A few days have passed since the attack. Perhaps it was better for her that she chose to keep a distance from everyone. Arisa earned some peace, still processing everything that has been revealed so far. She never expected that Arash, or should she say, Prince Tulok, was just like her. At least, her past self. Both were born sickly. Both did not have normal childhoods. Both were able to survive because of books. Both were cured at age 13 and it suddenly crashed down at age 23. But...their paths took different turns. For Arisa, she accepted she wasn't going to get better and would lose the battle. She knew she was going to die but still had regrets. Her regrets were not being able to say goodbye to her family and friends. She regretted that she was envious of those that lived normal lives.
But...what caused Arash to go a different path? What caused him to choose the darkness? What caused him to become so despicable that he even went as far as to hurt his siblings to take the throne? What made him make such a drastic change in his personality? Perhaps they were more alike than she wants. For now, all she wanted was to return to the monastery and hug her father and her family tightly.
"Hissss..." she hissed as she felt her Hegemon arm pulse a bit.
Elder Mika did the best she could by wrapping bandages and a few talismans on it to help stabilize it. She was surprised to learn the elder is someone from the Anti-magic clan. Even more, Flayn was able to cast such a spell. But that was because the elder had her wear a necklace to protect her body. For Hai, it is natural because her mother was one of the rare Agarthans that could use it. Still, that didn't stop Arisa from having so many questions.
"We've arrived!"
Arisa opened her eyes as she looked to where everyone was looking. From above the hill they were, the view of the Albinea's ocean port was amazing. The children of the caravan began cheering and the wolves let out their howls to announce that the caravan they were guarding had arrived safely. There was silence for a few seconds when another set of howls were heard, but this time they came from the port.
"In Albinea, the Giant Snow Wolves have been used for generations to help out with transportation but also as a way to announce that caravans have been safely escorted. The second set of howls you all heard were from the wolves that guard the port." Dietre explained as he took a bite from the dried meat he packed.
"Incredible!" Flayn gasped and Shirou let out a happy bark, "Isn't that amazing Arisa?!" She turned to the woman but no response.
Arisa had a blank face as she looked at the port. She could see people in their winter clothing unloading supplies from ships. Her emotions have been stunned as of lately. At times, Arisa feels joy and on occasions when the group is talking. Sometimes she doesn't make a single sound as her gaze fades out and daydreams. The distant look in her eyes says it all. The tiny bit of scales on her cheek she put a bandage.
"It looks fine," Arisa muttered as she gently touched the cloth of half cloak covering the right side of her body.
Flayn looked at her sadly as she walked ahead with everyone else. Dietre sighed as he gave Flayn a gentle pat on the head as they both watched the group walk a bit ahead.
"Give her some time. She'll come around." He said and Flayn nodded as the two walked to catch up.
A few minutes later they were down the hill and now upon closer look, Arisa could see the different variety of ships that were in the ports as well as other things that could be seen from the hilltop view. There was a fish market selling different varieties of freshly caught fish and bids being made to buy the freshest ones. There were a few homes in the area, mostly fishermen with their wives and children. Putting on her hood, she walked silently as she looked around. She spotted a shop that was selling souvenirs and her lips curved up a bit as memories from Dadga came back.
"Oh! What are these?!" Flayn excitedly went to look like the rest of the group went their separate paths.
The shop vendor was a man and his daughter was on a chair with a look in front of her. She was using a backstrap loom and different colored silks. The girl beamed as she was weaving and showed the intricate designs.
"Oh! Are you using sea silk?" Hai popped up as she stood next to Arisa and the girl's eyes sparkled and she nodded.
She made hand movements and the two dragons were confused until Arisa began making the same movements. The girl jumped up excitedly and began making the movements a bit too fast for everyone else but Arisa understood perfectly as she made a few movements back.
"Well!" The father looked at her surprised, "I never thought I see the day someone else knows the same signed language as my daughter." He chuckled.
The girl kept making the movements and Arisa chuckled a bit.
"What is she saying?" Flayn asked and Arisa spoke as she pointed to the charms and quilts displayed before them.
"She says she is happy to know someone else knows how to communicate and understand her. Hai." Arisa turned to the blue-haired woman, "She says she is using sea silk. That this year has been a blessing because sea silk is difficult to get. Some of the merfolk only come by a few times a year and sell it." Arisa explained as she nudged her head a bit towards the loom, "She is making a quilt with sea silk as a gift to the merman that sells the silk." She finished.
The girl beamed as she nodded her head and then motioned to the table.
"She says take your pick. It's on the house." The father chuckled and the three looked at him surprised.
"What?! No, no. I'm sorry but we can't accept it. We'll pay in full." Arisa said and the girl shook her head again and made puppy dog eyes at her.
"We're paying in full." Arisa insisted and the girl's lip trembled a bit.
Arisa felt she was looking at Kama as she took a deep breath.
"We're paying in fu-" and a teardrop fell.
Arisa slumped in defeat while the girl cheered happily that she won. Her father was laughing and Arisa can already hear Jeralt laughing as if he had seen this predicament. Again, he wouldn't blame her, she has too much of a soft spot for kids. Flayn was covering her mouth to hide her giggle while Hai had a smirk. Arisa could feel Sothis stir a bit in the back of her mind, most likely watching. Yet she did not speak at and only watched. Flayn looked at the bracelets, quilts, necklaces, and charms. But the one that caught her eyes was a dream catcher.
"I chose this one!" She picked up a silver dream catcher necklace with three turquoise shaped feathers, jade beads, and the spiral symbol in the center with a topaz gem.
