Titania had yet to let go of his hand, even after they retreated back inside to the parlor. The windows overlooked a section of the gardens, continuing to brighten as the morning went on.
Leo resisted the urge to ask a million questions as soon as they all settled into seats. Rydia had asked the redhead for details and after a brief pause, she spoke.
"I wish I had a better idea of what to tell you," Titania began. "But I don't know exactly what is happening, just..."
She frowned, paused, and then shook her head. "Let me start again. The Feymarch has been a little... off for a few weeks now. Well, a few weeks our time, not yours."
It was strange to hear her refer to the Feymarch as hers and the overworld as theirs.
"Strange how?" Cuore asked, brow furrowed.
"Like... the music is all wrong." Titania murmured. "It's difficult to explain. But, all the Eidolons felt it. The whole place felt... upside down, inside out. It wasn't bad or anything, it just felt..."
"Abnormal?" Cuore offered.
A small, fleeting smile tugged at her lips and she nodded. "Yes, abnormal."
Titania glanced out the window nearby. "The realm felt a little unstable, like the magic was brittle somehow. There were some tremors, and that's when concerns started. The quakes were from The Beneath."
Leo saw his mother and sister mirror an expression and exchange a look at the last word, but he just felt confused.
"Oh, The Beneath. Sounds ominous," Seren said, leaning forward in her chair.
Titania shrugged, "Not really. It's just a part of the Feymarch that is, literally, beneath the rest. There's nothing there but some caves."
Leo darted a look between Rydia and Cuore and frowned, "Caves and?" he prompted.
Rydia sighed, "Well, it is mostly caves. But there's some ruins there too, I'm told. The Beneath is extremely unstable magic wise, so the Eidolons prefer to keep It closed off."
"Really?" Titania perked up. "I didn't know that. I just know my aunts harp on and on about not going down there."
Leo was suspicious of how quiet Cuore was being, and judging by the look Kieran was sending her way, he was too. Cuore shook her head ever so slightly, returning her attention back to the topic at hand.
"So, earthquakes?" Rydia questioned, getting them back on track.
Titania nodded once more. "Yes. The Element Guard went to investigate but..."
Cuore stiffened, "But what?"
"They didn't come back, and, the tremors continued, along with the strange magical disturbances." The redhead explained. "Siren was so worried about her sister... it wasn't the best idea, but I was curious and worried, too, so we went down to The Beneath."
Titania frowned, "At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Caves, but nothing else. But then, we got to the this... gate. At least, that's what it looked like. Both of us felt like something was really strange about the area, and that's when we saw it."
The half Eidolon girl shivered. "It was just shadows, but it was massive, or maybe it was a lot of little shadows. Whatever it was, it just... chased us. The darkness was so fast and angry and huge."
She trembled again, looking unsettled. Leo gave her hand a squeeze, since she was still holding it. Titania didn't look at him, but her other hand reached over to grasp his.
"We... ran, of course, but, it, they, whatever it was, just kept following. It didn't make any noise. I guess shadows really don't..."
She swallowed thickly. "We... got close to a tear. Like the ones I used to travel through to get here. Siren told me to go through it. She told me to find all of you so you could help."
There was an uncomfortable pause.
Seren blinked, "And? I'm guessing since you are here, you did travel through the tear?"
Leo frowned at his sister's blunt and carefree tone of voice.
Titania nodded in reply. "Yes. I... I don't know what happened to Siren."
Her voice dropped as she finished her sentence, and Leo squeezed her hands again.
Rydia sighed, looking thoughtful, if not disturbed. "That darkness made no noise, so I'm guessing it didn't say anything, either?"
Titania shook her head. "No, nothing."
"I'm more concerned that it was just... hanging around," Edge remarked. "Has this whatever been there the whole time? I'd imagine we probably would have seen it?"
Cuore frowned, "Or not. If it is just darkness, then... maybe it wasn't exactly..."
She trailed off, looking like she was grasping for the right word.
"Corporeal?" Kieran offered.
Cuore nodded, "Yes. Corporeal. Solid. Perhaps it wasn't strong enough to manifest until now."
"This is very unexpected," Rydia muttered, glancing out the window. "And how would none of the Eidolons have known until now?"
Titania frowned, "I'm surprised you didn't have some idea of something going on already? I'm sure the Eidolons have been trying to contact you all,"
"If the Feymarch's structure is unstable with magical dissonance, then it wouldn't be to hard to imagine that normal communication would prove difficult," Cuore muttered, crossing her arms. "Still, it is strange that..."
She trailed off, eyes studying the ground for a moment. "Unless they did contact us. You said this was a few weeks ago, in the Feymarch's stricture of time?"
Titania nodded.
"Your headaches," Cuore remarked, gesturing to her mother. "And my odd dreams. Those might very well have been jumbled messages attempting to reach us. I'm not sure why they would have told me they didn't know what the dreams were, though..."
Rydia sighed, "Still, that would make sense. I can't imagine the Eidolons wouldn't have tried to get in touch if something was happening."
They continued to discuss the possibility, but Leo was distracted by Titania next to him.
She trembled and raised one of her hands to her face, rubbing at her eyes before slumping with a sigh.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked quietly, shifting to face her.
Titania blinked at him and forced a smile. "I'm fine, I'm just tired."
He knew he should be listening to whatever the others were discussing, but there was no way he would be able to pull his attention from the redhead next to him.
"Are you sure? I know how hard it is to be in our world," he replied, keeping his voice low.
Her expression fell into a frown and she averted her gaze. Titania pulled her hand away from his. "I'm just worried about the Feymarch, and it was a long trip to get here."
Leo felt a stab of indignation and disappointment over the action, but tried not to let it show. He wasn't sure he believed her, but it was clear she wouldn't admitted how she was feeling so he let it drop.
She smoothed her skirt over her knees with a rueful sigh. "Not the way I imagined spending a visit here again, or going for a walk for that matter. What a night..."
Her words now and from before came together for a realization.
"Wait, did you walk all night?" Leo asked, voice quiet.
She looked a little sheepish, but nodded. "I... I needed to find all of you as fast as possible."
Her appearance looked fatigued, but hearing her admit such a thing brought it to life and made it seem real.
"You must be exhausted!" he exclaimed. "And probably starving, too. I'll be right back."
Leo didn't wait for her to say anything before hopping to his feet and hurrying from the room. If anyone noticed him leaving, they said nothing. A few rooms adjacent to the parlor, what was left of the breakfast they'd been eating.
Leo distractedly grabbed a few uneaten items, mulling over the situation.
The Feymarch always seemed so untouchable and separate. He'd never even considered that it had dangers like their world.
His mother always made it sound like some great, eternal land. It had never crossed his mind that it could ever be unstable.
Leo frowned. He had never considered that perhaps there was a time when it hadn't existed, but he supposed that made sense. Everything came from somewhere, and Cuore had once mentioned that Phoenix was the second oldest Eidolon, so that meant they weren't everlasting either.
He shook his head and refocused on what he was doing; gathering nourishment for his half Eidolon, half human pretty redheaded best friend.
Who he may or may not have still had a crush on.
Whether or not the Feymarch could become unstable wasn't a question he really needed to worry about.
