A Crystal Meeting
"So, in the end, you too… Fae."
Seigbert didn't quite understand where he was till he saw the field of flowers and the large tree. Two figures stood under it. One was the child, the other was Yue. The child nodded, "I… I want to help too."
"How did you know?" Yue questioned in their mind, "No. Did Xane accidentally slipped his tongue? Or did you got Sophia or Idunn to tell you everything as well?"
"It doesn't matter how I got it." Fae frowned, "I want to help too. I'm a dragon deity too, you know! I know I may not look like it, but the wind tribe depends on me too. Let me help too!"
"And? What of Roy?" she asked, "I thought that you want to see him and Liliana again."
"I do want to see them again. I want to see everyone back home again." Fae pouted, "But, I can't go back on a promise."
"A… promise…" Yue repeated.
"I promised everyone that I'd protect them." Fae replied, "I also told Anankos and the others to leave the wind tribe to me. If I don't keep up my promises, everyone would be sad and can get really, really hurt."
"A promises, huh?" Yue said quietly.
Fae nodded, "This is the only way I can help them when it happens. I want to show them and the wind tribe that I can be reliable too. So, please let me help."
Yue was quiet. There was a tense silence.
"When you pass, you won't be able to meet Roy so soon." Yue said, "Your soul would remain in this realm for millions and millions of years."
"I know that." Fae pouted, "But, Sophia, Idunn and I promised that, when we see Roy again, we'll all greet him after we help the humans. How can I go see him without them? We didn't even finish helping the humans too!"
Yue was quiet again before Fae began, "I've lived for a long, long time. Longer than Roy or everyone. It's sad to watch them go to the stars with everyone and leave the three of us behind, but Fae can't leave without helping others just as Roy helped Idunn and me. I want to help everyone just as he helped me. Waiting far another millions of years is fine. I've already lived for millions of years. I know I can wait a few more years. Maybe… Maybe I can also see some of the people from the Wind tribe again! It'll be fun when that happens! Heheh!"
As she said this with a bright smile, Yue was still quiet as she watched the child.
"Shouldn't it be fine this way?"
Seigbert turned around in surprise to see young man in blue and a gray mask make his way over to them with a blade on his belt.
"Yun…" Yue said.
"She is determined to do this, so why not let her help?" Yun said, "I can set it up for her."
"Garuda?" Yue questioned, "What of that place?"
"Does it matter?" the man replied in a deep tone.
"No." Yue replied, "However, a child with the Goddess of Storms?"
She was quiet before he nodded, "I believe that she would do well, then. I have other things to attend to for the matter. Fae, take this."
She took the child's small hand and placed a purple gem and a green gem on her palm.
"These were suppose to be for Anankos, but you shall carry onto them till you find the one fit for the young spirits. Until then, they'll be in your care." Yue said.
"An Emerald and an Amethyst?" Yun nodded, "They will need them."
"They will?" Fae looked to them in confusion as she carefully held the two gems in her hands.
Yue nodded, "Yes. Now, go with Yun. He'll go over the process for you."
Fae nodded and followed the man who began to leave the room.
"Thank you!" the girl waved back.
Yue was quiet though as the girl disappeared. As the wind blew around them, Yue reached down and picked one of the lilies. Quietly, she made her way to a small body of calm waters. Seigbert followed her as he dropped the lily onto the still water surface. The woman was quiet and kept watch of the white flower. Finally, after a while, the flower began to move as a dark shade of red tainted the petals to a dark shade of crimson. Seigbert held his breath as the flower absorbed the color. Yue picked the flower back up and looked up to the starry skies. He couldn't tell what she was feeling with her mask, but was quiet. Finally, she turned to him and took his hand much to his shock. She placed the flower into his palm as her voice echoed in his mind, "An ill omen… Take this and keep it with you, Prince of Nohr."
He looked to his hand baffled as she let go and walked away looking to the skies once more.
"Till the day comes…" Yue echoed quietly, "I'm sorry…"
"Everyone…"
A gust of wind brought him back to reality as he found himself being pulled back.
"Seigbert, we have to go!"
He looked and saw Soliel and Virion pulling his arms. His eyes widen as another gust of wind hits him, "R-Right!"
He didn't know what had happened, but, when he looked back he saw twister reappear. After reaching back to the Shepherd's temporary garrison, nearly out of breath, he looked to them in confusion, "Wh-What happened? This wind is stronger than the previous."
"I don't know." Cealdori shook her head, "After that strange vision, I just saw the tornado."
"Vision?" Noire trembled, "So you saw it too? The two mask people and that little girl?"
"You too?" Seigbert's eyes widen.
"Perhaps, it's because we were all in the same place at the same time." Tharja noted with a frown, "To wrap me into this as well. They have some nerve…"
As Noire shuddered, Seigbert looked to Caeldori as Soleil looked to her in awe.
"Wow! The design is really cute." Soleil grinned.
Seigbert strained a smile as he spoke, "Well, I'll have to report this to Father now. How are you feeling?"
Caeldori nodded with a small smile, "A little dizzy, to be honest. I think I'll be fine after I sleep it off. Overall, I'm fine."
"So you too." Seigbert thought quietly, "I wonder why Forrest got the fever, then…"
"As long as you're all right." Ignatius said with a small sigh of relief, "I'll go bring the steeds back to the Inn."
"You'll attract unwanted attention if you do that." Virion shook his head, "Leave your steeds here for the night."
"Tomorrow morn, take your leave immediately." Say'ri said with a nod, "No doubt, the towns people would assume something off. You should reach Okeanos in three days time."
"Right." Seigbert nodded, "Thank you, Virion, Say'ri."
That morning, Seigbert and the others woke up bright and early and was about to return to the garrison where Say'ri would await them with their steeds. However, there was a problem.
"Not any better?" Seigbert asked his retainer.
She shook her head, "No."
Though the sky knight was well the day before, Now she had fallen ill with a high fever. One very similar to his cousin. Seigbert grimaced, "We don't have a healer either…"
"There's a strong possibility that the townspeople would-" Soleil frowned,
"I'll carry her on my back till we get to the garrison." Ignatius replied.
Seigbert nodded, "We'll figure something out there."
They quickly helped Caeldori get on the knights back while Seigbert went down and signed them out of the rooms. Together, they managed to sneak Caeldori out of the Inn. The streets was empty as they snuck to the garrison where a shocked Say'ri and Noire stood. Noire gasped, "What happened?"
"Caeldori has the same fever Forrest got. It's probably the aftereffect of the process." Seigbert grimaced.
"But…"
"Noire get a wagon." Say'ri replied, "There should be a healer in a village nearby."
"R-Right!" the archer replied and hurried to the back.
Seigbert raised a brow, "Where's Virion?"
"He already left the town with Tharja." Say'ri replied, "Nevermind that. Quick."
Seigbert nodded, "Right."
They quickly got a hold of their steeds as they tied her pegasus' reins to the end of the wagon. Not long after, they were already on their way. From behind, sounds of coughs could be heard as Seigbert frowned, "We need to get away from here as far as possible before we can find her a healer."
Ignatius nodded as he looked back from his reins. They've tied the wagon to his steed while Soleil helps keep an eye on Caeldori's condition. If it was anything similar than the fever would have to be really high. The sun was barely rising so the place wasn't as cold or warm, but the temperature could still be a problem. They need to get to Okeanos fast. He'll have to let his father know of the change in plans.
It was the fifth day since they've began their search. The biggest concern now is the fact that the princess is still nowhere to be heard of and that Soleil have also been chosen by a spirit nearly three days ago. It was an unusual event. Upon hearing the name from Uncle Leo, Carbuncle turned up his nose and never spoke a word. He supposed that even spirits have their own preferences on who they wish to call friends. With the news that the King of Okeanos already figured out their background, Leo was already packed with other matters and have told them that the four would reach them soon. Needless to say, this would bother his families quite a bit. As he got to the door of his room after another search, he felt a strange warmth in his pocket. He entered the room while Forrest was already found seated on one of the two beds and fished out his warmth to find a familiar figure, "Seigbert?"
