Heeeeeeey readers! Sick of me yet?
Anyway, this is getting uploaded tonight for 7th Scale, since he found out the chapter was written and I just wasn't posting it because I was shilling for more reviews on the last one. Ha. Here you go!
Who's ready for some heart-wrenching feelingz scenes?
Despite the fact that the area directly outside of Mysidia was mostly grasslands, as the last of the sun's light faded it still became treacherous to navigate. The temperature had also dropped, and even though the tropical climate would never be as cold as other locations, it was still uncomfortable.
Cuore was graceful on her feet but she was tired of picking her way carefully across the frozen grasses and finally stopped with a sigh.
"We should stop for the night." she commented, glancing at Kieran.
He stopped at her side and shrugged, "You won't hear any complaints from me. Though, these aren't exactly ideal conditions to set up camp."
Cuore nodded in a distracted fashion. She was finding it difficult to focus since their encounter with Zethan Knox. Something he had said was bothering her, and try as she might, she couldn't get it out of her head.
Kieran knew something was bugging her; the way he kept glancing at her, trying to catch her wandering gaze told her that much. He never said anything, but she was fine with that.
She wasn't sure she could even put into words why she was so unsettled.
Since she hadn't replied to comment, Kieran just moved along with their plan, choosing a spot a little further away where some larger rocks were scattered. It was a logical plan, she knew. With the rocks at their backs, the wind would be blocked from one direction and provide some measure of comfort.
Snow was rare in Mysidia and so was rain this time of year so at least their chances of getting wet were slim.
Cuore was of little help in setting everything up by the time she was focused enough to realize it, but she did finally speak up when Kieran had tried and failed to get a fire going.
"I could do that," she mentioned.
He gestured to the pile of sad looking tinder he'd been able to find. "By all means,"
Cuore whispered the word needed and the fire sprang to life with a few crackles and pops.
She glanced at him through the fires curiously, "I thought you hated magic,"
Kieran frowned and leaned back against the rocks, "I don't hate magic, I just think mages are a little useless in a fight. And I think people relay on magic too much to solve their problems."
Cuore stared at the fire, considering his words.
While she pondered, she could feel Kieran studying her, probably still trying to figure out what was wrong.
Cuore glanced at him and he frowned, "Are you…okay? You've been acting odd ever since that fight with Zethan."
At first, she didn't reply. She took a moment to pick her words as carefully as she could, knowing that she could get an honest, straight answer out of Kieran if she asked the right question, the right way.
"He said something that I am trying to…assess."
Kieran made a face, "Why? He's insane, you heard him."
"But he made an interesting point," she countered.
He was still scowling, "What part?"
She shifted uncomfortably, and her companion sighed, "Cuore, whatever he said that has you bothered, ignore him. He may have claimed to watch you since you got here but that doesn't mean he knows you."
She looked up, "You don't know me either,"
At that comment, Kieran looked slightly hurt and insulted, "Maybe not very well, but better than Zethan."
She appreciated his words, but the truth was she wasn't sure any more about anything. She wanted to believe that Zethan was wrong, but try as she might she couldn't get his words out of her head.
She was a weapon, nothing more.
It wasn't true, but it very could have been. The Maenads hadn't been weapons at their core but the world still saw them as such.
The world didn't see her as a person, only a Maenad, so weren't they saying the same thing about her?
Curoe fidgeted, trying to sort through her own jumbled thoughts and sift away the worry about her brother at the same time.
She'd been useless so far in finding him, and had only encountered horrible people along the way.
"Cuore?"
She glanced up to see Kieran studying her again. "You're spacing out, and I'm going to hazard a guess and say you weren't talking with your Eidolons."
Annoyed, she stood up to pace. Was he trying to prove a point that he knew her better then she thought by making comments like that?
"I'm trying to think," she complained.
Kieran watched her pace, "Alright, but I'm telling you to ignore Zethan. He runs a cult, Cuore. He's good at saying a lot of things people want to hear. It's his job to get under your skin."
"You assume he lies,"
"Obviously." he replied.
Cuore had been ignoring her anxiety over Leo's disappearance since it had happened, but now she was having trouble displacing it when the only other feelings to focus on were just as chaotic.
"What if he wasn't lying?" she muttered, more to herself then in answer to Kieran's comment.
He heaved a sigh, "People say lots of things, it doesn't always make them true."
Cuore stopped pacing and glanced at him, jarred out of her apprehensive thoughts by his practical tone. It was something she was beginning to admire about him.
"Keely used to say that all the time, and you know what? She was right." Kieran said, pinning her with a look. "Zethan doesn't know you, if he did he wouldn't have forced you into a fight and been so horribly beaten. Let it go, Cuore."
She wished she could so easily, but for the moment she was distracted by something else. "Who is Keely?"
The name sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it.
Kieran opened his mouth, then paused and averted his gaze, speaking quietly. "She was my sister."
Cuore flinched, instantly regretting having asked. She hesitated, unsure how to apologize that wouldn't upset him more.
"She…was just a little older then Leo…" he muttered, sounding distracted.
She swallowed thickly and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Kieran's gaze shifted back to the fire, a sad half-smile on his face, and he spoke as though she hadn't apologized.
"Kaiden always said that out of the three of us she would be the one to go on the adventure. Keely the great we always said to tease her. She just nodded and told us not to forget it."
Cuore sat down carefully, afraid to draw attention to herself and make this instant turn unpleasant. At the moment, Kieran hardly seemed to be speaking to her at all. His voice was so quiet and despondent that she almost wished he'd stop telling her this story. Another part of her longed to hear it; it was rare to hear him speak of his family and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been curious.
"I was going to build her an airship so she could fly wherever she wanted, and Kaiden was going to find all the weapons and items she needed for the trip." he continued, still staring at the fire. "She always wanted to go Damcyan and I could never figure out why…"
Cuore bit her lip, guilt clawing at her insides.
Kieran narrowed his eyes, though the nostalgic expression remained on his face. "Keely would always ask me to tell her stories. She said I always came up with interesting ones and they always had a different ending. I remember she especially liked the one about the butterfly princess…"
The fire suddenly crackled and broke the trace, making Kieran blink and look away, muttering, "I should stop talking."
Cuore shook her head quickly, one hand gripping at the grasses beside her to steady herself and keep herself grounded. Her emotions were raw and she was afraid that the tears she was holding back would fall if she let herself breathe.
