Act II
The Small Family Reunion
Ions remain still as the young girl call out for her brother which he becomes quite shocks to find one of his siblings so quickly and she looks quite adorable as he imagines. The girl a grey elbow-length sleeved tunic that ends at a point between her upper-thighs, along with a short capelet of a similar color that stops just above her chest, a pair of dark brown trousers, and a pair of sturdy leather boots. A long strip of light, faded blue cloth is wrapped around her body – starting from her back, it wraps around the other side before crossing over her chest, covering her head, and finally wrapping around her shoulders like a scarf. It's kept in place with a brown rope belt worn around her midsection – she also wears a brown leather breastplate and gauze wrapped around her forearms. She starts to move toward him to see the 5 ft. 4 in girl smiling at his presence which he became stiff since most people would start to freak out by his mere sight and yet she isn't afraid of him at all. The family heir's trademark as this girl has thick, fluffy white hair that reaches above her shoulder and the cowlick standing proud as ever. Ion smile as he removes his mask and hoodie to show her his face while showing his white hair is the same as her.
"I am your brother, my name is Ion and I am the oldest of the family so I am quite happy to meet you at long last." Ion smile.
Her bright amber eyes shine with pure joy to know of his relationship with her and quickly hug him which Ions comply with a tight hug. Her soft body press against him as she smells quite nice and an outdoor smell of wood which lead him to believe that she must be training quite hard.
"Me too! I was waiting my entire life for this, big brother!" She smiles.
The excitement of her voice and her presence alone made Ions quite thrill as well since he could feel his eyes tearing up a bit. His hand holding her close to ensure that he doesn't leave her sight and not waking up to this wonderful feeling. Ion's little sister smile as she could feel his strong love and seeing him like this made her feel good.
"Also, my name is Casca, I am the last and 7th child of father so I hope we get along but I can tell we are perfect for each other!" Casca giggles.
Their reunion is slowly broke up as the king cough softly which made Ion think of his place on this room and they both quickly recover their composure to the king. Ion's eyes look to his left toward Casca since he couldn't bring the subject of the Harbinger with her in the throne room so he has to postpone that for now until they have a bit of privacy for discussion.
"It seems that little reunion went smoothly, I was a bit afraid that you two wouldn't get to speak like this at all so I am pleased by this you two." The king spoke, worry.
"Well, he is my big brother, after all, father. I will always cherish my family so I have lots of room to give hugs and smile all around." Casca reply.
"I agree with you there, sis, although why did you summon us here, father? It is odd for you to request this meeting between me and Casca out of the blue." Ion spoke.
Ion recollects since his father never wants him to meet his siblings and here he is with Casca, the youngest of the family which he is truly happy. Their father nods to Ion's comment approving of his question and smile softly at him which he composes to hear him out.
"I made an audience with you two because, you, my son will have the chance to advance with the Dragon Trial and be tested by the mighty fire dragon lurking in the Volcano of Archí, Ignis," Father spoke.
Ion became taken back as he will be undergoing the infamous Dragon Trial and fighting the dragon in order to get its respect and power. He felt a bit too sudden but maybe this power could prove useful since he is a Dragonkin and having Ignis by his side will prove most useful. From what he could tell, the Dragon Trial will make anyone bearing the name of Dragonkin to search for the dragon and be judged by that dragon whether they can tame him/her or not. Casca is being left out since she has no idea of the Dragon Trial since she is the youngest of them all and a bit curious as to why she is here for.
"Then what about Casca?" Ion asks.
"She will accompany you to this journey to experience what her own Dragon Trial will be and hopefully fix that little problem of her." The king answers.
Ion became mystified by the mention of a problem relating to his little sister and noticing Casca pouting softly as she knows what he is indicating to. Even so, he is very happy to have his little sister to travel on taming the legendary dragon and finally awakening his true power.
"Now that we have made that clear, you will have Twilight and Dorinda to accompany you as well. Now, stay in the castle for today and resume the trial tomorrow, you need every ounce of rest you can have." The king explains.
Ion sight as his father spoke of bringing Twilight since she always becomes very, very overprotective of him and unable to do anything without feeling her wrath. Quite the opposite happens to Casca since she smiles and joyful with the person name being called out which he didn't know about but apparently Casca knows. With that little meeting, they both bow at their father to say their farewell and leaving the throne together with a smile on their face since they will be traveling together so they can talk more even after today. Meanwhile, Joan watches as Ion flee the wagon in a hurry and barely noticed him entering the castle door since he needs some guidance on here.