"Shigure!" the prince sighed in relief, "Where's Forrest?"
"Seigbert?" Forrest raised a brow and rushed over, "What's wrong? You look a bit rushed."
"It's Caeldori." Their cousin responded with a grimace, "Last night, we found another spirit in Modure Kingdom and it has chosen Caeldori."
"Again?" Shigure's eyes widen as he recalled the daughter of his aunt's retainer.
"I need your help." Seigbert said with a grimace, "After that happened, the winds around the area picked up so we had to leave as soon as possible. Right now, she's going through some similar symptoms as you, Forrest."
"Symptoms?" Shigure looked to Forrest with a raised brow, "So, that wasn't just any ordinary fever?"
"We're currently on our way to Okeanos." Seigbert said with a frown, "But, I don't know if she can hold on till then. She has medicine, but it'll only subdue the symptoms a little."
Forrest frowned, "That's… I'll go other there right now."
Shigure nodded, "I'll take care of things from here."
Forrest nodded back, "I'm leaving Nina with you. Carbuncle, let's go!"
"Huh?" the spirit looked up from his cookie.
"We're going to help a friend." Forrest said as he grabbed a hold of his medicine bag.
Without much thought, he grabbed Carbuncle and threw him into his bag as well. Shigure looked to Seigbert, "Where are you now?"
"East of Okeanos." Seigbert replied.
Shigure nodded and quickly traded orbs with Forrest, who took it and rushed out the door. He then made his way out the door again looking to find his other cousin. Another one of their friends were chosen. Though he should be excited with their progress of their search, he can't help but also feel a little agitated. Something wasn't right. What was it?
When he found Shiro leaving the training ground with Collins, the purple hair man waved with a wide smile, "Shigure! Taking a break?"
"Sort of." Shigure strained a smile as he noticed Prince Fay got up from the nearby bench and gave him a nod, "I heard from Seigbert and my uncle. A lot of things are happening…"
Shiro sighed, "I thought so. Forrest came by earlier and told me what happened. So, I sent Asugi to go with him. Sophie came by and told me that she'd watch over the mounts."
"Lazar and Diane will help with your steeds as well." Fay noted with a sigh, "So, there was more of you."
Shigure nodded, "Things… have taken a turn in Presia, you could say. Forrest left the case to me for now."
"So, what happened?" Collins raised a brow as he put away his blade.
"Our cousin's friend has gotten ill during travel. They're going to join us on the journey, so they're already on the outskirts of Okeanos, but her fever is severe so Forrest is going to see her right now." Shigure explained, "They don't have a healer on their side."
"Ah." Collins nodded, "Kind of unusual to hear that healers actually exists. I've never seen one till now. But… just a question… do all healers dress up in frilly clothing?"
"Ah…" Shigure strained a small smile, "That's actually a hobby of his."
"Cross-dressing?" Fay retorted.
"Creating clothings." Shiro replied, "Back in Presia, he also ran a clothes store and was well known for his dress designs."
"So, that's how it is." Collins smiled, "Perhaps I could ask him to make one for Heilen…"
Prince Fay sighed, "Right. Well, it's unknown if we can provide rooms for them as well."
"I believe our cousin told me that he doesn't want to burden the people in the castle for space and necessities. He's already planned to stay at an inn." Shigure replied with a small smile.
Shiro sighed, "That sounds just like him. Well, we'd have done the same if we didn't get the chance to meet Prince Collins."
"You help me and my mother. It's only right to return the favor." Collins replied.
As he said this, Fay sighed, "Well, shall we speak of matters in the library?"
Shigure nodded, "That's right. I have planned to speak with you before Forrest left."
Shigure and Fay left the confused princes to their battle as they went to the library. Once there, they were met with the same rolls of books and structure similar to that of Nohr, but more pristine and under the light of the sun. They sat around one of the tables as Fay began, "How has your search been going?"
"It's been going well." Shigure replied, "Soon, we may have to go look at the island and see the place ourselves. However, there is one thing I wanted to ask."
"Yes?"
Shigure asked, "What happened to your sister's caretakers?"
"The fisherman's body was found on the beaches later and only his wife and daughter lived through hiding." Fay replied, "That day, the fisherman took my sister with him to fishing, but ran into the pirates' ship."
Shigure thought carefully before he nodded, "If possible, can we go to the island as soon as Forrest returns?"
"All right." Fay sighed, "Just take precaution not to let the other nobles know about this."
"Understood."
Despite his words, Shigure already know that it would be a while before they could find Princess Skyla. IT would just be a matter of time before they could find better clues to her whereabouts.
It's been a while since they've been traveling now. With Ophelia and Asugi by his side, they were on their way to a nearby town his cousin was waiting in. The town was only a couple hours away from the capital. To get there, they would have to hurry. He recalled that, during the time of his fever, he had a hard time focusing on his surroundings. It was a miracle how she was able to endure it and still reach the nearest town. Still, they would need to hurry to get there in time before her condition gets any worse. Not to mention, he has some lectures to give out for moving a sick person. After reaching the entrance of the town, they were met with a man, who was sprawled out on the sand. Forrest's eyes widen in surprise as he watched the people walk by him in ignorance.
"A person?" He muttered quietly and jumped off his steed to help the person up, "Hey! Are you all right?"
"Forrest!" Ophelia breathed in surprise and rushed over to his side.
"Help me get him up." Forrest said quickly.
"Y-Yes!" Ophelia replied and rushed to help.
They were able to get him on a nearby rock. After giving him some water, Asugi grumbled, "We still have to go help Caeldori too."
"I know." Forrest replied, "But-"
The man began coughing before he opened his eyes and looked to them.
"Wh… Where… am I?" the red hair man questioned in bewilderment.
"The outskirts of Okeanos." Forrest replied.
"Okeanos…" the man frowned hesitantly, "That… sounds familiar…"
"It should be." Asugi grumbled, "It's a kingdom."
"My name is Forrest and these are Ophelia and Asugi." Forrest said with a frown, "Are you all right?"
The red hair man strained a grimace, but nodded, "I think so… My name is…Um… E… Erio… I think."
"You think?" Forrest raised a brow.
"Okay, that's it." Asugi grumbled, "We're gonna leave now."
"Hold on, Asugi." Forrest said, "Erio, was it? What were you doing here lying in the sand?'
"I…" the man grimaced, "I don't know…"
"Don't know?" Forrest frowned.
"Oh! Oh!" Ophelia gasped, "This must be what my grandmother told me about! Maybe he has Amnesia!"
"Well, that's just great." Asugi groaned, "Let's just leave him with someone else go."
Ophelia frowned, "If Caeldori hears about this, she won't be any happier!"
Forrest looked to him, "Eriol. Do you remember anything else? Your age? Your date of birth? Blood type?"
"A-age…" he frowned and looked to himself, "I-I don't know… maybe fourteen? And, uh…"
"Date of birth?" Forrest clarified.
The man shook his head.
"Anything?" Ophelia questioned with a grimace.
"I-I…" the man grimaced.
There was a sudden growl as Forrest sighed with a strained smile, "Looks like somebody's hungry."
"Oh great!" Asugi sighed, "So, what? Take him along with us?"
"I don't see any reason not to." Forrest replied with a frown.
"Of course!" Ophelia added.
"Why did I even bother…!" Asugi grumbled in exasperation, "Fine! Have it your way…"
"Yay!" Ophelia grinned widely.
"Can you walk?" Forrest stretched out his hand.
The man hesitated, but nodded. He took Forrest's hand and slowly got up. Seeing him in his red and black clothing with black hood, Forrest frowned, "You look about fifteen or sixteen, though…"
"Ow!"
"Ophelia?" Forrest looked back in surprise and saw his retainer picking up something from the ground.
"I'm fine, sir. Just kicked something… Huh?" Ophelia's eyes widen in surprise.
