:):
I bet you didn't think this story could get any more confusing.
Well, surprise!
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As for the questions -
In this AU, human souls are a little bit different. In general they are still stronger than Monster Souls, but humans with magical souls are actually more powerful than normal human souls. They're also more valuable since non-magical humans are incapable of using runestones. This will be elaborated on in depth a little later.
Fearia's Soul is Golden in color.
The question as to what time period this currently is will be answered in this chapter.
Fearia is around 5 or 6 and Frisk is around 16 or 17. Their exact ages are unknown.
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Resolution
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Nearing the Chief's war room, Frisk could hear a slight commotion happening just ahead. She easily recognized the voices of Mrs. Haiyan and Mrs. Malika. They were in another one of their heated conversations. Frisk was certain that those two would've never gone out of their way to speak to each other if they had the choice, but forced cohabitation made tempers flare.
Mrs. Haiyan, with her long raven black hair and delicate pale skin, was the former queen of the Clan of the Dragon. Most of the time, she acted like she still was. Mrs. Malika, on the other hand, had accepted her misfortune and instead used it as motivation for the future. She had very tan skin and a rather rugged but regal appearance. Having been the queen of the Mirage Kingdom, she held herself with a distinct kind of dignity. That was in the past now, though. There were no kingdoms anymore. Not since...
There is simply no time for a history lesson right now!
Rounding the corner, Frisk slowed to a stop. She didn't want to get in between the two women. The tension between them was static as they glared at one another. Off to the side, Liling had her arms crossed as she glowered at the predictable scene. Walking over to her younger stepsister, Frisk greeted her before asking what was going on.
Not bothering to spare Frisk's signing even a single courtesy glance, the girl with the porcelain complexion answered moodily. "Mother's upset because she thinks Nalu made off with one of her hairpins again."
"It wasn't just any hairpin, Liling!" Haiyan snapped at her disinterested daughter. "It was my jade hairpin. A family heirloom from the Clan of the Dragon! Have you no respect for your own heritage?"
Liling's black eyes wandered to the side and she let out a small sigh.
Seeing as the angsty teenage girl had no reply for her mother, Malika gestured to her dismissively. "See? Even your own daughter doesn't care. It was only a hairpin, Haiyan, stop this foolishness and let it go!"
"Don't bring my daughter into this, Malika!" Haiyan hissed. "If you taught your children discipline, instead of letting them do whatever they wanted, maybe they wouldn't act like little monsters sneaking around in the middle of the night. No wonder they said the Mirage Kingdom was like a den of thieves!"
Both Liling and Frisk visibly cringed at Haiyan's harsh words. This was going to get bad real soon. Choosing to vacate the area before the screaming really started, the two teenagers silently slipped away down another hallway.
Once they were finally out of hearing range, Frisk tapped the younger girl on the shoulder to get her attention. Liling turned and gave her a bored expression but waited all the same. *Have you seen Fearia?*
"No." Liling glowered. "If she was lucky, maybe she got eaten by a bear. Or perhaps she drowned in a shallow puddle. Who knows? Either option seems preferable to living in this hellhole." With those delightful words, the moody teenager retreated into her nearby room and slammed the door loudly.
Feeling even worse now than she had before, Frisk finally made her way to the Chief's war room. Knocking politely, she waited to be granted entry. Not before too long, a guard unlocked the door and opened it, gesturing for her to enter. Stepping inside, Frisk's hazel eyes locked onto Chief Marx as he sat on his throne at the opposite end of the long war room. Dressed in his distinctive chieftain's tribal garbs while he casually polished his war ax, the man was as imposing as ever. The chief was a rugged looking man with weathered skin littered with scars and long graying black hair which was usually tied together in a crude braid that hung over his shoulder.
During the war, Marx had been a renowned monster hunter, and over the years he had gained both fear and respect from both sides due to the fact that he seemed to enjoy his job a little too much. Now that there were no more monsters to slay and no more wars to fight, he had turned to dominating the region instead.
Commanding a small army, he was able to conquer the surrounding kingdoms. Since they were already war-torn and crippled by the Bane, it had been almost too easy. He, being the cruel man that he was, had of course taken trophies from each one. Trophies that were meant to demoralize and degrade - like taking a defeated kingdom's queen.
