Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, elements, or borrowed plot ideas from any source I acquire them from, specifically KingsIsle. I merely own any original characters I create.
"Blah" = talking
"Blah" = thoughts, writing, sound effects, or flashbacks
"BLAH"= Yelling
"You're late, Sasha."
The hooded figure stopped dead in her tracks, angling her head to the left where she'd believed the voice had originated from.
The crescent moon shining down through clouds did little to illuminate the murky alleyway the duo stood in, but it was enough for them to at least recognize each other. A man with a hood of his own leaned his back against a brick wall, hands nestled comfortably in the pockets of his solid black coat. Beside him, an animated skeletal soldier stood erect, its dangling scimitar reflecting moonlight with each pass through the light's path.
"I didn't have time to search for your minion." She seemed somewhat defensive at the man's questioning words, proving more evident as she lowered the hood shrouding her face. The dark skin of her face framed green eyes, above which sat a shock of shoulder length black hair. "There wasn't much I could do against Oriel."
"Understandable." He conceded. "So did it work?"
"Yes." She stated after a lengthy pause, almost unwilling to give him an answer. "The witches have acknowledged your gift and wish to speak with you."
She could almost feel his dark smirk underneath his hood. Then, he turned away from her and began to walk down the alleyway's other end. "Very well. I trust you'll come find me when the time comes."
His skeletal soldier ambled after him, muttering some incoherent jargon, as if complaining under its breath. Sasha remained there for some time, watching his retreating form, not quite sure what to make of him.
EXSEED
Seventh Pip: Synthesis
Warm sunlight cascaded down through the upper windows of the General Studies Gymnasium, casting its glow off the beige walls and the rubber padded, reddish-brown floor. A myriad of supplies lay stacked on shelves and in canisters on various points of the walls, from weighted staves for dexterity practice to aerobic exercise staples like jump ropes and kettle bells.
More numerous than these, however, were the echoing grunts and pants of the people occupying the building, all swathed in exercise outfits consisting of a dark red stained shorts and a simple white cotton shirt with the Ravenwood school emblem just above the right pectoral. One of note, Victoria Flaresong, would give intermittent glances around the gym after every two to three crunches she performed.
At the middle stood the majestic form of their current instructor, a bipedal horse whose fine black hairs contrasted against the solid white of his mane and tail. A faded red dueling jacket held together at the bottom by a wide belt overlay his broad shoulders, sleeves running down into padded gloves. From the belt protruded a hilt, its gold no doubt tarnished from years of use, before ending in the thin pointed tip customary for rapiers.
Ravenwood Head Duel Instructor: "Duelmaster" Diego Santiago Quariquez
Sporadic snorts and neighs escaped his maw between barking out orders at the various groups the class had been divided into. Off on the far side, Victoria could see Fate, Tala, and a few of the other boys muster up whatever energy they had to continue their laps. The girls had taken the inner portion of the floor, performing jumping jacks, pushups, and other stationary exercises.
She was particularly thankful that news of the happening over at the Hedge Maze had been effectively silenced and covered up. Not that she had any definite proof, but the fact that gossip hadn't been swarming around the school like a plague by now was enough to evidence that no one had gotten wind of it. A sad truth, she noted, but a truth in and of itself.
There was one, however, who had been unceremoniously introduced into their secret circle of mysteries, though more by necessity than willingness from either party.
Victoria, Ty, Tala, and Fate all stuck close behind Lady Oriel as they navigated the towering hedges of the maze's interior, the latter who had long since withdrawn her snow white angelic wings in favor of walking alongside the group. Fairies of all sizes and hues gathered around their matriarch as she walked. Some weeped for the losses of kin and friends while others demanded some sort of retaliation, but all together created a beautiful swathe of color around the ivory-draped Seraphim which caught the attention of the four adolescents. The angel herself did her best to console the miniature beings while keeping on course for her current task.
Ty and Tala took the very front of their disorderly line, behind only their golden blonde escort, keeping an eye out for any surprises the assailants may have left lying around. At the rear, Victoria and Fate moved side by side in complete silence, other than their footsteps against the grass. She would glance at the dark haired boy every now and then, but his attention seemed to be fixed on the ground beneath and a solemn expression capturing his features. She wasn't quite sure what had caused his sudden change in behavior, but whatever it was, it had been quite effective in trouncing his spirits.