At least not yet.
Leo returned to the room, noting that he appeared to have missed nothing, and sat down again. He gently nudged Titania to gain her attention, handing over a plate, as well as a glass of water.
Titania took the offerings and smiled.
It was bright, but not cheery. There was grief in her golden eyes, and her smile looked strained. But underneath all of it, there was admiration.
Leo's heart skipped a beat and he found himself smiling back at her.
Even after a year apart, and even after such a difficult goodbye, being around Titania felt easy. It was almost like they hadn't parted.
"I miss you,"
Leo didn't realize he'd voice that out loud until it was too late. Inwardly, he winced.
He didn't want to make Titania sad, or guilty, or confused. He wasn't sure if they were even still friends at this point.
But even though her smile fell, her soft expression didn't change.
"I miss you too," Titania murmured back.
That answered every question he was forcing himself not to ask, and he relaxed somewhat, despite the dire circumstances.
Leo set his hand down between them, palm upwards. With another fleeting smile, Titania placed hers on top of his, threading their fingers together.
There were words left unsaid, but they could wait. For now, this was enough.
"We'll figure out what's happening with the Feymarch." Leo murmured. "I promise"
Titania visibly relaxed and squeezed his hand. "Thank you."
The tranquil, sweet moment was shattered unexpectedly by a loud explicative.
"Chocobo shit, Cuore!" Kieran snapped.
Cuore rolled her eyes at him. "Colorful language doesn't change the situation or the facts,"
Leo made a face and glanced around, totally caught off guard.
They weren't the only two fighting, either.
"I'm not talking about this anymore with you," Rydia was saying, holding a hand up.
Edge rolled his eyes in an extremely exaggerated motion. His voice was all sarcasm. "Oh, classic High Summoner Rydia. Silence when there's something you don't like being discussed."
She glared at him with a look that could boil water.
"What...?" Leo started, catching his younger sister's eye.
"While you two were making eyes at each other an argument broke out." Seren informed him, smirking.
Leo decided against saying anything about the first part, since he knew it was true, and instead just frowned and asked; "An argument? About what?"
Seren gestured to them haphazardly. "Oh, you know, about who is going on this trip and who isn't. Mom and Cuore insist that they are going but that, since they aren't summoners, dad and Kieran shouldn't go. Obviously, dad and Kieran think that's dumb, so, an argument."
Titania bit her lip, "Oh dear..."
Leo rolled his eyes, "Really?"
Seren nodded. "Yup."
"I don't care if there's time dilation," Kieran was complaining, continuing the argument.
Cuore crossed her arms, "It doesn't matter if you care or not. It is a fact that the Feymarch exists in a space-time structure unlike this world. Also, you are devoid of any magical... essence. I have no idea how someone so irregularly ordinary would react to such a drastic shift in time flow."
"So, I'm too normal to go," he snapped back.
She frowned at him, unimpressed by his attitude. "In simple terms, yes."
"Well I'm not too normal," Edge said, jumping into the conversation with a sidelong glare at Rydia. "And besides, I've been there before. Several times. So I don't know why now-"
The green haired summoner cut him off, "Yes! You've been there several times, none of which you were invited-"
He interrupted her this time, groaning loudly and dramatically. "Ugh, you bring that up again? What's next? Would you like to chat about a certain wedding next? Since you never let anything go?"
"This is just like you not just letting me deal with Mist, and having to get involved because you-"
"What does that have to do with this? I got involved because I wanted to help you, and you-"
"Your help is more like you just doing everything because it has to be about you, always! You never-"
"Crystals, like you are any different? Remember that time when-"
Titania seemed uncomfortable judging by the way she shifted in her seat and clutched at her skirt.
Leo shared the sentiment, and had to notice that by this point, Cuore and Kieran had just reverted to the silent treatment.
Or maybe they were speaking telepathically. It was difficult to know.
He chanced a glance at Seren as their parents continued to bicker back and forth, talking over one another with rolling eyes and huffs.
His sister didn't seem terribly bothered by the fighting, but she was making faces.
Admittedly, this wasn't a new conversation or argument. At least where their parents were concerned. Cuore and Kieran bickered, but not full on fought around other people.
Leo shifted a little, hoping not to draw attention to himself, and wondered how they were going to get anything done.
Seren sat down next to him, on the opposite side as Titania. The couch was now crowded and he made a face, pulling his arms closer to his body.
Seren shoved him further to make herself more room, pushing him to press against Titania's shoulder. Leo opened his mouth to apologize to the redhead and complain to his sister, but he never got the chance.
"Who do you think will crack first?" Seren said, none to quiet.
Leo blinked at her. "What?"
"Out of these four. Who is going to change their mind first."
He snorted. "None of them. We'll be here all day and into tomorrow."
Titania raised an eyebrow. "Do they do this a lot?"
"Er...sometimes?" he replied, not sure how to answer.
Seren narrowed her eyes. "Cuore's gone quiet,"
Leo tried to shrug, but couldn't with how crammed they were on the sofa. "Her and Kieran are probably arguing telepathically."
Another few snapping words were thrown around before Cuore finally spoke up again, tossing her hands up. "Okay, enough!"
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We are not going to agree on this, obviously."
"Well, can we argue about it on the way there?" Leo suggested. "The most important thing is figuring out what is wrong in the Feymarch. I think we can all agree on that, right?"
"Well even if they agree to stay here, you aren't coming along either." Rydia commented, jerking her head in the direction of Edge and Kieran when she said 'they'.
Leo frowned, "Why not?"
"The same reason Kieran shouldn't come," Cuore said, voice suddenly far too calm and monotone. "Time dilatation."
Her husband glared at her, but before he could say anything, Leo scoffed. "That's a dumb reason and you know it. I'm a summoner too."
"But the time flow effects humans more the younger you are," his mother reminded him. "Besides, it's unwise for you to come. It's dangerous."
"Finally, one tiny thing we agree on," Edge muttered, flicking an irritated look at Rydia before returning his attention to Leo. "Your mother is right. It is dangerous, since we don't know what we are walking into."
Leo just stared for a minute, unsure if he should laugh or shout.
"Seriously?" he asked.
When no one said anything he stood up, feeling confined on the couch. "It's too... dangerous?" he repeated. "For me. The one who's been kidnapped, summoned Alexander as my first Eidolon, by accident, escaped a coup by myself, survived what, like three world-ending events? But this, this one thing, is too dangerous?"
"That is the single most stupid thing I have ever heard." Leo finished, crossing his arms.
Cuore sighed, "Leo,"
"Don't even start, Cuore. Everyone knows you are way overprotective." He countered, glancing at her. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Your still my brother," she snapped.
He flung an arm out, "It's just a shadow!"
"And sometimes that is most frightening thing of all!" Cuore nearly shouted.
There was something in her tone that made Leo pause and realize that she was genuinely scared.
His eyes narrowed.
His sister either knew something no one else did, or she had a theory that was causing her genuine fear.
Kieran must have heard it in her voice too, because his stance and expression softened and he reached out to gently touch her shoulder.
"Cuore,"
She took a step away, out of his reach and shook her head. "Don't start."