"No, you don't have too," she whispered, unsure what to say.
Kieran glanced at her, and his expression turned annoyed, "Don't look at me like that,"
"Like what?" she asked, confused.
"Like your about to cry," he muttered, rolling his shoulder out.
Cuore glared at him, "Why do you always do that?"
"What?"
"Try and make me stop feeling?" she snapped angrily. "First you complain because I'm a heartless duplicate and then when I show any sort of emotion you always tell me to stop!"
Kieran scowled at her, "I haven't said anything remotely close to that for a while so don't dump your insecurities onto me, Cuore."
There was nothing she could do to stop the tears from leaking out of the corner of her eyes, or prevent the tightening in her chest from a mixture of emotions.
They were roiling feelings of anger and guilt and frustration that coalesced into tangible tears as their expression. She was so angry at everything in the world that she couldn't even decide what bothered her more.
Even through her blurry vision she saw Kieran's surprise that she actually burst into tears, but she didn't want him to apologize or question the action so she hastily spoke, anger coming to the forefront of her tone.
"You don't understand!" she nearly shouted, hands clenching, "You don't get what it's like to feel like you're the one who did these awful things when really you weren't even on the planet at the time! I can see it, Kieran; see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, feel it! It's too much to remember all of it, but I can't help it!"
Cuore stood, anger bouncing back until she was more upset at herself then him. "I remember your little sister. I remember your parents and your brother. I remember lifting my hand and calling forth that flare. I remember it all!"
"Cuore-"
She shook her head and held up a hand, still crying, "No, stop, please. Not now. It's too much. Not now."
She ran, too afraid to stay and explain herself because she wasn't sure she could explain. How did she voice what was wrong when she wasn't even sure?
Cuore ran until she was far enough away that the fire wasn't visible anymore and then she finished the incantation she hadn't even been aware she'd started.
Phoenix appeared in her regal human guise, as if she'd known her summoner needed her for something that her fiery form couldn't fix. Her gown was molted with reds and oranges and even in the dark of the night, it seemed to emit a warm glow. Her red hair melted into feathers halfway down her back and her golden eyes were soft as she stared at her summoner.
Cuore didn't even bother to greet her and instead grasp onto her and sobbed.
Phoenix let out a small sound of surprise before wrapping her arms around Cuore and gently lowering them both to the ground. "Oh, destined one, what is wrong? I'm glad you finally called me, I could feel your growing uneasy through our link but you'd been so quiet."
"I-I don't know what's wrong," she cried, burying her head into Phoenix's shoulder.
The Eidolon woman sighed, "Cuore, you can't simply ignore you emotions and hope they go away. That's not the way that they work. You have to face them, like you would a foe. You have to work through them."
Cuore peered up at her, still crying, "How can I, when I don't even understand what I'm feeling?"
Phoenix smiled slightly and brushed aside some of her wild her, "I can't tell you what your feeling, only you can figure that out. But I can sit here with you. I can listen to you."
Cuore clung to her and nodded, "Please stay,"
She cried, and through the course of her tears she mumbled things that didn't really amount to much. She learned very little about herself that she didn't already know, but Phoenix was right.
She couldn't keep running from her emotions or she was going to have many more of these breakdowns.
"I miss Leo." she sobbed, worried for his safety and feeling horribly guilty all the while.
Phoenix soothed her by stroking her back, "Of course you miss him. He's your brother."
"I miss my parents, too." she realized.
Her Eidolon nodded, "And I would assume they miss you as well."
Cuore squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm so confused right now! What is wrong with me? I can't even think straight."
Phoenix laughed ever so slightly, "Destined one, your confusion is what fuels your tears. You are feeling helpless, and no being likes to feel that way. Human, Maenad, Eidolon. We all hate it. You must learn from it, though. This situation is not something you can control, you have to learn that there will be things you cannot control in your life. But your emotions, Cuore, those you can govern so that they do not control you."
Cuore chewed her lip, tasting salt, and finally whispered, "I'm scared of myself."
"I know." Phoenix murmured, hugging her tightly.
They remained that way for so long Cuore lost track of the time, but before the night wore on footsteps made them both look up.
Phoenix released her enough that she could sit up and look, though she cringed when she saw it was Kieran. Who else she thought it might be, she didn't know, but this was not an encounter she was hoping to have anytime soon.
He seemed uncomfortable with finding her in the middle of crying, clinging to her Eidolon, and he shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.
"It…had been over an hour." he explained with half a shrug, "I figured I should make sure a monster hadn't eaten you."
Cuore blinked and sniffed in an attempt to stop her tears while Phoenix merely smiled at Kieran, "I appreciate you coming to check up on my summoner."
He nodded, "Um…sure."
Phoenix glanced at Cuore, and she saw the look on her face and quickly shook her head.
"Don't you dare leave me!" she whined.
"Cuore, you are in good hands. He's as worried about you as I am." the Eidolon woman told her, ever patient. "I am only a few words away, but your problems are human problems. Perhaps you should ask advice from your human friends."
Phoenix gently extracted herself from Cuore's grip and stood in a graceful motion, still smiling. She helped Cuore to her feet though the teal haired teen made sure to avoid looking directly at Kieran.
Him seeing her cry was extremely embarrassing.
Turning to Kieran, Phoenix held onto Cuore's hands as she spoke, "Please be kind and patient, would you? The other Eidolons have no love for you but I trust you to have my summoner's best interest at heart."
He blinked, and made a face Cuore couldn't identify before speaking up, "Well, since your fine, I can just leave you two alone, if that's…better."
Phoenix shook her head, "No, please, stay. Cuore's wasting energy by keeping me here."
She leaned forward and stroked Cuore's cheek once, "I am a call away, destined one, but remember that I cannot help you understand. Only you can figure it out."
She nodded, and dismissed Phoenix back to the Feymarch. There was an awkward pause in the silence after she left, and finally Kieran gestured back the way he came. "It's cold, we should go back."
Cuore followed after him, not sure if she felt better or worse after her talk with Phoenix. The Eidolon was right, though, she needed to deal with this.
Still, she would have preferred to be alone to do so, not stuck with Kieran while she tried to sort through her troubling emotions.
They returned to the campfire, which was still going, and Kieran sat without a word, poking at the flames to make sure they were still under control.
Cuore had no desire to sit down and so stood opposite him, holding her hands over the tops of the fire in the hopes she could warm her numb fingers.
Kieran suddenly sighed, "Look, I'm sorry."
