Right, this one is depressing. I think this should be better though, as I'm using Word © for this. I hope this works. If I owned this though, I'd be damn proud. If I owned this, I'd get it published.
Homecoming: Shea's Light
"Boy, did her information help. I though the perimeter's counterspell would be quite a problem." Kid's braid sways gently from side to side in the cool nighttime breeze. So far, we've managed to slip through the magical shield network undetected and sneak into Lynx's domain. Still, this inner region can make for some pretty rough travel. Kid, Magil and I comprise this party of three...
However, while walking behind Kid, I can't help but notice her ponytail endlessly swishing back, and... back, and forth... back, and forth...
I'm starting to get sleepy... so, so sleepy...
"...Serge..."
"Serge!!"
"Huh!?"
"Snap out of it, lazy bones!"
Looking up, the tall, shadowy mansion of Lord Lynx looms before me. I can't believe we're there already... I must have been really out of it. "The hell were you daydreamin' about, mate? Let's go!" Kid says, disappearing into the mansion. "Hey, wait up, Kid!" I shout, frantically chasing after her. However, she's already deep inside. The darkness engulfs me...
Passages extend to the left and right. Wherever we turn, darkness awaits...
What was that? I could have sworn I saw a faint light illuminating the hallway just then. It's probably just the moonlight shining in through a skylight, I tell myself. However, looking up at the ceiling, no such skylight can be found...
"Hey, Serge! What are ya starin' at? We got a job to do here!" I look down the hallway only you to see Kid, already barely visible down the long, dark corridor.
There's something here, I'm sure of it. It was a faint light, sort of like a camera flash, but much more subtle. It couldn't have been the moonlight.
"Serge, what are ya, paralyzed? Come on!" Kid says, coming back towards me. "There's something here, Kid..." Just as I start to think that it could have been my imagination, suddenly...
...Wearing a tattered old priest's robe,
a figure of a young lady materializes above us.
"......Finally... you have come..."
That voice... it's so strange! It's like it's resonating inside my head... "Kid... can you hear that?"
I'm not even sure if I just said that... could this all be a dream? Before I have time to think, Kid and Magil come up beside me, also staring at the apparition. Okay, now I know this is real. It's too real to be a dream.
"Wh, where'd she go?"
Black magic... witchcraft... necromancy... I've seen all sorts of different types of stuff in the past, but this... I don't think I've ever been faced with anything like this before. On the other hand, Magil stands there with his usual cool composure. I doubt this is the first time he's dealing with something like this.
A wave of anxiety runs through my entire body, standing here in this dark, damp hallway. I wonder... should we even be here? Was this a message of some kind to leave? Just by standing here, we might be desecrating the memory of the dead... The girl's face shines out in my mind. She seemed so sad...
"I do not believe this will necessarily help with out mission. Let us move on." I've never been so quick to agree with Magil. Kid doesn't seem to have any objections either.
We continue through the passageway... After a while we arrive at a beautifully decorated set of double doors.
A slight breeze is our only welcome as we enter through the huge set of doors.
We're met with silence as we look around this spacious, two-story hall.
On the far wall, a monstrous organ stands proudly, beckoning us with its pitch-black aura. A countless number of candles are lit all around us, offsetting our surroundings with a strange, flickering radiance. "What is this place? A cathedral or somethin'?"
"It seems so. The candles in this room have been places in such a way to produce patterns of shadows, consistent with occult teachings," Magil says. Looking down, I can see he's on to something — a number of strange, candlelit patterns dance around on the floor.
"Do not stand there." I instantly leap back, cold sweat running down my neck. My hand is on my knife... not that it'll do any good at this point... "Indeed, a most peculiar arrangement," Magil continues as I back against the wall. "This is indeed an unholy cathedral, ordained for occult sermons. The shadows indicate this spot is a focal point of some kind. This entire mansion is an instrument for defying order..."