She closed her eyes again, took another deep breath and then looked around the room. "We can't agree at the moment. I need time to think."
Her gaze, now intense, settled on Titania who was doing a wonderful job being quiet and still as a statue.
"Titania, I have questions. Walk with me."
The redheaded looked uncertain, and for a split second, Leo thought she might refuse. But, slowly, she stood, cast a look around the room and then nodded. "O-okay."
Cuore marched out of the room, saying nothing more, and leaving Titania to scramble to follow her.
The others all grumbled, flicked annoyed looks around, and slowly filed out as well, all going in separate directions.
Leo sighed, annoyed.
"Wow," Seren said, reminding him she was in the room. "That was exciting."
He glared at her over his shoulder. "You were surprisingly quiet. Already planning on how you are going to weasel your way into this adventure?"
"Nah," she said, hopping to her feet. She brushed one of her braids over her shoulder. "You know me. No magic. No Eidolons. That's you, mom and Cuore's problem, Not mine."
Leo frowned, but said nothing.
Seren had magic, or at least, she had at one time. But in recent years whatever magical spark she'd had was gone. And no Eidolons had contacted her, either. Not to mention that Seren herself seemed more then happy to stay away from all things Feymarch.
It was odd, but Seren was unique in more then one way, so it wasn't too surprising.
"But you love adventure," he said, a teasing smile pulling at his lips. "Don't you want to help me sneak my way into the Feymarch and break the rules?"
"Tempting," Seren replied with a laugh. "But, I think you've got it well in hand. But I'd hurry. We both saw how eager Cuore was to get away. We know that means she's up to something."
"Oh, one hundred percent," he said, glancing at the door where she had gone.
Leo gave his younger sister another look, and she crossed her arms, "Hey, don't give me that look, Leo. I'm staying out of trouble for once. But, I want to hear all about it when you get back."
He grinned, "Promise."
Kieran opened the panel beside the door and punched in his ten-digit code.
"I'm surprised you aren't mad Cuore stole your ship," Edge commented from behind him.
He was hassling with his weapons as if they weren't sitting quite right and not looking at him.
The doors split open with a chime. "You mean Rydia and Cuore stole my ship," he replied.
"Yes, but Rydia can't fly airships, so Cuore was probably the mastermind on that whole scheme." Edge explained. "So really not mad?"
"It's not like it's the first time," Kieran grumbled, leading them into the elevator. "I just hope this time she doesn't destroy it. I don't really want to rebuild it again, and naming it Phoenix III is a little too much, I think."
The elevator started to ascend and they were quiet for a moment while Kieran frowned, contemplating if he was mad or not.
He wasn't sure.
If wasn't at all surprising that Cuore, and even Rydia, had bailed almost immediately after the initial argument and decided to leave without them.
So unsurprising, in fact, that Edge had tracked him down not ten minutes later, weapons in hand and asked if they should do the exact same thing.
Kieran was a little bit concerned he fit in so well here, given that had been his idea as well.
Why the two summoners were so insistent on not having help was beyond him.
The lift had reached the hanger and chimed again as the door opened to the hallways before the massive docks. They were still quiet as they began walking, and Kieran decided that he was a little mad.
Just a little.
"I'm kind of surprised they didn't do anything to stop us from following them," Edge mentioned, still pulling on the straps that held his weapons.
Kieran spared him a glance, making a face at his continued fussing, and just shook his head. "That we know of,"
"Good point."
They came to a split in the hallways and kept going, the humming of overhead lights creating a dim backdrop that added to the feel they were doing something illicit.
"Kieran!"
They both paused and leaned back to look down one of the corridors at the call.
Filo was standing in the middle of it, looking irritated. Her arms were crossed and she tossed her head once she saw them, sending strands of brown hair to one side.
"I'm glad to see you. Do you think you might be able to figure out what is going on Bab-Il?"
Kieran frowned. "What do you mean what's going on with Bab-Il?"
She rolled her eyes as she moved towards them. "She's on some sort of lock down."
"That's odd..." he muttered, only to have a startling realization wash over him. "Wait, was my wife here a little bit ago?"
Filo snorted, "Yeah, she was clearly on a mission and left after a few minutes. Why?"
Kieran groaned and started walking down the hallway again, waving them with him. "Because, I think that's what's going on with Bab-Il,"
Filo's expression was unimpressed, and she had yet to uncrossed her arms. "You know I'm not fluent in Kier-Ore sarcasm, but whatever. The bottom line is I can't open the hanger doors. If I can't open the hanger doors, then I can't fly a ship. No flying ship, no deliveries. No deliveries, no money, no-"
He waved an irritated hand at her in the hopes it would cut her tirade short. "I get it. Thanks."
Filo shrugged, then finally cast a glance at Edge who had been suspiciously quiet this whole time.
She blinked at him. "Oh. Hey."
Kieran rolled his eyes and tossed her a disapproving shake of his head over his shoulder. The king took it in stride and nodded back. "Hey."
"She's not making you a ship," Kieran cut in, already guessing where the conversation was headed.
Edge grinned at him, "How did you know I was going to ask that? I thought Cuore was the telepathic one."
"I swear some of it passed to Kieran," Filo muttered, hardly quiet. "He always just seems to know what I'm doing or planning on doing,"
"I'm just smart, and I know you, Filo," Kieran retorted, rounded a corner.
She ignored him. "But anyway, yeah, no, I can't make ships. I just fly them around where Kieran and Cuore tell me to go and drop stuff off and get money."
Before the conversation could continue, they nearly collided with Mid in the hallway and he looked relieved.
"Oh good, Kieran, your back. Bab-Il is on some sort of lock down. She won't even tell me what level or why."
"I heard," Kieran said dryly. "I'm going to head to the hangers to see if I can get them open. I sort of a need a ship today, too."
"Well, good luck." he said, wringing his hands. "Both Aikio and I tried to get the bay open, but no luck. Still, Bab-Il is sort of different then some gears. I'm sure you'll have better luck."
"Can he make me an airship?" Edge asked.
Kieran ignored him. "Filo was saying she's locked in, and I think she was supposed to already be halfway through a flight to... was it Damcyan today?"
"No, Baron. Damcyan is tomorrow."
Kieran shrugged, "Whatever. Obviously that's not happening,"
"Hey! Not my fault!" Filo complained. "You aren't going to put this in my file, right?"
Kieran pressed his fingertips to his temples. "Everyone, calm down and listen up. I'm going to try to figure out what's going on with Bab-Il. I need you two to get out those pre-written, pre-signed, apology letters we all made fun of Cuore for putting together and send one out to anyone who had a shipment for the next few days, just in case we have delays."
"Ugh, what?" Filo complained. "Can't Mid do that? I'm sure it's in his job description,"
"How is letter sender and engineer remotely the same thing?" Mid retorted, scowling at her.
Filo's frown deepened. "They are both boring and overpaid positions?"
Kieran clapped his hands a few times. "Like, yesterday. Chop-chop. Boss is here."
They both grumbled but turned to head in the directions of the offices.
He shook his head, stifling a sigh, and then called back after his employees; "And do not make Aikio or Francis or even Bertram do all of them for you!"