She glanced up, brow furrowing, "For what?"
He shifted to sit on the ground and rested his elbows on the tops of his knees before he answered, sounding exasperated. "For making you cry, again. I seem to be really good at it, and this time I wasn't even trying."
Cuore couldn't help it, she giggled and let her hands drop to her sides, "It wasn't you, Kieran."
"For once," he added, staring at her. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head, "No,"
"Do…you want to talk about it?" he ventured carefully. He sounded like he was grasping in the dark for words.
"Not with you." she replied automatically. Only after the fact did she wince when she realized how that would sound.
He looked annoyed, but said nothing and stared at the fire. Cuore chewed her lip and contemplated her options before walking around the campfire and gingerly sitting down next to him with her legs bent and drawn up to one side.
"I didn't mean it to sound like that," she said quietly, feeling guilty that after all this time she was still hurting him.
"You told Zethan you trusted me with your life, Cuore," he whispered. "So why won't you trust me with this?"
She peered up at him, "I trust you, but I'm uncertain if you trust me."
He looked confused, and she turned to stare at the fire, speaking lowly and evenly and hoping dearly that she wasn't going to regret this.
"Trust is something earned, right? Or does a person have it until they do something to lose it? I don't blame you for not trusting me. What I am makes it impossible, doesn't it?"
"Cuore, you know I trust you." Kieran replied, regarding her in an odd fashion. "I've told you that before, and I would never lie to you."
Cuore stared at him, hesitating to believe him though what reason did he have to lie to her?
She swallowed, "Even though…I'm a Maenad?"
"Is that what this is all about?" he asked, sounding surprised. "I thought…you were over that."
Cuore pulled her knees to her chest and stared into the restless flames, "I don't know that I'll ever be able to put that to rest…"
She closed her eyes, deciding to take a chance and trust him in this moment. To take Phoenix's advice. If anyone would possibly understand where she was coming from, it might very well be the young man sitting next to her.
"Zethan made valid points. I have all the makings of a weapon. The Maenads, however, weren't weapons. At least, not at their core. I know what the world saw them as, but they were seekers, designed to gather information for the creator. They weren't meant to do anything more." she explained softly, speaking freely.
"A random malfunction is the only thing that makes me different." Cuore admitted.
Kieran cleared his throat to interrupt her, "I've heard you say that before, but maybe it wasn't so random, Cuore."
She glanced at him with a bitterly amused expression, "You don't know much about the Maenads, do you? Most of the world doesn't, I suppose…"
Wrapping her arms around her knees she began to talk about something only her parents had heard before, surprising herself she would share it with Kieran of all people.
"I share a ninety-seven percent genetic match to Rydia. The creator hacked into the Crystal in the underworld and used data it contained to copy and create the Maenads based on her form. The use of Eidolons was something he had not come across before on any planet."
She closed her eyes, "Each Maenad is a copy of that very first one that traveled in the guise of Rydia for mere hours on this world. Through those events, she gathered the data needed to create the rest of the Maenads. Each Maenad made has the memories of all those that came before, and are linked telepathically into a hive mind. We share thoughts and knowledge to each other. When the Maenads weren't in use, so to speak, they remain in suspended animation within special protected pods."
Cuore had never realized how sick her origins made her feel until she shivered while explaining the next part. "Those pods are also how Maenads are…created. They don't reproduce, obviously, they are just…made. My form was incomplete when the creation pod failed. My link to the others was severed; my form was damaged and imperfect. The other Maenads who were damaged at the same time all compiled with their programing, if you will, and terminated their existence."
She had paused, and Kieran finished out her thought for her. "But not you,"
Cuore shook her head, "No, I was…afraid, and so I didn't. And then…I met Rydia."
"I didn't realize you…remembered everything so…vividly," he said haltingly.
Her eyes glazed slightly as she stared at the fire, "Everything the Maenads were, they passed to me in the end. Last of my kind. I have all their knowledge and experiences."
There was a lull in their conversation, and Cuore rested her chin on the tops of her knees, realizing she still had more to say.
"Zethan sees me as a weapon, the rest of the world sees me as a robot, Zeromus saw me as a puppet." She shut her eyes, "I have no idea what I see myself as. What am I? Do I even have a soul? Can something made, not born, have a soul?"
"Do the Eidolons have souls?" Kieran asked her suddenly.
She snapped her head up look at him, surprised.
"They're not born, yet I could have sworn Phoenix used part of her soul to put your soul back in your body." he continued.
Cuore stared at him, having not thought about that before, and found herself whispering, "What about you? What do you see me as?"
She'd once asked him this question before, and he'd diverted the answer. Maybe this time she could get something straight out of him.
Kieran hesitated and she tipped her head to one side, "If you see a Maenad, you can say that, you know. It's what I am. It's what I'll always be. I can't change that."
He shook his head, annoyed, "No, that isn't what I see,"
"But your family-" she started, only to have him cut her off.
"You aren't her."
Cuore stiffened and felt fresh tears pool in her eyes, "But I could have been. If my pod hadn't of failed, if I hadn't have been defective. I'm not even a Maenad, you know. I'm too imperfect for that. Not human, not Maenad; I'm some flawed duplicate, trapped in a world filled with vile people."
She started to sob once more, unable to stop herself from breaking down all over again.
"This world is so horrible. People cheat, and steal, and lie. They kidnap innocent children and pit others of their kind against mutated monsters they've captured. They play games with people's lives like toys, all the while wearing fake smiles. They sell out everyone around them just for tangible rewards that last a moment, while their actions scar the world forever."
Cuore shook her head and buried her face into her hands, "I don't understand it! Yet I'm the contemptible creation everyone hates! The Maenads may have caused pain, but humans do this willing to their own kind. What makes them better and right and me evil and wrong? Incomprehensible!"
She curled into herself to cry, lost in her anxiety about Leo's safety, her own hatred of what she was coupled with all the confusion she felt. Her emotions were threatening to overpower her, helpless as she was at this point in her life, and she had no idea how to avoid drowning in them.
There was a careful and hesitant touch on her back, reminding her she wasn't alone at the moment. Cuore stifled a groan at being stuck with Kieran of all people for this mental collapse.
But still, it was oddly comforting to have him stroke her back and she turned her tear stained face to him, resting her cheek on her knees.
"You never let me answer your question."
The completely bland way he had spoken made her chuckle and she used her hands to wipe off her face, giving him her full attention afterwards, though she was still trembling with sobs.
