Chapter 2: Mysidia
Surrounded by beaches on three sides, beautiful weather year round, and thriving with the sparks and sounds of magic, Mysidia is the best location for tourists. A magic show here, another there; lots of games and lots of fun; one will always find the city bustling with business and spectacles.
Since the war with Zeromus, Mysidia needed to create an identity for itself, and with the tremendous amount of damage the city had taken during the war, now was the perfect time to do so. Turning Mysidia into a tourist's paradise was the best choice, as the increased revenue that comes in helps to pay off the workers who rebuilt the town, then towards expansion, increasing security, and other miscellaneous tidbits.
A great part of that security could be found to the east of Mysidia, about a mile away. There lies the Mysidian outpost, a military base like those found in and around Baron. King Cecil had suggested that military outposts be posted at every major town and kingdom, and many of those leaders agreed it would be in their best interests.
For Mysidia security was a must. Being a tourist city, Mysidia lends itself to a lot of pickpockets and thieves. With the increase in gambling throughout the city, security needed to be tightened even more. At least twenty sentries roam the city and its perimeter at all times. The outpost towards the east serves partly as a prison for those who are caught in wrong doings. The rest of the facility houses around sixty soldiers and five airships. Ten more airships are being built, and more soldiers are being trained everyday. Having all this security is a small price to pay to live in or visit one of the more luxurious cities in the world.
Now, through all the crowds and distractions, the noise and the chatter, a young man sits attentively by the great water fountain in the city square.
"Where could she be? I've been waiting for a while now," Palom looks towards the western horizon; the sun beginning its descent as the evening rises. "Maybe she's still picking out what to where tonight." Palom's mind wanders in thought as to what spectacular looking dress Lyrca might wear. With her looks, her body, oh my, Palom thinks to himself.
It's been almost a year that Palom and Lyrca have been seeing each other. They met under very normal circumstances considering the type of life that Palom leads--being a student of magic under the watchful eye of the Elder, and living his life as one of the heroes of the war; those are things not everyone can put on their resume.
Lyrca on the other hand is a normal, beautiful young lady. She has a normal family, and leads a normal life. She graduated at the top of her class, never touched a sword in her life, and she didn't know a thing about magic. Fighting is something that Lyrca abhors, and she's always quick to strike down any violent notions anyone has, citing that violence doesn't solve anything.
Normal.
Had she not met Palom, Lyrca's life would have continued to be as such. Yet once she and Palom connected, she started to get interested in things like magic and sorcery. Hearing his stories intrigued her, mystified her; it also helps that Palom is very good at telling stories, and at stretching the truth a little.
So Lyrca took it upon herself to learn a little magic--reading books that Palom gave her and practicing late at night. It took her a good month to learn how to quickly grow a flower in a span of three seconds--a white magic spell with no use whatsoever, as Palom put it. But those are the kinds of spells that Lyrca prefers doing--levitating small objects, making herself invisible--nothing to do with violence. Lyrca would get very excited when a particular spell she's been practicing finally works, and she would immediately show Palom, who would clap and give his approval; all the while wondering what use these spells would be in battle.
Palom is a magician of the black arts--half of the twin magic that he and his sister Porom share, with she being the white half. Being that black magic mainly deals with offense; that, coupled with Palom's take no prisoners, I'm the best attitude; Palom just can't grasp the thought of magic being used for 'silly' things like growing plants, or talking to animals.
That was all just part of Lyrca's sweetness though. Her long, brownish hair always dressed in a pony tail that stops just below her waist; her soft, yet mesmerizing eyes in a glorious shade of darkened blue; those lips, pursed into a smile that could melt the fiercest of hearts; so sweet and delicate, charming and lively; altogether makes the one person in Palom's life, the right one.
"She's got a great looking chest too," Palom whispers to himself. "It's gotta be at least thirty-two inches."
"What's gotta be thirty-two inches?" asks the unmistakable voice.
Palom turns to look at Lyrca, her eyes perplexed in curiosity, wondering what in the world could he be mumbling about now?
