Book IV: The Third Aegis

Chapter XXV

When Mythra and I got back, the others were already mounted on Azurda.

"Azurda, would you like a break? You've been moving an awful lot. Especially helping out the mercenaries on top of this," Mythra asked.

"I would, but then who would take you to Indol?" he inquired.

"I think we can manage it," I replied before taking her hand and igniting her sword.

"Well if you insist," Azurda laughed before immediately falling asleep.

"Oh Gramps, I should've paid more attention," Rex blamed himself.

"Don't worry about it Rex," I cheered.

"Yeah," Mythra continued. "He knew what he was signing up for. Come over here and we'll get to Indol."

"How are you two finishing each other's sentences like that?" Nia asked, obviously creeped out.

"I don't know," Mythra started.

"But we think it has something to do with becoming of one true mind and spirit," I finished.

"It's pretty neat!" Rex marveled. "Hey Nia! We should try it out. How about we...?" he started to try.

"Shut up and leave?" Nia answered sassily, grabbing Mythra's hand.

"Well I was gonna say 'try it out' but yeah," he laughed, taking Nia's hand. "Let's go with that."

And with that, we were at Indol before we could even blink.

"Wow!" Nia exclaimed. "What a rush!!"

She ran ahead a bit, still on adrenaline.

I immediately grabbed her by her golden shoulder strap and pulled her back.

"NIA WATCH OUT!" I called as a blade eater attempted to smash its hand right where she was.

Nia gulped. "Th-Thanks for the save."

The beast's head fell to the ground as she finished.

Mythra dropped down next to me.

"Wait how did you both do that?" Nia asked.

"Easy, I saw the blade eater, threw my sword to Mythra, pulled you back."

"And then I went for the throat!" Mythra finished.

"But the reaction time...," Nia started thinking. "Did you even see the monster Mythra?"

"Nope, I just knew where Waylon was going," Mythra explained.

"Unbelievable...," Nia said, still not comprehending it very well.

I looked around. "Where's Azami?"

"I don't think we brought her...," Rex answered.

"Hold on," I said before disappearing and reappearing with Azami.

"Wow that was fast!" Azami exclaimed.

"Did you just do that without Mythra?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, instead of drawing power from her, I think we draw power from each other," I explained.

"It may be why we're so in sync," Mythra speculated.

"You mean weird," Nia teased.

"Alright, let's get going," I laughed. "We've got somewhere to be."

Indol looked severely different from the last time we saw it, all of the buildings were eradicated, the refugee camp was desolate. The capitol was in ruins as well.

"Do you think he's even here?" Rex asked.

"Oh he's here...," I said confidently.

Mythra threw her sword to me and I shot a beam into the capital, incinerating all of the debris and revealing a path downwards.

"Of course, they'd never leave a lab for human experimentation out where people could see it!" Nia exclaimed.

We moved down the stairs into a large area full of giant glass tanks, all empty.

"What are these?" Azami asked.

"These are where they kept the blade eaters," Mythra concluded.

"I think I'm gonna be sick...," Nia said drowsily.

"Ah! Guests! So glad you have arrived!" an unfamiliar voice said. "And the Aegis! I haven't seen you since you dropped a continent, did you get all of that anger out?"

"I didn't mean to do that, I'm—" Mythra started before I cut her off.

"You are the Indoline man responsible for the blade eaters, are you not?" I asked.

Mythra grabbed my arm and pulled me down so she could whisper. "Why'd you cut me off?"

"I told you you're not apologizing for that anymore, that wasn't your fault," I whispered back.

"Yes, and you are the one responsible for Cereza, are you not?" he asked back.

"Unfortunately I—," I started before Mythra cut me off.

"Yes, and we need help fixing that mistake."

I gave her a look.

She immediately responded, "You're not apologizing for that anymore either. It wasn't your fault."

I smiled and we walked towards him.

"So how can I help the Aegis?" he asked.

"Her name's Mythra, I'm Waylon," I said.

I had hear the word Aegis enough times to where it no longer sounded like a title, it just seemed like something you'd call a possession, or a tool.

"Ah, I'm Stannif," he replied. "How can I help... Mythra?"

"Behind her core crystal lies Cereza's core crystal, I need you to carefully remove her core crystal so we can get to Cereza's," I explained.

"Ah, so you've come to the person who's had enough experience to accurately perform this task," he speculated. "And what do I get out of it?"

"A second chance," Mythra said.

"A what?" he asked in disbelief.

"We've had mercenaries surrounding this place and gathering intel for quite some time now, enough to have you killed. If you can prove that these experiments are going to cease and that you'll stop making weapons and start using your knowledge for the betterment of blades and humans, then we won't have to kill you where you stand," I said simply. I still didn't trust him.

He stared at me grimly.

"Fine, you've made your point, bring the Aegis with me, everyone else stays out here."

Mythra began to follow him, with me right behind her. I stopped and grabbed Azami.

"Azami, if shit looks like it's going south, help me out?" I asked.

"Of course, your little Miss Marionette will keep a close eye on you always!" she giggled.

"Thank you!" I said, heading behind Mythra.

He laid her out on a table and restrained her immediately.

Uneasy, Mythra asked, "What's he doing?!"

"Relax!" Stannif calmed. "I just need to make sure you stay absolutely still, wouldn't want to break that beautiful golden core crystal of yours. I say, wasn't that emerald-colored before?"

"Just stay focused on the task," I said bluntly.

He began working immediately, he used an ether field that made Mythra pass out. After that he carefully used a special ether scalpel to detach the core crystal, as he pulled it off, a black aura poured out from behind it.

"Wow! This power!" he began laughing.

I stood up and drew Mythra's sword, it was powerless though.