"Sorry, your right. I didn't." she said with a deep, shuddering breath.
Kieran studied her before speaking, and although he seemed rather reluctant to talk at all, there was no uncertainty in his tone. He meant the words he was speaking, that she knew.
"A Maenad is what you are, Cuore, but it isn't who you are. Do you understand the difference? Maenad is like a title, or…a starting place, it doesn't automatically define you. It's like what you said to Zethan; magic doesn't make someone better. This is the same. Being a Maenad doesn't make you evil."
He continued, shrugging, "I don't see a Maenad when I look at you anymore, you don't even look like one."
Cuore blinked, "The Maenads were matured to an age approximately twelve years from my current-"
He rolled his eyes, "No, Cuore, you're missing my point. You don't look like her. You aren't her."
She was surprised when he reached out to tug on her hair, "Sure, your hair is the same color, and you look like Rydia, but…you display so many emotions on your face that you barely look like the Maenads anymore. Your eyes are even a different color."
"Unlikely." she complained.
Kieran frowned at her, "Stop interrupting me. I'm trying to make you feel better."
She smiled a little and bit her lip to avoid making anymore unwanted comments.
He let go of her hair and instead flicked a tear off her cheek, "So, no, I don't see a Maenad when I look at you. I see…a talented, beautiful, socially odd, brilliant obnoxious know-it-all who is deviously clever and sarcastic and perfect, just the way she is."
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks for an entirely different reason then before and Kieran sighed, "And someone I can only make cry, apparently,"
Cuore giggled and shook her head, hair cascading over one shoulder, "No, don't worry, these are good tears."
Kieran's hand had left her cheek but he touched her chin to make her look up at him once more, finishing out his thought. "You have to figure out what you see yourself as, Cuore, before you can go anywhere from this. Don't let other people define you, tell you who you are or who you have to be. That's your choice."
He shrugged one shoulder, "I should take my own advice, but…you have no control over the past; what you were and where you came from. But the future? That is your choice. Where you go and who you become."
Cuore blinked a few times, letting his words sink in as he muttered, "As for being human, well, as you said, we're not so great to begin with, so maybe you shouldn't try so hard to be like us…"
She smiled slowly, grateful and relieved and whispered, "I don't know…for all the wicked people I've met the last few days, I think I've found one or two that make up for it."
They shared a smile at that, and she brushed off the remaining traces of her tears, feeling lighter and less conflicted then she had. Kieran was right, however; she had to figure out who she was right now and who she wanted to become. No one could answer her questions for her.
Despite how well she felt, she glanced at Kieran, who had gone back to watching the fire and wondered if he was where she was. Feeling trapped, alone, bound so heavily to the past that it ate at his soul.
"Kieran?"
He looked over, "Yeah?"
Cuore smiled, "Thank you."
He nodded, sparing her the briefest hint of a smile. It was all he ever really let slip.
She bit her lip, "Are you…okay?"
"Me?" he asked, giving her a funny look.
She swallowed and nodded, "Yes, you. You never talk about your family…or your scars…"
Kieran sighed and looked away, "My turn, then?"
"I won't force you," Cuore replied, shifting on the ground. "But if you wanted to talk, I would listen."
He sighed, continuing to stare at the fire, but spoke nevertheless. "What do you want to know?"
Cuore blinked a couple of times before shifting away from facing him to look off into the fire as well. "I…don't know that much about you. What are you willing to share?"
There was a pause and then Kieran nodded slowly, beginning to talk in a halted manner.
"My family owned an item shop, you already knew that. I wanted to build airships when I grew up, my older brother, Kaiden, wanted to take over the family business. Keely wanted to slay dragons."
He shrugged, "We were normal. My father worked hard, my mother cooked dinner every night. What can I say? Everything was fine, and I never imagined it being any different."
Even knowing what was coming next, she still tensed when he continued the story, because she knew all too well what had happened, and no matter what she told herself, she still felt guilty.
"And then that night happened, and everything went up in smoke in a matter of seconds. I saw…" he paused and closed his eyes, "I saw my parents die. I was holding Keely, but that spell, flare, right? I still don't really know what happened. I remember being in pain, and hearing screams, seeing bright lights but…I have no idea what really happened."
Cuore was digging her fingernails into her legs in an attempt to focus her thoughts, "Viola said…she met you after that, but she didn't tell me anything else."
Kieran shook his head, "Viola told me later that everyone was surprised I was still alive, and that I was horribly out of it for days, but honestly? I don't remember any of that. I vaguely remember voices and random images but nothing that stands out."
"Then…" she hazarded, "after that?"
He gave a sharp, short and bitter laugh, "Oh, after that? It wasn't until later that everyone figured out there was a Maenad in the castle, right? So all I knew at that point was that, still sick from the attack, I got thrown out of the castle and was left to fend for myself, running from zombie-like guards while meteorites are falling from the sky."
"Oh." she said quietly. "That…sucks."
"Yes, yes it did. And then the world was saved and somehow I couldn't bring myself to be very happy about it…" Kieran complained, frowning. "I was so bitter back then, and I know what you're thinking; that I'm bitter now, too, but trust me, I was worse back then."
She blinked at him, "You had every right to be,"
"Maybe." he muttered. "But you know what? I never let myself grieve for what happened, because I was too busy being angry."
His eyes narrowed, "And now I'm not sure I know how to grieve…"
Cuore licked her lips nervously, "I'm not sure I can help you with that, since I'm confused about my emotions, too, but…maybe it will help to…tell me about your family?"
He stared at her, "What do you want to know?"
"What do you want to tell me? What do you remember most?" she replied.
Cuore had always been curious about Kieran's family. Not just because of what had happened to them, or because of how he was, but because all of Cuore's friends had their family intact. She knew their parents as well as she did them.
"Well, let's see…my mom played the piano, and she was a good cook. She always worried too much, though. If we stayed up too late, or if we went out in the rain, or if she thought we were sick."
Cuore rested her cheek on the tops of her knees again, listening to him.
"My father was very serious, until you got to know him and then you'd realize that he was actually really sarcastic, but it was such a dry sense of humor most people missed it. He was a little bit of a perfectionist. Especially with the store's displays. It had to be exact. I could never do it well enough for his tastes."
"And your siblings?" she asked.
