Note: I do not own Sony Computer Entertainment America or any of its affiliates. Consider this a disclaimer to the ideas/characters presented in this story.
I'd like to extend thanks to someone that goes by the name WhitemageSerenia on YouTube. I've never actually made contact with him, but he has a slew of videos of gameplay from Wild ARMs that I use as a reference. It helps LOTS.
And, of course, thanks to WildfireDreams for being so cheerfully enthusiastic, and ginormous thanks to Thug-4-Less for helping me polish this story to an ultra-squeaky shininess! I promise you two I'll try to update sooner than I have been. But I stress "try."
Chapter Seven: The Guardian Temple
Cecilia awoke feeling as if she were suspended in clouds. She looked around dazedly, trying to work out where she was and how she got there. After a few seconds, she sat up to inspect the place further. There were several other beds in the room she was in, all of them empty but hers.
I'm in an inn, she observed silently. She tossed back her covers and stood on the cold cobblestone floor. Her socks and boots were at the foot of her bed, along with her pack and other equipment. Her coat hung on the post just over her things, still covered with the dirt from the mountainside the day before.
Then the previous day's events came rushing back. I tried the teleportation spell on Jack and myself! "And now I'm starving," she added aloud.
Casting a cleaning charm on her things, Cecilia dressed herself and took her belongings to the foyer. No one was in the inn except the keeper, whom gave her a warm and friendly smile.
"Hello, dear!" the old woman said. "Your friends asked me to give you a message: they will meet you in the pub around noon."
"Thank you," Cecilia said kindly.
"Oh, no worries, dear. And would you like to leave your things in the room? You're the only guests checked in, and I'll be sure that no one goes through them."
"Certainly," Cecilia agreed, and the woman moved around her desk to take the young girl's equipment.
"The pub is just on the north end of town, in the western corner. They serve good hamburgers there; I highly recommend them."
Suddenly Cecilia's insides lurched, as if her stomach was a sleeping beast that had just been woken up from sleep for good cause. "I think I'll go have some lunch, then."
Milama was a beautiful, humble looking town; it was filled with canals and various waterways that ran around the buildings that were mainly constructed of cream-coloured cobblestone and blue thatched roofs. The overall impression of the town was that it was built upon a lake, but Cecilia later learned that the town was built on an irrigation system, and the canals were converted for mostly aesthetic purposes than functional. However, she spotted a few waterwheels on the sides of some buildings, and she discovered that the waters flowed towards the ocean. Therefore, the town was able to use the flow as a minor power source.
Despite the beauty of the town, Cecilia made her way to the pub with the pace of a person on a mission, without pausing to appreciate the view. She arrived there quickly (Milama was a much smaller town than Adlehyde, and much easier to navigate) and found the place was nearly packed. It did nothing to deter her, however. She pushed her way through the thick crowd, earning some stern looks from patrons, and found her way to the bar.
One man was working frantically at the barrels of ale and wine behind the counter; at least fifteen people sat at the bar, placing constant orders and making the poor man run. Cecilia watched him intently as he ran up and down the bar, serving drinks, as if he was the food himself. Her stomach began to rumble (and she could picture it as a beast roaring for satisfaction.)
Finally, the man made his way over to her. "And what can I get you, dear?"
"Five hamburgers, please." Cecilia said charmingly. "Oh, do you happen to know how to make Curan sauce?"
"I have an idea," he said. "Which table are you and your friends sitting at?"
"Oh, it's just me," Cecilia said with a smile. "I'll just wait here." The closer I am, the sooner I get to eat it.
The man gave her a wild, bewildered look. "Er—mhm. Yes, all right. It might take me about thirty minutes. That all right, miss?"
Cecilia assented with a broad smile, and sat to watch the man at work.
Sooner than thirty minutes later, the plate of hamburgers was placed before her. The Curan sauce she was so familiar with was actually quite good, as if the bartender were Jaques, the Abbey chef, himself. The first hamburger disappeared into Cecilia's stomach after no less than ten seconds, and as she moved onto her second, the crowd began to disperse.
A table cleared, and Cecilia moved her hamburgers there to eat with more leg and elbow room. The food was delightful to her stomach; the day before had left her menacing and disappointed from the meals. These burgers were certainly making up for where their provisions lacked, and as she swallowed the last bite of her third, she seriously considered ordering several more to take with her on the road.
After a considerable number of the patrons had left, it was much easier to see around the pub and the others in it. As Cecilia looked into the far corner of the pub, she made eye contact with Rudy, who was sitting next to Jack. Cecilia waved happily, chewing merrily on her hamburger, and Rudy waved back, getting Jack's attention. The older man stood upon seeing her, then the two of them made their way over to her.