It was a blue spear. Ophelia looked to it in confusion, "Hey! There's an engraving on this thing! 'Erio'. Looks like this is yours."
"Ah…" Erio's eyes widen in surprise as she hands him back his weapon.
"Looks like you can fight?" Forrest raised a brow.
"Guys. Caeldori is still waiting for us." Asugi grumbled.
"Right." Forrest nodded and quickly handed the man a jerky, "Here. Bear Jerky. It'll have to do for now."
"Uh… Thank you…" Erio took it in confusion.
As he sniffed it, Forrest strained a smile, "It taste better than it smells."
"A-All right…" Erio nodded and bit into it with a small frown.
Not long after finding the inn, he saw Seigbert waiting outside in his Nohrian armor.
"Seigbert!" Forrest called out and rushed over to him, "How's Caeldori doing?"
As he got off, his cousin grimaced, "Her fever's getting worse and I think she's been fading in and out of consciousness. There's no cough, but she can barely move now."
"Dry cough…" Forrest grumbled.
As he rushed inside, Seigbert quickly led him to a room where Caeldori was laying under the blankets. Soleil and Ignatius was on one side of the bed when they looked up to see Forrest rush in.
"Sir Forrest!" Soleil shouted with a bright smile.
"Thank god, you made it!" Ignatius breathed in relief.
Forrest nodded, "Let me take a look at her condition."
After examining her condition, he nodded, "Her symptoms really is similar to mine… She maybe like this for a few days."
"Should we have her take anymore medicine?" Soleil asked.
Forrest shook his head, "No. This is a process she'll have to go through on her own. Medicine won't have any effects on her anyway. My mother tried that already too. She'll need plenty of rest."
"Oh…" Soleil frowned.
Ignatius hands him the packet, "This was the medicine she was taking since this morning."
Forrest took it and examined the prescription. It was similar to that of herbal medicine, but in powder form. Forrest looked through it and nodded, "The medicine is good, but it won't work on her. She just needs rest."
Outside of the Inn, Erio asked Ophelia, "Um… What's he doing?"
"Treating a patient right now." Ophelia grinned, "Sir Forrest is a healer and one of our friends needs help."
"A healer…" Erio raised a brow, "Then, are you a healer too?"
"Nope." Ophelia smiled wider, "I'm Ophelia Dusk! Hero chosen by the stars! Granted-"
"She's a dark sorceress." Asugi interrupted as he leaned against the walls of the Inn.
"A sorceress?" Erio frowned in confusion, "Like a magician?"
"A mage." Ophelia corrected as she glared at Asugi, "So what about you? From the looks of it, you could be a spear master…"
Erio looked to his blue lance in confusion as he muttered, "Maybe I'm a lancer?"
"Lancer?" Ophelia frowned in confusion, "Is that what you call a spear fighter?"
"Spear fighter?" Erio frowned, "I don't know."
"Oh, well, nevermind! Hehe…" Ophelia strained a smile.
Erio looked around, "Do you live here?"
"Nope." Ophelia grinned, "We're travelers in search of legends!"
"Legends?" Erio raised a brow.
"Yup!"
"Ophelia." Asugi called out to her with a grumble.
"Fine. Fine." Ophelia sighed, "Maybe, you're a traveler too?"
"A traveler…" Erio raised a brow, "Maybe…"
Soon, Soleil was out of the Inn with a bright smile, "Hey, Ophelia!"
"Soleil!" Ophelia grinned, "It's been a years!"
"Huh?" Soleil raised a brow, "We only met a couple months ago, though. So, who's the new kid?"
"His name is Eriol!" Ophelia grinned, "We found him outside of the town entrance. Sir Forrest helped him and he's gonna be with us for a bit."
"Really?" Soleil raised a brow, "Uh… But our mission…"
"Who knows…" Asugi sighed in confusion, "The kid claims to have amnesia, so be careful, Soleil. Anyway, how's Caeldori doing?"
Soleil sighed, "Still out for now. It seems the process of being chosen got her pretty hard in the head or something. Still, Forrest said that we can't leave till she gets better. I just hope nobody in Modure finds us after what happened to their wind situation."
Asugi grumbled, "I left her in Presia for a while, then she decides to go on this journey and got herself into this situation…"
He sighed, "Well, I guess, there's no way to make her stay there anyway. I wonder if she can have any sweets, though…"
As he looked through his bag of food, Soleil looked to Erio with a outstretched hand, "Hey! I'm Soleil. I work under Sir Seigbert. Sir Forrest's cousin. Nice to meet ya!"
"H-Hello…" Erio took it nervously with a curt nod.
"Soleil! Where did you go?"
"Here, sir!" Soleil called out to the voice.
Seigbert walked out of the Inn with a sigh as he muttered, "Don't forget that you're not allowed to go for tea or leave my side for another week. Huh?"
Seigbert looked to Erio in confusion. Soleil grinned, "Sir, this is Erio. Ophelia said that they found him at the town's entrance and has amnesia."
Erio looked to him and was slightly taken aback, "H-Hello, sir. My name is Erio."
"Erio, huh?" Seigbert raised a brow.
"Careful." Asugi grumbled, "He could be a pursuer from Modure."
"It's fine." Seigbet sighed, "My name is Seigbert. Still, it's rare to find another human in this realm, though…"
"A human?" they looked to the newcomer in surprise as Ophelia gasped, "You mean, he's not a Frian?"
"He's not." Seigbert replied, "I've seen humans in the academy before. He's not one of the residents here."
"A human?" Erio raised a brow, "What do you mean? You're not human?"
"We are." Ophelia replied, "However, this is the world of Frians."
"People with the ability to control elements of the flames." Soleil replied, "Each kingdoms houses different color of the flames and is made of it too. Without them, the fire in the human realm would eat up everything and go crazy."
"We're only here to search for legends and stuff." Ophelia added with a frown.
"Oh…" Erio grimaced and looked about nervously, "Then, why am I here…?"
"Maybe you have something that would tell something about yourself?" Soleil raised a brow.
"Let me see…" Erio looked through his pockets before coming out empty.
"Nothing, huh…" Ophelia frowned.
Seigbert sighed and nodded, "Well, I guess he'll just have to stay with us until he can settle down somewhere."
"You too?" Asugi grumbled.
After finishing the patient, Ophelia and Asugi was left to monitor Caeldori as Forrest sat around the table with Seigbert and the others. Soleil and Ignatius was chatting with Erio who seemed rather nervous around the two. Forrest turned to his cousin, "Seigbert, I heard from my father that Soleil was chosen as well?"
Seigbert nodded, "That's right. It was a reckless move on her. I guess being chosen is better than losing her as well."
Forrest raised a brow, "You're referring to Kana and Ahna's retainers…"
Seigbert nodded.
"It's been a while since we mentioned the two." Forrest frowned, "Now, only their family talks about them. Shigure too."
"Shigure?" Seigbert raised a brow.
Forrest nodded, "There are times when they meet him in his dream. So, they're not out of the picture at least."
"Still thinking about his village, then…" Seigbert said with a grimace.
Forrest nodded. They all knew about each other's story. How they came to join the militia. They were children brought together by their families, after all. It was only natural to stick to their generation aside from their commanders, Kamui and Corrin. Still, not many knew about everyone's backstory. However, the cousins knew about each others', all but Kana and Ahna. It was best if the kids didn't know yet. For the princes, they knew about each other well enough to know about it. Especially Shigure's for losing his entire village. Nothing will bring them back or fill the void. Not his entire family or an entire kingdom. That village… was personal to him just as their's was to them. Out of everyone, only he lost so much before joining the militia. So, it was understandable when he didn't interact with them as much. However, for him to spend that much time around his sister's retainers?
"Speaking of which, he still doesn't have a retainer with him…" Seigbert frowned.
