Chapter 46
An Undiscovered Land
Minerva
"What do you think," I tell Rom in my head, "made our magic combine like that?" I'm referring to the Northern Cross she used during the battle five days ago.
"Maybe they mixed because we're in the same body?"
That still doesn't convince me. I've read about magic theory in the special Archives inside the Soleil library, and I even asked Mina if such a thing could happen. "I've heard there were magic that can be combined into more powerful spells," she told me, "but for it to happen by chance, I'm not so sure." We both went to find books that could give us any leads how it worked after her usual training with Ram and I, but it was all for naught.
"Will it happen again? I don't want to hurt my friends . . ."
"I'm not sure myself, but we can try to make sure it doesn't happen like last time. I say what we should do is have you get used to my spells."
"But how . . .?"
Good question. Ever since the battle ended, Rom hasn't been able to control her body again. We tried numerous things she could do to trigger it like before, and we even tried to have her remember the feeling she had as well, but it was still for naught.
"Here you are." Nepgear hands me a glass of milk from the tray of sweets she's carrying.
"Thank you," I say.
"You're welcome." She goes to deliver the rest of the tray's contents to the others.
Histoire called everyone to gather here at the Basilicom because they had to discuss about an upcoming event. Blanc wanted none of it at first, but I convinced her after telling her I can't transform again. And because one reason for it to happen is because of the level of Shares, it must've made her think about it again. Also, Ram wanted to see the others again, so there's that as well.
After taking a small sip of the glass of milk, I sit on one of the beanbag chairs. Neptune is mashing buttons on some device connected to a large box with moving pictures on it, along with Noire; Blanc is on the edge of the large sofa, reading her book without a care in the world; Vert is chatting with Compa and IF, who are all at the dining table sitting on stools; and Ram is hanging out with Nepgear after she gave everyone their drinks.
"What's taking Histoire so long?" I ask.
"Maybe something happened . . .?"
"Or maybe she got caught up in something urgent. In any case, there's nothing we can do but wait."
But I kind of wish she'd arrive here already. I can't help but feel like there's something missing in this room. I can go to anyone around the room and talk to them, but I don't feel like doing that at all. Rather, the mere thought makes me sigh even more.
"What's going to happen to Sylvie . . .?"
"I'm not sure myself, but I wish I knew."
Blanc told us to leave it to them after the whole incident occurred. But what did she mean by that? If I can at least get an idea where or what they're doing right now, I won't be feeling like I'll break through the window to get away from here. When I leap from my beanbag seat, the door opens and a floating tome enters the room.
"My apologies everyone," she says. "There was some urgent matter I had to attend to. I didn't expect it would take that long."
"There's nothing for you to apologize," Noire says.
"What made it so urgent?" Nepgear asks.
"It doesn't matter," Blanc intervenes. When did she get here? She was just reading her book in peace somewhere not too long ago. Perhaps I'm still not used to Blanc yet. I'm not sure. "Let's discuss about the event already. I still have something I need to finish."
"Very well, then," Histoire says.
With this kind of setting and discussion, there's the usual gathering and debating on a large table. And even though there's a long table nearby where all of us can sit, they make no move to discuss it there. If they were different people, as the first daughter of the Soleil Kingdom, I would've given them one of my relentless lectures about formal debates and discussions. But they're not, and I doubt they're going to take me seriously with this small body of Rom here. They'll just brush my suggestion off.
"I'm sorry . . ."
"Huh? Oh no, no! I didn't mean it in a bad way." But I still wish I can give my opinion here.
Histoire clears her throat before filling the whole room with her soft voice. "As you all may know, the second ever Grand Gamindustri Ball is nearing its time yet again."
"Will it make it in time?" Vert asks.
Histoire nods. "The other Oracles and I devised a plan to keep it on schedule. We have prepared all of the necessary things for the event to continue as planned."
"But isn't the venue destroyed?" Noire asks.
"It was supposed to be at Planeptune this year, wasn't it?" Uni asks. "I don't want to sound pessimistic and all, but with all of the repairs happening throughout the city, the Ball would only look like a waste of time."
"If the people were trying to enjoy themselves but saw the repairs going on everywhere, their mood will only become worse, won't they? It'll defeat the purpose of the event."
"Nep Jr.~ More pudding please~"
"Wait right here, sis," Nepgear goes to the kitchen.
"Neptune, we're having a serious discussion here." Noire stands up and glares at her. "It was your fault this whole mess happened in the first place."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault! I was nice enough to go out of my way to visit your little sis in the hospital. This is why you don't have any friends." Neptune returns the same glare; a small bolt of lightning connects the intensity of their stares.
