Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the Bastard! series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here. Spells are read in Latin even though the translation is not perfect.
Haunting Melodies
Chapter 2 - Arcane Manifestation
Bare feet padded through the castle until she paused in front of the young woman's room once more, she knocked on the large wooden door, and a woman with a similar shade of fiery hair opened up. She greeted the other one cheerfully while inviting her inside. "Why did you want to see me Yoko?"
She grinned, "Because I've got some shoes here for you. I know that you like to walk around barefoot but you need some kind of shoes so I got these for you." She brought out a pair of black shoes that were flat with a very low heel. Elira gratefully took them, she slipped them on, and scrunched up her nose since she wasn't used to wearing shoes. "It'll take some time but I'm sure that you'll get used to them." The other woman nodded while they parted ways and Yoko only grinned while Elira continued to wander around the castle.
Crimson eyes looked at everything that was present inside the castle, even though she had not yet found a way to be of use to Metallicana, her mind was working through the options. I wonder if I could be of use in the kitchen but then again I'm sure that they already have enough workers there. From what I've seen, there are plenty of workers everywhere except with their healing department. I know that war often comes here since there were rumors from the people in the market but what can I do? Is there really a place for me here? Her mind was in deep though as she meandered through the halls. Her feet had paused by the Great Priest's chambers, Perhaps he can find something for me to do. With that thought settled, Elira rapped on the chamber door, there was a muffled response to enter, and she pushed open the door.
Her eyes were met with a male villager who was breathing heavily and sweating while laying under sheets on a bed. Elira entered, closed the door behind her, and approached cautiously. "Is he alright?" Geo shook his head, Elira stepped forward carefully to make sure that the Great Priest wouldn't tell her to back off. She placed a hand on the man's forehead, it was hot to the touch, and she looked back at the priest, "What is his ailment?"
"It appears to be a flu of some sort. I'm not sure how long he'll be able to last, my magic doesn't heal it only protects," he explained.
"Do we have any healers?"
"Just the old woman but I'm not sure if her herbal remedies will even help and Yoko is still learning."
Elira sighed, "May I try?" Geo nodded as he let her take the seat next to the ailing man, she sat down, and noticed the bowl of water. As her crimson eyes stared into the clear surface, she found herself getting lost in that stillness until there was nothing but dark blue water all around her. Bubbles swished around her as she looked around, unable to see anything more except a bright light.
"Elira? Elira? Are you alright?" came Geo's voice.
She blinked a few times and smiled to reassure him, "I'm fine. I can help." Without explaining further, she took the bowl of water into her lap. She placed her hand into the water while taking her other hand and placing in on the man's forehead. He opened his eyes to look at her she gave him a warm smile, "Worry not. I will help you." There was a faint smile on the man's face as he began to grip his chest, Geo began to fear the worst until Elira's eyes softened, and a blue glow encircled her hand on the man's forehead. Her voice was soft but strong, "By aureus radius Solis, bona valetudo et tu unum sumus, confortans ui nunc merge, noxia vires nunc purget." As her words left her mouth, the water from the bowl disappeared slowly in time with her verses, a blue glow encircled the ill villager, and when the final words left her mouth, the glow dissipated. Elira removed her hand from the man as he fell asleep, she took in a deep breath before letting it out, and looking at Geo.
The Great Priest stared at her with a slack jaw, "What did you just do?"
There was a smile in her face, "He needs some sleep but I healed him."
"You...know healing magic?!"
She shook her head, "No, I only know how to heal with water magic. I remembered something when I stared at the bowl of water and Gara told me earlier that my fascination with water could have been from my past so there's a missing piece that was solved." Elira was joyous at the fact that she had been able to discover a small piece of her mysterious life prior to washing up on a beach and that she now had something she could do to help. "I believe I found my place at Metallicana."
Geo couldn't help but smile in astonishment at Elira, "Yes I suppose you have. I will go and inform the king of this new development. It will be a great help with you around Elira." She only smiled at him as he left to inform the man's family and the king of his condition. Just as Geo closed the door behind him, the woman went to get up but there was a gentle hand on her arm. Crimson eyes stared into the brown ones of the villager, he was content.
"Thank you healer," he whispered.
Elira leaned over and replied quietly, "Get some rest and you can call me Elira. I do not deserve any special title, I'm glad that I could help you." The man nodded as he leaned back onto the pillow, Elira got up and pulled the sheet up to the man's chest before deciding to leave the chambers. She exited with a smile on her face before deciding to tell Yoko of her newfound gift. Ruby irises saw Gara staring at her with a quirked eyebrow, she padded up to him, and stated, "Hello Gara!"
"Hello missy. Why are you so happy?"
"I found something that can help the kingdom."
