Affect Circumplex

Chapter 7: Counting Backwards

El Mes Plateau Sub Station, 2 hours before the Erasure

Arnulf wiped the sweat from his brow as he stopped his bicycle in front of the substation situated between Hugel and Juno. Sitting comfortably in front of him was a young noblewoman whom he decided to protect ever since they were young.

After getting off the bicycle, the two decided to rest at one of the benches of the secluded substation. People rarely visit this location unless repairs were necessary, thus the absence of a ticket booth. In case one decides to ride the locomotive from this point, they pay the conductor instead.

"Audrey… what happened back there?" Arnulf asked the lady, who was still shaking in fear. He put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, which worked instantly. Arnulf could clearly see the distress in the lady's eyes. He needed answers, and the noblewoman knew it.

"That sage… he's going after Locke. He thinks Locke stole the tome from Juno's Library! I know he's innocent, Arnulf! I know he wouldn't do such a thing!" Audrey said, grasping the delivery boy's shirt as she tried to hold back her tears. She had trusted her butler with her life… but this event simply changed everything.

"You trusted Locke too much, Audrey." Arnulf said.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Audrey answered, her tears finally flowing.

The delivery boy took his handkerchief and dabbed it on the noblewoman's cheek. Staring back at him were eyes filled with worry and doubt. There was only one thing he could do to ease the pain of his lover. Arnulf couldn't hold back anymore.

Arnulf held the noblewoman's hands gently, gripping it a few seconds later to assure her that he will always be with her. The lady, amused by the gesture of her lover, decided to lean on his shoulders in order to forget the events earlier that afternoon.

There was no one else around to disturb them.

Audrey knew what to expect at times like this. Whenever Arnulf gets the chance to find them alone, he would always embrace her and remind her of his never-ending love. She knew it so much that her body reacts automatically whenever Arnulf's lips meets hers, making every inch of her body jolt instinctively.

She felt her worries slip away into oblivion, for she knew that the man she was with right now would take care of her, caress her to sleep, and somehow manage to play with her body as carefully as possible. Arnulf was the best for her… and she never had enough.

Exhausting herself, Audrey closed her eyes and felt the warmness of her lover within her. She once again experienced happiness and satisfaction, which were enough to drive her crazy… and sleepy for now. Audrey's sight grew dim, and she smiled before finally falling in Arnulf's arms.

Arnulf then took the sleeping noblewoman, carried her like a newly-wed bride, and positioned her comfortably into the bicycle. He took care not to awaken her, for he didn't want to see those weary eyes for the time being. Once he and Audrey were comfortably seated, he grabbed the handles and called out softly.

"Sleipnir… please make the ride comfortable for her." Arnulf said.

The bicycle emanated a dark aura, but stopped short as a locomotive passed by on the branch line. Arnulf then remembered that all lines heading to Juno were cancelled that afternoon, which reminded him of the terrible explosion that he witnessed earlier on his way to Hugel.

Arnulf covered Audrey's ears with his hands as the locomotive screeched while turning on the bend heading for Hugel. He could clearly see the passengers inside going about their everyday lives. Some looked distressed, some looked happy, while others plain emotionless.

He was about to order Sleipnir again when he noticed a bright, purple glow at the rear end of the locomotive. Feeling that there was something off with the situation, he waited for a few minutes after the locomotive passed by, and thought deeply.

"Sleipnir… please secure Audrey. Make the ride comfortable for her as usual." he said while patting the bicycle's handles.

A dark aura emanated from the bicycle and crept its way to surround the sleeping noblewoman, securing her in position. Arnulf thanked the spirit possessing the bicycle, and promised to clean it up after the trip.

"Something's wrong, Sleipnir… I know you felt it too." Arnulf said, finally putting his foot on the pedal.

The dark aura then formed a path beside the railroad tracks, allowing the bicycle to traverse the terrain with extreme ease.

Arnulf was able to keep up with the locomotive, taking care not to alert anyone on board. The purple glow was still on the rear end, and no one inside seemed to notice it at all. Everything was normal inside the locomotive as far as his eyes could tell.

A bespectacled lady sitting by the window smiled at the delivery boy at the side of the tracks, and waved her hand. Arnulf recognized her, and waved back.