Noire, however, is the first to break the connection. "Th-that's not true! Not true at all!"
"There they go again," IF says.
"They just do whatever they want, don't they?" Compa giggles.
"Everyone, please pay attention." Histoire claps with her small hands. Even with their size, it makes a sound loud enough for everyone to hear in the entire room. "To answer your questions, Noire, Uni, the Oracles and I have come to a consensus to move the venue elsewhere."
"I would be happy to have the Ball in Leanbox. There is a perfect spot outside of the city. We just need to have guard around to make sure the citizens are safe. It'll be a success."
"In your dreams. There's a hill in Lowee big enough to build a palace. Plus, it has a nice view of the landscape. I'll have the area around decorated to give the place a magical feel to it. It'll be better than your sorry ass."
"My, but wouldn't they grow cold from the temperature there? It's an occasion for dresses with bare backs, spaghetti straps, and thin layers of fabrics."
Something ticks inside of me. Whatever Vert just mentioned right there, I'm intrigued. Now I'm tempted to go and ask her to get me all of the aforementioned dresses. Maybe some other types of dresses she didn't mention.
"That's a strip show at that point!" Blanc says.
"I beg to differ. A delicate occasion such as a Ball requires the utmost care to ensure the citizens there have the chance to showcase their beauty to allure the men. It's a perfect opportunity for courting!"
Now it's their turn to have an intense glaring match.
Blanc, however, scoffs at her opponent. "The type of dresses won't be a problem. Furred dresses have been trending in Lowee, and furry scarfs have been becoming more popular. As long as they wore those, the cold is nothing."
"While I agree that they are suitable attires, they lack in the seductive and mature department." Her eyes fall onto Blanc's torso, while giving emphasis on her chest.
A shadow casts over Blanc's face, revealing only a deep shade of red where her one eye is. "Why does that even matter?!"
Histoire claps her hands again. "Those are all great ideas you two, but I'm afraid the venue won't be in either Lowee or Leanbox."
"Hah! Then that means it's going to be Lastation. It is the ideal place, after all."
"That's bull!" Blanc smacks the table. "We already had our first Ball there. Why would it be there again?"
"That's because Lastation is the ideal place. Duh." Noire smirks.
"Hey, Planeptune still outclasses all of you. It should be held here."
"But it can't, Neptune," Noire says. "Didn't you hear what Histoire just said? It can't be Planeptune. There's too much sad things going on here."
"Hey, that's not true!"
"Girls!" Histoire's voice overpowers theirs, silencing the whole room. "Let me clarify one thing: the venue will not be in any of the cities or nations."
"Where will it be held, then?" Uni asks.
"Let me explain. Mina suggested that the Grand Gamindustri Ball should be held at a location where it is not under the rule of a CPU."
"In other words, it will be somewhere out of the bounds of any nations, am I correct?"
Histoire nods. "Indeed. Three days ago, Kei found an undiscovered island to the North-West. After some thorough scanning around the island, we found no monsters lingering around the area. That's where we made our decision to have the Ball there instead."
"But you said it was undiscovered, right? How would we know if there really aren't any monsters around?" Nepgear asks.
"That's why I'm requesting all of you to investigate the land. Be warned, the island is not at all small. We do not know what lurks around there, even if there were no monsters detected. You will be accompanied by another group as Kei requested."
"Sweet! When are we going?" Neptune says.
"You will head there tomorrow. For now, prepare yourselves. We will be handing you some equipment for the expedition, and they'll arrive by the break of dawn."
"An expedition to an unknown island?" I say to myself.
"Sounds fun. I want to go with Blanc and Ram and the others . . ."
"Yeah . . ."
"Are you still worried about Maki . . .?"
I shrug. "I'm not sure. But I hope they're okay wherever they are." They never mentioned anything about the three, and when I try to ask them about it, they dodge the subject altogether. Is it really that hard to talk about them after what happened?
I sit on the stool between IF and Compa. Compa hands me a small slice of shortcake.
"You okay there, Rom?" she asks.
I nod. "Yes . . ."
"Are you nervous about tomorrow's expedition?"
I shake my head. "What happened to Sylvie and the others . . .?"
"Ah . . . you're worried about them?" IF asks. She pats my head, ruffling my hair a bit. "Don't you worry about a thing. They're fine."
Just then, a loud screech fills the whole room, shaking the furniture, appliances, and just about everything really. When the shaking stops, everyone rushes to the balcony where the sound came from. Three construction workers are riding on the back of a large bird with human-like features. It's the summon Nana sent out to help with the repairs. If I remember correctly, it's called the Harpy Spirit.