He ruled over the village of Fauna with an iron fist and nobody was allowed in or out without his blessing. The high wooden walls that had been erected around the town served a duel purpose of both protection and imprisonment. In truth, Fauna was like a fortress of despair. The soldiers from his army now acted as glorified sentries and were instructed to patrol the streets in order to keep its citizens in line, or rather, to crush any signs of insurrection.
Regardless of how much power he gained, Chief Marx always seemed just a little bit bored. Maybe being a cruel tyrant wasn't interesting enough for him. Or perhaps he just missed his glory days on the battlefield. Only he knew for sure.
Spotting his wayward stepdaughter, a single steel blue eye lit up as a grin broke out over Marx's face. "Frisk!" He greeted jovially. "How was your visit to Fugue? Did you find it to your liking?"
It didn't matter how Frisk answered since it wouldn't change anything. Knowing this, the mute girl just gave the chief a small nod, her face carefully neutral. Behind Marx's throne, a small door opened and his eldest son walked in carrying an arm full of rolled up parchments. With short curly red hair and a pale complexion speckled with freckles, the delicate looking man looked nothing like his father. Truthfully, none of the chief's children really shared his likeness.
"Father, I've looked three times and I still cannot locate the map to the Eastern Wilds. A few other scrolls are missing as well! Someone's definitely been in the records room. Now, I don't want to point any fingers, but I believe this crude drawing I found of myself smeared over last autumn's tax records paints a pretty damning picture as to whom the culprit is. By any chance, have you seen little Fea- Frisk!" The bumbling man shrieked, sending a few scrolls flying from his arms.
Frisk gave the blushing man a smile and waved in greeting. He was really so hopeless.
"Paxon, you imbecile!" Chief Marx spat as he brushed away a few scrolls that had fallen onto him.
"My apologies, father." Paxon said as he bent down to scoop up the scattered paper rolls. "I was not aware you had a guest. Frisk," He gave a smile as he pushed up his glasses, directing his attention to his step-sister. "How was your journey? Were the mountains of Fugue really as misty as they say?"
*They were.* Frisk nodded. *One could easily get lost in them.*
"I'm sure they were stunning. It's a shame I couldn't have gone with you. I hear the old forests there are absolutely majestic. Ancient, they say. So much folklore has spawned from those mountains. Did you know some of the trees there are thought to be over a thousand years old? Apparently you can estimate the age of a tree by counting the growth rings found inside. Truly fascinating."
Chief Marx heaved a great sigh as he slouched down in his throne. "Cease your babbling at once, boy." he demanded. "Instead of Frisk, I should have offered you to their chief's son. You would have talked the poor lad into submission with your tedious ramblings. Before winter, they would most likely have surrendered just to be rid of you. Why?" Marx asked as he ran a hand down his scruffy face. "Why did you have to inherit your mother's interest for the mundane?"
The green eyed man flushed once more, clearly embarrassed by his father's words. Clutching the scrolls closer to his chest, he frowned indignantly. "I-if I might disagree, Father, Mother was a skilled alchemic scientist." He protested. "Surely you can't be implying that alchemy is mundane?"
"Alchemy is nothing but nonsense!" Marx snapped, stamping his boot. "It's Snake Oil served up in a little glass vial."
Eyes downcast, Paxon replied quietly. "Maybe now it is, but Mother's alchemy had been real."
"And look where that got her. Shattered into pieces, my poor Miriam." The Chief uttered, his mood becoming gloomy.
Frisk squirmed as a feeling of unease descended upon her. She didn't want to be here for this conversation. The topic of the Great Shattering was one that always seemed to directly incriminate her somehow. Of course, it was only because she was a survivor of the Magic Bane. One of the very few survivors...
Somehow remembering that he had a visitor, Chief Marx looked back to his stepdaughter, a deep frown etched into his grizzled face. "Have you come to report something? Why are you here?"
The mute girl hesitated for a moment, the change in the chief's disposition wasn't really unusual but it was dangerous. His mood flipped so easily, it was like walking on eggshells when speaking with him. Finally, she signed her question. *Where is Fearia?* She asked, completely skipping the 'Have you seen' part because she knew better.
"I've been wondering that myself." Paxon said as he sifted through the scrolls before deftly plucking a heavily vandalized one from the pile. "I wanted to ask her if she knew anything about this. Putting the unsalvageable damage to the Pinewood Coast aside, mocking Mrs. Haiyun by replacing her head with the head of a fire breathing serpent is unconscionable. What if she would have come across this crass interpretation of herself? The entire village of Fauna wouldn't have a wink of sleep for an entire fortnight!"