"No, wait," he continues a moment later. "I was wrong. This room isn't the focal point. The shadows don't quite meet here in focus, as though...
Although scared, I start to look around the cathedral. Its dusty pillars and cold, clammy walls send a shiver down my spine. Setting my sights on the organ, I walk over towards it.
...Strange... The keyboard is fake. There's no mistaking it, these keys aren't real — they're bound together. All the whites are one solid piece of ivory, as well as the blacks.
"Hey Magil, have you seen this yet? I think I found something."
As soon as I press down on the keys, the wall just to the left of me begins to rumble. A secret passage has opened up!
Peering into it, I can see a stone stairway winding down...
"A secret floor directly beneath this one. Of course," Magil says to himself as we start down the narrow staircase.
Once we reach the bottom, Magil casts a spell, allowing us to see into this dark, damp room. The faint luminescence allow us to see somewhat. We're in a room taller than head height. However, what's interesting is that this room seems to have the exact same length and width as the room above us. Even the pillars are here, in the exact same places as they were above.
Could this be the original floor, covered up with what's there now? Why would someone do that? What would they need to cover up...?
"Look over there," Magil whimpers. In the direction he's pointing, we see a faint cloud-like mass... No, my mistake. It's something sketched on the floor, emitting a dull, pulsating light...
"What is it?" Kid asks. "...I cannot be sure. Perhaps it is an inscription, placed here by those that constructed this place... I must think more on this matter."
Suddenly, a dry wind blows past me. It didn't come from the stairwell, and there aren't any windows down here. "Let us come back when we know more," Magil says. I have no problem with that whatsoever.
We head back up the stairs and out of the cathedral, back into the corridor within seconds. But still, that chilly feeling on the back of my neck hasn't abated...
Proceeding ahead on the path, we come to a staircase going up, and... a firm-looking set of doors on the left. "There better be treasure here. The smell of gold's thick in the air, mate."
The door's locked...
...But not for long.
Before Magil can even offer an unlock spell, I notice Kid combing her fingers through her hair, revealing a hairpin after a moment or two. Kneeling down by the door, she fiddles around with the lock for a bit, and after a while, unlocks it with a click. That was almost too easy...
An amazing sight it spread before our eyes... I don't quite know what to think of it. We're in some sort of treasure vault, with piles of gold, silver, and other sparkling treasure stacked in piles throughout the room.
But that's not the half of it...
Looking out towards the far end, an even more remarkable sight catches my eye. Halfway into the room, the piles of treasure turn into somewhat of a beach, followed by a glistening ocean. It's all a huge diorama, with every single object crafted from gems or precious metal...
The ocean, however, is perfectly calm. No, calm isn't the word for it — it's still as glass. The glistening sheen of every undulating whitecap here seems to be frozen in time, stirred up like crystal valleys against the jade-like reefs of nearby islands.
I walk out onto the beach and bend down to touch the unmoving water, but it's not frozen... just motionless.
A polished metallic siren, adorned with scales of mica and hair of platinum, stands proudly on a nearby island, with a mysterious smile on its face. In its life-like hand, almost obscured by a crashing wave, is an object of rare beauty. This stone, gripped tightly by the pearl-colored hand,, seems as though it's capturing this ocean's stormy essence within its deep red center.
Indeed, this is the object we've been seeking. Yet it's out of our grasp, if by only a small distance, seized within the hand of this suspicious-looking metallic contraption.
...The Frozen Flame...
"There it is! Serge, get yer scaffold!" Kid shouts, unable to suppress her highly strung heart any longer. However, I hesitate. There's more to this than meets the eyes, I tell myself as I glance at Magil. His eyes tell me the same.
Ouch! "What was that for? You don't have to slap me every time you disagree with me..." "Look, mate! Just let me have yer scaffold and I'll take care of the rest, awright?" It's no use... I suppose if I'm going to face pain no matter what I do, we might as well get the Frozen Flame... I take the bamboo scaffold out of my bag. The oriental monocotyledon it's crafted from is extremely light, durable, and elastic perfect for travel. I place it on the ground and we go to work, assembling the bridge-like structure.
