AN: Hey I figured since I have free time at school and I'm on vacation why not type up the next chapter? So here it folks and the last of my original characters is introduced. On another note since I've been watching the series again and watching the interactions between the seishi, I've been thinking what if I decided to go back on what I said and bring Chiriko and Mitsukake into the story after all? If you like or don't like the idea please tell me. Well that's it for the notes, Enjoy!
Several hours later Satura stood on the balcony of her room. Too alert and restless to sleep she decided to do some stargazing and some thinking. She suddenly got the feeling that she was not alone in the room. Her hand strayed to her sword hilt and she spun around and faced her intruder.
Standing in front of her was a cloaked figure. "I've missed you these past six years, Dalnian." A warm voice said. Dalnian. Only one person called her that. "Cyliara?" She breathed. The figure threw her hood back to reveal a woman with dark brown, almost black hair and blue eyes in her late thirties. "Yes, it is I." "Why are you here?" the younger woman asked.
"Ever since my brother Olaki died you have not come to visit me." Cyliara replied. "Is that the reason why you're in my room?" No, I came because I want to give you some things, Olaki left in my care for you." The woman looked hard at the mage. "Satura he knew." "Knew what? That Minnera is my ancestor?" Cyliara laughed. "Gods no! He knew about that a long time ago. No, what I'm talking about Dalnian is that he knew you we're one of the Six." She explained. "He-He did? But how?"
"Olaki was a powerful mage, he knew many things. Shortly after he started to train you he went to a priest have his fortune read. The priest came back with a bag handed it to Olaki, told him not to open it and to give it to her. My brother figured he meant you." Cyliara explained. She took a deep shaky breath. "Olaki gave me the bag for safe keeping just before you left for your journeyman trip." The women looked at Satura, tears in her eyes.
"Cyliara I-" Satura started to say but was stopped by a raised hand. "Satura it is not your fault! Nor have I ever blamed you for his death! Olaki was following his oath. He was fulfilling his duties as a Master!" The older woman said. "What duties? As far as I know Olaki only had to shelter me and teach me. The Citadel provided clothes and the others things I needed." Satura said, confused.
"Those were only a few of his duties and the only ones that you were told of. But because of your rare abilities- The Life magic and The Wild magic- he also took an oath to protect you. All Masters take the oath to protect their charges, even if it means they have to lose their own lives to safeguard their students." Cyliara explained. She lifted a bag by her feet. "This is everything Olaki was given when he went to have his future read." Cyliara gave her the bag, and then slipped a larger, heavier one off her shoulder. "This is your inheritance, some of it anyways."
"Inheritance?" Satura asked, puzzled. Cyliara unbuckled one of the three belts she wore around her waist and tossed it to her. "There's a bit more of it." The mage looked down at the belt she was holding. "Hold on a moment! This belt is Olaki's!" "Yes and it goes to you as his heir." Cyliara explained. "HEIR?!" Satura cried in dismay. "Yes, Olaki named you his sole heir in his will." "B-but why?" "Satura sit down." The mage blindly sat down, too shocked to think straight. Cyliara came and sat beside her.
"Do you remember Amara?" she asked. "Of course, Amara was Olaki's wife and my surrogate mother." The mage replied. An image came to her then, unwanted of a garden of flowers…. They surrounded her from every angle. A woman kneels in front of her holding out a rose to her. The warmth of the sun was reflected in her gold-flecked brown eyes. A stray brown curl falls from her head, only adding to her beauty. A man comes upon the two females, smooth black hair pulled back from his face as he regards them with the same gold-flecked brown eyes his wife shares. "Satura!" a distant voice calls. "Satura!" she reaches for the rose… "Satura!" she feels herself shaking now. She closes her hand on the stem… The mage snapped out of the dream to meet the concerned eyes of Cyliara. "What happened Satura? You blacked out."
