Author's Note:
Greetings readers! I know I normally reserve these things for the end of chapters, but given that we've hit Chapter 80, I think up at the start is appropriate.
If you've seen my tumblr (which you can find at Bionic Stars), I just finished writing Chapter 99, which means that my story is almost to completion! My plan right now is to finish with the last arc of NV, which is gearing up to be my favorite, and then I'll go from a weekly to a biweekly upload schedule of Monday/Friday. Keep an eye out for further updates on this! Thank you all for your reactions to the story thus far! NINJA-GO!
Slowly, Lloyd opened his eyes.
For a moment, Lloyd had no idea where he was. He looked around a room that was foreign to him, one that made almost no sense. It was dark, filled with things he hadn't seen before. For a moment, a lightning bolt of terror shot through him, one that made him launch up to his feet from the bed, gasping out as he looked around for bars, for Vermillion, for some sign that he was in the clutches of the Twins.
Instead, the action sparked Lulloyd and Mage nearby to slowly rise up from the shuffling. That was when Lloyd recalled they were with Twins, but not the ones he had to fear. This was a guest room in the Time Tribe city of Tempus. Lloyd silently admonished himself for the fear he'd had, and for waking the others up. Slowly, he shuffled up to his feet, stretching himself out as he left his bedroll.
"Bad dreams?" Lulloyd asked sheepishly.
"No… just, on edge, I guess," Lloyd muttered. In front of him was a pair of deep red robes emblazoned with the symbol of the Time Tribe on the front. Acronix' had offered them a change of clothes after what had been far too long without a proper change of them.
Mage slowly rose up from his rest, having already replaced his golden robes with red ones that seemed to have been custom made for him a long time ago. He looked over at the two others with him, but said nothing.
"I didn't, get that much either…" Lulloyd admitted, "But, uhm, I think it's already morning."
The three nodded to each other, standing up and changing. As Lloyd was forced to deal with the way robes meant for the smooth and more detailed bodies that Mage and his world sported, he for once was able to sympathize with how Lulloyd must have felt until now. Both of them looked even more out of place with their robes on. Mage led the way out, simply tightening the sash on his own before guiding the two out into the halls.
From the three days that the group had spent living here, Lloyd found that the palace the Twins' called their own wasn't actually that large. There were only four floors, with the training grounds they had entered last time being the only thing on the fourth floor. A path behind the training grounds led deeper into the mountain range that surrounded the northern portion of the tribe would lead off to where Muto, the Time Dragon, slept. The third floor of the palace was where the two twins lived, with guests on the second along with various multipurpose rooms. The first floor was mainly both an armory and the throne room for the twins. Thus, with the palace so open and full, Lloyd had found it rather small. Perhaps he'd just been spoiled by Chen, though.
"Do you all need to take a bath?" Mage asked over his shoulder.
"Maybe later, right now I just want to eat," Lloyd admitted.
"Mhm… alright, I bet 'Nix is probably already eating," Mage waved his hand, "Let's go."
There was a certain lack of enthusiasm to Mage's words that sounded very much not like him. Neither of them, though, were going to ask about it. Instead, they made their way along with Mage down to the first floor, passing by the large throne that Acronix' called his own. Down one of the side hallways was a small door that led to a dining room, one that was indeed currently occupied by the two counterparts. On the table was a large chunk of meat that looked as though had been steamed over a fire.
"Ah, Mage," Krux' nodded his head, "Come, sit! We caught this thing last night on our way back from recon duty. Mind helping us choke it down?"
"Sure," Mage nodded. He formed a simple ice dagger around his right hand and used it to slice off a large chunk and scoop it onto a plate, then repeat the action for his friends. Seeing Mage's simple nonchalant reaction was enough for Acronix' to frown.
"Is your… friend, still not joining us?" Acronix' asked, lowering a fork from his lips.
"No… he's, still sleeping," Lulloyd frowned, taking the plate Mage gave him.
"I see," Acronix' sighed, "Sadly, as long as we are unable to treat him with our healers, I cannot do much for him."
"Harumi said, it might be dangerous trying to heal him by, rewinding time on him like you do," Lloyd shook his head, "You weren't there when… when it happened."