"Oh! Dream catcher! This one has a protection spell on it. It is to keep nightmares away but also to ward off "The Eye"." The vendor pointed to his eye.
"The eye?" Flayn looked at him confused and Arisa spoke.
"The Eye," Arisa pointed to a blue multi-colored stone, " has two meanings. First, is the Evil eye." She picked up the earring, " The first meaning is believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. It is a type of apotropaic magic." Arisa muttered.
Well, she knows her pick.
"The second one!" Hai spoke, "The evil eye is a talisman that is meant to protect you from evil spirits. The evil eye is a 'look' or 'stare' believed to bring bad luck for the person at whom it is directed." She explained and the man nodded.
The girl nodded as she wrote on a piece of paper and then turned it to them.
"That is why I insisted you all take your pick as a gift! When the Evil Eye is gifted, it means you want someone to be protected! Lady of brown and Opal colored hair, thank you for translating what I said. I am beyond happy to have met someone else who knows sign language. It is rare. I am mute so it can be difficult to communicate. Please accept this as a gift." The girl wrote and Arisa gave her a small smile as she held up the earring.
"I pick this," Arisa said and the girl clapped her hands joyfully.
She felt Sothis smile a bit and Hai picked up a feather hairpin with a red ruby.
"I chose this." She smiled and the two nodded.
"Now, since we picked what we wanted," Arisa turned to the vendor, "Whatever else I pick, I'm paying."
The girl pouted but nodded. Arisa chose carefully each gift for her students and also her family. She also got her fellow professors a gift and few extras. The total was 5 silver coins. Arisa gave them 10 gold coins. It always brings her joy when she sees the people become happy when she pays them. The father and daughter thanked her profoundly as they waved goodbye and left.
"Alright...Hai." Arisa turned to the woman as they were walking towards the shipping area, "I'm going to ask you this and I'm sorry this will sound rude. But...what will you do now?"
Arisa watched Hai tap her chin a bit and then smiled.
"I will be going to Fodlan!" And Arisa did a double-take.
"What?!" Arisa screeched and Flayn looked at her shocked.
"Well, I wish to meet my little sister. Cirina you said is her name. Also, I wish to meet the rest of my family! I thought I had not more and then learned that Flayn is my baby cousin! Of course, I'm going!" Hai grinned and Flayn squealed.
"Oh, you will love Fodlan! I can show you around and Oh, Oh!" Flayn clapped her hands a bit, "You will enjoy the monastery!"
"Sounds exciting! I do wonder how mother and father are doing?" Arisa and Flayn suddenly went silent as Hai continued to speak, "You said our grandmother's name is Sothis? If I recall, that is the name of the Progenitor God. Oh! And you said you have many aunts and uncles! Does that mean I may have more cousins?! Oh! If I do, do you think I will be welcomed? I know for a fact mother and father spoke of me!" Hai grinned.
A deep wave of sadness overwhelmed Arisa suddenly. Those were Sothis's emotions. Now that she thought about it, she never once heard The Red Canyon Massacre from Flayn's perspective or anyone else's. She knows it from Rhea's perspective. She has learned of it from Emily's and Cirina's. But what about Seteth or Lejare? What about those that may still be alive but are hiding?
She learned a little from the Agarthan's perspective because "Ivy" called them monsters for taking over her home and wiping them away from the map. So far she learned of the war from the Nabateans perspective but also her world. What about the Agarthans? What about the kitsune or laguz or the other clans? How did the war affect them during that time? Rhea has allowed them to live in isolation on the condition that they have to students from the clans to attend the academy. Also, her way of saying they need to keep their mouths shut if they want no harm to befall the students. Rhea still holds a grudge that they did not aid her when she requested. It wasn't until their own began to be killed that they joined but they did not follow her. They followed Cirina and her generals. What about the countries past the borders of Fodlan? Why did Rhea label them as a beast? Why was she so against people from beyond Fodlan being welcomed? What about other faiths? Why is it so wrong to have a different belief of faith? Why is it wrong to believe in other gods and goddesses?
Why is everything that not in the doctrine of Serios a sin? Arisa's brief meeting with Lejara and drinking Christian's blood led her to gain some ability to wield Anti-Magic. Why couldn't Rhea accept that her mother has long passed on? That is because Rhea was not able to grieve properly? With the small visions she had, she saw Rhea lash out her anger on the first person that came into her sight. The one who has Agarthan blood running in her veins. And that was Cirina. What about the perspective of the war from Indech and Macuil? What about Melody also known as Saint Hymra? How was the war in their eyes? What about the war in the eyes of the innocent that were dragged in? Why did Rhea have the Anti-Magic clan executed? Was it because Leraje accepted that their mother had passed on or was it because she knew he did not want history to be erased? What about the outsiders? What about the fae? Just...how did the last 995 years, change so much? Cirina held a deep grudge towards The Reigan bloodline because she believed she was betrayed. But ever since her trip to Abyss and the time she spent in the Shadow Library, more and more questions are popping up. Did the 11 Elites even know about the Red Canyon Massacre? Did they even know that the weapons they wielded were crafted from the corpses of the dragons?
In the later text that she believed may have been written by Maurice, the elite expressed that he did not understand what Nemesis did to unleash Serios wrath. His children, wife, and clan have been spared just like the others of the 10 elites but they, the heads of their clans, had run. To go into hiding.