Leon chuckles, "No need to fret, young man. Your Highness is quite busy with his father at the moment so he needs to talk to the king and I have a feeling that will take a while even after he is done." Leon hints.
"Is that so? I just want him to show me around this castle since I am kind of new in here and don't want to embarrass myself." Joan chuckles, weakly.
"Ah, then allow me to show you to your quarter and who you will be working together as Ion's retainers," Leon explains.
Joan became a bit surprised by the sudden announcement since all he wants is to travel around the land but this sound quite fun and interesting for him. After all, Joan is in debt with what Ion has done in the village and want to improve on what he believes is potential inside of him. He turns to face Leon to nod to his request and the butler began to show him around this enormous castle which he becomes impressed. The large hall fills with many servants working around the clock and a somewhat difficult layout to keep everything in order as well. His eyes darting at every inch to examine it and have to get used to since he will become a regular around this part. Joan walks with Leon calmly until they reach the inner center of the castle and stumble upon a dragon which made him quite nervous.
"A dragon?.." Joan mutters.
"Ah, that must be Twilight; she is one of the retainers of Ion and a caretaker of him while he was just a baby. This is the perfect opportunity for the two of you to get acquainted of each other since you two will be working with the young princess from this point on," Leon explains, "Ms. Twilight, could you come here for a second." Leon asks.
Joan became nervous as the large dragon turn around to see both of them staring at her and smile since Twilight knew of Leon so he happily approaches them while Joan becomes alarmed by her sheer size of this dragon. The dragon's scale is smooth and shining blue scale while her icicle horn sprung from the side of her head to curve down into the same direction the horn appears. Joan never encounters a dragon before since apparently, they are rare and quite powerful which as a villager mean a bit of trouble but this is a partner so he composure himself a bit. Her crystal blue eyes took notice of Joan's presence which he twitches and lowering her wings down while a glowing light covers her entire body which he covers his eyes with his arms.
"Who is this person, Leon? I never saw his face before in here." Twilight wonders.
Joan hear a girl's voice which he slowly removes his arm to see a young woman crossing her arms below her D-cup breasts and Joan looking quite pathetic in front of her which made him blush. This girl's clothing consists of a blue and white tunic and black short with gold, black and silver armor across her arms and legs. The dark-blue hair woman with bright-green eyes blinks to see a new person moving about in this place she calls home and wearing her ponytail to her side. Strangely, she has a white and yellow flower on her hair and her bangs crisscross while her hair is curled. She stands about 5ft. 7 in. Leon smiles as his hand gesture to Joan and stand tall for her since he has to be strong someday.
"This is going to be your partner as of right now, Twilight; Lord Ion has appointed Joan to be his retainer during his return trip so I call you out to let you know of the news right away." Leon informs.
This shock Joan quite hard, this girl is Twilight and he imagines the other dragon to be her as well. Joan's train of thought meddled as Twilight's eyes observe him while listening to Leon's interpretation and sweating bullet by her gaze.
"I see..." Twilight mutters.
Of all people on this castle, Twilight is always overprotective of Ion's safety since he seems to always jump into action to save anyone, let it be male, female or even monster. That something she always admires of Ion and also hates since Twilight has to intervene when he ignored his own safety. Twilight approach Joan as he looks even more nervous since she can transform into a dragon and knowing about those kinds of people but he didn't believe such legends until now.
"H-Hi, I am Joan and...It is nice to meet you.." Joan spoke, shaking.
She became silent for a bit as she thinks of something inside of her head and seeing his reaction which is something Twilight took note of. A gentle smile appeared on her face as his hand reach for the young man which he closes his eyes of fear until her soft hand patting his shoulder made him feel at ease. Twilight wasn't a monster to hurt him, she is a gentle dragon that wishes peace for his home kingdom and is willing to cooperate with this man since they both share the same agenda.
"No need to be so afraid of me, I may be a Manakete but I am not that bad of a person and it is nice to meet you too, Joan. My name is Twilight, one of Ion's first retainers." Twilight spoke, elegance.
Joan's breathing slows down upon hearing her sweet word of welcome and smile back since Twilight looks like someone he can trust.
"But of course, if you are some kind of pervert than I will have to kill you. Hehe~" Twilight giggles playfully.
"R-Right, I will keep that in mind..." Joan mutter, afraid.