"Oh? What might the be?"
"I can heal illness using water."
Gara stared at her in shock but it soon passed, "So that's the energy that I felt a short while ago. It was strong too. So you can use water magic." She nodded and he grinned, "That's great! I've got a friend who's a master of ice magic. So much that he's known as the Ice Lord perhaps I'll introduce you two when he gets here."
"Why would you want to introduce us?"
"Well you use water magic and he uses ice magic. You two have something in common," he replied with a grin. At this she eyed him suspiciously, Elira had a hunch that Gara was up to something but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was at the moment.
"Are you trying to set he and I up on something?"
He grinned as he walked off, "I don't know. Maybe then again maybe not." He disappeared into the shadows leaving Elira more confused than ever about the Ninja Master.
"He's a strange one. I think I'll go ask Yoko about this," she said to herself. Elira took a general direction in which to travel but it didn't take her long to notice a dark skinned elf with raven hair and familiar crimson eyes. Elira waved to her until she got her attention, "Hello Arshes. How are you?"
"I'm fine," came the curt reply.
Elira nodded happily, "I can use water magic to heal illness."
The elf didn't seem surprised but she gave a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder, "I'm glad that you remembered something so wonderful." Arshes couldn't help but return the warm smile that Elira gave her in response to her compliment.
"I have a question for you." The Thunder Empress nodded, "Gara told me that he wants to introduce me to his friend that can use ice magic. When I asked him if he was setting us up for something, he gave me an ambiguous answer. Could you, perhaps, tell me?"
There was that secretive smile, "I'm sorry Elira but I cannot."
"Ah, it's alright then. I'm sure that you, Gara, and Dark Schneider have something that you're scheming. If I'm not mistaken, Yoko is probably part of it too right?" Arshes blinked in surprise at Elira which only caused the silvery haired woman to laugh. "I thought so. It's alright, I like surprises." With that they parted ways and Elira continued to meander through the castle so that she could memorize every nook and cranny of it for future use.
It didn't take long for the news of her healing abilities to spread through the castle, as she met other members of the castle, they greeted her warmly with the title of 'healer' and she could only sigh with a smile on her face. "They don't need to call me that," she said to herself. But as she began to wander around the castle, there was a commotion in the kitchen, and it was this commotion that caused Elira to happen upon the scene. A small child was laying on the floor, she was very pale, her lips blue, and her breathing very shallow. The mother of the girl was holding her in her arms and crying at her daughter's predicament. Elira squeezed her way in and knelt down, "Shush now, let me see what's wrong." As she put her ear against the chest, she could already tell that the girl had eaten a nightshade berry. "Did she eat any dark purple berries?"
The mother nodded, "Yes, she found them in the forest and ate them before I could stop her."
"I see. It was nightshade berries, they're very poisonous." Just as the mother was about to start another wailing fit, Elira put up her hand, "Get me the largest bowl of water you can along with an empty bowl please and hurry as quick as you can." She took the child from the mother's arms so that she could get the requested bowls. Her mind was already combing through the knowledge of water she had accessed from the prior villager. It seemed that she knew quite a bit of spells but she pushed her wandering thoughts aside so that she could locate the proper spell in which to rid the child of the poison. She placed one hand on the child's heart, the other hand was split between the bowl filled water and the empty one. Her voice was soft but clear to those around her, "Ab intus pueri huius in viscera cor, ante diebus ad eam, aufero veneno infra, repone cum aqua, conuenientem." Once more her hands glowed with a blue outline but this time there was a purple line of spheres that traveled from her hand on the child's heart. It wrapped around her arm, traveled around her neck, snaked down the opposite arm, and finally found its way into the empty bowl while the water traveled the same path in blue spheres towards the child's heart where they disappeared into her body.
It was an agonizing few minutes but once the trail of poison ended and the bowl was void of any water, Elira wiped the sweat from her brow with the hand that was not on the child. She picked her up, stood from her seated position on the floor, and handed the girl to her mother. There was a smile on her face, "She'll be fine with plenty of soup and bed rest. I removed the poison from her and replaced it with water so that she would not dehydrate from the process." The mother thanked her many times as did the others around her, she could only give them a sincere smile, "It was nothing. I'm glad that I could help." Elira took the bowl filled with the poison, she left the kitchen area, and headed out into the gardens. She looked around and placed her hand into the purple liquid, she didn't mutter any spells as the poison turned into a clear blue liquid. She had purified it and Elira proceeded to pour it into the rose bushes in the gardens. She returned the bowl to the kitchen staff before heading out of the castle to get some fresh air into her lungs but back tracked back into the gardens. The roses were in bloom, she lightly touched their velvety petals while traversing through the path that was carved out.