Filo groaned, "Ugh, see? I was telling you he's telepathic!"
Kieran did sigh this time and spun on his heel to continue walking. Sometimes he felt more like a parent or a cattle wrangler then a business owner or boss.
Still, it was concerning that something was apparently going on with Bab-Il. He had a feeling it had to do with Cuore's visit.
"How many people hang around the tower, anyway?" Edge asked as they wandered down the hallway.
"Seven, including Cuore and I." Kieran tossed him an odd look. "That was in the dossier we gave you when starting the Trading Alliance. Didn't you read it?"
The king returned his look. "You are asking me if I read a six hundred page document about economics, taxes, resources and business?"
Kieran sighed, "Alright, fair point..."
"Leo probably read it." Edge commented, shrugging. "He is very serious about doing a good job and he actually finds things like that interesting. He also says reading dry reports is 'meditative'." He scoffed. "I don't get it."
Kieran grinned and shook his head, "That's like Cuore insisting that scrubbing floors is calming. I don't understand, but hey, whatever they want to do."
Edge shook his head, looking just as baffled as Kieran felt about it.
They finally made it to the hanger, and he looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, and all the ships that should be there were, in fact, present and accounted for.
He frowned and tilted his head upwards. "Bab-Il?"
"Yes, Kieran."
"Everyone is freaking out about some lock down? What's going on, and also can you open the hanger doors? I sort of need a ship for an emergency."
"Apologies," Bab-Il intoned. "Cuore has implemented a three-step verification omega level lock down,"
"She what?!" Kieran gawked, glaring up at the ceiling.
"She implemented a three-step verification omega level lock down," Bab-Il repeated, obviously missing the sarcasm of his comment.
"What is that?" Edge asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Kieran rolled his eyes, hands planted firmly on his hips. "Omega level clearance is the highest lock down we have, used in extreme cases only. And the three-step process means that it can only be lifted with Cuore's voiceprint, fingerprint, and secret passphrase."
"I don't suppose there's any way around that," Edge asked dryly.
"Even if I might be able to get lucky and guess her passphrase," Kieran complained. "There's no way to deal with the voiceprint and fingerprint." He sighed through his teeth. "I cannot believe she went to this level to keep us away,"
"I can," her father said, shrugging. "Any way to trick the system or anything to get around this?"
Kieran opened his mouth to reply, but Bab-Il beat him too it.
Her systems chimed a unique beep that signaled she was speaking without a direct query being spoken.
"Ill advised," Bab-Il informed them. "Also, please do recall that I am a conscious and evolving artificial intelligence that can hear you while you remain in the confines of this structure."
Kieran grinned at him as Edge just shrugged again. "It was worth an ask,"
The dark-haired man sighed again and looked around the hanger. "I don't suppose you are conscious enough to bypass Cuore's overly cautious lockdown? We'd like to help them out. It's not like the world will end if we follow them."
"Apologies," Bab-Il replied again. "Omega level locks are hardwired into my systems. Cuore made sure that even my autonomy protocols could not override them for security reasons. I cannot assist in this case. Not even for you."
Kieran stifled another sigh and let his hands fall to his sides. "Well, we'll need a new plan. Maybe I can get a message to someone else and they can get another airship to us. It will take time, but..."
"All I can offer are my apologies," Bab-Il continued, unprompted. "There is no bypass in place for omega level locks. Not unless someone were to open the seventh access junction, cause an electrical short-circuit, which would force a system reboot, thus rendering all systems tied to memory to be inactive for approximately three minutes and forty-two seconds."
Kieran paused, blinking a few times.
"But as I said, besides that option, there is no bypass available." Bab-Il finished after a moment of silence.
His lips curled to a smirk, "Yeah, a shame. Thanks Bab-Il."
"You are welcome."
Edge was giving him a weird look. "Your computer is bizarre."
"You heard her, she's conscious and evolving." Kieran retorted, holding his hands up. "What can I say?"
"I assume she just gave you a way to get around this lockdown," the king asked.
Kieran nodded and hurried to one side of the hanger. "Yes, but we will need to move quickly."
He pointed and counted down on the junction panels to seven, before grabbing a nearby wrench and working to pry it open. "These have different pathways to Bab-Il's systems, so we're going to be forcing her to sort of forget, if you will, everything for a brief moment. Including forgetting Cuore's omega level lockdown."
The panel clattered to the ground and Kieran peered into the lattice work of wires and tubes. "I just need to find something that can create enough of a spark to work,"
When he glanced over his shoulder in an attempt to find something inspiring, he spotted Edge holding up a hand. Snaps and crackles could be heard every time a flash of bluish energy zipped between his fingers.
Kieran grinned, "That will work,"
He pointed into the cavity in the wall, "Just aim along the wires. We want to force a reboot, not cause a fire."
"This won't hurt Bab-Il, right?" Edge asked.
Kieran stared flatly at him.
"What? She's alive enough to be sarcastic and assist in deception," the king complained. "Besides, you and Cuore both insist she helped save the world last time, so...shutting her down with some electric magic seems kind of rude."
Bab-Il chimed again, "How kind of you to be concerned. The Tower may be a physical space, but rest assured this structure is not actually tied to me. I merely reside in the systems here. Causing harm to this structure will cause no harm to me."
"Well, okay then." Edge commented, reaching out and grabbing a handful of wires.
Sparks flew, and they both recoiled away from the wall as it fizzled out with a series of alarms and chimes.
"System error. Memory systems inactive. Reboot in progress. Please standby."
The voice was Bab-Il's, but it was devoid of her usual tone and wit, proving it had shaken her back to default settings for a few moments.
"Alright, let's go. Three minutes and change isn't long. Power on the ship, I'll open the hanger door and grab a few things." Kieran instructed.
"Which ship you want to take?" Edge asked pointing over his shoulder. "You kind of have a lot."
"Well, not any of the cargo ones. Those are slow." he responded, eyes darting quickly over the ships left.
He was annoyed Cuore had stolen his favorite ship. There was a reason he only ever flew that one.
"I guess the Discovery. It has the right haul plating and isn't to terribly clunky." Kieran said, making a face and pointing over at the ship.
He was glad Edge didn't argue, and they both moved quickly to do exactly what needed to be done.
Now he was a little bit more then mad at Cuore.
As Kieran winced and shoved the lever down into place to use the manual override on the hanger bay doors, he heard the engines roar to life on the Discovery.
He pulled the second lever for the manual override and then struggled for a moment to turn the heavy valve release. He had just started to get annoyed with how much turning was apparently required, when he heard the squeal of gears and pullies begin to work.
Kieran released the controls and grinned triumphantly as the hanger doors creaked open.
The re-set would almost be complete, but he had enough time to grab two last minute items, one that would hopefully negate the ill effects of the Feymarch his wife was so concerned about.
The second would negate the ill effects of airship travels that he was so concerned with.
Kieran hurried to the far wall where a row of metal lockets stood, all identical on the outside, save for name plates on them.
He yanked his open and was met with a most unfortunate sight.
Kieran stared for a second.
There were times when Cuore did something that reminded him how petty and wicked she could be.
