Alaia Skyhawk: And now it is time for the next Seal. I'll also add I put that bit in about lvl 3 spells being dangerous, so that Genis would only learn one every so often. He'd become too powerful too quickly for this early part of the fic otherwise.
As for the wait, I've been in a bit of a writing flunk. I knew what I wanted to write, I just couldn't motivate myself to type it :S
Enjoy
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Chapter 36: Seal of Wind
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"GRAVE!"
Spears of rock shot up out of the ground, piercing the sphere of shrieking air mana. A scythe of wind came from another, forcing the young mage block it with Force Field. The group had just arrived at the Balacruft Mausoleum to be attacked by the now familiar elementals. Close to forty of them had come screaming from all around the ruined courtyard in which they stood, surrounding the group and attacking without hesitation. Now left to fend off the assault, the group were pounding the fury fuelled constructs with relative ease... Then again, that was probably because Kratos had been revealed to be almost a one man army. The moment the elementals had attacked he'd taken to the air and vanished, much to Raine's disgust as she assumed he'd made a run for it. That had lasted all of about two seconds as the elementals at the back of the mob started disintegrating one after another. The blur of azure, dark purple, and auburn that was Kratos flicking in and out of view, moving so fast that he was impossible to track.
The last elemental fell, Kratos suddenly appearing behind it and slicing it in two with his sword. He was breathing heavily, with a trace of sweat on his brow, but that was the only indication of the energy his display of extreme speed had consumed. He was as calm and composed as ever, and sheathed Flamberge as soon as he confirmed that there were none of the elementals left.
Genis regarded him with awe.
"How did you do that? Move so fast..."
Kratos chuckled quietly, still breathing hard.
"It's a variation on Light Jumping. It's the same technique, repeated over and over so that the user is only 'solid' for the tiniest fraction of a second between each jump. That fraction is the time in which I attacked, using either my sword or an instant cast spell. It's an incredibly powerful technique, but it's also terribly draining on the user's mana reserves. It's not something I use often. I did in this case because the sheer number of elementals might have overwhelmed the group otherwise. Well, as it is still fairly early, perhaps we should head up to the Mausoleum entrance and rest there for an hour or so before we go in. There's no reason why we should wait until tomorrow before tackling the trial itself, not with only having walked for two hours today. Once we've opened the path to the Seal, we can rest again then."
It was true, none of them were tired. Long familiarity with the routine meant that a walk of five miles or so was nothing to them. Walking off ahead a little, Raine reached into her pocket and pulled out her notebook.
"That's fine with me. I'll just take a look around for a bit. Don't worry, I won't go far and I'll try to stay in line-of-sight."
She walked away at a sedate pace, a look of anticipation on her face... but not the slightest sign of going into 'Ruin Mode'. The group stared after her like she'd grown an extra head... Raine... at one of the oldest and most historically saturated places in Sylvarant... and she hadn't gone nuts over it.
Vayla blinked.
"Um, Raine... Are you feeling ok?"
The half-elven woman stopped and looked back.
"What? You think that because I'm keeping my excitement in check this time, that I'm ill or something? It came to my attention a while back that I was being over enthusiastic in my research... To the extent I was occasionally ignoring the feelings of those around me... So this time I will do my research without doing anything that might prove discomforting for those around me. Do you have a problem with that?"
Vayla blinked again.
"Umm... nope."
Raine continued on her way, leaving the rest still standing there in shock. Finally, after a few seconds, Collette broke the silence.
"I'm gonna go put the key in the altar. Vayla, can you give me it?" Vayla got the item out of her ver, numbly passing it to the blond haired girl. "Thank you."
Collette walked off, Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena following after a moment leaving Kratos and Vayla standing there. The former cleared his throat.
"I think this proves that no matter how much you think you know a person, you never truly have them figured out."
Vayla blinked several times more before answering.
"...I think you're right..."
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The inside of the mausoleum was dark... dark and surprisingly dry. Normally you would expect a place like this to be damp, but instead it was dusty without a hint of moisture, little clouds of that dust rising to drift down the passageway to their left with every step they took.
Peering into the darkness, Collette paused.
