I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.
Deningrad
Cade glanced back as Rose stopped, staring into the distance off of a cliff. They were almost out of the Evergreen Forest, but he could see something was up.
"What is it?" Cade asked.
"You go on ahead," Rose said. "I just remembered I have an important errand to run."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Cade asked, guessing it had something to do with her being the Black Monster.
Rose shook her head. "I'll meet up with you all in Deningrad."
Cade frowned worriedly, but she smiled, taking his hands.
"It won't take me long," Rose said. "A couple days at most. I promise."
Cade nodded, and Rose leaned in, kissing him for a few moments before stepping back. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
"I promise," Rose smiled.
Then, she turned, sliding down the steep slope just above the cliff face before leaping to the cliff opposite theirs, landing lightly and smiling back at him one last time before turning and walking away. He sighed, then glanced at Meru, who was slowly backing away.
"Meru?" Shana asked, making her jump.
Meru laughed nervously and turned away. "I just remembered I have an errand to run too."
Cade frowned, then glanced at the forest. "You sure that's a good idea?"
Meru turned back around, looking at him before nodding. "I gotta go."
"You're not going to tell us where either, are you, Meru?" Dart asked.
Meru hesitated before shrugging, smiling. "I'm just visiting my parents, that's all."
"That's all?" Haschel asked. "You should have said so." He turned, beginning to walk away. "I will miss you Meru."
Meru stepped around in front of him, pouting slightly. "I'll be back soon!" She turned, running up the path a ways before stopping and looking back. "See ya!"
"Take care, Meru," Cade said. "We'd better see you again in Deningrad. It'd be a huge hassle if I had to come to the Forest to take you back."
Meru smiled and nodded. "But what else is family for?"
Then, she turned, running off.
"Family?" Shana asked.
"She says I'm like the brother she never had," Cade shrugged. "She's kinda weird."
"You're kinda weird too, though," Haschel said.
"Hey, I'm not that weird," Cade said.
"Let's go," Dart sighed. "We might as well try to find something useful to tell them about when they get back."
The others all nodded and they turned, continuing along the path toward Deningrad.
Cade stared at the mural of the Divine Tree silently. His mother had taught him the story of the Divine Tree. As well as a few things about it. She'd also taught him a bit about the Wingly faith and their guardian angels, the most prominent being the Seventh Angel, Archangel. The Divine Tree was on the left side of the church, with the front being decorated with some sculpture that looked like a big, marble flame, or maybe a mass of tentacles, Cade wasn't really sure.
"The Divine Tree is the Tree of Life," the church's bishop, Dille, was saying. "All life comes from this Divine Tree. In the beginning, nothingness filled the world. Then the creator Soa descended from the sky. He and his followers created the world, and in the end, Soa sewed a seed on the Earth. The seed soon grew to be a great tree!" his raised his voice as he said "great tree" then resumed his normal tone. 'The great tree bore one hundred and eight fruits. And various lifeforms arose from the ripened fruits. Thus, one hundred and eight forms of life were created to fill the world with life. The Divine Tree completed its role, but the story says it is still protected by the signet of Soa." he turned from the mural back to them. "It is like this. The world was established with a fate determines by Soa. God's tree, sewn by Soa, is the Divine Tree. If you would like to find out more about this, you can go to the National Library."
"Are you talking about the Mille Seseau National Library?" Albert asked excitedly. "I can hardly believe I can step into the greatest treasury of knowledge in all of Endiness! I wonder if I am capable of receiving all of this incredible luck and still remain calm!"
"Survey says no," Cade said.
"No, I cannot!" Albert agreed. "The treasure of knowledge is shining and calling to me!"
"Are you okay?" Dart asked.
"Let's go!" Albert almost cheered, heading for the door.
"Hey!" Dart said. "Wait up!"
"Excuse me, sir?" Cade asked. "What was that signet you were talking about before? The one having to do with the Winglies?"
Everyone but Albert turned back to them to listen.