The vials of tonic hadn't just been removed, they had been opened and tipped on their side. The liquid spilled out, ruining everything in the locker below the medicine and of course, rendering the tonic useless as well.
There was still one spot creating a steady, irritating dripping sound.
His only consolation was that the other item he wanted from the cabinet was stowed in the very top shelf, and remained unharmed by the fluid.
Kieran grabbed it and slapped it onto his wrist, frowning, before taking one last, wistful look at the spoiled air sickness tonic.
He sighed and slammed the locker door closed with more force than was necessary.
There was no time to get more from another location, so he just seethed for a heartbeat before rounding back towards the ship.
Within a few steps, he had bounded up the ramp, wanting to waste no time. He remembered at the last second to duck as he entered, since the opening to the Discovery's cockpit was smaller and enclosed more than other ships.
Upon entering the cockpit, Edge grinned at him.
"You are not flying my ship," Kieran griped, making a shooing motion with his hand.
The king rolled his eyes and reluctantly scooted into the co-pilot's seat without voicing any complaints.
Kieran hopped into the chair and began feverishly flicking switches and pressing buttons. A lever rattled when his arm bumped into it.
"Ugh," he muttered, glancing briefly at his hands. "I have way too much crap on my arms."
With a finally pull of a lever he nodded, "Alright, we're off."
They coasted without incident from the hanger and Kieran relaxed slightly once they were out in the open air. It would have been just his luck to have the bay doors close at the last moment.
Once they were out, Kieran breathed a sigh of relief.
"One problem down,"
"Like forty more to go," Edge complained.
He spared a glance to frown at him as he adjusted their pitch angle. "Well aren't you a ray of sunshine,"
"Like you are?" the king remarked back.
Kieran chuckled and flicked another switch. "I guess that's why I fit in so well here,"
"We end up with all the rejects and misfits. That's what makes my country fun."
Kieran laughed and shook his head. "Sure, we'll go with that."
"Do you know where your going, by the way?" Edge asked him. "You've never been there before."
He shrugged, "True, but we've been working on a new navigation system. We've started implementing maps, and trying to get it to display on the ships. It's a work in progress, but I've been staring at a lot of random maps Reed let us borrow recently, so I have a pretty good idea of where to go."
There was a moment of silence, and then Edge leaned back in his seat.
"New navigation system, finally signing Mysidia onto the trading alliance, Cuore also mentioned training another new person... no wonder her and you aren't getting along. Even before this Feymarch thing, I'm not even sure you two sleep or eat with how much is going on."
Kieran frowned, "What do you mean we're not getting along... we're fine."
He felt guilty for the partial lie; after all they had just had this conversation themselves mere hours before.
The look the king gave him was knowing and patronizing. "With the way she snapped at you are breakfast?"
Kieran shifted in his seat with his eyes glued to staring through the windshield. "Oh. That."
"Yes. That."
He sighed, debating what to say. "I know we've been working too hard. We actually just talked about it not too long ago. I suggested we go somewhere together, not for work."
"What did Cuore say?"
"Her usual." He replied with a dry chuckle. "But, she finally agreed it was a good idea."
Edge nodded, "Well, good."
"Wait, why am I taking advice from you?" Kieran said suddenly, "Literally every time we come for a visit, you and Rydia have some sort of a fight."
Edge chuckled, "I know. But we haven't killed each other yet, and I think that marriage is like half arguments over stupid things anyway. People who say otherwise are liars."
"I think maybe the two of you are just too stubborn to call it quits," Kieran pointed out, banking the ship slightly.
"It's possible. There was that seventeen year thing." Edge joked. "The world might hate us forever if after all that we gave up."
He glanced at him again, "But seriously, you and Cuore need to slow down. It was just a few months ago the Trading Alliance started up."
"I know," Kieran said, beginning to feel defensive. "That's why we're going to have a little holiday. Just the two of us."
He felt like he was still partially lying.
But he wasn't ready to talk to anyone about the other reason he suspected Cuore was so preoccupied and ill-tempered. Not until he talked to her about it.
Or better yet; she figured it out for herself.
"Wow, that was a pretty good landing." Edge commented, sounding genuinely impressed. "Landing in these caverns isn't easy with all the weird dips and holes."
Kieran almost didn't hear the compliment, slumped forward on the dash with his forehead pressed against his arm.
"Are you okay?" Edge asked, sounding a little unsure himself.
Kieran didn't dare nod or move, so merely mumbled. "Yeah, just give me a second..."
There was minimal nausea, which meant he wasn't likely to throw up. But the pressure behind his eyes, the churning stomach and the flushed feeling wasn't much better.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and risked looking up.
He regretted it instantly, but just squinted and ignored it. "Alright, we should get going."
"I can't believe you get airsick,"
Kieran swallowed thickly, trying by sheer willpower to push his symptoms away. "Well, not all of us can be as perfect as the Geraldine family,"
Edge grinned, "A shame."
Kieran rolled his eyes.
They stepped outside, and once his feet were on solid ground, he felt instantly better. The heat from the caverns wasn't pleasant, but standing on firm, real ground made his headache ease and his stomach settle.
He stayed standing for a moment, one hand steadying on the airship, while the king disembarked and took a look around.
"How far ahead do you think they got?" Kieran asked, mostly to distract himself from his sickness.
Edge shrugged, "Hard to say. They are probably rushing, so could be quite a bit."
"The Phoenix II is a faster ship, too," he mumbled, pushing away from the haul of their ship.
He was still out of sorts, but the worst of the airsickness had passed, and he knew he'd be alright within an hour of being anywhere but in the air.
He glanced down and made sure the band he'd grabbed from his locker was properly secured around his wrist before pressing and holding a button on the side.
It didn't beep or chime, but after a moment a small, thin line of greenish light emitted from the button.
He had no idea if it would work, but at least it did turn on.
"You okay?"
He nodded, "Better. We should try to catch up to them,"
They started to head off in the direction of the largest cavern opening, but then he remembered one last detail.
"Oh," Kieran said, stopping and then turning on his heel back towards the ship. "Hold on, let me let our stow away out."
He saw Edge look confused out of the corner of his eye as he yanked the lever on the outer storage hatch down, then turn it sharply in a circle.
Leo must have been pressing against the inner side of the hatch, because the moment it opened, he tumbled out.
He managed to roll over twice, looking somewhat graceful before stopping and hopping to his feet.
"Thanks," Leo commented, brushing dust off his pants. "Did you know that there's no way to open that door from the inside?"
Kieran nodded, unphased. "Yeah, it's a safety measure so cargo doesn't get loose and go for an unauthorized flight,"
"Oooooh," Leo said, drawing the word out. "That makes sense, I guess. Still, it's kind of a safety concern if someone did get locked in there,"
"It's not every day we have stowaways," Kieran remarked dryly.
The prince flashed him a halfway apologetic grin.
"Leo!" Edge snapped.
"Oh, hey dad." the prince greeted, completely unbothered.
"What are you doing here?!" his father asked, startled and irritated.
Leo held up a hand, "Ugh, don't even start! I'm a summoner too, which means I need to help with this and check up on my Eidolons. Besides, I'm older than mom was when she saved the world the first time, and Cuore, too, for that matter! I'm coming along, and if you tell me no, then I'll just do it anyway,"
He narrowed his eyes, "Like someone else I know,"
Kieran stifled a laugh.