"I can hear the wind blowing through this place. There are flows of it everywhere, too many to count. I can hear wings too, there's something in here, and there's a lot of them."
Settling her glaive more easily in her grip, Vayla listened as well.
"Gargoyles. People think of them as creatures of stone, since they're often carved from stone to ornament buildings, but they're actually creatures of wind. I also think I should remind you that this place it also a crypt for the Balacruft Dynasty. Hundreds of bodies are buried here, and with the mana disruption causing the creation of the elementals, quite often the bones of the dead will begin walking, attacking any who come near."
There was an audible gulp, coming from a certain silver haired mage. Genis suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"Z-Zombies? There are zombies in here?"
The man at the group's head glanced back, shaking his head.
"No, Genis, zombies are the walking remains of the recently dead and are mostly composed of rotting flesh. The long dead have no flesh, just bones. Walking skeletons are what the Alurannai call 'Vavagitenue.' Vanui utuva girrka tenuinsi que. Those that have forgotten sleep... They remain always, never resting, until such a time as they are forcibly put to that rest. Back when the Alurannai still had a Saeniisumura here, it was part of their job to deal with the occasional vavagitenue. But since almost four thousand years have passed, naturally there will be quite a few roaming this place now. Do not fear though, they are easily dispatched. Far easier than the gargoyles, which won't just shamble towards you and stand there as you hit them."
Genis didn't look particularly reassured, but a new topic provided a welcome distraction as Collette found a torch and lit it with the Sorcerer's Ring. As the command word she'd used faded into silence, she put her hand on the engraved wall the torch lit up.
"It's in angelic. 'The world is a giant. Its ruby left hand is the throne of gods, its emerald right hand is the power of gods, its pearl white left leg is the calm earth, its topaz right leg is the rich earth, and its lapis lazuli body is the blue wind princess. To reach the Holy Seal, the blessings from the right and left of the giant thee must possess'." She frowned. "It is some kind of riddle?"
Reading the inscription, the image of it becoming imprinted in her memory, Vayla mulled it over.
"I would say it's the solution to a riddle, or the means to solve one. It revolves around colours associated with a limb or concept, like a reference key." She turned and started down the passage again. "We can think about it more as we go. It's best we keep moving."
No one disagreed, and it wasn't that long before they entered an immense chamber the same shape as the mausoleum itself. Square at ground level rising up to a single point overhead like a pyramid. Inside there were many levels and openings that appeared to be side passages. Stopping next to a section of wall that was a single piece of solid stone, unlike the walls either side of it, Kratos frowned.
"The old route has been blocked... Which means we'll have to pass up through the various levels of this crypt rather than the direct path across the bridge that this door led to. This wall is polycarbonate, it would take days for Vayla and I to break through it to open the door, and the fact it's here means that the trial itself must be to pass through the crypt... And that means we're going to have to be very careful..."
The blond girl among them looked puzzled.
"Why would we have to be more careful going through the crypt?"
Vayla grimaced.
"Two words... Booby traps... Most of this temple was given over to the Balacruft Dynasty and even through the Saeniisumura here would prevent the entry of such, they littered it with traps to discourage grave robbers. From here on out you're staying in the middle Collette. Kratos and I will stay a short distance ahead at the front. The Sylph would never have permitted traps here that could harm an alurannai, so if we set one off we'll be fine, unlike you, Raine, or Genis would be."
A certain silver haired mage gulped for the second time that day.
"Great... Walking Skeletons, Gargoyles, and now traps... I think I'd rather fight killer teddy bears again... and those were seriously disturbing."
Lloyd began to chuckle, remembering what Collette had done to them.
"Aww c'mon, Genis, it's not like this is three against four like back then. We have seven of us here, so don't worry about it. There's nothing in here that could beat my atasi or Vayla, never mind all of us."
That vote of confidence got a smile from both alurannai adults, and once again the group set off. The way being lit with light conjured by Raine, who was holding her glowing staff so that the light coming from the head was well above theirs. That light barely reached the sloped ceiling above them, though as they moved further along the side of the chamber they were able to see the bridge Kratos had spoken of. It extended from a thick pillar, which must hold a stairwell, and passed high above the myriad levels of platforms and walkways below it, connecting to a path high on the opposite wall, right next to a large door. The door was grand, and there was no doubting that through it lay the path to the Seal.