Their route continued on for another fifteen minutes, haste not required at the moment but the children's patience wearing thin nevertheless. It soon vanished, however, as they came upon the very center of the maze, its emerald light filling the hedge-borne corridors even before they even laid eyes on it.
A wide moat surrounded the perimeter of the towering structure, its awe-inspiring form more akin to a bee hive than anything else, the ceiling having to arch upwards just to accommodate its impressive height. Brown wooden plates like scales formed a shell around it, various holes littered throughout to provide passage within and a warm green glow filtering out through every open point. A critical mass of fairies moved about the space like worker bees, stopping at the flowering trees and shrubbery which encompassed the moat or just playing a rousing game of chase through the surrounding air.
"The birthplace of all fairies in Wizard City. The Hive." Lady Oriel stated serenely, momentarily abandoning her previous gloom and having led them to a seating area comprised of a six tree stumps just before the moat. "Magnificent, isn't it?" As they marveled, she motioned for them to take their seats.
Tala was the last to sit, but the first to speak. "Is this what they were after?"
"Most likely." She nodded, a blue sprite lowering itself to sit on her shoulder. "Other than my children, it is the only thing of any real value in our sanctuary."
"What would they want with all those fairies though?"
The Seraph could only reply with a disconcerting look and a shrug of her shoulders, Tala now regretting prodding too far too soon on the subject. An awkward, yet thankfully momentary silence followed, ending as Ty stood to his feet to hand deliver the letter to the golden haired woman.
She nodded while thanking him as her porcelain hands gripped the envelope, fingers going to work on the seal as the boy returned to his seat. The four teens watched her face, as well as the faces of those fairies gathered around, gradually morph from their impassive tone. Oriel's remained more subdued, calmly analyzing the contents. The fairies, however, could not help but contain their excitement and quickly rushed over to Fate, catching the boy off guard with their prodding and awestruck expressions. Victoria couldn't help but giggle to herself, the tiny beings antics having, even if just for the moment, alleviated the pained expression of her charge.
Eventually, Oriel finished her task, head coming up from the text with a reserved smile, perhaps exuberant for her standards. Even in unbridled joy, Seraphs never seemed to let up their composed front.
"It is an honor to be in your presence, Exseed." She stood to her feet, bowing her head in Fate's direction. "Forgive me for any previous indiscretion. I had not presumed your arrival so early."
Fate wanted to question what she had meant by that, indicative by his curt raised eyebrow, but he discarded the notion in favor of returning her gesture. "Likewise, Lady Oriel."
After recognizing him, her eyes returned to the letter, but she projected her voice to the four. "As for the Headmaster's request…this kind of procedure requires an astounding amount of magical control and supply. There was one being among us who held both these qualities at one point, but she is no longer among the living, and unfortunately my current form can provide neither of these."
"What!" Victoria queried, face stricken with disbelief. "But we-"
"Patience, my child. Allow me to finish." A small smirk came to her face. "The ritual itself would be impossible to complete in full, but there may still be something we can do."
"Alright, that's enough of a warm up. Gather around, children."
Diego's commanding voice effectively broke Victoria from her recollection, her body unconsciously snapping up like being awoken from a dream. Glancing around, she noticed that the other girls around her had rose to their feet and were beginning the trek towards the instructor, a task she joined them on momentarily. She easily wormed her way through the assembled pack to find Fate and Tala. A fine sheen of sweat layering both boys' skin, but their breathing had since calmed down to normal silent levels.
The muscular stallion surveyed the mass, verbally ushering them to form at least some sort of organized group before going on to instruct, pacing back and forth like a drill sergeant. "Now that all of you have finished conditioning for the day, it's time we begin. I being the head duel instructor am not much of the…intellectual type. I prefer a hands-on approach, and in following that today's lesson will be all practical application."
He paused for dramatic effect, something the students had already become desensitized to with him. However, their attention was soon wrenched back in full as a near miniscule amount of concentration on his part brought to life a single glowing orb of energy. All eyes studied the ball of light with wonderment.
