Disclaimer: Magic Knight Rayearth does not belong to me but all original ideas and characters are mine. End disclaimer.

Cephiro Ruins

CR 2: A Talk by Candlelight

"Grandma Mellar?"

Setie slowly opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. The only light source was a dim candle in the far corner.

"Take caution, child. Your body is still weak," said a distant raspy voice.

When she tried to get up, her head began to instantly spin in circles. Setie cradled her head in her hands in order to stop the spinning.

"My head … it hurts, grandma. What happened to me?" Setie's long silky black hair fluttered down to her lap as she leaned forward to rid of her headache. She felt a cold hand on her head. Setie looked up to see her old grandma. Leather face and hands, each crease on her revealed the long years of wisdom she had acquired.

If it weren't for the guidance of her grandma, the village would be in peril. As eldest of elders, she created a system to balance order in their village. Once there was tumultuous disorder of stealing, laziness, and even children who were left to fend for themselves. Setie could not remember when it all started; however, when Grandma Mellar took over as the leader of all Elders, the village turned for the best. Grandma Mellar established systems for harsh punishment and lenient counseling. As for the laziness of the village, she created a working calendar in which all villagers, young or old, would have to work in order to gain crops. The best program that Mellar adopted was the upbringing of the children who were left all by themselves. Grandma Mellar would bring the children into the village to institute the village as their parents. That way, the children will be brought up to join the village's work force.

Setie frowned when Grandma Mellar exhaled to sit next to her.

"Grandma, you don't have to sit by my bedside anymore. I'm all grown up now-"

Setie rolled her hazel eyes when the usual calm countenance of Grandma Mellar was distant and cold.

"What's wrong?" asked Setie.

"Monster, you say?"

"What?"

Grandma Mellar slowly turned her brittle head towards an impatient Setie.

"Monster… you told the villagers that you saw a monster in the forest. What were you doing in the forest in the first place? It is forbidden!" Mellar's tender voice had a tendency to change like a snake ready to strike. At one moment, it was tender and sweet, however another moment it may seem like it was melting your skin away.

"Forbidden? But you allow Sienne to go in there all the time!" protested Setie. Setie's head, outraged by the sudden show of rage, began to spin once again. "I need a cup of the Astrailius tea." Setie hastily threw back her covers to stand up; however Grandma Mellar stopped her with her long wooden cane.

"Child, your temper is still as sharp as your mind." Grandma Mellar chuckled as she recalled a memory from the past. "But this is no time to talk about tempers. This is an important matter, indeed." Grandma Mellar's voice was tender once more.

Setie's frown turned upside down as curiosity got the best of her.

"What is this all about anyway? Can't this wait until I get some tea first?" asked Setie. Setie was impatient. Perhaps it was the way she was brought up; as the granddaughter of the leader of the Elder, she was not accustomed to wait or work for anything.

"No. We are currently out of roots. You must train your body to sustain without the tea everyday. I have sent Sienne to get some more, so we will not have any for at least another month." Grandma Mellar removed her cane from Setie's chest

"To the forest? What is so special about this forest anyway? I am the granddaughter of the leader of this village, I can do anything! Why is the forest restricted for me? How does a lowlife creature such as Sienne have more privileges than me?" Setie's small eyes narrowed like a hawk.

"So, you didn't see a monster?"

"WHAT MONSTER!" Setie's attitude blared out like a siren. She grabbed her long hair and braided it viciously. Near the end of the braid, she pulled out a beaded silk ribbon from her pocket to finish it off. Her braid was messy due to her anger.

Grandma Mellar chuckled in a low tone.

"Of all things to inherit, you had to inherit my temper. Answer me, so you didn't see a monster?"

"Of course not! There are no such things as monsters!"

"Then why did you scream like a monkey, causing everyone to worry?"

Setie shrugged her shoulders. "The village was getting too dull for my taste. I decided to spice up the rumor mill a bit."

Grandma Mellar's eyes narrowed to her granddaughter's nonchalant shrug.

"Tell me the truth."

"The truth is, I am tired of the same old routine! WORK! CHILDCARE! Is that all we do in this humdrum place?" Setie furiously tossed the covers back and stood up before Grandma Mellar could stop her.

Grandma Mellar leaned on her cane with her right hand and patted the straw-filled bed with her left hand, signaling Setie to take a seat. Setie, in the midst of her rebellion, eventually sat down with her arms crossed.

"My child, how you have grown… It was just yesterday that you were begging me for another story on my lap. Well, those happy times have passed but I would love to tell you one more story. This story is long overdue." Grandma Mellar searched the room, reminiscing of past times. Her tired and dull hazel eyes stopped at the flickering candlelight. Grandma Mellar took the turbulent candlelight as an ominous sign.

"I said, I'm SITTING. Talk away."

"Setie, times are changing. It is important to remember that change is a good thing; an opportune chance. We MUST change with the times or else we will fade away just like the monsters… Allow me to tell you of a place that could not change… Cephiro…"