"Um...uh...the blade of my new sword. Specially made...yeah." Palom tries to crease a smile through this lie without much success.
"Is thirty-two inches long enough for a blade?" She asks with no trace of suspicion on her face. As sweet and beautiful as she is, Lyrca also lends herself to a certain amount of blindness; a mind reader she is not. Yet more than that, she is loosely naive about certain things--the thoughts of men being one of them.
"Well it's still in the process of planning of course," Palom's mind races furiously, his words explained through lack of breath and stuttering. "But the dimensions are well to my liking." Palom bites his lip after this last remark.
"I see." Lyrca says.
No sarcasm, no suspicion, I'm in the clear, Palom thinks to himself.
"You must be starving. Why don't we head on over to the restaurant." He suggests, to which she agrees with a nod and a beautiful smile.
As they walk side by side down the main street, Palom glances over at Lyrca, taking in her beauty and radiance. The red skirt that's cut just above her knees is adorned with white lace, and a single flower is stitched into the bottom right corner. A purple ribbon tied to the center of her belt reflects her favorite color. Of course if you asked Palom about what kind of skirt she wore this evening, he wouldn't even be able to remember the color as his eyes were quickly fixed on her blouse--a white, silky top fixed into a glorious V-shape that accentuated her bosom. That's some mighty deep cleavage, Palom muses silently.
Lyrca quickly turns to face Palom, to which Palom's eyes dart upwards to meet hers.
"What are you thinking?" She asks.
"Just thinking how beautiful you are."
Palom holds her hand within his, and as they stroll towards Mysidia's Fine Dining Restaurant, Palom steals just one more glance at her soft, white bosom.
Interlude
"Queen Rydia Geraldine has arrived my liege." Cecil's high servant exits the dining room after making his announcement.
A few seconds after the servant leaves, the Queen of Eblana enters the room. Her eminence is one of great royalty and beauty. Her long, flowing green hair is neatly dressed; pulled back into a ponytail, and fastened by a gold hairpin. Her dress, matching the glorious color of her hair, fits like a mold to her body as it shimmers in the sunlight from the many windows in the dining room. The strings of pearls that hang at her waist act as a belt, holding various pouches of magic dust and little trinkets. She bows before Baron's royal family, and as she rises, her soft brown eyes meet to greet her hosts.
"Hi Aunt Rydia!" Puvol waves emphatically at the Queen, to which Rydia is quick to wave back.
"Hello Puvol. And how is the Harvey family doing today?" Rydia smiles at her long time friends Cecil and Rosa.
"Couldn't be better," Cecil gestures to the seat next to Puvol. "Why don't you have a seat next to your star pupil? We have some leftovers from our recent meal. I could have the chef warm them up for you."
"Oh, no thank you," Rydia takes her seat next to the youngest Harvey member. "I think this little one is anxious to get to the next lesson, aren't you Puvol?"
"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Puvol nods with great enthusiasm, his hands tapping the arms of his chair in excitement. "I've got my lightning spell down pretty good."
You can say that again, Sylia thinks to herself.
"Oh, by the way," Cecil interrupts. "I almost forgot to wish you a happy birthday."
"That's right. You celebrated your thirty-fourth a few days ago didn't you?" Rosa adds.
"Well technically it's thirty-four," Rydia replies. "But in actuality it's supposed to be twenty-five. If it wasn't for my stay in the Land of Monsters that is."
Seventeen years ago, Rydia was a budding little eight year old who lived in the Town of Mist, the home of a race known as 'The Callers.' She was very playful, very emotional, and very gifted. Rydia's race has the ability to summon powerful beings to aid them in times of need. Unfortunately, a terrible invasion destroyed Rydia's town and most of its people. This invasion came in the form of a black, wooden box that exploded into numerous creatures that torched the entire town. Two young soldiers brought that box to the Town of Mist from Baron--Kain and Cecil. It is a day that Rydia will never forget, for on that fateful day she lost everything, including her mother. That was also partly and unintentionally Cecil's doing, which he will never be able to live down. Rydia has fully forgiven Cecil for everything that happened on that fateful day, knowing that Cecil was tricked into delivering that box, by an evil king.
