Chapter 30
"Alviss… when were you infected with the Zombie Tattoo?" Dorothy asked.
Alviss was mildly surprised that she brought it up, but answered, "Six years ago. During the last War Games."
"The power of the Zombie Tattoo… is something that Diana gave to Phantom." To Alviss' confusion, Dorothy looked at Sol. "Diana is the one who knows how to undo the curse and defeat Phantom."
Sol smirked dryly. "Yes, cause I'm sure she'll cough up that information voluntarily." Sol laughed at Dorothy's disgruntled expression. "We have to get through Phantom before we can get to Diana anyway."
"Why," Alviss spoke slowly, unsure he wanted the answer to his question, "do I feel… like I'm missing something…?"
Dorothy looked at Sol. "Now would be the time to tell him."
"Put me on the spot why don't you."
At the gates, Jim was alarmed by the appearance of a veritable army. At the front was a man with tousled silver hair and his left arm encased in bandages. "Who's there?! This is Caldia! None may enter without per-" Jim shattered.
"Permission, hm? We left Caldia alone only because it's the Queen's native land. But now she has given us permission… and that's all we need." Phantom smiled darkly.
"Sol, what's going on?" Snow asked.
Sol sighed. "The rule I was told was the tattoo couldn't be destroyed unless Phantom died. No one said I could move it."
"…what…?" the color drained out of Alviss' face.
Sol pulled up her sleeve, exposing the transferred tattoo. "You hated the idea of being a zombie because you believe it will make you behave like Phantom. I disagree. Being a zombie doesn't make you evil. It just locks you in place. Phantom behaves the same way today he did the day the tattoo completed. But explaining this to you wouldn't make it better. So I took it. If I kill Phantom, the tattoo's gone. If I don't…" she shrugged, "I'll spend the rest of eternity putting him right back in the dirt."
Alviss opened his mouth, but the Elder spoke first. "Very perceptive of you." When Sol looked at him, he continued, "What you said is true. The real curse of the Zombie Tattoo is twofold. The first is being unchanging. The second is never dying. It does not make you evil."
Sol looked up. "Sounds right."
"If I may," the Elder said, "you seem unfazed by the idea of killing someone."
"So?"
"That is unusual for a girl your age."
Sol blinked. "I'm a berserker. I'm violent and volatile by nature."
"A… ber… what?"
"Berserker. Your world doesn't seem to have them. …Uh, wait, what'd that old man call me?" Sol asked Dorothy, who stiffened.
"…Catastropher."
"Yeah, that. What's that?"
The Elder seemed displeased. "That is a very serious accusation. It cannot be ignored."
Dorothy went pale. Sol protested, "Whoa, hold up. Before somebody blows a gasket for no reason, why don't you tell me what a Catastropher is."
Dorothy spoke stiffly with a forced calm. "A Catastropher is considered an abomination. It's usually revealed around 12 years old and they are killed immediately. They lose their minds and go on a rampage. They are called Catastrophers because they bring catastrophes through their instinctive use of dangerous techniques that cause massive destruction."
"Huh. Well, I definitely can cause a lot of destruction in a rage. I don't know about techniques through. Brain turns off then. Snow?"
Snow blinked. "I don't think you do. Your movements seem pretty wild to me."
"What are you saying?" The Elder demanded.
"I don't think I'm a Catastropher, but a berserker doesn't sound that much better. Just leave the guy alone. They're probably similar enough that he got confused. Or maybe they are the same thing. I don't know." Sol shrugged.
The Elder lifted a hand. "Great Elder, please wait!" Dorothy cried out. Sol sensed something coming at her and backhanded it. One of the structures what struck by an invisible object that took a huge chunk out of it.
As the others stared, Dorothy stepped between Sol and the Elder. "Elder, please stop! Sol is not a Catastropher! She's stated openly that her berserker rage is dangerous, but for all the time I've known her, I've never seen her go into a rage. She clearly has control."
Sol blinked. "So… I'm just supposed to be cool with the fact that the old geezer just attacked me?"
"Catastrophers are killed as soon as it becomes known that they are one because they are too dangerous to leave alive." The Elder stated. "Their lack of control means they will attack anyone. Including their friend and family."
"It's true that I can when I'm in a rage. That's why I've learned to take precautions."
Her companions looked at her in surprise. Precautions?
"So you'll never attack an innocent?" The Elder demanded.
"No, I can attack an innocent if it moves into my like of sight when I'm raging. But I will not attack my companions, so they can stop me."
"How do you know you won't attack your companions?"
"I can't attack myself."
"Huh?" No one understood that answer.
Sol frowned. "Dorothy's given me the impression that she can see spiritual energy, though I haven't actually asked. Can you?" she asked the Elder.
"Of course. All witches can see spiritual energy in addition to magical energy."
Sol gestured for Jack, who was the closest to her, to come closer. "I've put a…tag if you will, on my teammates and friends." She held up Jack's right hand. The Elder and Dorothy focused on it and found a small ring of Solara's flaming sprit energy encircling Jack's ring finger. It wasn't invading Jack's energy, it was simply surrounding it. Looking at each of her companions, they found that they all had the same spiritual ring on their right ring finger, including Dorothy, who felt rather dumb for never noticing it. Babbo even had one around the handle of his hammer at the base of the head. But one persons "tag" was rather… excessive.
Snow's entire right hand was encased in Sol's spirit energy. "Why does Princess Snow have so much more than the others?" the Elder asked.
Sol shrugged. "The first person I ever tagged was Koyuki. It was intentional, but I didn't know what I was doing. Since Koyuki and Snow are connected, Snow has the same one as Koyuki."
"Connected?" Alan frowned.
