Hikaru: Always Aosta!
Zelos: . . .?
Hikaru: Ahem. Sorry, I just thought Sapientia's complaining about her lord father, the regnant of Wendar and Varre leading an expedition south to the kingdom of Aosta to claim an imperial crown was just funny. Anyway, the twenty-first chapter of The Innocent. Enjoy!
Zelos: You're reading too much . . .
Hikaru: Not enough!
Mana.
It was an intangible thing, cannot be seen, cannot be felt.
Yet without it, the planet would die, magic would cease to exist. The entirety of this planet and more depended on mana. Even humans, who could not wield magic, die if their bodies are deprived of this ever-important substance.
Mana is everywhere, is everything, is anything, and is sensed by all life, sentient and no.
Noishe, whose species originated from the purest pool of mana found on early Sylvarant-Tethe'alla, felt the drastic effects of mana deprivation even more acutely than the mana-satiated elves. Now the low levels of mana affected him more than he let on.
Much had happened in the span of a few days. Even in Tethe'alla, where the mana had been thickest since the decline of Sylvarant under the reign of Cruxis, the utter, complete lack of mana taxed Noishe to the point where he could not even focus on objects more than five feet away from him. He spent all of two days resting in his room in Zelos' mansion, getting up only to bathe, eat, and use the restroom. Usually satiated in mana, Noishe was surprised he survived the dried-up husk of Sylvarant before the worlds were reunited. His new humanoid body was not used to the lack of mana.
Raphael and the Sages had been on to something when they observed the withering vegetation in Iselia, and the lowered mana levels. The so-called 'wraiths' Raine had spoke of, they were not seven dangerous people brought back to life, like Raphael had thought. Wraiths were the visions of one's death while they were still alive. Noishe had a hunch that the seven Nemespawn birthed first to the original retained most of Nemesis' special abilities; that was Nemesis' only weakness. While it could sub-divide, its sub-divisions retained some of its abilities, but as those divided, the less abilities were inherited. Eventually, the bloodline, so to speak, would thin, and come to an end, unless Nemesis survived and managed to reproduce itself sexually to pass on its genes more efficiently.
The first seven sub-divisions were the strongest of all the asexual offspring of Nemesis. Wraiths were visions of a living person's death. Like Nemesis, the seven wraiths had no definite form, but worthy warriors challenging Nemesis would have to go through the wraiths first.
The vision of that person's death.
Artemis awoke, yawning quite audibly. He'd slept the best sleep he'd had in a long while, and who wouldn't expect that? Zelos was the former Tethe'allan Chosen of Mana, whose bloodline was second only to the noble regnant of Tethe'alla. He could afford the best money could buy and more.
Artemis padded over the gigantic dresser, obviously the product of some slavering, well-renowned carpenter. He retrieved his recently laundered outfit, courtesy of Sebastian. Making sure his bedroom door was securely locked and the light pink silk curtains draped over the window, Artemis changed his clothes, checking the pockets of his vest for the deck of spell and guardian cards his mother had gifted him with before he started this journey. His silver pendant he always wore, the old tarnished jewelry hanging from his neck on an equally worn silver chain. This was the most important reminder of his journey's goal.
He sighed, slipped on his vest, and exited the guestroom. The upstairs hallway was quite empty. Artemis shrugged, padded downstairs to feed his own self. He wasn't about to let the butler do everything for him; he could take care of himself. Opening the kitchen door, Artemis yelped when he bumped right into a green-haired, fluffy-eared, brown-clad Protozoan.
"Noishe? You're up early. It's not more than seven o'clock."
Artemis stepped back to allow breathing room for Noishe and himself. Noishe stretched, yawning, and Artemis swore he could hear a bit of the "dog" Noishe used to be.
"Had to," Noishe continued, rubbing dust off the apple he held in one hand. Artemis raised an eyebrow, which became hidden in his long and thick black bangs, making it look as though that brow simply vanished completely. Through force of habit, Artemis unconsciously placed his hands on his hips.
"Why, did something happen?"
Noishe took a fair bite of the small red apple, crunching the fruit flesh. He swallowed.
"Lloyd and Colette practically came flying in here late last night, along with Sheena. Hikaru and Satsuma were with them while they were out."
A sudden, frigid feeling of intense dread plunged into Artemis' gut. He was glad Sheena and the others were all right, but . . . he'd never wanted innocents to suffer meaninglessly! Artemis' arms hung limp at his sides, those rusty red eyes of his looking up at Noishe with naïve, grave disbelief.
"What happened to the Nightshade sisters?"
Nightshade, Moonshadow, Sunstone, Starflame . . . such surnames were not very common among humankind, and so when Artemis first heard their surname, he supposed that the sisters had taken their missing elven father's name. Noishe just took another bite of his apple, perhaps to stall from answering Artemis' question. Finally, after an eternity of chewing and rapt silence, Noishe swallowed.
"Those Sybakan researchers hired remnants of the Papal Knights (now degraded as mercenaries) to find and capture the Nightshades, to bring them to Sybak."