I stand back after a few moments, looking at the finished product spread out on the beach. Kid tests it by stepping on it lightly, then adding a little more weight, until she finally stands on it firm. It appears solid enough.
I nod to Kid as Magil and I take the scaffold and swing it over to the small island, connecting the two pieces of land together. I let out a deep, shaky breath as Kid takes her first step out. The scaffold gives a little, but stays afloat. The siren maintains its ominous stare as Kid approaches.
The distance between the closes with each passing step. Before long, she reaches the reef, and is within arm's length of the Flame.
"Come on, take it," I whisper, my fists clenched. She reaches out, ever so slowly. Her head turns from the Flame to the siren's face and back, as her hand draws closer and closer. Those deep, aquamarine eyes remain vacant and still...
But wait! No! The siren is starting to move! Kid! Get out of there! It's coming to life!" but Kid's already on her way with the Frozen Flame in hand!
The churning of the siren's metallic innards increases, getting louder and louder by the second. The sound rips through my eardrums as I watch its movements become more and more fluid!
Just as the siren starts to move, the ocean comes to life as well! Somehow, the waves start to churn and toil, gaining increasing vigor and momentum the more the siren awakens! The siren turns and takes a step towards Kid, who's now back on the scaffold. She's having trouble maintaining balance above the now violent body of water, as it crashes and bubbles mere inches beneath her feet! Pursued by this relentless, inorganic beast, she desperately tries to make her way home...
......! Oh no! Kid's slipped on a wet spot! She falls into the water head first with a splash! The surging waves splash all around her, mercilessly thrashing all around! The siren starts to come for Kid, trudging ever so slowly into the whitecapped frenzy. A sudden wave smashes into Kid, and after it recedes, I can't even see her head anymore! Please, God, don't let her drown...!
I see her hand emerge a few seconds later, desperately reaching out, trying to grab onto something! I have to save her... distract that siren... anything...!
Suddenly a flash flies through the air. It's Magil! He's shooting his silver needles at the siren! One of them hits is directly between the eyes! Platinum colored blood starts to gush out of the hole!
However, it does nothing to stop the unrelenting, robotic beast, now only a few feet from Kid! Its mouth begins to open to an unnatural extent, like that of a gigantic snake! Dammit, what am I going to do?
I dive in without a moment's notice! I try to open my eyes underwater to find Kid, but the instant I do, I'm forced to shut them from the salty sting of seawater! Coming up for air, I try to find Kid among the vigorously crashing waves. She's a ways ahead of me, bobbing in and out of the water... I have to be quick!
Swimming over to where I last saw her, a hand suddenly floats up to the surface of the water! I grab on, and pull up with all my might. The hand is rotted away below the wrist, however...
Corpses suddenly start to emerge all around me! These half-rotten, waterlogged bodies should be dead and lifeless, but somehow, they're all coming for me, trying to pull me under!
I quickly dive underwater, swimming as fast as I can away from the pack of bodies. I come up for air, spotting Kid just a few feet in front of me! She's spitting water out of her mouth, only moments away from drowning!
"Kid! Come on, hurry!!" I grab hand and dive deep underneath the stormy water. Swimming away, I accidentally bump into one of the corpses! Just as I feel all of them start to crowd around us, I unsheathe my knife and blindly hack away!
Clinging tightly to Kid's and, I swim and swim until I can't hold breath any longer! Coming up for air, I realize we've made it! I take her up into my arms and carry her ashore. She's barely conscious...
Ughh... Lying next to me, Kid coughs a bit, spitting up sea water. I try to calm her down, and after a few moments, she rests peacefully on the glittering beach.
Suddenly, I notice something... it's quiet. Perfectly quiet. I look up, wondering what just happened. The ocean has reverted back to how it once was — perfectly still, like a slice in time once again. The corpses are nowhere to be found.