El Mes Plateau Branch Line, 1 hour & 37 minutes before the Erasure

Three men awoke from their sleep and found themselves bound in chains and loaded in the rear end of a locomotive. Groaning in pain due to the beating they suffered earlier from a certain butler, the three decided to call it quits. There was only one thing left for them to do, which was escaping from a bespectacled lieutenant who they knew would not leave them alone by any chance if they were being transported back to Juno or Hugel.

"H-hey… Lenard. I found something." a man called Xavier said. He handed out a metallic wire and gave it to their "leader".

"Finally, some use for you idiots…" Lenard said, taking the wire. He then ordered Xavier to wake Harvey up.

"Oh… you're still alive. That's… not good." Harvey remarked after seeing the two. He focused his eyes on the two, thinking of the possibility that they have broken the locks they were bound with, but something else bothered him.

"What's wrong?" was Xavier's immediate question. Nothing seemed to be weird in their area, ignoring the fact that they were bound in chains. Lenard snarled at Harvey and told him to spill the beans. What he said to both of them made them squeal like pigs.

"What the heck is this?" Lenard shouted, pointing on his chest. The others seemed to be under the same condition, which he found disturbing.

What the trio found out was that their chests were glowing brightly with a purple tinge. It's as if…

"Don't tell me that butler did this to us! He… he embedded pieces of the Heart in our bodies!" Xavier shouted. Cold sweat dripped from each of their brows. Something felt off about their situation.

"Isn't the heart supposed to give power to those who wield it?" Harvey asked, trying to break the chains, which gave way at the slightest effort.

"Hey! You're right! It's my turn, then." Lenard remarked as the two others were able to break the chains they were bound into with ease. He exerted minimal force upon the shackles in his foot, and it broke as if it was old and rusty.

The trio grinned in unison, and planned an escape from the locomotive. Having noticed that the tracks were heading towards Hugel, they began to ram the door to get to the main hall where the cabins are.

Upon destroying the door after a few attempts, the three ran to the halls and killed the guards by smashing them on the walls. Power was surging through their bodies… something they never felt before… and they were enjoying every bit off it.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Flireis was bidding the delivery boy riding beside the locomotive farewell. It's been a while since they met, bringing her deliveries on time a few months earlier. As she saw the Ether Brake slow down, she got up from her seat and went out of her cabin to check the condition of the three goons she managed to track down. She sighed, thinking of the hassle she went through just to load them at the rear end of the locomotive.

Flireis was about to let out a yawn when she heard a scream coming from the far end of the hall. What she saw made her grit her teeth in frustration.

The lieutenant immediately recognized them. Glowing eerily with a purple aura, the group headed by Lenard managed to kill the last of the guards in an organized rampage. The passengers haven't been harmed, much to Flireis' relief. She was about to attack the three with her rapier, but she felt something strange about them.

The three men weren't speaking at all. In fact, they were growling like animals. One of them, which she presumed to be a half-conscious Lenard, stepped forward and opened its mouth, speaking at her with a language she never heard before.

Flireis pointed her weapon straight at them, and threatened to attack. The three looked at each other and began to speak. This time Flireis was able to understand what they were saying. The words made her step back in confusion.

"Agony... Misery… Despair…" the three men uttered in unison over and over.

Flireis had enough. She rushed to kill the three before anything weird happens, but she stopped midway as the three transformed into unrecognizable creatures. Each of them talked to her, as if introducing themselves.

"I bear the Fragment of Agony… I am the Dolor of Thanatos." said a small, dark creature wearing a silver-colored mask with an agonized expression.

"I bear the Fragment of Misery… I am the Maero of Thanatos." said a tall, dark creature wearing a chrome-colored mask with a miserable expression.

"I bear the Fragment of Despair… I am the Despero of Thanatos." said the last creature which was covered in flames and wearing an elongated, gray mask with a desperate expression.

The lieutenant wasn't fazed one bit as the creatures slowly lunged and crept towards her. She could still run, she thought. But she was not going to take any chances. She needed assistance, and she knew who to rely on at a time like this.

Flireis dashed inside out of the locomotive's hallway, and climbed a shaft before the creatures can grab her. She pushed herself up the opening, and found a handle to serve as leverage. She was now at the locomotive's roof, clinging tightly to prevent her from slipping to the deadly crags of the plateau below her.