Forrest nodded, "When I heard that his family got new retainers, I was hoping that it was about Shigure, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
This happens sometimes when they talk about their cousins of the other kingdoms. Since the end of the war, it's been a custom for the royal families to have at most two retainers under each member. As far, only Forrest, himself, has reached that. Kana and Ahna are the same under certain conditions. Shiro, Kiragi and his cousin only have one. Though Midori, Ophelia, and Velouria are also descended from Royalty, they already made it clear that they would be traversing on different paths than them. Especially Ophelia, who is already his retainer. As far, only Shigure doesn't have a single he can solely rely on. Seigbert sighed, "Well, perhaps he'll think of it in due time, it would be difficult to manage a kingdom on his own anyway. It doesn't have to be right away."
Forrest nodded, "I hope so…"
He looked to his cousin's retainer in confusion, "Still, it's unusual to see that Soleil would be well."
Seigbert sighed, "It seems that Fenrir held back the effects of the process when he chose her. Her spirit told us that much. We were more surprised that he was able to communicate, though."
"He spoke?" Forrest's eyes widen in surprise.
Seigbert nodded, "It started during the battle against Garuda. He told us that she was losing her control over herself and warned us while preparing us a way of catching her."
"Interesting." Forrest frowned, "Reiren never spoke with me aside from my mental state. Who is her spirit again?"
"She told us that it was a wolf called Fenrir." He replied.
"Ah, right…" Forrest strained a smile, "I remember now. Carbuncle wasn't too happy to hear his name either."
"Really?" Seigbert raised a brow and looked to his retainer, "He and Soleil seem to get along really well, though I bet she won't agree with that. Now, I just hope he can lend a hand and set her straight sometimes, but he seems to act aloof sometimes."
"So then, the one with Caeldori is this Garuda?" Forrest raised a brow.
Seigbert nodded, "That and the soul of the Wind Dragon."
"The Wind Dragon?" Forrest's eyes widen in surprise, "How did this happen? She's the child manakete, correct?"
Seigbert frowned, "It would seem that she wishes to see the other dragons and Caeldori decided to lend a hand. Now she resides in the same gem with Garuda."
"The other dragons, huh…" Forrest frowned, "But, the Arcane dragon…"
Seigbert sighed, "That's right. She won't be able to see him again, regardless."
Forrest frowned, "Have the attacks around your group grown?"
"None." Seigbert replied, "It was rather smooth sailing on our side. How about you?"
"Luckily none." Forrest replied, "Prince Collins was with us as well."
"That's right." Seigbert frowned, "How much were you forced to tell the king?"
"Quite a bit." Forrest grimaced, "None of us were able to lend Shigure a hand. The only thing he doesn't know about is the reunions, a majority of our location, and the spirits choosing us."
"I see. At least, we still have that." Seigbert nodded, "How has the search been doing?"
Forrest shook his head, "Well, but there's still the island that we've yet to check."
Seigbert nodded, "Perhaps we can help you as well?"
"That'd be great." Forrest strained a smile. I'm more suspicious about this Fisherman family they spoke of though."
Seigbert nodded, "If their kingdom was anything like ours, there's still that chance."
The next day came around and, after seeing that the sky knight was slightly recovered, Forrest allowed them to travel back to the kingdom where Shigure and Shiro was. There, Caeldori stayed in the girls' room whilst under Asugi's watch. Forrest then chose to stay with him as well as he was their only healer. Seigbert was worried, but it was true that she was in no condition to sail with them. Instead, Prince Collins offered to watch over her as well. With all of this done, he followed Ophelia onto the docks of floating wooden boards until he saw three familiar figures.
"Seigbert!" Shiro called out with a wave.
He waved back and made his way over, "Shiro, Shigure! Glad to see that you're well."
"How have you been?" Shigure smiled, "I've heard what happened to Caeldori."
Seigbert nodded, "For now, Forrest said that he'll stay here with Prince Collins and Asugi."
Shiro sighed, "Yeah. I heard. Just let the guy do what he wants for now. He still got things to handle."
Seigbert raised a brow, but nodded. Fay cleared his throat and made his way up to the group before stretching out his hand to Seigbert, "I see this is the new addition. Greetings. My name is Fay. I've heard a bit from your cousins."
Seigbert took it with a smile, "Greetings. Forrest told me of the situation. We're willing to help you as well. My name is Seigbert."
"Seigbert, is it?" Fay smiled, "You don't hear that name every day."
"Huh?" Seigbert raised a brow.
"In our world, it's a german name meaning a bright victory, but it was only known to be used in the royal families." Fay smirked, "Rather unusual to hear it from a person of another world."
Seigbert strained a smile, "Um… Thank you?"
"Regardless," he pushed back his glasses, "I'll show you were she was last known to be before the attack. It's going to be a while, though."
Siegbert nodded, "All right."
They then boarded the ship using the long planks tied to the dock. Not long after, there was a shout as the boat began to set sail. Seigbert than looked out to the seas with a small smile.
"Been a while since you last saw the ocean, Seig?" Shiro called out with a wide grin.
"Sort of." Seigbert nodded as he placed a hand on the rails.
Fay said, "Well, it'll be a long while before we reach Aspido. At this point in time, they should be the closest to us."
"A giant sea turtle, huh…" Seigbert raised a brow, "I recall hearing such tales from our world. But, it was never proven true."
"It's just a legend." Fay sighed, "It's true that the island does move though. However, why it does so have always been beyond us."
Shigure frowned, "I've never heard of such a place."
There was a chuckle as Soleil popped her heard out from behind Fay.
"Sir Seigbert! There's a mock battle that'll be starting soon. Let's go check it out!" she said with a bright smile.
"Huh?" Siegbert raised a brow and takes a step back, "Now, hold on, Solei-!"
Despite this, the knight was then pulled away by his retainer to the back of the boat. Shiro sighed as he watches this. Fay raised a brow and said, "That's his servant, correct?"
"Yes." Shiro frowned, "This happens all the time. If only Asugi was up for a mock battle more often."
Shigure smiled, "At least, it seems that Soleil is well."
Fay shrugged with a chuckle, "So, it seems that even master and servants can be as close. I'm rather envious of the fact that you have such companions."
"Is it not the same with you and your retainers?" Shiro raised a brow.
"Not when you're stuck in the castle around expecting nobles who would note every one of your decisions with dismay to traditions." Fay sighed and looked to the boat with a wider smile, "It's not often that I get to spend time talking casually with Lazar or Diane."
"That's…" Shiro frowned.
Shigure nodded, "I believe that our world would understand some of those problems."
As Fay gave him a surprised look, he replied, "One of our many cousins. Her father is a retainer under a companion's father of royal status, but then he married to his liege's younger sister with blessing from the royal family. He wasn't even of a noble standing either."
"Seriously?" Fay's eyes widen in surprise, "It's rare to hear of such occurrences. No doubt the nobles would react to that badly."
"Of course." Shigure replied, "But it is true that they are in love with each other and the rule that states a retainer isn't allowed to wed with a member of the royal family has faded over time. Even if there was opposition, the king would not allow that to interfere with his sibling's wishes."
"Even the king, huh…" Fay repeated quietly, "It's not everyday that you'd see a righteous ruler. In fact, truth be told, my family has such rulers for years before my father took the throne."
"Seriously?" Shiro's eyes widen in surprise.
Fay nodded as he sat down on one of the boxes, "You can't see it now, but that's only because my father went through years of reconstruction on the kingdom to bring it back to prosperity. Before then, his father was a weak ruler who ruled according to the words of his subjects. My father was against such way of rule and learned from watching him. He took on many lessons and reached out to people he could rely on in secret. He also had to learn from his own mistakes when he was younger too. The people starved and was nearly buried alive under the sand since the barrier only reached around the castle and the homes of the nobles."
"Talk about harsh…" Shiro grimaced as he looked to the far-off kingdom, "Still, it's hard to believe…"
Fay opened his book as he continued, "When his father was assassinated by a noble so they could use him as well, he brought out his own support and overthrown the entire council. Right off the bat, he wiped the council clean of ignorant and selfish nobles and worked hard to refill it with people he trusts regardless of standing. Promoting those he saw would benefit the kingdom and demoting those who would potentially corrupt it. He had to regain the faith of the citizens, fight on the front lines, and speak with people he could work with. All to rebuild the kingdom to its former self."