Artemis needed no further clue. Yelling out in frustration, Artemis furiously kicked over the already shabby coffee table, still frail from the days-ago skirmish between Raphael and Zelos. Zelos had cared for his friends so much that he was willing to demolish his entire estate to avenge them. Or perhaps he was simply wealthy enough to replace everything he had and more.
Fists clenched and trembling at his sides, Artemis growled,
"Wasn't the king of Tethe'alla trying to put a stop to all this half-elf discrimination bullshit!"
"I see word travels fast." Noishe replied, continuing to eat his apple. So calm. So casual. Artemis rounded on him in an instant.
"Even an isolated village could get word like that!"
The shouting could've roused everyone in the entire mansion, but Artemis wouldn't give a damn. Noishe simply sighed, lowering the hand clutching the half-eaten apple. Only a life as long as his could result in such calm and serenity.
"Artemis. Think about it logically. Sybak is a royal research city. They have the royal family's support. If we act against them, we'll be executed for treason, even if the majority of our group saved Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."
Artemis stomped one foot, shouting back,
"Then if word reaches the king, can't he stop them?"
Noishe only waited long enough to speak unimpeded again, as if he were trying to explain something to a child so complex, he must mince his words to understandable terms. Artemis' blood boiled.
"We can't impede Sybakan research. Results from that city improved Tethe'alla in countless ways and extents. If experimenting on two half-elves will benefit Tethe'alla, then even the king will yield. Should we try to stop Sybakan research, we'll be arrested, thrown in jail. Need I remind you that if we're in prison, we can't help Hikaru and Satsuma?"
Artemis worked his jaw, trying to say something, anything, but the words died before they were born. Noishe was right, of course. Inhaling a deep breath, Artemis fought to beat his anger into submission. He inhaled, exhaled. Looked up at Noishe, who in turn looked at him.
"All right." Artemis snarled, the last bits of indignant rage flickering before dying completely. He withdrew the deck of spell cards, slamming them on the bedside table by the sofa where Noishe sat.
"What do you propose we do?"
Still, the notion of this happening because of him would not stop gnawing at him from the roots.
Why, after knowing of their plight, had he dragged those two all the way to Tethe'alla?
There was a trashcan in the far corner of the room; Noishe stood, deftly tossed the apple core, and with a dull thump landed its mark. A smart-ass smirk was etched into the Protozoan's features.
"The Papal Knights, or rather, the remnants of them, have no particular loyalty to the crown. The previous pope simply paid them well."
That wolfish, fanged smirk grew wider.
In spite of himself, Artemis couldn't help but smile as he worked out what Noishe meant. Sybak was under the king's protection. The Papal Knights, however . . .
Artemis swiped up his card deck, shuffling them before pocketing them.
"We'll stop the knights. Before they get to Sybak."
Noishe could've laughed with mirth.
"Took you long enough!"
Still wearing that fanged wolfish smirk, Noishe went to wake those still slumbering.
Impatience welled up within Artemis.
Their next destination would be the Grand Tethe'allan Bridge.
Hikaru had never seen the labs inside of Sybak. She'd been inside the library, doing research on item creation techniques taught to her by her father, but that building was the sole one she'd been inside of. Now, as she and Satsuma, escorted by a host of former Papal Knights, approached the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, Hikaru knew they'd see much more of the buildings inside Sybak. Since the researchers wanted to investigate their powers so badly, Hikaru was absolutely certain they would do anything in their power to secure her and her sister.
Amber eyes darted to the handcuffs binding her hands.
She hated this sort of Tethe'allan technology.
Binding her hands, from which she and most other magic users channeled magical energy, mana, these handcuffs disrupted the proper bodily flow of mana, rendering Hikaru unable to use magic. With a disrupted mana flow, attempting to use magic could easily severely injure, if not kill her.
And their weapons and items had been confiscated. Their captors were big, brawny, heavily armed and armored. As she and her sister were led, Hikaru realized there was absolutely nothing she and her sister could do to free themselves.
Back in the Meltokio marketplace, where they had been kidnapped, the sisters had been out shopping with Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena. Foolishly, no doubt, they split up to get the shopping done faster, and while they were checking out the weapons and armor merchants' stalls, Satsuma noticed they were being followed.
From then, chased into an alleyway, met a dead end, and captured. Hopefully, Lloyd and Colette had sensed their screams and battle cries as well as magic, since angels have severely enhanced hearing.
As the crossed the threshold of the Bridge, all the sisters could do was walk and wait.
Early evening was setting down on them. The wealth of glimmering stars were bare, uncovered from cloud or fog. The evening air was cool, not too cold nor too hot. If the party marched quickly, the Bridge could be reached from Meltokio within half a day. They could not afford to wait too long, so Raine, the unofficial leader of the group since her trek with her half elf brethren (save Artemis) in the Triet Desert, assigned Lloyd and Colette to retrieve the Nightshades.
Bearing wings and angel skills, they were the best choice, for time was short.
Ever since they started out to the skies, silence reigned between Lloyd and Colette. He was awkward, ignorant of what to say or how to address Colette. Kratos had claimed before that Lloyd was "clinging to the Chosen," but in fact, Colette was the one clinging to him. She had relied on him after Cruxis had been exposed for what they were. She had relied on him for everything—companionship, emotional support, a refuge when she felt all was lost.
