The last origins chapter

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR SPIRIT OF JUSTICE AHEAD.

This is part of a headcanon I've had about a particular character. Decided to make it a bit more elaborate. Also, this chapter may contain spoilers for Ace Attorney 6: Spirit of Justice. No crucial plot spoilers but character intro spoiler for one of SOJ's cases. Just a heads up.


Location: Far West of Asia

Date: August 1st, 2015 Time: 8:30 a.m.


Cecilia could only stare out of the jumbo plane window filled with excitement. New discoveries, mysteries and wonders that the world will soon know awaited for her to unravel. The airplane ride, though strenuous with nearly more than half a day sitting on the seats, of about sixteen hours if she was correct, her eagerness completely overpowered the need for sleep and rest for this beautiful place shrouded in mysticism and spiritual imbuement. Well she did get about a good six hours in due to her friend's constant insistence. The green terrains, misty mountains completely covered in vegetation and wildlife as far the eye can see, there awaited a place where not even the native people themselves who inhabit this beautiful environment knew.

The rookie archaeologist turned to her friend across from her. Her friend certainly had an interesting way of sleeping. She had grace when awake but definitely not when she was dormant. The seat of her friend's chair was all the way back to the furthest it could manually reach; however, despite the spacious spot she had, she somehow managed to contort her body in a way where she took some part of the other seat next to her, snoring softly. The poor fellow next to her was suffering all the brunt force when her friend was asleep. Either her hand smacked him or her leg somehow bent upward on his lap. At first, the onslaught was accepted, willing to let the luscious woman ignorantly berate their bunk buddy until sleep crept unto the back of his eyelids. The only few winks she could recall this person gaining was when her friend had gotten cold and huddled in a fetal position. Still, her friend's face was pressing against the guy's shoulder. Despite the numerous times he attempted to push her off, he paid for it in the worst circumstances to the next. He succumbed eventually to her antics and exhausted mind. Her face practically obscured entirely by the sleeping ware of her eye mask, the earphones in her ears, neck rest pillow, and the mask over her snout that Cecilia had seen her wear over many years of being a nurse. Recent events made her know better, for now she can wear that surgical mask as a doctor. Cecilia was very proud, of herself, her friend, and her fiance. They graduated, debt free, and straight to work: the epitome of any graduates dream. Right now, her fiance was back in California getting acquainted with her familiar neurologist and neurosurgeon, Dr. Ranvier, and new partner to work along Ritza, Dr. Toss. She giggled, reminiscing of the worried visage her fiance displayed to Ritza before leaving off to this journey.

'You're going to watch her right?!' His face stricken, showing not even an ounce of restraint.

'Yes, Tacitus.' Her stare professional, yet affectionate. 'My promise to you, I swear I will be there for her whether you are present or not.'

'Okay… I'm sorry, Ritza. I trust you, it's just… I worry for her all the time.' His fingers fastened around her arms desperately, but not tight.

'How many years has it been?' Her voice soft, but assuring.

'Seven. Almost eight now.' He answered calmly.

'Now it may not seem that long. But I will NEVER break my promise.' He let go. Peering up, he can see har arms wide, basking the air. He finished, answering with a hug, acknowledging that she will follow through.

She giggled again. 'He's such a softy…' But that was not a bad thing to her, but a wonderful thing. With how far they are, especially into the mountains, calls may be a little difficult to go through. 'It's too bad he couldn't come… for being a newbie! Ritza, on the other hand, has experience or I'd be alone!'

An emitted sound, resembling something of a doorbell, stirred her from her thoughts. "This is your captain speaking, we will be arriving shortly to your destination, thank you for choosing our airline."

She stared back at her friend, who somehow contorted into another position of sleeping that was questionable in comfort without her noticing. The passenger besides her was ecstatic! She had to wake her up soon.

"Ritza," Cecilia called.

She saw her friend twitch slightly, her breath hitched, but it went back to a calm rhythm. Cecilia shook her head, eyeing the man suffering man next to her.

"Would you like to switch?" She offered meekly, her finger fiddling.

"You should've said so earlier!" He argued, but digressed by removing himself and releasing his belt. The doctor flopped from his movement. She removed the belt from her waist and sat next to the seat, which she could barely fit in because of her greedy spacious friend occupying most of it.

"Ritza?" She raised the eye mask above her friend's forehead and lowered the mask to her chin. She tugged the earbuds off and saw her friend, her lips partly opened and her eyes rapidly moving under her eyelids. She guessed she must've been dreaming. One time she could recall one of her stays at one of the hospitals in L.A. where Ritza told her about the different stages of sleep. REM stood for rapid eye movement and in this stage is where dreaming occurs, normally at least.

'Well, I hope it's not a fantasy one.' She thought. "Ritza, c'mon! You gotta get up, the flight is about to land."

Her friend grumbled lightly, words skidding through partially opened lips, "I told you… I didn't want the damn apple. Get it away…"

"What?" Cecilia laughed. 'Yeah… It's definitely time to get up.'

"Okay, I won't give you the apple if you get up!" She shook her friend's shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open. The brown eyes opened wide, the pupil visibly constricted from the exposed flooding light before scrunching back closed and into a well extended stretch of her limbs. The tension came out in a heavy pent up fatigued sigh of relief, "Are we there yet?"

"Pilot says we got about a good fifteen minutes, so I thought I'd wake you up before you get that sleep apnea thing you said." Cecilia finally sat comfortably in the vacant seat.

Ritza stared at her with waking eyes. "It's sleep inertia," she corrected, rubbing her forehead, "But I got it. Thank you."

"No problem." She smiled. "So what were you dreaming about?"

"I forgot most of it, but…" She paused groggily. "Someone was trying to give me an a apple. I couldn't really see their face, but they were insistent." She shivered. "I was hungry as a caterpillar, but I still wouldn't eat it."

"It's okay." She patted her shoulder mockingly but playfully, "it was just a dream."

The doctor finally managed to shuffle comfortably in her seat as she began putting away her articles in her carryon, "Who was this guide you were talking about?"

"Oh…!" The archaeologist gasped. "She's a very smart woman. She's been in this country for years. I'm sorry…" She cleared her throat, "kingdom!"

"The Kingdom of Kurain?" The sleep on her face finally abolished when she zipped her carryon, "Let me guess. This is the origin, the birthplace of the Kurain Channeling technique." Ritza raised her hand in extra emphasis, "and the established one back home is but a sort of colony, like a branch?"

"You beat me to it!" She snapped. "This is the motherland! But after our small tour of this wondrous place, we're going to head out of its perimeters to a place where the people never go."

"And this is where your story begins, 'Cilia…" Ritza shot her friend a wide grin.

Cecilia had a hard time containing herself, her shaking fists clenched while her lower lip was clamped between her teeth, "YEAH!"

"You should've heard how insistent this guide was." Cecilia's eyes beaming, "she beat the Ur'ghaid family! The family that normally gives the tour around the place for generations before they become monks."

"That's interesting." Ritza thought out loud. 'Ur'ghaid? Your guide…'

"She came a long time ago to this country. She's been in and out but she is very well acquainted with the branch family and kingdom. So, I trust her." She swayed in her seat. "She's an author. She writes books, mostly for children, but she is an extremely powerful advocate."

"Her ethos are well intact then." Her hands calmly over her crossed legs and on her knee. "My curiosity is aroused."

"I heard this land contains a queen." Ritza roused once more.

"You're right. I wonder how we should address the Great Queen." Cec' tapped her chin. "Hail to thee, oh Magnificent magical one ! Or wassup mystic baby ? !"

"Perhaps like they do to the Queen of England sounds more appropriate…" Ritza placated.

The archaeologist's overwhelming demeanor caused her to scrunch her nose against the plane window, large mountains scattered throughout the land.

"What do you see?" Ritza calmly asked.

"Mystery!" Her friend impulsively confirmed. "And lots of mountains."

"You know, 'Cilia…." Ritza started in pace, "Mountains aren't just funny… They're hill areas."

The archaeologist broke contact with the window, her neck craning over inch by inch, until it landed a dirty look on her friend. The buzzer of the 'Help' button bleeped as Cecilia pressed it insistently without breaking eye contact of the doctor in front of her. Ritza stilled, wondering why her friend was about to call over the Stewardess. She did not stop until the woman made it to her destination.

"Yes ma'am?" A woman in a white outfit, with blue stripes across the short sleeves, pink buttons down the front of her torso, a blue scarf over her neck and a hat atop her black fringed bangs completing the outfit. "What can I help you with?"

"May you get me an apple?" Cecilia evilly grinned, feeling the fearful aftershocks from her friend.

The plane parked itself after a few minutes. The passengers took their sweet time removing their carryons and out of the side door into the airport.

"Jet lag is a curse." Ritza peeved, still feeling the wobble. 'Or maybe I'm still waking up?'

"I feel you, Ritzalin." She scanned the place, her hand over her squinted eyes, "There's the luggage pickup. I need to get my things going."

The airport was filled, but not tightly cumbersome as she expected. Ritza would have thought it would've been much more crammed with people, especially now, with traveling season still high. She's been around certain parts of Europe before, yet, she can conclude that this place, being far more in the mountainous and secluded terrain could be a reason. Hypnotic rotations of the conveyor belt managed to shrivel the wobbly feeling in Ritza's feet and in her head to a simple buzz. As their targets approached, luggages gathered, they made their way to the immigration checkpoint.

Cecilia winced when she saw her old photo in her passport, "Once I get this renewed, I'll finally be rid of this old face!"

"Don't we all regret earlier photos?" Ritza commented, continuing to write on the documents.

"But this one is so cringey!" She retorted, "I may look younger, but I look sicker!"

"Don't fret on it too much." Ritza said as she signed forms to pass legally into the country. Her finger slid the paper back to the office at the counter before clearing them both through. Exiting through the glass doors, unveiled the cool natural lands. Many people wore kimonos or yukatas by the looks of it. Ritza inwardly felt out of place. She sported a professional attire of a white dress shirt behind a black vest, mingling along her high waist flared dress slacks, sitting on her hips, that resembled close to bell bottoms, hiding the black ankle boots. Her attire was more as if she were about to conduct business than an expedition.

"She should be somewhere around here." Cecilia scanned, palms shading eyebrows.

Ritza wasn't exactly sure who their guide looked like, so Cecilia was her eyes and ears.

"There she is!" She called pompously. Their gaze turned to a woman coming from the crowd. It was amazing how the crowd shrouded her yet almost separated equally on both sides, like a divided sea. The woman's black robe skated across her feet as she walked. The white stripes traced along the edges of her sleeves and opening, revealing the dark pink, shading to maroon kimono she wore behind the curtain of black. Around her neck was a white bulbous necklace, her hair pinned up and braided in a giant bun, that had two drapes of dark brown, almost black hair in front of her white earrings, crawling down her face. She held a book in one hand, fastened securely to her side. Opposite, a cane with a giant amethyst ball on the inside of the curved top as a crescent moon, held high but meekly like a chief. There was an odd but warm vibe about her presence, mystic-like. As she approached the two, she gave a warm motherly smile on those red lips. Ritza could see the woman clearly now, two inches below her, but four inches above Cecilia. Her giant pinned hair managed to reach past Ritza's height.

"May you two be the visitors who come to this land of the Kurain Kingdom?" Her voice calm.

"Yes! Are you, Ms. Elise Deauxnim?" Ritza could see the passion in her friend's eyes and the shaking vibe in her voice.

"That, I am." She blinked. "Ms. Grace, I believe?"

"Yeah!" Cecilia voice almost turned into a squeak. Ritza secretly laughed, 'Looks like Ms. Deauxnim already has a fan.'

"Are you ready to be exposed to the great land of the Kurain Channeling technique, an art that transcends both the world of the living and the dead?" Ms. Deauxnim said vibrantly despite how calm the words were.

"Yes! Yes!" The archaeologist managed to get some nearby attention.

