Truth
"Claire! Claire, wake up!"
"Ugh…what happened?" The older woman sat up, brushing off Shana's hands from her shoulders. "We were on the deck, weren't we? And you were singing and I was writing… What happened?"
"The Queen Fury crashed into this ship! We were the only ones on deck and we somehow ended up here. I woke up and you were unconscious… Claire, what is this ship? I feel…so strange. As if I know it…"
Claire looked around. Despite the rotting wood and peeling paint and torn sails, it was impossible to miss the royal insignia carved everywhere. An insignia that she knew and had run away from.
"We are on a Mille Seseau ship! The St. Louvia!" Claire cried. "This is the same ship that the last Moon Child was killed on. Neet was destroyed for this ship!"
"Claire?"
"This damn ship! Louvia passed through Neet and came onto this exact ship. The Black Monster followed her path, destroying all of Neet to find out where the ship was!" Claire took a fistful of hair and tugged on it, swallowing her sobs.
Shana sat beside her, her eyes darting back and forth. "Maybe we should go back to the Queen Fury, Claire. There's a strange feeling around this ship. After all, how could a ghost ship keep on sailing with nobody to steer it and take care of it? Something's wrong—Claire!"
At Shana's scream, she looked up and saw the monsters.
Skeletal, with long bleached bones, clad in rags, with claws and sword. Coming toward them. Shana's bow was lost; she had no way to fight.
"Oh gods!" Claire leapt in front of Shana, holding her, as if that could protect her. She had lost her gloves, and it would hurt much more significantly if she fought the ghosts without them but she was ready to die if she could protect Shana. "Monsters, leave us alone! We've done nothing to your ship!"
Shana burst free of Claire's grip, tossed her head back and screamed. Strategically, not completely full of fear.
It was a good scream, full of raw power. It signaled to Dart and the others where they were and it brought knights to their rescue.
The knights were ghosts too, but they chased away the skeleton monsters, leaving the two women shaken and confused.
"Shana! Mom!"
The footsteps of the battle party echoed around the empty rotting ship as Dart and the others arrived. "Are you two all right? What happened? How did you end up here?"
"When the ship crashed, we ended up here." Shana said. "There were ghosts here, skeletons that wanted to attack us. But…then other ghosts came to our rescue. Knight ghosts. They chased the monsters away and then you guys appeared. There's something wrong with this ship, Dart."
Dart nodded to her, stepping over to his mother. Claire was staring far away, and her body swayed in the slight wind, trance-like. "Mom? Mom, what's wrong? Mom! Shana, what happened to her?"
"I don't know. She was fine just a moment ago."
"Mom!" Dart shook her.
Claire opened her dry lips to speak. "This ship…from Mille Seseau. Princess Louvia was here…and the Black Monster. Neet…was destroyed because of this ship… There's so much dark power around here…unfulfilled spirits lingering in our world…alone and angry."
"Mom? Does anyone know what she's talking about?"
"I think I do. I can feel the power too. This ship… Dart, we have to search the ship!" She clasped her hands together. "Please, Dart! I know…that I'm going to find something…important to me… Please, Dart!"
"All right. But we stay together. And Grandfather, keep an eye on Mom, would you? She's a bit zoned out. Soa knows what happened."
Shana took the lead, running through the corridors, opening doors and searching rooms like an anxious child, but excited. Claire followed as if in a daze, Dart and Haschel guiding her.
When they stepped into the captain's room however, Claire started screaming.
"Help us!""The bastard…oh Soa, help us…so much killing!"
"We have to save the princess!"
"I don't want to die!"
"Help me…"
"He's killing us all!"
"Oh, the princess, and her nanny! They're both dead!"
"Because we failed, we cannot die completely. Help us…""Mom! Mom, wake up! Mom!" Dart was shaking her again when she snapped fully back into consciousness. The room focused slowly and Claire nearly sank to her knees.
"Oh gods, all the voices…" She wailed. "Didn't you hear them?"
"No. You just started screaming and you wouldn't stop. Claire, what happened?" Haschel asked.
"I heard them too." Shana said, deathly pale. "Voices…of people who had died on this ship."
"We have to get out of here. It's too dangerous to stay there. Mom's nearly going crazy and Shana's hearing voices. We need to get them to a doctor." Dart took his childhood friend's arm and gestured for Kongol to lead Claire out, as the Giganto was larger and stronger and could protect her from any attacking monsters.
"The Black Monster killed us." The single lonely voice caused them all to turn around and stare at the captain's chair, which, just a second ago, was empty.
"Oh jeez!" Dart stumbled back in surprise, knocking over Albert.
"I told you." Claire whispered. Kongol had made a cradle with his tree-like arms for her to sit in, and she lifted her head to look at Dart with a slightly smug expression on her face. "Never doubt your mother, kiddo."
"The Black Monster killed us. He was too powerful. It was…blinding, terrible. In the cabin one second, on deck the next. Everywhere…he killed everyone. The baby princess, the nanny, everyone…me. I can't die until everything is finished. The knights suffer the worst. Please free them. Help me!"
The ghost screamed as it disappeared, his outline torn and working inward until there was only a wail echoing around the walls.