Satura shook her head trying to clear. "I was just remembering something about Olaki and Amara-" She stopped abruptly however when she noticed a change in the aura of the room. She looked at Cyliara who had stiffened and was looking around the room warily. The mage could feel something tugging at her, a quick look at her friend proved it was happening to her as well. "What?" Cyliara asked. "What's happening?" "Its not Merioso, no as a matter of fact the power is divine, it's Minnera." Satura said slowly. "The Queen of the Gods?" The older woman gasped.
No sooner were the words out of her mouth, then hugging sensation became a yank and the two women found themselves sprawled on a stone path. They sat up and looked around them. Pools of water with water lilies and brightly colored fish swimming beneath the surface surrounded them. Waterfalls twisted and tumbled over rocks into the ponds. Birds chirped overhead and brightly colored flowers bordered the ponds. It was a piece of perfection. "This must be the Divine Home."
"You are right, Satura." A rich female voice said. The women spun around to see Minnera standing there, a warm smile on her face. Cyliara stood there stunned for a moment, and then hastily made a deep bow. "It is a honor to be in your presence, Great Lady." She said a little shakily. Minnera gave a gently chuckle. "I thank you, but there is no need to be so formal. I brought you here because as the sister of Olaki you have a right to be here because this meeting concerns him." "My brother? What about him?" "Before I explain that there are other matters to clear up. As you know Olaki was murdered shortly after Satura gained journeymen status at eighteen. As you are well aware Cyliara but you aren't Satura, Olaki was the only one willing to train you." Minnera said.
"What?!!" Satura exclaimed, shocked. "Did they fear my life magic that much?" "That was only part of it, they feared your divine abilities even more despite the fact you refused to acknowledge them." The goddess explained. Satura opened and closed her mouth as if trying to say something, but she finally gave up and said, "So that brings us to why we're here?" "It does, but may I suggest you sit down? Some of the things I'm going to tell you are going to be a very large shock to you." Both women looked at each for a tense moment, but then took a sit across form the goddess on a large rock.
Minnera took a deep breath. "First off the most difficult thing I have to tell you is that Olaki is alive." The two women paled so quickly it looked as if someone had drained the blood from their faces. "Alive?" Satura whispered so softly that the word could barely be heard. "Yes, alive and living here preparing and studying for the day he was needed again." "Needed for what?" Cyliara asked. "Satura. Olaki may have been the only one willing to train, but he was also the only scholar who knew enough of the gods and their powers to help her." Minnera explained. "Sp when you and Olaki were attacked I saw my opportunity to bring him here for more training. And now that your powers are awakened and he completed his training he can go back." She finished.
Satura bowed her head. "So that's why I never found his body. I thought they had destroyed even that." She whispered. Cyliara put a comforting arm around her friend. "What happens after Olaki is through training Satura? Will he come back here or will he go to the realm of the dead?" She asked. "No not at all. Once he has finished training her he will remain in the mortal realm to live out his life and grow old." Minnera said. "Then I can drop him on Cyliara when he becomes feelble." Satura said trying to make a very weak attempt at a joke. "Humph well I can see you truly value all the years, I spent training you." A fairly deep baritone voice joked.
Cyliara paled and looked up. There standing beneath a tree was a figure with his black hair pulled back in a ponytail, gold-flecked brown eyes radiating mischief. One hand rested on a sword hilt while the other brushed off his gold trimmed black tunic and his tan breeches. "Olaki!" Cyliara screeched, jumping up and running to throw her arms around her brother. Olaki hugged his sister tightly, a sudden onrush of tears falling into her hair. "My sister... I've missed you so much." He whispered. "I missed you just as much." she whispered back. She hugged him tighter for a moment more, and then pulled back, her hands still gripping his forearms. "But there is someone who has needed and missed you more than I."