Kieran grinned slightly, "Well, we…got into too much trouble for our own good. Kaiden was always coming up with little schemes that I would always tell him were bad ideas, but I still did them with him. Keely was sassy, and tried to do too much. She was just a little girl, but she thought she was already a queen."
"And you? What were you like back then?" Cuore asked, always inquisitive.
He blinked, "Me? I was…well," He grinned again, "I was anti-social, that much didn't change. I didn't have any friends, I liked to read. I liked to be alone. I wanted to build airships when I grew up."
He frowned, "Ironic I would get airsick…"
She giggled.
He stopped talking then, for a moment, and the mood sobered as he went back to staring at the fire.
"It's the little things," Kieran said quietly. "I remember my family. I remember who they were at their core, I have so many memories about our lives…" His eyes narrowed as if straining to see something. "It's the little things I can't remember."
Cuore said nothing, wondering if there was anything she could say to make this instant any easier. By the time she concluded there wasn't, he was speaking again.
"I can't remember how tall my brother was, or the exact color of my mother's eyes. I can't…remember the sound of my father's voice or how long my sister's hair was."
Kieran glanced at her, studying her as if hoping she could somehow help, "I'm afraid that, since these small details have faded, that someday I won't remember them at all. It's like…losing them all over again."
Cuore didn't know what to say, so instead she set her hand gently on his arm and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "All I can think to say is I'm sorry, and I know that's not what you want to hear."
He smiled slightly at her, "No, it's not. I hate hearing that. That's all anyone ever tells me. That's why I don't talk about my family, or let people know about my scars. I hate seeing the look of pity on their faces or hearing them say their sorry when it fact they don't even get it."
He shook his head, "Everyone after the attack, after I had met Kain and decided to train, all people ever said was that they were sorry, and that I should be glad that I was still alive, and that it happened for a reason."
He glared at nothing in particular, "Sorry my fist connected with your face. It happened for a reason."
Cuore bit her lip, "Then what do you want to hear?"
"I don't know." he admitted, looking back to her. "I'm sorry about the other night, about snapping at you with the scars, I just…I never let people know about those. Only a handful of people do."
She shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I feel as though I overstepped some boundary, there."
Kieran set his hand over hers, still resting on his arm, "Don't worry about it."
Cuore tipped her head to one side, "I've always wanted to ask you…why did you decide to become a dragoon? Why not still try to build airships like you always wanted?"
He looked momentarily sheepish and then averted his gaze, "Don't make fun of me, but…I wanted to learn how to at least keep people safe. I was helpless to save my family, even being right next to them, and so, I wanted to learn to protect people who couldn't protect themselves, so that no one else had to go through what I did."
She nodded slowly and he shrugged, adding, "And, I do like Kain. He has never one told me he's sorry. In fact, he told me to grow up and get over myself. It was infinitely more helpful advice…"
Cuore giggled, noting the humor in his tone as he said that. And she had always found their relationship amusing.
"That's why I came with you, you know." he mumbled, looking back to her. "If I had been able to save Keely, or any member of my family, I would have. Here I have a chance to help you find your brother."
Cuore's expression softened and she smiled once more, "And I thank you for that,"
Kieran nodded, "Your welcome."
The conversation died down into a comfortable silence, and despite how it had seemingly dropped away, it wasn't awkward. Cuore felt better having talked out her troubles with someone else, and she felt she understood Kieran more now.
But she also felt…odd.
"More unknown emotions. I don't think I can decipher this…" she complained inwardly.
It wasn't helping that Kieran was regarding her in an abnormal manner; studying her as if he'd never seen her before in his life.
She blinked and tipped her head to one side, "What?"
He shook his head and reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Nothing. We should get some sleep."
Cuore paused, watching as he extracted his hand from her hair and frowned lightly, feeling as though she was missing something. Rather than dwell on it, she decided to focus on Kieran's practical comment and nodded.
"Yes, we should. I'll take first watch, if you like."
He gave her a funny look, "Are you sure?"
She nodded and stood, "Yes, I need the time to think, anyway."
Kieran shrugged and leaned back against the rocks behind him. Cuore turned to stare out over the darkened plains.
It was going to be a long night.
"Bells! Get your bells!"
Cuore cringed from the vendor on the street corner yelling in what had to be tones humans should never reach.
"How many days does it take to celebrate a damn crystal?" Kieran wondered out loud, frowning. "I mean, seriously."
She grinned at him, "Apparently quite a few,"
They were making their way, slowly, through the streets of Mysidia and towards the Serpent Road. Clogs of people were making progress slow, but despite the offset, Cuore was surprisingly calm.
Yes, it was wasting her time and yes, she needed to find her brother, but her frazzled nerves felt healed somewhat after the night's discussion with Kieran.
That, and she was finding his company to be more enjoyable then before.
She couldn't decide if it was because he was less irritated and intimidating, or if she was simply looking at him differently.
Either way, they had gone hours without an argument, and she countered that as a victory.
The city was overrun with tourists, and there was a chill in the air that even the thick crowds couldn't hide. People wove through the streets at two speeds; slogging or dashing. Cuore wasn't fond of either and tried her best to avoid touching anyone.
After a long morning of walking, the building that housed the Serpent's Road was in sight, and they eventually slipped inside without attracting any attention. After all, everyone was preoccupied with the festival, and the gateway was supposed to be out of use, anyway.
Cuore hurried to one of the pillars in the room and pried the panel off of it, kneeling down to look inside and decide how best to go about tracking the matter streams.
Kieran leaned against the doorway, she assumed to keep an eye out, and spoke up from his perch.
"Where do you think these…roads go?" he asked.
Cuore frowned thoughtfully, "The matter streams degrade the longer and further they travel, hence why the Lunarians have a circuit around the way world. Besides that, it can only go in a straight line, and passing through more matter, like, say, a mountain, would further degrade the stream. My guess is this one goes somewhere to Fabul, but I can't be certain."
"Makes sense. I mean, if the black market is using this, then there's probably one to go everywhere we've had trouble." he replied, glancing towards the doorway.
She blinked a few times, wondering if she was reading the data in front of her. The record she had found for this Phen'Doe Mar made her pause and reexamine the crystal tube she was holding.
"That's odd," she mumbled, squinting.
Kieran glanced over, "What is?"
"This…record." she answered, distracted. "It claims to have received a matter stream the day Leo disappeared. A transport from Baron."
"So?"
She pursed her lips, "So, it was before you and I accessed it and Jasmine had told me that the device had been deactivated for the children's field trip."