"The Black Monster!" Dart's howl was no less pain-filled than the ghost's were. "Why does that bastard have to kill everyone? Why does he have to do this?"
"Obligation, my dear, you will never understand."Claire snapped her head up from where she had been looking at the floor lifelessly. Another voice? The voice had the same age-old distant echoing form that the other voices had, and also discontent and powerful, and weary. But this voice wasn't just calling out to whoever could hear and help. This voice seemed to be…
"Why does he kill everyone? Does death and pain satisfy him?"
"Shut up. I don't do this for fun."Answering Dart's questions…?
Claire shifted and looked around. Was the spirit of the Black Monster here? How was he answering back?
Allowing Kongol to carry her and her father to murmur words of comfort—words he had never said when she was younger—she watched as they entered a different room, more lavishly furnished, with a beautiful carpet that was only partly faded.
"Are you finished wandering around, Shana? Can we go back now?" Rose said impatiently. "We have to get to Mille Seseau to protect that last Divine Moon Object."
"Princess!" An old woman with a veil over her head coalesced in front of Shana, gaping. "You are alive…thank the gods. My death was not in vain, then." She touched Shana's cheek with her cold fingers, making the Seles girl flinch but not back away. "Oh gods…you are safe. I can now go to where I belong." She disappeared as quickly as she had come.
"Wait!" Shana yelled, stamping her foot. "What connection do I have with this person? Why did you call me Princess?"
Rose was frowning again, staring at the spot where the old woman had appeared.
"Black Monster!" A voice wailed. A liquid shape gathered on the carpet and formed into a knight with a golden helmet. "How dare you come back here?"
He drew his sword, moved forward. Dart leapt out of the way, and Rose, behind him, drew her own sword and parried the knight's. Her eyes flared and she dragged the blade along the knight's side, then lifted her right leg and pushed him away from her. "The Black Monster does not appear for another ninety years." She told him coldly. There was something odd about her gaze. "You are a lonely spirit. You should go back to where you belong."
Her voice was cold, dark…
Claire furrowed her brow in deep thought, staring hard at the woman that looked so much like her.
"I've been alive eleven thousand years, Claire." The Black Monster had been around long enough to be a legend passed down through several generations.
"Obligations, my dear, you will never understand." Rose was always talking about her obligations and the responsibilities that she had to fulfill. Her eyes were always filled with that ancient knowledge and dark power, of terrible secrets."The Black Monster killed us. He was too powerful. It was blinding…terrible. He killed everyone." Rose was most likely one of the most powerful people on Endiness, training for so many years. And…every time she killed, she had that flare of power in her eyes, like bloodlust and a thrill for battle.
And Rose knew so much about the Black Monster, something that she was holding back.Sitting uneasily there in the cabin, looking at Rose's lifted chin and drawn sword, Claire understood.
"You!" She shrieked, causing Rose to look at her in surprise. Writhing and twisting until she fell out of Kongol's arms, she landed painfully on her hip on the cabin floor, but she leapt to her feet. "You, you're the…"
Clapping a hand over her mouth, she ran out and leaned over the deck railing, vomiting.
"Claire!" Haschel and Albert ran out after her. "Claire, what happened?"
The world became hazy; she was lulling into unconsciousness again. No, she had to stay awake! To confront the woman—the monster—that had murdered her husband and destroyed her town and sanity!
She was halfway to the cabin when the ship began to shake. She lost her footing, falling hard on her backside.
"The ship's sinking!" Albert yelled. "Everyone, we have to get back!"
Haschel took Claire's arm, dragged her to her feet and she stumbled after him as he leapt the makeshift walkway between the ships. The phantom ship, the St. Louvia, was sinking, the hull cracking and falling apart. The ship was being lost.
Shaking her head to clear the darkness threatening to overtake her, she saw Shana fairly fly over the walkway and land next to her, arms careening wildly to keep her balance. Albert was next, pushing Meru ahead of him. Kongol followed, lumbering across the walkway.
Claire sagged to the ground, her father holding her arms to keep her supported. Rose and Dart were the last ones, crossing the walkway, the woman jumping first.
Dart jumped too, but the position of his limbs and his posture told Claire that he wasn't going to make it. The hull had completely broken now, and the only thing that kept Dart from falling into the violent water was Rose. She had lain flat on her stomach and reached both hands to grab her friend.
Don't touch him! Let him go! Claire wanted to scream, but that wouldn't be wise, especially since Rose's grip was the only thing that kept her son alive.
"Dart!" She cried. Please!
"Rose, let go!" Dart yelled. "Let me go! You can't hold my weight! Save yourself!"
No, Dart, she doesn't deserve to live! She's the monster that killed your father! Don't be so kind to her! She doesn't deserve it!"Rose, you're going to fall! Let go!"
Rose's eyes were huge and frightened. "No, I won't ever let it happen again!"
"What are you talking about? Let go! We're both going to die if you don't let go!"
"I won't let go! I'm not losing you the same way I lost him!"
Claire finally managed to get her body in motion, to grab onto Rose's legs, pull them both in… but by then it was too late. The makeshift walkway cracked from the railing of the ship and plunged into the sea.