"And after the story you told us, I have to admit I'm glad I wasn't!" Krux' shook his head, "Don't worry, we're watching over him. If he so much as twitches, we'll know."
"Is, Monty back from the Fire Tribe yet?" Lulloyd asked.
"It's a day's journey northeast from here just to get there," Acronix' informed them, "He will be back soon enough. If that sword of his means anything to him, then the blacksmiths there will be his best bet to reforge it."
Lloyd tried to think of something else to say, but he had no words at the moment. Instead, he just sat down, looking at the food in front of him and just finding his appetite spent. But he knew he had to eat. Thankfully, after several years of working through what felt like utterly hopeless situations, he knew how to scarf his food down. But even still, the atmosphere of the table and their occupants only grew more silent as it went along.
"Did, Harumi already come down to eat?" Lulloyd asked.
"Your female companion?" Krux' asked, "She took her food and left the palace. I believe she may be somewhere in the town. I didn't see much point in stopping her."
"Yeah… we're, all dealing with a lot right now, after all," Lloyd took a deep breath, "But, it's been a few days and, we have to start doing something about it."
"Doing something?" Mage asked, his tone dulled, "Like what?"
"I don't know, like, make a plan?" Lulloyd blinked, "Yeah, like, it's always, for the best when you make plans, and-"
"Every plan we've made hasn't worked," Mage responded curtly, finishing off his food in what seemed like record time, "I'm going to go train. Krux, you wanna join me?"
"I… uhm," Krux' blinked, then turned to his brother. Acronix' nodded his head, prompting Krux' to stand up and smirk, "Alright then, let's go and see what you've learned out there, dragon boy."
"Yeah," Mage nodded. He pushed his plate forward and then simply turned to leave the room and retrieve Aevum from his room. Krux' gave the room a small look of worry before he, too, left on his own to follow him. Once they were both gone, Acronix' just sighed.
"I can tell something is eating at him… but he has yet to tell me himself," Acronix' frowned, "He normally isn't the type to get upset like this."
"You saw that thing," Lloyd pointed out, "Wouldn't it be worse if he had like, no reaction to that thing at all?"
"No, that's not what I mean," Acronix' shook his head, "But I suppose right now isn't the time to elaborate. I must attend to the troops along the walls. The sight that we saw was apparently large enough rumors have already spread here about it. I wish to keep them in ignorance about it for as long as I can. For now I intend to suppress those rumors. If you will excuse me."
Acronix' bowed his head, leaving the room after gathering up the used plates and carrying them off. Lloyd and Lulloyd watched him leave the room, nodding to one of the members of the palace and making his way off.
"He's, not like the other Acronix at all…" Lulloyd paused, "I, wonder if, what happened didn't if, that's what the other one would have been like?"
"Yeah… let's finish and go find Harumi," Lloyd frowned, "We, need to make sure she's okay after…. All of that."
Lulloyd blinked in affirmation, the two digging back into their meal. The food had little taste as they ate in silence, the atmosphere of everything that had happened to them weighing on them heavier than anything that the Twins had done to them thus far.
The Fire Tribe, as their name suggested, lay within a land of fire. To be more specific, the tribe was built into the side of an active volcano, Mount Valmaii, within its depths their patron dragon, Lavare, slept. The only path that led to the tribe was one that wound deep within caves going in and out of the massive mountain, and thus to enter the Fire Tribe, one would find a trading settlement at the base of the volcano where goods were sold and then later transported by those of the Fire Tribe up to their homes. To those unfamiliar, the frequent eruptions seemed to make the very land itself inhospitable.
Once one was inside the Fire Tribe, though, aside from the perpetual grayed skies of ash and the large flows of lava that so often streaked down the volcano's sides, the sight of an actual society became evident. The buildings were large and multi-floored, almost square in their floorplans, and without walls to instead have what almost looked like films placed on the outside painted to look like walls. The roofs were slanted and sloped downwards on each floor. The walkways between these buildings were entirely stone. All of said buildings, though, were built around canals that were, oddly, dry, and thus the entire tribe were connected by massive bridges over said canals that lead from clumps of the tower-like structures to the next.
"Ever been in this tribe before, stranger?" Ray asked Monty as he stood in front of a massive forge in the middle of a large clump of buildings.