Kieran wandered over and looked over her shoulder, "Jasmine?"
"The teacher's aide."
He frowned, "Maybe we should have a word with her,"
"…Perhaps." Cuore muttered, unhappy that she was being lead back to where they had started this trip. "But that would require us to go to Baron, and I'm not sure how we would explain our activities."
Kieran nodded, "True…what else did you learn?"
"That someone has fried the receiving record on this device," Cuore complained, jamming the crystal back into its spot. "I believe they do not wish to be found."
He sighed, "So, now what?"
"If I knew the location of the other end of this Phen'Doe Mar, I could manually put in the code," she explained, sitting back on her heels. "But without the exact location, I can't be certain we wouldn't simply…vanish."
"Charming." Kieran remarked sarcastically. "Any other thoughts?"
Cuore shook her head, annoyed at herself for failing yet again.
They both remained silent for a moment; she stared at the inner workings of the crystalline computer in the hopes she would be inspired to come up with a plan.
She was startled from her thoughts when Kieran knelt down and yanked one of the slender crystals out.
Her eyes widened, "What are you doing?"
"This is the receiver, correct? And this one," he said, jiggling another one loose, "is what relays the signal,"
She nodded slowly and watched him give the crystals a once over, making a face. He glanced back at the machine, "Which one is the one that…I don't know what the word is…attaches? What…anchors the matter stream to the next device?"
Cuore leaned forward and tapped one of the short tubes, "This, why?"
He pulled it out next and handed her the relay crystal, "Realign that to send out a broad signal."
She raised an eyebrow, "But there's nothing to connect too, I don't know-"
Kieran glanced at her and jammed one of the other crystals back in, "Have you ever heard of firing blind? These things are designed to hook to each other, right? So, if we send out a…whatever these things send out, it's going to find the nearest one to connect to."
Cuore made a face but nevertheless started the recalibrations, "Imprecise."
"Effective," he countered, replacing his last crystal back into the machine.
Cuore sighed and inserted the last part before reaching around the device and tapping a few commands on the side panel. It chimed, and then beeped, and she blinked, surprised.
"It located the Serpent's Road in Baron, but…it looks like it also connected to a relay in…Silvera."
Kieran stared at her, "Feel like taking a trip?"
"Not especially." she complained, hesitating. "We have no idea what we'd be stepping into…a black market hideout? A stronghold? A wall? We've never found these channels before, so I have no way of knowing if we can even get through."
"What's the alternative?" he asked.
Cuore shook her head, "Jasmine may know something, I wish there was a way to talk with her."
"Let's just go to Baron and explain what's going on." he suggested.
Cuore fixed him with a look, "Do you really think anyone will listen to us? I wasn't supposed to go after Leo, and you're supposed to be suspended. I'll be lucky if my parents don't already kill me for all of this."
"Did you tell them?"
She rolled her eyes, "No, but I assume Rosa and Cecil did. They will not be pleased."
Kieran held up his hands, "I'd rather go home and face the music then take a chance and have my molecules fiddled with, but it's your call. I'll follow you wherever, Cuore."
She understood what he meant, and she smiled with a nod, "Then, we go to Baron."
"Alright, let's get this over with." he said, rolling his eyes.
Cuore replaced the panel and tapped the device to get it started before hopping to her feet and hurrying to the center of the crest.
Kieran had to admit that traveling through the Serpent's Road didn't bother him so much after all this time, but it was still unsettling, no matter how many times Cuore explained how it worked.
They shimmered into being and he blinked, glad that this time he was barely dizzy at all, the spots in front of his eyes blinked away at once.
They heard a yelp, and Cuore's hands went to her weapons at once, though she didn't draw them when she saw the disturbance was only the guard stationed here.
"Oh," Kieran said, waving, "hey Hobby."
The man's eyes were wide and he pointed at them, "You, where….wait, what?"
Cuore made a face, "Please clarify what you're asking,"
He shook himself, "Jansen said he saw you, Kieran, but we all just assume he was sleeping on the job again, you know? But where have you been! It's been days! And why are you coming through that thing, and wait…"
He squinted at them and his expression turned suspicious, "How do I know you are Kieran?"
He rolled his eyes, "Oh, crystals, Hobby, what is with you? Who else would I be?"
"…I don't know…" he said, looking him up and down.
Kieran frowned, "You are deathly afraid of chocobos and you never shut up about your unhealthy obsession with Bundt cake."
Hobby winced, "Okay, so maybe you are who you look like you are, but where have you been? And why are you using that thing with…her…"
Kieran hopped off the platform and turned to give Cuore his hand and help her down while commenting, "Long story,"
"I'm not going anywhere." Hobby said, trying to sound intimidating.
He sighed and thought up a plan on the spot. Out of everyone who could be easily manipulated, Hobby was the best. They were lucky he was on guard duty and not someone else. Still, it would require that Cuore catch on to the ploy and not ruin it.
Still, if he had learned anything about her, it was that she was far more devious then people assumed.
"Well, if you must know, Hobby, we were testing this device." Kieran said, nudging Cuore out of the way to subtly flick the panel open with his back still to Hobby.
"Testing it for…what?" the other young man asked, sounding confused.
Kieran pulled one of the tubular shards out and wordlessly passed it to Cuore, who gave him a weird look. "Because it's damaged, and clearly needs to be repaired."
He finally turned around to give Hobby a look, "I'm sure you know about that,"
"Hey! I didn't break it!" he insisted, holding up his hands defensively, "I never touch that thing when I'm in here. It gives me the creeps!"
Cuore sighed, hiding the removed crystal behind her back, "Nevertheless, it is damaged, and I'm sure you will be held responsible since you were on duty when it happened."
"When…what happened?" Hobby asked warily.
Cuore flicked a wire loose and it sparked and popped ominously behind them.
"That." they both chorused at the same time.
Hobby cringed, "Oh man, I can't get in trouble for breaking stuff again, and not something important like the Serpent's Road!"
Kieran waved at him, "Relax, I have your back. We're trying to fix it,"
"But I require parts to do so." Cuore finished, propping one hand on her hip. "You should remain here and keep watch over it."
He blinked and Kieran nodded, "We'll be back shortly."
They strode towards the door and Hobby looked between them and the device a few times before swallowing and speaking up once more, "How…I mean, this…I…"
Cuore gave Kieran a funny look, probably unable to decipher Hobby-speak, but after living with him for so long, he just turned to speak to him over his shoulder.
