Book IV:

Of Princesses and Peons

Chapter XXXV

I woke up looking at the night sky. I... was warm. I took a deep breath of clear, crash air as I looked at the stars sparkling down on Alrest. It was... calming. Everything was hazy for me, where was I?

I sat up quickly and looked to see a fire to my right. I grabbed my head as the blood rushed from it and I was given a splitting headache.

"Don't be so hasty peon! Youre injuries are bad enough as it is!" a voice said.

I looked past the fire to see Sheba, sitting down on the ground with her back on the bathtub, the girl made of water sat next to her, and looked much smaller than normal. It then occurred to me that my lips and throat weren't parched.

"Did you...?" I started before she cut me off.

"We shared water with you, yes. You don't appear to have any damage apart from sever ether damage, so we did our best with what we had. You should be grateful," she said abruptly.

I was taken aback a bit. "I... thank you, Sheba."

She nodded and we sat quietly for awhile, looking at Elysium's beauty.

"The desert sure is pretty when it's not trying to kill you," I commented.

She nodded. "To be honest, with you traveling around with that Aegis and all, We're surprised that isn't your opinion on every woman you've met so far."

I laughed a bit. "Well so far it's just Juliani and Lieutenant Uzuki that's trying to kill us."

Sheba changed the subject. "Why'd you save me, peon? You didn't seem like you were that in love with me."

"I could ask you the same thing," I chuckled before sighing. "I'd rather see you safe and sound than find you dead, knowing I could've helped. I'd do it for anyone honestly."

"Even Adonis or a random stranger, even if it meant you'd be seriously hurt or worse if you intervened?" Sheba asked in shock.

"I mean, I'd have to punch Adonis a few times for his lies, but yeah. There's no point in killing people when you can give them a chance to learn from their mistakes. That's why I don't like Juliani, she treats people she believes are lower than her as puppets! It's not ok! I don't see how anyone could think like that about anyone..."

"Well, it's still much better than following around a random girl who only takes advantage of you," she responded.

"What do you mean?"

Sheba seemed annoyed. "Are you not aware that that girl is just using you?!"

"Who? Mythra?"

"Yes Mythra! She gave you a giggle and a wink and now you're following her to the ends of the earth!" Sheba pointed out.

"I'm helping her find her memory! And Granny wanted me to help her too!"

"The memory that she almost completely has now? Why are you still with her? She knows who she is! Why are you stuck helping her?!"

"She hasn't lied to me yet! She's honest! Why would I want to abandon her in a world she's not familiar with?!" I was annoyed, irritated even. Not because I felt she was insulting Mythra but more so because I was afraid she was right.

"That's what makes a girl like her so dangerous!" Sheba argued. "She doesn't have to lie. She may have the purest intentions in the world, but that doesn't mean that you will be held responsible for anything she does or can't do. Are you seriously so dense that you'll continue going along with this foolish endeavor?"

I stood silently, unsure of how to respond. She wasn't wrong, not at all. How did Addam, Rex, or Waylon ever do it? I didn't understand it. I was frustrated. I didn't have the will to fight anymore, those last scorpoxes I fought landed some heavy ether damage and I wasn't feeling good. Before I even understood what I was feeling, I began crying.

"Peon?" Sheba asked.

"Sheba I don't know," I said as my face reddened.

"What?"

"I don't know!" I yelled, much to her surprise, but I didn't care, all of the frustrations and insecurities I had buried deep inside myself came pouring out. "I've been trying so hard to understand what I'm doing, but I just don't! As I continue, when I get into a situation I don't understand, there's a voice, a voice I can't hear, but it gets louder as the days pass! It's subconscious, and when I don't know what to do myself, I find my body just moving, doing things on its own."

Sheba looked confused, not really understanding what I was saying.

"Look, I know I'm not perfect. And I know I'm not fit to be a driver, yours or anyone else's. I'm not worthy and I'm not ready. But that's why I need you!"

I seemed to have piqued her interest, but to be honest I wasn't paying attention to her at the time.

"I'm too scared to talk to anyone to tell them that I don't know what I'm doing... I don't think they'd understand. I didn't mean to drag them with me and none of us even talk to each other! However when I know you, Azami, and Mythra are with me to help me, it makes me feel better I guess..."

"Are you quite finished?" Sheba asked simply.

"Y-Yeah, sorry," I didn't mean to unload that on her.

"Look, we're going to be honest with you, everyone knows you don't know what you're doing," Sheba reasoned. "None of them know what they're doing or want either. Acacia's still trying to find her purpose and Gabriel seems to be waiting for something. You're not the only one who's confused. Soon enough your path will be clear, but are you really certain that this is what you want to do? Even with the probability Mythra's just using you?"

I thought for a second, but my thoughts were interrupted.

"Ah, Sheba! So glad I finally found you!" a voice in the distance said.

We turned to see four strong men carrying Juliani and her blades on a couch, Praxis and Theory.

"Thank you boys, we'll handle it from here," Juliani instructed as she jumped down from the small couch , her blades right behind her.

I stood up wearily, almost falling and drawing my sword. "If you think you're going to take me or any of my friends to Adonis, you'd better back off right now."

"Oh please peon, you're definitely too weak to take me as you are, just give up and come quietly," Juliani said. "Sheba, please subdue him."

"You want us to do it?!" Sheba gasped.

"Did I stutter? I'm commanding you to knock him out of commission!"