It seems he is wrong; Twilight's smile looks quite frightening as she mentions the word pervert and not even willing to fight back at that chilling smile of her. Leon chuckles at the way Joan is reacting since everyone feels the same way about her smile and seems to be at ease knowing they will get along quite fine. The sun looms close to the mountains it looks like it will be night soon so he has to do some task before calling a day and it looks like Ms. Twilight could keep Joan busy while showing to his quarter.
"Ms. Twilight, why don't you show Joan to his room, I have some duty I must do before midnight come so if you excuse me." Leon spoke.
Leon took a small bow before departing to leave the two retainers by their lonesome and making Twilight seeing around before facing toward a precise direction which she gestures over to Joan to follow her. Joan start to follow the Manakete as they walk side to side while the light of the castle commenced springing to life and light up the darkness coming very soon now. The sound of their footsteps hitting the hard floor as the silent became known to them and making Joan slightly unnerve since he can't seem to speak up with her around.
"So, how did you meet with Ion?" Twilight wonders.
'Huh? Oh, I meet him during an attack in my village and he came from nowhere so I was relieved he did that." Joan sigh, "He gave some advice during that whole mess which made have the courage to stand up against them and actually pulling it off. It is strange, I felt like I could take an entire arm with Ion by my side and he looks rather...confident and I am so grateful for his kindness which made me want to keep chasing after him. I know...It must be weird for me to say that but..." Joan chuckles.
Twilight listen to his story as she knows of Ion's kindness and also a habit of wandering alone just to keep his people safe from harm which is troublesome for her. After all, she experiences everything with that young man and always warning him of not doing that without any of his retainer like her. Still, it seems Ions came out victorious and gaining more fame into his heroism which is a good step toward being a good king for Alteria which she does cheer for him. Joan looks quite grateful for Ion's goodness which she couldn't hide her smile and look at him chuckling at the weird feeling of following him.
"It isn't weird, many people want Ion to become a good king and many of us do feel the same way. Although, it does worry when he neglects his own safety when doing such a thing and often I have a nice, long talk to him." Twilight reply, "So, did you got attack by bandits?" She asks, curious.
'Not really, there were strange mist monsters with sharp eyes glowing eyes and we couldn't hear them approaching the village as well. Ion did look very perplexed when he saw them and also a bit angry." Joan informs.
This Intel made Twilight stop at her track as Joan just mention a Harbinger near the kingdom and Ion finding of those things which mean trouble for the king. His fingers twirl against each other as she bites her lips while she thinks of the Ion's anger since people kept this information a secret for his well-being and how close those monsters are.
Meanwhile, Ion and Casca approach to Ion's room to have a private speak between each other since that is what is on their mind lately. Ion forgot about the Harbinger since his little sister came present to him and focusing on getting to know of his sister. Ion took a seat on his bed while Casca jumps into it and relaxes herself as she had a rough day before coming back into the castle. A smile appears on his face as his hand reach for her soft head patting her and gently caressing her hair which Casca purr at the touch.
"I always wanted to meet one of you for so long now, I am very happy to have met you at long last and we finally have the chance to speak of each other, " Ion spoke, "Like, what kind of weapon do you use to fight?" Ion questions.
"Me too, I always imagine my big brother would be very kind and I feel so happy right now I could die." Casca smile, cheerfully, "I use a bow, here!" Casca answer.
Her hand reaches behind her to reach for the strange golden bow that he was wondering about but never bother to look any further and her arm raises the weapon before him which he took it. The weapon felt majestic to the touch as the top and lower limb curve to make the string attach to the end. Suddenly, he felt a weird sensation around his right arm which is causing him to shake and unable to use this weapon properly. Casca sight since it looks like Ion couldn't use her bow, True Oath just like the other and her brother smiling weakly knowing that this could happen to him. His hand releases the bow to cause it to drop while his hand slowly recovers and looking down at the bow.
"I know that will happen...but I still wanted to try it out..and it looks like you are the only one worthy of its power.." Ion pant.
"You should be careful brother..." Casca pout, "But yeah! I am the only one capable of using True Oath so I am sure you have your own, right? If so, let me see it!" Casca spoke, excitedly.
Ion chuckle to see his little sister jumping happily to see her big brother's weapon and his hand reach for the hilt to slowly pull out. The blade came out from the sheath as he brings the red blade close to her sister which she admires every angle of his weapon.
"So cool! Can I hold it?" Casca teased.
"You can try, but I wouldn't recommend it holding in the air so..." Ions pause.
