Chapter 8 - Horizon expanded! Lumen's Inheritance! Wonderful Rush!

Back at the palace

"Well that certainly gave me quite a challenge!" Leona grinned while rubbing her own right shoulder.

"To be quite honest, Elodie here is worried that you might not be able to make it..." Joslyn sighed.

"Or have ye' old faith, would ya? I have learnt tachi ever since I desired to become an adventurer and I got excellent mileage! I got some good work out from slaying those kinkers too! Sure I got injuries and all that, but those prices are just minute when the thrill of it just sends me up high on a sugar rush!" Leona smiled. "My Diamante Projet's healing system will heal me up in no time flat!"

"I urge you to be more careful next time; Elodie seemed to have gotten close to Team Muse and you, and we do not wish to have another tragedy once more." Joslyn sighed.

"What can I say?" Leona grinned as she spun around, leapt over a sofa, sat on it gracefully, and spread his hands out wide. "I'm a smash hit, and Team Muse hits the record!"

"I still cannot deny this; you have saved my hometown, and indirectly - my family." Joslyn simpered.

"Hey, I may style, but I ain't gonna put someone as a shark bait!" Leona winked.

"I was initially worried that you and Team Muse that may not be able to handle the dangers straight ahead. Then again...first impression has to count first before any judgements are passed on." Joslyn replied.

"Eh...can't say that I blame you. My mom use to reject the notion of me becoming an adventurer due to your points; I can see where you're getting at." Leona shrugged while spinning a diamond on her right index finger.

"That's the reason...why I rejected the notion of you all investigating at Shanjia, initially." Joslyn nodded softly.

Leona suddenly grabbed the diamond she was juggling and immediately sat up.

"Did I just hear...'initially'?" Leona's eyes widened, feeling excitement coursing through her.

King Joslyn nodded.

"That is right. Make your plans with Team Muse, your sister, and Clarte. Just be careful about Shanjia; I'm sure you're aware of their expansionist by now, right?" Joslyn nodded.

Nothing needs to be said as a grin etched across Leona's face.

Back at the Dilation Room as the Karaoke Celebration was underway...

"YES! Now our work here has expanded!" Mimi cheered.

"You did great there, Leona-sensei!" Umi humbly chuckled.

"Aie! Nothing but a good challenge to vent out my frustration stored inside me!" Leona huffed and grinned. "Ya know, we have to prove our reliability, and there we go!"

"But that aura and swordplay that you unleashed nearly bowled us over! That's grand!" Rin's eyes sparkled with interest.

"Trust me; I have more up in offer!" Leona chuckled. "Besides, I am sure we all will have a part to play now that we can go out of the palace anytime we want."

"Yeah, so that means a tweak of plan." Clarte nodded.

"The group who are free have the choice to split up and delegate who should stay in Nova, and who shall travel to Shanjia." Eli nodded.

"Given that Shanjia is in its expansionist phrase, even peaceful villagers under its control can get dangerous. So be careful; you know how bloodthirsty monarchs do not like spoken words from the back, or their heads will kiss the floor." Leona frowned.

"Out adventurer license will make sure they say otherwise!" Umi, who grew more confident after the Love Live Tournament, nodded as she bought out her customised Angel Bow.

"Yeah, scratch 'em good!" Rin wielded her Phoenix Wings -purple Katars with purple feathers decorating its hilt.

"Alright, how bout we plan ahead; tutoring Elodie will be as per normal, but the rest of us who are free can spend the next few days hitting up the Royal library on Shanjia's history." Nico explained.

"We may not be able to learn everything with just books alone, but it will give us a general idea on Shanjia's ground when we investigate there." Maki followed.

"We also need more information about the geographical location of the state of Nova, the states that are composed of the empire, and the other countries surrounding that are associated with the Novan Empire. You will deal with the historic stuffs, while Leona, Mimi, and I will deal with the politics and see if we can come up with anything." Clarte nodded.

The team placed their hands once more as they recalled their cheers.

"Team Muse! Susume, Susume, TOMORROW!"

Next day - an hour before Voice Class (Week III)

Elodie, out alone, approached Julianna about the former's identity as a Lumen.

"What is you wanted to teach me, Duchess of Ursul?" the Crown Princess wondered.

"You will have to show me if you have your mother's crystal." Julianna replied.

"I thought my mom's crystal..." Elodie wondered.

"No, I mean the crystal that she initially acquired and has left for your inheritance eventually." Julianna replied calmly.

"Oh...but why?" Elodie wondered.

"The Lumen Crystals are the power source for any Lumen, once it merges with you it becomes a symbiote for as long as you're alive." Julianna explained.

"My mother was a Lumen...so that means I am a Lumen too." Elodie concluded.

"Yes, and you should have a Royal Crystal, it's just that the King may be keeping it from you...due to obvious reasons." Julianna sighed.

"What about yours? Do you have a crystal?" Elodie wondered.

Juliana shook her head and chuckled softly. "Well, I am a Lumen, right?"

