A/N: I have no idea what is the actual year of MapleStory since they never state officially. So I'm going with mine. Like X677 or something like that. X because it's a hassle to decide the first number. 2000 is out as there is a time machine (for quest) where you can travel to the specific era.
I know it is just a game, but I want people who doesn't play MapleStory to understand this story although I feel I just failed somewhere along the way. Also, I try to follow the actual game as much as possible – with a few changes of course.
If you see any mistakes, you can PM me or review the story. I am pretty sure there is a lot this round since there's lots of names.
Chapter cover: An Onyx dragon and its master flying in the skies overlooking Leafre. The Dragon Master was laughing to the winds.
...
Codename: Owl
True Name: Lea Stellar
Age: 14
Notable features: N/A
Occupation: Information Broker, Mercenary [Former]
Affiliated: Clan of Stars [Branch family], Silent Crusade [Possible]
Mana Quality (MQL): A+ ~
Mana Quantity (MQT): Unknown
Sightings:
First sighting – Edelstein [X640] (age: 10 ~11)
Second sighting – Rien [X642] (age: 12 ~ 13)
Locations: Victoria Island (Henesys) *
Abilities: -
Black Blood (dubbed by Gemiler) – first seen in X641 when trying to capture the target
(Note: When using the ability, the target became mentally unstable – right eye black sclera with golden irises; possible elements such as "Holy" and "Dark" involved)
Imaginary Elements – Suspected; need more information
All four main elements affinity (+ Holy and Dark element)
Special notes: -
No.1 in capturing list – for Gelimer's future experiments * [proceed with caution]
Possible relations with Heroes (a.k.a Aran, Luminous, Mercedes and Phantom) – breaking the ice seal casted from the Black Mage with almost no effort
NOTES:
~ [indication may be higher – or lower]
* [may change in future]
...
During one of Evan's breaks, Phantom read the so-called ranking report of the Black Wings before putting the report aside with a mixture of awe and interest on his face. It was a surprise to him for Lea didn't make a huge impression on him.
In fact, she gave out an impression she was a sheep – with her calm demeanor and dull, gray eyes.
Who would have thought she was a wolf in sheep's clothing?
"Mister?" Evan said, snapping Phantom back to reality. Phantom raised his eyebrows, questioningly. Evan was fidgeting with his sweaty shirt, and twiddling his thumbs together. He looked undecided and wanted to ask or say something, but he kept opening, then closed his mouth only to repeat the process.
Luckily, Phantom was a patient man – in fact, he learned; patience is one of the keys to turn the tides of battle; a tip he learned from Freud. Although – Phantom chuckled at the memory – Freud always won against him in chess, forcing Phantom to flip the chessboard in defeat. It was a childish action, but he never received the reaction he expected from Freud – much to his chagrin.
If he had a wish that could be granted; he would have wished to see his friends again – Freud and Aria. Half the time – Phantom often questioned himself; what did he do to receive their kindness?
Again, Evan opened his mouth with his eyes were downcast. Wisely, Phantom chose not to question Evan's actions.
Then, Evan unexpectedly dropped the bombshell by glancing at the report with round eyes.
It was recognition.
Phantom felt his curiosity piqued up. He leaned forward from his seat, his hands on his cane. He saw Evan reading the report by using the reflection of a mirror (conveniently placed slightly above Phantom's shoulder), tiptoeing.
Mir on the other hand, sensing its master's anxiety was also fidgeting and then snarled at Phantom – much to both the thief's and the Dragon Master's surprise. Mir's golden eyes were flared up along with the golden stripes on its body; and kept growling, showing its canines – a clear sign of hostility. But Phantom felt it wasn't directed towards him.
Evan had to calm Mir down by having a mental conversation. Mir shook its head at one point, pawing his claws at the ground. It was disturbed – but by who or what? And why?
Finally, Mir opened its mouth to speak, slamming its mighty tail on the training mat – shaking the entire ship, albeit temporary – to show its urgency. "There's a royal blood on board."
"WHAT?!" Evan exclaimed. His jaw dropped to the ground.
Phantom stood up, eying on Mir carefully. "How can you tell?"
Mir made an eye contact with him; confusion shown in its eyes. "A…a thought just came to me. I felt it calling – I have never felt this before. My blood boiled – my vision sometimes turned red and flashes of images came to my mind." It added in a low growl but, it was calmer. "They do not belong to me."