"Hey, C., we—whoa, eating for two?" Jack said, looking at her rather large plate of hamburger crumbs.
"Excuse me!" Cecilia retorted, flushing from embarrassment. She saw Rudy glow pink as well and shoot his eyes away from her, which made her colour even more. "I may remind you that spell casting costs a lot of energy, and it makes me—"
"Hungry, you said, not a famished village." Jack and Rudy sat down, and Cecilia felt even more self conscious. She had spent most of her years around other girls who had to eat a hefty amount of food everyday, and therefore being around non-magic casters who ate considerably less was starting to take a toll on her self image.
Cecilia slowly chewed her last bite of hamburger and pushed her plate away. "It took a lot out of me casting that spell on the mountain," Cecilia said indignantly.
Jack nodded, but he still had a scrutinizing look on his face. "Anyway, we did some digging while you were sleeping. It turns out that the Guardian Temple has been abandoned and locked up for years—no one goes there to worship anymore."
Cecilia looked crestfallen. "Abandoned? But..."
"But," Jack echoed her, "we found someone who knows a little bit about the place: an old priest."
"What did he say?"
"We haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. He said he'd come see us once everyone else leaves."
Cecilia looked around the bar. "He's here?"
"Behind the bar."
"Really?" Cecilia said, turning to look over the bartender. He looked like he was trying to convince an inebriated old man that he'd had enough to drink. He was short, stout, with a bristling moustache and a glistening bald spot on his head. "Him?"
"What?" Jack asked.
"Well, it's nothing, I just... imagined someone..."
"Majestic?"
"Well... more refined, yes."
"O-ho," Jack laughed, shaking his head and eyeing Cecilia down. "You're mean."
"No!" she cried defensively, "I just thought he'd be easier to recognize as a priest, that's all!"
The old man had finally gotten up to leave, muttering rude remarks about the bartender. The balding man then moved from behind the bar to chase away a group of merchants sipping on ale in the far corner. "We're closing for the afternoon, come back after dinner!" he snapped, and the merchants left the pub with disdainful expressions. He threw the lock down on the door after the last patrons left, and he turned to the three sitting at the table.
"I assume this is your magician friend you were talking about?" the bartender asked Jack, motioning to Cecilia.
"This is her."
"Hm. I imagined someone..."
"Majestic?" Jack offered, smirking. The bartender did not reply, and Jack went on howling with laughter.
"Oh, stop it," Cecilia hissed sharply.
The bartender cleared his throat. "Anyway, what is it you want about the Temple?"
Jack killed his laughter, then sobered up gradually as the bartender sat down with them.
"We want inside."
"What for? The place has been abandoned for close to thirty years. Nothing's in there; nobody has any faith in the Guardians anymore. The place is a crypt."
"And crypts are our speciality," Jack replied, sweeping his hand across the table at his other two companions. "That's what us Dream Chasers do."
The bartender eyed him warily. "I haven't ever had any Dream Chasers knocking on my door asking to get in there. Really, you'd be wasting your time. The only thing you'll find there is dust."
"Please, sir," Cecilia said, folding her hands on the table. "We have a significant interest in the Temple, and we are in dire need to gain access to it. Any help you could offer us would be appreciated."
Jack looked as if he was hiding a grimace as the bartender looked her up and down suspiciously. She ran her words over her mind again, trying to find out what it was she had said to set them off, when the bartender spoke again.
"I was never a priest—my father was. He wanted me to join the priesthood right before they had to close the Temple and leave it behind. Had to leave because of lack of funding, not enough worshippers—something along those lines. Before they knew they had to leave the Temple, they prepped me for joining. After my father passed away, he left me all of his possessions, including the key to the Temple."
He pulled at a chain that hung around his neck, and from under his dirty smock came a medallion that was attached to the end. "I've worn it as a keepsake all these years. This is the only key inside the temple; you'll know how it works when you get there."
He handed the medallion to Jack, who then handed it to Cecilia. "I think it's better if you hold onto this," Jack told her as she took it hesitantly. She ran her thumb over it, admiring the intricate carvings and the thick red cross that was embedded on its face. It felt light, almost insignificant, just like the Tear Drop.
"I don't know what this means, but my father made me memorize it. It has something to do with getting into the real parts of the shrine, if you need to go there:
The time of the Guardians will arise when the fires of two and ten are lit. Upon the lighting of six, their door will open at twelve.