A split second later there was a screech of metal over stone, followed by a thud. Kratos was face out from the wall, pinned there by a metal plate covered in huge metal spikes. Those spikes made small dents in his clothing, though nothing more, being stopped by his flesh even though the force of the impact had been enough to knock him across the width of half the passage.
He sighed and began to push the mechanism back into the previously concealed opening in the wall that it had come from.
"I should have seen that coming. I thought the wall looked suspicious." The plate clicked into place, and as an after thought Kratos placed a barrier over the floor panel that had triggered the trap, anchoring it with enough power to last until they left this place. "One trap down, and how ever many to go."
Now Genis wasn't the only one looking uncomfortable, Raine and Collette both appearing increasingly nervous as they peered around wary of something suddenly springing from the walls or floor. At least the ceiling was out, it was too high above them to be a place for a trap. It would take too long for something to drop from there for it to be an efficient trap like the spiked plate. They kept going through the darkness, Kratos and Vayla spotting several more spiked plate traps and placing barriers over the pressure points on the floor for each one. They'd just reached the corner of the chamber when the first monsters struck.
Three gargoyles, creatures like a cross between a lizard and a man with great leathery wings, swooped down with grating cries. Spears jabbed at the group, blocked by a song shield raised by Sheena as the glimmer of spell circles appeared.
"GRAVE!"
"STALAGMITE!"
"GRAVE!"
"STONE STRIKE!"
"STONE SPEARS!"
Five spells slammed into the creatures, the first three from the younger casters, and the last two from the eldest. Each Gargoyle was hit by rock from below, each having being targeted by a different youth. One was then hit by a blast of earth mana from Kratos, and the other two by a barrage of long stone shards that flew through the air from Vayla. The trio of creatures didn't even get the chance to scream, they were dead too quickly for that.
Looking at the three limp creatures, Lloyd gave his friend a small thump on the shoulder.
"See? It's not that b... Hey is that another engraving?"
He pointed into the shadows, at the wall that formed one side of the chamber's corner. Genis looked baffled.
"It's pitch black over there. How can you ask if there's an engraving there when we can't even see the wall for the shadows?"
Vayla walked into the darkness, chuckling.
"Alurannai can see in almost pitch blackness. What seems dark to you in here is only dim to us once our eyes adjust. As for an engraving, Lloyd is right, there's one here." They heard her stop, followed by the brush of fingertips across stone. "'That which the blue wind princess protects, heads from the throne of gods and across the rich earth, stands upon the calm earth and gazes up at up at the power of gods'. Going by what we read earlier, this thing basically says blue, red, yellow, white, and then green." She came out of the shadows, smiling. "We can assume we'll come across some kind of lock with those colours, and that must be a combination for it."
Nothing more was said, before the group climbed the stairway visible just a short distance away.
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"Fiirei!"
A bolt of fire leapt from the ring Collette wore, lighting the second torch beside the door they'd spotted from far below. They'd been in here for well over three hours now, and found another engraving with a different riddle before reaching this door. They'd also fought several more groups of gargoyles, and not a few vavagitenue. Sighing with relief, they entered the door as it opened, finding themselves inside a fair sized chamber, in whose centre stood five pinwheels, each a different colour. Between them and the group also stood a strange cylindrical device above which an orb of green mana hovered. Seeing it, Collette grinned.
"I recognise that! I was taught about them as part of my preparation for the journey. It changes what the Sorcerer's Ring does for as long as it's inside the temple." She darted over to it, removing the ring and putting it on the surface below the ball of mana. The mana suddenly vanished, and the stone on the ring turned the same shade of green. Putting the ring back on, she grinned again. "Zephiu!" A small blast of wind came from the ring. "See? Now it does wind instead of fire... Now, blue, red, yellow, white, green."