At the same time, the Ether Brake, still following the locomotive by the side of the tracks, noticed movement within the locomotive. Looking at the rear where the purple glow was supposed to be, he was surprised to find that the glow has now transferred to the middle of the locomotive… and on the roof was…

"Lieutenant Flireis! What in Midgard is happening in there?" Arnulf shouted. He sped carefully, making sure that Audrey wouldn't wake up from the bumpy road.

"I have no idea! The prisoners I captured earlier turned into strange creatures! They're calling themselves as representatives of Thanatos!" Flireis shouted back as loud as she can, her voice almost drowned out by the noise of the locomotive's engine.

"I wish I can hold another passenger! I'm sorry!" Arnulf told the Lieutenant. He sped a little more, closer to where Flireis was located. He can see her struggling to get up and stand on the locomotive's roof.

"I… I never asked for your help! So don't say things like that!" Flireis shouted.

Arnulf closed in at the locomotive, holding out his hand. "Jump! Sleipnir will grab you in case I fail!"

Flireis wanted to take the man's hand, but something held her back. She couldn't describe the feelings surging through her heart and mind.

She wanted to be saved, but somehow… She didn't want Arnulf to be the one to do it at all… she knew she can fight the eerie creatures she saw earlier, but she felt doubt at the sight of them.

She knew it was her pride that was holding her back.

"Just do it! I don't care if you're clothes get stuck! I don't get care if you're heavy! Just jump! You're life is important!" Arnulf shouted even more, in an attempt to convince the bespectacled lady who was still trying to stand on the roof.

Flireis looked sharply at the delivery boy. Arnulf knew what to expect.

As soon as the locomotive's roof ripped open, Flireis du Lucille jumped for her life into the arms of a special friend. She knew it was the only way to escape… and she felt better to have finally decided.

Arnulf made Sleipnir place the Lieutenant behind him, and secured her comfortably. It took another few seconds before the three creatures jumped off the roof and headed north, towards an ancient tower. Arnulf pedaled faster towards Hugel.

El Mes Plateau, 1 hour & 30 minutes before the Erasure

Shahiv and Braer, natives of Veins and Rachel respectively, are now currently "enjoying" their supposed investigative excursion. Instead of looking for a certain giant with pointy ears, they instead found a hitchhiking female sage who just picked up another male sage that is being pursued by deadly twins and a hot-headed female who kept barking orders.

"The brake's terribly damaged, Shahiv!" Braer told the man sitting beside him who was busy throwing the fruits from the basket to the pursuing group.

"I don't care, Braer! Just click the emergency button!" Shahiv shouted as he threw another fruit at the twins. Cursing after another miss, he drew out a larger fruit and aimed for the hot-headed female's head.

"Vhie! Stop running away from the law! Get down from that contraption this instant!" the female shouted, trying to convince the two sages riding with Shahiv and Braer.

"I don't want to, Althii! You never listen to anything that "fugitives" have to say! The government of Juno is corrupt enough to NOT believe us when we KNOW the truth behind everything they have been doing!" Vhie shouted back to Althii, who was still pursuing them.

The damage that the wagon was suffering was enough for a normal locomotive to give in and stop for a repair, but Braer kept driving and maneuvering the contraption until they were about to reach a locomotive track.

"It's no good, Shahiv! I see the El Mes Branch Line up ahead! We're going to crash once the wheels trip on the tracks!" Braer shouted, his voice was being drowned by both the engine noise and the shouting people behind him. He had seen happier times, he thought.

"Damn it, you left me with no other choice…" Shahiv whispered in disgust. He then threw the basket and scattered the remaining fruits on the craggy plateau, and proceeded to push a button beside the steering wheel.

Before Braer and the rest could react, the wagon's plating disintegrated, threatening to slice anything it flew past. Althii and the twins managed to avoid getting run through by the shedding metallic parts of the wagon, but noticed something different about the internal structure of the contraption. With a deafening screech, the wagon's parts rearranged in mid-air, finally forming a familiar machine that Althii and the twins only saw in Juno's history books.

"That can't be! What is an Archdam doing in the hands of mercenaries?" Althii said in disbelief. Things were getting out of hand, much to her frustration.

