boat to cross the Adriatic Sea. We will see you tomorrow. Please be ready."
As the Greeks walked away, Thomas rubbed his chin.
"Hm," he said, "Well, you did tell me you always wanted to see Venice."
"Not funny, Thomas," said Christine, rolling her eyes.