"Hobby, relax. Tell no one that you saw us, or that the Serpent's Road is broken and Kain will never know."
"Promise?"
Kieran frowned, "…Promise."
Hobby looked relieved and they quickly left before any more questions could be asked.
Cuore giggled once they were safety out into the snow covered streets, "I…well done."
"Improvising." Kieran said, shrugging. Cuore handed him the crystal he had removed, "Hold onto that, I'll need it to fix the Phen'Doe Mar."
He nodded and stashed it in his bag before looking around, "Hey, where do we find this Jasmine?"
Cuore glanced around the streets thoughtfully, and then put her hands on her hips, "She is a teacher's aide, and while the classrooms are in the castle's one wing, I wonder if we might be able to find her outside of the classroom."
"You know where she lives?" he asked, not serious.
Cuore shook her head, "Sadly, I do not."
Before they could ponder it any further, a loud and painfully familiar voice called out to them, making Kieran cringe. "Viola."
Sure enough, the woman was hurrying towards them as much as she dared on the slippery streets and she did not look happy.
"Kieran Astor where have you been?!" she said, sounding worried and relieved all in the same breath.
He sighed and averted his gaze, answering vaguely, "Around."
Viola fixed him with a look and then glanced at both of them and their rather tattered appearance. "Around where?"
Cuore self-consciously brushed at her hair while Kieran just frowned at Viola, "I'm fine, don't start fretting."
"I was fretting days ago when no one could find you!" she snapped back, crossing her arms. "Where have you been? Why did you just up and leave without telling anyone where you were going?"
He hesitated and was surprised when Cuore stepped forward and set her hand gently on his arm, "Viola, please don't be mad. It's my fault."
"No it isn't," he complained, scowling at her. He was annoyed she thought he had to hide behind her from the nosey white mage.
Viola glanced between them and sighed, closing her eyes, "I'm going to pretend I didn't see either of you, but whatever you two think you're doing, please be careful. This isn't a game."
Cuore nodded, "I know that, and I would appreciate your silence for the moment."
Viola sighed again and looked them over before her expression softened from one of motherly scolding to a more motherly concern. "Are you sure you're alright? You look…"
Kieran grinned sheepishly, "Self treated."
She glared at him and Cuore merely spoke up again, ever polite, "Perhaps you can help us?"
"How so?" Viola asked, turning her attention to the teal haired teen.
Cuore brushed at her hair again, "I'm looking for a teacher's aide named Jasmine. She is one of those in charge of the exchange students?"
Viola nodded, "Oh, sure, a black mage, right? She's a bit odd…I think that class is out for the day, and you might try to find her down near the docks."
Kieran made a face, "The docks? Why?"
Viola shrugged, "I don't know. I've seen her heading that way on occassion."
Cuore glanced at him and he nodded, already moving past Viola to head towards the other end of town. "Thanks,"
Viola watched them go and looked very much like she wanted to stop them, but Cuore just spun around and walked backwards for a few steps so she could call back, "Yes, thank you, Viola."
They were off, and Kieran had a feeling whatever they discovered at the docks would not be good.
In winter time, the harbor area was even more dead than normal, and was such when they arrived. Kieran glanced around and frowned, taking the lead as Cuore hung back to let him go first since he knew the way. She was apprehensive; he could tell after spending so much time with her.
Snow had begun to fall, and it was eerily silent as they passed through one of the gates. No one was around so they continued onward, rounding one of the buildings and heading towards the actual docks located at the very outskirts of the city.
There they spotted Jasmine, looking cold and glancing to and fro, appearing to wait for someone.
Cuore glanced at him and he nodded, starting to walk forward.
It took a few moments for Jasmine to spot them, and when she did, she froze, obviously realizing she was in trouble.
She was trapped, with nowhere to run, and she knew it. The look on her face was contorted into anxiety and she nervously rubbed one arm.
"Oh, h-hello." she greeted, attempting a smile.
Cuore glared at her, "You lied to me."
Jasmine blinked, "Excuse me?"
"You told me the Serpent's Road was deactivated the day Leo went missing, yet I now know that was not the case."
Jasmine swallowed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Kieran frowned, but as he watched Cuore's eyes narrowed as the woman continued to awkward fuss with her arm.
In a flash, the teal haired teen had reached out to snatch her arm and yanked back her sleeve to reveal a metallic device strapped to her arm.
Jasmine gasped, "Let go of me!"
"This is an Ii'Tash!" Cuore exclaimed, eyes widening.
Kieran made a face, "A what?"
"A Lunarian device that measures the output of energy, including that of magical energy." she explained, eyeing Jasmine. "Where did you get this?"
"I don't have to answer to you!" the woman snapped, tugging useless on her arm. In fact, she seemed rather weak.
Kieran noticed her arm was trembling and glanced at her other hand to see it shake as well before he looked back up at her. "You're in withdrawals."
Jasmine's eyes squeezed such, "I-I…please let me go, I can't be seen with you."
Cuore glanced between the two of them but never released the woman's arm. "Withdrawals?"
He nodded, "She's addicted to elixirs. Am I right?"
Jasmine sighed and nodded, slumping in defeat as she ceased tugging on her arm, "Yes, your right. Happy now? I can't tell you anything else. I won't."
Cuore glared at her, "You'll tell me where my brother is,"
"I don't know," Jasmine snapped, glaring through tear filled eyes. "I just do what I'm told."
Cuore's grip tightened on her wrist, but Kierann touched her elbow and shook his head. He'd seen people effected by the illegal elixirs before, and knew that Jasmine was out of her mind at the moment.
Cuore heeded his silent instructions and let the woman go, and thankfully she didn't try to bolt. She huddled into herself, continuing to shake and Kieran frowned. "How long since you've had one?"
She shrugged, "A week or two. They told me they'd give me more if I helped them…"
"Who?"
She stared at the ground for a second before answering, "I…don't know. They just…they bring the elixirs to town. They gave me this bracelet, told me if I wanted more I had to help them."
He caught her wandered gaze and tried to remain patient, "Help them do what?"
Jasmine blinked a couple times and then glanced out over the water, "They never did come back and give me what they promised, you know."
Cuore was obviously distressed by this conversation so Kieran reached out and physically turned the woman back to face them. "Hey, focus, would you? What did these people ask you to do?"
