Beginning of the Experiment

When Virginia opened her eyes, she was strapped to a specimen table in a strange building. In place of the normal dress she wore, she found a white hospital gown. The young Drifter was afraid of what had happened to her, but kept her cool. Panicking wouldn't do her any good; it would only make her current predicament much worse. The only thing she could do now was hope to learn how to undo the bindings.

Suddenly, the thought crossed her mind. 'If I'm dressed like this, then what did they do with my clothes? More importantly, which one of them undressed me in the first place? If one of them touched me in any way, I am surely going to go postal and unleash my full Shamanic fury onto the offender later on.'

"I can't believe you made me do that Leehalt," Melody's angry voice called from the hall, "Malik would have gotten more satisfaction out of it since he's a guy. And it was your idea to make the brat wear a gown. There was no need to make her look like some official subject. I would much rather have spent my time applying some new eyeliner so I could look presentable when we celebrate the evolution of Filgaia." This made Virginia sigh with relief, only Melody had dressed her. And she was mad about it to boot. So no harm had come to the girl by a pervert. But it still annoyed her to no end at how they were treating her.

"I wouldn't touch Werner's progeny with a ten foot pole if it could be avoided. Maybe if she was as beautiful as her mother, but definitely not if she looked like her father. Since that's the case, I couldn't do it. I trust you much more than Malik anyway; he'd probably try to use her for his own experiment. But we need her as a channel for the Teardrop. This is so rich, I had no idea Werner was that freakish," replied Leehalt.

The two entered from the open door; Leehalt's eyes lit up in fascination. Siegfried had ordered him to tap into the girl's memories so he could find the Teardrop. The Demon Lord had explained that the race she belonged to, the Shamans, were ancient enemies of the Demons. They were descended of the three heroes who had slain him in an ancient war—a sorceress of the Guardians, an artificial being raised as a gunner, and a young swordsman—in addition to a woman who had once been a demon—but saved through death and resurrection to return to her human body. Thus, all of those forces caused an exponential power increase in their descendants. Also, her connection to the Guardians caused certain critical events that were viewed through the eyes of a Shaman to be engrained in her racial memory. Thus, she would know what had happened to the Teardrop. All Leehalt had to do was probe into her mind and find the right spot.

Virginia told him, bitterly, "When my friends arrive, there will be some hell to pay. They won't take it lightly that their team leader is trapped here. What they do to you then will make the beating you received back at Yggdrasil seem like a therapeutic massage in comparison. And once I get free you will feel the full fury of my power." She hoped her bluff worked; then Leehalt would spend more time on security than her.

Leehalt looked at the girl, and glared. Then, he slapped her in the face; enjoying the pain she had felt. "Melody, go back to work on the Deus ex Machina. I'll handle Maxwell." As the female scientist left the room, the leader of the Prophets gave a look of triumph to his captive specimen. "No one knows the location of this secluded lab, so your little friends won't come. Meaning, you're trapped and on your own. This time Daddy isn't here to save you either. Kind of whish he was, so I can flaunt his secret back on him."

"Actually, Daddy isn't a Shaman at all," Virginia retorted, hoping to get Leehalt in a soft spot, "I get this blood from Mom's side of the family. She taught me all I needed to know in order to defend myself from an attack, and to recover my wounds. When she died, I studied as hard as I could, hoping to do her proud one day. So you can't say I'm only my father's daughter; my strongest values come right from my mother."

"Silence! Ekatrina was not a freak like you and your father! I'll prove myself right by viewing your memories as I search for the information," boomed Leehalt. He didn't know how backed into a corner he was getting; just as Virginia had intended it. She knew he would never believe her mother was that strong. Ekatrina had a hatred towards violence, but wasn't below fighting back should she need to protect her child.

Leehalt fit the circlet he was carrying over her head, and ran the wires into the console. Then, he pushed a button and the screen lit up. An image appeared, one of a woman and child. The girl had honey brown hair and blue eyes, while the woman had golden blond hair and green eyes. They were sitting on a picnic blanket in the middle of a field with a big lunch before them. Both appeared to be extremely happy. But despite that appearance, there was something hidden. Something was missing from the picture.

The little girl whispered, "Mommy, I love you lots. And I love Daddy too. When is he going to come back home? He's been gone for two days, and it's almost my fifth birthday." She gave her mother a look of confusion. Well, a four year old wasn't expected to understand her father had to work on a lengthy project.

At that moment, the woman pulled her child close. "Soon, Virginia, he will be home soon. In the meantime, how about I show you something. I'm going to teach you how to use your very first spell. With this power, you can defend yourself should there ever be trouble. One day, you will want to spread your own wings my dear, and then you won't have Daddy and me right next to you if you're in trouble. So you need to take care of yourself, so we don't cry. For even though our bodies would be apart, our bond is eternal."

The woman pulled out a wooden square, and concentrated. Suddenly, a blast of wind whipped through the air, and played with the child's skirt. She giggled. Once she'd seen that her child was happy, the woman began to laugh as well. The girl would learn, and one day surpass her mother. For the woman could sense the potential that lay in the soul of her daughter, to give her a much brighter tomorrow.

Of course, this image had Leehalt eating his own words and Virginia smirking. He remembered that project; Werner had finally blown his stack and went home. That time, Leehalt had been trying to extend the experiment just to keep him away from home over his child's birthday. Anything to get both the girl and Ekatrina upset with Werner was a plus in Leehalt's book. But one he'd found out, Werner went home.

However, Leehalt ignored that. He continued looking through the girl's mind; seeing many images of happier times with her parents. The sentimental fool. Finally, he came upon one that held promise.

"This is the place," a blond man with teal eyes whispered, "The Ruins of Memory. It's an artifact house. It will have to do for now, until the witch hunt dies down. We must abandon our physical reliance on magic; only use it behind the scenes. Thus, the gem of our forefathers will also be sealed. I am no longer Prince Rudolph Lorenzo Adlehyde; now I am Rudy Rougnight." He placed the gem on a pedestal, and left.

"Ruins of Memory, eh? Well, now I know where the object of our search is located. I must tell Lord Siegfried right away," Leehalt said to himself. He cackled, and then left to find the Demon Lord.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Leehalt is evil, no? I figured since he was told that Virginia is of a Demon Slaying race that he wouldn't believe Ekatrina to be a part of them; since her demeanor is supposed to be opposite her daughter. Love backing him into corners.