"That's… quite a feat." Shigure grimaced, "To have the power to overthrow the council and build it back up. I've only seen one king done that one in our world."
"Really?" Fay strained a smile, "I see that your world is full of problem in the midst of correct as well. Speaking of which, what is your kingdoms like?"
Shiro looked to Shigure in slight hesitation.
"My kingdom is called Nohr."
They looked up to see Seigbert return slightly fatigued as he strained a smile, "It's a kingdom where light would not touch and snows rather often. No matter if it was day or night, it was always night in our kingdom. The moon is our sun there."
"No sun or light?" Fay frowned, "Then how does the people thrive there?"
"The citizens thrive under the surface of the capital where the nobles live, so you can say that the real city is underground. In the past, it was through the form of conquer, but it's been recorded that no matter where they conquered, the place would then be covered in the night skies. Yet, we still fought war after war till our current ruler ended it and set a peace treaty with Shiro's kingdom."
Fay looked to Shiro in surprise, "You're of different kingdoms?"
Shiro sighed, "Pretty much. We have complicated family ties. Both of my aunts got married to Seigbert's family. But we have another one who was also adopted into my father's family. By the time we moved into our kingdoms, we were finally told of the problems our kingdoms faced in regards to relations with out families being the special."
"The Kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr was always at war for a long time before our current rulers ended that with a third party." Shigure explained, "Since then, our families were given the role of being the ideal example to peace after the war."
"Nohr's king as well." Shiro sighed, "During the war, he also married a Hoshidan and the council was really angry."
Seigbert grimaced, "Well, I-I heard that they went overboard and angered him to throw out the entire council after they threw insults before rebuilding it with other nobles he worked with. I do recall that he was definitely not happy at all."
"Hey, better than working with them if they weren't going to follow the idea of working with other kingdoms." Shiro smiled, "At least, they stopped bugging you and your mother. I remember how pale my dad's tactician became after he heard that father gave his blessing to your dad."
He laughed and continued, "Then, after he saw us, he looked like he was ready to faint on the spot! I bet he wasn't prepared to see the next generation so soon."
Shigure sighed with a strained smile, "Well, Hoshido is the opposite. While Nohr doesn't have light and can't farm, Hoshido is blessed with those things, but technology isn't as advanced there in comparison with Nohr, so trade is of the best ideas for both kingdoms. I came from another kingdom though my parents were raised in both kingdoms. In truth, it's similar to what I told Prince Collins. My kingdom locates under the bottom of an abyss that leads to another dimension. There a large lake floats in our skies and our kingdom is on top of floating islands much to that of dreams. Our technology is fair as well as our harvests, but travel there is difficult. I recall the first time I entered the place, we had to jump off the ledge and the bottom is really deep. Well, not that we ever recall hitting the bottom."
"That's…" Fay raised a brow before he sighed, "Nevermind, I have no clue how to react to that."
Shigure strained a smile, "We get that a lot."
"A real kingdom under a canyon, huh?" Fay grinned, "That's rather interesting."
Shiro grinned, "I thought you'd say that. Well our families are always tied together so we're not that far apart really. Our uncles always talk about trade so Forrest and Kiragi sees each other quite often. But our family is big. I mean, my dad has five other younger siblings aside from him. While Seigbert's dad has about four other younger siblings."
"That's one big family…" Fay nodded in agreement before he hummed to himself, "Hm… I don't think I have any other relatives myself. My father had no other siblings while my mother was also an only child."
"We'll find your sister." Shiro grinned.
Fay sighed with a small smile, "I certainly hope Lady Skyla and Lord Seraf would grant you a different result than our search did."
"Lady Skyla?" Seigbert raised a brow.
Fay nodded, "She's the deity my father and mother named my sister after. It's said that she blesses our kingdom with luck on our journey out in the ocean while Lord Seraf grants us strong winds for sailing. They're strong deities who work under Lord Yun."
"Lord Yun?" Shigure raised a brow.
Seigbert nodded, "Apparently, he's a Celestial who also works under this Lord of the Lost Stars, Tian. So, he works in sync with Lady Ri of the Sun and Lady Yue of the Moon."
"So you've done your research." Fay nodded, "That's right. In the past, there was many towns and villages who worship different Celestials, but, over time, those towns and villages were then devastated by the war during my father's era. Now, only eleven of us remain."
Twelve? Shigure raised a brow and sat on a stool across from him, "Twelve, you say? You know We've never really heard about this war that your father took part in."
Fay nodded, "You may want to sit down, then. The story will take a while."
The other two nodded and sat on either stools or boxes as well.
"It all began when my father was still a prince." Fay began, "The war started after a dispute began from the day the humans began to invade our world. His father, being weak to the sight of blood and turmoil, sent my father out to the front lines in his place. He defended the kingdom with magic till the day the humans decided to pollute our waters. With it, our people slowly began to dwindle followed by his army. My father did not thought of the possibility then as technology was not our field. The humans took this chance to launch an all out attack against our kingdom and my father and his men was barely left standing, even with my mother's help."
"Your mother?" Seigbert raised a brow.
"She was the high priestess during my father's generation. With her abilities, she can speak with the spirit of the waters. In the war, she called on our kingdom's spirit to launch a tidal wave at the enemy. But the humans attacked our spirit and forced her back to slumber." Fay replied with a grimace, "We didn't know how they did it back then, but he was saved when Wyscun's princess and Osius's prince came to aid us."
"Wyscun and Osius!" Seigbert's eyes widen as he heard this, "I've never heard of their involvement in much till now, though Wyscun was destroyed…"
Fay nodded, "Back then, Wyscun was considered one of the strongest alongside Osius. It was always said that, should there ever be a disaster that would befall on our world, the combination of Osius's military might and Wyscun's powerful magic would shun any wars to come and protect our world from invaders. That's why my father recognized the severity of the situation when he saw Osius's former King Lucius and Wyscun's former Queen Dawn Phoe leading their armies from the other side of the field."
"Dawn Phoe…" Shigure narrowed his eyes, "I recall you talk of her once before."
Fay nodded, "She was the Former Queen of Wyscun during the start of my father's reign. Shortly after helping my father, her father fell in the war and her mother was in no condition to rule. Her younger brother was also sickly and the eldest had also fallen during the start of the wars leaving her alone fit to rule. Osius's former King was also well-known and worked alongside Queen Dawn. They were the idea partners though they did not wed or pursued to have their children do so either. King Lucius Treaty was a powerful military ruler believing in strength and traditions over knowledge and ideologies. Areas where Queen Dawn excelled in. The appearance of the two brought light to this world and shed the same light over the truth."
"The truth?" Shiro raised a brow.
"The humans were led by a Frian called Emil who wanted to use the human's technology to rule our world." Fay replied, "He hopes to use the flames of war and the respect of the humans to place himself above all. For years, Frians had hated humans for the discrimination and suffering they faced, but the truth that the war was led by a Frian with such ambition left us all speechless. Queen Dawn and my father was the ones who help open our people's eyes to the truth. That just as the humans were capable of such violence, we too also hold that same capacity of such cruelty and betrayal. During the war, the humans attacked all the small villages, took their possessions as loot, and reused their belongings into other materials. They melted the statues of the shrines and temples to create weapons and items. However, it turned out that this was all part of their leader's plan. Only few humans were able to return the belongings of the temples and shrines that they hid away amongst their things. The war was what became the first step to an understanding between both of our races. Both suffered from the man's plots and both wanted revenge on the wrong side. Amongst all twelve royal families, my father and the two rulers were the only ones willing to set an example and work alongside the humans. In time, the other rulers began to follow suit creating a large army of Frians and humans to bring down the enemy. The day Emil was caught, many thought that he would be executed for initiating an all-out war against both worlds, but Queen Dawn refused it saying that death is too good for a man of heavy crimes against the world. Instead, all the rulers and human leaders came together on one agreement. That he would be kept in the undergrounds of Osius kingdom dungeon where a three headed dog would continuously absorb away at his Will Fire till the day he dies."