The blue hair maiden held out her hands and materialised a sapphire crystal in octagonal formation.

"So that's the crystal..." Elodie looked on in amzement as she attempted to touch it, but it dissolved immediately.

"Oh." the Crown Princess replied.

"No one allows taking mine until I die. I urge you to ask your dad in acquiring the crystal for you."

"I assume I have to inherit the crystal because...my mother was a Lumen and as I am a future Queen..." Elodie replied.

Julianna nodded. "You will have to inherit it, yes."

Elodie sighed.

Julianna's stance softened upon realising that she may be imploring a bit too much; she was only several weeks into her grieving period.

"Elodie...I know that you are having a difficult time about the Queen's death. The fact that you may meet the same fate as her haunts you...am I right?" Julianna wondered.

Elodie nodded

Julianna sighed. "I understand...but you have to know that the commoners of Nova needed your strength and courage to move on. Your mother once used it to rule Nova, and the commoners were grateful that she wielded the power, not some other bloodthirsty Lumens that were born two centuries ago."

"It's about time we end this misguided hatred...your Highness. Your friends were willing to help end the prejudices and I am willing to give them my full support. I am sure your mother's spirit would want to see a day where Lumens can also live peacefully as humans." she continued.

Elodie sighed deeply and replied, "I will think about it, Julianna..."

As she walked towards an epitaph in honor of her mother, her view gazed upon the small statue of Queen Fidelia's stone carving.

Upon looking at it, she looked down; sadness etched upon her once more - not because of sorrow, but indecisiveness.

Who could blame her, for she was 14, close to 15 even!

And for that young an age to inherit a Lumen Crystal? Would that be too much of a responsibility?

"Still thinking about whether to inherit the crystal?"

Elodie turned around and saw Kotori approaching her with a gentle smile on her face.

"Oh...Kotori." Elodie replied sadly. "How'd you know?"

"Your mother is a Lumen...the Novan Lore stated that as, long one of the parents is a Lumen, their child will be one too." Kotori simpered.

Both Kotori and Elodie stood in front, looking at the epitaph.

"Sometimes in life...every choices that we made, will in some way, determine what we are inside..." Kotori simpered wistfully. "And sometimes...it can help out in the long run too."

"Choices...huh?" Elodie wondered.

"Yup..." Kotori replied calmly.

A few moments of silence later.

"I once used to be like you, Elodie. One incident about me being indecisive nearly cost our world to go boom." Kotori sighed. "And by boom, I mean, literally boom. Armageddon..."

"You mean Team Muse falling out, because your fear of their reactions if you disclose the news about your departure to a fashion school paralysed you?" Elodie wondered.

"Yeah...instead of telling them sooner, I added up suspense in all the wrong way and caused Honoka and I to fall out. Team Muse temporarily disbanded and the Chain of Balance - which govern our world's balance as a whole - nearly eroded by the unrelenting hatred of idol culture." Kotori smiled wistfully.

"I thought it's the end, to be honest, when I wait at the airport, when I saw Leona's friends, mentors, directors, and our best friends in general - Chris Fuschia and Alito Gnade."

"Chris-sensei taught us that in life, we constantly have to make choices that will determine where our lives path will take us. I soon realise that there are other ways in which I can expand my fashion studies instead of just leaving my friends and abandoning the lives of everyone else who supported me!"

"You speak that Chris and Alito as if she was someone really close to you to begin with..." Elodie wondered.

"Mmhmm...Chris sensei's Fuschia family died when she was eight." Kotori smiled sadly.

Elodie's eyes widened.

"A loss of not just one...but the whole family?"

"But, she made a choice - instead of choosing to wallow in self-pity, she chooses to help innocent people and vowed to search for the meaning of Humanity." Kotori smiled brightly. "And now, she's closer than she was ever before in letting go of her past."

"To take the responsibility to do what she loved to do; protecting the lives of many, keeping away evil, and using her powers to benefit the commoners..." Elodie closed her eyes and replied.

"There will come time when I maybe too old to take care of this beautiful country. Who knows what life may bring? You will eventually have to inherit my place as the rightful Queen of Nova."

"Take a look at the rich land of ours. They will be yours to rule when the time comes. I believe you have what it takes to make the right choices."

"My dear Elodie...this is something that we all have to face one day - inheritance. I know that you care about me, and for that it is more than enough for me to know your love towards us."

"She loved me...more than anyone would." Elodie clenched her fists. "And I wouldn't want to let down her efforts either! She's the one that helped maintained the country in its peaceful state until her passing...and I am not going to let that waste it idly by!"

"It's great to remember what your mother had taught you, but also remember...strike your own path while you're at it. Your decision matters, Elodie; it's what every mother hopes for - the best for their daughters and son!" Kotori nodded confidently.

"Again, I'm not going to let down her efforts!" Elodie nodded as a huge burst of energy began coursing through her body in a pinkish-mauve aura.

Julianna could sense the latent Lumen potential inside Elodie and followed the signature to the Epitaph. Upon seeing Elodie talking with Kotori and both had smiles upon their face, the blue hair Lumen could feel herself smiling.