What happened to the people that did discover the truth? From her short time in the Kingdom, she learned from Emily's assistant, Sophia, that she is from House Hyrm. But she has been in hiding for over 40 years in the world of fae because Rhea had ordered the execution of her father, who learned the truth. And from the execution, Rhea learned that others learned the truth. Of course, she hunted them down. Others have long left Fodlan because they feared their lives, others were killed in assassinations. The rest were put into hiding by Sirius. What about those that were victims of the Crest system. What about her mother, Sitri? What was her life like before she met her father?
"By the way!" Hai said and that made her snap out of it," Which boat is the one that will take us to Fodlan?"
"O-Oh." Arisa blinked, "Let's look for the ship called Arc of Akanos. A mercenary named Anna gave me this." She pulled out what was given to her.
Now that she had a better look at it, it was the Symbol of Askr. The three began to walk together through the port looking for a ship with the symbol on it. Looking around, Arisa recognized some of the boats. She recognized the majority of them. The brown-colored boat with the fish fin-like red sails with the large mask with feathers symbol came from Brigid. The crew on it were busy wiping the decks clean but she could tell the people weren't used to this extremely cold weather by the number of layers of clothing they were wearing. The next boat in her sight was one that was similar but the sails were a bit more the traditional kind that she sees. The sails were all in the shapes of squares but a bright green and a few yellow ones. If she remembered correctly, that ship is called a full-rigged. Its sails had the symbol of two wyverns with their wings spread out.
"Almyra..." Arisa gasped a bit as they continued walking.
The ship with the sails of purple and pink she knew came from Hyras. The boat looked similar to an Egyptian one she believed may be from Sreng. But there was no boat called, Arc of Akanos, even if they did ask around. This went on for 30 minutes and the trio sat down on a bench, exhausted.
"Where is it?!" Arisa yelled out frustrated as she buried her face in her left hand, "How the hell is there no boat called Arc of Akanos when Anna said specifically there is one?! Ugh!" She grabbed her flask from her waist and popped the cap open.
She was planning to take a long gulp but instead, she spit it out.
"What the?! Did it go bad?!" She coughed and wiped her lips, "I know for a fact this has strawberry wine in it!"
"Don't bother..." Hai sighed, "You're experiencing dragonic changes. It'll be a month till you can taste sweets again."
"Did you just say I can't taste anything sweet for a month?!" Arisa gawked and Flayn groaned as she munched on dried fish.
"I remember that pain. I never thought I would go through that all over again..." Flayn muttered and continued to explain after seeing the face Arisa was making, "It's a phase the bodies of Nabatean go through. We can't eat specific foods because our body is adjusting to the changes. It's not painful like a magic shift but it is still bothersome because we can only eat certain vegetation and meats." She sighed, "I can't believe I have gone through it again..."
"Again?" Arisa raised an eyebrow and Flayn pulled out a yellow-colored stone she was wearing as a necklace.
In it, you could see the Crest of Cethleann.
"That's a...dragon stone..." Arisa whispered as she slowly looked back to Flayn, who smiled sadly, "You've recovered your ability to transform..."
"Not exactly..." Flayn whispered and before Arisa could ask more, they heard heavy footsteps approaching.
Heavy silver colored armor with parts of its gold. A knight helmet she did not recognize as the armor. A sword was on the knight's waist yet they moved easily even though the armor looked like it was tons. They stopped and Arisa quickly stood up, standing in front of the two women. Her hand immediately went to the pommel of the sword but then she remembered it was broken. The knight was silent as he raised his hand a bit and pointed to her.
"Are you three the ones looking for the ship, Arc of Akanos?" The knights said, his voice deep.
The three looked at each other wary but Arisa looked back to the knight, a bit unsure but nodded.
"Yes." She answered and the knight gave them a slow nod.
"Do make sure to have all the things you need and make sure to say your goodbyes. Once you are done with your business, let me know. I will take you to the ship. I shall wait for you here." The knight said and turned towards looking at the sea.
The three looked at each other confused.
"Should we trust him?" Flayn muttered, and Arisa looked at her unsure and then to Hai, who too was unsure.
"I'm not sure." Arisa muttered, "But let us for now. We need to get Fodlan and I don't see any other option. It would take us two months to get back to Fodlan if we board the Brigid ship." She said then they nodded.
They quickly went to buy a few more things before they headed back to the knight.
"Yo!"
The trio turned as they finished their last-minute shopping and saw it was Dietre, Lolo, Hyde along with Isoka.
"Guys..." Arisa muttered as the group stopped in front of them.
"Heading back to Fodlan now? And not without saying goodbye?!" Lolo groaned as she placed her hands on her hips, "So mean!"
"Sorry...I just thought...it would be better..." Arisa muttered and the trio shook their heads.
"Cold." Dietre chuckled, "But, be safe out there. And...thank you. All of you."
Flayn, Arisa, and Hai looked at them surprised as he gave them a sad smile.
"You guys helped us save our people and even though we didn't have the best start, you still helped us. What Arsh did, that was his choice. He made his bed and now he has to lay in it. While we may never know why he chose to betray us, I still thank you for putting a stop to him. And...the sacrifice you did Arisa." He said as his eyes looked to the covered right arm.
"And thank you also." Flayn smiled softly to them, "I would not have learned many things if I had not met any of you. While our time was short, I truly enjoyed my time here in Albinea. Maybe when things have settled down in Fodlan, perhaps I will come to visit." She giggled and Shirou let out a happy bark.
"Take care of the little guy. Bite the guys that try anything on them." Hyde grinned, "And good luck with that wyvern. I wonder what it will look like once the egg hatches." He muttered.