He put the sword into the bed as Casca quickly fetch for the grip which she struggles to even lift it and making her brother chuckle at the scene. Casca feels the sword weighing a ton and unable to pick it up as easily as Ion did, especially not swinging around as he did back at the village.
"This is good to know Casca, at least we know that we can't trade weapon during the battlefield and also that I must rely on your range ability which I do lack so it is reassuring to have you by my side." Ion explains, smiling.
"R-Right..." Casca mutters.
Ion tilts his head at Casca's low confident on him relying on her ability as an archer and causing him to be deep concern about it. After all, there stuff outside in the world that can hurt them both and now this new threat, the Harbinger will be a problem so he needs to follow Twilight's advice from this point on.
"What's the matter, sis? Is something on your mind?" Ion wonders.
Casca sight at Ion's question as she needs to tell him about her "little" problem about her perspective on life and slowly release the Flash Edge from her hand to face her brother. It is difficult for the little Casca to speak about this with anyone and especially his big brother who seems to not hesitate on drawing his blade against others for the unknown reason that she doesn't know.
"Brother...I have something to tell you, I actually-"
The abrupt sound of the bell echoing across the entire castle can be heard even outside the kingdom of Alteria and making Ion look outside to see the dark night sky already showing across the entire landscape. The sudden passing of time made Ion recall of his upcoming Dragon Trial which made him quickly shift into the moment of rest since he must need it and every ounce of rest could prove useful for that trial.
"It looks like it is that time, huh? The Dragon Trial will commence tomorrow so I will rely on your ability with the bow," Ion smile, "Anyways, what are you going to say?" Ion asks, curious.
"Oh...ummm.." Casca mutter, struggling.
Casca couldn't speak of her problem since that will take time which she know Ion need it and she couldn't let her brother down so hopefully, she can fix that on her own during the trial.
"I wanted to know...if I can sleep with you! Yeah, that's what I was going to ask." Casca smile.
Ion chuckles, "That's all? But of course, I am excited to sleep with my own sister since...he never did that before and it sounds fun." Ion reply, smiling.
Casca smile as she gave him a tight hug which Ion gently pat her head since she must be alone and missing a lot just like he feel the same way. A soft yawn escapes Ion's lips as he smiles and turns off the light while Casca jumps into the bed ready to sleep which she hardly feel excited to sleep until now. The two siblings happily sleep together as their warm body touch each other and smiling happily knowing their fun is just starting. As the entire castle slowly rests for the night, a shadowy hooded figure remains awake and hiding as while looking toward the castle.
"Well, well, it looks like the whole plan is going to start very soon now."
The person looks down to see a strange doll smirking up into the shadowy figure and not showing any reaction to the doll's excitement.
"D'awww~ You are no fun~"
Act 2 END
Team
[Ion] Fire Dragonkin
Lv. 5
Str - 10 (+2)
Mag - 8
Skill - 8
Spd - 11
Lck - 2
Def - 7
Res - 5
[Flash Edge] Mt 7 Hit 80 CRT 0% RNG 1 A sword used by the legendary hero told by legend and pretty effective against Dark type enemy. STR+ 2
Skill(s)
Blazing Vow - Unit with C support with Ions will get stat bonus and vice-versa during only in pair-up, but gain more the higher their support. +1 Str +1 Mag +1 Spd +1 Def
Dragon Wisdom - Grant this unit 25% experience gain.
Falling Star - (%Skill/2) Attack twice consecutively, with the first strike having a Sol affect and the second one's damage cut in half but -2 for all of the opponent's stats. Recover (1/turn)
[Casca] Light Dragonkin
Lv. 4
Str: 5
Mag: 7
Skl: 5
Spd: 10 (+2)
Lck: 9
Def: 3
Res: 8
[True Oath] Mt: 2, Hit: 60, Crit: 0%, Rng: 4. A bow that cannot land a killing blow, believed to once have belonged to a lover of the Dragon of Light some centuries ago; nevertheless, it's effective against flying enemies. Grants Spd+2.
Skill(s)
Guiding Light - Grants all adjacent allies +4 DEF, and recovers 10 HP.
Dragon's Wisdom - Grant this unit 25% experience gain.
[Joan] Villager
Lv. 5
Str: 7
Mag: 0
Skl: 7
Spd: 7
Lck: 6
Def: 8
Res: 9
None
Skill(s)
Unknow
Aptitude - Boots growth rates during Level ups