Ritza placed her hand softly on her shoulder, "We don't want to make a scene."

"Ms. Deauxnim, this is my all-time best friend/sister, Ritza Clematis. We've known each other for years, but what matters the most is the mileage!" She threw her hands towards Ritza, like a grand show, "She's a doctor!"

"She's not talking about flight miles either." The doctor stated afterwards, reaching for the guide's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Clematis." The woman shook her hand as she caught her grip. Even though she heard it recently before, hearing 'doctor' after her name made her inwardly shiver in delight. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Deauxnim."

As the author and doctor released each other's hand, Ms. Deauxnim reclaimed her grip on her staff, "I am more than sure you two require some much needed rest from your long travel here. Your research team has already began digging into the site where this untold mystery is."

The archaeologist exhaled, "That's good. I was hoping they'd be rid of most of the occupying vegetation."

"And safely remove any animals to a more suitable home…" Ritza finished. "Preservation is very important if we are going to interrupt the ecosystem even a pinch."

"I see…" Ms. Deauxnim blinked slowly, in appreciation. "Please, come! The Kingdom is called a kingdom for a reason. There is much to see before the day ends, but first, we must escort you to where you will be staying. The luggage looks quite heavy. "

The robed woman led them two to a brown worn tented carriage, harnessed to oxen. The driver patiently awaiting for their designated request. As the two females handed their luggage to the local driver, lifting the heavy bags with ease onto the the carriage before offering them a hand onto the tall cart. Ms. Deauxnim followed as so, seating herself next to the doctor.

"Where to?" The driver holsted himself, gripping the rope that held the oxen in place.

"We are heading to the kingdom, of course. Our guests need a place of hospitality." The author instructed.

Tugging the rope, the oxen took the signal, hooves clocked forward as they marched the enormous kingdom that awaited them. The towns weren't exactly those the two visitors had ventured from. The closest forms of reinforcement for the houses were of stone. The towns were very traditional and cultural with their setup. Clay tiled roofs, wooden like stables, gravel and tiled fixed roads. All centering around very oriental structured buildings and homes. Cecilia was from Los Angeles and schooled in the United Kingdom for some time. Her friend, Ritza, shared the same time of schooling in the United Kingdom but lived in Los Angeles. Before that, Ritza actually hailed from New York. Neo Olde Yorkyo, Cecilia constantly joked. She worried that her high life friend might not find this new acclimated environment unsuitable for her friend from the city. Though, numerous times, she was always surprised by what Ritza could do.

An organism must adapt to their environment to survive. That includes us. The archaeologist reminisced about adaptation segments in certain science classes Ritza tutored her whenever she needed the assistance. Well aware that her friend may not like it, but she was willing.

"The temple of Kurain is very different from the towns." Ms. Deauxnim commented. "It is much more refined and grand in comparison. You must see for yourself. First I will show you where you will be staying. I rest in the same place. It is located near the inner town, closest to the temple."

The town near the temple contained many locals working. Shops and vending, purchasing and selling food, clothing, utensils, wool, tools, jewels especially and house furnishings, that of scrolls and paintings. Their guide did not lie. Though sharing similar vibrance as the rest of the surrounding town, the inside was very deceiving. The stay in was closer to a cottage but the hospitable hospitality was not spared. A wooden clean floor, sliding door dividers, embracing the traditional oriental style. The fireplace nearby kept the center area warm, each of the guests having their blankets and pillows on the wooden shiny surface. Well kept to the point Ritza questioned if this were home to a high ranking official by certain questionable decorations and trinkets. It was a 6.8 out of ten on the weirdness scale, but it was their culture, she did not judge. Years working in hospitals tend to dull down the possibility of surprise.

"You may leave your belongings and get acquainted with your stay. If there is anything you desire, just let me know." Ms. Deauxnim calmly announced over the rolling wheels of luggage.

"You don't mind at all that we stay at your place?" Cecilia impulsively blurted.

"Not at all." She replied. "I will even be passing you spare keys to this cottage."

Veils of black skated whimsically over wooden flooring, passing the two visitors tiny keys in the shape of a green nine.

"I love tiny things," Ritza couldn't help but laugh. "This is a key?"

"Sic Parva Magna!" Cec' commented.

"Locks here aren't like the ones back where you are from," interested to see the doctor more pleased than the archaeologist. "If you truly are to be here, then it would come almost naturally to know where the 'key' goes."

'I guess we'll know when the time comes…'

The author and doctor made themselves welcome to a more outdoor lot where people may converse and eat as Cecilia made herself much more acquainted to the townsfolk. Purchasing and inspecting the vendors dry of a few pieces of their wares. It only took her a few moments to view her friend from the small japanese style outdoor open concept lounge where many people relaxed on wooden benches decorated in red and green.

"I won't lie, Ms. Deauxnim," Ritza confessed. "This place is not exactly my niche."

"What do you mean, Dr. Clematis?" The author questioned.

"The people have a lifestyle that is very different from mine in the city. As you can tell, I almost live in a lab." Ritza explained, her hands bracing herself.

The woman laughed, "I understand you perfectly now. I too, myself, was spoiled by what the city has to offer, but I do return to the country. It's an appreciation for both ways of living: either buying your food in a store or growing it yourself."

"What made you so interested in the Kurain lifestyle?" Ritza began to study before sipping her earthy tea made by the locals.

Ritza could humor that the woman was caught off guard by the question, but her answer immediately came after, "One reason could be my childhood. I grew up in a village similar to this lifestyle. It reminds me of how home used to be…" She trailed off looking in the distance of the townsfolk, "how family is… and how they are…"

Her studious skills weren't new. Being a nurse for so long creates a sort of pseudo investigator part on what's wrong with people, but she can tell how tense the woman was. She contemplated to dig deeper or let it go, but she was heavily concerned. "Is there another reason?"

Elise returned her attention to the doctor, happily, "it also gives me inspiration for my books."

"Cecilia told me about you being an author." Ritza stated, not questioned. "You write specifically children's books."

"Yes. I love children." She sighed affectionately, but the melancholy could be sensed.

"The little ones are precious…" Ritza grinned. 'She probably misses someone, a child perhaps, but she said children… So perhaps it is more than one? I'm going to go out on a stretch, but these books are probably a sort of outlet, but I can't assume unless I read one. Write what you know!'

"The book you have..." Ms. Deauxnim's reaction was instant, "If you do not mind, may I give it a skim?"

"Why not? No harm ever came from reading a book." She smiled before sliding the book delicately to the doctor's direction. Ritza gave it a peer before putting on her glasses. Her bibliosmia self allowed the scent to draft over her nose. Most of the pages were filled with drawings, appearing as if drawn on the page itself instead of a printed copy. 'This was definitely made by her…'

She kept reading. It was about two girls, one was older than the other, both very beautiful though. The younger one had black hair and barely made it to the older one's shoulder. The oldest had brown flowing hair and was distinguishably more mature. She can guess that she was about a good decade older by the way they held each other's hand. Skimming more ahead, it became apparent that the two were alone in a village similar to the Kurain's Japanese style. They grew up together with an abusive family member, seemed to be an older relative, like an aunt or maybe a mother-in-law. She guessed right when the evil woman would punish them over the smallest things hatefully, but the two siblings always got over it, with the older sister always cheering up the younger one. It became more painful to read as Ritza continued. The little girl would constantly question if she was ever loved by her parents, but the sister would find her contradictions in each insinuation the younger one would make. Even the handwriting of the pages became discreetly different from the previous happier scenes. It was a simple book with a few words and pictures on each page, but Ritza could feel the emotion that seeped from the pictures into her chest. The doctor shook as her eyes touched the next page: it was blank.

Ritza closed her eyes, which she had just realized she hadn't blinked since the first several pages. The process of removing her glasses was painfully slow as her eyes refocused on the woman, "It's not finished… Now I am dying to know what happens next. It's so simple, yet… So powerful…"

"It's how much you put into it, doctor." She smiled. "I can sell you a copy if I finish."

Ritza smirked, "now you sound like the Ur'ghaids…"

"Here are your cakes, ma'am," a man in a robe came by and settled a plate down filled with green shaped cakes.

'I'm starving!' She shrieked inside her brain, silently praising the man. "Thank you." Ritza passed him a twenty.

"What is this?" He eyed her oddly.

"Tip. You never heard of it?" She glanced at him reassuringly with a nod, "keep it."

"T-thank you!" He took the bill, bowed and scurried off.

Elise barely had enough time to register, before the doctor in front of her ate. 'That was very nice…'

"These are so good!" She swallowed. "I know these were made by the Ur'ghaids. I also know they need the currency."

She continued to finish the cake that didn't stand a chance at survival. Ms. Deauxnim remained quiet, she hated to admit it, but she felt exposed, yet still concealed.

"Hey! Listen! Hey!"

The squeak surprised the two women. They saw a butterfly, small and blue, shimmering brightly in the light. It floated there, momentarily suspended. Deauxnim and Clematis stilled, wide eyed as the creature fluttered in their presence.

"Ms. Deauxnim…" She muttered impulsively through muffled sweets. "I didn't know a medium is capable of channeling animal spirits!"

"Nor did I!" She added flabbergasted.

Further inspection revealed the fingers interlaced between the glassy wings. Another set of fingers grasped the edge of the table, lifting the rest of its body. Ms. Grace presented herself before occupying the space next to Ritza.

"I just bought it." The archaeologist handed the ornament in Ritza's hand, "I thought you'd like it."

'This thing is so beautiful and amazing! Look at it! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm so undeserving, I love it! I'll call it Nobby…! No! Absolem...! I'll think about it later! ...I feel like dung! I didn't get her anything!'

"Thank you. It's really nice." Ritza welcomed the ornament in her fingers diligently. "It's very pretty."

"I also got us chains, to carry around these keys for fashionable and efficient purposes!" The glinted gold swung in her grip. Clematis held out her hand, allowing the gold links to fold and collapse against each other collectively in her palm as the metal tickled her skin.

'...Why do you do this to me, Cilia!? They're so nice! I'm never taking it off!'

"Thank you." She said before unclipping the golden metal clasp of the chain. She slipped one end of the chain through the eye of the green gem before lapping it over her neck with a quick snap. "Now it's much more stylish to carry."

Cec puckered her lips happily before throwing up a thumb in affirmation. "I figured you'd like it," she commented grandly. Glancing towards the author, she spoke, "I got something for you too, Ms. Deauxnim."

"No, you shouldn't have." She wavered in response.

"I insist!"

"It's fine." She reluctantly tried once more. "Really."

"Are you suuuure…?" She slurred deviously before lifting up and crafted and knitted strings with a papery lace. "It's supposed to be a bookmark, but, it's mostly used for scrolls. I hope you can use it for your books too.

Ms. Deauxnim's pause lingering over the place marker for a certain time before surrendering, slipping the bookmark between the near end pages that Ritza had previously roved over. The papery lace drooping over the spine before clenching tightly against herself.

Cecilia came back with a few things she had bought from local gift shops. The time for waiting was over to continue the journey of the amazing country. The only task now that halted everything was the doctor to finish her food. Cec' wanted Ritz to hurry it along by tempting her, jittery.

"Patience is a virtue." Ms. Deauxnim commented. "There is plenty of time."

Cecilia actually stilled with a grumble, watching over Ritza's nearly finished green nine cake. Her fingers crawled over to the plate, well aware that the doctor faced the other way as she chewed. The muted snicker clogged in her throat as soon as she made contact with the china plate. Her hand recoiled with a tiny sting as a smack hit the top of her hand.

"Mine," Ritza muffled in her cheeks, still facing the other way.

'...! Damn sixth sense! Her food senses were tingling!'