"Dart!" Shana screamed.
"No!" Claire climbed onto what was left of the railing and jumped.
"Claire, what are you doing?!"
She was already in motion, tucking her head in, straightening her legs, stretching her arms so that when she hit the water she barely made a splash.
Cold!She had swum in waters for twenty years of her life, growing up in the seaside village of Rouge. And even in Seles, she had sneaked out at times to swim because she simply loved the water. She could probably swim better than Rose could, and definitely better than Dart could, but she couldn't fight the current that swept her further downstream.
When it slowed, she forced herself to the surface. The current must have brought her far away from the Queen Fury because it was nowhere in sight. She took a deep breath of precious air before diving back in, keeping her eyes open.
Ignoring the mass movements of the fish that she scared away, there was only one thing moving. She swam toward it, watching as dark shadows because Rose and Dart. Her son was unconscious, sinking fast, and Rose was struggling to bring his weight to the surface.
Claire swam over to them, ignoring Rose and grabbing Dart's other arm. With the two of them, they managed to drag Dart to the surface and kept kicking until they reached a small beach. Claire ignored Rose, intent on keeping her son alive, until they crawled onto the sand, dragging Dart above the tides.
Claire gasped for breath, on her hands and knees, pulling a long piece of seaweed off her face. Rose was on Dart's other side, coughing, her long dark hair in her face as she threw up seawater.
Too tired, Claire slumped against the beach, wet sand pressing into her cheek and scratching her skin roughly. She felt hands on her shoulders, trying to help her into a sitting position.
"Get off me!" She yelled, rolling over onto her hands and knees, glaring.
Rose was surprised, her hands still outstretched. "I see." She finally said, stumbling to her feet and with effort, over to Dart's side, checking for a pulse. "He's still breathing."
"Get away from him!" Claire commanded, crawling over to them.
"Claire, he's going to get—"
"Get away from my son!"Rose paused, silent, but she began to turn back to Dart.
Claire slapped her.
Without her strength-enhancing gloves, and in her current condition, it wasn't as powerful as she would have liked it to be, but it was enough to make Rose fall on her side in the sand, a hand held to her cheek. She muffled her coughs as she watched Claire drag Dart up the sand toward a small cave in the distance.
"I wish you would let me help you." Rose said quietly, standing a few meters from where Claire had fallen for the third time.
"I don't need your help!" Claire snapped. Determined not to accept the monster's devious offer, she managed to tow her son into the cave, against the far wall. It was a small cave, just a dent in the cliff face.
Rose stood at the cave mouth and when Claire didn't glare at her, she entered, sitting on the opposite wall, dropping the firewood that she had gathered into the space between them.
When she reached for Dart, Claire stiffened and formed her hands into fists.
"I'm just going to make a fire. I won't hurt him or you."
"You already have." The human woman muttered, but allowed Rose to grip Dart's Dragoon Spirit long enough to cast a fire spell onto the wood, spreading immediate warmth.
It was a long silence as Claire checked her son for injuries and made sure that he was fine from time to time. There was no conversation to break the normal night sounds.
"Claire…" Rose started to say.
"I don't want to hear anything from you."
"Claire—"
"Shut up!"
"Dammit, do you want to know the truth or not?" Rose yelled, on her feet.
Claire, sitting down, glaring at her, showed no fear. "What's the point? I already know why."
Rose returned her glare until Claire finally nodded. "Fine." She said, with no apology in her tone.
The Dragoon sat down, held her pendant in her hand. "I'm going to start at the beginning. You're going to hear things you don't like, but don't interrupt me."
Claire nodded.
"You must have noticed how much we resemble each other. Physically, I mean. There's no denying it. It's not a coincidence that you found Zieg as your husband. He was mine for a while." Rose held up her hand, silenced Claire's automatic vehemence but not the hate-filled glare. "Eleven thousand years ago, Claire. That's right. Zieg was an Original. He was the Fire Dragoon, the leader of us all, and my fiancé. I loved him. I still do. He saved me when I was a human slave to the Winglies. He gave me my Dragoon Spirit.
"I don't understand how you ended up with him. He died in the Dragon Campaign. He fought Melbu Frahma one on one and both of them died on each other's swords. He should be dead. I remember it very clearly. I was the only Dragoon survivor of the Dragon Campaign.
"From then, I wandered the world. I found a Wingly civilization called Ulara, Winglies that hadn't fought in the Campaign and were allowed not to because they were led by Melbu Frahma's peace-loving older sister, Charle Frahma. Charle became my friend and told me that I had to become the Black Monster in order to save the world.
"Yes, save the world," Rose repeated, her voice a hiss. "Not destroy it! Remember when I told you I was a nobody? This was my transition! I have become the Black Monster, the savior of the world, and nobody knows."
"You're mad." Claire finally said.
"Perhaps. But I know what I'm doing. I am sure you know of the prophecy of the Moon Child. 'After counting one hundred and eight years, when the Moon that never sets glows red, a Moon Child shall descend upon the world to give holy bliss.' This is the prophecy that everyone knows. They all anxiously await their Moon Child to come and deliver them. What they don't know is that Soa has a wicked sense of humor. They don't know that this will mean certain death for everyone."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember the Kromerelt?" Rose asked.