Diego eyed the creation himself, continuing on. "As you may know from your lectures, our magical energy is supplied by the Grandfather Tree himself, permeating every last nook and cranny of the spiral. However, that energy is too loose and free for us to harness effectively." He raised one of his fingers up, and the beginnings of a second pip began to gather on the tip of his index. "By focusing the mana within, you can 'collect' the stagnant energy hanging in the air into a more compact form. This form, my dear pupils, is a pip, and today you will be creating your own."
On further directions the students put space between them, making sure others were at least a good five feet away if not more. Improperly contained pips, Diego warned, could become volatile at a moment's notice. The mare's promise to contain any mishaps, though, did little to dissuade Fate's increasing apprehension.
Not quite sure where to start even after the instructor's quick review of the steps, Fate's eyes roamed around the room, looking for anything or anyone to garner help from. His pupils stopped first on the blue-haired Anna Flamewright, face scrunched and eyebrows furrowed in some play at concentration. Her feet spread apart, what looked to be the initial stage of a pip began twisting inward a few inches above her palm, but attempt after attempt would doom it to dissipation within seconds.
Realizing he'd have no luck from her, his gaze soon fell upon Victoria at the same time as she returned the favor. Both students locked eyes for one another, their orbs displaying some less than subtle message of confusion, causing both to smile awkwardly before turning away.
As the two did so, Diego's ecstatic voice ran out over the gymnasium. "Oh ho. It seems like we have two naturals among us."
Heads turned to find the familiar forms of Tala Mythhammer and the brown-haired Sabrina Greenstar, the former glancing off to the distance as the shining orb formed at his side and the latter nearly juggling her perfectly formed one with a playful smile. It was only after a few long moments that the two successes noticed their garnered attention, returning with innocent confused looks of their own.
"Tala how did you do that already?" Susie Gryphonbane asked in an exasperated whisper, speaking on everyone's behalf. The boy pondered for a moment, then simply shrugged.
"I just watched Diego, then did what he did."
"…He's only done it once."
"I don't see where you're going with this."
Quiet, one or two sighs, then the entirety of their attention moved to Sabrina, everyone silently agreeing that he was going to be no help at all. "What about you?"
"Oh, little old me? Well I just imagined a sparklin' pearl like that one I saw at Gustav Jewelers the other day. Then I looked down and this here pip was right there in my hand."
"…That's it?"
"Well, no. I thought up some fairies too. Mighty generous folk, they are. And I was riding one of them unicorns."
More silence, then an increased amount of sulking. The ditz would be of no help either. Admittedly some of the girl's began to cycle through different images of unicorns, fairies, and pearls in hopes of sparking something, but to no avail.
"Miss Sabrina may have a…unique way of going about this, but she's onto something." Diego's head turned to the girl while he spoke, then he chuckled under his breath. "It's been said by many a teacher and advanced student that visualization is a key component in any magic. Try seeing what works for you."
The students dispersed once more, each spreading into his or her own preferred stance while Diego gathered the two successful students for further instruction. The minutes passed slowly but surely, and one after another a student would finally be able to contain a single pip and join the crowd over by the instructor.
Victoria, however, began to inwardly panic as those around her achieved a breakthrough. She wiped the sweat from her brow, settled back down into her preferred stance, closed her eyes, and began to let her mind wander once more.
In truth, she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be thinking of, even as the time drew on past her recollection. Something she enjoyed? Something she would like to have? Diego's visualization explanation was too vague for her tastes. She glanced back over at the success group, noticing how large it had gotten over the past twenty minutes, before setting sights on Sabrina again. Victoria admittedly didn't know her too well; they'd only had passing conversations at best. What she did know was her fascination with princesses and their ilk. Perhaps all she had to do was think on things she enjoyed.
A minute of pondering passed, and nothing concrete came to her mind, causing her to rub her temples in beginning frustration while passing through every possible thing she could think of. Was there really nothing that grabbed her enough to—
Her hand shot back, on instinct more than anything else, just as the exploding force of an unstable pip sent her careening backwards onto her backside, its booming pop resounding through the area. She was still shaking seconds after the event as Diego and a few curious others closed in.