"No, haven't, and don't really care," Monty pointed to the broken half of the SoS Ray held, "Fix it."
"Ah, straight to the point, then! I see you're that sort of man," Ray nodded, "You remind me of my son. Have you met him? He's the bigshot of this tribe, you know."
"I literally could not care less," Monty grunted, "Do I need to pay you to work faster?"
"Well, normally I would request compensation, but that letter said that this was a favor from Acronix himself!" Ray gave a hearty laugh, "It's a bit hard for me to ask for pay when that's the case."
Monty didn't say anything. Ray decided not to either, instead laying the broken sword down on a small brown cloth along with the other broken pieces of gold that Monty had collected in haste from the battlefield. Ray took his time analyzing them, wiping some sweat from his brow before nodding his head a few times.
"Can't guarantee that this thing will be just like you remember it, looks like we're missing some of the original material… but I must say it's unlike anything I've ever worked with before. I don't even know if my forge here is hot enough to work this metal," Ray rubbed his chin again, "But that isn't to say that I can't do it. In fact, this'll be an interesting challenge. Tell me, do you want me to reduce this crossguard here too?" Ray ran his hand over the blue disc-like guard.
Monty paused, waiting for a moment before he nodded his head, "Make it smaller, don't remove it. You're free to shorten the blade if you need to."
"That was my second question," Ray nodded, "Well, I can't give you an exact estimate right now, but I should be able to start work on it today. I should have this ready in… five days? That's a low ball, but assuming that the hammering doesn't-"
"Fine, just get to work," Monty interrupted him. Ray rolled his eyes.
"Alright, alright," Ray waved his hand, moving to go and collect a thick, padded white and black stained apron to slide onto his body, "Normally it'd take you much longer to get this done, but thankfully you're talking to the best craftsman in the Fire Tribe! Did Acronix tell you how we met?"
"Nope," Monty frowned, "But I bet you will anyways."
"So one day, this patrol of Time Tribe scouts come wandering into our territory hunting down some prisoner they let escape," Ray walked over and began preparations to light his forge, "And during it, I see this young looking kid in the middle. I assumed he was just an apprentice, only for them to call him Acronix! As in the leader of the tribe! Well, he was half of it at the time. But I was shocked! Well, they weren't ready for the fireborn ravens around here, huge birds made half of lava. I was just out looking for supplies, and of course, they cause the ravens to go and start attacking me! And Acronix suddenly jumps in out of nowhere and cuts three of them down with one slash of his sword! Have you seen Aevum? I was the one that forged it for him. Anyways, after that I helped him track that prisoner down, and after that I've kept my eye on him. I help reforge his personal weapons. Just a few weeks ago he had me make him a short sword. Bit of a different fighting style, but I wasn't one to judge. So when he asked me to do this one for you, well, that was all he had to say!"
"Right," Monty frowned, letting out a long sigh, "I'm seeing where Kai gets it from."
"But ah, you're a stranger too, aren't you? I mean, you weird body aside, it's clear you aren't used to the heat around here," Ray laughed, "You should get out and see the tribe then, stranger! There's due to be an eruption at night. You should stick around for it. The entire tribe is built to collect that lava in the canals. I've heard travelers call this place an artwork of fire if you see it at night. Our entire tribe redirects that lava down to the fireweed farms. That's where our trademark spices come from! I'd be happy to give you a tour if you-"
When Ray turned around, Monty was gone. The blacksmith blinked in confusion, then let out a small sigh and shook his head. He went over to his forge, lamenting the attention span of the younger generation. His confusion at the boy's odd body and ethereal presence aside, he had a task to do. With that in mind, he picked the SoS up in his hand, letting the deep glow of the fires of his forge begin to dance his reflection on the metal before he began his work.
Meanwhile, Monty left the forge and instead walked to one of the massive canals that the city sported. Oddly enough, there were no signs of scorching or anything to suggest that lava eruptions were collected and drained down the volcano from it. He guessed the tribe was built in this place for the sole purpose of doing so, if whatever Ray was going on about was important. But for now, he just stood at the edge of one, wondering what would happen if he attempted to swim in lava.
Likely nothing, The voice of the SoS flared up in Monty's mind, But it would be a sight to behold indeed.