Finishing her tea and returning the Ur'ghaid's their china, they set off to finish the venture. The tour to the kingdom was no less than amazing. Numerous chants and songs, dances and spirituality in the grander temples. One song even managed to get stuck in her head. Deauxnim recommended familiarizing the two women well enough with the town and its culture before actually taking them to their excavation point the day after. Feeling the need to adorn a new look, the doctor had bought herself a yukata as sleeping ware and a kimono with a dragon along the body as a souvenir before turning in for the night. The issue of it all was the lock affixed to the door of the cottage.

"Here is your first test…" The author stated, "you must figure out how to get inside by opening the lock."

Ritza denoted this behavior oddly. She was not the archaeologist. She was the doctor. Though not internally complaining, it just seemed she was testing the wrong person, but was willing nonetheless.

"Doesn't this remind you of something?!" Cecilia poked at her friend giddily.

"Let me guess… a puzzle?" Ritza held the tiny green key in her hand before removing it from its holding. Inspecting it she stated, "though no ordinary key, there's some way to unlock this using this little green jewel."

'Looks like I'm going to have to twist my thinking…' She hummed. Observing the key, then observing the red lock. Inspecting behind it revealed nothing, however, it felt as if this red obstacle was missing something.

"It's supposed to be a lock…" She mumbled out loud.

"It is." Ms. Deauxnim answered softly.

"And this is the key," she twiddled the jewel in her hand elegantly.

"Yep." Cec' responded.

'Yet there is no keyhole… unless…!' Ritza quickly bent downward and pressed the nine right into the middle of the empty space, a tiny click confirming something had attached to it.

"Very good…" Ms. Deauxnim added. "Now, this part is on me."

The author made her way towards the lock, moving the jewel by the tail and turning it, emitting several internal clicks. "There is a certain way to unlock these, but only the person who placed them on can do that. A combination of sorts. I can show you a small trick to bypassing such."

"Nice! On the first try. I'm not surprised." Cec' patted her friend's back. "You made a way!"

'I'm surprised!' Ritz thought. "Thank you."

Night sprawled itself in the sky. The kingdom dependent on primitive technique paved away the illusion of a murky purple city sky. Despite the pitch blackness of a kingdom of no contemporary technologies, it allowed the authentic colors of the sky to be revealed. Twinkles and glints peppered the sky with the sole emitter of luminescence was the full moon. It was enormous, from such high elevations of the mountains. Though warm for the day, the cool of night spared no one without the rays of warmth it had advantageously absorbed.

Though she loved her wardrobe, the preference of loosely fitting in baggy clothing was preferable when not working. That yukata was perfect. Most of them exchanged on retreating to change their wardrobe into more comfortable attire or sleeping wear.

"So…" The doctor came from behind the sliding dividers, fixing her hazel hair softly by pushing it over her shoulders, falling softly against the brand new monochromatic black and white yukata. The white robe like attire practically hiding every curve, but her black sashed obi cut through the thickness of it all and gave her a defined hourglass shape. Her hands at her hips as the large quilted sleeves slung down. "How does it look?"

Her friend examined twice up and down before puckering her lips and nodding her head, "I am the perfect judge. And yes! You're a tiger!" She clawed the air, "RAAAR!"

"I figured more of a dove or an albino bat, but I'll take your word for it." She shrugged before lifting the mat that would resort as a sort of bedding. Rolling it over the shiny wooden smooth flooring like a yoga mat, it rolled over like a tongue. Blanketed with the navy blue, she decided to lie over it after brushing her teeth.

"You two should gain some rest before you venture to your destination tomorrow." Their guide announced over the writing desk. "The caravans would be a two hour long ride to your destination. We should leave by the break of dawn."

"By time we come back it would be dusk the first night." The archaeologist wrote down before yawning into her hand. "Getting some good shut eye is great too."

Rolling over her suitcase, Cecilia organized several articles of clothing that would make the exploration efficient and safe. The men at work over the excavation site have all the necessary equipment. Her large brown carrier belt, beige cargos, comfy boots and her buttoned up cargo shirt with the hat tied at the lapels, connected by the strings for tightening over.

"Maybe in several years time I'll be a professor of archaeology, expert on the occult, and what the hell, collector of rare antiquities!" Her voice boomed through the cottage. She gasped heavily, "You think I'll be on National Treasure for this?!"

"It is time you ask yourself; what do you believe in…?" Ms. Deauxnim looked over her veiled shoulder. "You actually believe that the mediums of this sacred kingdom are capable of bringing a spirit from its rest on their own accord?"

"I do believe. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought they spoke for the spirit instead of actually channeling the spirit!" The archaeologist stoked.

"The media tends to put a rather difficult misunderstanding of mediums. The one's who appear on talk shows tend to be scam artists; however, the real ones only present themselves in privacy. It is in respect for the spirit and the one who wishes for the spirit to be channeled."

"Like that medium lady from Neo Olde Yorkyo?" She quipped. "No way. I was hoping to see the real deal here and I was surprised! What do you think Ritza?"

She asked over her shoulder, cross legged from the either side of her friend who just seemed about finished tending to her pearly whites. With a final rinse, she turned, "Nothing surprises me. I'm a scientist. But I can be hella interested!"

She wiped down before seating herself comfortably towards her friend, mimicking her friend's position on her sleeping mat.

"I figured a person of your profession might have found this concept of channeling spirits to be outside of your domain." The author bluntly stated.

"Now who said I was a non-believer? I have my beliefs, but that does not mean I cannot study the world of science nor the other way around! For some reason not popular, but bridging the two together creates some interesting perspectives… As a scientist, we are supposed to be skeptical, to constantly question, but…" She paused, "we must respect the beliefs of others. Though, I cannot completely deny the existence of such capabilities being beyond the realm of possibility, for I have seen it myself."

"I did not mean to offend you." Ms. Deauxnim covered her part.

"None taken." The interest of the doctor's voice could be easily sensed, "We're searching for fact. Truths is for philosophy. This has now become a fact. Cecilia has informed me that only those of the same bloodline can channel spirits, meaning that this can be a genetically passed on trait. It can skip a generation, it could follow through entirely, dominant or recessive, but that would require work to find evidence. There seems to be different ways of channeling spirits. Either from perceiving the moments prior to death from the Divinations earlier from today or the branch family back in the States capable of transforming their own bodies to reflect that of the spirit..!"

Her lengthy wide eyed pause did not go unnoticed. There was an odd halt, a flicker, her jaw slightly unhinged.

"Ritz…?" Cecilia scooped over on hands and knees to her friend stuck in stupor. She was frozen. "I think we broke her…"

"Dr. Clematis?" The author scrunched her eyebrows in concern. She was as still as a thinker statue, unmoving.

"Are you breathing?!" Cecilia shook her friend. Her chest almost caved in on itself when her friend finally blinked. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry…" She slurred. "I blanked out for a moment."

"Jet lag is a curse!" the archaeologist yelled. "What am I going to do if I come back with you like that?! What would Dr. Ranvier say?!"

"He'd probably grumble about getting another partner and have to go back to Dr. Toss." She answered a little higher.

"Would you like some tea? Water?" The author advised.

"It's alright." She waved, rubbing her temples, "I think I'm just tired, but that was definitely an interesting subject… The Divinations are integrated in the court systems here… Things are definitely different back in New York."

"And in the States in general." Her friend picked up.

"I've researched something that happen so many years ago." Ritza spoke. "I was never into politics until I came back to the States. You learn things… I conversed with some people higher up, including Dr. Ranvier." She sighed in disbelief. "I didn't think I would be working with him again so soon…"

"Me either!" Grace rolled over onto her mat, feet kicking in the air, "Well… Being his patient again actually. It's a sign! So go ahead."

"Gregg got this idea from an informant. This man is rich. He's a jeweler. Gregg and his brother are close customers and businessmen to this person. The jeweler was interested into some politics, specifically that of the Feys."

"Oh, yeah!" Cecilia stretched, "I've heard of something like that!"

"You have?" The doctor perked curiously.

"Yeah. Many years before you moved to L.A., when you came from Neo Olde Yorkyo." She replied with a sly, "there was some huge scandal surrounding them. Something about the police and lacking evidence so they used a spirit channeler, but they believed that the Master was a fraud, causing the wrong person to be convicted."

Ritza hummed, "It's saddening really. I can see why Tacitus dislikes the authorities sometimes."

"… yeah." Cec's head leaned to the side sadly.

"This is the first time I am hearing this." The doctor added riveted. "If the Master helped assist the authorities to solve a crime, she channeled the spirit. The spirit can technically tell their accounts of the story. That would seem very useful of whom the killer was."

"Cases would end rather quickly. Just point out who killed you right there in the courtroom." Her voiced raised, "They should have spirit channelers present in all the proceedings then like here."

"I don't think they should…" Clematis interjected.

"Why?" Her friend gathered quickly on hands and knees. "It seems like it would work."

"If so…" The doctor got comfortable, laying on her side as her palm held her head up. "Then what happened with the Master wouldn't have happened at all. Being dead does not constitute of being right on your side. What if the spirit didn't see the killer? What if it was actually someone else, but they saw something different?

"Like if they were blindfolded or something?" 'Cilia asked confusedly.

"They don't have to be necessarily blindfolded, but blindsided." She ushered. "There are chances. Perceptions can be deceived and deceiving. However, there is something very wrong, if what you tell me about this scandal is true."

"Like what?"

"You said the Master channeled the spirit and that led to the false conviction of another, consequently she was considered the fraud…" Her tone became husky. "They used the Master as a scapegoat if you think about it…"

Cecilia's face scrunched in several different ways as if her friend spoke jabberwocky. "How did you come up with that?!"

"Her channeling was used, if you can in some degrees, as a testimony. And as any other testimony, you have to back up that claim with evidence and as such. Looks like the court got lazy." Her eyes squinted.

"I guess it was the words of a powerful medium." Her friend added. "They didn't want to question it and believed what she said was absolute."

"It's not the Master who is communicating, 'Cilia… it's the spirit." She noted. "The responsibility of the false conviction should also fall onto the lawyers and court as well.

"…That is a very shady acquittal if you put it that way…" Her jaw fell. "You're right!"

"I'm speculating, as soon as the lawyers realized this, to prevent getting into trouble with media, they shucked off involvement quickly by placing blame on the Master." Her friend laid completely down before crossing her arms. "It's an easy way out of a mess."

"That's dark… I didn't think about it that way," The woman pondered heavily, gobsmacked, " Spin Doctor right here."

"…"

"What do you think, Ms. Deauxnim?" Cecilia asked sheepishly before holding her cheek.

"...I…," her breath hitched. "Well... You communicate so well, Dr. Clematis."

"I've been a nurse for many years before becoming a full fledged doctor." Her head turned to the author. "Communication and seeing perspectives of others is something I learned and grew accustomed of. When people are ill, weakened, emotionally vulnerable or ...on medications…" She hesitantly waved, "they tend to open up a bit more than normal. They seek comfort, and I won't deny them of it. A simple smile can warm up someone's day. You've got great people out there and not so great, but you get to experience it all. Flash a grin, even in the grimmest of times. Don't mistake all nurses for doing it though!" She pointed her finger as if teaching a lesson.

"Then you got me!" The archeologist rolled over causing her to bump right to her friend, grinning.

"Then I got you."

"Lawyer's aren't exactly too welcome to this land either." Ms. Deauxnim boasted.

"Why's that?" 'Cilia rolled over once more to the author.

"I have a sort of distaste for lawyers." Her addition not kindly put.

"You sound like my fiancé." Cecilia pouted playfully.

"You are engaged?!" Deauxnim grew wide eyed.

"Yep!" Cecilia stood up before bracing her hand behind her, as if she was about to bring out a katana from its holster. "Engaged in combat!"

Deauxnim's brows whirled in a unamused but worried stance. The rookie archaeologist's torso went slack when coming to the realization of her wackiness did not gain a laugh. "It's a promise ring, actually. But that just means it's the first step!"