"Are you okay, child?" She nodded at his question, finally regaining her bearings. "What happened?"
"I was just thinking of something to help me visualize. Next thing I know my pip explodes and—"
"I know, I know. Calm yourself, my dear." His voice was low and compassionate, before morphing into a gentle chide. "At this early a stage, though, you must keep constant focus. Even a little wandering of the mind can prove disastrous."
She nodded in understanding. Tala and Fate each grabbed an arm and helped her to her feet, more courtesy than necessity. The small crowd soon dispersed into their prior groups, most following Diego back to the center of the gym while others found spacious spots and continued practicing. Tala and Fate remained with Victoria though and decided to find their own spot in the most secluded reaches of the gym, surprisingly only a stone's throw away from the main entrance.
"Don't worry. Fate couldn't manage one either." Tala stated, any notion of superiority absent in his voice. "I'll help you two out as best I can."
"Wait. Fate couldn't do it?"
"Is that strange?" The boy himself couldn't help adopt a mildly defensive tone.
"Well…sort of. Maybe. I don't know. I just assumed that since you're…" She forcibly quieted her voice to limit earshot before picking back up. "Since you're the Exseed and all, I figured it wouldn't be hard."
He blinked a few times at that, his mouth opening as if to speak before retreating back to a closed position. Now that he had time to think about it himself, he supposed it did seem rather odd. He hadn't actually had to use pips in his duel with Nolan the other day. The wand had done all the technical work, even if he hadn't managed to get a single spell off.
Before he had time to study the anomaly any longer, Tala's head swiftly perked up, and his eyes seemed to widen in horror. "Wait…Exseed! Wasn't there something important today!"
Victoria and Fate blinked. Realization hit simultaneously, like something akin to a Cyclops' hammer.
—o—o—o—o—
"Well, someone's late." A sarcasm-laced, male voice stated bemusedly Victoria, Tala, and Ty eased the rough wooden door open and stepped into the warm environment of Headmaster Ambrose's high-ceilinged room.
The origin of the voice proved to be the memorable form of Ty Stormwhisper, the unruly mop of brown hair atop his head framing the deep purple hue of his mirth-filled eyes. A second familiar form stood beside him, still fresh on their minds from their encounters over the weekend. Aria leaned casually against the wall, serenely plucking the strings on her sitar as if nothing else in the room mattered, or was even there for that matter.
"Yeah, yeah, don't remind us." Victoria muttered, causing the boy to snigger under his breath.
As the group filed into the room, they gained a more accurate picture of the space, the first visit for all three freshmen. Bookcases, climbing to base of the arching ceiling above and filled to the brim with reading materials and small props, dominated both the left and right walls. The divided panes of the large show window comprised most of the remaining far wall's surface area. Below, polished wood floors shone as if they had just been installed, positioned below faded expertly woven floor rugs. Four padded armchairs stood facing the main desk; a hand carved oaken wonder easily the length and width of a queen-sized bed.
Behind it, a withered jolly old man sat, deep purple robes flowing down past the desk's allowed line of sight. A number of documents and papers moved about of their own accord, three quill pens working in tandem to keep up with their makeshift assembly line. He glanced at Ty before leveling a grin at the trio. "Absence is far worse than tardiness, young Diviner. I trust you all ready?"
All heads nodded except for Aria, who simply assumed the question wasn't directed at her. Ambrose proceeded with a nod of his own, then stood from his desk. His robes billowed behind him as he made his way towards the center of the room to meet them. Then he inclined both his head and gaze towards Aria, who hesitantly but inevitably obeyed the following 'come' gesture.
As she walked, she voiced her pent up thoughts and concerns. "Headmaster you still haven't told me what is going on or why I'm here."
Instead of answering, the aged wizard turned to Fate, and they both locked eyes. The boy quickly understood that it was his turn to speak, and he forced a clearing cough before looking her in the eyes.
"Aria, I have something to explain to you." He paused, fidgeting slightly while gathering his courage. Finally, he breathed again, the continued. "I'm sure you know the legends of the Exseed." She nodded. "I…I am that Exseed."