The Harpy Spirit, with its wings having the color of flames, lands on the balcony, and the three construction workers mounts off of it. Their outfits are filled with so much dirt and gray, and some of it has holes and scratches.
"Lady Histoire, we don't mean to intrude like this, but we got some emergencies," one of the construction workers says.
"Explain."
From what I can understand from their conversation, it's about the repairs of the buildings and houses. Ever since the whole ordeal, Planeptune has been doing a huge repair throughout the city. I don't have any comments about it, but even with this much tragedy, I hope Maki and Sylvie don't get too much in trouble about it. The others might think otherwise, however.
The construction workers thanks Histoire, mounts on the Harpy Spirit again, and after a loud cry, they fly off. It's not just the Harpy Spirit helping with the repairs. Throughout the city, there are different Spirits going around helping. The citizens were afraid of them at first, but they warmed up to them rather quickly. In fact, some of their children are already demanding to play with them. I'm glad they accept them, but I'm not sure if it's the same with Nana and Kyle. Nobody knows it was them who destroyed most of the properties here. Histoire made sure they were discreet about it.
But they were sent somewhere after that. No one told me where, but I just hope it's not too bad of a place.
I heard Histoire and Kei said something about a verdict to them, but I'm not sure what it is. They should take responsibilities from what they did here, that's true enough. It would be unfair if they got away with it without any sort of repercussions, but still, I can't stand the thought of both Maki and Sylvie getting punished when they stopped Nana and Kyle from their plot.
Speaking of which, Ragnor and that black-haired winged girl disappeared almost instantly after pinning Kyle and Nana down. It was disappointing, because I knew who that black-haired girl was. She is, in fact, my beloved sister after all. I wanted to approach her, but with my current state, I'd reveal everything about Rom and my predicament and secret. Even if she was my sister, I can't be careless. But now I wish I could've at least talked to her.
"Everyone!" Histoire announces. "The group you'll be going with have arrived. From what Kei told me, these people are experienced expeditionists. They will aid you in discovering the island as efficient as possible.
With that, everyone gathers around. At the same time, however, I look back at the other Spirits lingering around the city.
~0~0~0~
Maki
There are occasions where half-asleep with another person in the room, who's awake, can make them more honest about what they think about the other person. Sometimes it's a good thing because you get to know what the other person thinks of you, but it can also lead to some complications as well. Guess that's why the term: "The truth hurts" exist, or whatever I found in the internet again.
"Do you think he's awake?" A calm, woman's voice asks.
The tip of someone's finger with a bit of the sharpness from their nails digs my cheek.
"Not a budge . . . Hmhm . . .," another voice, a higher-pitched one, giggles.
"Don't wake him up. We don't want to disturb his sleep," a deep, fruity voice says. "But then again, with all that giggling and loud whispers you two are doing, I'm more surprised he hasn't woken up yet.
Fools. It was exactly their whispers and giggles that woke me up.
A creaking noise comes from below me, along with the elevation of the area around my feet going down.
"Hmph. Weren't you the one who always bugged him like this when we were kids?" the calm voice says. "Still though, this place is a mess."
"It's good enough," the fruity voice replies. "Unlike that chamber."
"I agree," the high-pitched voice says. "I still can't accept that they threw him in there."
The area where my feet are rested creaks again, and the platform shifts positions, the weight moving from my feet to around my torso. A hand, a lacy one, brushes the bangs on my forehead.
"He still has it . . ."
"It really does look like a hickey. People would get the wrong idea if they saw it."
"Wouldn't it be better if they did?"
"Huh? Why?"
The area around my feet shifts again.
". . . It's nothing. Forget what I said."
After the last person finishes speaking, only the sounds of water dripping somewhere across the room fill the air. But then the person with the fruity voice clears his throat and says, "Perhaps . . . this was a mistake."
"He won't blame you, Kyle. I'm sure of it."
"You're too kind, Nana. But that's not what I'm worried about. It would've been fine if the CPUs had no plans, but after hearing it from that fairy and that tomboyish girl; they had the event planned for a while now, and they work faster than expected. It would've been fine if it was cancelled, but they were determined to keep it on schedule."
"The Grand Gamindustri Ball," Sylvie says. "I heard it was an event for people in different nations to meet with the CPUs, and if they're lucky, they can have a dance with them."
"Is that it?" Nana asks.
"On the surface, yes, but I also heard there was something more to it. I couldn't get any more information about it, unfortunately."
"Where did you get the information?"