"I have no idea what it means, but my father stressed it was important to know. He was going to show me what the passage meant before the Temple was locked.
"All I ask of you is this: that place was very important to my father, and I don't want it to be destroyed. I don't have any reason to suspect you three have bad intentions with the Temple, but I will come after you if I find out the place is in shambles. Do not disturb anything."
"You've got our word," Jack said, making a cross over his heart. "We really just need to take a look around. We're not planning on defacing any statues or anything."
"Good. And I recommend you take torches; I know there are places in the Temple that no natural light could reach, so you're going to need some light of your own."
"Thanks, Martin," Rudy said softly, holding out his hand. The bartender, Martin, looked down at it and smiled, shaking Rudy's hand.
"First thing you've said all day," Martin said with a smirk. "I thought you were a mute."
"A lot of people do," Rudy replied, smirking back.
"Yeah, thanks, Martin," Jack said, standing up. He placed a few gella on the table. "You've done us a great service."
"Keep your money," Martin said, waving his hand. Jack shrugged and scooped it back up. "I suppose I should be happy someone's shown interest in that old ruin. Just head slightly northwest until you see a bridge—you can't miss it. It'll lead to a thick of trees. The Guardian Temple is in there, if it hasn't grown into a tree itself already."
"Thank you, Martin," Cecilia said, rounding the table to see him. She took his hand and shook it as well. "I suppose I never introduced myself. I'm Cecilia."
"He told me," Martin said, motioning his head towards Jack. "And I meant no offence earlier, about the magician thing. I was actually impressed that a teenage girl apparently has an aged adventurer running for his money."
"I didn't say that!" Jack said. Cecilia laughed, the usual chiming returning to her voice.
"It's not an hour's journey from here," Martin told them, heading for the door. "If you leave now, you might make it back before nightfall."
"Sounds promising," Jack said, following him to the door. Cecilia nudged him with a smile, and he nudged her back with a mock pout. Martin unlocked the door and held it open for them. They passed by him, thanking him again, and he waved goodbye, closing the door and bolting it once more.
"So, should we stop by the market before we head out again?" Jack said, already heading in the market's direction. Cecilia and Rudy murmured their agreement and followed him. Then Cecilia remembered the nagging question she had nestled in the back of her mind.
"Earlier in the pub, when Martin looked at me suspiciously... what happened?"
"Oh," Jack said, glancing at her from over his shoulder. "We need to give you people lessons."
Cecilia looked at the back of his head, puzzled. "Pardon me?"
"You sound too much like a princess. You need to learn how us simple folk banter." Jack chuckled at this, but then turned to look at her with a serious eye. "You could blow your cover real easy with all your proper speech. Try talking like Rudy or I do, listen in on how some of the townsfolk talk."
Cecilia felt flustered, as if she never thought it possible to make such a grandeur mistake with something as natural to her as her speech. "You're saying I'm too proper for my own good?"
"Yup."
"I see."
Despite Cecilia's animosity towards Jack's critical view of her language use, she took his advice to good measure. As they shopped in the market place and made their way through Milama, Cecilia remained silent with Rudy, letting Jack talk and listening to the words he used with others. Analyzing her previous experiences, she sometimes sounded "normal" like the rest of the townspeople did, but she started to look back and realize just how separated from others she was just based upon how she spoke. If she really wanted people to see her as Cecilia and not The Princess, she would have to change a lot about herself. It was an irony that was surprisingly easy to swallow.
They were on their way to the Temple after stopping by the inn to collect their things. Just as Martin had told them, they spotted the bridge within an hour. It was thin and worn, and it led across the bay to an island thick with trees that were eerily straight, tall, and dark.
"This doesn't look like the most enticing place to go," Jack said.
"I can see why they lost popularity," Hanpan added. He was sitting on Jack's shoulder, watching the quiet, still forest as they got closer. "Even the trees look evil."
They carried on through the woods quietly, unnerved by the lack of wildlife, or any sound whatsoever. There was a narrow, winding path between the trees, but the trio still had to squeeze between the trunks carefully in order to continue forward. After only ten minutes, Cecilia spotted it.
"There," she said, pointing. They all followed her gesture.
"I don't see anything," Jack said flatly.
"Right there," Hanpan said, "it's covered in moss, or vines. Green stuff."
Jack squinted, looking more closely. He suddenly made out the shape of a wall, and then his eyes started to trace out the tall structure of the Guardian Temple hiding amongst the trees and foliage. It seemed massive, despite being under cover of the forest. He looked left to right to encompass it all in his sights.
"God, this thing looks like a 'thousand year-old ruin, not thirty."