Embracing her fingers and examining the ring adorning her left hand. It was a small silver band, thin on her finger, but what it compensated over the size was the shimmering of the gem in the middle. Swiveled and swirled like waves that cycloned the precious ore, creating an illusion of popping out.

"Wonderful!" The author complimented after thoroughly examining it, "what a rock."

"Jeez, Ms. Deauxnim…" She deadpanned. "It's a mineral. "

The ring was beautiful no less. Tacitus had told her he had put away money every single week just to accumulate enough during his time in university. She felt mighty fine and privileged when he told her the secret. It surely was bumpy in the beginning, but they made it. Now all it was to do now was to finish this exploration and start working again. Even if it was under her degenerate employer, working with patient's again made her happy. Dr. Ranvier's constant insistence of gaining a lawyer was crucial, especially for those of high profession like hers.

"I'm still trying to determine a lawyer for myself…" Ritza thought out loud to Elise's comment. "I need one. As a doctor, I am obligated in case of sudden circumstances."

"Finding a trustworthy one?" The author replied, "nearly impossible."

The doctor's brow scrunched together concerned, "There's bound to be one somewhere. I just need to search for the right one."

"You do, Ritz!" Cilia exclaimed over her shoulder. "I would have thought you'd be hitched before I was."

The doctor grimaced, "I'm searching for the right attorney... Not the right one, yet…"

"I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, but I am proud of what I am." Elise soothly spoke. "I... am a librarian... for certain scrolls and literature at the temple. Laws here are familiar to me. Attorneys aren't exactly welcome to the kingdom. Defense attorneys so to speak."

The author turned, making herself comfortable, "A law was passed over a decade earlier, consequences of a client will be the same for the defending attorney if they failed to defend their client."

"No way!" Grace's jaw dropped.

"…That's quite extreme. If the client is sentenced, so is the lawyer?!" Though her face remained fixated, her voice gained opacity. "It appears everyone is having legal troubles as of late since we returned… or maybe I'm overgeneralizing."

"The incident Ms. Grace has mentioned was fourteen years ago. Such a tale is nearly at the end of its time with its fifteen year mark." Ms. Deauxnim commented. "What does this have to do with your research?"

"I looked a little deeper into this." Her lids heavy, "I like to investigate into something before I head towards it."

"Like Batman!" The archaeologist butted in.

"I would call it precaution but you're not wrong." She agreed, "but I'll elaborate on details on the caravan ride… the jet lag is hitting me again..."

"I do believe we all should turn in for the night." Elise recommended from her desk.

"Goodnight everyone." 'Cilia threw her blanket over her head.

Everyone mimicking the call out before blowing out the candles that illuminated the room.

Tomorrow was the big day.


A few hours had gone and despite it not being hot nor cold in the cottage, she could not sleep. In a huff, she aggravatedly removed the blanket down to her feet and shuffled over to her friend.

"Ritz…" Low and hissing in her weary ear, the voice sounded so far away. "Pst… Ritz."

Again, she found the doctor in a strange position. This time with one leg bent inward, and her arms strewn about on her torso. Her friend's face scrunched in a grody manner. "Hmm… why do you keep offering me the apple? I don't want it..."

Her friend trailed off. It was rather too loud for comfort. She feared awaking the other occupant in the room.

"Shhh…! Ritz…" She whispered once more.

Dragging the id down and tired superego to the surface, memory catching on, her eyes fluttered but did not open.

"Hmmm…" She murmured lowly, but groggily. "'Cilia… is it time to get up?"

"No…" The rookie archaeologist spoke softly. "I can't sleep."

"Ah…" Her friend finally opened her eyes and stopped to scan her face. She didn't appear tired, just, "anxious?"

"Very…!" Her friend shook her determined fists in front of her.

"You two are still awake?"

Nearly in a whisper, her voice slunked to Cec's ears, startling her silent with a violent shuck.

"...!"

Turning over, was the author, diligently scanning her book, the pages wide open to the first few pages with a pen on the side. "I am still writing in my book."

"The artist stays up late to finish their work." Cecilia complimented over her shoulder.

"...zzzz…."

The snore causing her to rebound back at her friend, returning back to the subconscious. "Ritz!"

She shook her friend violently.

"I'm up!" The doctor blurted before sniffing, her eyes slowly opening to the world. "Just... give my brain a moment to reboot."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Deauxnim. I didn't know you were still up." The archaeologist twiddled her fingers in a mope.

"I was not disturbed at all." She smiled, returning to writing in her book, fiddling with the bookmark.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" She looked over her friend again. The look in her light hazel eyes still displaying the signs of waking up. "I know you said you were going to talk about it on the ride there…"

"Curious, aren't we…?" Her breath in a restless whistle while turning over.

The archaeologist nodded violently.

"Gregg's reasons were shadier than a night berry. I had to look a bit deeper, it's why I came alongside."

"Besides me never leaving without a healer? What did you find?"

"The jeweler married the Master of Kurain, but later on divorced her because she lost the title to be future Master."

"How?" Cecilia cut in.

"Perhaps she was more competent or the sister did something regrettably shunning." She yawned, "You don't lose a title by birth right like that on a whim.

"She's picked up the crown and now she had to put it down."

"… I think there might be a little more than just research purposes for Gregg and the others…."

"Like what…?"

"Have you seen them? Gregg's brother is the most annoying. I don't like him. AT ALL. Bad vibes about that man. They both pretend to know things but they have not the slightest idea without some support."

"I don't believe your employers will take it kindly with you speaking of them like that." The author spoke in a bit of shock.

"If I do not like someone, I will admit it. Though, I am brought up if I do not have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I told Gregg, too. I just have to wait until the contract is over…"

"No wonder you were so quiet at the meeting…" The archeologist puckered her lips.

"About that," The doctor continued. "Turns out my suspicion may hold water."

"How come?"

"Hold on… let me get comfortable…" Ritza glided upward to cross her legs with her pillow on her lap. "This one is going to take a while… The jeweler has three daughters, but takes in two. One of them stole from her own father."

"Why would she do that?" 'Cilia asked flummoxed.

"There was a trial that took place a few years ago. Turns out that this daughter was reported dead, back in 2007. Apparently, she had been thrown off by her boyfriend at the time. Odd, isn't it?"

"There needs to be some couple counseling around here!" Grace convened. "I'm confused… Why would he do that?!

"It was a setup."

"Hold on!" She stopped. "It was a setup?!"

"So many deceivers… so little faith. The jeweler I mentioned earlier, had a total of three daughters. One of them being a police officer. When confronted with the residing daughter's boyfriend-"

"Jeez, Ritz…" Cilia interjected. "Names?"

"It holds more impact with story…" Ritza impassively chided. "Fine." She tsked. "The daughter who had stolen the jewel was Dahlia Hawthorne, the police officer was Valerie Hawthorne. The boyfriend, Terry Fawles."

"Much better." She lied her belly on the wooden flooring, kicking her feet in the air as she listened.

"The jewel she had stolen was a rare pink diamond. That would be beautiful on a ring… I'm more into a white or blue diamond, though." She pondered out loud. "Anyway…The jeweler, Mr. Ralph Pacini Hawthorne, was led into a ransom for Dahlia in exchange for two million dollars."

"You said three daughters, where's the third?"

"I don't know. I didn't look into her. The Hawthorne sisters had a setup where they would pretend to have a kidnapping, gain the ransom money and split it between the three. All was going well until they betrayed Fawles. Dahlia jumped off and Valerie arrested Terry. However, the river was notorious for swallowing victim's and never to spit them back. But you know how life works," she yawned. "Evil never dies."

A crunch erupted the room. Ms. Grace was eating crisps, eyes fixated on her. "Why'd you stop?! Keep going!" She gestured waving a crisp.

'Darn… and I already brushed my teeth,' as she eyed the crisps with a sigh.

"Fast forward several years later and our assailant escapes prison in search for answers."

"Mr. Fawles?!" She yelled, eating the crisps more quickly.

Ritza nodded. "A letter, a call, went out to Valerie for a meeting at the same place, stating to identify herself with a white scarf to answer for the betrayal. As the meeting progressed, a witness stated of seeing the feud and claimed that Fawle's killed Valerie and stuffed her in the back of a trunk."

The crisps came to a halt. "Zero to one hundred, real quick!"

"Here's your dinner and show…" She blinked. "She had been taking pictures of the time, witnessing the whole scene taking place. She said she saw him, broke the trunk by the scratches and placed her in there. But, it would have been impossible…"

"She saw the whole thing and had a camera!" 'Cilia threw her hands up, "how is that impossible?!"

"From her position of taking photos of wildflower, this Lily of the Valley wouldn't have seen the scene nor the scratches due to the vegetation separating the view."

The archaeologists arms slowly came down from the air, but not entirely.

"So the only way she could have seen it, if she was the person who killed Valerie herself."

The crisps flew across the room, "EXCUSE ME!?"

"You're excused…"

"No no no! Wait one moment there! Ritza… I think you're still asleep! Or you've finally lost it and became a mad scientist!" She stood on her feet abruptly, "How is that even possible?! Wasn't Terry there?! Why would the witness kill Valerie?! And if she did kill her, why wouldn't she appear on any photos?!"

"The witness was Melissa Foster. The car was stolen, thus Terry already had the keys. Why would he break open a trunk when he already had the keys. He could've just popped the hood from the front mechanism. Prior to that, Fawle's had dug up a nice necklace from many years back where the first scheme had happened back in 2007, before Dahlia's apparent death. A token of love, where if one's faith would falter, they would poison themselves.

"Ms. Deauxnim, we now have a tragic Romeo and Juliet here…" She nonchalantly reposed. "I'll check out one book please."

"…" The author listened silently.

Her friend turning back to the story tell of the moment. "And?! AND?!"

"And… during that time, Melissa Foster had killed Valerie and stuffed her in the trunk."

"But why wasn't she in the photo? She would incriminate herself!"

"The camera had a timer, giving her enough time to snap a picture at the right time."

"Then there's a part I don't get… If Fawle's was waiting for her, but she died before the meeting… who the heck was in the photo?!" She gasped heavily, "A ghost?!"

"You're right."

"It was a ghost?!"

"If you want to get technical, maybe a demon to certain eyes." She shrugged nonchalantly, "Foster, disguised herself as Valerie before Fawle's returned, gaining a snap of the photo for the case."

"This makes no sense… why would Foster kill Valerie in the first place?!"

"Turns out one of the sister's conscience must have been killing her for putting away the wrong man and had set up a meeting to come clean. It had been years since the scheme back in 2007 had occurred, thus he would most likely have forgetten who they looked like, so Valerie had worn a white scarf to identify herself, the one I mentioned earlier. Foster spoke, she was lucky to not be wearing a white scarf during the time being. However, the feud had caused the scarf to become muddy and barely identifiable as white."

Cecilia's face began to smooth out until gobsmacked entirely upon realization.

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Then that would mean...!"

Her friend nodded extremely slowly. Cecilia bit her pillow hard. "The prosecution was hiding Ms. Foster's true identity… Believing it to be irrelevant to the case."

"That's dirty! What was the prosecution trying to do? Win the case like that?! This isn't a competition! Someone could be wrongly incarcerated for that!"

"According to the law, if it is not mentioned to be an important aspect of the case, it will not be mentioned in court…"

"They need to fix that… all details are important!"

"Finally being brought up and knowing this person was not as dead as everyone thought, she had to testify what happened back in 2007. She claimed to have been thrown off, but the bridge had high cables making that impossible. Later she claimed she fell off the other side, for the bridge was in disrepair at the time, though she would have died from the bedrock at the bottom… she leaped into the river. To keep the diamond, I mentioned, for herself. The diamond would be a key piece of evidence, but it's location was unknown. As a last resort, the sole person to testify about this was the defendant. But Fawle's wasn't too keen on this."

"What a Jezebel! The woman betrayed him!" She screamed. "Why would he continue to protect her?!"