"Will Fire." Seigbert raised a brow, "I believe I've heard that phrase once or twice…"
Fay nodded, "We, Frians, are comprised of two different categories of flames no matter the color. A Soul flame and a Will Flame. The Soul Flame is our soul while the Will is what creates and maintains our bodies at birth. Once we decide on our composition as according to our biological parent's souls, we will keep this shape and grow as we grow older. So, scars and injuries will still affect us. We would still have to perform surgeries to get well if needed and still have blood running through our veins. Each day, our soul continues to fuel our will but at a slow pace. It's like creating blood that flows in us. So, to be in a place where your soul can rapidly produce the will while feeling yourself being torn away is a very painful experience for us."
Shiro grimaced, "Right… I'm glad I'm not someone going through that…"
"I've always thought that the Frian world would have a lot of history." Shigure noted curiously, "Looks like they also have their own fair share of problems."
Fay nodded with a sigh, "Pretty much."
"So, Former Queen Dawn was such a figure." Seigbert said in confusion with a hand on his chin, "What happened to her after the war?"
"It was said that she officially married a human man and had a child after the wars while maintaining the kingdom and our relations for a long time. She hoped that it would last too." Fay frowned, "Before Osius launched an attack on Wyscun years later."
"How recent was the war?" Seigbert asked.
"It started when my father was barely in his teens and my mother had just became a high priestess." Fay answered, "They were the youngest of their generation. So, when the attack occurred, I was still an unborn infant. According to my father's retainers, the attack was already over by the time he reached Wyscun in secret. Not a soul survived the battle, though it was said that there was no remains left either. The only ones they found were of the soldiers and male citizens, the retainers of the royal family, and the majority of the royal family. The Queen was still alive during the battle before she fell to King Lucius's grandson, their new ruler. However, her power have diminished with old age and was killed while still fighting to protect her family and people with wooden sticks tied to her legs."
Shigure grimaced, "A strong woman, indeed."
Fay nodded, "Shortly after, my father aided Osius' prince in a rebellion against the king. Turns out, the king had gone insane and began slewing his own people and subjects. The prince took this chance to take action in secret and threw his father off the throne to save them. My father was the one who taught him how to better rule over his kingdom since the former king neglected him. The current King of Osius was also the one who taught me swordsmanship before I took on magic as my father's request and my former interest."
"Seriously?" Shiro's eyes widen in awe, "That's amazing!"
"Perhaps." Fay smiled, "He was certainly the image of an uncle in my eyes and my parents welcomes him into our kingdom till recently."
"What changed it?" Shiro questioned with a frown.
"I don't know." Fay frowned, "Probably something within the kingdom. The last message he sent us was to not allow any Osian aside of him and his son passage into our kingdom. That was nine years ago. Since then, he hardly spoke a word to my father. Since then, my father and I have assumed that something must've occurred in the kingdom. Something he wanted to protect us from."
Siegbert nodded with a sigh, "It was nine years ago before my father and uncles decided to try search in the kingdoms with Osius being our last destination. We… weren't allowed passage either."
"I thought so." Fay sighed, "It was the same whenever we sent our messengers."
"What kind of place is Osius, though?" Shigure asked.
Fay frowned, "I've only been there once to attend a banquet, but, if I were to describe it, it would be similar to Seigbert's kingdom. The land was cold and dreary. The trees were bare and the people were barely able to farm off the lands. The grass was dry as well. Since the attack and overthrow was slightly recent, the people looked rather miserable, probably also due to royal instability till then. But, there was still children playing on the streets with smiles and the markets were still packed with goods. However, the place is always cloudy with very few instances of light. That day, I attended the banquet with my father. They wanted to introduce me and their prince who was around my age then. I recall the reason was for his son to make friends since the queen passed when he was young. I do not know of what happened to him later on, but we didn't meet after that day either. Instead, my mother got sick and we had to go look to Lufure kingdom. That was when I met Prince Collins."
"I get it." Shiro sighed, "But, for there to be so many mysteries in this world."
Fay nodded, "So far, nothing is well. Wars over the thrones have become frequent and corruption have started to arise again. It's as my father said. Even if we end wars, corruption and suffering are something that must always be kept on watch. Yet, it's starting to leak into our own kingdom as well."
Seigbert nodded, "The only way to fight against them is our leadership and our own determination in the royal families. The backing of the noble families are also crucial since they'll be the ones to keep watch in areas we look away in brief glances."
"True again." Fay responded with a small smile, "Which is why my father is always trying to look for uncorrupted officials and people we can trust. I also need to find my sister as soon as possible."
"What does Princess Skyla have in all this, though?" Shiro raised a brow, "Wouldn't it be better to protect her from them."
However, to his question, Fay only sighed and looked to the waves. Leaving them in much confusion, but with more information for them to process through.
When he opened his eyes, Shigure found himself in the same field of flowers. Lilith lay by his side snoring away as a familiar figure sat next to him. His eyes widen in surprise as he immediately sat up, "Ciel-?!"
He quickly cut himself off as he noticed Lilith grumble in her sleep. He looked to the retainer with a look of confusion before noticing his bandages on his arm. He grimaced, "The curse."
Ciel was quiet before he nodded, "I'll be fine in time. How's milord doing as of late?"
"I'm well, Ciel. My sister and cousin seems as lively when I last spoke with them." Shigure replied, "Speaking of which…"
He pulled out two orbs from his pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. He handed it out to the retainer, "This is the communication orbs I spoke of. I'd like for you to try using it once I wake up. I want to see if we can speak with each other at least."
Ciel took the orbs in confusion, "How does it work?"
Shigure took one of them and said, "Try imagine the person you wish to speak with and hold onto the orb a little tighter."
Ciel raised a brow, but nodded, "Understood."
He light grabbed onto the orb as Shigure's orb also began to glow. He called out, "You did it."
Ciel's eyes opened as he looked down to see the image of the prince in the orb with the same surroundings of trees. He turned to Shigure who smiled and said, "Like this, you'll be able to communicate with us no problem."
Ciel stared at him before a smirk appeared on his lips. Out of the blue, he chuckled, "It would seen so, milord. Perhaps, we can finally start communicating with our lieges as well?"
"Of course." Shigure smiled, "I didn't tell Ahna or Kana yet, but I'm certain that they'd be overjoyed to see your faces again."
Shigure was taken aback as he saw the retainer's face soften, "That's great…"
Shigure nodded, "I've also told my cousins to take some with them to share with the others stuck in this dream world. Hopefully, things work out well. We'll be the first to try it out. Tonight, Shiro and Siegbert will be on guard duty."
Ciel nodded, "Understood, milord."
"Mgh…"
They looked down to see the little dragon slowly open her eyes before they snapped open upon seeing him, "P-Prince Shigure!"
Shigure strained a smile as a small chuckle came from his mouth, "Good morning, Lilith."
The dragon blushed as red as her own tail before they could tell her of the situation. When he was done, Lilith looked to him as she began processing the information once again, "So, the realm was once invaded by humans… Then, one of the kingdoms attacked another before the ruler was overthrown. Now that place has restricted access to travelers due to some problems within the kingdom… Hm…"
Lilith grumbled, "Even if we don't have Prince Fay's help, we won't be able to enter the kingdom anyway. What if you try to have someone sneak in there? No. That'd put them at risk of torture."
Ciel frowned, "What if Lord Shigure attempts to get the help from the other royalties as he had from Prince Collins."
Shigure shook his head, "Then, we'd have a problem the moment they hear of so many kingdoms trying to get one group probably the size of a small army to enter one kingdom. It would cause suspicion. Unwanted suspicion."
Ciel nodded, "That's true."