Claire nodded. This was no longer an argument. "Nine years ago, they were a clan, a cult, that wanted to destroy the world because they thought that it would make it…a better place." The meaning finally dawned, and her face went from angry but slightly curious into direct fear and shock. "Oh Soa!"
"Beseech not your god, for he means to destroy you." In any other circumstance, Rose would have grinned fiercely. But she was completely serious now. "The Winglies in Ulara understood the prophecy that the humans did not. They selected me to become the Black Monster, to save the world every one hundred and eight years. I was to kill the Moon Child before she came to power, and to kill anyone who had seen her, or else they would become mindless slaves to the god-king."
"Oh my…" Rose was right. She could no longer say 'gods' or 'Soa' without knowing this awful truth. Claire focused on breathing, on not passing out.
"In a way, there's a strange justice in what the gods want. This world is terrible. People have forgotten honor and trust."
Only a few minutes ago Claire would have snapped that Rose was doing the same thing, forgetting her honor by killing innocent people and violating trust by keeping this secret. But now, she understood why Rose had done it. Quietly she said, "If you want what the gods want, why do you stand against them?"
"Wait. I did not say that I wanted what they wanted. I said I understood what they wanted."
"Why do you fight against them? Why do you continue being…the Black Monster?"
"Why?" Rose seemed confused by her question. "Because if I don't, the world falls apart. Everyone dies. It's the right thing to do by helping. My own honor is a small sacrifice for the lives of so many. My friends sacrificed their own lives to help make future human lives better and all humans have done is forget them. I have sacrificed my honor to help them, and they only hate me and shun me. But I know that I am helping them, and that is enough for me."
Claire nodded. "Oh." She paused, staring at her hands, at the fire, at Dart, at anything but Rose. "But…how does Zieg fit into this? And Neet?"
"I've told you, I don't understand what Zieg's part in this is. When I first saw Dart, I thought he was Zieg. Honestly, that was why I saved him from the Dragon. I don't understand how Zieg was able to live and stay alive for eleven thousand and end up marrying you and having a child, if he didn't have an immortality choker like mine." Rose paused. "But I can tell you about Neet. It was nothing personal; it never is. But Princess Louvia stayed in Neet for a week before fleeing to the sea. I needed to kill everyone in Neet before they became mindless slaves."
"But Dart and I survived, and we are not slaves."
"Did either of you see the Moon Child?"
"Louvia was only in Neet for two days, for her caravan to rest and gather supplies. Dart was a child, and off playing sword with one of his friends. I made him come with me. When else would he get a chance to see a princess? He glanced at her for a few seconds and then ran off. But…I saw Louvia. I looked at her for a long time."
Claire half-expected Rose to draw her sword and slay her where she sat. She wondered if she would defend herself if that happened.
But instead Rose only said, "I thought as much. But…you're different. You've a powerful and sensitive mind for a human. Perhaps you were able to resist the unconscious command."
"I guess so." Claire put a hand over her eyes. Lies, of course. Why should she believe the words of a monster that had killed her husband?
But…
Rose had gone out of her way to help Claire even before she knew of their connection. She had seemed honestly and openly concerned and worried for Claire when Lloyd had cut open her arm. And hadn't Rose practically begged to have a friend? And besides, there was that age-old look, the unfathomable look, in her eyes again.
"I just have one question."
"Only one?"
"If you loved Zieg as much as you say so, why did you kill him?"
Rose made a sound like a strangled kitten. "I tried." She looked at Dart, spoke while staring at him. "Dart and Zieg, they are so much alike. Not only are they Dragoons recognized by the Fire Dragon, but there is something else, something that draws me… After eleven thousand years of time, I can now feel the strength and tenderness in Dart, and even, at times, his frailty." She looked up at Claire now. "He tames the insanity of the Dragoon for me. I owe him that. He is much like Zieg. Zieg…if only my hands could grab him, I—we—wouldn't have this bitterness." There was sadness within her eyes and tone. "He was pulled from me, turned to stone and floated away. That is how he died."
Claire was confused until she realized what Rose was rambling about. "I did not mean in the Dragon Campaign. I meant that night in Neet."
"Oh. Then." Rose looked uncomfortable, holding her Dragoon Spirit. "When I become…the Black Monster, it is like…it is like I lose my mind. I spoke of taming the insanity but every one hundred and eight years I release the insanity. I become another being, another entity. What happens then…I cannot control. I often do not even remember."
"Oh."
Silence.
Finally, Claire took a deep breath. "If all of what you say is true—and I think that it is—then I've no reason to hate you. What you did, you did for the best of the world. Zieg was a mere inconvenience, correct? I hate the Black Monster for killing him and destroying my town and giving me all these years of grief, but I forgive Rose for not being able to stop it, and I appreciate the fact that she tells me the truth." She held out her hand. "If you still wish it, my friendship is still offered."
Rose clasped her hand almost immediately. "Thank you." She said fiercely. "But…will you tell the others of this?"
"They will figure it out sooner or later, trust me, with or without my help. Dart…I have to tell him as soon as he wakes up. He has to know that the Black Monster he has pursued for years is fighting alongside him and…that he cannot kill her. Oh yeah, and I'm sorry for slapping you."