"From the library. Even though it's a fairly new event, it was already written in one of the history books. Apparently, last year a total disaster occurred, but everything turned out okay in the end and people wanted to make it an annual event."
Above me, a loud clank of the metal bars echoes throughout the room.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter," Kyle says. "I miscalculated."
"Hey Sylv, if, by any chance, we were able to attend the ball, would Rivi still accept taking me to a dance if I asked?"
". . . If it was back then, perhaps, but right now, I'm not totally sure."
"Is that so?"
"But after talking to him these past days, I think he still would. Oh, but don't think I'll let you ask him first. I'll beat you to it. None of the boys in our village was as good of a dancer as he is. And I want to experience that kind of feeling again."
"Hey, what about me?" Kyle asks.
"You're terrible at dancing," the two girls chorus.
Unable to contain my laughter any longer, I grunt as I move my body as though I'm waking up first thing in the morning. The creak on the area of my feet becomes louder than the ones earlier: a mix of a thud and metals clanging above my head, and a crispy sound emits from the place where Kyle's voice comes from. Not only that, they say things like "ouch," "kyaa," and even "owie." Aren't their reactions a bit too over the top just from me waking up?
"Evening, you three," I say.
"A-ahem, it's morning," Sylvie says.
"It looks night here to me."
"It's better than the sun hitting us. I don't want to deal with sunburn," Nana says.
The only thin giving us light are the light bulbs on the ceiling. It's hard to differentiate between night and morning as a result, but no use complaining about that.
I stand up and do light aerobics before moving onto more demanding ones. Kyle, Nana, and Sylvie stand up as well and join me.
"This place is a bit too small for this," Kyle says.
"We can manage," I tell him as I switch to squats. "What have y'all been doing while I was asleep?" I doubt they'll mention anything about the Gamindustri Ball, but it won't hurt to try and ask.
"We were reminiscing the days of our childhood," Sylvie answers as she switches to side-stretches.
Lies.
"Which ones?"
"It was on your birthday when we were kids. Remember our gift?"
"An apple, right?"
She nods. "Things didn't go as planned, but Kyle got your name on the tree. I wish you were there to see it . . ."
I shake my head. "It's alright. I was able to visit there somewhere around the red waxing gibbous during the season of Eclipse."
"Have you seen it, then?"
"Not the names, no."
"How's the tree holding up?"
I scratch my head and heave a sigh. "It's gone, Sylv. It got destroyed from a strong hurricane." It's not at all true. The real reason it was gone is because the whole forest around it caught on fire. And it was unfortunate enough to get caught along with the rest.
Her expression grows dim as she lowers her head. "Such a shame."
"It might grow back, right? The hill should still be there," Nana says.
"Maybe . . ." But it won't. Ever.
After doing light stretches again to cool down, I drink water from the faucet. There are no cups around (how heartless of them, really; even Soleil's king gave the criminals in the cellars toothbrushes and cups), and my face looks deformed on the mirror.
I splash my face with water, the cold sending a prickle on my skin. Nana and Sylvie whisper something about me. Their voices are so soft; I'm guessing they're doing it on a corner of the room. But even with how they try to hide it, I've got sharp ears. It's a skill necessary for my old job. In fact, it's the most vital one. I still haven't lost the ability to do it yet.
". . . Think we should mention about the ball?"
"Not sure. He might get upset about it."
"I can hear you two, you know?" I tell them.
They back off from each other the instant they heard me speak. They've been surprised from most of the things I've been doing for a while now. And honestly, it's getting a bit annoying.
They stare at me, and then stare at Kyle, who gives a nonchalant wave to the two.
"Just tell him."
"But . . ." Nana trails off, but Sylvie taps her shoulder.
"I'll tell him."
Nana stares deep into Sylvie's eyes before nodding.
"It's about the Ball."
"The Grand Gamindustri Ball?" I ask.
She nods and continues. "When Kyle declared the search for the Share Crystals, we thought we'd cancel most of the events and occasions around Planeptune, if not all of Gamindustri."
"But they're already doing something about it, and it might continue on as though nothing happened."
"So, what of it?"
"What we're trying to say is . . . we're—"
"Oh, actually do all of you have your outfits for the Ball?"
"Sor—huh?"
"I said, do you have outfits for the Ball?"
"No, no, I heard you. It's just—what are you saying?"
"I'm saying we can't go to the Grand Ball without the proper clothes. They taught you this in school, didn't they?"
"But that's . . . no way . . ." Sylvie looks at both Nana and Kyle before returning her attention to me. Her reaction is obvious enough for me. "That's hard to believe. What's the catch?"