Phantom considered its words carefully. Well, Mir is one of the last royal bloods of Onyx Dragons – royals can sense another royalty – Freud's voice reminded Phantom. Wonderful.
Phantom let out a long sigh before stretching his back. "Evan – take a really, really long break. You can eat your lunch first-"
"No." Evan interjected in a flat tone. "I will see Lea. She's my friend."
Phantom locked eyes with the young child. There was no doubt in his eyes. And in fact, this is the first time Evan spoke so…demanding?
Without Phantom's knowledge, a grin wormed through his face. Evan was growing – maturing, learning new things, not just magic but also learn what is important. Phantom has watched Evan growth – from a young child, with almost zero confidence to adolescence, gaining new knowledge every day, although his mind is still childish, the innocence is still there and Phantom wanted Evan to treasure it.
Phantom did not want to see another child's dream and hopes shattered – like the girl Aran, whose past better left forgotten.
Like she wished for.
He remembered her grim face, and cold, silent eyes that spoke volumes about her emotions. She grew up in an unhealthy environment where the strong rule over the weak – except it was a thousand times worse than Ariant.
She was one of the Black Mage's commanders.
No, Phantom corrected himself. An apprentice of theirs.
His stomach churned at the uncomfortable thought.
To the point she phrased her bad experiences in a sentence with a humorless chuckle: 'My parents told me dreams can come true, but they forgot nightmares are dreams too.'
Even resting, she would close her eyes, and dreamed about her own world with a bitter smile on her face. That smile wasn't suitable for her – the Heroes agreed silently, so did her so-called twin.
A simple bad experience can wipe thousands of good memories.
Sadly, the world never leaves one white rose untainted.
Phantom knew one day, Evan would grow out of his childishness and looked at the grey world.
After a long silence, Phantom left the room without saying anything. He could hear Evan's footsteps, which was loud compared to the thief's silent grace. As he led Evan to Lea's room, he prayed silently in his heart, his eyes, half-lidded.
May the world Aria dreamed of come true.
…
…
Location: Unknown
Date: 6/9/ X643 [Two days before The Black Wings assault on Lea]
Somewhere in Ossyria, Elders from the main branch have gathered for a meeting. There were 9 Elders in the clan of stars; all of them hold equal power over the family. They dare not go west of Ossyria for a reason – multiple mirrors leading to another dimension have popped up like mushrooms after a rain. The cause was a commander of the Maple World's greatest enemy.
Away from prying eyes, they made their way to one of their hideouts – an underground bar, which was closed for that specific day.
In the underground bar, the head of the clan of stars walked with his walking cane. His boots were muddy from stepping on mud by accident; dirtying the wooden planks of the underground bar. He was old, but experienced and the Elders needed his presence to begin the meeting. The crinkles from the corner of his coffee brown eyes indicated he smiled a lot, but right now, he was not smiling.
He was almost bald, saved for a few strings of white hair on his back, combed back neatly. It did not make look him handsomer or uglier, but his head was held high; although he was hunchbacked.
The hanging bright lights, led him towards a door with the roman numerals XVIII hanging at the door. The owner who was standing beside the door indicated he was at the right place. The old man flashed the owner a smile, muttering thanks as the owner pulled the medieval door opened; its hinges creaked in protest.
As the old man expected, 5 out of 9 Elders have arrived. The other 4 Elders have not arrived.
He lobbed inside, and took a good look at the room. He did not notice the owner of the bar had bowed to him before closing the door. The five Elders stood behind their seats; their right hands on their chest as a sign of respect.
To describe the Elders' clothes in one word was: Contradiction. Their clothes were white – like the blinding light. The only thing that ruined the image was a black cloth, draped over their shoulder; bearing the stigma of the clan of stars. Some wore gloves, others barehanded.
The walls in room XVIII were plain - only a few posters decorating it. There was no clock to tell him the time, except for the melting candle at the corner of the room.
"Shall we wait for others?" One of the Elders asked politely. The head of the clan looked at the speaker.
It was the third Elder. The third Elder was still young – only in her 30's and one of his granddaughters – the brightest among them. She inherited dirty blonde hair from her mother and cocoa brown eyes from her father, among the Elders present; she has the palest skin among them; as if she had never gone under the sun before.