Braer maneuvered the Archdam to jump over the locomotive tracks, but was stopped short as three creatures ran them over with tremendous speed. The resulting shock made the Archdam's circuits to malfunction, finally breaking its mainframe and collapsing to the ground from mid-air. The machine landed with considerable force a few yards away from the tracks. Althii couldn't see any movement from any of the machine's occupants. Fearing they were dead, she jumped over and reached out to touch Vhie, who was still hugging Eilmahn since the chase began.

"What were those creatures?" the twins asked amongst themselves, discussing the event instead of helping the passengers out of the broken contraption.

"I have no idea, Nelsvee… Nellyne. Now, will you PLEASE help me take them out of the wreckage?" Althii ordered.

A few minutes after Althii and the twins managed to get everyone out, Vhie was able to regain consciousness, and immediately took Eilmahn in her arms. Althii knew what to do this time.

"Before I arrest the both of you… will you please tell me why you are wanted by the government of Juno in the first place?" Althii spoke calmly to the female sage.

Vhie stared coldly at their supposed warden's eyes and replied, "We knew the truth… that's all."

"Explain yourself… in behalf of your partner and those two mercenaries." Althii went on. She walked closer to Vhie to make sure she wouldn't be able to escape.

"Oh, those two? We don't know them… I just… hitchhiked and followed the trail to Thanatos tower, knowing that Eilmahn would be there… and he was." Vhie answered. She looked back at Althii's questioning eyes, hoping to satisfy her. Althii simply nodded, signaling her to continue.

"We didn't steal anything… but we knew information that the sages of Juno held back all these years from the public, thereby isolating us from the rest of humanity. You heard of the stolen tome from the library, right? We saw who did it, and I bet your superiors knew who the real culprit is."

"Tell me more." Althii simply replied. She wasn't going to buy the information in the first place, but something felt different about Vhie's statements. Something felt odd.

"It may sound weird, but the one who stole that tome was a tall man with extremely pointy ears… wearing a butler's suit. He had pieces of Ymir's heart with him, and he was riding a bicycle with a dark aura." Vhie went on. She was about to speak again when a disgruntled voice came from behind her.

"Did you just say that a tall butler with pointy ears did it? I remember seeing one, but without the pointy ears." Shahiv asked as he shook Braer to consciousness.

Vhie and Althii exchanged knowing glances. Somehow, they were starting to connect pieces of this uncontrollable puzzle. Althii ordered Shahiv to explain further, which revealed more information that prevented her from taking Vhie into custody.

No sooner than Shahiv stopped talking, Braer began speaking and told everyone that the butler DID have pointy ears… remembering the time he was holding the butler in his arms after he and Shahiv crashed in front of him. "He didn't even get a single scratch! I knew we hit him squarely… and accidentally during that time in Einbroch… and I can assure you, he does have pointy ears, concealed neatly behind his hair. I just didn't mention it to Shahiv because I felt something different about him." Braer explained.

"Why did your wagon malfunction earlier in Einbroch?" Althii probed. She was near in solving the puzzle.

"You see, this wagon… err, Archdam, is powered by Unrefined Hetarium. It only malfunctions if the parts fall off, which rarely happens, or if there is a strong presence of Ymir's Heart within a 500-meter radius." Shahiv said.

"I think we have found him. By any chance, did he tell you his name?" Althii went on asking.

"Locke. He said his name was Locke." Braer answered immediately.

To the group's surprise, Eilmahn began speaking as well, perhaps awakened by the conversation. "You know, Lenard told me something earlier when he fought me…"

"Out with it, Eilmahn. We need the pieces of this puzzle to fit." Althii said. Eilmahn nodded and relayed the information.

"So that explains why the Archdam malfunctioned this time…" Shahiv said, scratching his chin. He went on by stating that the engine still had enough power to run up to Hugel despite having the brakes destroyed. Althii and Vhie finally understood everything when Shahiv told them that the Archdam detected three fragments of Ymir's heart the moment the creatures slammed and ran them over.

"We only need to reach Hugel and find this guy named Locke. Though we do not know who or what caused that explosion in Juno earlier. We can't go back there yet." Althii concluded. The group was about to pack their things and repair the Archdam when Eilmahn told them that he felt Lenard's presence when the three creatures ran the Archdam over. "One of them looked at me and growled… and I sensed that it could have been him, for he may have been exposed to the Heart pieces he had stolen from Hugel… and it turned him and his lackeys into monsters…" he explained.