-::::::-
Her mind was busy with the spells that she seemed to know, it was infinite those spells, but some of them were dangerous. They were offensive spells and she could tell by their words that they were very destructive even if it was simply the element of water but she also had a hunch that she didn't need to use words in order to access those magical abilities. Ice was dangerous and she knew that water could be too as seen from floods and heavy rains, not to mention the angry seas. Elira touched the petals lightly, "I wonder if those spells will ever be used. I may remember them now but they seem to be quite dangerous if directed poorly and not only that but I don't believe that I need to use words. It's all so mystifying." Her voice was quiet as she spoke to the rose bushes but there was a small smile playing on her lips. "But there is some good. I have remembered something useful and now I can repay my debt for Metallicana's kindness to me." Once more she sighed but she knew that it was her place as a healer but those spells of destruction still did not sit well with her. And yet she knew that they had been used before, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to feel that she was far more different than she had originally thought.
"How different can I truly be?" she asked herself but the answer came in the form of a memory. It was a ship being tossed around on the angry seas, a mast falling, screams and shouts, and Elira held her hands over her ears as if to shut out the noise. Her mind filled with those horrible images as well as bubbles encircling her, the power of something around her legs pushing her through the water, and finally darkness. Elira had fainted from all the images, she fell onto her back, her hair splayed out behind her in gentle waves of silver aqua. Her brow was furrowed in concern as she lay there unconscious amidst the floral scent of roses.
There was a chill in the air as it caressed her skin, eyes fluttered open to reveal crimson irises, they stared up at the starry night, and she sat up. Her body ached from being in one position for too long, she stretched her sore muscles, and got to her feet. She was unsteady but managed and took a deep breath of the roses once more. Elira carefully took her steps towards the entrance of the gardens, it would be best for her to get some sleep now, and think about those images at a later date. A delicate hand rubbed the back of her neck as she entered the castle which seemed to be as chilly as the air outside. Elira finally made her way into her room, she closed the wooden door, darted for her bed, and slipped beneath the covers. She sighed as her head laid down against the soft pillow, wondering if she would ever figure out who she truly was but she mentally reprimanded herself. I am here because of Yoko and the kindness of Metallicana. I cannot ask for more than that right now. The time will come for me to know who I am but perhaps not yet. It may be too soon for my fragile mind. For now I am going to get some sleep.
-::::::-
Dawn had approached and with it the sound of blaring horns, red eyes snapped open at the harsh sound, she sat up, looked around for a moment, and decided that it was time to get ready. She changed out of her orange dress and into a lavender one. Her feet slipped into the shoes, which she was beginning to get used to, and headed outside to see what was going on. Her hair fell in waves to the middle of her back as she sauntered through the castle, following the sounds of commotion. It was then that she met up with a serving girl, she tapped her on the shoulder, and the girl turned around.
"Ah Healer! Good morn to you!"
She smiled, "Good morn to you too. What is all the noise?"
"Oh, you wouldn't know! Prince Lars has returned from negotiations with other kingdoms for treaties of peace and allies."
"I see." She watched as the male in question began to walk through the path that was made for him inside the castle. He was grinning and waving to his subjects. It was at this time that she decided to turn away, she had things to do in the Great Priest's chambers. The moment that her back had turned towards the procession, Lars' eyes caught her long silvery aqua hair disappearing down a corridor. Elira had reached Geo's quarters, she knocked once, and entered to see a few villagers sitting in a line. When they saw her, they were about to get up but she put a hand up to stop them, "Please rest. No need to treat me any different than yourselves." They were grateful to her as she only smiled and made her way into the next room.
Geo sat with an elderly woman, her breathing was shallow, and her skin pale. Elira approached her, took the other seat next to the bed, and looked at Geo. "There has been an outbreak of a strange disease. The lower villages are catching it. We're not sure what it is." Crimson eyes turned from the priest to the older woman, Elira place her hand over the woman's forehead, and began the healing process without any words. This event fascinated Geo, he watched as the woman sat up, seemingly completely cured of the disease, but Elira stated, "You may feel alright but please take it easy. I cannot heal what your body has endured during the sickness only the sickness itself. So be careful." The woman nodded and thanked her many times, "It was no trouble." There was a smile on her face as the woman was helped out of the room by her children, who also thanked Elira.
She gave an exasperated sigh as Geo asked, "Would you like some priestly robes? No incantations today?" At this she laughed heartily while he grinned, she explained to him that once she discovered the treasure trove of spells she knew, she did not need incantations said aloud, she only needed to recite them in her mind. The priest nodded and told the next person to come in. The man sat down, stated that he had fallen off his horse, and that his ankle was swollen. "Hmm, it seems you sprained it. We'll have to make a poultice for it." He looked at Elira with his dark eyes, "Unless you can think of something?"