"Darling Ceily, as long as a majority of the Elders are present, along with the head – the meeting will begin now." The old man answered slowly, but his voice has a commanding tone.
"We understand." The Elders said before taking their seats. The head of the clan of stars, however, remained standing.
With a nod from the old man, the meeting started.
XXX
Like every other meeting, it began with reports and later discussing about pressing matters such as low on supplies – especially materials for pretty much everything. Halfway during the meeting, the remaining Elders arrived and were greeted with warm hugs from the head of the clan and disdained looks from others.
Some began to lecture them about timing and it would have escalated into an all out brawl if it weren't for the head's intimidating aura and the fact that the head alone was stronger than all of them combined despite being old.
"Desmond, Evelyn and Hiven, sit." The way the head phrased his command earned snickers from the Elders at the table for the later ones were treated like they were still children. It wasn't far from the truth as they were still young at heart.
The late Elders gulped down their fear towards him and did what they were told, and removed their plain travelling cloak and hung it on their chairs.
The old man waved his left hand to continue. Most of the Elders have mentally prepared themselves for what could be the worst problem...in their family – the head noticed from his observation.
"There is a high possibility Lea Stellar has made contact with the Heroes in the past." Ceily said, pushing up her glasses. There were some who shouted in outrage as their response – only to earned Ceily's cold glare.
Hiven with his hazel eyes close; slammed his bandaged hand onto the round table. "That bitch. She is nothing but trouble." His shoulder-length hairstyle swayed as he made the aggressive move.
"Trouble indeed – I prefer if we dispose her." Elder Evelyn's tone told the head of the clan a different message. Elder's Evelyn's expression darkened – scaring Elder Hiven out of his wits.
Keep her safe.
"She is still useful to us." All eyes went to Elder Jaune. On his head, there was a beginning of a balding patch – from stress – the head mused.
"Agree?" said Elder Jaune. It sounded like a question, but it was more of a challenge. Nobody said anything.
"I said; DO WE AGREE?" Elder Jaune spoke louder. There were reluctant 'ayes' among the Elders. Hiven's the smallest among the 'ayes'.
The head couldn't blame them. Elder Jaune is a friendly person outside the meeting, but when it comes to his duties – he takes both logic and emotions when making decisions.
It was one of the reasons why Jaune became the 'Elder'.
The fifty-two year old Elder leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Oi Hermit. Can you keep post anyone to keep an eye on our fox?" Elder Jaune addressed the head rather rudely but his smile was playful. "It would be nice if you actually sit." He added as an afterthought.
The old man took Elder Jaune's suggestion; his legs were aching from standing for more than an hour. "Of all the nicknames, why Hermit?"
Elder Jaune snorted and rolled his eyes to the heavens. "109th Head of Stellar family, Giles-"
"I understand." Head Giles cut off before they went off track. "You among all people should know I hate going through honorifics." He curled his lips in distaste.
"You ask for it." Elder Jaune replied innocently. Head Giles shook his head in dismay.
"As for Lea…" Head Giles look at the each Elder in the eye evenly only pausing at Hiven's to tut. "The young lady prefers to be alone. Assigning anyone with her is useless."
Elder Jaune scratched head while Elder Ceily nodded in agreement.
"How about Jake?" Elder Evelyn suggested, twisting a loose lock of purple hair with her fingers. "He's her older brother, isn't he?"
Head Giles considered her suggestion, but then, Elder Jaune let out a long groan which was improper for his age.
"Their mindsets are completely different." Elder Jaune explained, his arms tucked by his side. He paused for a moment; his silver eyes looked a bit distant.
"Jake sees the bright world and knows nothing about the darkness – Lea sees the grey world and loves it at the same time, hates it – the youngest, he knows nothing about the beauty of the world and yet, looks at it with a calm mind. They respect each other and work together pretty well," He shrugged nonchalantly. "Even so, they are entitled to make their own decisions."
That's a bizarre combination. Head Giles thought.
"Even Crow?!" Elder Ceily exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "This is ridiculous. You have spoiled them too much."
"Spoiled them?" Elder Jaune asked in his soft, but dangerous tone. His half-lidded eyes gave him a wicked look. "Jake is 17, Lea is almost 16 in two years time and Crow will be 13 in three months.