"So, you can still talk to me like this?" Monty scoffed, "I'm impressed."
I am bound to your Chi, not only to the sword, The SoS responded, Therefore, I may speak with you, so long as we are within the same world as my physical form, or so I would guess.
"Good to know," Monty leaned forward, looking out against the expanse of the tribe. He reached down and opened a pouch on his belt, holding a small shard of the SoS, "Guess this should do it then." He sighed, letting his thoughts drift away as he tucked it back away. After a moment, the somewhat pensive and nervous voice came against him.
Thank you for… upholding the deal, we forged, The sword responded timidly, I know that, until now, I have not been kind to you. I feared that you would cast me aside once the battle was over.
"Think again," Monty grunted, "Maybe I'm a bit more complex than you make me out to be."
Yes, I think that is the case, The sword sighed, Once my reforging is complete, I will uphold my end. I will teach you how to wield the power of Sanctuary against your foes… The sword trailed off.
"Why the pause?" Monty groaned out.
In the past, those that removed me from Cloud Kingdom to use me, did not need to be taught how to use Sanctuary. After years of using me, they would unlock that power, and it would conform to who they were. Thus, the power was never the same from wielder to wielder. But… we do not have the luxury of time, it seems, The sword lamented, Therefore, I must think of how to speed you along into the power that will let you defy destiny itself.
"That's why I saved you, so let's not make a big deal out of it," Monty pulled Ivory out of its holster, raising the glimmering white gun into his hand, "And I'm used to having to completely relearn everything, so I can handle that too."
I don't doubt that, but I doubt if we have the time, The sword responded curtly, After what we both witnessed, I fear as though some counter has been placed on the rest of our lives.
"Way to have confidence in me," Monty pointed out, "I get enough of that stuff from the rest of them, don't make me lump you in with them too."
I'm just being practical, The sword responded curtly, Do you have so much faith in yourself you think you can take on that thing by yourself?
"Maybe if I had your power earlier, I wouldn't have to," Monty spat. There was a long silence from the sword. Then, an apologetic sigh.
Yes, I know, The sword would have frowned if it could, But the past is the past. We cannot change it, but now we must look to the future.
"You were about five words there from quoting Wu," Monty grunted out, "But yeah, I agree. We need to go and get this whole power thing taken care of."
Then the first step, I believe, is to find a weakness in yourself, something that holds you back, The sword explained, Then to overcome it.
"News flash, I already hit my True Potential a long time ago without some melodramatic tv episode to do it," Monty summoned wind around his hand and quenched it with his fist, "Well, actually I didn't need to. Never cared to really do it. That's something for Wu and his ninja. I've gotten by just fine on my own guns and stuff. And I doubt going through some sparkly transformation is gonna help you."
I didn't say it would be easy, The sword continued, We must first determine the source of where your issues lie. From what I saw during your time in the smoke, you still hold connection to your past life. Perhaps by overcoming that, you will find the power you need to use me?
"What, you mean the thing you relentlessly beat me down with in hopes of making me give up?" Monty scoffed, "Wow, what a revolutionary thought, should I go inside my own head and defeat the embodiment of my past in a symbolic gesture of me overcoming my weakness?"
...Am, I supposed to know what that means? The sword asked in confusion.
"...Yeah, without Lulloyd around it's no fun to joke like that," Monty looked down at his watch, "Well, thanks to her watch repairs, I can communicate with those guys anywhere in the multiverse, and I've added this place as a location to jump to. So I should be able to go and do my own thing again."
Your own… thing? The sword asked, Speaking of 'her,' do you think we should see to her?
"That's the first time you've ever talked about my companions before," Monty pointed out, lowering his head, "And of course not. After what happened, well…" Monty sighed, "I'm the literal last person that should ever go and try to comfort her right now."
That is rather astute of you to recognize, The sword acknowledged, But what is it you plan to do?
"You said I need to go and find something to let me overcome the past, right?" Monty chuckled, "Well, to me that's the perfect excuse to go and pay Wu a visit."
I doubt that beating up the man that you have already feuded so much in the past will do you any good, but it is a place to start, The sword acknowledged, I trust that you will tell your friends where you are going, then?