"When you see the world in rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags…" She stated. "Try as he could, Fawle's denied and denied to the very end, saying that it could not be Dahlia, but Valerie, though it was proven to be impossible by now..."

The doctor's tone had suddenly shriveled, the author and archaeologist instinctively rose up, "Ritza… what happened?"

"Remember the necklace I had mentioned earlier, he had dug up from around the nearby temples…?"

"Yes…" She paused to reflect, her eyes nearly gaining water. "NO! HE DIDN'T?!"

If the neighbors weren't awake, they would be now.

"The trial couldn't be finished. He did the unthinkable and had ingested the poison... He didn't make it."

"Was that siren, Salome, punished?!"

"Without linking the instrument with Dahlia, she got away..."

Her fist clenching involuntarily and a tiny bead forming at the corner of her lid, she spat, "I can't believe it! That's so cruel! It makes me so! It makes me so! It makes me so…. ANGRY!"

"It's tempting to see things you wish the way they were instead of how they are." Ms. Deauxnim included dolefully as the archeologist nearly threw herself to the roof with fists.

"To make you feel a bit assuaged, Cecilia…" Ritza added stoically, "she did not get away for too long."

Foot stomps quickly paced towards her, "huh?!"

"There was another case. She reappeared at the University where Ranvier works at."

"Now this is getting personal!" She gathered the remaining shattered chips within the bag before plopping harshly on folded legs on top of her mat, angrily stuffing herself.

"Stress eating…" Ritza noted dully, tapping her fingers on the floor.

"Just this once!" She munched a whole line of dialogue. "I'm all ears!"

"You know… I would have went into Ivy actually back in New York or back in Los Angeles, but I went outside…" She tapped her finger on the wooden flooring, "but the State's technology in medicine is quite backed up… there are more advanced methods, technologies and teachings in Europe. That seriously needs to change."

"Then revolutionize it when we get back."

"Adding that to long term goals now." She mentally noted.

"So talk about this horrible succubus!" She angrily grinded the crisps between her teeth, "did she pay for her crimes?"

"For that one in particular, no," she stated empathetically. "She reappeared as a witness in a case from the murder of an Ivy Student in pharmacology. I asked Ranvier and he did confirm it happening. He summarized it, saying that a red haired woman had her ex, the victim, and her contemporary boyfriend, the defendant, had argued over her."

"Seriously!" 'Cilia whined, "there needs to be some couple counseling around here!"

Her friend shrugged. "The ex was warning the defendant that she was bad news."

"See, I think I know why I hang out with you more Ritza." She wagged her finger, "people in medicine know their stuff and even with people."

"Perhaps. It could be intuition, a gut feeling or just predictable behavior." Ritza let out a humble laugh. "The victim warned that this Dahlia person was not to be trusted. Apparently, an experimental drug had gone missing a while back."

A breath sucked in through her friend's teeth, "Taci always said to be careful with things like that. Something about race mix mixtures and the difference with medicine structures…" she scratched her head, "something like that...?"

"Racemic mixtures." The doctor piqued. "Close, but so far. That is why I disciplined Tacitus very well. A mixture, though nearly identical in structure and in position, the reflective molecules can differ from a usable medicine to a deadly poison. That's what happened in certain medicines and who you should be careful to give such medicines. A big example is Thalidomide. It can still be used today under the right conditions to patients; however, do NOT give it to a pregnant woman. The result could have a child being diagnosed with phocomelia, being born without limbs or malformed limbs..."

"My God…" Ms. Deauxnim mumbled.

"Extra tests, precautions and experiments are done to make sure the right molecules and chemicals are properly extracted and disposed of. Experimental drugs, as mentioned, can have detrimental effects on a person's body. Organ damage, the loss of a limb, even affecting fertility can be effects of untested drugs or side effects. Regulations and testings are heavily enforced. You should not fear all possible medicines out there. Remember, we want to prevent such things from occurring to patients, which is why it takes years to train for such tasks."

"I enjoyed the sciencey lesson… but what about the story?" Cecilia mentioned.

"Oh!" Ritza grew wide eyed, "I'm sorry… I forgot. I get all excited when we talk about things that revolve around medicine!"

If there was any drowsiness in her voice, it had definitely cleared by now. She cleared her throat, "the defendant was provoked on hearing such accusation about his girlfriend and had a fuss over it. A few moments later, the victim had died."

"Well that escalated quickly..." the archeologist stated worriedly. "How?"

"He had been electrocuted from a weak suspended wire that had been strewn about the place."

"That sounds more accidental than an intentional murder." She inquired lowly.

"Somehow the prosecution made it seem to where the cable had a possibility and a motive for murder. The feud had caused the defendant to push the victim into the line of fire to the cables and killed him there. This didn't add up to the time of a power outage that had occurred near the time. The victim's watch had stopped as soon as he was electrocuted. However, the power outage had occurred before then."

"If the cables were down before then? How did he die?"

"This is why I prefer to do research on my own…" She groaned, "Ranvier gets lazy when telling stories… This was all last minute so I couldn't delve to deeper into the case. Apparently, Dahlia tried to point the murder onto her boyfriend at the time while trying to cover up for a crime she did several months back. She poisoned someone else who was hunting her down for that case with Terry Fawle's"

"Everyone is dropping like flies!" Cec threw her hands forward, "has this girl have no remorse?!"

"Apparently not. People like that do exist in the world. It makes you wonder… Why?" She placated, "She poisoned her pursuer, killed the student and tried to pin the murder on her boyfriend because he had a piece of evidence that linked her to Fawle's case. Out of desperation, she threw it to the defendant as a token of love."

"This sounds way too familiar… She did the same thing to this guy too?!"

"The same necklace, the same poison. I wonder what poison it was…? If it caused two people to succumb to it so easily in tiny doses. Such poisons exist even in nature, but this may have been a stolen chemical one. Arsenic? Cyanide? Anthraquinone? Regardless, she was tried and sentenced to death."

"Justice was served…!" Cec' triumphantly stood up.

"Was it really? Those who suffered and died could never be truly reimbursed." She spoke sympathetically.

"One question that still boggles me… I wonder what became of that jewel?" The archaeologist cupped her chin in thought.

"My guess, either lost from the river or she sold it." Ritza reckoned, "I mean, how else could you afford to get into an Ivy league school without being in crippling debt?"

"Looks like that dream of hers didn't last very long." The question flew from her mouth. "What major was she?"

"Perhaps a liberal arts major… Ranvier would be laughing right now…"

"Yeah he would. That's not a real job!" A giggle erupted from her friend's throat. "It's crazy how this world is, huh?"

"No. The world is beautiful, the people… some of them… not so much." She hugged her pillow sleepily. The energy wearing off like a high. "You wore me out on words for the day…"

"Sorry…" She smiled sheepishly, "consider it a bedtime story… with murder… and killers and poisoning and a really bad Shakespeare and King Arthur twist in it… Actually, this goes more along the campfire horror story category..."

"It wasn't meant to be, hopefully the horror is all over." She sighed comfortably on her mat. "I'm sorry for talking too much, Ms. Deauxnim. I probably disturbed your work with all the verbose."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too…" Cecilia added.

"... I'm not bothered by you two. It was enlightening despite how dark it was. Rest now."

"Goodnight." She slurred.

"Goodnight, Ritz."

"...zzzz…"

"Typical," she threw her head on the pillow.

She kept hearing clicks. As if wood had hit wood. A shing and clap, hesitant and slow. It reminded her of metal for some reason. She stretched and released a pent up sigh of relief before getting up. Ms. Deauxnim was still awake! Her eyes seemed heavy and sorrowful, but what stood out the most was the extreme hesitation behind them. Her book was wide open to the page where the bookmark kept it open, the two girls holding hands, one with brown the other with black hair, staring off to the distance. The neck of the staff she carried wedged between her fingers where she constantly flicked. Cecilia blinked several times before focusing a little more.

"Ms. Deauxnim…?" The archaeologist rolled over before sitting up, her black hair falling to her face. She blew a reluctant strand from the fringe before shaking it behind her ears. "You're still awake…?"

She did not answer. She searched her watch, still well for three hours of sleep before dawn. Peering over to her friend, again, she contorted oddly like a Hanayama puzzle. She would feel extremely sorry for whoever would actually nap with her. Rubbing her eyes to cast off sleep, she addressed the author again, "Ms. Deauxnim… If Ritza knew you weren't asleep, she'd get upset. She prefers people to get at least six hour rest at night thing."

"Can the same be said about you?" She asked back, coldly.

"... mmm yeah." She mumbled, "During the plane ride to here, even. Get some sleep, 'Cilia. Jet lag is a curse so you got to prevent it and sleep inertia and stuff like that."

"I will." She answered before swiftly turning to her book and closing it in a thud.

"Ms. Deauxnim, I wanted to ask you…" She started a little nervously. "Are you still going to be with us during the exploration? I know you're our tour guide and all..."

"I volunteered to tour you around the kingdom." She summarized. "I am not needed anymore."

"But… I was hoping," She twiddled her fingers, "...if you could join us. If you don't mind it."

"..." Her silence disturbed her slightly.

"I'll have Mr. Buff and his men carry out on the site to make sure it's safe from harm's way." She let out impulsively, but not loud enough to wake her friend. "I kind of wanted to finish the exploration with you…"

"..." Another pause.

"Pretty please? With all the gummy bears on top...?" She puckered her lips and tiddled again.

"Aw man…" Ritza moaned in her sleep, her lips smacking against themselves across the room. "Gummy Bears…"

They stilled when they realized she was still asleep.

"Alright…" The author started slowly, "Maybe I can gain inspiration for a new book."

"Yes!" She sprung upward and hugged the author tightly, "Thank you!"

"...!"

"I'll go to bed right away!" And without a second later, she scampered to her mat, "You should too."

Before Elise could even respond, the rookie had instantly slumbered before the blanket landed on her evenly. The two slept parallel from one another, though the doctor had contorted more diagonally on her mat, unaware of the world around them. She sighed, snapping the cane back in place before blowing out the candle light.


"UP! UP! BIG DAY!"

The scream bellowed in her ear before arising, the incoming sun creeping through small windows of the cottage.

"I told Ritza you were coming, too. And she's excited!"

"...And honored. It's great to finish this trip with you, Ms. Deauxnim."

The girls above her head smiled down, brown and black hair willowing the offending sun from her eyes.

"It is morning already?" She whispered with melancholy.

"Yes. And Mr. Buff is outside waiting on the oxen."

"We wanted to wake you, but you didn't sleep until later, so I wanted to give you an extra hour."

"You girls shouldn't have…" The author started slowly.

"We did it anyway. We'll be waiting for you, Ms. Deauxnim," the archaeologist wrapped the string around her neck, holding her hat onto her black curtain of hair.

As the girls exited the cottage, she heard mumbles and words exchanged outside of the door. Two female voices and a male voice, much older. She had done a regular routine of preparing for the day. When it came to, there was a warm cup of tea on the stand near her book and a napkin. The dying steam vanishing in the air. Hesitant, she tried a sip. It was from the Ur'ghaid's. She had no doubt. The same one from yesterday. Her heart ached partially before finishing her beverage and waltzing outside, book and cane in hand along with a carry on for the two hour trip.

Reaching the outside before locking the cottage, she greeted the girls alongside a man. He had a similar attire like the younger archaeologist beside him. A dark set or beige cargos and a skull like necklace. The hair along his head and face was gray and thick, pulled back in a ponytail. A giant grin on his face.

"G'day ma'am. I am Archie Buff," his voice soft but husky. "I'm here to take you and your girls to this wicked place down in the country side of this beautiful kingdom. It'll be a long ride, but we'll manage."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ms. Deauxnim bowed her head softly.