"Hey, Lady Hai." Lolo said, "Thank you for watching over Albinea all these years. It must have been lonely."
"Not going to lie, it was." Hai sighed, "But that was the beauty of it. It got to see my home become a beautiful place. I will miss it. Ah, before I forget! Hold out your hands." The trio looked at her confused.
Dietre, Lolo, and Hyde looked confused but did so anyway. She took a dagger and made a cut on her palm, and then smeared her blood on their hands.
"What the?!" They looked horrified till the blood disappeared into their bodies.
"Hai did you just?!" Flayn and Arisa looked at her shocked as did Sothis.
"I did." Hai smiled as she wound healed and the other three were utterly confused, "You three...you are all kind souls and I know you all deeply care about your home. I won't always be around so I decided to give a gift. To be honest, you're three are the first I have chosen to give my blood rune to." She motioned them to create a projection.
They did and the size was shocked once the symbol was seen.
"This is?!" Lolo gasped and Hai nodded.
"I bestow upon you three, The Rune of The Sea. I believe in Fodlan they call them Crest." Hai chuckled a bit, "I trust you three well. This is my final blessing to this land." She held their hands, "I entrust you three to protect your home. Use this power well."
Dietre looked at her shocked but the three gave her firm nods, their eyes said everything. They would honor her words and protect their home.
"Arisa." She turned the group and Dietre nodded, "If you even need help in Fodlan, send us a message. We won't hesitate to provide aid."
Her eyes went wide and she nodded, biting her lip yet she gave them a shaky smile. One filled with joy and gratitude but also sadness.
"Thank you."
"No problem. And be safe out there you three. Take care!"
"Goodbye!"
"Say hi to the others for us!"
"They're a lovely bunch." Hai grinned as they watched the trio walk away, waving goodbye.
Arisa smiled softly and nodded as did Flayn. She prayed the next five years that they are safe. They turned and walked towards the knight, who they saw was fishing and surrounded by the Albinea snowcats. Those cats have white fur and blue eyes but they are like the normal cats that are all over the monastery. Flayn couldn't help but coo till Arisa coughed. The knight slightly turned to them, acknowledging their presence.
"We are done. Please take us to Arc of Akanos."
[-]
It has been about an hour since they left the port and they have been walking down the rocky coastline. The knight moved around like nothing while Arisa had to save multiple times Flayn from nearly slipping into the water. Hai also had her fair share of saving Flayn but she could easily move around because she was used to these shores. Shirou whined as they continued walking.
"So," Arisa said as they walked, "how long till we reach the ship?"
"A few minutes." The knight replied as they kept walking.
"How did you know we were searching to board the ship?" She asked and the knight stopped, turning to her a bit.
"You were very vocal." Arisa turned away and began muttering a string of curses under her breath as they kept walking, "But there is another reason." He said and gave her glance, "You're different."
"Different as in how?" Arisa narrowed her eyes and the knight did not respond but kept walking.
Another hour passed of walking till they finally reached a huge cove cave that was under a sharp cliff. On the other side of the cave, they could see the beach shore but also, a ship. They walked and Arisa's eyes went wide as she looked at the ship before her eyes. Colors of gold and blue, carved at the bottom of the beak of the ship, was a man wearing a hood, his face not revealed.
The mizen, mainmast, forecast, and the others had sails of the colors of deep blue and purple, with specks of white to show the stars. On one of the shores were the crew yelling at each other's orders to get the docks ready. A flat wooden rail was let down and the knight motioned them to go up.
The trio looked at each other worried but nodded. Arisa went first and then the two followed her. Arisa felt her heart pounding as they walked up and their feet met the docks. Her eyes scanned the area and noticed that those on the ship, the majority of them weren't human. Those that were customers like them had different appearances. Some she recognized were Laguz. Herons were sitting way up at the mast talking to one another. One was female, her white wings made her look like an angel. The one talking to her was another Laguz but they had crow wings. Looked back and saw a few Kitsune men were talking to one another as they took sips from their cups. There was a fae that was playing around and flying near the sails. Their giggling caught Flayn's attention as she looked up and nearly tripped; they flew to her.
"(A dragon!)"
"(It's been years since we've seen one! I thought no more Divine dragons were walking this land!)"
"(Little one, did you come from Archanea or a different one?!)"
Arisa let go of a sigh as she spoke. Her voice turned to a mystical whisper of chirps and clicks. That was the language of the fae. And unfortunately, Flayn does not know it.
"(She comes from Fodlan like me.)" Arisa said and from the corners of her eyes she everyone on the ship suddenly came to halt and turned to look at her. She could feel their gazes. Some are confused. Others are wary or even judging her. Yet, here she is, speaking. The fae turned to look at her. Their small appearances suddenly turned to adults, the sclera of their eyes was black as the iris were deep colors of gold. Their pupils were like cats, watching her carefully as Their ears were pointy yet the black seductive dresses they wore allowed her to recognize which fae species they were. Vampires, but they are also called Leannán Sídhe. One held her chin and studied her, their eyes narrowing a bit.
"(How strange...)" the other muttered as she ran her fingers through Arisa's brown opal colored hair, "(You are semi-divine...the essence of dragons is all around you but...something else.)"
"(Does it matter?)" Arisa said still looking at the one in front of her, never breaking eye contact, "(My friends and I wish to return to our home.)"
The Leannán Sídhes giggled and they hug her tightly. Their breast squished her face and they very much enjoying the woman turn crimson like a tomato. They cooed while Sothis in the back of Arisa's mind, could not believe what she was seeing. The one with amber-colored orbs smiled.