She ran over to the pinwheels, setting them away in that order, for indeed there was one for each of those colours, with the blue one being in the middle. There was a grinding sound, and a panel in the wall to their left slid into the floor revealing a chest.
Cautiously, Raine walked over to it, opened it, and pulled out what was inside. It was half of a long golden cylinder, with two tracks in it that passed along it from one end to another.
"Since we've seen silver rods as keys in both Seals so far, I think it's safe to assume that's what this is, though there's clearly half of it missing. 'That which is offered to the throne of gods, from the power of gods, makes the rich earth as the calm earth, and arrives at the blue wind princess'. Red, green, yellow, white, blue... Try that order, Collette."
The young Chosen did as was asked, and a panel on the right-hand wall slid into the floor as the first had done, revealing another chest. Genis opened this one, pulling out what was clearly the other half of what his sister held. Sure enough, both clipped together to made a solid cylinder with four maze-like tracks running its length. Peering around the room, he frowned.
"But where does it go?"
Sheena pointed to the back wall, where a smooth slab of polycarbonate could be seen.
"Probably behind that... I think we're still missing a combination. We'll have to go look for it."
Genis groaned, before sighing in resignation and passing the key to Vayla for safe keeping as they left the room back into the gargoyle and vavagitenue infested chamber beyond.
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"I have to agree with Genis, I am getting seriously sick of this place."
Lloyd brought one of his swords slamming down on a walking skeleton, shattering it as several more shambled towards the group from the shadows. No one disagreed. Even Kratos and Vayla were beginning to look increasingly irritated by the near constant stream of creatures they'd dealt with in this part of the crypt. The engraving they wanted was just a short distance away, tantalisingly close, but they're progressed no nearer to it having spent the last half an hour dealing with wave after wave of monsters. Having Allied Sanctuary on the group only helped a little, since Kratos and Vayla, in the interest of not making Cruxis think they were making the trial too easy for Collette, had refrained from using their more powerful spells. But no matter how many times they used Stone Strike or Stone Spears, or any of the non-alurannai specific level two spells, the monsters just kept coming.
Finally, Genis decided he'd had enough. A large purple spell circle appeared, and he began to chant.
"I call upon thee from the land of the dead, to unleash thy fury of thunder... INDIGNATION!"
The cast zone appeared beneath the thickest part of the approaching mob, and that entire area was blasted with radiating strikes of lightning. The sight of the charred remnants left in that zone convinced the remaining gargoyles to beat a hasty retreat from the irate mage, and the last few walking skeletons quickly succumbed to the strength of the group. As Genis stood there, panting from the mana he'd used for the cast, Lloyd walked up to the engraving.
"'The holy seal that extols the king, flows from the throne of the gods to the rich earth, travels from the power of gods to the calm earth, and when the blue wind princess is born in the centre of the world, the holy seal shall also be complete'. Red, yellow, green, white, blue. That's the last combination to get to the Seal."
It was with great relief that they made their way back along the pathways they'd traversed to reach the final engraving, the activation of the pinwheels in the indicated order causing the slab of polycarbonate to slide into the floor, with a similar grinding sound coming from the distance back in the outer chamber. It would seem the other slab that had blocked their way before had also been moved.
Looking at the door that had been revealed, and the Cruxis insignia deeply carved into it, Vayla brought a pile of cushions out of her ver and sat down on one, proceeding then to bring out a low table and ingredients to make sandwiches.
"Time to rest I think, and eat. We've been in here for about eight hours now, and it'll be getting dark outside. I think we'd all rather fight up there in daylight. The Seal is on the roof like at the Tower of Mana in case you're wondering."
With relief they all sat down on the cushions, those who could eat doing so, before all but Vayla and Collette settled down to sleep until morning.
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The pale morning light streamed down from the sky as the constant wind plucked at their clothing. The mountains that surrounded the vast valley in which the Mausoleum stood, were crisscrossed with stark shadows while the sun slowly crept upward to soar over them into the heavens. It was a peaceful setting, serene, but that didn't fool the group. All had their weapons drawn and ready, and had been ready since Collette had inserted the key into the centre of the door below and Vayla had refreshed the Allied Sanctuary spell. The blond girl had twisted it clockwise and counter clockwise along the maze-like tracks until the last length clicked into the panel, and the whole thing had slid sideways into the wall to reveal the staircase beyond. Now at the top of that staircase, standing upon the very summit of the Mausoleum, they waited for what they knew was to come.