"Hopefully everything will go by schedule. We have top men working on it right now!" He stared over to Cecilia, wiping away a bit of sweat, "let's get this caravan going."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Thank everything beautiful in this world and beyond that someone invented bug spray!" Ritza yelled out in the caravan, spraying on whatever place clothes did not contact her flesh.

"These beasts are feisty." Archie spoke over, "Large and small, especially those insects."

Another slap resonated from Cecilia's hand. "You're telling me! The nature is very pretty, don't get me wrong. But if it bites, it's usually the bugs."

"Don't worry there for too long, ladies," His voice shaky from the racketing and teetering from the caravan on the bumpy roads and rocks. "Just be happy it's not snakes. I hate snakes!"

One insect caught her eye, a pink and black butterfly. The wings fluttered beautifully through the dampened forest, the wings beating in accordance to its elevation.

"I've never seen a species of butterfly like that!" Most of the excitement inhibited, "what a marvel."

"That beauty there is only indigenous in this country." He pointed, "You see its wings are connected together at the bottom."

"It would almost seem inconvenient and nearly hindering for the wings to part for flight with them attached as so." She commented.

"Same could be said about the laws of aviation for the bee, yet it flies anyway because it doesn't care what humans think is impossible." Cecilia smirked at her friend deviously. "Take that, Wright brothers!"

"It is like the butterfly that basks the spirit when it enters the afterlife. Wrapping its wings around the spirit to bring the soul to the realm of Twilight." Ms. Deauxnim pointed. "It is very good luck."

"Well informed there, ma'am." The man complimented.

"Look, Ritza! It's coming here!" Cecilia pointed.

"Don't whack it, now!" Buff instructed, "that species there is delicate."

The butterfly fluttered downward, taking all of them by surprise. It twirled, looped and jumped the sky expertly, inching ever closer.

"Let the critter be on its way," He boasted once more.

Their eyes followed the insect before its wings beat closer to the doctor's face. It blew tiny air gusts on her cheeks before landing on her nose. Her eyes nearly scrunched closed from the giant butterfly currently bombarding itself on her face. It wasn't disgust traveling up her spine and sitting in her belly, but the unsurmountable tickling that scattered across her face, traveling to her toes. She internally begged her body not to sneeze if it came down to it.

"Don't move." Elise instructed quietly. One eye lid flipped opened, covered by soft pink, white and black entwined hair and keratin, soft like silk, instructing a tacit, but nervous yes . It climbed higher, its antenna ticklin the bridge of her nose, the feet stamped to her face and abdomen curling itself on her nose. It had the definitive scent.

It was silent, save for the clopping and rickets of wood and hooves. She just wished the insect would fly away, but it did not. She did not want to disrespect the Kurain creature that signified great respect either, she was stuck. Finally, after opening her reluctant eyes, she saw the extremely elegant creature currently adorning her nose. At that moment, her breath caught in her throat when that same butterfly opened its wings entirely onto her face. Her eyes fixated on the white swirls at the end of its wings. She stiffened as the string on its wings caught above her chin like an enormous smile. The sensation could not be bound in words or thoughts. The best she could describe it was warming, comforting, yet blinding and incomprehensible. They beat once more before finally flying off her face, still fixated like a statue in place long after it had left.

"Oh my God… that was so cool!" Cecilia shook her friend stiffly, "for a moment I thought it was going to lay eggs on your face."

She finally released a tense and shuddery breath, "I don't want to be incubated…"

"On certain flowers or leaves they would, not a monarch, but it will do as any other butterfly..." Deauxnim primed, "I, myself, have never seen that before!"

They trail became thinner and thinner as time lingered on. The forest's thickness of vegetation finally came to an abrupt end where hooded wooden caravans filled with excavation tools, fencing, machetes, supplies of food and water in abundance of storage, liners and tiny flags near the already cut vines and woods cleared out. The wildlife had been cut enough to accommodate all the caravan and small tractors to move away debris, clods and rocks. Several workers with similar garbs as Archie trekked out of the enormous temple. Vines overgrown, nature reclaiming its right over this sacred ground. The foundation appeared unstable and aged by the environment. It was extremely different in comparison to how the hometowns were. This temple was much more integrated to the ground, as if it served as a tomb. The designs, though scant, were worn down, nearly entirely. The stone was built into the mountain, disguising it as a cave but with a more appealing but solemn entrance.

"I'm going to go check on the progress." Archie jumped off as the caravan parked, "When I left for the morning, they were just removing side debris and obstacles from the inside. You must see this, Ms. Grace!"

As the man ran over Cecilia removed her notepad gingerly before retrieving her belt of tools. At the side, along with the other caravans, the oxen fed on edible vegetation previously cut down.

The brown belt fastened around her waist began to speedily fill its holsters with several tools, even a magnifying glass.

"Is that a shovel?" Ritza questioned the tiny tool currently in her friend's palm.

"No…This is a spade." She quickly put in the handle on one side before lifting another familiar tool. "This is a shovel. The right tool for the right job."

"And that's a dirty hoe." Buff pointed to another tool on the side of the caravan as he walked up to the girls, "It is safe to go inside the main entrance, we're stuck at this one segment."

"Looks like you need a second opinion." She retorted before looking about. "Or a third and fourth."

"Steadfast!" He beckoned over.

The archway of the scaffolding was broad and tall. The murky smell finally invaded their noses as they reached deeper into the recesses of the establishment. With the large beaming headlights illuminating the once darkened room for a finite amount of decades, perhaps centuries. The dust could be felt in the air from the recent cleaning.

Elise couldn't help but utter a cough by the first intake of breath.

"You're probably wondering, 'What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?"

"Is it not the other way around, Mr. Buff?" Cecilia added on.

"This here… is beautiful. It was once said to hold the greatest treasures of the Kurain… from the very beginning of its time." He basked the ambience, "however…"

He led them to a set of stairs down the high ceiling roofed building, their steps careful and paced from the worn down steps. 'More stairs… at least it's going down.'

"The people of the time probably think we're clods." He said bummed out, "either that or we've stumbled upon a dead end."

"No way! There's gotta be something around here!" She stammered, "a clue? We can never leave a puzzle unsolved."

"This site also demonstrates one of the great dangers of archaeology; not to life and limb, although that does sometimes take place." He scrubbed his beard, "I'm talking about folklore."

"These scriptures…" They heard an exasperated voice behind them. Ms. Deauxnim currently looking at the enlarged mural type of carving into the walls of the temple. The patterns and shapes formed all the way to the ceiling. "These speak of The Deceiver…"

"Ah… old tale there, ain't it?" He smirked.

"Who is the Deceiver?" Cecilia walked up to Ms. Deauxnim's side.

"It's not a matter of who, but what?" Mr. Buff announced, "Back in Ancient times, the matriarch had several Masters, not just one. There was one absolute one that ruled over the others. The idea of a single matriarchy came later when power had split into branches."

"The Deceiver was an ancient being, unphased by age and time. Not of this world, but not of the realm of Twilight either." Ms. Deauxnim turned. "Old tales spoke of it leading people to their doom."

"It varies depending on where and who you speak to in this country." He stepped over, "looks like they even made a sort of shrine or perhaps a burial ground for it."

"But this Deceiver… what is it exactly?" The archaeologist let out through thick air.

"No one knows for sure. As I said, it varies. It is not human, I guarantee you." Archie peered over to the entrance behind them. "When Ramses destroyed Syria, that was an accident. But if we find just a piece of history here, it will still be phenomenal. For the lucrative: a catastrophe! I'll talk to the others." He rubbed his beard. "Perhaps they may know something before I arrived."

"We'll keep on the lookout."

"Good on ya'." He joshed before running out. "Just be careful. I don't think anyone wants to be a permanent addition to this archaeological find."

"Amazing…" The author let out once more flummoxed. Her bewilderment still quelled the doctor and young archaeologist.

Further inspection revealed this enormous creature, filling the perimeters and area of the room with just its bulk. It had no definitive legs, but a ghostly tail. The bulk was sturdy and hard, divided in several segments. It obtained arms like a human. The antenna were enormous, bent forward and thinned as it reached outward as if it would come out of the walls itself. It's head was long and dark, with two eyes on each side of its head, with a large third eye in between the two eyes located on the forehead. Despite the enormous creature, only the body itself occupied most of the space in the foreground wall. The massive protrusion from behind it overshadowed it all. Gargantuan wings with a total of four enormous eyes spots on each forewing and hindwing, like the wings of the butterfly, stretched to the decaying ceiling.

"No offense, but that thing is horrifying…" Cecilia let out with a miniscule tremble.

"I don't know…" Ritza finally spoke up hesitantly, before placing a hand on the cold wall, "I think it's very beautiful…"

"Beauty tends to be in the eye of the beholder… and I am not beholding you right now." Cec' deadpanned.

"The opposite of the messenger…"

"Hmm…?" The doctor turned to the author.

"The messenger is the butterfly who sends the spirit to Twilight. This one looks nearly identical when deceiving, but takes the spirit for itself instead…" She grimaced, "It desires what it does not have."

"Is it a sort of metaphor?" Cecilia inquired, "like if a person commits evil deeds all their life, they won't enter the realm of Twilight?"

"As Mr. Buff said; each interpretation is different." She released the wall. "This place is built similar to a place of meditation, inside a cave near a waterfall. This is not of meditation. This is a place of burial."

She walked towards the doctor, "look at the chains that hold it."

"Chains…?" The doctor swiveled to examine the creature once more. The obscuring layers upon layers of dust and dirt creating difficulty to view. What she had interpreted as wing veins turned out to be numerous links together. "...those are chains!"

"Held in chains by its eyes. It's true eyes. The ones on its sockets are blind, but the large one can perceive all. The large one's on its wings could sense everything in the universe and beyond it."

"Those are some interesting sensory organs then…" Ritza commented.

"Ritza! Help me look around!" The voice bounced around the room several times. "We need to inspect every suspicious nook and cranny!"

She shrugged non argumentatively, "Very well…"

It was nearly impossible to stop the beating in her chest. She could not finger it, nor could even fathom the idea of the intangible to have a corporeal temple. The author brushed near the large stone tablet. The words in her native tongue nearly illegible from the years that had desecrated its surface. If she was correct, the innate feeling in her gut instinctively persuading her that the only way this chasm were to reveal its true nature, was only to that of a Master. She removed the navy blue magatama from her sleeve and retreated near the ghostly end of this foul creature. At the base, the large 'greater magatama' near the enormous jutting 'lock' tablet near the base. She searched, somehow to figure out how to open this large clod. Several indentations marked the block, but scant reminiscent to the shape she held. Worried, there was no possible way hers could even attempt to unlock this puzzle. The structured magatamas in this country are variant and differently shaped in comparison to the ones of the branch. The ghostly tail was swiveled similarly to the jewels indigenous to the locale, but the wing shapes were that to the sacred nine shaped jewels of the branch. It did not add up . What could this mean?

As the other two occupants waltzed the strange catacombs, Cecilia could see her friend wobbling oddly.

"Are you okay, Ritza? Jet lags should have ended yesterday."

"Yeah… I just felt something… weird." She rubbed her temples.

'Twist my way of thinking?' She eyed the magatama before flipping it upside down like a six.

And there it was. A single spot amidst the giant oceans and haze of worn patterns and abstractions, in the middle of it all. An indentation perfectly fit for the gem. She pressed it inward before she heard a sinking tick and crack. It fits!

"Ms. Deauxnim, did you find anything?" Cecilia and her friend tracked over.

"I believe I may have girls…" Her voice partially shaky from how deep her hand was entering.

"Woah… what is that?!" She skipped over to the cracking pieces of rock, "that was not there before… This looks like some sort of a lock."

"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out." Ritza deadpanned.

It was the same mechanism as the lock on her door. Though it would nearly be impossible for her to decipher the code with a lock this magnitude and size. Forget the size perhaps, but how ancient this contraption was. A normal trick lock could take a day to unbound if unknown. This one could take years!