"(Oh you poor thing. You've suffered so much. Yearning and yearning, the love you desire within your reach but you keep at arm's length. So much self-control but so little self-respect.)" they said and Arisa gulped.
She was about to answer when they suddenly screeched and flew away, hissing.
"Hey now!"
A loud cheerful voice yelled out and Arisa turned to see who it was. They were holding a silver shield with a grin as the fae had turned back to their small forms, hissing at the owner of the shield. The woman placed her hand on her hips as she smirked at the fae.
"Already spooking the newcomers! Wow!" A cheeky grin the woman had.
Long magenta-colored hair with two small pigtails. She wore the hat of a gremory with a pink gold tiara. Light pink the fluffy part of the gremory dress is as she saw it was the color black with gold jewelry. The dress split into the sides, revealing she wore knee-length translucent tights. Pink colored eyes smiled as they walked.
"Hello there! I see you and your friends are here to board my ship. May I see your passport?" The woman smiled.
She was a bit shorter than Arisa. Arisa took out the pin and showed it to her, the pink-haired woman narrowed her eyes at the sight of it.
"Anna told me to show you this," Arisa muttered and there was a bit of silence till the woman crossed her arms, a small frown on her face as she looked her up and down.
Arisa felt like her eyes were picking her apart and studying her till she pointed to her arm.
"Your arm." The woman said in a low tone, "Remove the cover."
A bead of sweat ran down her cheek as the woman did not budge. She felt eyes on her. What would happen if she did not obey? What would happen if they got kicked off because she chose not to? They need to return to Fodlan. Arisa unclicked the button on her left shoulder and removed the coat. Her arm was wrapped in bandages with talisman all over it but she still felt the sting. A deep wave of regret hit her suddenly but it wasn't her's. The regret she felt belonged to Sothis. She was going to remove one of the talismans when the woman raised her hand to stop.
"That is more than enough." The woman said, "I never thought I would see an Outworlder after so many years."
Everyone began muttering a bit loudly to themselves and the whispers were making Arisa uncomfortable. Hai could see the fear in Arisa's eyes but Flayn was confused.
"An Outworlder? Arisa, what does it mean?" Flayn asked, concerned as Arisa gave her a side glance till suddenly the pink haired woman screeched.
BONK!
"Poe, how many times do I have to keep repeating that you shouldn't be scaring our guests as well as exposing them when they gave a reason to hide it?"
Poe, whimpering as she held her head in pain while the thick leather tome that was used to bonk her head disappeared in a shower of black dust. Light footsteps were heard on the wood as they walked towards them. Lilac colored long hair with two horn ornaments that faced down. Light pale skin and the woman wore a dark blue and black dress of a saint. However, this priestess dress was not of Fodlan, but from a different land, Arisa recognized.
"That's...Valentian Saint uniform." Arisa thought as she observed the woman's face.
Purple colored eyes and a mysterious smile.
"Wait...That's!" Now she looked completely shocked at the woman who smiled at her mysteriously.
"Shade! No need to go that far! Besides, I was messing with her!" Poe grumbled and Shade shakes her head.
"Doesn't matter. You're the captain of this ship. You should know better." Shade chided her and then turned back to Arisa, "I apologize. My captain here can be a bit...of a handful."
Poe grumbled as she crossed her arms but sighed.
"Sorry. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't a mistake. Anyhow," Poe grinned, "Welcome aboard Arc of Akanos. This finest ship to travel the 12 seas and also a ship for those of the supernatural to travel safely!" She points to the pin, "That pin is only given to specific people and that is you three."
"I'm Shade, I am the Quartermaster of this ship. This idiot here," she jabbed her thumb at Poe, "is Poe, the captain."
"I'm Arisa, a pleasure to meet you." Arisa reached out her left hand to shake with them and they did.
"I am Flayn! Thank you for helping us return to Fodlan. Umm...is this ship... okay for us?" Flayn shyly fiddled with her fingers.
"Oh." Shade blinked as she looked at the trio, "I never thought I see the day I see manaketes in this world. I knew there were Divine Dragons but Dragons stones did not exist in this world. Huh...I thought Serios was the last of the Divine...huh." she muttered.
"You...know Rhea?" Arisa looked at her surprised and Shade hummed but smiled.
"All will be answered in time. For now, let's get you set up in your rooms. Oh and, welcome aboard." Shade smiled.
[-]
Shade did not spare Poe the scolding she deserved. The pink-haired Captain was a mopping mess while a few others chuckled. The knight, who they learned name is Valjean, is also the cook of the ship.
"Whoa." Arisa felt the ship sway a bit as she put her bag down on the bed.
The room she, Flayn, and Hai were given was pretty big and spacious. She can sense magic enveloped the ship, however, that wasn't what had her a bit miffed. It was Shade's presence. While yes, she is powerful, she isn't as powerful as her Uncle Florencio and Emily. When it comes to magic power, in ranks, Emily is the most powerful mage in all of Fodlan. Florencio is second. Cornelia third. Doctor Robert fourth, and Edward is fifth. For herself, no one has been able to take her magic status because she rarely shows it. The only she has used magic in combat are in situations that have gotten out of control. Of course, no one can measure her magic altitude if all she does is display in combat healing magic along with few simple spells. Fix, the spell she used to fix the tea pop Dorothea dropped. Levitate, which is the most common spell she uses to make things float and move around.