Cecil eventually took Rydia into his care, and they started a journey together. But along the way, their paths were divided, and Rydia ended up in the Land of Monsters; supposedly a place no human had ever been to until she arrived. Rydia befriended the land's king and queen—Leviathan and Asura—and all the creatures that lived there.
That's where the incredible happened. For reasons unknown, inn the Land of Monsters, time is sped up rapidly, and within the few months that she resided there, Rydia aged a little more than nine years. It was an unbelievable transformation that took Rydia some getting used to. But as she aged at this alarming rate, she also spent much of her time honing her magic skills. She became as much of a magician in the black arts as she was a caller. King Leviathan and Queen Asura taught Rydia everything they knew and have promised to come to Rydia's aid whenever 'called.'
Thus is the woman who lives her life today—Rydia Geraldine, the Queen of Eblana, and the wife of another Zeromus crusader—Edward "Edge" Geraldine.
"How is your husband these days?" Asks Rosa.
"Edge is the same old Edge, always moving about and giving orders, trying to impress everyone," Rydia replies. "I've noticed over the years though, that his heart has grown tremendously; always helping out the homeless people who walk around town and such. I guess after we rebuilt the city, basically from scratch, and fixed up the castle, Edge realized how much it all meant to him.
"He was never quite the same after his parents died, though I think he tries to hide it with that flashy attitude of his. Being the successor to the throne lends itself to some emotional distress I guess, but he keeps himself very busy, especially with all the airships being built there."
"Speaking of which," Cecil interrupts. "How is our good friend, Mr. Cid Pollendina doing?"
"You know, for someone who's supposed to be in his late fifties, he sure works like a person in his twenties," Rydia comments. "I've never seen an old man move so fast. Though I guess I shouldn't be saying such things, after all fifty isn't really that old."
"I should say," Cecil says with a smile. "We're going to hit the big five-oh eventually aren't we my dear?"
"You, maybe, but not me." Rosa quips back.
A hearty laugh is shared throughout the dining hall between the long time friends, leaving the three Harvey children to wonder what was so funny.
End of Interlude
The sun sets on the town of Mysidia, lighting the sky up with numerous shades of red, yellow, orange, and blue. If there were a symphony playing triumphant music in the town, it would have made the moment complete.
As the last rays of sun seep under the horizon, all the lights of Mysidia burst into life, giving way to the nights activities. The casinos are loud in their monetary speech—ka-ching
ka-ching. The crowds, with oohs and aahs as they watch the various shows in the theater and coliseum, bustle with excitement. The residential area though is fairly silent, except for the few cruise ships passing by along the beach.
It's here, on this beach, where a young woman stands silent and alone. Her brown, shoulder-length hair sways with the Mysidian wind. Her soft, dark brown eyes peer over the seemingly endless ocean; the water stopping just inches away from her feet, which are tucked in a pair of black, leather sandals. Her green tunic flows with every breath, her white, knee-length skirt ripples with every gust of wind. With her hands cupped behind her back, she lets out a deep sigh—a sigh of loneliness, a sigh of want and need, of help and hurt. A sparkling tear falls down her pale cheek, followed by a single sniffle.
"Oh Porom, what are you crying about now?" She whispers to herself.
She starts to fiddle with the pearl necklace dangling from her neck. The gold bracelet around her right arm clangs with the silver bracelet next to it; her name engraved on both of them.
"Same old story, same old life," Porom says in a monotone voice. "What am I still doing here? Why am I still living such a life that seems so wasted and dull? Same old life, same old questions."
Porom looks upward towards the heavens, searching for the answers, searching for the meanings. So many clouds in the sky tonight, she thinks to herself.
"Can't see the moon, can't see the stars. I guess I can't make my wishes tonight."
Porom starts walking across the deserted beach, thinking of things that could make her life better, happier. If she looked at the clouds a little while more, she would have caught a glimpse of the many shadows darting through them—westwards, towards the Kingdom of Baron.