Cross Chapter XVIII: Priorities
Hikari the family dog had quieted down considerably. He sat at the doorway leading inside the Shidou household but did not venture forward. He was well trained and knew his place to be outside. Still the creature watched the people in the room as if guarding them.
The Shidou brothers and Lantis stood numbly in the living room.
Quietly Satoru spoke, "Masaru make some tea." His younger brother moved almost mechanically. "Kakeru, help him." the youngest brother followed in a similar fashion. That left him and Lantis. Lantis the apparently magic using swordsman.
Lantis on his part looked lost. He still wore dark armor clutching the sword hilt. He was facing the direction where Hikaru and her friends had disappeared to.
"Lantis," violet eyes drifted over to Satoru. "What was all that?"
It took him a moment to respond. "I am still figuring that out myself..." He closed his eyes and held his hand out. There was a spark between Lantis' fingers and the pressure in the room intensified somewhat. Opening his eyes again, his armor flashed into a purplish light and went into the gem of his sword. He then swept the hilt behind him and clipped it to his belt.
Amazed at such strangeness Satoru asked, "What did you do?"
"I have placed a barrier around your home." His eyebrows narrowed. "Forgive the thickness in the air. It seems your world does not process sorcery quite the same as it does in mine."
Masaru and Kakeru came back with tea and cups. They pulled out the short table and the mats for sitting around it.
"So..." Kakeru cut in. "Who is this Gatzoku guy that Hikaru keeps talking about?"
"And why is his son after our sister?" Masaru added.
Lantis sighed, "Zagato is- was my elder brother." They all looked wide eyed at this "and I am sad to say that he was the cause of much suffering in Cephiro... and for those girls as well..." He went on to tell the story of the Magic Knights summoned to his world to save Cephiro to the best of his ability. He only had the vaguest idea of what had gone on as he had not been present during the war. He didn't need to know the details and Hikaru had not been forthcoming with her experiences during that time. Even as close as they were, as much as they had shared memories during their telepathy sessions neither had delved into that part of their past. They were too painful for them both.
"So what? This Sakuya wants revenge on Hikaru?" Kakeru exclaimed. "Your nephew?!"
Lantis shook his head looking very pained, "Impossible. It cannot be my brother's child. That boy died upon being born." He bowed his head and pinched the ridge of his nose. "I buried the remains myself."
A tear slid down Hikaru's cheek.
"Hikaru?" Umi asked. She was helping to clean the Fire Knight's wounds while Fuu attempted yet again to cast her healing magic.
Hikaru in turn bowed her head wiping her cheek and the rest of the tears that brimmed at her eyes. She relayed to them what Lantis and her brothers were discussing. With their magic fully awakened it seemed that she could communicate with Lantis as she had before she left Cephiro. In fact their link seemed stronger, without trying she felt his mind. They didn't need to be in physical contact with each other anymore for the telepathic link.
Fuu and Umi bowed their heads too, this was very sensitive and painful information for all of them. "So..." Fuu began "Princess Emeraude was... I mean her and Zagato were..."
Hikaru looked up at the ceiling, "from what I'm getting from Lantis.. The child was kept secret from everyone. But when Princess Emeraude lost the baby, that's when Zagato went out of control. He... He blamed the Pillar System for the loss. It was the catalyst for his war. Lantis wanted no part of it, so Zagato sent him away to give the baby a proper burial. He couldn't bare the thought of his child's resting place being disturbed by the crumbling of Cephiro..."
"But..." Umi pipped in, "if that's how it happened, how is it that Sakuya is alive and here now? I mean if he was that child..."
"I don't know." Hikaru snapped. Only to cringe and apologize for her outburst. "but he wants revenge for what happened to his parents..." She thought back to Lantis when he had so easily forgiven her. "I can't fault him for that. Cephiro let me off too easily before."
"Hey!" Umi said grasping her shoulders. "You better not be thinking of serving yourself up to this guy out of some noble sense of justice or something."
Vibrant blue eyes met ruby red before Hikaru looked away. Umi grit her teeth, clenching Hikaru's shoulders just a bit tighter. "All three of us are responsible for what happened then. But that doesn't mean our lives are free for him to take!"
Fuu having long since stopped her healing spell, put her hands on her knees leaning forward. The locks of her hair hid her face well from the others. She couldn't help thinking of Ferio. Here he had a nephew he'd never known and they might have to take yet another family member away from him. As much as she loved him, she knew she would not let anyone kill her fellow Magic Knight. Hikaru who had been like a sister to her from the start.
Hikaru smirked albeit grimly, "Lantis is telling me the same thing."
Eagle's spirit beast returned to him with a cry. The creature flew to his shoulder and nipped at his ear.
"Lantis..." With a wave of his hand the image of the other Tokyo disappeared from the water before him. A chilling smile formed and his eyes danced with delight. Finally, he'd found one of them still alive. In all the worlds he had traveled few times was there a Cephiro to companion an Earth. Fewer still was there a Lantis that still existed and so far he hadn't got a hold of one that didn't turn around and sacrifice himself. Martyrdom was something that seemed to be a character trait of all of them.
In his home world for example, when Eagle had first set on the path to destroying Earth for his Cephiro it was Lantis and the Priest Clef whom had apposed him. Clef had immediately sought the Earth's Chosen while Lantis continued to whisper words of caution in his ear. That man had numerous opportunities to take his life and stop the madness but he had refused and then he'd gone and sacrificed his life for Earth to give Earth's Chosen a chance. If only he knew then what he knew now. He would never have let his Lantis go so astray.
But here, now in this other Tokyo he found Lantis; strong and proud as he'd ever known. Hiding under her protection no less. Of course it was her, the Fire Witch. It was always her. In every world, every time she claimed him for her own and it sickened him. Lantis was to be his other. His complement, and the path to his destiny.
Sakuya alone wouldn't be enough to take on the Would-Be-Pillar. Not with Lantis at her side and the two other Chosen, or Magic Knights as they called them at her other side. It was time to get tricky.
With a wave of his hands yet another world appeared in the water. A world that had already fallen in on itself where Autozam, Fahren, Chizeta and Cephiro had consumed that Earth and become one. The one where his Water Witch resided.
He knelt and leaned over in concentration until the water revealed her room, "Umi." He leaned further still until he completely fell forward passing through to the other side. Landing gracefully in her room.
She was up and getting out of bed the moment he called. "Eagle."
Standing at his full height he beckoned her. "You're coming back with me."
Slipping out of her night apparel she quickly changed into her combat garb. "What about my orders? What about the General?"
"Hn." The glee never left his face. "I'll get him sorted out. We'll all be redoubling our efforts on the new Earth."
Umi looked up at that. "Sakuya's Earth?"
He took to leaning against her dresser while he waited for her to finish packing. "The very one. It's priority now. It will be Drako's priority now too. My wish shall make it so. There's enough damage to that world to establish a small Road." He offered, answering her unspoken question as to how they could get troops active in that world. He slumped his shoulders then, "I thought you'd jump at the chance to see your little pet again. He's having a much more difficult time than anticipated."
The Water Witch nodded setting her jaw. "Understood."
TBC