In other words, she is very private about her magical abilities and status. Then again...at this point, it shows how different she is from everyone. Little by little, those around her are learning about her abilities. And only those close to her know that she knows more than she lets on. Arisa let go of a sigh as she sat down on her bed. Shade's magic presence that she felt for just a moment, was equal to Emily's. Powerful and strong yet a sense of sadness. Poe, she couldn't even get a read but everyone on the ship had a different aura. She's glad Anna gave her the pin because she wouldn't be able to handle being surrounded by so many humans. With her arm, and the changes she is going through again, it's safe to say, she has become at least one-fourth divine. She looked around the room, seeing it was just herself. Flayn had already unpacked her things and wanted to go exploring and speak with others. Hai did the same but she said she wanted to talk privately to Poe and Shade.
"So, it's just me alone." Arisa sighed as she removed her cloak.
She stared blankly at her bandaged arm, gently touching it. It was just so obvious how it was wrapped, not to mention how she was still twitching. She gritted her teeth as she felt a jolt of pain suddenly surge through her body from her arm. Her veins pulsed a light red as she gritted her teeth.
"Deep breaths...Deep breaths...huff...huff..." she panted as if she was gulping water.
From the back of her mind, she felt Sothis hug her like usual, yet the goddess kept whispering "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." multiple times. For Arisa, Sothis was like a second mother-figure along with Sandy. They raised and taught her the skills and knowledge she knows. When her father had difficulty in subjects like puberty and such, the woman of the village would speak to her. Especially Elder Bara. Arisa sighed as she looked up the ceiling, she missed everyone.
But another problem arose.
"How am I going to explain to Hai that her parents are dead? That her family...the rest of them are..." she sighed once more and felt Sothis stirring in her mind.
"What are you doing?" She said she felt that weird sensation when Sothis was trying to go through her memories, there is a reason she still has barriers around them.
"I want the truth. Why did you become so silent about Hai? I felt a wave of deep sadness but it felt more like a loss. You are still hiding your memories from me after all these years." Sothis muttered and Arisa sighed.
"I think it's best I tell you with Hai present. I want you to hear it not just from me but Flayn as well." Arisa muttered as she stood up and wrapped her arm in new bandages.
She put on her cloak and walked out of the room, closing the door. At most, it's been a few fours since they have left Albinea and were now at sea. Walking through the hallways, she could see the inside was built military-style but looked way bigger than it should. The most rooms a ship could have if it was the size of the Titanic, around 840. Yet, the inside of the ship looked far more lavish and bigger. The most she could estimate are a total of 200 rooms on this ship. But the ship itself was the size of Queen Anne's Revenge or The Black Pearl.
"I'm not in the mood right now to argue with you," Arisa muttered as she continued to walk.
"Rhea I know is my child along with Seteth, Macuil, Indech, Emily, and Melody is my daughter-in-law. I have recovered some of my memories regarding the war against Angartha but the one thing you won't tell me is WHY I am in such a state and WHY I cry every time I see your sword. Not mention why my heart is within you. I know you have kept me in the dark for reasons but with what happened..." Arisa stopped.
"I know Sothis...That's why I want this take to take place with Flayn also. I want to know how things also went from her perspective." Arisa said and Sothis nodded.
Just when she was going to continue walking, the scent of food hit her and she turned towards a hallway on the left side. She walked towards it and saw it was a huge kitchen area but also, she could hear someone singing.
"We'll have our ship to, with the wind from sou'west boys~"
Carefully she walked in, seeing pots and kettles moving on their own along with sponges and scrubs in the sink. The dishes were being washed using magic along with the food being cooked by brownies. The one singing was a young girl who looked about 13 years old. She was singing cheerfully as she was busy stirring the pot that had stew cooking in it. Light brown hair tied in a ponytail by a red ribbon. She had braids with side-swept bangs and wore...white and gold armor of a Valentian Pegasus knight. The girl kept singing until she turned her way, screeching.
"GHAAA! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?!" Arisa's sensitive hearing felt like her eardrums exploded.
"My ears..." Arisa had crouched down, her hands on her ears trying to cover them from so much racket.
The girl's scream triggered something that caused suddenly everything around her to sound so loud. Much louder than normal. She could barely hear the girl say anything because to her it sounded like she was shouting but that wasn't the case. She could tell the girl was panicking, speaking in a normal tone but to her, it sounded so loud. She could hear someone rushing to her and speaking calmly.
"Slowly remove your hands."
Her eyes were squeezed shut but slowly she opened them, and carefully removed her hands. She blinked, and looked up, seeing a man let go a sigh of relief while the poor girl while, was crying, looked happy that she was alright.
"Figured, a manakete. Emma, how many times have we told you not to screech when a manakete is around?" The man said to the girl now known as Emma.
"I didn't know she was one!" Emma glared at him, "Randel, she looks like a normal human! How could I not tell she was one?!"
"Emma...Randel…Shade..." Arisa thought as they helped her up.
"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"Emma looked worried and Arida nodded.
"I'm alright...just...still adjusting to these changes I'm going through." She gave them a wary smile and the two looked at each other.
The man Randel, long green hair particularly tied with red thread. He wore the armor of a calvary as well as a dagger on his waist.
"I'm Emma and this here is Randel. I'm the second cook of the ship!" Emma grinned and clapped her hands together excitedly, "I'm sorry about me yelling. It's just...you surprised me."
"It's alright. I should be the one apologizing for listening." Arisa sighed, "Anyhow, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Also, " she blinked and the pupil of her right eye turned to the Crest of Flames, "I don't know if I qualify to be a manakete." She pulled her hair back and her ears are that of a normal human.