Lilith sighed, "There's not choice. For now, let try heading to the other kingdoms after this quest. More importantly, how is the search going?"
"We're currently heading for Apidos island with Shiro and Seigbert's group." Shigure replied, "Right now, Forrest and Asugi are staying behind to keep an eye on Caeldori's condition. Ophelia has gone with them."
"Will she be all right?" Lilith questioned.
Shigure nodded, "Forrest is one of our best healers. She's in good hands and is on her way to recovery."
As he said this, Ciel frowned, "It's only a matter of time before another is chosen."
Shigure nodded again, "With all the traveling, we're bound to come across another spirit. Sadly, there's no Shepherds station in Okeanos. So, there's no information to be obtained as easily."
Ciel frowned, "Then, perhaps more of our soldiers are on the move as well?"
"It's just us for now." Shigure replied.
Lilith nodded, "Then, the top priority is the missing Rin and the princess. For now, I agree that Apidos will have to be your best bet in finding her whereabouts."
He thought quietly as Ciel and Lilith spoke. Finally, as if something dawned on him, he looked up with a small smile, "Well, how about this?"
Forrest looked around his surroundings to find himself in a familiar space of shelves of books and scroll and Reiren before him. He frowned, "Reiren? Did I fall asleep? Or did you bring me here?"
"Both." The lion replied with a sigh, "It seems the next to have chosen are the troublesome of the latter."
Forrest raised a brow, "Why do you say that?"
Reiren just sighed and lowered his head, "For your questions, we require the assistance of other Crystal spirits. Shall we see them ourselves?"
Forrest's eyes widen, "We can see them? Right now?"
"In a mental state, it's possible to communicate with the spirits and their masters. This is the condition Lady Ri and Lady Yue set. As long as the chosen meets their spirits, they shall have the abilities to enter the mental realm." Reiran replied, "All that is needed is to be drifted into a resting state."
Hesitant, Forrest looked to Reiran in confusion, but nodded, "All right. Please show me how it's done."
Reiran nodded, "Get on…"
Forrest raised a brow but climbed up the lion's head. The fur on his body felt like the softest grass and the long vines around his neck was sleek and gentle like real fur, but firm. The lion growled, "Do not let go."
"Right…" Forrest nodded as he held onto the vines on the head.
Slowly, the lion stood on his four limbs and began to tread across the open spaced room. The space around them slowly began to distort as the lion continued walking. Finally, he stood in place and opened his jaw as a thundering roar left it shaking their space. Light began to shine before them as Reiran continued to walk through it.
"What was that?" Forrest frowned nervously.
"A door." The lion replied, "It leads to a shared mental space with the other chosens."
"A door…" Forrest looked back in slight confusion.
As they passed through, the light door behind them vanished.
"Oh, snap shut, you oversized turkey!"
"You dare me, rabid hell mutt!"
As the voices continue, they continued walking through the empty space until they came upon two large figures. They were both foreign to him. A large gray wolf slightly smaller than Reiren and a strange looking woman with shining green-yellow feather, talon limbs, and a partial blue and silver mask covering the top portion of her face above her metallic green lips. As they got closer, he could see two more familiar figures. His eyes widen as he shouted, "Soleil! Caeldori!"
However, his voice was drowned out by the roars and screeches of the two spirits.
"Enough!"
Reiren's voice vibrated in the room causing both spirits to look up in surprise.
"Must we fight before our masters?" Reiren spoke in a firm note, "Before a child as well?"
Both spirits glared at each other with looks of wanting to say more, but slowly stepped back leaving them space in the center.
"Prince Forrest?" Caeldori's eyes widen in surprise as she sat perched on the woman's shouder with a small child on her lap.
"Oh hey!" Soleil waved with a smirk as she laid on top of the wolf's head, "Is the fighting over now?"
"I believe so…" he replied.
Reiren sat on the ground as he looked to the woman, "Garuda, would you care to explain your reason for bringing a soul amongst us?"
The spirit huffed, "The child wishes to meet with her brethren once more. What am I for not granting such an innocent wish, Reiren? We do have the capacity after all."
"And, that's just going soft on a lonely spirit." The wolf growled, "Such a spirit should just go to the afterlife like a good pup and wait for their next life. You've grown senile."
The spirit huffed, "Speak that for yourself."
"You dare-!"
Reiren's growl silenced the two with a grimace.
"Um…" the girl spoke nervously, "Am I… a bother to you for asking this?"
"Of course yo-! Ow!" the wolf snapped as Soleil jumped to his snout quickly and smacked him across the nose, "What was that for?!"
"Geez..." Soleil grimaced with her hands on her hips, "Learn some sympathy for a child, would ya?"
Forrest was left speechless as he watched the wolf grumble with a glare at her before blowing a sigh while she climbed back up his head. Forrest could say that he was impressed with her abilities to tame her own spirit. Reiran turned to Garuda with a frown, "Then, she would be in your care. But, should anything befell on her soul, you will have to speak with our lieges yourself…"
"Of course." The woman smirked.
Despite this, the wolf grumbled as he sat back down, "So, what shall we do now? The others have yet to have chosen anyone. I only came because Soleil gotten curious after you called for us."
"Aw." Soleil smirked, "Weren't you lonely just a few seconds ago.
"Soleil, if you don't be quiet, I'll bind your lips shut with the chains." Fenrir growled.
Soleil sighed, "If you say so…"
Forrest looked to Reiran in confusion, "Reiran, who are these spirits?"
Reiran hummed as he watched the two intently.
"I suppose there was no time for formalities." Garuda sighed, "I am Garuda, Empress of Birds. Messenger of Lord Yun of the skies."
The wolf sighed, "Fenrir, Wolf of The Howling Winds. I serve under Lady Yue as her guard."
"Huh, so you were a guard dog." Soleil hummed quietly, "For a Celestial, that's pretty cool! But, I keep telling you to save it for later. That's when you can really impress someone."
Fenrir sighed, "When will you just be quiet…"
However, Soleil just smirked quietly much to her spirit's distress. With a strained smile, he looked to Caeldori. The sky knight seemed well in contrast to her current condition. Caeldori noticed his gaze and nodded with a small smile.
"So," Soleil began, "There's something I want to ask about."
They looked up to her as she continued, "There's someone we're trying to find in the kingdom of Okeanos. She's been missing for a really long time now. If we can't find her, her father won't let us look into this book. Do you know how we can find her?"
Forrest raised a brow, "That's why you're here?"
"I came here wonder when will I start to feel better." Caeldori frowned, "Then, the Wind Dragon also wanted to come and see other humans and spirits."
Forrest nodded, "I wanted to know how many more spirits and how we can find them and the tomes of the Celestials."
"Then, we shall answer them here." Reiren replied with a curt nod, "Garuda's master, because of Garuda's strength, your body is learning to adapt with her abilities. At most, it could take a week before you can leave your rest."
"A week." Caeldori grimaced.
Reiran nodded, "As I am one of the first to slumber, I do not know how many of us have been scattered in this world. But, each of us carry a soul or a will of your deity of your realm. Your Wind dragon, for one, is a soul. Meaning out there is her will. The concept is vaguely similar to that of the Frian race. To exist in the world, a soul and a will must be present. The will creates the body for the soul to inhabit. For humans, their will give them the strength to move in the body that's been provided since birth. However, for Frians, their will is their bodies and losing it will shift their chances of surviving."
Soleil counted, "Let's see. So, there's Gotoh, the Dusk Dragon, the Dawn Dragon, the Wind Dragon, the Fire Dragon, the Ice Dragon, and… Oh, right, the Rainbow Dragon."
"Don't forget Anankos." Forrest added, "Then split them into two there are sixteen of them… That's a lot."
"However, there are those the Twin Celestials and Lord Yun added shortly after Lord Tian's disappearance." Garuda replied, "I was one of the last to be sent here, so I know. That some are in places without the dragons. However, they are of the lesser powers. Only we are given the dragons as a form of restriction from choosing random masters."