"Seems Team Muse themselves are capable of forging friendships with people who're good at heart."

Back at Elodie's study room

"If you have to actually sing well, you will definitely need stamina to hold up your tone; breathing exercise and just attunement ain't gonna be enough, nooo madam!" Honoka shook her head.

"Sooo..." a big sweatdrop dripped down from her forehead and laughed sheepishly; she seemed to know where this is going.

The corridors leading to the stairways...

"I guess it pays to walk in the garden once in a while..." Joslyn sighed, slightly tired after all that had happened recently.

"C 'mon, let's step it up! We're right behind you!"

"You can do it nya! Rin's with you tooz!"

"Let that passion inside you! Feel it burn!"

"Just two more rows of stairs! You can do it!"

"Alright..two...ere we go! YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Joslyn's eyes became squiggly when she saw a determined Elodie jogging up the royal stairways, followed by Eli, Honoka, Kotori, Rin, Hanayo, Nico, and Maki.

"Heyo, King Dowager! Nice morning for a jog!" Honoka cheered.

"She will need stamina to sing properly, don't worry; it's what we do back in our school too!" Eli winked.

"She's gonna burn her passion to become the no. 1! Just you wait and see!" Nico cheekily followed.

"Gee, Nico, fancy time to be that enthusiastic." Maki chuckled.

As the rest followed, Joslyn blinked several time and uttered an "Uh...well...it isn't that bad that she's learning to be fit. I hope she's careful though..."

Later in the week

"Hey, let us join in too!" Leona shot out as she soon began to join them for the team's daily warm-up.

"Ah gee, why the heck?" Mimi chuckled and hopped along.

"One, two three four; two, two, three four, come on team! Up and at 'em!" Umi decided to join in.

"If ya don't do well, Elodie..." Nozomi grinned creepily brought her hands up. "Gonna give you the best rubbing upon your chest, eh?"

"Nononono!" Elodie retorted.

On the Garden Fields

"Put your foot into jolly! Steady up" Nico encouraged.

"Try not to strain yourself too much, if slow jogs to recharge yourself, and speed it up gradually as you recover!" Leona cheered along.

"Run as fast as the cat, nya!" Rin followed along as the team jogged along with the Crown Princess.

Elodie felt a ray of warmth building inside her - the adrenaline and happiness flowing through her veins, giving her confidence as her friends encouraging words embraced her.

"Let's do this! For NOVA!"

"WONDERFUL RUSH!" the rest shot out.

As Team Muse, Leona, Mimi, and Clarte sang Wonderful Rush, Elodie chimed in along, embracing the joy in the air.

Of course, they managed to jog past Lucille.

"Yo, Lucille! Whatcha doin?" Leona jogged on the spot.

"O...Oh...just taking a breather outside; I need some calming down." Lucille waved hello.

"C'mon, join us then! Feel da rush, the Wonderful Rush in you!" Leona grinned.

"Uh...no thanks, I have to clear my mi...w...WOOOAH!" Lucille found herself pulled along by Leona.

"AIE! Isn't there anything good than a huuuge morning jog to clear those minds off your head and chest, yes? Sides, I wanna compete with you too; you are strong to compete with last time!" Leona shot back and gave a peace sign.

Lucille gasped slightly ...

"I bet I can beat you in running!"

'Wanna bet, Fidelia? I'm gonna whoop you!"

"Try me, for I am the Queen-to-be of Nova! I shall run till my lungs gonna burst!"

"Hey, wait, we haven't count till 3 yet, you cheat Fidelia!"

"I did, you just didn't listeeen!" Fidelia made a raspberry face.

"Aw, yeah, it's so on now!" a young Lucille grinned.

The young Countess taunted, "I am gonna get you, gonna get you, gonna get you like the Great White Sharkie!"

Lucille was torn between her decision; either for her daughter...or...

"Heck it...heck it...I don't care...I need to relieve that itch...the desire for a challenge! It's gonna be a small time...so why the heck not?"

"Last one to jog to the finish line's the rotten egg!" Lucille grinned.

"Oh, now IT'S ON!" Leona shot back in excitement.

While Team Muse, Mimi, Clarte, and ELodie were jogging right in front, a cloud of dust came rushing by.

"LET US THROUGH, HIIIIYAAAAAAH!"

"I'M GONNA RUN CIRCLES AROUND YOU, LUCILLE!"

"CIRCLES? MORE LIKE GONNA RUN RINGS AROUND YOU!"

"OH YEA? EAT DUST!" both shot back.

Both Lucille and Leona rushed through the rest of the tem, leaving trails of smoke clouds behind.

"Huh? Lucille? Geez what's with those two?" Clarte shot out.
"Dunno, talk about wacky hijinx..." Eli raised her right eyebrow.

"I guess mommy will surely be laughing in Heaven right now..." Elodie chuckled.

The rest went squiggly eyes and shrugged in response to the wacky hijinx followed by a roar of laughter.