She withdrew her hand, slid out the Moon Dagger to look at it. Rose flinched.
"I said that I would remain your friend. Friends do not injure one another intentionally. I promise that I will not take my revenge upon you. Do you doubt my word?"
"No."
The Moon Dagger caught the light, twisting it into dancing shapes. Claire sighed, putting it back.
Silence reigned again for a while before Dart broke it with a groan as he awakened.
"What happened?"
Rose remained wordless, staring at a little hole in the wall of the cave, so Claire spoke, telling Dart about how the Phantom Ship had sunk and they had dragged him here. They would set off the next morning to regroup with the others. Finally, she brought up the topic.
"Dart, you left for five years to pursue the Black Monster. Your search is over."
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Dart…how am I supposed to tell you this? The legends always referred to the Black Monster as a male figure. Always 'he' or 'him'. Or 'bastard'." She cast an apologetic look at Rose, who had turned to face them. "But they were wrong. It's a 'she'."
Dart held a hand to his forehead. "I think I've hit my head too hard because I don't understand a single word of what you are saying."
Obviously annoyed at Dart's lack of intuition, Rose sighed and sat forward, extending her hand to Dart. "Hello, my name is Rose. I am the Black Monster."
Dart recoiled at her words, cringing against the wall. "Mom?"
"It's true."
He was quiet, murmuring in the appropriate and expected denial. "This has to be a hallucination. I fell off the ship and I'm probably drowning in my real body right now and this is just what my mind is making up."
He exploded into moving anger quicker than Claire had anticipated. Lunging off the wall, he tackled Rose out of the cave and onto the beach again, screaming.
"You! How could you have done this! We trusted you with our lives and with our friendship!" He had grabbed her around the neck, slamming her head face-first into the sand. Rose was struggling, but not with as much energy as one would expect. "You spoke of obligations and honor but you have denied both by killing so many people! You have given my mother grief and tears every single day for eighteen years! We trusted you!"
Claire wasn't sure what to do as he dragged the other woman to the water in a murderous rage, pushing her face under. Most of her was screaming at her to order him to stop. But a tiny part of her was pleased. Someone was hurting the Black Monster after so many other lives had been hurt. Revenge for Zieg. For her town. For her.
Dart continued yelling, about how they had trusted her with everything but she never said a word and just continued on like nothing had ever happened.
Rose's arms were flailing, gripping Dart's hands but not pulling them away from her head.
She had saved him from the water. Perhaps not by herself, but she had the intent to save him. That makes her different from the Black Monster. She's right. Revenge just goes in one big circle. Let's break that circle."Dart!" She snapped, running up to them and pulling Dart away from the shoreline. Rose came up spluttering, gasping for air and choking again.
Her son struggled against her grip. "Mom, let me go! She's the Black Monster! She killed Father!"
Rose paused, came up to waver in front of them, occasionally coughing. "For whatever it is worth, I am sorry. I had no intention of ruining your lives. Or anyone else's for that matter."
"Dart. Stop, now." Claire said sternly, motherly, and he obeyed. She turned him to face her. "You said so yourself, on the Queen Fury, that perhaps if you met the Black Monster you would change how you felt about him…her. Now tell us, right now, how do you feel. Stop struggling against yourself, take a deep breath and tell us."
She released him and he didn't attack Rose again.
After a while he spoke slowly, uncertainly. "I'm not sure. I'm angry, because she's killed a lot of people. Shocked because I never expected Rose to be my enemy. Confused because Mom doesn't seem to be angry. Tired."
"Sit." Claire pointed to the cave and led the both of them towards the fire again. "Dart, Rose killed your father but she saved our lives."
Slowly, emphasizing every point, she explained about the prophecy. When she was finished and sure that he understood, she asked her son, "Now how do you feel?"
"Still a bit angry. Even more shocked. Confused, yes. Still tired. But appreciative. I didn't know that, and I'm grateful to Rose that she's saving the world, even at the cost of Father. A bit hateful. But…that is just my opinion because I lost my father. What if there was no Black Monster? There would be millions of more voices crying out because they would lose everything that they cared about. Looking at it from a different point of view, this is…a small price to pay to help them. Thanks, Rose."
She nodded, her eyes still frightened as if she expected an attack.
"I can't get this out of my head. I hate you for what you did, but I love you at the same time. I don't know whether to take revenge and kill you, or thank you for what you've done. This changes everything, and I'm sorry."
"So am I." Rose whispered. "To both of you."
The next day a little boy found them, awakening all of them and leading them to the nearest town.
"Are you sisters?" He asked Rose and Claire.
Claire was flattered that he didn't realize the age difference. She told him that they were friends, and he nodded, bringing them to Lidiera.
Lidiera was several wood huts lumped together to form a makeshift village. The boy, Pete, led them to his house, where his mother sat.
Carefully, Claire explained what had happened to them, saying that their ship was caught in a storm, and the three of them, standing on deck, had fallen off.
Pete's eyes glittered. "Wow! That's so cool! Did you see the Sea Dragon?"