They approached the shrine cautiously, all still feeling irked from the haunted look of the abandoned temple. Cecilia found the door quickly, and when she went to push it, it opened easily.
"I thought he said it was locked?"
"Maybe this is only the foyer," Jack said, peering inside. "Maybe there's another door."
They stepped inside, the light from the open doorway painting a streak across the ruined hall. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust; branches, dead leaves, and even animal droppings were scattered all over the grand hall. The light fell upon one tall statue of a winged woman, her hand extended and positioned as if holding a torch. When Cecilia pushed the door open further, the light landed on another statue next to it, and in the middle of them stood two tall double doors, marked with engravings and crested with gold.
Cecilia approached the door almost dreamily, taking in all the detail etched into the face. Words were carved into it from top to bottom, and ancient runes were carved into lines that ran from side to side, up and down the door. Cecilia recognized them as the same runes she had studied for years in Curan Abbey: the runes that defined the elements, that spelled out the names of the Guardians. She recognized a few of them, Stoldark's included. I'm close to you right now, she thought. Can you feel me?
"What's that?" Hanpan said, suddenly appearing at Cecilia's shoulder. She looked to his tiny form to see him pointing at the middle of the door. She followed the lines of runes on the doors and found they all led to a circular impression in the middle.
"That must be where the medallion goes," Hanpan said. Cecilia nodded and pulled the chain from around her own neck.
Rudy and Jack stood behind Cecilia as she placed the medallion into the small impression. Before she even pushed it in all the way, the medallion clicked into its place and sunk inside the door, as if the door had grabbed it from her. The medallion began to spin and sink further inside the impression, and a loud metal clinking could be heard as the entire Temple seemed to come to life around them, like a giant machine that had been turned on.
The mechanical churning suddenly stopped, and a heavy clunk sounded from what seemed to be the inside of the doors. Cecilia reached forward and touched the door gently. It didn't swing forward, but she felt it wanting to move in a specific direction. Using both hands, she clutched the opening of one of the doors, then slid it to the side. Both it and the other door began to slink inside the walls, revealing a wide hall that descended into darkness.
Jack drew out the torches and began to light them from a lighter he extracted from his pocket. "Down we go," he said, as each of them took a torch.
The stairs down looked immaculate compared to the dirty hall they stood in. Truly nothing had been inside the Temple since they had last sealed it shut. It was an encouraging thought to Cecilia, in a way: it meant they would not be meeting anything unexpected while they were there.
They descended the steps carefully as they came into an open hall. The place was large, for even their torchlight became lost in the darkness beyond.
"What are those?" Rudy asked. Jack and Cecilia turned to him and saw him pointing questioningly at a small stone brazier on the floor.
"They're for lighting," Jack said, lowering his torch towards the small copper dish that carried a wicker.
"Don't!" Hanpan squeaked loudly, jumping onto Jack's arm and nipping at his exposed skin.
"Agh! Hanpan! What was that for?"
"What would you do without me, really?" Hanpan retorted sharply. "Don't touch anything until we know what we're doing!"
"Fine, sheesh," Jack said, rubbing his forearm where he'd been bitten. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Let's look around the entire room first, get an idea of what it looks like, before we light anything. I have a feeling this is the room where that riddle comes in."
"The one Martin told us?" Cecilia asked.
"That's the one."
"What makes you think that?" Jack asked.
"I am old and wise, O Thick One," Hanpan replied in a mocking tone.
Jack rolled his eyes, walking away towards the farthest corner of the vast room. "Whatever."
The three of them split up (Hanpan stayed behind with Cecilia) and they all surveyed the entire room. When they were a distance apart, their lights lit up the better majority of the chamber. The ceiling was almost as tall as the grand foyer and just as wide. The walls were lined with stacked pews (which they assumed were stowed away to the side after the Temple was to close) and a lone pedestal stood near the front of the room, looking small and insignificant. After some searching the plainest thing to see was that there was another set of double doors opposite the stairs the had come from, and spread across the large room were twelve small braziers, all lined in a perfect circle along the room.
"Two, ten, six, and twelve. There's twelve of them, but which is which? They have numbers on them or something?" Jack spoke loudly across the room so everyone would hear him. He bent over and examined the closest brazier to him. There was nothing engraved on the stone.
"I don't know," Hanpan said, standing on Cecilia's shoulder and scanning the room thoughtfully. "I don't know."
Cecilia scanned the room with Hanpan, her face scrunched in concentration as she tried to figure out the meaning of the numbers as well. They had to have some sort of connection with the twelve braziers, all lined in a perfect circle.