I chuckle. "You caught on. I'll tell you how it happened bit by bit, alright?"
"Entertain us, then," Kyle says.
I nod. "First of all, you know how you messed up almost half of the city, right?" I wait until the three of them nod before continuing. "And because of that, the original venue for the Grand Ball was destroyed in the process."
"That's right. I made sure the venue was the only building to collapse."
"Have you no mercy on buildings . . .?" I clear my throat before the topic goes off-course. "There was an emergency meeting held three days ago concerning the even. And from I heard, they made a consensus about the new location for the venue."
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Nana asks.
"Simple. Kei told me."
"The Oracle of Lastation? Why would she tell you that?"
"I'm currently living inside Lastation's Basilicom, so we got the chance to talk. She had me do some errands for her. You could say we're doing some information exchange. About why she told me, well, let's just say she owes me three information worth of service."
"And when did you started to care about doing business?" Sylvie asks.
Even if she's the one who said it, that's an insult! Oh, whatever. It's not like I'll gain anything by complaining.
"I wasn't the one who made our terms like that. She was the one who did."
Kyle stands up and crosses his arms. "Now we know what they're planning, what was the catch?"
"Ah, yes, you see—"
A loud creaking noise overpowers my words. We turn to look at the source and see Kei behind the metal bars blocking us from the outside world. She says nothing as she unlocks the door part of the metal bars and opens it, motioning all of us to step outside.
"Are we heading out now?" I ask.
"Not yet," she replies. "Come with me. We'll be riding on jet planes. Do any of you get motion sickness?"
"I don't know what jet planes are, but I'm good," I say.
"If it's a transportation vehicle, I have no problems," Sylvie says.
"Can I be somewhere in the front?" Nana asks. "I usually get motion sickness when I sit in the backside."
"Not a problem," Kyle says.
"I'll tell the pilots. If you have any questions, wait until we're moving before you ask them."
I'm already getting excited to reach those jet planes. She leads us to a place called a military airport. Soldiers move around, the ones standing with whistles on their necks shout every so often, and some sits on posts. Sylvie comments on how filthy the place is; Nana keeps asking me what those soldiers are doing (I'm not entirely sure what they're doing exactly, but I at least know they're training); and Kyle stays silent throughout the whole walk.
Kei stops on her tracks. "We're here."
"Are these the jet planes you were talking about?" I ask.
"They are. Now wait here and let the ones with authorities brief you on what you're supposed not supposed to do and equip you with the proper gears. I'll be talking to the chief-in-command, so wait for me until then."
"Alright."
The moment she leaves, a soldier calls for our attention and explains about what jet planes are, shows us the equipment, tells us the rules while inside the plane, and how to use a bag containing a parachute inside.
Out of all four of us, Sylvie is the one who got everything down. Unlike me, however, Kyle and Nana got the gist of using a parachute. Here I am, struggling to even wear the stupid thing. It's only when the soldier comes to check on me that I got it right. I hate to admit it, but them three can get these things a lot better than I can.
After about an hour or so, Kei comes back and tells us we're heading out. We're using two planes—Sylvie, Kei, and I are riding the first plane; while Kyle and Nana are riding the second one.
Once all of us are seated, the pilots say, "We're taking off," before the whirling noise deafens our ears and increases the distance between us and the ground.
"This is exciting," Sylvie says. "This is very different from riding a great-winged beast."
Kei taps my shoulder with a metal, circular ring. The size is almost the size of my wrist. "Put it on your wrist," she says. "Have the elf wear one as well."
"What's this for?" I ask.
"It's a device that'll let us keep tabs on you. We'll be monitoring every move you make during your time there."
In other words, they're giving us a leash. I don't have a problem with this; and I want to say that Sylvie, Kyle and Nana should go through this, but they're the most untrusted ones here. It's fine, as long as I'm here, I'll make sure they don't do anything drastic again.
"Where are we headed?" I ask Kei, who is sitting in front of us.
"Planeptune."
~0~0~0~
Minerva
The first person to appear is Kei.
"Sorry for the delay," she says. "There were a few issues I had to deal with before gathering them."
"No need to apologize," Histoire says. "Bring them in."
Kei calls for the group of experienced expeditionists we're going with to the new island tomorrow.
"Who could they be . . .?"
"Guess we'll find out."
The first person comes out, along with the other three behind him. They stand there—Maki scratches his head; Sylvie brushes her hair with her hand; Nana looks at the floor; while Kyle crosses his arms and closes one eyelid.
"Huh . . .? They're the expeditionists?!"