The siren has resumes to its original pose, subtly perched on the far island, with that mysterious smile once again streaked across its face.
After a few moments, Kid holds the Frozen Flame up over her head, staring into its shimmering beauty. "Well, we got what we came for."
She's right. I stand up and shake myself off, relieved it's all over with. I help her to her feet, eager to get out of here.
"Uh..."
"...Shouldn't the terrace be here?" We've been walking long enough, but somehow, the walls seem to extend on without any end in sight...
"Yer just shook up from what happened back there, mate," Kid says. "C'mon, the terrace's tigh up here." ...... "No, that wood handrail with the big know in it, I remember it clearly. We're going in circles..."
"Circles!? What a load! We're walkin' on a straight path! Can't you see it?" she shouts, pointing down the dark corridor. "See? Straight" "I know, Kid! I'm just... I don't know..."
"Here it is again... the same knot."
"This is bloody ridiculous! Why did we come all the way out here!? For this!?!? Look at us, we can't even find our way out of a blasted house!!" Kid's going into hysteria... I wish I could do something but to be honest I'm not that much better off right now...
"This is friggin crazy! We're goin' in circles!!!!! We never should have come out here, we never should have done this!!! We're lost, God Dammit!!!! What are we supposed to do now!?!?!?"
"Look Kid, nobody needs all the yelling..." I say, frustrated. "Who asked you, ya lame-brained sack'a..." Suddenly, Magil come up behind us and touches us on the back of our necks. I don't know what he's doing, but it instantly calms me down... and by the looks (and sounds) of it, Kid as well. I lean against the wall for a second, trying to think of what to do. Kid stoops down, miserable.
"We are being toyed with," Magil says. "Look closely, down the center of the hallway. See how the walls subtly warp. This is all an illusion of some sort. Apparently, someone or something does not want us to advance any further."
"Well congratu-frickin-lations, Lynx! Ya got us walkin' in circles! Bet yer mighty proud of yerself! So now what are ya gonna do? Play some more games, or fight like a man?" Frustrated, she storms down the hallway once again.
"What's that strange look on yer face for, mate?"
"I don't know... I just... I don't have a good feeling about this place." "Aw, c'mon, mate. You never have a good feelin' about anything."
"It's just, after what we went through with the treasure vault and all... I don't know, maybe I am just being a worry wart."
"Well, you sure ya wanna keep on goin'?" Kid asks with an unusually serious face. Somehow, I find myself nodding silently, ignoring the warnings in my head. I remember something someone told me a while ago about this place... "Everything in that mansion answers to Lord Lynx," he said. "The creatures... the walls... the statues... everything. If you understand the concept of power by fear and control, then you understand Lynx."
Magil strokes his chin, calmly examining the gigantic doors before us. There's bound to be something important in here — these dark mahogany doors tower above us, emanating an unmistakable sense of intimidation. "...All set?" I ask, taking a deep breath pushing the doors open slowly.
As expected, these are Lynx's quarters. Or should I say, 'were'... Staring at the sight before our eyes, all I can do is gasp in silence, half surprised, half terrified.
To put it simply, Lynx is quite certainly in this room. ...However, not as we expected.
Lynx's corpse has been hastily stashed in the couch on the far end of the room. Only his mangled hand is visible, sticking out from beneath a cushion.
Kid goes over and slowly lifts up one of the cushions. I don't know if it's the smell or the sight that makes her gag. But yes, it's definitely Lynx under there.
I never expected any of this when I came here tonight. I mean, rumors of Lord Lynx's reign have been going around as strong as ever. Although when I think about it, his reputation alone could probably carry on such a regime. I wonder how long it's been since this happened...
"It can't be. That genocidal, terror-driven maniac... he burnt the temple and abducted Sha... how can he be dead already? I wanted my revenge...!" Kid mutters, tears swelling in her eyes. Shea... hmm... where have I heard that name before...
