Updated: 7/29/15

Chapter 22: Jewel

Evacuating the exotic bird had been a lot simpler than Liara expected.

Once again, she was being toted in Brook's arms, and honestly, she didn't mind. She secured her arms around his neck as he gave the creature an affectionate pat on its neck before he stood up and hopped off. He seemed so confident in what he was doing that Liara opted to disregard the fear that was swelling up within her. She managed to stifle a cry as she noticed the ground decreasing in distance with every passing second. She gulped down the lump in her throat as she pressed her face into his ribs and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew Brook wouldn't let any harm come to her, but she was still frightened all the same. The skeleton merely chuckled at her adorableness before his feet landed firmly on the ground, not a single bone broken.

Sensing that the danger had ebbed, Liara opened her eyes and exhaled a sigh of relief. She surveyed their surroundings and blinked a few times as she began to contemplate about where they were. After all, they needed to find their way back home by nightfall, otherwise the rest of the crew would worry.

Brook set her down gently, earning him a grateful smile. Overhead, the hoots and hollering of Luffy and Usopp had died down, meaning the two were probably off for another round of flying. Liara couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the birds.

"Miss Liara, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" the boney gentleman inquired, hoping that their landing hadn't been rough on her in any way.

She shook her head. "No, I'm okay." She allowed her eyes to wander again. "Where are we?"

"Well, I had a pretty good view from up above, which allowed me to find our place. Sooo-" he pointed his finger straight ahead, "-we just need to walk that way to get home."

Relieved that they weren't lost, Liara's shoulders relaxed and she smiled. "Wonderful! However-" she clasped her hands together and stared at him questioningly. "-how did we manage to fall from way up there without getting hurt?"

Brook chuckled, trying not to look too pleased with himself. "Yo-ho-ho! Since I am merely skin and bones, I am as light as a feather! Why, I can even run on water since I'm so light!"

Liara's eyes widened in disbelief. "Re-really?! That's so incredible!" Truly, she was impressed, and this greatly flattered the skeleton man. Clearly appreciative with the compliment, Brook crossed his arms over his chest, which he felt would bust at any moment with pride.

An abrupt movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention towards a separate path. Whatever had moved seemed to simply vanish, but a shiver bolted up her spine as an eerie feeling encompassed her.

Brook trailed after her gaze, wondering what could have captured her attention so unexpectedly. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Liara?"

She rapidly blinked to mentally awaken herself from the stare she had unknowingly worn. She glimpsed up at the skeleton in minor confusion before noting his worried expression. "Brook, I-" she stared down at her sneakers for a second before returning her attention to the path in front of them. "-I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like...I should walk over there." She gestured towards the trail with a lift of her hand. "I think I need to go that way." Without saying another word, she ambled forward like she was trapped in a trance.

There was something about Liara's behavior that unsettled him. She appeared uneasy, and he wanted to find out why. He wondered if perhaps she'd seen an animal or maybe one of their crew mates, but dismissed the idea immediately. If that had been the case, she wouldn't look so...what? Frightened? No, that wasn't the proper word. She seemed a bit absorbed, and maybe even inquisitive. Understandable reactions, he supposed, but that didn't explain the goosebumps that were prickling on her arms.

He strode forward so he could walk stroll next to her, and on a protective whim, slipped his hand into hers to assure her that he would keep her safe. She seemed a bit surprised at first, but welcomed the comfort as she gave his hand a little squeeze. Usually she would've blushed, but her mind was focused on other matters.

Onward they walked, each wondering what they would uncover at the end of the path. For all Liara knew, she could've just imagined the movement or mistook it for a leaf or animal. Still, she couldn't help but believe that she actually saw something or someone strange, and she wanted to find out what had captured her attention.

She also knew that she really didn't want to go there alone.

At last the path ended, and what they discovered left them in complete awe.

Before them was an abandoned village, with stone homes that were over-run with moss and vines. Pieces of household items littered near front door frames or around windows. A sizable well painted with cracks was erected in the center of the village, showing signs of being unused for a long period of time.

Liara hesitantly severed her hold from Brook and proceeded to walk around, her lips parted in disbelief. Curiously, she walked into the house nearest to her, a part of her hoping that maybe she would find somebody.

Instead, she was saddened by the chaotic mess inside. A table was flipped, dishes lay in broken chunks on the floor, and shredded cloth hung from different areas on the walls. Something terrible had happened here, and she couldn't help but assume that it only had to do with the curse.

When she stepped back out she noticed Brook had also wandered into a house to check things out. Liara decided to endure examining around in hopes that she would at least gain some insight as to what happened. Her heart nearly shattered at the abandoned rag doll that was sprawled out beside a table.

"Help...please..."

Her whole body froze as she heard what appeared to be a young boy. The voice seemed to be coming from outside somewhere, so she abandoned her task of searching the house and went back through the entrance. She swiveled her head around to try and see if anybody was nearby, but all she could still notice were the abandoned houses and Brook continuing to inspect buildings.

"Please save us."

There it was again! She was certain it had come from her right, so that was where she advanced to. On and one she moved, weaving her petite figure between buildings and rocks, putting all her effort in to pursue the pleading voice that would mirror around her every few seconds. Brook's voice calling out for any survivors faded in the background as all she focused on was trying to find the child who was crying out. She quickened her pace to a brisk stride as she examined everywhere she could, wanting nothing more at that moment than to find and help the one who begged and pleaded. Her breath came out in little rugged gasps as her heart rate quickened.

"Over here."