Reiren nodded, "With out powers, we would greatly need of such restrictions."
"So, then that would be…" Forrest grimaced.
"Hmm…" the bird hummed, "It should be about twenty-two? So, Seven more aside from us."
"We need to find the other nineteen of us." Fenrir growled.
"How do we find them?" Forrest frowned.
"Each kingdom houses a spirit." Garuda explain, "For one, Fenrir was in the kingdom of Goud. While others are in certain places where our lieges placed us. You should be able to find them well enough, such as…"
"Okeanos' great spirit." She smirked deviously, "Leviathan…"
"Leviathan?" Caeldori looked up in surprise, "There was a spirit in Okeanos the entire time?"
"That's right." Fenrir grumbled, "However, do not allow this to get to your head. She's harder to sway in persuasion. Always acting all high and mighty. The moment you show weakness, she leaves you drowning in her waves. She will not accept weaklings and despises them."
"So, they have to be strong?" Caeldori frowned.
"She should have a dragon with her…" Garuda replied, "Her strength multiplies when she's in her waters. Be way or she will drown the entire kingdom."
Forrest noticed the tense look on the Sky knight's face as he nodded, "This will be difficult, then. But, she is still tasked with helping us, right?"
"Yes." Reiren replies, "However, be wary. Her change of mood can still change her thoughts. She is not one to be trifled with by mere humans or Frians."
"Right." Soleil sighed, "Now, that we got that down, what about the princess?"
"She was last seen on the ocean, correct?" Fenrir asked with a huff, "The ocean waters are shared by two spirits. One is Leviathan. The other…"
"Undine." Reiran replied, "Like Carbuncle, she is an elemental spirit of the waters."
"Elemental sprits?" Soleil grumbled, "What's that?"
"They are spirits who embodies the elements as a part of them." Fenrir replied, "For instance, that rabbit you have with you. He's the elemental spirit of the wind and the spirit of life. He can see all where the wind goes and is part of it, but he's too young to form anything but contracts with you. Undine is the elemental of the waters. The water we take in, the waters we sail on, even the rain are a part of her. As long as there's a body of water, she sees all from there."
Soleil groaned, "Ugh… That just left a bad image in my head."
"You…" Fenrir sighed in exasperation.
Forrest strained a smile as Garuda spoke, "However, with her powers, she cannot choose to form contracts or the mortal would be giving their body to her to possess. However, gentle and wise in nature. She sees all from the waters. I do not know exactly where she is, but she should also be somewhere in Okeanos. Perhaps, she too will choose someone as her master. She and a few other elemental spirits have that capabilities."
Reiren nodded, "However, your best chance in finding the Frian child is through her. However, she is already with you."
"Huh?" Soleil's eyes widen in confusion as she saw his eyes on her, "What? Where?"
Fenrir sighed, "Did you not hear anything he said?"
"What?" Soleil raised a brow.
Garuda smirked, "Looks like you've chose an interesting character, pup."
"Quit your gobble, turkey." Fenrir grumbled back with a slight growl.
Reiran frowned, "We shall end it here for now. In time, you must wake and see the world for yourself."
"So, this is it?" Caeldori grimaced.
"Five more days, Robin." Garuda chirped, "You can do this."
Caeldori looked down to the dozing dragon and nodded, "I hope so…"
Forrest frowned, "Perhaps pain relievers would benefit you…"
Soleil sighed, "I need to go talk to Lord Seigbert soon about this 'Undone' spirit."
"Undine." Fenrir growled, "Never mind."
Forrest strained a smile and looked to Caeldori, "Just hang in there for a bit longer, Caeldori. Asugi and Ophelia are waiting for you to get better too."
"Ophelia." Caeldori's eyes widen, "And Asugi?! Oh dear…"
"They wanted to let you know that they were there before I went to check your condition again in Okeanos castle." Forrest said with a small smile, "It's a fortunate thing to know that you're not alone, after all."
Caeldori slightly blushed before their spirits began to turn and leave.
On their way back, Forrest said with deep curiosity, "Reiren? Do you think there will be more spirits like Fenrir and Garuda? They have such… clashing personalities."
"Us, Spirits and Celestials, are just as vast in personalities as humans and Frians, Forrest." Reiran replied with a soft rumble.
"Then, I wonder why Nephytitus liked me that much for being chosen by you?" Forrest raised a brow.
"This is due to the fact that I possess powers that influence life around me." Reiren replied, "By being chosen, you've inherited a part of my powers. Another reason is your name."
"My name?"
Reiran nodded, "The spirits find interest in the names humans and Frians gift their offsprings or life. Our names were gifted by the creativity of our lieges, but humans don't always have the most creative ideas when they have something as important. Gifting their offsprings with words or names of meaning amuses the spirits. Your name greatly resembles the term forest with an affinity to life. So, Nephytitus chooses to dote on you as she would with her own offsprings. The outcome is the same with many other spirits of the same affinity. Such as your friends. Soleil is referred to the sun from one of our many languages in this world and Caeldori is that of Heaven and Bird."
"So, that's why she called Caeldori a robin…" Forrest said as the thought sank into him.
As he said this, the familiar light appeared. They passed through it with ease as the familiar scenery of the open space and galaxy with shelves of books around came to their sight. Reiren sat down on the unseen ground in an unusual silence before he spoke.
"Forrest." He began softly, "What… do you think of this world the Celestials created?"
"Huh?" He raised a brow.
"In this world the Celestials created, Light was created, yet mistakes always occurs. Those of the humans, those of the Frians, and those of the Celestials. Yet, the world continues to turn embracing it all as if it was a part of life from the start. What do you think of a world like this?"
The prince was confused and looked about the stars around them hesitantly before forming the best answer in his mind, "I… Isn't this just fine?"
The lion moved his head up a little as Forrest took this as a sign to continue, "Yes, the world is full of mistakes and things that are the way they're suppose to be. But, I believe that this is what life is suppose to be. To teach us something..."
He paused in thought before continuing, "Growing up in my world, I learned that we can never achieve perfection and that's just frustrating. But, it's only frustrating before accepting something that isn't part of our idea is difficult, especially if it's something we've believed in for a long time. Nothing is perfect and I believe this world is trying to teach us just that. Therefore, I like this world… A place where we learn more about ourselves and how to better ourselves."
Hearing this, Reiren was silent as he carefully laid back down in his usual spot. Finally, after some time, he said, "I see… When the journey is over, let's speak of this again."
Hesitant, Forrest nodded, "Okay…"
YueTian: And, it's over. I'll get back to this tomorrow morning. I'll get to the next chapter soon, but, for now, I also want to read my own story. After all, I actually made this story for myself too. It just wasn't anywhere to be found, so I made one for myself before I thought about putting it on Fanfic. But, I am still wonder if I should put up thirty pages or sixty pages. I'd love a sixty pages, but doing it every time isn't always idea as I hoped. Thirty pages is great, till I have to wait impatiently for more ideas for the next chapter. Well, I'll talk about this in more details tomorrow. For now, good night!
Rairan
Age: Unknown
Sage of Knowledge, A member of the Crystal Spirit
Abilities: Plants related
Is very knowledgeable and assists Forrest in his time of need. He is said to have the most wisdom of the spirits and loved by Lady Ri as a nagging teacher while a wise one by Lady Yue who seems to be his best student. His form is that of a green lion made up of plants. Forrest is his chosen one and master.
Currently resides in the Forrest's jewel located on his palm.
Erio
Age: Approximately 14 to 16
Weapon: Lance
The one with Amnesia.
Doesn't know much of his surroundings or his own background, but retains knowledge of how to use his weapon (probably). Chooses to follow wherever Forrest and Ophelia pulls him too and shows great gratitude to them for saving his life. He of the most suspicions to other, but is greatly supported by his few believers at the moment. He's also the only human they've met since arriving in this world.
Currently on the ship to Aspido with Shigure and Seigbert as requested by Forrest.
1/28/2019 1:00 AM