Suddenly the winds whipped into a maelstrom, screaming around them until a vortex of air centred itself upon the Seal which lay upon the raised circular dais at the far side of the roof. As quickly as they had come the winds vanished, and an instant later a great blue and green bird-like monster launched itself at them. The group scattered, Vayla taking up defence of Genis, Raine, and Collette who began casting various spells, while Lloyd, Sheena, and Kratos took flight and began to harass the creature, the latter shouting out to the group as a whole.
"It's a Xyapix! Most of it's attacks are short range, but watch out for its wind spells and the feather shot technique it uses!" The next second he had to duck, as the Xyapix reached out with a taloned foot to slash at his head. As the claws passed over his head, he lashed out with Flamberge and sheered the points off them, effectively de-clawing that foot. The creature shrieked in anger, as it realised he'd deprived it of one of its weapons, and a moment later a barrage of blue feathers struck him, flinging him backwards to tumble across the ground bleeding from more than a dozen gashes. He sat up, waving off Lloyd and Sheena who had been about to come to his aid. Using his gloved hand to stem the flow from a cut on his forehead, he began to mutter an incantation even as Raine cast a healing spell on him. "Deepest essence of the embrace of land and sea, rise to my will's desire... EARTHLY MIST!"
A fog of water and rock dust materialised around the creature, suddenly condensing to coat it in thick cloying mud. The Xyapix wailed, as the mess covering it weighed down its wings and dragged it to stand on the floor, no longer able to fly. It cast a wind spell around itself, attempting to blow the mud away, but instead making it begin to dry like cement. Now not only was it weighed down, but it was severely restricted in its movements.
Seeing a chance, Genis cancelled the earth spell he'd been about to cast, and instead called up a fire one.
"ERUPTION!"
Heat poured out of the floor beneath the Xyapix, baking the mud solid. Now immobilised, it could only scream impotently as the silver and blond haired females either side of Genis cast their spells.
"ANGEL FEATHERS!"
"RAY!"
The two spells ripped into their target. Moments later the baked mud shattered, and the Zyapix was no more. It was no sooner than it had fallen, that Collette walked up to the altar and began to pray. Sure enough, as soon as she had finished, her Guardian appeared.
Remiel looked as serene and benevolent as he had at all the meetings before now, or at least he seemed that way. There was the faintest hint of irritation in his expression, though his voice showed none of it.
"Chosen of Regeneration, you have done well. The third Seal has been released, and now you shall take the next step in becoming an angel."
Her pink and gold wings glittered, as Collette looked up at him with eyes full of trust. As with each of the other Seals, multi-hued light surrounded her, and vanished as it was absorbed into her. As soon as it was gone, she spoke having seen the hint of that which his voice had not revealed.
"Lord Remiel, have I done something wrong?"
The angel seemed to pause in thought for a moment, before he spoke once again.
"Doubt not your path. You walk it with faith and purity, your grace bringing hope to this barren world and its people... I will meet you at the next Seal, Chosen One Collette..."
He began to drift upwards, light gathering around him, but just before he vanished he glanced at Kratos who stared blandly back at him. Then he was gone, and as if his presence had been the only thing holding her up, Collette's knees buckled and she dropped to the floor with a gasp of surprise. Vayla moved in, picking the girl up to carry her out... as Raine glanced sidelong at Kratos, a hint of puzzlement in her eyes..