"Sea Dragon?" Rose echoed. "There's a Dragon around here?"
Pete nodded. "Yep. It's been here for a while. It's on Prison Island, but it affects us all the way over here. It scares the fish and messes up the water. It's not good, since Lidiera gets its food from fishing. The mayor's really upset about this Dragon. Mom's weak from malnutrition and then she got sick. I wanted to take her to Fueno, because it's a big city and there are doctors there, but the way is crowded with monsters."
"Fueno's a big city, and it has a dock, right? Which means the Queen Fury is probably there." Dart glanced at the mother. "Pete, how about this? You guide us to Fueno, and we'll clear the way. You can bring your mom with us to the doctor."
The boy's reply was enthusiastic, consisting of him hugging every single person in the room, earning a laugh from Claire, a pat on the head from Dart, and a frown from Rose.
The way was quiet. Claire knew that she had forgiven Rose and that Dart had done the same. He was right; it would never be the same. But Rose was still her friend and this new revelation was…for the best, in a strange ironic way. But for Dart, this would affect his friendship with Rose and his relationship with his mother in a way that would not be as good.
She sighed as she batted aside another monster. Things would never be the same, for anyone.
"Excuse me?" Claire tapped the item shop's merchant's shoulder to get his attention. "Have you seen a party of five people pass through here? It's kinda hard to miss them. There's a Giganto with them."
"I'm not sure what a Giganto is, but a group of five people came in to buy supplies and checked into the inn yesterday and a very large man was with them."
"Thank you." She returned to Rose and Dart, who were most pointedly not looking at each other and not talking. They hadn't spoken at all since thanking Pete for leading them to Fueno. The little boy and his mother had headed for the clinic, thanking them for their escort. "The others are at the inn."
"All right. Let's go." Dart shuffled in the direction of the inn, not looking back.
Claire took a quick glance at Rose, who shrugged and set her mouth in a thin line and followed.
Are they ever going to talk to each other again?"Aah! They're back! They're back!" Meru practically tackled the three of them into a hug. "You're back!"
"You took your time." Haschel said lazily, but with a smile.
"Kongol wasn't worried." The Giganto stated proudly.
"See, I told you that they'd be back within three days! Cough it up, King boy!" Meru held out her hand expectantly and Albert slapped ten Gold into it, muttering something about how he wasn't a boy.
"Where's Shana?" Dart asked, looking around as if expecting to see her.
Albert and Haschel exchanged glances. "Um…you should probably go see her." The king said. "She hasn't spoken a word since you disappeared. She's in the room at the end of the hall upstairs."
Claire was up there before Albert had finished his sentence, knocking on the door once before entering.
Shana was sitting in the middle of the room, legs crossed, in something between a prayer and a trance.
"Shana!" Claire shook the girl's shoulders. "Shana, wake up! Look!"
The girl shivered as her eyes fluttered open and wider. "Claire!" She screamed, throwing her arms around the woman. "You're back! Oh gods, you're all right! I knew you'd be all right! What about Dart? Is he okay?"
Knowing how much the girl wanted to see her son, Claire smiled. "Yeah. He's fine." She glanced over her shoulder to see Dart coming into the room. "I'll leave you two alone."
Closing the door, she hissed away Meru, Haschel, and Albert, shooing them back downstairs, where Rose was explaining to Kongol what had happened.
"How's Shana doing?" Haschel asked. "She was really upset when you and Dart and Rose disappeared. I've never seen her that upset before. She wouldn't talk and she wouldn't eat unless one of us told her to."
"She's fine now, talking to Dart. I raised her to be strong." Claire frowned. "But she collapsed."
"You raised her strong but she was dependent on you and Dart. Some people are meant to be fighters, Claire, but some just can't be." Haschel shrugged. "What are we going to do now?"
"We have to make a stop before we go to Mille Seseau." Dart said as he came down the stairs with Shana hugging his arm. She was smiling again. "We're making a detour through the Prison Island. I promised Pete that I would destroy the Sea Dragon for him."
"You're a real bleeding heart." Rose muttered to him.
Dart glanced at her, and from years of studying her son, Claire saw the angry challenge in them. She glared at him, causing him to fall back, silent. Rose did the same.
"The Queen Fury has finished its repairs." Albert said. "It should be able to set sail in a few days. We'll stop at Prison Island, kill the Dragon, and head to Mille Seseau."
"Mom?" Dart came into her room and sat down next to her as she was meditating.
She opened her eyes a slit to look at him. "Hi, sweetheart. Are you all right? How's Shana doing?"
"She's better now that we're back. She's persuaded the innkeeper to let her cook one of her dishes. The chef wasn't too happy until he tasted it. He was going to take her on as an apprentice but she said she wanted to stay with us." Dart paused, then looked at his hands. "Mom, I think I'm in love with her." He blurted out in one breath.
Claire fully opened her eyes and stared at him. "Honey, that's wonderful! Why do you sound so upset?"
"Because Shana is my friend. I don't want our friendship to change because of this."
"Dart, open your eyes, kiddo. Shana's been in love with you ever since you were this big." Claire held her hand to her knees. "Love strengthens a friendship. Tell her how you feel. I've been waiting for this day for a long time! Not to mention everyone else in the group."
