Author: I'll try make the chapters digestible to anyone reading it. So some descriptions would be missing. Read and Review everyone!
Night falls not long after; the clear skies gave its stage to the stars though the full moon has yet to make its appearance. Prontera bathed in the yellow glow of the street lights and mild winds occasionally traveled through the streets. Those in the trading business, thanked their fortunes as they would continue their vending throughout the next morning without any rain or snow.
At the Myer's Inn, a humble bard strums a joyous tunes to the tired and weary customers as he entertained them with his witty jokes and light riddles. Tucked in a corner of the inn, away from the noise and laughter, Harun and his group dwell in their own deep conversations over a generous meal of toasted loaf, chicken and gravy with boiled beans. Higure, the last guardian, has yet to make an appearance. Xuan, Adrian, Suke, Moi and Rose had already dig in, obviously, hungry from all the day's work. Yuki and Harun only drank their tea. The inn door creaked open.
"Oh, Leena, there you are." Harun called out to an approaching female high priest, "Come sit with us."
Xuan looked up from his meal as Harun introduced the guardians and went through the usual greetings. Leena went to sit between Rose and Moi and noticed Xuan's stare.
"What's the matter, dear?" one chicken bone hanging from his mouth, "You look like you just put on weight. Ate too much?"
"I am not your dear." Leena jeered knowing that Xuan was staring at her thighs again. "And you shouldn't be looking at places if you value your life more."
"Alright sweet cheeks," Xuan grinned despite Leena's glower.
"Xuan has a little ability of being able to see something that is wrapped." Suke wave a fork accusingly at him.
"Eh? What a pervert!" Moi glared, suddenly finding herself sinking more to the table.
"Don't worry Moi," Xuan took another loaf, "I can only see it if it's wrapped in soft material."
Eyes glared in his direction.
Harun laughed.
"You are a pervert." Rose glowered accusingly at the male high priest.
"Anyways," Yuki smiled, "I believe Higure would still be out late; so perhaps we should discuss about this Za'an? We can always brief the absent ones later."
"The guy's been lying low, he's up to something." Harun declared, "He's been summoning very little monsters in the town areas. Only 30 or 50."
"Then he would just vanish." Leena added.
"What I am most afraid," Suke began, "Is that he's probably waiting for a certain time. A particular year or month or perhaps…the arrival of a certain event."
"The stars don't seem to show any sign of omens in the future." Alyssa scratched her head.
Xuan almost jumped when he heard the high priest voice next to him. The latter had sworn the seat beside him was empty when they were talking about the Za'an thing. Even the others were slightly surprise though Alyssa continued filling her plates with food and mumbling something about just reaching the inn. Harun merely smiled and shrug his shoulders.
Alyssa looked too plain and ordinary with her long black hair and eyes. Her gastronomical stomach somehow didn't suit her plain appearance. She was the most quiet and only spoke when spoken to or if she had something to say. Alyssa had the ability of keeping track of the members of the guild with some sort of psychic link. However, that was her only special ability.
"You are spacing out again." Alyssa mumbled as she finished her last soup and filled another one.
"Eh?" he realized that the others were already talking about what other factors that Za'an could use to release the Lord of Death's chambers.
"Well, it definitely has something to do with time," Harun leaned back as the waitress cleared the plates. "As for place…I can only think of Geffen, Glast Heim and Aldebaran. Leena, could you help check out the church to see if there's anyone they have encountered that is special?"
The church was mostly responsible for registering of names of newborns and they are also in charge of education, health and memorial. It would be likely that they would encounter something that is out of the ordinary and since Leena and the bishop are close friends, it would be easier to get more information.
"I'll go to the library at Yuno I guess." Suke mumbled. " They should update their yearly thingey by now."
"Can we join you?" asked Moi. Rose looking eager as well, both were somewhat oblivious what they were getting into.
"Of course!" Suke exclaimed; seeing that she have more slaves to follow other than Adrian.