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It was quiet here, here at the edge of the huge entrance courtyard. They were far enough from the camp that those who were there wouldn't be tempted to eavesdrop, though with the sound ward around the trio to attempt such would be pointless. Here the three adults in the group stood, discussing a certain girl and the new problem they would have in protecting her. Not long after setting up camp in the courtyard, Collette had tried to get up, but stumbled and landed on Vayla. The alurannai woman had been cleaning her daggers, and to the horror of those present Collette had pulled herself to her feet, apologising, completely unaware of the blade sticking out of her arm. Vayla had jumped to her feet, grasping the arm firmly and stopping Collette from moving as she carefully pulled the dagger out and healed the wound. By this point Collette, in shock at seeing the blade in her arm but not being able to feel it, was on the verge of hysteria. It took close to an hour of reassurances from her and Raine to make Collette calm down, though in truth the half-elven woman had been in little better of a state. Genis they'd had to knock out, with Lloyd keeping an eye on him afterwards, and Collette they'd then sat with Sheena, who had then proceeded to tell Collette the 'pros' of not being able to feel pain, hot, or cold anymore... Leaving out the 'cons', which the adults were now discussing solutions to.
"This means we'll have to watch her more closely than ever. If she can't feel when she's hurt, then she might be injured seriously in a fight and keep going without realising, compounding the damage."
Vayla sighed in resignation. She and Kratos had both known this was coming, but it didn't change the fact that it could end up being a major headache. Equally resigned to the situation was Raine, but now having calmed down, she as least had a possible solution.
"You know how Noishe has that ward harness... Couldn't something similar be made for Collette? Nothing over the top protection-wise, but perhaps something that would let us know during a fight if she's injured?"
The two alurannai looked at each other, Kratos nodding after a moment.
"I could construct something of that nature. In fact I could modify Collette's bracelets, the ones that hold quartz to charge her weapons with an element, to hold some simple indicator wards. I can set the wards to monitor at skin level, and alert those keyed to it to when something passes through the ward... that is if a spell hits her, or a weapon cuts her. That will suffice, I should think."
Raine nodded.
"Yes, that would be perfect." She paused for a moment, before giving Kratos a long look. "By the way, something's been bothering me. I saw Lord Remiel give you a rather strange look, Kratos, just before he left. Why would he do that? I would even go so far as to say it looked like he hated you..."
Kratos regarded her solemnly, Vayla looking rather uncomfortable. After a few moments, he came to a decision.
"Telling you will hardly make a difference to this journey, though it may drastically change your perspective on things... You know how Vayla and I pretended to be Crystal Users during the war. When Martel went into slumber I was approached and asked to join the Order. I did so, acting as a jiisumura, so that I could keep an eye on Cruxis for my people. I left twenty-seven years ago, after revealing that I had merely pretended to be an 'angel' all that time, and naturally the Leader of Cruxis was rather upset with me. That in turn means that Cruxis as a whole dislikes me, hence why Remiel seemed so disgusted by my presence. I used to be one of his 'Lords'... In fact the branch of the Order he is in was once directly under my jurisdiction. Thus I would say he likely harbours a greater hatred of me than most... It makes an interesting topic, doesn't it... Benevolent beings of light and hope... hating someone with a black malice. Believe me, if he knew he could, Remiel would kill me in a heartbeat. As it is I am far stronger than him. If he were to attack me with the intent to take my life, I could kill him before he even got within spell casting range of me... His best cast range is about fifty metres... I could hit a target with a spell from almost a quarter of a mile away, if I wanted to, though not with a spell higher than a level two. Increasing the distance to that much makes a level two cost as much mana to cast as a level four."
Raine stared wide eyed in shock.
"What? You were a part of Cruxis? Are you serious!"
The Inartu's expression was bland.
"Yes. I have no reason to lie... I was not the only one who left that day. Mine and Vayla's friend, Yuan, a Crystal User, also left... He'd only joined and remained with the Order as long as he had because I was there... Something along the lines of keeping me company."
Vayla sighed.
"Yuan is an adoptive member of mine and Kratos' crèche group, and he's Lloyd and Sheena's foster uncle... Lloyd is actually named after his father. We've known him since he was fifteen, and we were the ones that led him to Crystal Point to get a Cruxis Crystal when he was twenty-six. Right now he's on Cruxis' hit list, and the Alurannai are helping him stay hidden."
Raine frowned.
"Wait, when angels deserted Cruxis in the past, records say that the Order sent out messages to every church in Sylvarant with a description and the order that if they were seen, Cruxis was to be notified so they could be brought to justice for the betrayal... But nothing has been sent out about you or your friend..."