Cyliara glanced over her shoulder at Satura, a now sullen and still figure, head bent forward so her hair was obscuring her face. Olaki's face became sorrowful at the sight, his sister let go of him as he went and knelt down in front of the mage. He studied her a moment, before finally saying, "Ranika." Satura jerked as if she had been slapped, she finally looked up and saw the depth of affection that had been in his voice reflected in the look he was giving her. Satura's eyes welled-up with tears as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly as she sobbed like a small child into his tunic. It was a few minutes before she managed to calm down and when she finally regained enough control she pulled away wiping her eyes.
Olaki chuckled affectionately. "You always where a bit emotional, Ranika." Tears started to from again in the corner of her eyes and she buried her face in his tunic again. She started to mumble something he couldn't understand. "What are you saying?" He asked. She shifted her face a fraction so she could be heard. "I'm sorry," She said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. That-" Olaki silenced her with a hand over her mouth. "Too long, Ranika. Too long have you been carrying that burden of guilt. Ranika, it is not your fault, if Minerra had not taken me oat that time I still would have come out of the battle safely. You know I always had a collection of protection spells on me. If any of us should be apologizing, it should be me. I knew the group of Elkanavian soldiers was nearby, but I didn't think they would attack. When Minnera pulled me here I was frantic about your safety. I didn't know you had been captured until it was still late to send me back." Olaki's face was full sorrow and guilt.
"I too owe you an apology, I didn't know the raiders were Elkanavian until Olaki was here." Minnera's face was just as guilt ridden as Olaki's was. "You paid for my folly." She said. "And mine." Olaki added. "With three years." The mage said quietly. "Three years I spent in that prison camp." "What?!" Olaki and Minnera exclaimed. "A prison camp?" Olaki added. Satura nodded. "Di-Did you... get hurt in anyway?" he asked. "No thank the gods, not in the way you're implying, not that they didn't try." Satura replied. "I mostly starved, picked crawling things out of my hair and did manual labor, all while existing on very little food." "Ranika, I'm so sorry." Olaki pulled her into another hug. "Olaki I'm fine. I've learned to deal with it. Granted there are still some things I'm trying to work through, but overall I'm fine." The mage said. She looked up to find Minnera looking at her a little sadly. "What is it?" "It is time you three went back." The goddess said. She turned to Olaki. "You take care of her Olaki Tereven! And may your life be long and happy!"
The mist began gathering around the three. "My blessings and wishes for a happy life go with you Cyliara. Satura, my daughter, good luck on your quest and do not fail many lives depend on your success! But take my wishes for love and happiness with you." Minnera's voice faded and them mist consumed them. When it started to fade they found themselves in Satura's bedroom at the inn. "Looks like you have quite a story to tell, Satura." A familiar voice said. Satura turned to see Keldar lounging on her bed. "Uh, well you see Keldar..." Satura began.
After spending two hours explaining the situation to Keldar, Satura felt ready for a ten hour nap and ready to drink a trough full of water. He throat was almost completely dry. "Hmm, so your Satura's old teacher and you've been alive all this time?" Keldar asked. Olaki nodded. The druid shrugged. "Well then, welcome aboard this crazy quest of ours." She turned to Cyliara. "Will you be joining us?" She asked. "No, I'm afraid not. I need to be getting back to my home." Cyliara looked at her brother. "Be safe and take care of Satura. And by the Gods you had better defeat Merioso!" She gave her brother a long hug then threw her arms around Satura.
"Take care of each other and come back safe, you're the closest thing to a daughter of my own I'll ever have." Satura hugged Cyliara then let go of her. The older woman gave her a mischievous smile. "And tell that De Roncor brat to take care of you or I'll have his head on a platter! And I'd better be invited to the wedding when he finally gets around to proposing!" Cyliara gave a last wave and disappeared in a flash of magic. "WEDDING INVITATION?!!" Olaki roared. "SATURA MEL'SI YOU BETTER START EXPLAINING!!" Satura winced. We haven't even been reunited for five hours and all ready he's starting in on me. Keldar gave her friend a sympathetic look. Looks like Olaki takes the role of surrogate father a little too seriously. The druid thought ruefully.