"Dispose of that scroll immediately, Paxon. Burn it with fire." Chief Marx instructed, tiredly. "As for your sister, I sent the whelp on a mission." He revealed, causing both his eldest son and his eldest stepdaughter to gasp.
"A-a mission?" Paxon looked horrified. "But father, surly little Fearia is much too young to wander outside the village walls all by herself. We must search for her at once!"
"We will do no such thing." The chief growled, giving his son a stern look. "I'll remind you of your place, Paxon. The child brought it on herself. She accepted the terms as per our agreement. If she returns with what I requested, then her insolence will be forgiven. If not..."
Fearful and panicked, Frisk spun on her heel and proceeded swiftly to the door. How could this happen? How could he do that?! Where was Fearia now? Was she okay? Was she hurt?
"Frisk." The chief barked, bringing the fleeing teen to a sudden halt. "I warn you, do not even entertain the idea of leaving this village to search for your sister. You know what will happen if you do."
Shaking, Frisk held back her tears and gave a stiff nod before escaping the war room. She truly loathed him and his wicked cruelty. Frustrated tears ran down her cheeks, as she sped past the chief's two remaining wives. The embittered women seemed to have come to a conclusion to their argument, though from the looks of it, they hadn't gotten there peacefully.
"I told you to keep your head up not back, do you want to choke?" Mrs. Malika chided as she pressed a bloodied cloth to the pale woman's nose. Her own tightly woven hair was now a disheveled mess and her clothes were stretched out in places.
"I hate you so much...!" Mrs. Haiyun whined angrily as she pinched her nose and lifted her head. "This won't leave a scar, will it?"
"If it does, it will only be an improvement." The darker skinned woman teased.
The aggrieved Dragon Queen groaned as she once again tilted her head back. "I think I'm going to need a drink..."
...
Once back in her own room, Frisk closed and locked the door before flinging herself onto her hard bed. She was consumed with worry and grief. Her baby sister could already be dead right now and if she wasn't, she could be gravely injured. All she wanted to do right now was rush after Fearia, but she still didn't know where it was the chief had sent her and asking him would have been foolish. He would never have told her. What could she do?
Pressing her face into her lumpy pillow, Frisk let out her frustrations the only way she could; she cried. If crying was a sign of weakness, then she felt pretty weak right about now. Weak and pathetic and useless.
After wallowing miserably for a few minutes, Frisk finally pulled herself back into a sitting position, her pillow squished tightly in her arms. It was only now did she discover the bent, rolled up scroll that had been hiding just out of sight. Dropping the damp cushion to the dingy hardwood floor, the teenager retrieved the old paper tube and unrolled it.
"FRISK,
Don'T woRRy, youR goING tO be AlRIght. I'll FIx EvERythIng! BeFoRE thE nExt FuLL MooN, FAthER wIll hAvE tO chAngE hIS mInd. HE PROMISED!"
Reading, then re-reading the poorly written note, Frisk's hands started to shake as she studied the map drawn on the back of the stolen scroll. It was winding and whimsical but it appeared to be leading back towards the Kingdom of Magic. The top of a nearby mountain was circled boldly with arrows pointing to it.
Was that...?
She needed to go now. If her baby sister went into that cave, she wouldn't ever be able to get out. The Monster Barrier was one way only; it was incomplete! Not to mention, she might actually encounter a monster. If she did, what would happen? It's been a little over a decade and they still haven't been released. If they were still down there, which they probably were, the monsters must be feeling pretty betrayed right now. Abandoned and forsaken. They might even hate all humans at this point, and really, they would have every right to. Even so, there was no longer anyone alive who could dispel the barrier. All of the mages were dead!
Unfortunately, Mt. Ebott wasn't that far away. If Fearia had enough determination, she could have easily made it to the base by morning if she had walked all night without resting. The sun had nearly set now...
A quiet understanding befell Frisk as she lowered the scroll to her lap. If her little sister had actually made it to the summit of Mt. Ebott, then she was probably already trapped. She wouldn't be coming back. Ever.
So be it. Frisk frowned as she stood from her bed and began to gather any necessities she might need. If Fearia went into the Underground, then so would she. It's not like this could get any worse. Ironically, it's just as Liling had said earlier.
"Anything's better than living in this hellhole."
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I know it's a little confusing, so if you have any questions for me, I'll be happy to answer them. :)
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In the next chapter, Frisk gains a pair of accomplices in the middle of the night.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