Kratos grimaced.
"Those announcements must always include the rank of the angel in question. Announcing that a bottom to mid-rank angel has scarpered is one thing... But announcing to the worlds that a member of the Cruxis High Order has abandoned the organisation would cause mass panic and riots. That's something the First Seraphim would never risk, so naturally he's kept his mouth shut."
Raine looked like she was about to fall over, she was actually gaping with a mixture of shock and horror.
"You were one of the Seraphim!"
The two alurannai winced, Kratos running a hand though his hair in discomfort as he realised he'd let slip a bit too much. There wasn't much he could do about that now though, bar try to smooth it over a little.
"...Yes... Second Seraphim to be precise... Yuan was Third Seraphim... Cruxis lost two of it's three leaders in one fell swoop, though I know that the First Seraphim has selected someone to take my old position. Yuan's old spot has yet to be filled however... And if you're wondering what I know about Martel from my time in Cruxis, I can tell you that she does exist... But more than that I cannot say without putting you in danger. It is knowledge that the laws of Cruxis state should only be known by the upper ranks, and not by the people of the worlds. If I told you and Cruxis found out, there'd be a writ of execution out on you before five minutes had passed."
Raine stared at him, her expression becoming almost frightened.
"Angels that can hate... Angels that would kill out of pure malice... Angels that would kill to keep things a secret... Angels that the Alurannai would go to such lengths to keep an eye on... Angels that would have Collette suffer and die to awaken Martel... Cruxis isn't... what it seems, is it? Two worlds, one which flourishes while the other declines. The Desians being 'sealed', but in truth I'm guessing they're just shunted from one world to the other. The Church of Martel being in both worlds, both worlds having a Chosen, and yet neither world knowing about the existence of the other... Just what is going on?"
Vayla folded her arms, glancing at her crèche mate.
"You started this... You forgot how quick Raine can start to figure things out. If you'd been a bit more careful before opening your mouth, then she wouldn't be asking this now... To tell her or not, and how much to say if you do... That's up to you to decide. But bear in mind this isn't the kind of situation you want have left hanging..."
Kratos ran his hand through his hair again, cursing under his breath in Sumaityr. Finally after a minute or so, he looked at Raine.
"Promise me that you will never utter this to Collette. She need's her faith right now, and to lose it could destroy what hope she has left. I will not be responsible for her suffering like that for the rest of her journey."
Raine swallowed hard, suddenly apprehensive, but she didn't want to hurt Collette.
"I promise. I swear I will never do anything that would hurt her."
Kratos' eyes looked almost empty.
"The deceased Fourth Seraphim. She who it is said to have given her life to defend the Goddess as she fell into slumber... She and the Goddess Martel, are one and the same... There is no goddess, just her soul, the soul of Martel. Held in this world by her Cruxis Crystal. The Regeneration Ritual is merely a tool, for Cruxis could change the mana flow over themselves whenever they wanted. They use the Ritual to break the wills of the Chosens, guiding them to becoming mere empty vessels... Vessels into which Cruxis then attempts to transfer the soul of Martel to resurrect her. The Leader of Cruxis was entrusted with his role by the Greater Summon Spirits, and was supposed to be the steward of the system of rising and falling mana levels. But instead he's hijacked it to try and resurrect her. Unfortunately this means that the mana lineage is caught in the middle. There is no need for Collette to undertake this journey, save that Cruxis will never manually switch the mana flow for fear the people would find out there is no need for the Ritual at all... All that is left that the Alurannai can do, it to make this as easy for Collette as possible. Doing what we can to reduce the suffering she will endure. We cannot stop this, not if Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are to survive, for if one world dies so will the other. All we can do is watch and wait for our time to come. The time when we can bring an end to this pointless suffering."
Raine looked as though her spirit had been shattered, hand clenched to her chest as if it might ward off the truth. Her eyes pleaded for what he had said to be a lie... but the way he'd said it and the expression in his and Vayla's eyes told her that it wasn't. Everything he had said, was true.