"Lea is unstable – you know that." Elder Ceily snapped back.
Both Head Giles and the interested Elders darted their eyes back and forth between young Elder Ceily and old uncle Elder Jaune.
"I can't deny that." Elder Jaune said in defeat. Elder Ceily smiled at her victory, but it was too soon.
Elder Jaune continued with a twinkle in his eye, cracking his little finger on the table. "Lea Stellar is a growing teenager after all. Besides, she grew up in a world where madness resides. She accepted it very easily. Heck, she even accepted the fact the world is not filled with sunshine and rainbows at a young age."
He clenched his fist. "It's partly my negligence that she was captured and…" He trailed off, looking down at the table.
The room's atmosphere became gloomy – Giles had forgotten his old friend is the one who kept his spirits up during the bad times. Even now, Jaune has an impact on the Stellar family with his cheeriness.
"It's not your fault." Elder Ceily consoled.
"That's a lousy excuse – we all know that!" He snapped back. "She could have a happy childhood! I know I can't change what happened in the past, I can only atone for my sins by giving her all my support."
"That cross you are carrying is just your imagination." Elder Ceily replied rather gently – as if Jaune was a small child. Jaune looked incredulous.
He suddenly stood up, and slammed a fist on the table. The impact was clear as there were cracks on the wooden table where he had hit. Elder Ceily leaned back in her seat calmly, but her biting lips betrayed her composure.
"Is it her imagination her biological parents left her brothers and her alone? Is it her imagination she was tortured? Is it her imagination – to that she was targeted by the Black Wings?" His voice was rising to a scream with each word. "MY BROTHER AND HIS WIFE DIED BECAUSE OF THE UPRISING! THEY FOUGHT FOR OUR SAKES – THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR FUTURES, AND WHAT DID WE DO TO SUPPORT THEM? WE DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO HELP – DAMN IT. GOD DAMNIT."
Head Giles sighed unhappily at Elder Jaune's outrage. "Jaune, if you want to blame, blame on me, the accursed eldest son of the previous head."
The whole room was holding its breath. They watched silently at Jaune, some with pity, some with fear, and others with both. After a long minute, Jaune smiled melancholically, tears trickle down his cheeks.
"I cannot." Jaune said sadly as he slumped back to his seat, covering his eyes with his hand. "Your father was right about one thing about their mission. It was suicidal. They were marching towards their death. The shrine maidens weren't happy out Luna's death." He added as an afterthought.
Head Giles massaged his head. "At least now, the demons and part demon are fine with us…and we don't exterminate them except for the rogues. We are lucky the war is not well-known on the surface."
"Ho, but Signer managed to undo the Black Mage's seal, didn't he?" Elder Ceily muttered once she felt it was safe to speak.
"Even if the flame is gone, the smoke will linger, huh?" Giles muttered to himself darkly.
"We still haven't discussed about Lea's pernicious situation." Hiven growled. Giles glared at him.
"Shut up, Blondy." Jaune snarled. Hiven glared at the elder man in return.
"She's doesn't have a leash to limit her movements. That and she can be very unpredictable at times." The thirty-two year old Elder continued. "The way I see it, we must control her."
"If you were a sailor, can you control the wind?" Giles asked. Hiven was taken aback. Giles grinned, showing his pointed canines. Hiven looked uncomfortable with the question as he began to perspire which was a feat as the room was cool with the cold air.
"The wind does not obey you. You can only use your sail to go – and that depends on the wind's mood." Giles continued. "It may go against you – and it may aid you. You would make a great sailor if you even bother to use your head." He said in a tone of finality.
Hiven is still young and arrogant. That will be his downfall if he can't mature – fast. Head Giles thought with a frown on his face.
"Of course, if you ever try to limit the trio's movements…" Head Giles did gesture with his index finger to his throat. "Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Hiven physically shrank in his seat during his lecture and went quiet for the whole meeting after that.
…
…
On the same day as the Elders' meeting, bathed under the moonlight, a mercenary looked over the town of Henesys with his azure eyes, tossing the stone in the air with his free hand. He pulled the travelling cloak closer to himself as the bitter wind came.
The information broker…must be somewhere in this town…
Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler.
~Friedrich Nietzche