"Sheba, if you want my answer," I jumped in as my adrenaline started pumping. "It's yes. I don't know what's going to come my way, but I want to see it through, there're things I don't understand about myself and I believe if I turn back now then I'll never know. You can go with her if you'd like, but I thought I'd let you know my stance."

Sheba took her ether cannon in her hand and shoved the barrel into my back, pushing me towards Juliani.

"Good girl," Juliani giggled.

I grudgingly walked forward and looked down at Juliani.

"Beat by your own blade? Pathetic, I expected more out of you peon," Juliani scoffed. "However it doesn't help that I own her. I edited her core crystal, she's mine."

"Yours?" Sheba asked.

"Yes, you are MINE," Juliani giggled.

Sheba seemed suddenly pissed as she picked me up and tossed me to the side before tossing her ether cannon on top of me, hitting me with a hard thud.

"Listen here, you are in the presence of divinity," Sheba scolded. "We are to be held with a high respect and treated exquisitely."

"Oh please, blades have no right to hold themselves highly, they're just tools! You should be grateful I treat you as one of my friends!" Juliani mused.

Sheba gasped before sighing and smiling in a manner that made me feel uncomfortable. "Ah so I suppose you'd like me to be an addition to your beauty, a tool to add to your image and a toy you can play with at your will?"

"That is what I EXPECT of you," Juliani corrected.

https/youtu.be/Np16Rvr7LrM

Sheba took a running start, aiming herself just right. "Divine Punishment!" she shouted before soccer-kicking Juliani so hard that she literally flew beyond what we could see.

"Juliani!" Praxis and the men gasped collectively before running after her.

"You'll pay!" Theory, the ice blade, yelled before drawing her sword and slashing at Sheba, but she didn't make it as I grabbed her ether cannon and shot Theory.

"She's with me, lay off!" I yelled.

"Nice work peon," Sheba giggled before stretching her hand out to me, who was still sitting. "I've sat down long enough, allow me to help out."

I grabbed her hand and she helped me up.

"After you," she laughed.

"Right!"

Theory ran at me full speed. I tossed the cannon back to Sheba before pulling my own sword and clashing with Theory.

We danced our blades as I felt I was in complete control. These were my actions, not someone else fighting through me, and it felt good. I slashed violently as Theory clashed against it, back flipped and went in for a stab, only to get blasted by Sheba.

Theory angrily charged at Sheba, however the water spirit in her bathtub charged in, knocking Theory on her ass.

"Ice Slash!" Theory yelled before throwing knives made of ice at me.

I turned on my ether shield and blocked them. Theory then clashed against it with her sword. I pushed my shield back, throwing Theory off-balance and I slashed, hitting her in the abdomen.

"You can't win! Get lost!" I warned.

"I'm not done yet," Theory said simply before slashing at me quickly.

"Frost Banish!" she shouted as she sliced at me three times, I blocked them all, but she then did a somersault and kicked me onto the ground. She then brought her sword down into my chest.

"Peon!" Sheba yelled before jumping in her bathtub and slamming it into Theory. "Tea Leaves!"

Theory jumped up and tried to slash at Sheba, who partied her sword slashed with her ether cannon.

"Dessert Bomb!" Sheba said as she shot a huge ball of water into the air, it then exploded into water ether, throwing Theory to the ground.

"Rebel Sister!" Theory yelled as she slashed a gigantic icicle into existence before shattering it into ice ether, hitting Sheba into me.

"You ok?" I asked.

"We're fine," Sheba said as she got up.

I stood up next to her, "We need to finish this fast, I can't keep going."

"We're fighting with you, we've made our choice. We may not like you people and we think you're crazy, but we also think you'll need some divine help to survive. Just... try to figure out what we're doing, alright?" she said.

"Alright, then let's finish this!" I agreed.

"We feel power we haven't felt before, please, let's grab my weapon together," Sheba requested.

I grabbed her weapon along with her and her water spirit.

The words for this new art immediately entered our minds, and together, we yelled, "Royal Tea Party!" As the ether cannon shot out a massive water attack that pelted Theory into unconsciousness and the fight ended.

"Pretty good for a peon," Sheba laughed.

"Thank you, Sheba," I said sincerely.

She smiled. "You're welcome, now let's get out of this desert!"

Before we could even start figuring out what to do, a huge ship flew over our heads and landed right in front of us.

"Your peon friends have come for us!" Sheba said, but I fell over, the ether damage from earlier and Theory's sword attack left me pretty weak.

The ramp opened up and Gabri, Mythra, and Acacia walked down.

"Found these two cuties looking around for ya Silas," Gabriel joked.

Azami ran through them, almost knocking all three of them to the floor running towards me. But she immediately grabbed her ether cannon and aimed it for Sheba.

She, without warning, fired it directly at Sheba.

Everyone stood in shock as the smoke cleared up, but it hadn't hit Azami. Instead I was there, holding up my ether shield.

"Stand down guys, she's... one... of us...," I said before I blacked out.

"What?! But she betrayed us!" Azami whined.

"If Silas said she's fine, then she's fine. Let's move. We need to get back to Alba Cavanich, Rafi's in trouble," Acacia ordered as Azami picked up my limp body.

"The little nopon? What happened to him?"

"Our little furry friend is probably running head-first into her compound to rescue Poppi," Gabriel said. "We need to go."

...

Rafi looked at the building in front of him, Juliani's club. The place terrified him to tears. However he knew she wasn't there, and that calmed him enough to do something so stupid.

"Don't worry Poppi! Rafi is coming!"

Readability Level: 11-12th Grade

Time Taken: 7 Hours