The Yuno library was no joke; it could take ages rummaging through book after book, folder after folder, ancient records after ancient records. Not to mention the rising increase of new spells, monster data and new towns discovered. Things could might as well piled up.
"I will need to check up on Higure," Yuki scratched his cheek lightly, "He always like to disappear most of the time, but he would usually be back."
"Just like a cat." Moi giggled.
"Ah, yes, Higure is an assassin cross." Yuki chipped in to the others, "Nice fellow once you warm up to him."
"Well, I'm sure you guys have other things to do," Harun got up, followed by the others, "This meeting is dismissed. Investigations, at my order, shall begin tomorrow. Sleep well tonight people, Yuki, I managed to make reservations for two rooms. You're gonna have to share it with Higure while Moi and Rose take the other room."
"A thousand thanks." Yuki bowed lightly with Harun waving it off as he picked up his cart.
"I have to sell these junks off to Anna." Harun grinned, "So you guys don't make trouble while I'm not around."
With that, Rose and Moi clamoured excitedly for their rooms while Adrian and Suke, were more than eager to retire early to bed. Leena managed to drag Alyssa to go shopping at the market street when Xuan insisted on tagging along.
The market street earned its reputation, as the main road that leads to the south gate, was always full of people coming and going. The large number of human traffic instigated many traders to set up their business along the sidewalks. Even in the late hours, there would still be people who would flock the market street to find good bargains.
"Hey look at that noob head." Xuan whispered to the two as he gestured at one of the merchants. "He's selling his golden anvil for one million zeny!"
Leena didn't have to be a blacksmith to know the value of a golden anvil. Harun would lecture her, no end, about how different anvils would make better quality weapons. She only shrugged her shoulders and they continue their walk down the street.
"Ah! An evil wing hairband!" Xuan stopped infront of the vender, he peered at the hair band that had dark bat-like wings attached to it. "How much?"
"5 million zeny." The trader spread his fingers.
Xuan looked at it one last time, a look of disappointment on his features, before he placed it back and gave a courteous bow to the trader and joined Leena and Alyssa on their walk.
"5 million my ass…" he muttered when they were far enough.
Leena rolled her eyes at his choice of words.
Along the way, Leena noted a couple of daggers that she had never seen before. One was gold and with intricate carvings that could only have come from royalty. Its hilt was embedded with red and green gemstones of unknown origin. The other dagger had a slight pale glow to its snake-like blade. It reeked of darkness yet it was beautiful in its own shadows. Leena turned to Xuan and Alyssa and saw Moi not far behind.
"Oh hello!" Moi exclaimed when she saw them.
"Oh hi, Moi," Xuan looked around, "Where's Rose?"
"Already snoozing." She giggled.
"Aww…too bad." Xuan said.
"I wanted to look for Yuki, but I couldn't find him anywhere." Moi turned halfway before facing the others. "Have you seen him?"
"He is with Harun." Alyssa said, "They had just came out from the shop."
Moi gave a questioning look.
"Alyssa has the ability to link into a person's mind." Leena explained. "This is to make sure everyone is safe even if they are nowhere in sight."
"Oh." Moi thought for a moment, "Is that a priest thingey?"
Leena and Xuan shook heads.
"It is," Alyssa paused, "My only special ability."
"Oh cool," Moi beamed.
"Moi, have you done your shopping?" Lenna asked.
The young lordknight pondered; she had wanted to buy that cute pink hat with the red ribbons on it but she had spent all her money buying those blue boxes. It was meant for Rose as the whitesmith was just crazy over opening up surprises. And the guy who sold them to Moi had gave a huge discount, seeing that he had never seen such a young lord knight.
"Ah…" She paused, a slight blush to her cheeks, "I wanted to buy some sweets. It's been a while since I last had some."
'What! We're not babysitters!' Xuan thought in disbelief.
"Well I have a sudden craving for some sugar as well." Lena giggled.
'Eh!' Xuan stared at Leena.