At first, she said nothing. Her face was completely placid and without change for over ten seconds. Then a small giggle, the first she'd expelled in front of them, escaped her mouth and she did her best to cover it. While she contained herself, Fate glanced around to see awkward fidgeting from his friends behind him. They were clearly as uncomfortable as he was. She settled down soon enough, then studied the sound coming from him for a moment before her own eyes widened.
"Wait. You were serious?"
"Yes." He unconsciously scratched the back of his head, looking away. "I am."
"Oh, I'm sorry Fate." She consoled, embarrassed at her uncouth reaction. "I really thought you were joking. I mean the legends say the Exseed is supposed to be an adult after all." No one noticed Ambrose's eyes avert, and Tala, Ty, and Victoria shifted ever so subtly. She shook her head, rubbing her temples for a moment before returning her gaze and attention to the conversation. "Alright, so what does that have to do with me?"
At this point, Ambrose cleared his throat and interjected on the boy's behalf. "You hold the ability to see the sound in all things, correct?" She nodded, albeit slowly. The purple robed man trotted to the back of his desk, tugged on a drawer handle, and retrieved a cloudy, beige crystal about the size of his withered palm. As he returned, Victoria noticed it didn't look all unlike the crystal Fate had emerged from. "What do you make of this jewel? What do you hear?"
Her fingers found a way to her chin, and her eyes narrowed into studious slits. Then, out of nowhere they popped back open, and she spun around to look at Fate. "It sounds… just like Fate."
"Indeed." He placed the shard in her hand. "This piece is a fraction of the seed Fate emerged from, and a portion of Fate himself. I sent these four to speak with Oriel, hoping her extensive knowledge of Life Magic would know the way to recombine the jewel and his body. The answer I received was you, Aria Nightingale."
It was at that point that the girl finally noticed everyone's attention converging on her position, sending an unnerving feeling up her spine. She glanced around at the faces, most hopeful that she held the answer they sought and a few apologetic for thrusting so much pressure upon her in so little a span of time and explanation. She was thankful for the latter. Releasing a sigh, she spoke, closing her eyes.
"The shard. Both it and Fate share the same sound, so I should be able to fuse them together. The jewel is…dormant though, from what I can hear. I can't promise anything will change." Ambrose nodded, accepting her prognosis, as did everyone else eventually. With that, she turned to Fate and locked eyes with him as she approached. The boy swallowed down a gulp as she stopped just in front of him, and in the most even, straight-faced voice she could muster, she commanded. "Take your shirt off."
Victoria blinked, seemingly for the umpteenth time that day.
"Excuse me?"
"What? Should I fuse it into his gym clothes instead?" She joked, a smile appearing to lighten the mood. Victoria could not assemble a suitable answer throughout her stuttering, and so instead went completely quiet, face attempting to challenge a tomato as Fate nonchalantly did what was required of him. She turned around as it came completely off, and Tala and Ty gave each other near sinister grins.
Aria and Fate had become completely oblivious to everything around them at this point, particularly Ty whispering something indiscernible into Victoria's ear, her face growing even redder against all odds before slapping the Storm wizard across his cheek, causing Tala to chuckle under his breath. The trio's attention soon returned to the main event as a small gust whipped up at their feet, an odd phenomenon in the middle of a closed room. A green glow surrounded her form over time, right hand propping up the shard so that it pressed against his pectoral, and that same glow began to crawl over onto his skin at well. The green glow began to creep onto the floor below them and waft into the air above; the children regarding it with confusion and the Headmaster with delight.
Seeing Aria's eyes completely shut and muttering something inaudible, and really just not knowing what else to do, Fate closed his emerald orbs as well and waited for whatever was coming. Eventually, her eyes snapped back open swiftly, and her straightened arm pushed forward. The jewel, at first merely resting against his skin, began to slip inwards like slowly forcing through surface tension. Immediately Fate's head reared back and his mouth opened in a scream, but not a single sound emerged; only the warm hum of the glow magic and the wind at their feet made noise.