Although Leo was often the most reasonable and argueably normal of their family, he was, in fact, still a Geraldine.
Leo continued, despite his father's disapproving look.
"Besides, I promised Titania I'd help, and I never break a promise. So, I'm coming. End of story."
"Who is going to watch the kingdom while we're all gone?" his father challenged him,
Leo stared at him for a moment, expression dry. "I don't think the kingdom is going to get up and walk away," He sighed and continued with a vague gesture of his hand. "The time difference in the Feymarch means that no one is even going to notice us missing. A day might pass, but that's probably it. And, if something really does come up, I told Kenta to tell everyone a believable story about where we all were."
"Really?" Edge said, obviously unimpressed.
"What?" Leo countered. "He's always making crap up. It's what he's good at."
Kieran chuckled, "He has you there,"
Edge sighed, but just relented with eyes closed. "Fine, fine. You're here now anyway. And, Rydia and Cuore are going to kill all of us so we might as well die together."
Leo grinned, looking quite smug and triumphant. He glanced over his shoulder at Kieran.
"What?" the dark haired man said. "Oh, you think I'm going to lecture you? Not a chance. I think this whole thing is stupid."
"Agreed," the two royals intoned.
Leo tapped his chin, "We should probably hurry, though. If we want to catch up to them, that is. I'm not sure I know how to open the actual door portal thing to the Feymarch proper, so we might need mom for that."
"I was actually thinking about that," Edge said. "Every time I've been in these caverns, the layout is different. I'm not sure we'll be able to easily find them."
Kieran shrugged and pulled the sleeve of his jacket up, turning his right arm so his forearm was facing upwards. He tapped a few times on the metal armguard and then flipped his arm around so the back of his wrist was facing up.
"I'll just use the tracker on Cuore to find them. Besides, they couldn't have gotten that far."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "You have a tracker on Cuore?"
Kieran paused, still looking at the armguard. He snapped his gaze up, "Hm, okay, yes, I can understand how that sounds. If it makes it better, I have one on me too."
Both royals stared at him.
Kieran looked sheepish. "What? With how often her and I end up in dangerous situations, or one of us runs off like this alone, it seemed like a really good idea for both of us to have trackers."
"...Actually, that makes sense," Edge grumbled. "Still sounds bad, but... it is probably a good idea."
"Do you think Cuore took her tracker off?" Leo asked.
Kieran shook his head and held up his arm so they could see the flashing light on his guard. "No, I'm sure she didn't think I'd get Bab-Il's lock down lifted, so I'm sure she wouldn't have thought about it. Besides, I've never seen her not wearing it."
"Even to sleep?" Leo asked, wrinkling his nose. "That metal armband looks really uncomfortable to be honest,"
Kieran grinned, "The tracker isn't the gauntlet. Too obvious if we get kidnapped."
Before they could ask any more questions, Kieran pointed off towards one of the cave openings. "Alright, that way. I think if we hurry, we can catch them. Barring any monster fights."
He was thankful they didn't pester him any further about the tracking devices. They had been Cuore's idea, and although he realized how it sounded, he also knew they were a good idea.
The two of them had been in more dangerous situations then he could count, and if there was ever another chance that he lost track of his wife, at least this way he had somewhere to start.
And he knew she wouldn't have taken it off.
She was more attached to the item the tracker was in then she would even admit.
After all, despite her protests to the opposite, Cuore could be sentimental.
Kieran didn't particularly like the caves they found themselves in. It was hot, and stifling, the air feeling both heavy and dusty. The ground was marred with random holes and veins of smoldering embers.
More then once he had to pause to figure out how to get around the lava marks without burning himself.
Leo was obnoxiously spry, hopping over dangerous spots, darting around and even bouncing off a wall to avoid a particular rough area.
"Stop being such a showoff," his father finally complained. Kieran hid a grin.
Leo rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "I'm not showing off. Your just old and slow."
"...I hate that you are kind of right," Edge grumbled.
Leo laughed and took off again.
"Is this what I have to look forward to with kids?" Kieran asked, unable to keep the teasing tone from his voice.
"Ugh, yes." Edge said, crossing his arms. "They are the best and worst of life."
"A ringing endorsement." Kieran remarked, carefully testing a patch of ground that didn't quite look right with his foot.
"Well, it's true. They are wonderful and terrible all at once. It's hard to explain."
Kieran chuckled, finally opting to just skim around the spots in the ground and press against the wall instead. The rocks were hot to the touch, but not enough to burn his skin through his gloves.
Besides, his hands were already sweaty.
Before they could go very much further, Leo came dashing back around a bend he had disappeared around and held up his hands.
"Um, so, remember how you said 'barring any monster attacks'?"
Kieran groaned.
They crept carefully forward and Leo pointed upwards, drawing their attention to a number of dark shapes hanging above them, before pointing down at the ground where a pile of them lay smoldering and dismembered.
"Looks like mom and Cuore did come through here, if that's anything to go by." Leo murmured. "I could probably sneak past them, maybe you could dad,"
At that, Edge shot him an offended look.
"But..." Leo's gaze switched to Kieran who waved a hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. I know. So, I guess we will have to fight."
"Not so bad," Edge said, shrugging. "There's only six of them."
Kieran frowned. "That we can see,"
"...Good point,"
Leo was eyeing the ceiling and carefully pulled a folded item out before giving it a flick. It sprang open into a circle with razor sharp blades attached. "I can probably hit at least two of them from here."
His father gave him a look, "Since when are you so confident about fighting?"
Leo paused. "Um...no comment."
Deciding that he got away with things too much, Kieran grinned. "Well, I happen to know that sometimes when he stops by the Tower for a visit, he is out of breath and on more then one occasion has had a little bit of blood splatter on him."
Leo whipped around to glare at him and hiss; "Traitor."
"Leo!" Edge scolded quietly. "Seriously?"
"What? I got the idea from you!"
"Your mom is going to kill you,"
"She's going to kill both of us!"
Kieran snickered, amused, but set his hands on their shoulders to draw them back to the present. "We should get a move on. They are just bats...hopefully. We can take them."
"I know from experience that magic isn't always a good idea this close to the Feymarch. Sometimes the spells act...oddly." Edge explained. "So, weapons only."
Leo flicked out a second bladed boomerang into his other hand. "That works for me. I've never used magic in a fight around other people, so I can't make any promises about my aim anyway."
"Do you want to jump up there and get one?" Edge asked, pointing at one of the dark shapes.
Kieran tossed him a look and pointed upwards. "I have no idea how high this cavern is. I can't see the ceiling. That's a terrible idea."
"Kain used to jump in caves all the time," Edge countered.
Kieran rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, Kain used to do all sorts of stupid crap."
"...True,"
Leo waved his weapons. "I'm telling you, I can hit them from here."
His father sighed, but finally relented with a nod.
Grinning, the prince crept forward another step or two and then squinted up. He switched the grip on his weapons and let them fly with a casual looking twist of his wrists.