"Shall we go and buy?" Leena asked to which, Moi and Alyssa nodded eagerly.
'I'm hanging out with little girls..' he shook his head in disbelief.
"Isn't that Moi?" Yuki paused.
"She's quite a sociable one isn't she?" Harun commented to which, Yuki laughed softly.
Yuki and Harun walked on the sidewalk opposite to where Xuan and the others are. The duo had just came back from the Weapon Store and were on their way back to the inn. The crowd had decreased as they walked further away from the market street. Some of the traders had already begun to pack up as the night hour turned late, occasionally, couples could still be seen lingering in the streets.
"You're quite gifted for a blind guy." Harun stopped to lit his pipe.
Yuki stopped andturned to face him. The statement had been rather direct and out of the blue for that matter and caught the creator off guard. The latter felt Harun's eyes gazing at him.
"Just a comment, man," Harun said, "Didn't mean to offend ya."
"It was a chemical accident that caused this weird reaction to my eyes." Yuki corrected, "Even though I can't really see like normal people do, but somehow I can see the energy that matter emits. Like an aura, though I still have yet to fully figure out how something like that could work. I resort to wearing this blindfold to help filter out what is far and close to me."
"A chemical accident?" Harun pressed on.
The winds felt colder somehow.
"Yes. A very bad one." Yuki felt his voice grew lower at the memory, "I was an alchemist, back then, with two of my other close friends. We tried to attack a Maya by using Acid Demonstration, a special attack that only creators can use... We thought we could be the first alchemists to actually attempt Acid Demonstration. ..But…that's when things went wrong…"
Yuki sat down and heaved a heavy sigh.
"I was the furthest when it happened." Yuki maintained, "But my two friends…they had their body parts eaten away by the acidic fumes. ..while I only got away with scars…"
"I have heard of the news before," Harun blew out a smoke, "Three alchemist attempted Acid Demonstration and failed. The monster killed two of the alchemists before the third one manage to defeat it. So that was you."
"The monster was already dead." Yuki gingerly touched his blindfold, a nervous reaction that he seemed to developed. "My friends were still alive but the wounds they carry….they can never lead a normal life or treated like one anymore…They had…begged me to let them live…but…I chose to end their fate."
"…"
"In a sense, I am that monster." Yuki held the top of his white hat and craned his neck to the sky. "I felt that I should let you know since we will be working together for a period of time. Hiding my past is not going to make matters any better should enemies try to use this against our objectives."
The cold wind that arrived complimented the void in his heart. Silence filled it and the twilight hours merely welcomed what tragic past he had to say. It was blind pride and rebellion; he wanted to rebel against the classes that were laid before him and jumped ahead to be the best. Oh how foolish he was to never follow the rule of alchemy.
"I do missed the stars," he whispered. "I cannot see them even without the blindfold."
"Ain't nothing special." Harun sat beside him, "Looks like the clouds covered the whole nightsky."
"Ah…" Yuki lowered his head. "A pity…"
A huge explosion erupted and the violent tremors spread through the market street; fireballs rain down amidst the screaming and chaos. People ran haphazardly as they try to avoid the flying debris. Leena, Moi, Alyssa and Xuan struggled not to be swept away by the human traffic. The ground beneath them shook vigourously as more fireballs flew and explode.
"Harun!" Alyssa gasped.
"What happened?" Leena turned to her.
"I.."Alyssa blinked, "I lost his connection..!"
"Shit!" Xuan hissed a spell to himself and instantly maneuvered his way through the crowd.
The earth continued to rumble and quaked as more screams followed under the glowing orange sky. Xuan's ear rang as a loud screech impaled through the air. An old fear crept from the darkest recess of his heart. Only one powerful monster could summon the Meteor Storm.
'I lost his connection…' Alyssa's words stuck a chill to his spine.
No…
It cannot be….
"He will not turn EVIL!" Xuan shouted to himself as he picked up his speed.
To be continued