"It's like the lock on your door!" The archaeologist's voice reverberated off the walls. "But what is the combination?"

"I'm not too sure…" She reckoned, "I may not have a skeleton key, but this may require a skeleton code."

"Ugh… where's Da Vinci when you need him?" 'Cilia groaned.

"I believe this lock is older than that 'Cilia." Ritza announced over as she held the stone near where Elise's forearm had nearly embedded itself.

"I know that." She held her chin.

"Perhaps…" Ms. Deauxnim struggled to twist the old machinery. "Twisting…"

SNAP!

The loud crack blasted into their ears. The ear splitting whack stunned them, wincing over and scrunching instinctively. The earth shaking clatter which reminisced of shattered window pane or broken crystal stalled the moment.

"My God what was that noise?!" Ritza peered over in duress.

The author had dropped her cane, but held her book tightly.

"Are you guys okay?" Cecilia looked over. "What noise are you talking about?"

She appeared genuinely confused.

"You did not hear that?!" Elise bellowed.

"You cannot be serious?!" Ritza ran over, "you can hear me well enough now, yes?"

"Of course, but I didn't hear anything." She shrugged, "Just the tiny tick I heard from that stone there."

"A psyche lock?" Ms. Deauxnim panted, her hand preventing her torso from touching the floor. "Here?"

"A psyche lock?" The doctor rubbed her ears from the dulling throb.

"It is an intangible lock…" She spoke tirelessly as she arose.

"Is this another metaphor?" Cec' conjured curiously.

"No…" The author caught her breath. "These are real though, only certain people can see it with a magatama. I will explain later."

The author slowly stepped back, inspecting, searching for a source. The two girls watched in awe and concern as she eyed the room. Her expression from serious to perplexed. She returned to her spot.

"I do not see anything…" She whispered before scampering back to the socket within the wall. Her eyes turning towards the doctor, "And you've heard it too."

"Yes…" Clematis spoke breathily, "it was massive and loud."

'Strange…' Her hand re-entering the lock. "It happened when I turned the stone, hopefully I did not lose it when I let go… ah, there it is."

She twisted it once more before the doctor returned, "where could that sound have come from...?"

"I am not sure doctor, but I believe it has to do with this lock." She twisted once more.

Another crack vibrated the air, this time not as loud as the two winced. "There it is again!"

She couldn't have asked any noticeable difference, well aware that they could not see as she worked the giant lock. She turned the stone once more inside the cold enclosed space.

"Ahhh!" She screamed.

"Ms. Deauxnim?!" They yelled in unison.

"My… my hand…" She groaned in pain. "Something has clamped onto my finger!"

"Can you remove your hand?" Ritza started calmly.

Ms. Deauxnim attempted to pull, but the strain only tightened. "I can't…"

"Hold on!" Cec' threw her hands forward, "I'm going to get help!"

As her ascent made it to the first step, several lamps began tumble down the stairs. "Ah!"

The large metal lamps clashed several times against the old tomb stairs before hands pulled her out of the way. Practically almost thrown, she tumbled onto her bottom. "Ow…"

All three finally peered as the saw the incline brushed dust and debris in the air. Large scaffoldings began to collapse onto the stair casing. They cough and cackled before through thick dust and misty fog. It was entirely pitch dark. The solace source of light being the broken caged lamp, slowly dying from a bright white to dim orange.

"Is everyone alright?!" Rtza yelled out. It had taken a few moments for reality to hit them all. They were trapped.

"No… No… NO!" Cecilia screamed out panicky.

As she saw the tall wall that had now blocked them from the exit. Only a sliver of light at the top of the obstacle, an infinitesimal crack.

"We're stuck…!" She yelled once more. Sweat pouring down her face, she nervously searched the wall.

"Elise… are you okay?" The doctor checked the author currently slumped against the wall.

"Yes…" She heaved slowly.

Several more bangs against the wall erupted before desperately clutching her head, "No…! This can't be happening!"

"Cecilia…"

"I got us all stuck here!"

"Cecilia…!"

"What about Tacitus?!"

"Cecilia!"

"It's all my fault!"

Arms fastened quickly around her, tight but not enough to crush her. Without her permission, tears streamed down her face. In the worst of times, she couldn't help it. She felt herself rock. Not from the ground or from her own accord.

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" She yelled into her knees.

"Listen." Ritza commanded attentively. "You have to relax… just breath."

A sniff and huff escaped her.

"A little slower."

Shuddery and shaky, she tried once more.

"Again. Take it easy."

A bit jumpy but not as erratic, she managed to slow her heart down.

"Good. Now listen."

Despite how calm Ritza was portraying, she knew her heart was frantic.

"I need you to stay strong for me. With a calm mind, we can figure this out. But I need you to focus. Ms. Deauxnim needs our help, her hand is stuck. I'll tend to her, but you need to give me a bit of help."

She sniffed once more, clearing up a few tears, "Yeah… yeah… Okay…"

"Good." She finally released the archaeologist before heading towards the author.

"Ms. Deauxnim, how is your hand?"

"It's stuck…" She spoke lowly.

"Don't pull it out. You might make it worse."

The author mumble and incoherent agreement.

"When Ms. Deauxnim twisted it a third time...," she let out a bit shuddery. "... the wall collapsed."

"You think finishing this thing will let us out?" Ritza spoke as she examined Ms. Deauxnim's arm.

"Maybe… I just hope that's not a TV Trope…" Cec' blurted out.

"Do you think you can move your hand again?" Ritza asked calmly.

"I will try…" The author breathed before twisting once more within the mechanism.

SNAP!

"That's three…" Ritza commented. "Do you know if there is a certain amount of times it should happen?"

"I… don't know… if the same logic will happen here…" She let out nervously. "If I am correct about the Kurain scriptures… then it should be at least two more times."

"We're counting on you!" Cecilia enlightened, "No pressure…"

The two awaited for Ms. Deauxnim's next attempt. Her arm rotating again once more slowly.

Another snap resonated the room. Each loud crack losing intensity each time. The sigh of relief felt more stressing than alleviating.

"One more…" Elise whispered.

She twisted once more in the opposite direction.

"Ahhh!"

The scream was much more agonizing than before. The room roared and quaked, causing the earth to open. The flooring on the sides of the room had collapsed and fallen into the abyssal dark depths of the cave. The bastion of safety being the narrow strip of land that was now an unknowable amount of feet to a plummeting drop. The lamp crumbled along with rocks and avalanched earth. It had taken several seconds before they finally heard a crashing thud and shattering of metal along with glass. As the dust began to clear once more, it was silent save for their intermingled panting. Ms. Deauxnim was nearly slouched, her arm trembling in pain.

"Ms. Deauxnim…!" Cec' yelled horrified.

"I'm… alright…" She hissed through her teeth. "I… almost… have it."

"Take a break, Ms. Deauxnim." Ritza recommended, trying not to pear down at the dark below.

The author finally dropped her book near her feet before reorienting herself. The doctor turned back to her friend, holding onto the wall that was now pushed forward more than before, barely giving them enough room to stand.

"Before you ask… yes. I am okay." She shuddered fearfully, trying not to show the terror in her eyes.

As she turned around to face the author, her blood ran cold. She can feel her heart beat quicker and faster as if she ran on pure adrenaline. She can feel every muscle in her stiffen and her chest concave. A sharp metal blade, nearly inches from her face, threatened to jab right into her skull. Though the pitch darkness made it difficult to see, the glimmer of light that had escaped the small crack of the ceiling allowed the metal to illuminate dimly in the dark. But where could have such a blade come from?!

At the end of the long metal spear, affixed the wooden staff adorned by the purple amethyst sphere, now fastened tightly in the author's hand. Though incapacitated, the sword was long enough to jab a crucial and deadly blow from the enclosed space. Elise had a cold glare anchored on her face, her arm bent and ready to shoot the sharp metal right through the doctor.

"What is your purpose here?!" She cried out.

"What?!"

"What do your employees desire from the Kurain?!" Her voice desperate, but full of rage. "Has the branch not suffered enough?! Haven't your employer's done enough?! Now you wish to desecrate the source and main bastion of the Kurain? I will forbid you by making sure you never leave this place!"

'Well that certainly puts a damper to our relationship…!'

"Ms. Deauxnim…" Ritza started out slowly, trying to fit together pieces in a nearly discombobulated situation, "think about this before you do it. What has Gregg done?!"

"Ms. Deauxnim?!" Cecilia screamed out, her face blanching upon seeing the glinted sword.

This only appeared to have made her angrier, "he and his brother were the main reasons why the family at Kurain has been exposed as fraudulent! The incident that had occurred fourteen years ago, known as DL-6!"

"DL-6…?" The doctor blurted out. "That was the name of the case?"

"The one that has torn me away from my home…! My daughters! And you two, mere pawns will not do the same here as you did back to the village at Medium Valley!" She inched the sword closer.

Fight or flight?! But she knew she could not fight in such an enclosed space. Yet she could not run anywhere except to her plummeting death. Despite all the signals firing in her brain, her options were of very little use. Her blood coursed faster than ever. If she panicked now, it would lead all of them to their demise. There was only one option, but she had to be wise about it.

"Ms. Deauxnim," she started calmly, resisting the urge to raise her hand, if she did it might work the opposite in her favor, "We had nothing to do with that. What happened to you was wrong."

At that moment she knew very well who this was now. The book, the subtle hints and now this… This author was the branched Master who had disappeared so many years ago! Mentioning it now; however, may lead her friend and herself to their doom. Thinking carefully, despite a sword currently a few inches away.

"However, reconsider your action. If we were somehow to remain here," which she was well aware that their lives could possibly join the condemned local, "then Gregg and his men would continue to venture with different personnel. Our lives wouldn't mean a dent to him, just a new lamb to the slaughter. And men like Gregg are very well and capable of doing that…"

"…" Her face scrunched hesitantly, but the sword remained still. "...It's a shame… You both sound like wonderful girls…"

"You are a victim… Ms. Deauxnim…" She heavily paused, willing to risk the option. "I am more than aware now, that may not even be your real name, but… as a victim, you deserve to be served justice. What happened to you and your family was wrong for greedy and deceitful reasons."

"…You do not say…" Her voice had grown low. "The courts, the lawyer that had sold my family to a greedy despicable man and sold the info to the press…"

Her black veiled shoulders jutted up and down angrily, "Leaving my family was the only way to sustain the integrity of the village by removing the cause of the notion…! To remove the tarnish and damage that had caused such grief among them!"

The tension behind Ritza was nothing in comparison to the smothering torment in front of her. She could feel Cecilia trembling behind her, but kept her hand tight around her hand, ushering her to remain calm.

"What has that done?" She questioned, "...you leaving the village."

"Years of grief!" She screamed, nearly spitting, "I can't even see my daughters because of something I had volunteered to help out a court system so corrupt! A tradition that was meant to heal the suffering upon the dead and the living and bring peace, used as a tool for those who twist lie and truth. I missed my own children, growing older, to watch them scarcely from the sidelines, knowing I could never return to their lives…"

She aimed the sword, closer.

"Don't you believe you should fix that?" She intervened, "In fact, you have the better advantage than Cecilia, me, and Gregg."

As she mentioned the venomous name, her brow lifted, "What may that be?"

'Okay… she's slowing down…'

"You are the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, this I have no doubt." She stated confidently.

"Correction, Dr. Clematis…" She stopped the doctor. "I am the former Master…"

"No…" she shook her head. "You still are. Though your post has been abandoned, that does not mean your power does not remain intact."

She walked closer to the sword. The blade instinctively pushed back.

"Let Cecilia and I help you."

"…" Her grip did loosen, nor did it tighten.

"We'll inform Gregg, that there is nothing of value here. That this was the resting place of an old Master," she came up quickly on a whim, "and that the Kurain do not leave treasure in places of rest like this. When the excavation of this sacred ground is left, we will return to States and figure out how to resolve your situation. He will abandon this place entirely when he figures there is nothing to invest in this country."