Snow shrugged. "I don't understand it, but when I'm asleep, I see through Koyuki's eyes. So I knew Sol and Uncle Danna before they came here. But my ability to remember anything was limited until Sol came here."
"That is interesting." The Elder was intrigued.
"Great Elder, shouldn't we examine Sunny's spirit energy?" Dorothy asked.
"Hm? Why?" Sol was confused.
"Oh, yes. Step forward, child." Sol stepped up hesitantly. "I'm merely checking your energy for damage."
"Oh."
The Elder placed his hand in front of Sol's face and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he lowered his hand. "The area around her right hand is ragged, probably an aftereffect of ripping pieces off. However, her energy is not leaking, so there doesn't seem to be any danger from it."
"Uh, okay…?" Sol blinked.
"Great! We've established an understanding on information that, oh yeah, we already knew! Can we get back to the actual problem now?!" Babbo hopped up and down, agitated by the implications that Sol was an enemy.
"Ah, I've missed you Babbo! Another one from here…" the Elder commented.
"What?!" Dorothy squawked.
"How…? Me…?! From here?!" Babbo was just as flabbergasted.
The Elder nodded, "Among the ARMs that Diana stole, Babbo is very special. You see, all ARMs with magical powers… are charms marked by special metal engravings imbued with magic!"
Jack was shocked. "Y'mean, that's what ARMs are?! So they're all made in Caldia?!"
Dorothy nodded. "An ARM that doesn't have magic in it could be made by any metalsmith, like an ordinary weapon. But the magic ones – including the magic stones – those have to be Caldian."
"Now Babbo," the Elder stated, "is an ARM imbued not only with magic powers, but with a certain person's consciousness… Inside this ARM… lives the soul of our former Elder!"
"I… was the leader of this land…?" Babbo asked.
"In a sense."
"Then I'm one of great status!" he was excited.
"Now you're just an ARM. You have no status." The Elder burst his bubble. As Babbo sulked, the Elder continued, "But there's more. Ten years ago… there was in this land an orb that held locked within it the evil of the entire world, all the hate and malice that ought never to be release. Diana unsealed the lock on that orb, poured those thoughts into Babbo – and abandoned our lands!"
"Makes sense…" Alan commented. "That's why six years ago, Babbo was…" He trailed off, but Sol and Alviss both remembered the nasty, sharp-toothed, bass-voiced ARM that Phantom had wielded.
"Yes. But it doesn't seem as though that evil is in you anymore. There seems to be a different consciousness in you now." The Elder observed. "You've lost half of your personality, haven't you?"
"Half a personality?!" Babbo was confused.
"Let's see here… I will cast a spell so that the half that has disappeared will return." The Elder cast his spell and there was a bright flash.
"Babbo…?" When he didn't move, Sol said his name.
He turned to look at her and an expression that was mixture of shock, surprise, and awe swept over his face. "Are you… Solara?!"
Sol's left eyebrow rose over an annoyed expression. "No shit. Where's your head at, kendama?"
"Ah… of course." What was that sensation just now…? It felt… strange. Babbo was very lost.
"Now, Diana of Caldia destroyed the peace of MAR Heaven. We must take responsibility for this. We shall aid you." The Elder motioned to a male witch in the doorway.
"Ahhh… you…!" the witch pointed at Alan, "and you… and you… and you… and you…" he then pointed at Jack, Alviss, Nanashi, and Snow, "each shall receive a new ARM. Follow me please." He led the five out of the room.
Dorothy looked at Sol and found her frowning thoughtfully at Babbo. "Is something wrong, Sunny?"
"It's just… If the evil is no longer in Babbo… where did it go? And who's in there now?" Alan locked Babbo away… so Babbo didn't fight him? Had he passed out? Why? How'd Alan even get Babbo? Did the Chess Pieces just leave him on the field with - ?! Sol blanched as she made an unpleasant connection.
Before Dorothy or Babbo could ask what was wrong, the sound of a huge blast split the air.
"The hell was that?!" Sol, Dorothy, and Babbo raced back down the hall to the palace entrance. Explosions were being set off all over the island beneath them.
"Caldia is being attacked! Diana now attacks even her own birthplace…" Dorothy's voice shook with horror and rage. "This… is… unforgivable! Let's go, Solara!"
"You got it, Dorothy."
The roar of the fire was close to deafening. The entire village was alight. The young boy whose grandfather had called Sol a catastropher, was standing alone among the flames. His face was blank with shock. "Mama. Papa." His voice was fragile, with no force behind it. A splintering groan caused him to look at a flaming beam toppling towards him.
CRASH!
The boy was shivering in Sol's grip. Having raced to snatch him out of the path of the collapsing column, Sol passed him to Dorothy. "He might get a bruise. I wasn't gentle when I grabbed him."
"It's fine. He's alive." Her voice was thick with tears. She hugged the boy. "I'm so sorry… All because of my sister…"
A witch stumbled out of the smoke, coughing. "D-dorothy! The enemy called themselves 'Chess'! W-we tried to counterattack with magic, but – there were too many of them!"
"Where are they now?!" Dorothy demanded.
"Most likely the west tower… and the east tower…"
Dorothy snarled. "I knew it! They're after the ARMs! Let's split up and get there before them! Sunny, I'm teleporting you to the west tower!"
"Got it."
"Hey. Look! Heh… it's Solara." Numerous Rooks paused as they approached the west tower, finding Solara and Babbo waiting in front of it.
"The kid who beat Garon and Girom!" "We might not be able to defeat her…" "Not if we take her one on one!" "Get her!" 50 Rooks charged at her.
Sol lifted Bubble Launcher as her pupils retracted to pinpricks. "Careful what you ask for. You just might get it." The Rooks screamed as the explosive bubbles tore through their ranks.