"It is said that the last fruit is protected in by the Signets created by the ancient Winglies," Dille said. "The legend goes, 'When the Signet is broken, the end of the world approaches.' Just like the Last Fruit, we humans are one of the fruits given life by the Divine Tree."
"What is the Last Fruit?" Cade asked, frowning.
"No one knows," Dille said. "According to some, it is the perfect being created by Soa to lead us, and should it die, the world would be doomed to destruction. Others believe the Last Fruit refers to the seed of the Divine Tree, which, should the day come when the Divine Tree dies, is meant to produce a new Divine Tree. All we know is that the ancient Winglies created the Signets in order to protect it."
Cade nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you."
Dille nodded and they all walked away from him.
"So...what are Signets?" Dart asked. "I'm guessing it's not the symbol of the Wingly Leader used to seal official documents."
"Why are you asking me?" Cade asked.
"Well, you're the only Wingly here," Dart said, lowering his voice.
"Yes, but I have a human lifespan," Cade said. "Well, I know a little, but not a lot. The Signets created by ancient Winglies are called Signet Spheres, and I have no idea what they do. I know there were five, now four, and I know that each one took ridiculous amounts of magical power to create, because it would take a higher level of power to destroy them."
"But you don't know their purpose?" Dart asked.
"Not a clue," Cade said, looking toward the front of the church and seeing a man wearing a fancy black and white robe. "Who's that?"
"I don't know," Dart said, just as Albert walked back in, looking depressed. "What happened?"
"The library is locked," Albert said. "The Librarian is supposed to be at prayer."
"Well, that must be him, then," Cade said, walking over to the man. "Excuse me?"
"What?" the man snapped. "Who are you people? Do you realize that you are talking to Librarian Ute?"
"We do now," Cade said.
"So, what do you want!?" the librarian demanded. "Have you interrupted my ceremony for no reason!?"
"I don't like stubborn old guys," Haschel muttered to Albert. "I'd much rather be an adorable old guy."
"Did you say something!?" the librarian demanded.
"Please calm down," Albert said. "We were told by Bishop Dille that there is a wonderful Library here."
"If you want, you can just go to the library," the librarian said curtly. "Oh wait, I locked the door when I left!"
"So, could you open the door?" Albert asked. "I would love the opportunity to see such a treasure of intelligence!"
"Alright," the librarian nodded before catching the bored and slightly annoyed look on Cade and Haschel's faces. "Stop looking at me like that!"
"I appreciate it!" Albert said excitedly.
"I'll go and unlock the door now," the librarian said, turning and walking out of the church.
"He is such a haughty old man," Haschel said.
"Don't say that," Dart scolded. "We have to do what we can until Lloyd shows up."
"That's true," Albert said. "He used both a Dragon and a Dragoon in Serdio and in Tiberoa. Also, in Tiberoa, he obtained the cooperation of a Wingly. We don't know what he will do here."
They all agreed and left the church, following the librarian. As they walked, Cade glanced to the side at a clothing shop, missing his poncho. After tearing the one that had been ruined in the fight against Lenus and Regole off to make himself more presentable for the banquet, he hadn't bothered putting the spare on or getting a new one. Though, as cold as it was in Mille Seseau this time of year, he might put it on soon. He turned back to the front as they reached the library, following the others inside.
Cade shook his head as he moved put the book back and got another. Three stories of the walls all filled completely with books. They wouldn't be able to find what they needed in ten years even if they did know what they were looking for. "Something to help figure out what Lloyd wanted or would do next," as Dart had put it when he asked, was kind of a vague instruction. so, he had chosen to look for anything to do with Winglies. He began to read just as the Librarian, who was on the opposite side of the top floor from where Cade stood, agreed to tell Dart what he knew of the legend of the Dragon Campaign. Cade closed his book and turned to listen.
"There were seven Dragon Warriors in the legend of the Dragon Campaign," Librarian Ute said. "Dragoons, imputed to be the incarnations of Dragons. With Dragons at their side, the Dragoons fought boldly. However, in the age when the legend was reality, the Winglies dominated all, even the gods."
Cade frowned. That was a different twist from what he'd ever been told. Even by his mother.