"You didn't really think you could actually use a weapon of an incapacitated blade did you?! You imbecile! I'm the one who forced a core crystal into Mòrag's body so that she could have the powers she has today! You should've seen her scream! Watched as her body reverted to the size of the blade that once held that core crystal! Human bodies aren't made to shrink, no... I had to make her a new skeleton by the time her bones stopped breaking! Well, not really, I just needed to use ether to heal them back, but did you really think I was going to help you?! Now watch, as I slam this crystal on the ground and you lose EVERYTHING!"

Before he could move I watched his head come completely off his body, I moved and caught the core crystal.

Azami stood in the doorway laughing uncontrollably at the sight. "HE REALLY THOUGHT I COULDN'T SEE HIM!! For a scientist, he wasn't that smart," she said, holding her ether cannon that she had fired into him.

"Nice shot, Miss Marionette," I said, laughing a bit.

Immediately I grabbed his forceps and pulled Cereza's core crystal out.

I immediately heard Cereza's voice. "Just break it, and then enjoy your vacation, because afterwards, this ends."

I threw it in the air, snapped my fingers, and Azami blew it to pieces.

"How do we put her crystal back on?" Azami asked.

"Give it a second," I replied.

I walked over to her and rubbed the back of my hand on Mythra's cheek.

Mythra's body immediately turned into either dust.

"Oh no!" Azami exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it," I calmed. "I'll just resonate with her when her core's ready, shouldn't be more than twenty minutes."

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Well now that I understand I'm an empath I just spent calming thoughts to her... I think. Just to let her know that all was well."

She didn't seem to understand, but neither did I really.

I looked upon the body of Stannif.

"It's a shame, really," I said.

"Him? Oh please, he deserved to die."

"I'm not arguing that," I corrected. "But this man had discovered things that everyone else failed to, his achievements were beyond compare. Had his genius been used for something other than awful experimentation, he could've made a great impact on this world. I can only hope that some day, someone else will take up his mantle, but do it for the betterment of mankind."

Azami stopped and thought about it for a second.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" I shouted. "Azami, do you still wanna go on a date?"

She looked at me and laughed. "And take away from the cutest couple I've ever seen?! Absolutely not! I'll find someone one day, but you already have someone!" she said, gesturing to the amber-colored crystal in my hand.

"But we're not—!" I went to protest, but then immediately knew there was no point in arguing with her.

"Whatever," I laughed. "Let's go."

We walked out to the others.

"Where's Mythra? Is it alright?" Rex immediately asked.

I held up her core crystal. It will be soon enough, let's go!

"Wait, but how? We only got here because you and Mythra took us," he pointed out.

"True except...," I grabbed their hands and took them back one by one before they could even blinks. "We share power, as long as her core crystal simply exists I have access to it. Although now I'm running off of reserved power."

We heard Tora shouting.

"Meh meh!"

We ran in to see him by Pyra's bed, she'd returned to her core crystal as well.

"Tora swear he not touch it!" Tora said defensively.

"Tora you broke her!" I yelled.

"What?! Tora did not break her!!!"

"Relax Tora, you didn't do anything wrong, it's fine!" Nia said, calming him down, giving me the stink eye while I tried not to laugh.

Rex picked up the emerald core crystal and stared at it compassionately.

"Rex," I called.

"What is it?"

"May I have a word with you?"

"Sure," he responded following me. I walked out and he followed me, we both stood on a protrusion of land and looked out into the water.

The sun had finally begun to set and the bright blue sky turned into a burnt orange, reflecting off of the water, which shimmered in the golden sun.

After taking in the scene, I finally broke the silence.

"I would like to request your permission."

"Permission? For what?"

"I unjustly took Mythra from you, it wasn't intended and it wasn't right. Her core crystal is about to become able to resonate again, and this time, if I'm going to resonate with her again, I'd like your permission to become her driver," I explained.

"What do you think Mythra would want, Waylon?" he inquired in response.

"Hm?"

"Blades aren't just tools made to be passed around, you understand that well, I've seen you two fight. I get why you ask me, but... there's just no need for it!"

"But I..."

"Had this happened when you first resonated with her, I would've told you to give the core crystal back, because she didn't want to be your blade, but all that's changed now. So no, giving her back to me would only cause more problems. She's your blade, and you're her driver. So treat her well and she'll," he stopped to laugh. "She'll be Mythra."

I laughed to. "Yeah, human relations isn't her strongest suit."

We stared back at the sunset as both core crystals began to shine in our hands.

"Ready?" I asked.

He nodded in confirmation and we both tapped our respective core crystals.

Immediately, Pyra and Mythra both appeared in front of us at once.

I walked towards Mythra. "We did it potato chip!"

"What's a potato chip?" she asked. "And who are you?"

Had she lost her memory?

"Don't even do that to him!" Pyra scolded.

"Fine Mom!" Mythra whined before laughing. She hugged Pyra.

"I kinda missed you Pyra," she said.

"Oh? Is this compassion I feel?" Pyra laughed before approaching Rex.

"I'm back!" she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's good to have you!" Rex said.

I went to Mythra and whispered in her ear. "Ok they really need to hug or something."

"I know right?!" she said aloud.

"Know what?" Rex asked innocently.

Mythra and I rolled our eyes and then spoke simultaneously. "Nothing Rex."

"I should cook something to celebrate!" Mythra said excitedly.

"Mythra no!" Pyra responded.

"Relax Py, she's gotten much better at it!" I defended.

She thought for a second. "I'll believe it when I see it, off you go!"

"Someone's sassy today," Mythra teased as her and I went to go cook.

It finally looked like we could relax now. Well, for now.

Readability Level: 11th-12th Grade

Time Taken: 2.5 Hours

Please do not use without permission. All artwork is not mine and credit goes to the artist.