The group was then alerted by the twins who sighted a bicycle enveloped with a dark aura that just overtook an incoming locomotive… with a rooftop neatly ripped open.

Hugel Station, 1 hour & 24 minutes before the Erasure

"What are we doing here, Savech? You just pulled me out of the headquarters…" Siria said to a young man while catching her breath. A few minutes earlier, Savech grabbed her hands after she told him about the explosion in Juno. Little did she know that in doing so, Savech will terribly get upset.

"We're going back to Juno! Our families are in danger!" Savech replied. His eyes told Siria that he was deadly determined to get on board a locomotive at any instant. However, that determination seemed to fade into oblivion when they heard what the station executive said over the loudspeaker.

Again, we would like to announce that ALL trips bound for Juno are cancelled until further notice. Officials are investigating a supposed explosion that happened earlier this afternoon. We thank you all for your understanding.

Siria felt cold as Savech gripped her hand tighter. Ever since they left for the station, Savech didn't let go of her even when they ran across the mining facility.

"Sa-Savech… it hurts…" Siria told her friend. Upon hearing her, Savech let go of Siria's hand and apologized.

"We couldn't do anything for them, Siria. We couldn't do anything! Damn it! All we need is one freaking locomotive, and we couldn't even get one!" Savech broke down in front of his friend. Siria simply embraced the boy, and consoled him.

"We should go back to the headquarters now… I'll cook a meal for you." Siria said, trying to calm her friend. It seemed to work, as Savech was now drying up his eyes with his wrists.

The two was about to exit the station when a distressed voice called to both of them from behind. Siria looked back, and found a tall and handsome butler approaching them. Savech narrowed his eyes, scanning the butler from head to toe.

"Hello, young ones… My name is Locke, and I'm currently lost." the butler revealed to the two.

"I see… You're currently in Hugel Station, mister. Where are you heading, anyway?" Siria asked.

"I'm looking for the route that will take me to Odin's Temple. Do you know how I can get there from here?" Locke inquired.

Siria scratched her head. She obviously hadn't heard of the place, having been raised in Juno with Savech. She was about to tell the butler that she knew no such route, when Savech interrupted her.

"I heard from the locals that one needs to take a boat to reach Odin's Temple." Savech told the butler.

Locke thanked the two for being "cooperative" and proceeded after getting directions from Savech. He left without another word, and stepped out of the station. Savech and Siria left the station afterwards using the alternative exit.

Upon exiting the station, Savech and Siria were stopped by three teenagers dressed in apprentice's clothes.

"Um, Excuse me… do you know where the Engineering Facility is? We're looking for Lieutenant Flireis…" said a lad who introduced himself as Jervy.

"May I know what business you have with the Lieutenant?" Siria asked the group.

"We have been searching for someone named Loki. We thought it would be better to ask the Lieutenant of the Engineering Facility… since she does get the classified reports." explained another apprentice who introduced herself as Christine.

"How can we trust your group? I see one of you is carrying a rather sharp blade…" Savech commented.

"Oh, you mean this sword? It's for protection. Who knows when a disaster is going to happen? We can defend ourselves with this." answered another apprentice who introduced himself as Ivan. He then struck the sword cleanly onto the tiled floor, showing off a bit.

"Please, come with us. We'll take you to the Engineering Facility Headquarters. As you can see, we are under the command of Lieutenant Flireis. We are to follow protocol in case something like this happens." Siria explained.

"You sure know how to handle these kids… I'm quite surprised the cook can act like the Lieutenant herself." Savech said. Siria simply shoved him to the side, which made the apprentices trust them more.

Siria and Savech then left towards the Headquarters, taking the group of apprentices with them. They were about to make a turn as they neared the facility, when the sword glowed eerily with a purple tinge. Ivan's hand moved on its own, and pointed the sword to a certain direction.

"Is that thing a compass? That direction heads straight to Odin's Temple once you take a boat ride…" Savech informed the apprentices.

"Well, the owner of this sword told us that it can detect Loki… I wonder if this is what he meant." Ivan revealed.