"No one knows Lynx is dead except for us... We must be the first ones to find out about it."
"..Heh, or maybe not," Kid adds. Her attempt at humor only succeeds in causing my feeling of dread to grow even stronger...
"Strange..." Magil kneels down and lifts off the cushions, examining the corpse as though he was a coroner. "Hey, I always liked a nice firm seat," Kid says, pretending to sit down on it. Enough with the bad jokes already, Kid...
"This corpse has no life-essence," Magil continues. "Isn't that how corpses usually are?" I ask.
"Generally, yes. When a person dies, one's consciousness, or spirit, is separated from the body. Normally, as the spirit leaves the body, the corpse will crumble over time. However, in this case, this corpse is aged, but it has not even started to crumble at all yet. It is merely without moisture."
"Lynx's spirit has not yet been released."
"So that means..."
"Yes, his spirit is still here, probably somewhere within this mansion."
Magil seems unusually disturbed by all this. First the phantom, then that whole siren thing, now this... even he's having trouble keeping his cool. We're in over our heads.
"Lynx was apparently slain by a balde," Magil says, pointing to a gash in his belly. Looking around, he finds the murder weapon. It's a bloody sword, stashed behind a chair. "An Acacian sword... interesting."
Magil tries to remain focused, racking his brain for information. "If a body and its spirit have been detached in this manner, the body will yearn for its spirit. It will transform into a sort of a bottomless well, endlessly seeking spirits until it finds its own."
"What does that have to do with us? ...Oh," Kid says solemnly.
Something's happening... This room, no, the whole house... all around us, the walls are starting to creak...
There's something in here, waiting for us. I can feel it on the back of my neck. I whip around with my knife ready, but nothing's there. Suddenly, something grabs my arm! Oh no, get it off me! I whip around again, but it's only Kid! "Get a grip, mate! It's just me!" Phew...
"We've got the Flame. Lynx is dead. Why do we even need to be here anymore!? Come one, let's go!" she shouts. She's right, screw this place!
"If we can get out of here at all," Magil adds, standing up. And the, the walls begin to creak again. We look around... The lights flicker. Don't go out... Please, God, don't go out...
"...Kid..."
We instantly whip around. The voice is coming from the mirror! "Finally... you have come."
...That girl... the one from before... It's her! She's here, faintly floating within the mirror!
"Do you know her, Kid?"
"Sh... Shea...? Is that you!?" Kid says, gazing at the faint apparition with desperate eyes...
I take another look at the girl, barely visible in the reflection. It seems she's saying something, but it's too faint to make anything out. "What? What are you saying?" I ask, taking a step closer.
"...Pain... awful, awful pain... and so...
...I welcome your souls!"
A gigantic hand suddenly materializes out of the mirror, grabbing at me! Magil instantly pulls me back, just as the huge hand is about to seize me! If not for Magil's lighting quick instincts, who knows what would have happened... I'm at a loss for words. All I can muster out is "Thanks, Magil... thank you." I can't tell you how many close calls I owe to him...
All of a sudden, a deep, booming laugh echoes all around us... "That bastard... it's Lynx, I know it's him," Kid say, looking around. As the laugh grows louder and louder, a light begins to shimmer from Kid's backpack. Opening it up, she takes out the Frozen Flame, staring at it as it shines brighter before our eyes.
Suddenly, a flash of crimson light bursts out from it in all directions! As this happens, the ominous laughing continues to get louder and louder!
Kid's being put under some sort of spell! Her body rises off the floor, motionless, as the stone continues to shine brighter and brighter!
"Magil! What's goin on!?" Magil closes his eyes, and begins muttering something. Before long, he unleashes a surging aura, arcing directly towards Kid! A somber red glow casts its light on everything in the room. The laughing is distorted and the stone's sparkle begins to lessen!
"Is she okay!?" I ask, but I get no response. It seems Magil's suppressing the spell. He's having trouble maintaining it, though. "Serge! Taker her, now! I can't hold it off for much longer...!"