Kieran was impressed; he did manage to hit two of the creatures and catch the thrown boomerangs once they circled back.
The rest of the creatures dislodged from their perches before the two dead hit the ground.
They swarmed down, and as they had been concerned about, there were more than six.
They were bats, although giant with disgustingly creepy glowing eyes. The hardest part about them was how they darted in and out of the shadows, making it difficult to actually hit them.
But they were easily dispatched after a few moments. For all their bragging, both Leo and Edge were handy in a fight.
Kieran impaled the last bat, wincing as its' dying screech tore at his eardrums, and glanced up in time to see Leo flick his blades closed.
He looked smug, but didn't actually say anything.
Kieran tried, and failed, to pull his swallow free. He made a face and used his foot to help slide the dead bat off of it.
"I forgot how gross that is," he muttered. His frown deepened as he held his blade up to look it over.
He was glad the cavern was dimly lit. There was a lot of stuff coating it and he wasn't in the mood to identify all of it.
Sighing, he swapped his weapon to his other hand and checked the tracker.
"We aren't that far from them. Maybe they ran into another patch of fiends that slowed them down."
They started walking again, and Leo kept glancing at his father.
"What?" Edge finally asked, frowning at him.
Leo hesitated, and then looked away. "I... was kind of hoping you'd say I did a good job."
Kieran winced, slowing his steps so he was backed up from them. He felt like this wasn't a conversation he should be part of.
"I'm not sure I should encourage you, since you've already been recklessly running off and of course, sneaking into this little adventure."
Leo's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I know...but..."
He sighed and started fidgeting with his folded boomerangs. "Never mind."
There was ana awkward silence that followed.
Kieran couldn't tell if they were as uncomfortable as he was.
As they came to a narrowing of the tunnel, they came face to face with an irritated looking Cuore.
She glared at them, arms crossed and booted foot tapping.
"Oh, hey Cuore." Leo greeted, back to his cheerful self.
She scowled.
"How did you know we were following you?" her father asked.
She wordlessly held up her arm, a light glowing faintly on her gauntlet to mirror Kieran's.
"Oh."
Titania leaned around a boulder behind Cuore, and gave a little timid wave before disappearing.
There was a pause.
"So..." Edge started, drawing the word out.
Cuore finally exhaled.
She dropped her arms. "I'm livid."
Leo winced and scooted around her. "Um, well, I saw Titania. I'm going to catch up with her."
He was gone, already a master of avoidance.
Kieran sighed, "Cuore, let's talk."
She glared at him, but nodded.
Edge tossed him a look and whispered; "Good luck."
"Yeah, you too." Kieran muttered back.
They were left alone in the boiling tunnel, and Kieran frowned at Cuore's overly calm expression.
Finally, she broke the silence. "How did you get here?"
"On an airship," he replied.
It wasn't the answer to the question she was truly asking, but he was livid too.
Her eyes narrowed. "How did you lift Bab-Il's lock down?"
"Oh, that." he said, shrugging. "I had a little help."
"I can't believe you," she muttered.
Kieran gave her an annoyed look. "You can't believe I followed you after you stole my ship and left without me?"
"Our ship," she corrected, eyeing a rock wall.
He frowned, but knew she was right on that point. It was technically their ship. "I told you I wanted to come with you. I told you I was going to come with you. I can't believe you went through so much trouble to keep me away!"
"Of course I did!" she retorted. "Are you that surprised? This isn't about you. I need to be here, for the Eidolons, but you don't."
"Well did it occur to you that I needed to be here for you?" he explained, exasperated.
"But what if something happens to you?" Cuore ranted. "I can't lose you."
"What are you even talking about?" Kieran snapped. "None of us knows what is going on, so how would that have anything to do with loosing me?"
Cuore threw her hands wide. "Because of that dream! Every time I wake from it, I have this feeling of dread. Of loss. I know something bad is going to happen."
"And how does a bad dream making you feel bad have anything to do with me?" he asked, voice laced with sarcasm and annoyance.
She glared at him, "Because I can't think of anything worse than loosing you!"
Kieran paused, pulling back on the retort he was about to snap. Her tone was angry, but he could hear the waver in it.
"Cuore," he started, forcing his voice under control. "Nothing-"
"Don't," she interrupted sharply, closing her eyes. "Don't make me a promise you might not be able to keep. You said it; none of us knows what we're walking into."
Cuore's hands clasped the opposite arms in a self-embrace, and she took a series of deep breathes. She seemed to be trying to cool her temper and Kieran copied her with a single breath.
"Cuore," he started again, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Why do you think I'm so insistent on coming with you? It's for the exact same reason. I don't want anything to happen to you."
She was looking at him, but the expression was guarded and uneasy. However, she hadn't interrupted him yet so he continued, gently turning her all the way around to face him.
"We are stronger together, that much is clear. I know this is an uncertain situation, but that's all the more reason that we face this together."
Kieran frowned, "And I know you are worried about the Eidolons, especially the Element Guard,"
Cuore averted her gaze.
"So let me help?" he murmured, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "If you keep telling me not to do something, it'll just make me want to do it more. Perpetual rule breaker, remember?"
Her lips curved upwards and Kieran grinned at the reaction. "Well? Acceptable?"
She still wouldn't look at him, but she nodded slowly and mumbled; "Acceptable."
"Are you still mad at me?"
Cuore rolled her eyes and her hands fell to her sides as she relaxed. "...No,"
"You sure?" Kieran asked, raising an eyebrow.
She sighed and finally met his gaze. "Not mad. Worried."
"We make a good team, you know. If that makes you feel better." he added.
Cuore reached up to grasp his wrists. "I know. And... you are right. We are better together. However, I'm concerned about you being in the Feymarch. Dealing with Eidolon complications. You... this isn't... your element, so to speak."
Kieran hummed. "True, but..." he frowned, gauging his words. "It isn't my element, but it is yours. And you are my element, so it balances out."
Cuore's look was dry. "That makes negative sense."
He chuckled and swatted her shoulder. "Well, puzzle it out for the next thirty-six hours and maybe it will make more sense. The point is, I'm here now and coming with you."
"I still can't believe you figured out a way to bypass Bab-Il's lockdown," she complained.
Kieran grinned, "Yeah, I'll tell you how later, and it's a major security flaw so we'll need to fix it."
Cuore had taken his wrists back and was looking them over. "Prototype 34459?" she asked, peering up at him.
"Displacer," he corrected with a sigh. "But yes. That's my solution to whole Feymarch might screw up time and me and all that."
"We have no idea if prototype 34459 even functions!" Cuore protested. "You have got to stop trying out our experimental devices on your own,"
"That was one other time,"
"This is two times too many," she countered, dropping his hands. "Kieran..."
He shrugged, "Well, we can see first hand if the Displacer works."
"Prototype 34459,"
"Displacer,"
Cuore rolled her eyes.
He frowned. "Also, petty on the airsickness tonics."
She winced, proving that it had been an impulsive move and not planned out. "I... feel badly about that. I'm sorry. How are you feeling?"
"Better, now." he commented, tugging on her hands. "Come on, we need to catch up. Possibly keep your mother from killing your father."