"They all know?"
"It's really obvious. Your grandfather and Meru have been taking bets on how long it would take." Claire smiled. "Don't worry about this. Enjoy it. Even if it doesn't work out, you have something to remember. Remember this moment, when you felt so happy and when you were in love. There's nothing in life that you should look back on and regret. Everything makes you stronger. Love itself is the strongest."
Dart hesitated to speak. "Is that how you feel about Dad?"
Her smile faded. The mood of the conversation practically became physical. "I miss him, Dart. But it's not her fault."
"Mom, how can you stand it? How can you forgive her so easily, knowing that she's the Black Monster that killed your husband? That destroyed your home and made you flee in fear? That made you cry every single day?"
"I've been withstanding it for eighteen years, son. And I forgive her because it's not her fault. She didn't have a choice in what she had to do. The Moon Child was a threat; she eliminated it. And besides, I haven't cried for a while now. I've come to terms with the past. You should do so too."
"He will." Rose said from the doorway. "I wasn't eavesdropping. Meru sent me up to tell you two that dinner is ready. Dart, we'll settle this someday. But keep the mission in mind." She left.
Claire took her son's hand. "Dart, try to learn how to forgive her. It's not her fault. I forgave her, and I still remember the flames."
"It's because of you, Mom. Every time I think about it, I see you at night crying into your pillow. I practically grew up on the sound of your tears."
She smiled. "This is between you and her. Settle it. But let's go eat dinner before your grandfather gets cranky."
Unable to sleep that night, Claire wandered out and found him outside the clinic, pulling off one of his gloves to look at a scar on his hand. Her anger forgotten, she walked over to stand beside him. "Hi." She said.
"Hello." He lifted his gaze from his hand, pulling the glove back on. "Heard you fell off the ship. Your son's girlfriend was hysterical. Do you want to take a walk?"
Silently she followed him down the boardwalk, down to the docks. "I'm surprised that you aren't in Mille Seseau yet." She told him.
"I don't have the Moon Dagger here yet." Lloyd said, leaning against the railing and looking at the water, which slithered like a snake under the Moon's glow. "Lenus didn't have it for me."
Remembering why she had been seeking him out tonight in the first place, Claire balled up her fist and punched his shoulder.
Lloyd swore, turned to look at her. "What was that for?"
"For using a woman's love against her." She retorted fiercely, her fists at her hips. "Lenus loved you. You used that love to get her to do your bidding, you stupid bastard."
"I did no such thing. Don't make judgments until you know all the facts, Claire. I asked Lenus to get the Moon Dagger for me, because I had heard that she was an actress and could play the part of Emille rather well. Obviously I had heard the rumors wrong." Lloyd smiled at her. "I sought her out and asked for her help. As a complete stranger, mind you. I gave her no hints or clues that I was romantically interested in her. I didn't lead her on. She must have fallen in love with me after she agreed to help me. It wasn't my fault."
"What happened to her? Where is she now?"
"We were supposed to meet at the end of the day of the Coming of Age Ceremony. She came, but she didn't have the Moon Dagger. She apologized to me, then took her own life."
"What?"
"She said that she had failed me, and that her love was worthless. She had a knife, and she killed herself."
Claire hissed out an angry breath, jabbing her finger roughly into Lloyd's chest. "You idiot!" She yelled, poking him again, harder. "She killed herself because of you! How could you let her do that?"
He frowned impatiently, grabbed her wrists easily and held them still. "Damn it, woman, haven't you been listening to a word I said? I said, it wasn't my fault. I didn't tell her to love me. I never led her on. I never told her to kill herself. Those were all her decisions. I tried to make her passing easier! I held her hand and when she asked me, I told her that I loved her. That way she died in peace."
Claire paused, letting her fists fall open. "Oh. Was that the right thing to do? If you didn't really love her, but you told her you did to make her passing easier? You lied to her."
"But for a good reason." After seeing that she wasn't going to attack him again, Lloyd released her wrists. "I think I did the right thing. The reason why I haven't left is because I'm still searching for the Moon Dagger. Would you like a drink?"
"Yeah. I mean, yes please." She followed him into the tavern. Even this early in the morning, it was still crowded. She edged herself away from a group of men that eyed her, and was strangely glad when Lloyd glared at them with inhuman fury in his eyes. "Why do you want the Divine Moon Objects? What is your goal?"
Lloyd handed her a tall glass. "It's a bit personal."
"Yeah, well, so is stabbing me in the arm, nearly killing my son's best friend, and persuading a Wingly woman to pose as a princess, leaving the princess herself stuck in limbo for six months."
He winced at her words, staring at his glass with such a sullen look on his face that it almost made her apologize. "It didn't seem so bad until you said it." He muttered. "But for what it's worth, my goal isn't evil. I want to create a utopia."
"A what?"
"A utopia. A perfect world where everyone is content. Where there's no fighting or killing."
"Ironic, since you have to fight and kill to get there." Claire said sardonically, lifting her glass. She didn't like to drink, but if it gave her a chance to talk to him, she didn't mind.
"Touché. A toast, then, to future fights, and an apology of those I have to hurt."