I grab Kid and rush her outside the dreadful blood-red room. Looking at her, she's as white as a ghost... In her trembling hand, she holds a steadfast grip on the Frozen Flame.
Magil meets up with us a moment later, looking completely exhausted.
"Kid! Hey, Kid!"
"Unnff... huh? Where am I?" In that comfortingly familiar voice, Kid slowly starts to recover.
"Where do you think you are?" Magil asks.
"Seven."
"Good to have you back, Kid."
I'll never understand these two...
"What was that all about, Magil?"
"I do not know. I have rarely seen magic of such a kind. The luminescent seal we saw earlier beneath the cathedral had a similar structure." There has to be some sort of connection...
We come to a beautifully decorated set of doors...
This is a leisurely room, decorated to a fine taste. An antique cupboard, polished wooden toy animals, and a shiny glass vase add to its charm. However, the flower in the vase has long since wilted, and it's been long since the furniture was dusted last. There are traces of life here, but not recent ones. A broken window lies hidden behind this elegant interior. Wind blows in through the small crack.
"There doesn't seem to be anything useful here... let's go."
"Hang on a sec," Kid responds, kicking open a chest. I come to her side, peering in with her. Inside, a pale blue robe is found.
"...Shea..." Kid quietly says. That name... Shea... Kid takes notice of my looking at her and quickly composes herself.
"Yer right, there's nuthin' here. C'mon." Before I have time to ask, Kid leads the way out.
"We're never gonna get outta here. People have probably been trapped here their whole lives... or longer..."
"Relax, mate. We got enough food here to last us a while." ...Funny, that didn't really relax me very much... Kid's acting strange...
It's that girl... I know it has something to do with that girl. But what could it all mean? I want to ask Kid, but now's not the right time. Aw, why not. "Hey, about that robe..."
"It is the official congregational robe of the Temple of Four Spirits," Magil instantly says. It must have been on his mind as well...
"Isn't that were you were raised, Kid?" "...Yeah, they took us in... all us orphans." It seems to be a hard subject for her... I can understand why. She always seems so moved by this...
While Kid is lost in thought, Magil takes me aside and explains the rest to me, alone...
"Kid, still a child at the time, was raised by the holy sisters in their temple. However, one day one of the sister was summoned to Lynx's mansion. Kid waited day after day, but the sister did not return. After some time had passes, Kid secretly sneaked out of the temple, determined to find out what had happened.
She made it almost all the way to Viper Manor, alone and unprepared. She was still just a child after all. But then, she heard an explosion, back in the direction of her hometown. She looked back and saw fire everywhere, engulfing the only home she ever knew. Someone had set fire to her entire village, including the temple.
Forgetting the mansion for time being, she ran back to town, but Kid was the only survivor.
Back then, I was a regular visitor of the temple. One day, I cam to where the town had been, and came to where the town had been, and came across this sight. All the village had burnt to the ground, and there appeared to be no survivors. But, following my intuition, I searched and searched.
And there, among all the cinders and bodies, crouched a tiny, trembling little girl. After I took Kid under my wing, it was entire year before she spoke again. Ever since then, I haven't seen her cry a single one, no sense in backin' out now," Kid says all of a sudden. I take a deep breath as we come to the towering set of doors.
We walk up to the organ, pressing the white and black keys together. After a moment or two the wall begins to rumble and the secret door opens.
The staircase winds down into darkness.
"C'mon, no sense in waitin' around all day," Kid says, heading the cold, damp staircase. Magil and I follow her down, into the forgotten lair.
Suddenly, as if awakened by our being here... The magic seal grows stronger and stronger, giving off a terrifying shaking tremor as its radiance intensifies, filling the room with its aura!
Despite our situation, I can't help but be caught up in the spectacle of it all...
However, at its core...
... He's here.
"...Lynx..."
Kid's tone is as though she's speaking the name of death itself.