"The gods answered to dictator, Melbu Frahma's prayers and granted him ultimate power," the librarian said. "But the power was abused. The Earth of Holy Imperial Gloriano, was scorched by the gods' fire and became ashen. The anger and sadness of the people was fuel for the Dragoons' cause. Then, at last, they freed the gods. Without the gods' power, the Winglies perished, and our age, the human age, began. Thereafter, the gods floated in the sky. For eleven thousand years, they had been looking over the world as the Moon that Never Sets."
Cade's eyes widened and the book slipped from his hand. Several things clicked in his mind. He knelt, picking up the book and put it away, grabbing one he'd looked over before and leafing through it, then stopped. It was about the Divine Tree's legend and the one hundred eight fruit that supposedly came from it. He stared at it. One hundred eight fruit, the last of which, number one hundred eight, was never allowed to bear fruit. The ancient Winglies created Signet Spheres to protect the last fruit in order to prevent the end of the world. The Winglies imprisoned the gods and used their power to fight. The Black Monster, ever since the Dragon Campaign, had been forced to destroy entire villages once ever one hundred eight years. The gods watched over the world as the Moon that Never Sets, which had four smaller moons orbiting it.
He stared at the book's illustration of the Divine Tree, a massive tree formed from roots spiraled and twisted together into an enormous trunk probably the width of a city, then reaching outward in eight massive legs that reached the ground, all of them formed the same way as the tree itself but smaller. Atop the tree was a massive lattice work of branches with fruit dangling from it, but inside the branches sat a gigantic sphere bigger than the tree itself. Cade swallowed hard. If he had to guess, that was the one hundred eighth fruit. The Moon that Never Sets itself. But he'd have to ask Rose about it before he'd bring it up to anyone else.
"Are you alright?" Shana asked, suddenly beside him.
He jumped badly before sighing and closing the book. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Shana gave him a skeptical look. "You're pale, and you were so distracted that when I spoke you nearly took flight without your wings. What's wrong?"
"I'm...just worried about Rose," Cade said, putting the book back.
Shana nodded. "She'll be alright. She's the strongest one of us."
"I know," Cade said. "I just can't help it."
"You'll see," Shana smiled supportively. "Everything will be fine. Come on. We're all heading upstairs to see a bunch of historical artifacts that apparently have something to do with the Black Monster."
Cade nodded and followed Shana, except, his suspicion about the nature of the one hundred eighth fruit remained, like a pit in his stomach, making it ache and making him feel a bit sick, and now that he'd said it, even as a lie, worry over Rose's safety joined it.
"Why did the gods crate him?" the librarian was saying, staring at a piece of stained glass window. "The Black Monster. He appears in various legends as a demon who rebels against and devours the gods. An evil plague that rejects peace in the world. A god that is the Moon that Never Sets. The Moon that Never Sets glows red every one hundred and eight years. It is a sign that a herald will be sent to Earth. The herald is known to us as the Moon Child. The legend says the Moon Child revives the gods on Earth and purifies the world. The Black Monster abhors, hates, and despises it, and kills the Moon Child. This sad karma is endless. This god stays forever in the sky and the world is in never-ending chaos."
Cade felt his stomach ache badly and leaned back against the railing of the stairs, breathing deeply several times, the others all looking at him worriedly. "I'm fine."
"No you're not!" Shana said.
"You should see a doctor," Albert said.
"I'm fine," Cade said, pushing off the railing. "I think I just need to rest for a bit."
The others looked around at each other before nodding.
"I'll go with him," Shana volunteered. "That way if there is something wrong, maybe I can help him. We'll be at the inn."
The others nodded and the two of them left, heading tot he inn where they payed for a room for Cade. Then, Shana walked with him up to the room, having to help steady him by the time they got there. Cade sat heavily on the bed and cradled his head in his hands, ignoring Shana's worried look.
"I'll be okay," Cade said. "I just need rest."
Shana nodded and sat beside the bed as he kicked his shoes off, then removed his cuirass and lay down, pulling the blanket over him. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off, only to enter a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares born of his suspicion and worry.
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