She swallowed the rest of her drink, scowling at the bitter aftertaste. "It's not a bad goal, actually."
"That's what I've been trying to convince you of."
Claire paused. "Lloyd, I have the Moon Dagger."
Only a trained eye could see how the Wingly nearly choked on his drink. But he recovered instantly, downing it and setting the glass down with a calm hand. He stared straight into her eyes, ruby locking with silver. "I see. I should have known."
"I'm not giving it to you." She told him protectively.
"I didn't think you would. Why are you telling me this? Don't you know that I could just slit your throat and take the Moon Dagger from you after you're dead?"
Claire lifted her chin, forcing herself to fight battle instincts and lay her palms flat on the table. "I don't doubt that you'd try. In fact, since you've defeated my son Dart, I don't doubt that you could kill me. But I know that you won't. Despite of the people you've killed and tried to kill, you won't kill me. I know."
Lloyd's eyes darkened for a moment before flaring to a bright red. "I told you before that I would accomplish my goal no matter what, killing whoever stands in my way."
"I remember. But you're not getting the Moon Dagger now." She reached into her pocket and deposited the correct amount of Gold onto the table.
Lloyd scooped it up and returned it to her, placing it into her palm. He put his own money on the table. "The man should treat the lady." He told her.
She fought a smile. "Personally, I would rather not fight you. You're too nice, and you're not the picture I conjure up when I think of evil. We have the same goal in mind. You just want to achieve it in a supernatural way."
A perfect world where everyone is content…that doesn't sound so bad. The world that a child dreams of, with endless flower fields and clear blue skies and not even the possibility of the ideas of hate and war. Hell, it almost sounds like that insane plot of the Soa to destroy…the world and make…everything…perfect… Claire cursed, a powerful swear word she had learned from Rose.
Lloyd glanced at her in surprise. "That's not very ladylike."
"Forget that. You want to create a utopia, right?"
"Right."
"Meet me here tomorrow at noon. There's something wrong." Claire said, fleeing out of the tavern.
"Rose! Rose, wake up!" Claire shook her mirror image's shoulder fiercely, glad that Rose had purchased her own room; it would be difficult to explain why she was acting so strangely. The rooms came with only two beds, and since Claire herself was rooming with Shana, that left Rose with Meru, a fate that the Dragoon had tried hard to avoid. She had used her own Gold to rent a single bed room for their stay, leaving Meru in a suite with Kongol and Albert. Which also left Dart with his grandfather. Claire wondered if they spoke of their kinship.
Rose came awake instantly, her eyelids fluttering twice before coming fully awake. She looked at Claire and her eyes shifted. "Is this your challenge?"
"No. I told you, I'm not going to. If you're dueling against anyone, it's Dart. Now wake up. I have something to ask you. Come outside. I don't want to wake up the others."
The warrior gazed at her sword on the nightstand, thought for a moment, and left it there, getting up and following Claire out of the inn to sit on the steps.
"Thanks for leaving your sword. It… Thanks."
"If you were going to slay me, I would guess that I deserved it."
"Shut up with that. I'm not going to tell you again that it wasn't your fault. Now listen to me. This is important." Claire said, putting an edge to her tone so that her look-alike turned away from scowling at the stars to look at her. "The duty of the Moon Child was to be incarnated into an unborn human female's flesh, right?"
"Or male, though that was rare."
Claire continued as if Rose hadn't spoken. "And when the time came, it was supposed to destroy the world, using it's own power with the might of the army it had bewitched behind it, right?"
"More or less."
"And after it destroyed the world, Soa would call it back, slay the entranced human minions, and recreate the world in paradise. Heaven on earth. A perfect world. A…utopia, if you would."
"Claire, what the hell have you been drinking?" Rose asked crossly.
"I'm not sure. It was amber-colored and tasted like unfermented wine mixed in with uncooked salmon. But you know what I'm talking about, right? The perfect paradise?"
"Yes. That's what the gods had planned."
"And what do you know about the Divine Moon Objects?"
Rose, who had up to this point, been speaking to Claire as she would to a clinging child begging to be read a bedtime story, now turned, with surprise evident in her gray eyes. "They are the ancient relics that we've been chasing. For Serdio it was the Moon Gem, for Tiberoa it was the Moon Dagger, and for Mille Seseau it will be the Moon Mirror."
"What else? What part do they play in the history of magic?"
"Well, they were peace gifts to the humans from the Winglies. They carry great magical power, enough to make a human a demigod, I would suppose. Claire, what is with all these insane questions? Are they going to get to a point?"
"They will. Tomorrow at noon, come with me. I'll tell the others that we're going shopping."
Rose grimaced.
"Just come with me, okay? I've a friend that needs your help, and I'm pretty sure that you'll learn some new things by coming." Claire pleaded. Friend? Since when did Lloyd suddenly become a friend? "Please, just trust me, and come with me tomorrow at noon without the others."
"You've given me no reason to distrust you, aside from the fact that I think you're drunk. But if you are, you'll wake up tomorrow with a hangover and tell me that it was nothing and I won't have to go anyway, so all right. I'll come meet this mystery friend of yours tomorrow, despite your lousy excuse."