This man... no... this thing... Viper Manor's deadly master... the originator of all this torment...
".....Lynx!!" Kid calls out to Lynx, here eyes as ravenous as a hawk's as she grips her knife tight!
Lynx's image wavers silently in the air, apparently undisturbed. Kid, on the other hand, sets aside her peace of mind, calling forth the fury maddening vengeance!
Lynx starts to speak out, but ironically, in a meek and comforting tone. "The Frozen Flame... please, return it here, young girl..." "Yeah, right! Ya think I'm gonna return it to a bastard like you!?"
At that moment, Kid reaches in her pocket. Moments later, she pulls out the glowing red stone. Shimmering red light streaks out between her fingers, as she holds the Frozen Flame high above her. "Yes," Lynx continues. "It is my spirit... please, you must help me."
"...your spirit?" Kid asks.
Lord Lynx's image please with Kid in a pitiful manner.
"Please, hear me... I, too, was once on a quest. Struck down by the blade of an evil assassin, I failed to reach my goal. Through the power of secret ancient arts, I was barely able to secure my spirit within the Frozen Flame, but just barely... In this meager remaining existence, I am helpless, bound to this magic seal before you. Please, return the flame to me... I am helpless without it..."
"Pity," Kid says. "...I'm sure you know all about pity. Did ya ever show any of those people you maimed any pity?" Kid's eyes return to their hard stare. "You expect us to believe you? You, the bastard who tortured countless people!? Death isn't good enough for the likes of you!" she shouts, squeezing the flame tighter and tighter! "Please! Pity me," the faint apparition pleads.
"Kid!"
"Wait... Please!!"
Kid suddenly stops dead in her tracks, hearing that voice. It wasn't Lynx's voice... "Aaaahhhh! You...! No....!!" Lynx shouts out!
Lynx's apparition bends and contorts, blurring like a sweltering heat, until... ... Another figure starts to overlap his image! It's that girl...
She's fighting to come through, wrestling with Lynx...
Please... you must not trust him. Do not lend any help to his revival," the girl says, painfully twisting and turning within the seal.
"Revival? Of course! I understand the seal's meaning now!" Magil adds. "This seal, it's for a séance... an anti-spirit séance. By consuming other's spirits, Lynx breaks the seal by which hs is kept from returning to the physical world, bit by bit."
"Consuming other's spirits... it all makes sense now," Magil says. "The Flame, put right out in the open, was meant for us to take. It all points to this being one huge trap."
"There must have been other like us... thieves who had come looking for the Flame," Magil continues. "They took it, but then, found themselves unable to escape." Yeah... Lynx must have pounced on them through the Flame when they least expected it, just like what happened to Kid in Lynx's room. Lynx just didn't count on someone like Magil who was able to counter his evil magic.
There must be no one left alive in this entire mansion... they've all been consumed by Lynx. All those corpses we saw... how many have died, never to have gotten this far?
"Shea..." Beside me, I hear Kid say that name again... "Shea... it's you... it's you!" ...Kid...
I've never heard Kid's voice take on such a soft tone. No, I woudn't call it soft — it's more of the kind of tone a child clings to her mother with.
Now I remember... one of the sisters of the temple where Kid was raised was named Shea, if I'm not mistaken...
"Shea...! It's me, Kid...!" "Yes, my Kid... my precious little Kid. What a fantastic woman you have grown into..."
"Grrrrrr...rrraaaaaahhhhhh!! Get out of my mind...!!" Lynx shouts out from inside the seal! He forces his face through Shea's belly, as they begin to painfully wrestle with each other once again!
"Kid," Shea continues, painfully overcoming Lynx, "thank you for remembering me... however, I cannot return with you. Please, hear me... the Frozen Flame must be destroyed. It is through this that Lynx is able to slowly resurrect himself... Please, destroy it, and save yourselves... I will restrain Lynx in the meantime."
"But... No! You can't! Come back... come back with me!"