"If they wanna find me, they can use these new fancy comms to do it," Monty began tapping away on his wristband, "Let's go and pay those ninja a visit, shall we?"
The sword said nothing in response. Monty put in the coordinates for Stiix in his own world, then opened a portal in front of him at the bottom of the emptied canal. With a simple sigh, Monty stood up and leapt off of the side of the canal, much to the horror of a few passerbys. Once Monty hit the portal, his body vanished into it, and in turn, from the universe.
"I will show you my dreams… filled with love s-so it seems…" Harumi brokenly sung under her breath, "As the words dance in my heart…"
Harumi looked over the expanse of the Time Tribe from her perch. She sat in the middle of a watchtower, one that was currently empty. She looked down over the tribe from one side, and out into the rocky mountains from the other. Even with the sight of the sun casting warm glows against the world from one end and the bustling people for a burgeoning city on the other, she couldn't bring herself to do much about it.
"You can do it I-I know it… you've already come this far my fude pen…" Harumi's voice trailed off to nothing, "I-I'm being…."
"I'm being quite serious," A voice finished off the line behind her. Harumi didn't even move her head, still curled up as she was. Lulloyd smiled as he finished climbing the ladder and moved into the cramped space beside her.
"Uh… that was the line, right?" Lulloyd rubbed his neck with a rotation of his arm, "Uhm, I think that music in your world, might have some, dimensional stuff in, other worlds, you know? Cause uh, that's a version of…" Lulloyd trailed off. Harumi hadn't moved.
"...Uhm, we've been looking all over for you, you know," Lulloyd rotated his head, "You're, uhm, I know what happened was rough, but we need to stick together right now."
"I was going to come back later," Harumi responded dully, "I was trying to think."
"Right, thinking… heh," Lulloyd trailed off. Slowly, he moved to sit down in the small space beside Harumi. From this place, they could really see all of the Time Tribe and the lands outside. Why there wasn't someone up here in this watchtower, Lulloyd didn't want to ask. But for now, he looked over at Harumi and then let out a long sigh.
"Okay, uhm, beating around the bush here isn't going to help," Lulloyd frowned, "I'm, sorry for what happened to… to your world."
"Mhm…" Harumi nodded her head.
"I know, none of us have seen it yet or, know what they did to it but… you know," Lulloyd sighed, "Ugh, I'm not good at this stuff. Listen, Harumi, I wanted you to know we're here for you. No matter what happens."
"For however long it is I have left until I fade into nothingness…" Harumi reached out, slowly curling her arms around her knees and bringing them up against her body, "Sorry if I'm not taking a time limit on my existence very well."
"...Okay, uhm, that sounds like something Monty would say," Lulloyd admitted, "But, Harumi, you know we're going to undo this, right?"
"Undo it?" Harumi looked towards Lulloyd. Now that he could see her, he could tell that she had been crying. The red lines around her eyes were swollen from doing so, and there were thin tear streaks down her face, "You heard what they said. The Iron Demise is a paradox machine. The only reason you're all still here is because of it. The only reason I went down with it was because my existence was too fundamental to sustain that level of paradox. I'm a broken engine that we're running on borrowed time fuel."
"Right… right," Lulloyd sighed, "Well, I wanted you to know that, if you wanna talk…"
"..." Harumi let out a long sigh, then she put her hands up against her head and scrubbed. She scrubbed her knuckles deep into her hair, hard enough Lulloyd was sure it hurt. When she stopped, Harumi stared blankly forward.
"Normally that's supposed to help me calm down," Harumi shook her head, "Heh…. that was, what Carn always did… or… I guess now she never did…"
"Don't think like that," Lulloyd reached out and gripped hold of her arm, "I mean… you've heard how weird Lloyd's adventures have been, right? I'm sure we'll find a way to undo this. There is always a way."
"Is there?" Harumi turned sharply to Lulloyd, "None of us know anything about the intricacies of manipulating and sustaining paradox space! This isn't a game, Lulloyd, we're not going to suddenly meet some Denizen and solve a riddle to undo everything! Even if we… I don't even know how we'd go about it! I have no idea how they're even managing to sustain the paradox they've created!"