She continued pushing, visible pain increasing in tandem with the submersion level of the jewel. By now the area around the shard was glowing such a bright green that it was nearing white and it was impossible for any of them to stare at it for too long. She kept going, though, even against his thrashing protests. There was no saying what could happen to him if she quit now.
After an eternity for the two and just a few minutes for the four around them, the shard disappeared into the reaches of his body, and the light cut off within the second. Aria's hand pulled back, and she dropped to her knees sweating as Fate's body crumpled under its own weight. Tala and Fate rushed to catch him while Victoria offered an arm for Aria to pull herself back to her feet. She immediately moved to Fate and scanned his body for any abnormalities.
"Breathing is good, heart rate, circulation." Victoria and Ambrose gathered around, peering over her shoulder to look upon him. Nothing had changed like she'd said, visibly anyway. At length, though, she smiled warmly and looked up from his body. "He should be just fine."
All released breaths they didn't know they were holding save for Ambrose, who formed a thin grin within his beard. Fate regained his senses soon after and gestured for the two boys propping him up to release him. He ran through a superficial test of his basic motor functions—flexing arm muscles, stepping forwards and backwards, turning his head—and was both happy and confused to see everything in the same working order. "I don't feel any different at all."
"I figured that would happen." Aria admitted, cleaning off the remaining beads of sweat from her form. "I only had the skill to synthesize it into you. The crystal is still dormant, and how it works is way out of my league."
"Further study will undoubtedly be required on my part." Ambrose admitted. "You have done a splendid job otherwise, Ms. Nightingale." She bowed her head in genuine thanks, and he turned his attention to Fate, who had just finished checking himself for changes. "You have taken your first step, Fate. All of you have truthfully; but understand that there is no telling where this path may lead. I ask you again, each of you…are you willing to follow this to the end?"
At first, no one spoke. Then Fate took a step forwards, and Ambrose couldn't help but secretly marvel at the newfound determination within the boy's eyes. "Yes." The tanned male turned to the three comrades behind him, watching as each gave their own answers.
"Absolutely."
"Of course."
"Sure. I could use a bit of excitement."
Lastly, he shifted his attention a final time to Aria, who stared back at him with an equal though non-malicious intensity. Without saying anything, just by the subtlest fluctuations of his sound, she could tell he wasn't as sure of her answer as he'd been with his three friends, and rightly so. Unintentionally or not, they had gotten her wrapped up in something she did not yet understand, and if the Headmaster's earlier speech was any indication, it wasn't exactly safe.
Still, for some reason she couldn't explain, she felt some sort of peace as she approached him, stopped just a few feet before, and extended her hand.
"Aria of the Wood, at your service."
Fate's uncertain demeanor immediately morphed into a sheepish grin, one he did not even try to mask. Soon the other three were upon her as well, shaking her hand or giving congratulatory hugs; unknown to her, simply just excited to have gained someone else they could rely on, someone else they could trust.
On Ambrose's timely reminder, Fate, Tala, and Victoria the other three farewell and quickly headed off for the General Studies gymnasium, hoping to catch the last few minutes of class. As the door softly closed behind them, a comfortable silence lie in their absence's wake, no one making a move just yet. Soon, Ty opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Aria's voice before he could even get a word out.
"The Exseed, huh? I knew he sounded different."
She sauntered over to the large show window behind the Headmaster's desk, Ty and Ambrose's eyes locked incredulously upon her form. She leaned forward and placed her hands against the window banister to prop up her torso. Peering out the window, she could just make out Victoria, Tala, and Fate's forms dashing off across campus, shielded from the blaring sunlight by the towering branches of the Grandfather Tree.
"Different?" Ambrose playfully coaxed her to explain, already aware of the answer.
She gave that tree a quick look, then returned to Fate, whose smile had not left him since he exited the room. A second smile found a way to her face as well.
"Yeah. It's such a beautiful sound."
(Author's Notes)
The wait was terrible for this one, and I apologize to anyone still reading. Mostly a setup chapter. Have to build up the story before I get to the really good stuff I have in store.
Also, hope my pip explanation was decent. I completely eliminated the card system. It works in game, but strangely not in a story.
Until next time!