"Kid... just as headstrong as ever," Shea says with a wide smile across her face.
"I must fall, with Lynx... I am bound to this fate. You see, I am burdened with this crime — my father's blood runs just as thickly through my veins."
...Father...?
"Sensing his own impending death, Lynx made preparations for a revival before he was slain," Shea says painfully, barely able to restrain Lynx's mortal hatred.
"This anti-spirit séance he prepared was designed to feed off other's spirit, in exchange for adding to his own rejuvenation." Shea's eyes take on a somber glow. "To invoke the séance, he needed a blood relative to consume first. Yes, Kid... I was born unto him illegitimately... I am his daughter." Kid's face turns to that of utter shock, hearing this.
"The moment that Dragoon slew Lynx, I felt my spirit being sucked into this spot, consumed within hi séance. But, he did not stop there... all my people met the same fate. Not even this was enough, however... He continues to greedily lure unsuspecting visitors of Viper Manor to this very day, hoping to consume more and more spirits so that he may one day cross back over."
"This insidious crime... it must be stopped," she concludes. Mortified, Kid is unable to say a word. "Thank you for hearing me. The truth is known, finally. Now please, save yourself, my precious... little... Kid..."
Kid takes a deep breath, staring at the shiny jewel she's been seeking for so long. "I choose... I choose to end it," she says solemnly.
"Place it on the ground before you," says Magil. Kid does so, and not long after, Magil's thick voice begins to echo out an incantation. Looking over at him, an arc of magic streaks out from his fingertips towards the Flame! The scarlet jewel takes on a strange, dark color, as it begins to hum louder and louder... Shea smiled upon seeing this. "Thank you... thank you for setting me free..."
"I've waited a century for this moment, to put an end to Lynx," Magil says, smiling broadly. "And now... it is finished."
As the flame continues to glow darker and darker with its new hollow, grey aura, Magil shouts "Serge, take cover, and hold Kid to you! The Flame is losing stability!!"
I can't remember what happened next very clearly...
The magic seal's radiance...
Lynx's contorted screams...
Magil invoking his magic...
...Shea's comforting smile.
And...
...a tear rolling down Kid's cheek.
When I come to, I find that I'm lying on the ground, holding Kid tightly to me, rubbing the soot out of my eyes. How long have I been laying here? Out clothes have been tattered, and our bodies have sustained more than their fair share of bruises. But... we're all right. It looks like Magil was thrown over to the opposite side of the room. He lays there silently, exhausted of all energy, fast asleep. I pick up my head to glance over to where the Flame was... ...It's gone. There's no trace of Shea or Lynx either...
I sleep... and sleep... and sleep. The moon rises for a second time, and I finally feel like I have the strength to get up. I nudge Kid, who's still groggy, as I sit up on the cold stone floor.
"All this...and what do we have to show for it... nothing," I think to myself, remorsefully. But then, I glance at Kid, and realize that's not entirely true.
Walking through the forest wilderness, I look back over my shoulder to the towering mansion one last time. Finally, Viper Manor is at peace.
Walking beside me, Kid gulps painfully as she looks down at her hand, tracing the outline of where she once grasped the legendary Frozen Flame so tightly. Closing her hand, she moves on.
And so, the curtain closes on another tale. However, another time, after the spotlight had faded from Kid, Magil, and Shea...
...In another place and another time... a similar band of adventurers had come forth, equally unsuspecting of their other selves, and life went on as they strode out into the great unknown.
But, that's another story for another day. For now, I shall put down my pen."
As I softly close my grandfather's diary, I hear my mother's voice call to me from downstairs. "Didn't you hear me? Your friend is here!" I turn around, already knowing who it is. My door open quite energetically, where I see a strangely nostalgic girl barge in.
"Serge! We found some ruins of an old mansion up in northern Kitsune Forest today! Come on, let's go exploring!"
Fin
Next story is The Enigmatic Gigaweapon: Paradise X. It should be up sometime this week.