The voice was so much closer now. "Hold on!" Liara called out. She had to let the child know that he wasn't alone, that help was indeed coming. She broke out into a run as the anxious feeling inside her only increased, threatening to overcome and swallow her in one giant gulp. A chilled breeze swept over her as she arrived in a large area that seemed to lead back to the forest. She eyed her surroundings, wondering who had been calling her and why she was brought here.

"You found me!"

[The Prince of Egypt-The Burning Bush 0:00-4:08]

She completely froze. Her heart skipped a beat as she gradually turned to her right and noticed a boy who looked to be no older than eight or nine standing next to her. His entire body was a transparent green; wavy lines of the same color rolled off of him. His full eyes sung of innocence as he gazed at Liara with a hopeful expression on his face. The corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. "Please...can you help us?"

The goosebumps that prickled all over her skin vanished in an instant as she concluded that the child meant her no harm. She gently smiled as she knelt down so she could be on the same level as him. The boy stepped towards her until they were only a few inches a part. Liara wanted to reach out and touch him to see if he was real. Would her hand go through him, or would he actually feel her touch? She didn't want to frighten him though, so she allowed her arms to hang limply at her sides. "Help? With what?" she gently questioned.

The boy glanced dejectedly, twiddling his thumbs together. "I'm lost." He peered at her through his thick bangs. "We're all lost."

Realization dawned on her. He was one of the lost souls! Her heart wrenched itself with pity as she understood that this poor boy was stuck in a village he had probably been killed in or kidnapped from. He was so young, and hadn't been able to live out his life. The thought disheartened Liara greatly, but she tried to appear strong for him. He clearly needed her help with something, and so help was what she would provide.

The boy reached into the pocket of his tattered pants and pulled out what looked like a glowing, purple orb. He offered it out to her, while she mutely gawked at it. "Take it."

She eyed him and then drew her attention back down to the foreign object. She licked her lips nervously as she inwardly pleaded with herself not to drop it before she reached a hand out and grasped it.

The orb had a smooth surface that felt cool against her palms. Surprisingly, it wasn't very heavy, which eased her nervousness a great deal. She could be quite klutzy, and she knew she would be so irate with herself if she dropped, well, whatever it was she had been given.

"What is this?" she inquired while persistently stroking the strange sphere.

The boy beamed and backed away from her. "It will show you where you need to go. Use it carefully, okay?" He looked to the side of him, his smile growing even larger. "How was that mama?"

Liara almost dropped the orb when a woman who looked to be in her thirties materialized next to him. She was a lovely-looking woman with curly hair that fell to her shoulders. Although it was difficult to see what color eyes she had, Liara could see a gentle and kind expression fixed in them. Next to her appeared a man who was a few mere inches taller, and who Liara assumed was the boy's father.

And that was when they appeared.

Children, teenagers, middle-aged adults, the elderly, and even babies; all of them constructed in front of her. They all looked fixedly at her with eyes beseeching aid. The air overflowed with grief, yet she could sense hope as well. Calmly, Liara stood up and gradually turned around to fully look at everybody. Families stood by each other, clinging to each others arms as they all seemed to wonder the same thing.

Could she actually help them?

At that moment, she wanted to weep.

All of these people just had to be the lost souls. What they expected her to do was unknown to her, and yet she knew that she had to do something. The familial community looked so sorrowful and defenseless. Her heart broke for their lives that were unjustly cut, and for the children and babies that hadn't had the opportunity to experience growing up.

"W-what can I do?"

The boy's mother squeezed her son's shoulder and traversed towards Liara until they were standing face-to-face. The woman smiled and moderately used her index finger to touch the ball. Condensed streams of green light flowed with the globe, confusing Liara even more. She studied the woman's face, searching for answers. The woman stepped away to rejoin her husband and son, but once she returned she gracefully held her head high. "Merida. Ask Merida. Show her the jewel. We have faith in you Liara."

In a bright flash, they all disappeared. Liara squinted and shielded her eyes until the luminous light faded away. Her sight traveled down to the jewel, which she curled her fingers around protectively. She put it against her chest and closed her eyes, vowing to herself and the souls, particularly the little boy, that she would set things right and help.

[+]

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Brook uttering her name. She spun on her heel and spotted him worriedly cantering towards her. She was overcome with guilt for not saying anything to him, especially since she knew he felt unnecessarily guilty for her being kidnapped.

"There you are! I was looking everywhere for you..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the jewel in her hands. His eye sockets focused on it for a second before gazing at the brunette's face. He saw tears gathering up in her eyes, and before he could ask what happened, Liara suddenly smiled and held the jewel out for him to see.

"Brook, look! It's so beautiful." She rubbed the circular object tenderly. He gaped at her as she regarded the object, and he realized he couldn't hold back his thoughts any longer.

"Liara, what happened here? What is that? Are you okay?"

She paused her movement and bit her lip. She lowered the sphere and sharply inhaled, speculating how to clarify the situation. "The souls Brook, I saw them."

His eye sockets widened.

"A little boy gave me this, and his mother instructed me to show it to Merida, and that this would help them." She hesitated before her eyes met his. She half-expected to see a scowling look on his face, thinking perhaps she was crazy. She knew she sounded unrealistic, and she couldn't blame those who chose not to believe in her. Her face glowed though as Brook's jaw parted into a grin.

He reached out and grabbed one of Liara's hands to give it a squeeze. "Yo-ho-ho! Looks like we have some new friends to help! Let's find Merida!"

She burst into tears of joy and wrapped her arms around the stunned skeleton, careful not to drop the orb."Oh thank you Brook! Thank you thank you thank you!" She couldn't hold back a large smile when she felt his slender arms encircling tightly around her. He angled down and lay a cheek bone against her silky hair. They remained locked in an a deep embrace, and it was difficult to tell at that moment whether they or the jewel glowed brighter.