"Oh." Emma looked at him shocked, "Anyhow, did you need anything?"
"I'm going to head back to the bridge. Ring the bell when dinner is ready." Randel waved as he walked away.
Arisa sighed and rubbed her forehead a bit. Today has just been one event after another. If Shade was here, then she was bound to meet the others that came in the DLC from Shadows of Valentia. However, Poe and also the knight are new. But she never expected to be called out right in front of so many people. Especially in front of Flayn. Based on everything that has happened so far, Flayn knows she is the descendant of a Nabatean. But she isn't one. Would she consider herself one considering how she was born? From a homunculus mother, a father who was given a saint's blood, her grandmother is that same Saint. Is Beleth like her? Is Beleth also a homunculus? That would explain why Rhea kept him isolated till he was 19 years old.
"No, I just came looking for a friend of mine," Arisa said and Emma nodded.
"Oh! Your friend might be in the lobby." Emma smiled, "That's where everyone goes to chat or hang out. There is even a bar there if you want to drink. Usually, we would at the deck but tonight there is a thunderstorm."
And that moment, thunder boomed. The poor squeaked and Arisa patted her on the head.
"Don't force yourself." Arisa sighed, "I'm afraid of thunder too."
"But, you're not shaking." Emma whimpered to her.
"I am." That is when Emma noticed the slightest trembled coming from her.
"I had to adapt to not show fear."
[-]
The lobby was interesting, to say the least. There were multiple tables, different groups all gathered together. One table the majority of the fae were sitting at. At another, a group of Laguz sat. So on and so forth.
"Heeeyyy!"
She turned to her left to see at the table near the corner where Hai and Flayn were sitting along with...Poe. The Captain giggled while it took everything in Arisa not to scowl. Flayn pouted as she took a sip of her drink, which was apple juice. She wanted the Almyran Berry Wine but both Hai and Poe shut her down on it. She sat next to Flayn, who just gave her a pout while Poe rested her elbows on the table.
"So, nice to finally meet you. I apologize for earlier today. It was necessary." Poe said.
"Ha." Arisa scoffed, " Was it really necessary to humiliate me in front of an audience?"
"I wasn't trying to humiliate you." Poe narrowed her eyes, "Your body has been contaminated by degeneration. What I did was a form of evaluation that allows those on the ship to study to damage and think of ways to treat it." She chastised.
"Degeneration...I think you used that term before when you explained to me what a manakete is." Flayn looked at her worried as Arisa gave her a slow nod.
"I did," Arisa muttered and Poe gawked.
"Wait, she doesn't know what manakete is or degeneration?!" Poe gawked and pointed to Flayn's dragon stone that had the Crest of Cethleann on it, "Then his do you explain the stone?!"
"Let me speak on that." Hai piped up, "The girl honestly did not know what a manakete is. Our friend here explained to her what one is and only just a few days ago, did Flayn become one."
"Fascinating!" Poe gasped and turned back to Flayn, "Usually at your age right now, if you had not sealed your dragon form, you would start showing some sort of signs of degeneration! Well, good thing you were able to save yourself on time."
"What are the signs of degeneration?" Flayn asked and Arisa did not like where this was going.
"I'll explain it." She spoke and turned to Flayn, "Degeneration is...when Dragons begin to lose the ability to think rationally and be driven to madness until they become nothing more than mindless beasts."
Flayn's eyes went wide hearing this and Arisa sighed as she looked at her friend.
"It's like a disease. It spreads over the body as time goes on. And once it is done, there is nothing left." She looked back to Poe, who nodded.
"Before I met you and the others," Arisa said, "I already knew about Divine Dragons. As well as Dragons. In a land called Archanea, 3000 years prior before humanity rose, the land was ruled over by an advanced and enlightened dragon civilization. They were overseen by the wisdom of the Divine Dragons. The water, fire, earth, ice, mage, and so on, these tribes all suffered this. They suddenly took a wave of their health deteriorating, rendering them infertile and slowly becoming insane. It was eventually discovered that the only way for them to survive was to take on the forms of humans. Many of the clans did not accept this and refused it. Those that did take on human forms sealed their powers into what is called a dragon stone. They became manaketes." She took out her stone and showed it to Flayn.
The girl was pale as she was taking this all in. Arisa waited a few minutes before she continued.
"By sealing their dragon forms into the stones, Manaketes gained human form. However, with their stone, they could temporarily turn into a dragon. The dragons that shunned the manakete form eventually became mindless because. This resulted in humans and even their fellow kin had to put them down." Arisa muttered and held her stone to her chest.
"Why have you chosen to tell me this?" Flayn whispered and Arisa bit her lip.
"It's better to be informed than remain in ignorance" Poe smiled as Arisa glanced at her, "I can tell. You've shown signs of degeneration at an early age. The fact you are still here shows you became stable. Arisa, was it?"
Arisa wanted to RIP her face off. She gritted her teeth and nodded.
"How exactly did an Outworlder like you end up with this body?"
[-]
BAM!
Arisa slammed the door to her room open and then slammed it shut. She just jumped onto her bed like a seal, flopping down. Her face buried in the blanket and she screamed. It was muffled, that she was grateful for. Poe's attitude has been pissing her off a lot. She left before she raised a hand against the Captain.
"I have never wanted so bad to punch someone!" Arisa growled as she grabbed her pillow, "I never been pissed off so easily! Ugh! Fuck this damn puberty phase all over again! Fuck the damn arm! Fuck! Fuck it all! Argh! AA-MMMMPHHHH!" She slammed her face onto the pillow again and screamed.