"… A conjured idea like that holds so many promises…" Her voice inflaming quickly, "How do I know I can trust you?! You can be as mendacious as them all!"

"Ritza always keeps her promises...eccetera," Cecilia commented from behind, her black bangs drooping to the side nervously.

"She is right, in a way." Ritza turned to Cecilia with a solemn nod before looking at the Master again. "You have no way of trusting me… I am but a stranger to you. And an even greater stranger to your people, I mean… look what I am wearing…" She basked her hands toward herself meekly. "I look like a corporate, that does not mean I am."

Her head faced the dilapidated and broken flooring that had been untouched by humanity for so many years. "What happened to your family is sick and undeserving. Seeing this country…" Her head swiveled around the room.

"It is very beautiful, one of a kind, so unique I don't believe it could ever be replicated. Such a shine should be shared on your face, but I don't see it." She finally faced the Master, a glimmer of melancholy in her eyes. "I don't like it. As my occupation to see the well being of people, I feel obligated to remedy that."

Her brows scrunched once more, "you feel… obligated… to help me?"

"Perhaps… many years working as a nurse has caused me to question my professionalism… to the point that it is more than my duty." Her voice soft but confident before tightening her grip on her friend's hand, "Above and beyond it sometimes… So let's change that…"

The blade that had no erected diagonally, now faced vertically remained gazing the ceiling. The long silent pause allowed them to hear running water underneath the establishment.

"You are not lying…" Her pent up breath exhaled, "I see no locks…"

Ritza had no idea she was also holding her breathing before the warm and burning wind left her nose nor did she know what locks the Master spoke of.

"… Spin Doctor, hmm?" The author's shoulders untensed before she dropped the sword to her side.

"I prefer to see myself as a humanitarian," She whisked, "but that seems as an adequate definition."

"Are we all cool now?" Cecilia peeked nervously passed Ritza's arm, a tiny spread of sweat on her forehead, "I prefer only super heros holding swords."

"Well…" Ritza's breathe more shuddery than she'd like, "I hope our Master constitutes as one. It's going to be soon and larger than life… But first we have to finish this puzzle."

"HHHHH!" Cecilia gasped roughly before balling her fists excitedly with a vibrant glint in her orbs.

The Master returned to the large stone where her arm still remained trapped in. Approaching her side, the doctor eyed her once more. An unexpected light broke the darkness, the intensity straining their eyes to a squint.

"Sorry…" Cecilia let out a bubbly laugh, pressing the button several times to decrease the shine.

With enough visibility, the doctor went for the author's book and now sheathed staff. Holding her items, respectfully for the ensnared Master.

"If I do somehow fail to open this lock correctly, I want to say thank you."

Taken aback, the doctor responded, "For what, Ms. Deauxnim?"

"It is Misty Fey, Dr. Clematis…" She whispered, looking away and determined at the notorious lock, "you remind me of someone… both of you actually..."

Answered with perplexion, the archaeologist stood by.

She turned with a smile, "I think I may have gained enough momentum to return…"

And with that, she twisted once more.

SNAP!

Her hand was thrown back, nearly losing balance before the two girls held her tightly from the darkness below. Quaking and shifting, the walls and tablets began to crumble and shatter. Massive chains broke from their fastened patina in the wall, whipping backward, causing the large wings to flex from the wall in a beat. Upon the dividing rubble, revealed them a pillar to raise from the grave. The old chains of an unknown era rattled, relinquishing the hidden treasure within the confined walls. The visitors remained in awe, transfixed and mesmerized of how the whole entirety of stone being moved as its summoner's actions caused the butterfly creature to bask its enormous elongated head towards them. Life-like, the beast's head nestled down, beckoning them to the odd charm its third eye directed towards.

There upon the surface atop the stone pillar, a jewel nearly unfazed by time.

"It could not be…" Misty approached the gem stupefied. "The black magatama…!"

"But… Ms. Fey…" Her utterance close to a whisper, "there are three…"

"I thought it was but a myth…" Her brain struggling to comprehend the situation. "Yet… there are three black magatamas that stare at me!"

"What are they?" The archaeologist came closer to the gems.

They were relatively smaller than a regular magatamas than the norm Misty had experienced over her time. Linked together by the curves, connected by the body in a unified circle, similar to that of a tomoe. Never had she seen such a gem in the traditional Kurain and that of the kingdom in all her years of study. It landed on a category of their own. The integrated pieces had finally touched light as Cecilia threw the shine over it.

"The legend of the black magatama… magatamas," she corrected without shedding any hesitant enthusiasm, "Are the stories true? I do not sense anything from them…"

"Be Careful when approaching," Ritza noted, "we've already had one incident happen."

"Dr. Clematis is right…" She held her hands to her side, shielding the women behind her arms. "Let me…"

"Are you sure, Ms. Fey!?" The cry escaped the youngest, "I mean, your hand?"

She peered to her hand. Where her digits had been clamped were indeed red, but not bruised nor seriously injured. Ritza innately reached for them, examining them properly.

"They don't seem to have any serious damage, just partially scraped. A simple bandage over and antibacterial ointment won't fix."

"Diagnosing me, already?" The Master quipped, "We must not recuperate yet. We must find out what this mystery is first. For extra precaution, I can even offer a tetanus shot."

Silence occupied the room once more, the two visitors waiting, stamping their feet in case the gems did not hold promise. Inching ever closer to the onyx figments of history. Digits interlaced the circular wheel of darkness. They winced in pure trepidation awaiting the oncoming consequence.

Nothing happened.

Even Misty had closed her eyes, in fear, yet nothing had quaked. Nothing had rumbled or fallen.

Simultaneously, they all released held breathes.

"Well that was anticlimactic…" The youngest commented.

Rumbling and roaring, the earth shook once more.

The two older women stared at her unamused. She responded in a sheepish shrug.

The elongated creature's body retracted from the chains before returning to its rightful place of rest. Tablets fitting like an enormous jigsaw puzzle, enclosed and encapsulated as if they had never arisen. The eyes closed and wings folded back to the sections it had originally carved and birthed itself to the earth and stone. Obstacles that had blocked them from the entrance collapsed an fallen back to its folding, allowing the shine of high voltage lamps to blind them once more.

As the dirt and ash rested to the ground, fellow archaeologists greeted them opposite to the grounded stone flooring, their eyes wide and awestruck when they saw the females safe and sound.

"What happened in there?!" Archie coughed, "one moment you're in my line of sight, next you are behind a bloody wall! I was about to have the men get the ladders about."

The three women stared at each other knowingly. This was going to be an interesting but tacit beginning.


"You're telling me there were no treasures to parceive in underground place?!"

"Tomb?" Archie asked unsure.

"No." Cecilia fiddled her fingers.

"Took a look m'self." Archie reinforced. "No treasure. Unless you count the amazing history."

"And the jewel?!"

"Paccini's experts checked on that." Cecilia explained wearily.

"Thing is more hollow than a dry coconut." The eldest archaeologist concurred.

"So... there's no value?"

"As a piece of jewelry," the younger archaeologist informed. "Not in the slightest, sir."

"Hawthorne! You are retirminated!"

"Consider yourself null!"


"Wooh… thanks, Archie!" Cecilia basked happily.

"Anytime, Lass." He winked. "We should head up to the university. Bet all your friends are waiting."

"I'm still not used to this place. It's bigger than Ritz and Taci's university! Let alone mine!" She marched towards the science laboratories after getting lost several times peering at the directory and asking a few students lurking around still in later hours.

Coming to the large doors where different halls divided to different labs, some with different machinery. 'This stuff looks like they're from Mars!'

With a few classes still in session, she searched through most windows until two sole occupants conversed in one room. She knocked happily to establish the fifteen minute wasted time coming to an end. They immediately perked to the knocking, smiling. Each approaching the door, Ritza stalled the younger gentleman. He immediately stalled before running to the side, returning with a lab coat, gloves and a set of goggles.

As they exited to the room prior to the exit, they allowed the archaeologist in. "Guys! We did it! Archie and I somehow managed to prove that Gregg's suspicions were wrong."

"That's great." Tacitus smiled.

"Perfect! I guess they're not taking it well." She stoked, "I bet Hawthorne is under heavy fire."

"Put these on, Ceci." He handed her the protective gear.

"He sure was." She spoke, putting on the lab attire.

"Good." Ritza pointed to the clothing. "I don't want anything not safe for work here."

"Are we thinking of the same thing?"

"Hmmm…?"

"Oh!" Tacitus broke.

"Let's do sciency things!" She wiggled the gloves, heading deeper into the lab. "Ritza, what did you find out?" Her friend entered the lab, viewing her fiance and friend in their white drooping lab coats.

The pen fiddled several times in her finger before peering upward. "This relic had more of a purpose of storing something in it like a bottle as you say…"

"Yep." She directed as if she were teaching a lesson. "There was one oddly hollow, holding some liquid inside. I had to use some special tools open it up without shattering the whole thing."

"Tests shows it was some sort of primitively concocted brew like a medicine or natural remedy." Tacitus assured.

"However, there seems to be a contaminant... it is unlike anything I have ever seen…" Ritza continued, "by biological standards, it's not alive. So it is not an organism. It is plausible of course, but this may be a form of bacteria maybe even an archaea though they mostly live in extreme conditions."

"Being trapped in a bottle for God knows how many years isn't extreme enough?" Cec' deadpanned.

"Nope. There have been restored bacteria that have been beyond thousands of years old held in either amber or simple sediment. There are still more tests to be done. Or it could be simply a bacteria from the human mouth or hands, simply being used as a bottle, it could have gotten in there." She pointed out with her pen. "What boggles me the most! Is! I must show you!"

The doctor led the archaeologist to a complex microscope. It was not like that of what she had seen in a regular lab. It was thicker, much larger and the objective lenses were much more sophisticated than she had ever seen. Removing her lenses, the doctor peered once more into ocular lenses, eyes gaining a great eye full of the specimen.

"It may take different magnification for you. Just use the adjustment on the side. Look at these cells." She instructed.

It had taken a scant rotation, but she managed to gain a focus of now visibly moving circular bodies floating in a medium.

"Aw they're so tiny!" Cecilia released her view. "You love tiny things."

"I do!" She let out with endearing excitement. "But these are dying cells. Watch carefully as I put a small sample of dilution with the unknown specimen."

Her friend lowered the stage of the tiny glass where the specimen was held. Removing the transparent glass, her friend reached for a smallish looking beaker. It just seemed to be regular water to her, but knowing with Tacitus and Ritza's experience it's probably some sort of dilution or chemical of what they always ramble about. The tiny dropper siphoned a miniscule amount into the funnel before squeezing barely a drop onto the glass where the tiny cells were. Walking to an immense microscope than the simple one on the bench. She placed the rectangle back underneath the silver clamps, rising the stage closer to the elongated lenses. Eye returning to the top binocular pieces, she turned. "Look at the cells now!"

Cecilia quickly shuffled back to the microscope, focusing the dial a few times before seeing the specimen. The unmoving dull larger cell was invaded by the tinier cell. Slowly the cell seemed to start moving again, the components inside this plasma were reacting.

Cecilia gasped. "They're! They're!"

"Exactly!" Ritza piqued.

"They're...! I don't know... i'm not good with this stuff…"

"..." Ritza stalled exasperated. "They're restoring the cell! In fact, they're viable...!"

"So would that be symbiosis or something?" The archaeologist asked confusedly.

"Symbiosis is when two organisms benefit from one another in harmony. In some technicality you are right. But I need to look a little further. This was a dilution of both the liquid and this specimen. Further tests need to be conducted to see if it is either the specimen or concoction that causes this reaction."

"It's alive! IT'S ALIVE!" The archaeologist guffawed. "And you said you wanted to fix the medical system. Here's a good start!"

"You may be right…"