"And that's why we need to know more about them," Lulloyd affirmed, "And, we need to make a plan. I know what that means but, we have to try. We can't just give up if we don't even know what they've done."
"I. Don't. Exist. Anymore," Harumi grunted out to him, "That means somehow, my parents never met each other. That… that has so many implications, Lulloyd, it…"
"We can't just give up yet," Lulloyd urged, "It's… it's not like we've not already gotten kicked down. A lot, actually… but that doesn't mean anything. We've all been, made to lose a lot. But that just means we learn even more when we stand up again, right?"
"...I guess," Harumi turned away from him.
"I'll take that as a yes," Lulloyd slowly rotated himself back up onto his feet, "I'm going to head back to the palace. When you're ready, come and talk. We'll work out a plan then."
Harumi didn't respond to him other than an almost indiscernible nod. After that, Lulloyd did a flip out of the watchtower, sliding down the ladder with one hand and doing one more frontflip to land at the base. As the startled guards could only watch in shock as Lulloyd strode away from that, Harumi buried her face back in her hands, muffling any noises she made as she weighed how long it would take her to get back. Soon that though left her as instead the swamp of memories she was weighing came back to her and left her silent.
Krux' sighed as he left the training area. He hadn't expected for Mage to go all out on him, Both of his arms were completely sore now, and the weight of his time-infused gauntlets were making his fingers want to give out. For now, he slowly hefted his arms up and hooked them into his belt. Now with that weight on his hips instead, the young co-leader of the Time Tribe made his way down the stairs and into the palace again.
The last that Krux' had seen Mage, he'd said he was finished training after no one could stand up to him and left. While the twin had elected to stay a bit later and try to indulge in the guards and their own skills, it'd been a good half hour since then. Even if he had said he'd left over feeling like it was a waste of time, Krux' had a good idea of where it was that he was really going.
It wasn't that long of a walk for Krux' to find where Mage was. On the second floor of the palace, in one of the many rooms that they had to spare, was a bed. Standing beside that bed was Mage, his arms crossed as he looked down at the one that was sleeping in it. When Krux' walked by the door, he waited for a moment before he entered.
"He's still out, isn't he?" Krux' asked, a look on his face questioning despite knowing the answer.
"Yeah," Mage nodded curtly, "He is."
Krux' took his time to analyze the figure on the bed. He hadn't asked for details, but from the looks he'd gotten from the others when he mentioned him, he knew something had truly happened to upset Mage. Right now, Over looked the same as when Krux' had first met him. A simple man with four arms, sure, but other than the dark complexion he was a warrior and fighter. Seeing him sleeping like this, barely moving, his chest not even moving with each breath, well it was at odds with everything he knew.
"I don't know why he did it," Mage's voice roused Krux' from his thoughts, "I don't get it. He… he just. He went and…" Mage shook his head, "It was horrible."
"Well, people do things for a lot of reasons," Krux' sighed, "Just look at me."
"You were doing it because you had to, though," Mage frowned, "You knew you couldn't fight the Twins on your own without your powers, and, you had to find some way to help people… " Mage rubbed his head, "We'd have been killed if you didn't work from the inside."
"Still doesn't mean I'm proud of what I did," Krux' shrugged, "I know that even if I did help protect you all, I still hurt people with those Raiders. I let them go out and hurt people. I did things that some would call evil. Sometimes you don't know why people do what they do, even if you want to."
"That's not enough for me," Mage gripped his fist, "...I told Acronix that, I'd go and do this without putting anymore pressure on him. I would do this without…" Mage lowered his head, "I told him that I was going to be strong enough for us both."
"Lloyd," Krux' shook his head, "Look, it took me a long time to figure this out, but strength isn't just about being able to swing a sword or blast someone with an element. Sometimes you have to be strong by keeping yourself going, even when you think you don't have it in you. I mean, I've messed up twice… and I'm still here. Just being able to say that to him, well, that was the strength he had to hear."
"And now look at me," Mage raised his hand to his chest, "I nearly died. And… and you two had to be the ones to save me. And then he…" Mage looked down at Over, "I just don't get it. I don't know why he did that. I… I don't…"
"Well, I'll tell you something useful," Krux' stepped forward, putting his hand on Mage's shoulder, "You know when people say they don't know what to do? Well, most of the time they do, they just don't want to try it. I think that applies here. You know why he did. But you're not willing to acknowledge it, are you?"