At this she put a hand on her chin in thought, "Hmm..." It seemed that she was combing through her knowledge and an idea sprung to her mind. Immediately she got up and went to the table where Geo had all his herbs and equipment laid out. Crimson irises quickly scanned everything until she found what she was looking for, she placed a few grassy herbs into a small burlap sack, followed by some crushed herbs, and finally strands of seaweed. She folded the burlap sack in such a way that she could tie it onto the villager's ankle. The mysterious woman sat down, wrapped the poultice around his ankle, placed her palm over it, and it glowed blue. The villager sat amazed at her actions, as did Geo. "There. Just keep this on as much as possible but stay off your foot. Be sure to keep it a little moist as well but not too wet. In a week take it off and your ankle will be fine."
"Thank you so much Great Priest and Healer. Thank you, thank you!" He exited the room still thanking them while Geo looked over at her and smiled.
"What did you do?"
"I used some herbs found in the wild as well as those used to cure stomach troubles. But what will really help him is the seaweed I added. I've learned that my powers can be contained in anything found in the sea, so that spell will stay in the seaweed as long as he keeps it mildly damp. It will help heal his ankle," she explained.
Geo smiled, "I see. You are truly a special person to have graced Metallicana." At this she only smiled in return as the next villager entered to be helped or cured by the Great Priest or the Healer. Once the last villager was in the room, Geo heard a knock on his door, he excused himself, to answer it. When he opened the door, he came face to face with the prince of the kingdom. Geo bowed, "It's good to have you back young prince. What brings you here?"
The male stepped inside, his dark green eyes traveled to the open door for the treatment room, there his eyes laid upon the silvery haired woman that had caught his attention earlier. "Her." Geo nodded and allowed him to follow into the room. It was then that Elira had been gently prodding the teenager's wrist. Once she hit the affected area, the girl winced, and began to sniffle.
Elira patted her gently, "There, there. It's alright. I'll get this fixed up for you." She put her left hand on top of the wrist and the right below it. Her eyes became half-lidded as the blue glow encircled the girl's wrist as it emitted from her palms. It was fascinating to watch as the minute ancient symbols wove around in a diamond circle. Once it was completed the blue glow faded and Elira returned to normal. She lifted her crimson eyes to the teen and smiled while patting her wrist. "All better. But be gentle because it still needs to heal on its own, I only helped it along." The girl nodded, left her seat on the bed, and hugged Elira. The woman was stunned but quickly returned the warm embrace. "You're welcome honey."
The villager thanked them graciously before leaving, gave a quick curtsy to the prince, and left to tell others of the wonderful Healer. Elira knitted her brow together but it was clear she was happy with the outcome as their was a smile on her face. Geo grinned, "You're doing very well. I think you've paid us back for helping you."
She shook her head, "No. Until I can regain my memory, I will continue to help Metallicana. It's the least I can do. You and Yoko saved my life."
"Alright. I want you to meet someone." Her crimson eyes looked upon the man wearing the armor, her eyes traveled to the large sword that was strapped to his back, it was intriguing, and seemed to jostle her memory a little but otherwise the man was new to her. "This is Lars. He's Sheila's brother and the prince of Metallicana." It was a few moments but Elira rose from her seat, curtsied in her short dress to the prince. "Your highness this is Elira. She was found by Yoko and is now serving Metallicana."
Crimson eyes met his green ones as he replied, "It's a pleasure to meet someone so unique in the kingdom. Don't worry too much, someone as special as you doesn't need formalities with the others, me included. Just call me Lars."
The smile she gave the prince caused him to stare at those lips before traveling up to her crimson eyes, "I fear that I cannot do that your highness. For if you are the prince of this kingdom then I will treat you as such. Do forgive my forward manners but it is only proper as others would not have the luxury of calling you by your name. So I will not indulge in such actions."
"Alright then." He turned to Geo, "I have to go see my father but there is probably going to be a celebration tonight. You're both invited to come." The two nodded as he excused himself, Geo looked at Elira, who looked at him, and both looked at the door.
"I may not show up. All I have are short dresses and I'm not one for fancy parties," stated Elira. "I like to watch the waves crash against the shore line at night but I may take a walk." The Great Priest nodded as they both left the quarters of the priest. They went their separate ways but he noticed that she went towards her room, Geo paused a few minutes, and noticed that she reappeared wearing a long coat that was buttoned up. His brown eyes held a light in them as he watched her leave the castle, he knew that she was heading to the lower towns.
"Hmm...Kall-su is supposed to be arriving some time. Perhaps he'll also enter through the lower towns..." Geo turned around to return to his quarters wearing a grin on his face.