Sothis felt guilty because she knows some of her personality is merging with Arisa. It's only a matter of time till Arisa becomes sassy. The woman let go of a sigh as she sat up.
"Now Flayn knows exactly what a manakete is and also degeneration. Explaining to her about the dragons and the divine is nothing but a damn rollercoaster. Now, I'm going to have to explain to what and who I am because Poe stuck her nose in my business! How the fuck was it obvious that originally from this world?! I get Hai was able to tell because she of Divine blood but damn Poe?! I can easily tell she is human! I can..." her voice suddenly died down.
"I can...easily tell...?" Her voice became a whisper, "Ha...ha...Hahahahahaahaha!" She began laughing hysterically as she placed her hand on her forehead, "For 17 bloody years I've played the ignorant child who knows nothing, and already my number one damn secret was pointed out so easily! The identity I built to hide my knowledge just shattered in a split second! I KNEW AT SOME POINT IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO SAY IT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She cackled.
Her eyes were flicking between human and slits. She dropped to her knees as she felt hot tears pour down her cheeks.
She didn't care.
She didn't care.
She was just so done.
She wanted to run away but that would make her a coward. If she returns Rhea is going to be beyond overbearing. She wiped her tears and looked at her hands. Hands held the weight of the future and world. A burden she has chosen to share with her most trusted friends. It was only a matter of time and she prayed to whatever God could hear the one wish she wanted the most. She stood up and went to the bathroom, turning on the water and letting the tub fill up with hot water. She stripped off her clothes and went in, letting herself relax. Something like this was missed. She needed sleep. She needs to rest.
Meanwhile...
- Captains Dock -
Poe could not help but chuckle as she looked through the profiles of her three newest clients. She sat on her desk with a glass of wine, Shade was at the other desk working on a new spell.
"Flayn, a survivor of the Red Canyon massacre and Saint Cethleann. Hmm...never would have thought I would meet her. Only recently she became a manakete. But, truth to be told, she did not need a dragon stone because she had long lost the ability to transform into a dragon. Next, we have Hai. Huh...The Guardian. Is she like Tiki?" The Gremory blinked.
"Poe, how many times have I said about exposing people in front of a crowd?" Shade said without even looking at the woman as she mixed chemicals in a jar.
"Leave only for those with evil hearts." Poe rolled her eyes as she picked up the next file.
"Arisa Byleth Reus Esiner. Daughter of Jeralt the Blade Breaker! Ha! So Jeralt got married?! I didn't think he had the guts to propose! He has always been so shy!" She gushed.
Jeralt from far away shivered.
"It's been at least 130 years since you last saw him." Shade said back and Poe gave her the stink eye.
"Shut up. It's been 10 years for me. He was just a newbie." Poe snarled and looked back to Arisa's profile, "Oh! Her mother is Sitri! And her grandmother is..." her voice died down.
"What's wrong?" Shade said as she took out a dried lizard tail from a different jar.
"Rhea is her grandmother."
Shade suddenly stopped mixing her potion as her eyes became half-lidded.
"So...The woman succeeded." Shade sighed, "That means that girl is a vessel..." as she placed down her cup.
Her fingers twitched a bit as a bitter smile came to her lips. The memory of a certain princess from Valentia came into her mind as well as a certain Lord. Her mind traveled back to a certain girl. Another to manakete of Nohr who is the twin sister of the princess. Lastly to a young woman of crimson green colored eyes.
"I know for a fact there others out there like me who were dragged into a mess they never wanted to be part of. If you ever meet them, all I ask is that you give them this."
Shade closed her eyes and sighed, looking up to the wall that had many pictures hanging on it. One, her eyes landed on the said woman standing beside another.
"Poe, you're going to apologize. Now I understand why the girl got very defensive. She is reincarnated. She must have kept it a secret her entire life to protect those around her. After all, the old saying is if you know too much, eyes are bound to land on you." Shade muttered.
"I don't even know if she'll accept my apology. She stormed off before I even said anything else." Poe said.
"It is very obvious she left before she did something she would regret." Shade sighed and summoned her tome, "That arm of hers… Poe, do you mind getting the others?
"No. But I'm in all seriousness...what do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to do what Rhea doesn't want. I'm giving Arisa a choice."
[-]
"Oh!" Flayn gasped when Arisa walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her.
Her hair had grown back to its original length, which she wasn't happy about. But Arisa just let go of it. She'll cut again later.
"Where's Hai?" Arisa said as she walked and her body glowed and she now wore her nightgown.
"She went to get us food. Are you alright?" Flayn asked and Arisa stopped and turned to her with a blank face.
"No, I'm not. But right now, we need to worry about Hai." She walked to her bed.
Shirou was fast asleep on Flayn's bed and the wyvern egg was next to him.
"You mean..." Flayn gasped and Arisa nodded.
"I want to hear about the War of Heroes and The Red Canyon from you. From your point of view. And I will tell you...why people called me Outworlder." Arisa turned to her fully.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Sothis muttered in her mind.
"I don't have a choice anymore," Arisa answered back as Flayn held her hands together nervously.
There was tension silent for a few minutes and Flayn looked up to her seriously and nodded.
"Very well."
The door to their room opened and in came Hai with a tray of food. The divine noticed the tense atmosphere as she closed the door.
"Is everything alright?" Hai asked and Arisa turned to her.
"Hai, we need to talk."
Chapter 60: Muddy Waves: Part 1:Fractured