Lloyd felt ashamed of himself.
Everyone, including himself, had expected him to wind up with Colette as a spouse. They had everything; they supported one another in every way imaginable. Every way, but for the one factor.
Lloyd simply wasn't in love with Colette.
He thought he was, but that was until that fateful day on the Ossa Trail, when he had first laid eyes on the elegant ninja, Sheena Fujibayashi. How she carried herself, her bold, confident voice, and her beauty, only enhanced by the early morning sunlight, captivated Lloyd. Clumsy as she turned out to be, Lloyd thought no less of her. Of course, when he fought with her when she was trying to assassinate Colette, Lloyd had steeled himself; he could not fall in love with the one intent on killing the Chosen. The death of the Chosen had meant the death of the world.
When Sheena later explained the existence of Tethe'alla and her wish to peacefully settle things instead of violently, Lloyd's hopes had shot up. Loving the enemy wishing to kill the world would damn him forever in the eyes of Sylvarant, yet if they somehow managed to succeed in ending things peacefully . . .
Lloyd, beyond all odds, succeeded, with everyone's help, in freeing the worlds from Cruxis' tyranny and reunited them. Even Martel was freed. Hope flared within his heart like a beacon shining to a stormy and raging sea.
And yet . . . the obstacle hardest to conquer was not one of worldly proportions.
Colette had not handled rejection well.
Almost a week after the resurrection of the Giant Tree, Lloyd had visited Mizuho, Colette and Genis in tow because their visit had just been arranged on Sheena's official proving day as a chief of Mizuho. Raine, Regal, and Presea couldn't make it because of pressing political matters to attend to, but they sent their regards in the forms of hand-made cards and thoughtful gifts. Zelos had been there first, since Meltokio was closer to Mizuho than Iselia.
After Sheena's speech, the four of them presented Sheena with their gifts and congrats to honor this achievement, but Lloyd wanted to speak with Sheena alone. He had not announced this; the others were too busy, drawn into the festivities of the villagers. So it appeared.
By the garden, where Sheena had always spoken with Corrine when she felt low, Lloyd had pressed a box of jewelry into Sheena's hand. Opening it, she was stunned. It was Lloyd's locket, the one bearing a photo of Kratos, Anna, and infant Lloyd, but there was another photo, one of Sheena and Lloyd, taken the very same day the Giant Tree had been resurrected. Lloyd then asked her to accompany him on his journey to rid the world of the Exspheres, or rather, to free those poor souls.
Colette had overheard their conversation, not to mention witnessed Lloyd kiss Sheena, what with her keen angel senses.
No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she could not.
This had affected Zelos as well.
They flew over the Bridge.
The group of Papal Knights was easily seen from this height as well as the Nightshade sisters. The angels descended, weapons drawn. The knights halted, lances poised to strike, reluctantly. They had not forgotten the Coming of Spiritua.
Lloyd stood, Material Blade drawn. His wings did not disappear. Hikaru and Satsuma simply beamed at he and Colette, their saviors.
"Kindly hand over the young ladies in your company," Lloyd said, shaking previous thoughts of Colette's broken heart to better concentrate on the battle at hand. Colette merely nodded, chakrams in hand.
The biting cold oceanic breeze blew, whipping their clothes about their bodies, a soothing caress if you were not wearing uncomfortable armor. The leader of the knights-gone-mercenaries shook his head, no, signaling the others to keep their quarry out of the angels' reach.
"Not even angels will stop us from completing this mission! I'd heard that the Church is undergoing reformation by the king himself! Cruxis had lied to us. Angels, emissaries of Cruxis, will not impede us."
Lloyd knitted his brow together, and old wound scraped raw. Blades of fire and ice were raised in a threatening stance, a warning not to piss their owner off.
"I am no more a Cruxisling than you are. We came for our friends, and I'll be damned if I'm leaving without them!"
His voice raised to shouting as his statement drew to a close. He looked to Colette, who seemed to understand his intentions. Weapons were lowered, put away, much to the confusion of the Knights. Hovering closely together, the two angels joined hands, facing one another, rusty red eyes looking deep into dark lapis lazuli ones. Without the aid of Kratos and Zelos, the spell will be much weaker, but with Lloyd and Colette's powers put together, it was still quite a formidable force.
Magenta and blood red crystalline feathers whirled all about the two angels, beginning an invocation.
"Gods above . . . cast your purifying light on these corrupt souls . . . abandon all hope here, sinners! Final Judgment!"
Darkness invaded the world.
The bright feathers still made a protective whirlwind about the angels.
A heavy rain of manifold light rays purged the Knights from the world, their screams ringing in Lloyd's ears. He released Colette's hands.
Light returned to the world, the full moon shining on the bridge.
Wings dispersing, Lloyd and Colette rushed to the Nightshades, who had looted the keys from their guards and unlocked their shackles.
"You guys okay?" Lloyd asked, getting nods in response.
As the sisters recovered their supplies, Lloyd turned to Colette, whose eyes betrayed her emotion.
"I'm sorry," was all he could bear to say.
Hikaru: There! Dost thou enjoy my chapter?