"What?" Mage looked up at him, "You're not making sense."
"Sure I'm not, and you're being angry today for no reason," Krux' let go of his shoulder, "I think we should leave him alone. See if your friends want to talk."
Mage didn't say anything else, instead just opting to slowly shrug Krux' away from him. Krux' just let out a grin and left the room, stretching his limbs as he did. He waited around outside the door for about a minute, just long enough for him to see Mage leave the room after him. The twin let out a small smirk before he made his way back to the main staircase, descending it. A moment later, Mage slammed to the ground from a gravity-fueled float down, only making Krux' just roll his eyes before continuing.
Once the two made it past the throne itself, they soon encountered the group they were looking for. Lloyd, Lulloyd and Acronix' were standing around, already chatting. Once they were within earshot, Krux' raised his hand.
"Brother!" Krux' called out. Acronix' turned to look at him, nodding his head curtly once he had.
"Good, we were just about to contact you," Acronix' nodded, "We're discussing our next move."
"Harumi hasn't showed up, has she?" Lulloyd asked.
"No… she still isn't responding to her comm either," Lloyd tapped his wristband, "But, you talked to her, right?"
"Yeah, I guess she decided she still wanted time away from us," Lulloyd lowered his eyes, "Not that, I blame her…"
"What are you all talking about?" Krux' asked, "Go on, tell me."
"Well…" Lloyd crossed his arms, "Honestly, we were talking about going to check on our homes."
"I was the one that suggested it," Acronix' shook his head, "Hiding here will not do you much good if you do not know anything about the situation outside."
"So? What's the problem?" Krux' asked, "Is there something stopping you?"
"No… it's just, we don't know where Ophiod, Prime or Oni are right now," Lloyd shook his head, "We don't want to get caught out without help."
"Have you tried contacting that ghost of yours?" Krux' asked.
"He isn't responding either, which, honestly isn't out of the ordinary," Lulloyd sighed, "And, well, with Harumi and Over, not, really able to go anywhere right now…"
"We shouldn't split up right now," Mage frowned, butting into the conversation, "That would just make it easier for those guys to pick us off."
"I don't even know if they're after us right now…" Lloyd frowned, "We haven't heard anything from them since the battle, have we?"
The room paused for a moment. It was true: even after the battle such as that, they had seen no sign of Ophiod, Oni or Prime. Where they'd gone after the battle, they weren't sure. In the terror of the situation they'd be put into, they hadn't paid attention to what Ophiod had said. And therefore, they were once more in the dark.
"I don't think, they'll try to come after us right now," Lulloyd admitted, "Did… did you see the way that Ophiod reacted when he saw Skales…?"
"Prime didn't say anything after Over…" Lloyd saw Mage's glare and gulped, "...Did that. I don't know what's going on with him either."
"Harumi's cloaking thing was working for awhile there…" Lulloyd pointed out, "And, we have these comms now so, we can talk to each other whenever we need to, right?"
"Assuming what she made works, yeah," Lloyd nodded, "But, can we risk going home like that? And just leaving?"
"If you see danger, return there," Krux' waved his hand, "If you see danger, we'll be here. You have the full support of our tribe."
"What?" Lloyd blinked, "No, we can't ask that of you. You know what would happen if-"
"If they do come after us, it's over," Acronix' frowned, "We've faced the oblivion of war before. In truth… facing something so clearly evil, is somewhat of a comfort for us."
There were no other words to say in response to that. Lloyd thought about it. Right now, he didn't want to see what was happening with Harumi's world, nor did he want to try to visit the world that those three inhabited either. Come to think of it… they didn't know anything about Oni, did they? Right now, they didn't know what the Twins were doing. Only that they had the power to make Invictus look like the footsoldier to a battalion.
"Go," Krux' sighed, "I don't get why this is even a question. Go and face your own worlds, then come back to us and we'll figure out what to do after that. You all can't make a plan if you don't have it in you to even see what happened to your homes, do you?"
"He's right," Lulloyd turned to Lloyd, "I think, we should go. And, Mage can stay here and make sure that Over and Harumi are ok. And, we'll find Monty at some point. Maybe he's already gone home?"