Jasmine licked her lips and started to rub her arm again, "I was just supposed to find kids for them. Kids with magic. They gave me this bracelet…"
"Why do they need children?" Cuore asked softly.
Jasmine shrugged lazily, "I don't know."
Cuore glanced at him, "How is she focusing enough in her daily life where no one has noticed this?"
"She's probably compensating for the lack of elixirs by downing potions and ethers…but she's only going to worsen unless she gets help." he explained, giving her a once over.
Jasmine hugged herself, "Can I go?"
"No," Kieran told her sharply, sparing her a brief glare. "I need to know what exactly you did, Jasmine. The day those kids went missing."
She stared at him and then ducked her head to study the ground again, "I…was supposed to find kids, right? They wanted ones with magic. That's why they gave me this bracelet. Felix was always late, so I figured no one would miss him, but…"
She glanced up at Cuore, "Your brother…I've never seen an aura with his strength before, so, I sent him too."
"Sent him where?" Cuore asked, leaning forward.
Jasmine shrugged, "Wherever it is that they go through the Serpent's Road. It's easy to send them that way, you know. No one can track it, they say."
Kieran nodded slowly, "Just like the elixirs,"
"Do you have any?" Jasmine asked, tipping her head to one side.
He sighed, resisting the urge to smack her, or yell at her and just shook his head, "No,"
She looked mildly disappointed but was distracted again and looked out over the waves.
Cuore hesitated, "We can't just leave her here like this,"
"I know…" he complained.
Jasmine paid them no mind and finally Cuore reached out to touch her arm, gaining her attention with a startled jump.
"Jasmine?" the teal haired hair coaxed. "Will you give me that bracelet?"
Jasmine clutched it protectively to her chest, "But…they told me to find them kids, and then they'd give me more."
Cuore nodded slowly, "Yes, but…I don't think they are coming back. Can I have that?"
The woman blinked a few times and then admitted, "I can't get it off."
"Here, let me," Cuore said, holding out her hand.
Jasmine hesitated before she held her arm out and Kieran watched as Cuore unlatched the device and pushed a series of buttons on the side. The bracelet snapped in two pieces and she caught them, making Jasmine recoil her arm with wide eyes.
"Thank you," Cuore told her gently.
Jasmine bit her lip, rubbing her arm again.
"Maybe Viola will know what to do," Kieran suggested, shrugging.
It took some persuading, and some tugging, but finally they managed to guide the half-mad woman back the way they came and find Viola, who was even more confused by what was going on. Cuore was too busy tinkering with the bracelet device to be much help, so Kieran was left to hastily explain to her what was going on.
Viola glanced at Jasmine, who was busying staring off into space. "I'll…figure out what to do."
He nodded and looked over to Cuore, "Hey, are you ready to go?"
She nodded and stood, snapping the bracelet onto her arm, "Yes."
Viola gave them a once over and then sighed, "Oh, be careful, would you?"
Kieran grinned as he walked by, "Anyone ever tell you that you worry too much Viola?"
"Yes, and anyone tell you that you don't worry enough?" she retorted.
He made a face, "…No,"
They headed back to the Serpent's Road and Kieran made a point to make sure Cuore wasn't completely forgone. However, she seemed mostly unfazed by what had transpired, and he was largely glad she hadn't taken out her worry on Jasmine.
The woman would have enough trouble trying to rid herself of the constant want for elixirs for the rest of her life.
They returned to the Serpent's Road and Kieran nearly groaned out loud when he saw that Hobby had involved Tycho in waiting, and that the newcomer was pacing the length of the small room.
Tycho glared at him, "What the hell is going on?"
Cuore frowned at him and waved her hand, "Step aside, I need to fix that."
He flipped his glare to her, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
She just smiled slightly and shook her head, but said nothing. Kieran sighed, "Would you calm down?"
Hobby nodded, "Y-yeah, I don't want to get in trouble again! Let them fix it!"
Tycho rolled his eyes, "Hobby, it's not even broken,"
"Yes, it is!" he argued.
Cuore wove around them and knelt down, inputting commands. While his roommates bickered, Kieran wandered over and bent down to hand her the crystal they had removed earlier. "You can fix it, right?"
She nodded up at him before turning back to it and starting to work. "First things first, this device's record crystal wasn't damaged, I should be able to backtrack and hack the system and find out where all matter streams have gone recently."
He nodded, "Good!"
Cuore continued to work and he tuned back into his roommates bickering long enough to realize they would be preoccupied for a few more minutes and didn't need him to even distract them. Tycho and Hobby, despite being friends, argued more than anyone had had ever met.
"There," she said, flicking a switch with her finger, "looks like…there were a couple of transportations that were from somewhere other than Baron and Mysidia…Troia to Babil to here…Damcyan area…"
Kieran paused, "Wait, wait…how long ago were those? And in what order?"
Cuore input a few more commands, "Looks like…Troia first, then Damcyan region…Starting a few weeks ago, and it looks like there hasn't been any activity since Leo went missing."
Kieran was busy connecting dots in his head and Cuore peered up him, "Are you alright?"
"I…need to check something." he muttered, uneasy. "How long will it take you to fix this?"
She shrugged, "Less than an hour,"
He looked over his shoulder, "Can you handle these two?"
"I can always incapacitate them." she replied.
Kieran nodded absently and stood up straight, "I'll be back,"
She watched him walk away, "Kieran?"
"Just, fix the Phen'Doe Mar. I'll be back," he told her over his shoulder, already worried that he had guessed correctly.
"I hope I'm wrong…" he thought with a shake of his head.
Author's Note:
More chapters! Two left before the story's conclusion!
Awww cliché campfire bonding scenes...how could I resist? And hey, Phoenix is good for something other then bringing people back to life; hugs.
The Maenad creation/mythology has been covered in my other stories, but for those of you who may not have read them, I included it. Also, even if you have read the rest of my stories, it's always good for a reminder.
Radiation poisoning. As I mentioned previously, I did do research into this subject when plotting out Kieran's backstory. In addition to burns, you get all the fun side effects of vomiting, bleeding, dizziness, fever and hallucinations, and from then on out, reduced nerve feeling on whatever part was exposed and weakened immune system. Which is why Viola was all stressed back in the start of this story about his injuries.
Keely: a Gaelic name meaning "Slender"
Kaiden: (Caden) means "Son"
I'm not sure when the next update will be, but the mystery is coming to a close. Parts are sliding into place...anyone know what's going on completely, yet?