"The time of the Guardians shall rise when the fires of two and ten are lit..." Cecilia muttered to herself. Which one is two and which is ten?
She pulled her pocket watch from inside her coat pocket. It had been a gift from one of the instructors at the Abbey for her birthday. It had a few magical properties to it, giving it the same unique functions as Rudy's enchanted bombs, but she found its most useful function was telling her the time. It was ten after four in the evening.
Her eyes stayed glued to the minute hand. It was pointing at two.
The time of the Guardians...
"Jack, light the brazier you're standing next to," Cecilia called from across the room.
"Why?"
"I want to try something."
Jack shrugged and lit it. "What are you doing?" Hanpan asked quietly.
"I think I figured out the puzzle," Cecilia said.
"Okay, now?" Jack asked.
"Rudy, you light the one across from you. No, no, the other one. Yes," she said, pointing as he motioned to the one she was indicating. "Light it."
Rudy did, and she moved to the brazier closest to the stairway, the one that would have indicated "six" on her pocket watch. She lit it, then stepped around the brazier and walked across the room with intention in her step. Rudy and Jack watched her as she marched up to the top most brazier in the circle that sat opposite the double doors.
"Light the fires at two and ten..." she said, approaching the brazier. "Upon the lighting of six—" she lowered her torch to the wicker—"their doors will open at twelve."
The brazier caught the flame, and suddenly all the wickers in the room lit up with a roar, flames sprouting into the air. The large double doors in front of them creaked as the same mechanical churning echoed from all around them, and they slowly swung forward.
"How'd you figure that out?" Jack asked from behind her, his voice distant with surprise and awe.
"It was about 'time'," Cecilia said. "Those numbers were representative of a clock. And the numbers formed the red cross the priests recognized as a divine symbol."
"Smart," Jack said. "You thought of it before Hanpan did, too."
They all chuckled a little before Cecilia turned her attention again to the wide open doors. It was just as dark beyond as the rest of the temple had been, and nothing could be seen inside. She stepped toward it carefully, and Jack and Rudy followed her. Even though it was guaranteed there were no possible threats living inside the abandoned temple, the two of them held their hands over the hilts of their weapons, ready for any sort of attack.
The room beyond was much smaller, and the first glimpse Cecilia caught of the room was a reflection of herself. When they stepped further inside the room, they found that the entire wall across from them was a grand mirror, stretching from ceiling to floor. Cecilia stared into it, her astonished face reflecting back at her.
"This is it?" Jack said. "We came here to try and talk to some Guardians, and we find a mirror?"
"Don't you see it?" Cecilia asked. Jack looked back at her.
"See what?"
A glowing figure was standing behind Cecilia's reflection. She watched it carefully, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She knew nothing was behind her based on the fact that Jack nor Rudy seemed to be aware of the figure. It took no distinct shape, but it was tall and lean, almost as if it were a human. In the mirror it touched her shoulder, and Cecilia felt an odd electric sensation shooting through her arm. It wasn't painful, rather it was drawing. It gave her a pulling sensation that she felt she wanted to bask in. However, the shape let go of her shoulder and slipped around her, drawing closer and closer to the mirror, until it disappeared, leaving ripples behind it, as if it had softly sunk beneath water.
"Wait!" Cecilia cried, rushing forward. Hanpan leapt off her shoulder in surprise, and Cecilia dropped the torch as she dashed into the mirror.
"Whoa!" Jack shouted, expecting her to smack into the mirror and crash onto the ground. But Cecilia disappeared without a sound.
"C.?" Jack called, panic in his voice.
"What happened?" Hanpan asked, looking at the torch Cecilia had cast aside.
"She just disappeared!" Jack said, sounding doubtful of his own words. He approached the mirror, but was afraid to touch it. "C.!"
"We should try to go after her," Rudy said, his voice quiet as usual, but with a tinge of agitation hidden underneath.
Jack wanted to protest against Rudy, but as he looked into his own reflection, he swore he saw himself give an encouraging look, one he himself did not wear.
What is this place...?
"Jack, let's go!" Hanpan cried.
Jack searched his face in the mirror one last time, finding it was still his own face. He shook off his fears, gritted his teeth, and ran at the mirror as soon as Hanpan jumped onto his shoulder and Rudy dove into the mirror next to him. He expected to collide with the pane, just as he had expected Cecilia to, but a cool sensation enveloped him and he suddenly felt as if he was sinking into unconsciousness. As he tried to call out for Rudy and Cecilia, his mind shut itself down.