"I... I had doubts about this journey... Doubts about why Collette must suffer like this... But all of it, all those Chosens from both worlds... All of it to resurrect one woman. Not one part of it about helping the world. Cruxis should just be keeping watch, switching the mana flow over at set times to keep the worlds alive, but instead they do this!" Shock was turning to anger, as faith and belief shattered into fury. "Those bastards!"
Vayla put a hand on the fuming healer's shoulder, thankful that all of this was being kept securely inside the sound ward.
"Now you know why the Offspring Races don't think much of Cruxis. They have power, and the responsibility that goes with it, but instead they squander and abuse it for their own ends. Like I said to you a few months back. We tolerate the system because for now there is no other way for the worlds to survive... Don't let your anger cloud your judgement, Raine. If you let it, you'll only end up hurting Collette. Say anything about this to her, and you might as well rip her soul out. You tell her, and she'll spend the rest of this journey, the rest of her life... like a shadow. I know it's hard, but think about what's best for her. Right now I spend my time helping her enjoy the life she has, while she has it. Which is better? Joy, or depression? Because if you tell her she'll spend the rest of her days locked in the latter."
Raine looked at her and saw the pain in those eyes. Vayla hated this situation, hated what Collette was going through, but had selected the course of action that would be kindest to her. She bowed her head.
"I should have guessed something like this would be going on, once I knew there were two worlds. That night, when I was separated from my parents, I went from a world with mana, to a world with practically none. That alone should have told me something, but I shrugged it off. Knowing that there were Chosens on both sides, the Church on both sides, and that the Ritual was carried out by both sides... I ignored that as well... I should have seen it all along. Cruxis always seemed too perfect. Too idealistic. The embodiment of what the people want, a group of beings that watch over and guide them, and are the source of their salvation... I look at it now and it's all so clichéd. There are holes in it the size of Palmacosta's Martel Cathedral and no one notices because they're too wrapped up in the dream to care." She sighed. "I won't tell Collette, and I won't tell Genis either. He would never stay quiet about it." She gave the two alurannai a long look. "I'm guessing the two summon spirits in our group, the two Protozoans, and both Lloyd and Sheena know the truth already."
Both alurannai nodded, sombre, Kratos being the one to respond verbally.
"Lloyd and Sheena were taught about it when they were little. Cruxis and the two worlds are one of the subjects our people make sure they know the gist of at an early age. When you consider our life of concealment, they need to know, so that they understand why we hide ourselves from the worlds. That's why Lloyd and Sheena were so reluctant to 'adopt' Collette, though they've done so now. The way they see it, she has so little time left compared to them that they want her to experience as much as she can while she has the chance. With them she has siblings and a tight knit family as close and dear as her family in Iselia. We tell her to enjoy her time and not worry about us, for every happy moment we have with her is one that will live on in our memories once she is gone. We've taught her to cherish her life, not just for herself, but for those around her, and that concept is what has kept her going. None of us want it to be this way... It's just we have little choice."
Raine turned, looking back towards where Collette could be seen chatting to Sheena and laughing about something.
"What matters is that she's happy. If she's happy, then that's enough I suppose... I'm not sure whether to thank or curse you for telling me all this, but I get the feeling I would have figured it out myself anyway given time. I guess all I can do now it keep quiet about it... for Collette's sake."
Vayla looked over as well.
"Yes, for her sake... May the Spirits watch over us all."
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Alaia Skyhawk: As you may have noticed Kratos and Vayla left out the Desians. Raine knows part of the truth, but not all of it. I was going to have her find out what I put here after the fourth Seal, but the 'Remiel gave you a strange look' line, which needed to go in this chapter as it was the first time Remiel and Kratos had come face to face since he left Cruxis, it all led into Raine finding out. She knows there is no Goddess, and knows the Ritual is a sham, but she doesn't know Cruxis and the Desians are connected or the truth about Mithos. She'll find those out at the same time as the others... Man, the 'secrets within the group' thing is really spreading out. Genis knows that one of Lloyd or Sheena is the Chosen of Restoration, and now Raine knows the Ritual is a lie, add to that everything the alurannai and protozoans and spirits are hiding and it's a lot. He he.