Cuore didn't move, and gave his hands a squeeze. "Are... we okay?"
"Of course." he said, giving her a funny look. "That wasn't even a serious fight, Cuore. I know your worried, but so am I. We'll be fine. We just need to stick together."
She was searching his expression, a sign he hadn't answered her in the way she wanted. But Cuore had a terrible habit of not asking the questions she really wanted too. Kieran frowned, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. We can talk later. You are right. We should catch up."
She pulled him onward this time, and Kieran resisted asking her to talk now. However, he planned to hold her to that promise of later.
Leo was glad to escape what was sure to be a fight between Cuore and Kieran and felt even more relieved to see Titania.
She offered him a small smile when he stopped beside her.
"I had a feeling you might be following us," she giggled. "Cuore did too. That's why she started looking at her tracker. Do you think it's weird she has a tracker on Kieran?"
Leo chuckled, feeling more at ease now that he was with his friend. "A little, but she has one on her too. I guess it was a mutual idea."
Titania blinked, "Oh."
"As for the following part..." Leo paused, then shrugged. "I wanted to come along. We should all be here. Besides, I promised you would."
She smiled at him again, sending his pulse scattering.
"I'm glad."
"Leo!"
He winced, glancing up at his mother who was walking towards them from the opposite end of the cavern.
"Oh...hi mom." he muttered, bracing himself for another lecture.
Rydia looked frazzled, not mad, and darted a look behind him as if she could guess who else was with him.
"What are you doing here!"
"I came to help." he said. "And yes, I know, I'm in big trouble for disobeying, and it's super dangerous and all that, but... I want to help. The Eidolons are my family too."
His mother said nothing, which was more unsettling then if she'd started yelling.
"Leo..." she finally sighed.
He averted his gaze, feeling a twinge of guilt for making his family worry about him so much.
But they worried over nothing.
He wasn't a child any longer.
He could handle dangerous things.
He wanted to help.
Titania seemed to sense his discomfort, and he felt her step closer before her fingers grazed the back of his hand.
He was grateful for the silent support.
Before his mother could begin scolding in earnest, her attention was diverted to behind him.
Her concerned, motherly expression melted into unbridled wrath.
Titania and Leo both winced.
"Hello, love of my life," Edge commented, all sarcasm and annoyance.
Her glare sharpened.
There was a tense standoff before Rydia turned and stalked off without a word.
Edge rolled his eyes and trailed after her, leaving Titania and Leo alone.
The redhead looked concerned. "...I'm sorry this situation has caused such tension in your family,"
Leo couldn't help it. He laughed.
She looked startled and looked up at him.
"Ha, it's not this, Titania. We're all just..." he grappled for the right word. "Our family is stubborn. Hardheaded. Overly protective of each other and maybe a little too quick tempered."
She blinked. "But still, this seems to have drawn out a lot of bad feelings."
Leo smiled at her. "Trust me, we'll all be back to normal shortly. In fact, I bet Kieran and Cuore will be all fine when they catch up."
"Really? Cuore seemed incredibly upset." Titania said, dropping her voice as if the teal haired woman could hear her. "But, I hope you are right."
Leo nodded, "I am. Don't worry."
"I am sorry we left without you. By the time I realized that Cuore and I had walked to the airship, it was too late to do anything about it. Rydia was already there, too." Titania said.
Leo raised an eyebrow. "I guess they planned it out pretty good."
As if on cue, his sister and her husband arrived, hand in hand, and looking as if they hadn't been fighting all day.
He tossed Titania a look and she blinked, offering a shrug.
Cuore looked around. "Where are mom and dad?"
"They went on ahead. They aren't talking."
She rolled her eyes.
Leo looked at his sister. "Well? Aren't you going to scold me?"
"No one else was concerned with Seren flying an airship." Cuore pointed out with a shrug. "It would be a double standard to be concerned with you doing things outside of the norm for your age bracket, would it not?"
Leo grinned at her. "There's a reason you are my favorite sister,"
She laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. But... that's just because I'm overprotective."
Leo dropped his gaze, "Sorry I said that earlier."
"You weren't wrong." she replied. "I am. I always will be. You are right. You aren't a child. But you will always be my little brother."
Leo looked back up and smiled at her. "I guess that's true."
Cuore's expression turned devious. "That said, whatever we are about to face may want to think twice. All of us working together is a force to be reckoned with."
Leo chuckled. "True."
He waved them forward. "Come on, we should catch up to mom and dad. Make sure she doesn't kill him."
Kieran snorted.
As they wandered the corridors, the lava veins increased and the walls closed in. When they finally caught up with Rydia and Edge, the cavern had opened again, but was unremarkable in every other regard.
It appeared to be a dead end.
But Leo could feel that wasn't true.
There was magic somewhere nearby. Raw, untamed, pure magic.
He inhaled sharply, caught off guard by the feeling. It was familiar, but distant, and he realized with a start that it was exerting a pull on him.
He wanted to get closer to it, to understand it.
Leo blinked a few times, wondering if his mother and sister could feel it too.
Rydia was pacing, running her hands along the far wall and looking anxious.
Cuore frowned, "Something feels... different."
Titania nodded. "Yes, that's what I meant. The Feymarch is different lately."
Leo wondered how it normally felt, if not like this.
"I can't get in." Rydia finally spoke, her voice holding a hint of panic. "The way won't open."
Titania frowned, stepping forward and closing her eyes. After a moment, she opened them and stared apologetically at the queen.
"I... don't think it's closed off. I think it's closed off to... you, High Summoner."
Rydia looked openly hurt by the comment and Titania dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know why it would be."
Cuore frowned, "Can we get in another way?"
The redhead glanced over her shoulder, offering a nod. "I can open the way, but you will have to come in with me."
She held out a hand to Rydia. "Everyone link hands. I should be able to pull all of us through."
Once they had all joined hands, Titania smiled nervously. "Maybe close your eyes? Sometimes this is jarring if it's your first time."
Leo followed her instructions, not wanting to become disoriented.
He couldn't help but feel giddy.
His mother adored the land of the Eidolons, and he wanted to see the place Titania called home.
Besides, a realm of nothing but magic?
He couldn't wait to see it.
Nothing felt strange, no pulling, no pushing, no magical feelings. He thought perhaps they hadn't of moved until he heard Titania gasp.
Upon opening his eyes, Leo saw why.
The Feymarch was under attack.
Author's Note: Long time no update! Sorry for the 2 month delay - hopefully this insanely long chapter makes up for it.
I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this story, but I hope if you are, you are enjoying it!
I have a lot of fun writing these characters, and while Cuore and Kieran will always be my favorites, there is something so endearing about Leo. He has a special place in my heart, haha.
As for Seren - I had it as part of her story that, having seen all the trouble and things that happened with her mother and sister in regards to magic and Eidolons, she actively tries to avoid it. Even going so far as to steal silencing bracelets so she can't accidentally cast spells. She ignores the Feymarch's call for a long time. In my head, later in her life she relents and accepts that magic and Eidolons are part of her, but at this point in time, she's not about that. She sees them as binding, and she's all about being a rebel and freedom, haha.
Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon, but I suspect it may be another month at least.
Thanks for reading!