"Well, you know Monty, he wouldn't tell us even if he was," Lloyd raised his wristband, "Let's go."
The Time Tribe twins backed up with Mage. Lloyd opened a portal under his feet, giving a look to Mage before he disappeared. Lulloyd waited until he was gone, looking around with a swivel of his head before he opened one as well and leapt into it. Within a few seconds, they were gone.
"I'm going back to train," Mage turned to Acronix', "You want to come with?" Krux' turned to his brother with a grin that spoke to the situation.
"...I would be fine to spar with you, yes," Acronix' nodded, "Nothing wrong with seeing how far you've come."
"Good," Mage frowned, making his way away. Acronix' sighed. For a moment, he was hesitant to give off the impression he was going to train Mage, but for right now he just decided to go along with him. Krux' smirked, ready to go and make his way away. Instead, Acronix' reached out and gripped his brother's arm with a grin of his own. Before Krux' could protest, Acronix' blipped them both forward in time, dragging his brother back into the sparring session.
In the bustling city of Ouroborus, Ophiod slithered his way through the glorious sights.
Normally, the sight of the Crown Prince wandering through the city would invoke quite a crowd. He was known for being extremely reclusive, so much so that only those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of his face would be able to say they even knew what he looked like. Instead, those that he passed would feel a slight prick at their vision, a faint trace of the magic that disguised his form. To everyone that passed, he was nothing more than a simple Hypnobrai, walking along with another plain Hypnobrai at his side.
Through the city of Ouroborus, Ophiod helped Skales walk. The magic wards around the palace placed by his mother made teleporting right into the palace an impossibility. In fact, all of the city was covered in such wards. Thus, Ophiod had to walk him. Some would think that Skales was perhaps drunk, or tired. His eyes were mostly closed, their swirling red depths barely visible. He stumbled forward, relying on the support of Ophiod's body to keep moving. In contrast, Ophiod slithered forward with a blank look. One of a determination, a hurriedness, a need to arrive at the palace.
The sunlight of Ouroborus scorched the city in its rays, a sight and feeling that all those in the city could appreciate. But Ophiod had no interest in them. The two walked past the glistening fountains, the bustling markets, the glowing artistic murals, the signs of Serpentine progress and ability in their isolation. He just slithered forward towards the arena at the base of the palace stairs. Slithering around the structure and up towards the stairs.
Skales gasped, his breath faint. Ophiod gripped his tightly, forcing him to keep going. It was just slightly further. They ascended the seemingly endless stairs, towards the massive opening to the palace's throne room. Out front, several Anacondrai stood guard. As they saw the two approaching, they moved to guard the entrance.
"Halt!" One of them cried out, "You shouldn't be here!"
Ophiod said nothing. Instead, he continued to walk until they were right up in the guards faces, their blades turned down towards them. Ophiod lowered his head.
"Help him, he's been struck by a magical curse," Ophiod whispered, "His life is fading. Only the Queen has enough strength to save him."
"There are healers down in the city, you should… wait," The first guard paused, "Is that not… Skales? The prince's companion?"
"It is… the Queen will want to know of this," The second guard nodded, "Where did you find him, stranger?"
Only the stranger they saw was gone. Skales body was laid down on the stairs, but there was no sign of the one that had carried him. The two serpentine looked towards the spot in confusion, then stepped forward and took hold of Skales. From a vantage point above them, hovering in the air on golden rings, was a now invisible figure.
"What is the meaning of this?" The voice of the head of the guard came from inside the palace.
"General Arcturus!" The first guard hefted Skales' body up from the stairs, "Someone brought this one here. Is he not-"
"That is the Prince's…!" Arcturus' eyes lit up in shock, then narrowed, "...Bring him, immediately."
Ophiod watched as Skales' body disappeared into the palace. Arcturus slithered out of the palace, looking around for the one that had delivered him. An errant look towards the sky locked eyes on here Ophiod was hidden, but Ophiod made no move to flee. Instead, Arcturus simply lowered his gaze and quickly slithered inside the palace. Ophiod quickly dropped down to the palace entrance, his magic cloaking him from perception, and slithered away from the palace.