Heeey. Man, has it been while, or has it been while? I know. School's been a pain.
Anyway, here we are again. With a new area, some laughs, and . . . a song. :)
Enjoy!
The Last Return
"Inside?" Yosuke parroted, breaking the silence as he pointed at the door, "In there?"
Yvir quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms, "Well, don't sound too enthusiastic . . ."
"Oh, its not scary!" Rhysana reassured them, "Really, its just like walking through any other door."
"If you say so . . ." Chie murmured, eyes wandering to the smattering of leaves dangling along the top edge of the door frame.
"Oooh!" Teddie, on the other hand, looked all for it as he scampered closer, stars in his eyes, "Come on you guys, it looks like fun!"
"That's the spirit!" Tirin urged, grinning, "Keep that up, we'll make something out of you yet!"
Teddie stuck his tongue out at the gloaming, which netted him a silent chuckle from the man. He didn't bother to argue, however, as the boy was much too eager to explore what lay beyond the door. Yu and the rest could only watch as he blew on ahead, vanishing over the threshold and into the light.
"And there he goes . . ." Yosuke mumbled.
"You should probably follow him," Rhysana quipped, leaning against the floating frame of the door as she gestured to the opening.
Yu glanced at his friends, then shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards the door before heading towards it himself. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, and this conversation was a long time coming. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about what lay beyond.
And what lay beyond indeed! As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Yu was greeted with a breeze that smelled of earth and flora, crisp and cool and so much more pleasant than the nipping cold from that morning. The place he entered reminded him of a gazebo, with thin marbled pillars and an arched dome that ran wild with lush, prickly ivy, the growth so thick it lay like a tarp over the structure, the door rising proudly at its heart. Through the sparse gaps to his right, Yu could just make out the bright, glimmering blue of water, and to his right, the tell-tale spread of emerald grassland pricked with colorful spots of flowers. The mouth of the gazebo led to a long, narrow tunnel overrun with ivy, though small vines coiled down from the ceiling at intermittent spots to fold into a tightly compact sphere, a shiny amber light emanating from within. He could see Teddie further in, gazing up at the living lamps with wonder and otherwise ambivalent to his entrance.
More than that, he felt a tingle race through his very soul like an electric spark through a power coupling, the real, visceral magic of the place falling over his body like a cloak, humming vibrantly against his skin.
He'd just walked into another plane, and his spirit knew it. As an afterthought, he tried reigniting that spark. But like he expected, all that came up was an ember.
Still . . . that ember burned much closer than it ever had before.
But he could bring that up later. For now . . .
"You made this?" he asked softly, because indeed, this place had been made! It was still . . . a surprisingly hard concept to grasp.
"Mhm," was Yvir's calm response, though it was touched by pride, "Spent a good while picking out what I wanted to do. But I think it came out okay."
"Okay?" Yu heard Rise ask as she walked forward, feet tapping against the wooden floor of the gazebo, "If this is 'okay', I wonder what your definition of fantastic is."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Yvir said.
" . . . wow," was all Chie had to say on the subject.
"If you're amazed now, I really can't wait until you see the rest of the place!" Tirin commented as he skipped passed them and into the tunnel. Twirling around to face them, he grinned and declared with a flourish, "Alrighty, this tour is officially underway! And I'll be acting as your lovable-and sexy-guide!"
"This is technically my hou-prft!" Yvir's words were smothered as Tirin pressed an unceremonious hand against his face, never once looking away from his 'audience' and smiling the whole time.
"With company!" Tirin added jovially, ignoring the sorcerer's fuming stare.
Yu was torn between perplexion and humor, and he could only give Yvir an apologetic half-smile as a few chuckles rose up around him. One of which was most assuredly Rhysana.
"Alright! Let's get going!" Tirin crowed, stepping behind them and ushering them along post-haste.
The tunnel only went on for a short while, curving up at an slight incline about halfway down, an indication they were going uphill. The ivy lamps were fascinating, but Tirin wasn't letting them pause long enough to get a decent look. Still, the intricate way in which the growing tendrils laced and looped together was nothing short of artistic.
It wasn't very long, however, before the tunnel ended and they were being pushed out onto the cobbled stone path beyond.
The knoll they emerged on barely rose above the glittery expanse of water to their left, the elevation allowing for a cool, misty breeze to roll up from the waves and spread over the land. Plush, springy grass covered the entire expanse of open hill, bordered by a fringe of trees that grew denser the farther west one went, until moorland ended and a true forest began. And at the apex of the hill, overlooking both the lake and the forest and the hill, was a decently sized yet surprisingly quaint little cabin.
Although, 'quaint' may be the wrong word. It certainly wasn't stupendous in size, maybe forty-five feet in length and thirty in width, with two stories and possibly an attic. It had four walls as far as he could tell, but that wasn't what made it strange. What made it strange was that the outlying wood making up those four walls seemed to be entirely comprised of living, growing trees. The trunks all merged close together, so close not even a gap remained save for the few hollow spaces he guessed served as windows, sparse of any glass. The tops of each spread apart in an array of dark green leaves, rustling softly in the breeze, interlocking branches no doubt serving as a ceiling though that could scarcely be seen through the thick foliage.
" . . . is that a house made of trees?" Kanji asked after a quiet moment of observation.
"And living ones, too," Naoto mused, a thread of awe touching her words, "Impressive."
"Ooh, can we go inside?" Teddie asked, barely stopping himself from running forward on his own.
"Wow, this place is a lot more humble than I was expecting," Rise commented offhandedly, looking the cabin over with a pleased stare, "It's nice."
"Yeah, I was honestly kinda expecting something a little more . . ." Chie waved her arms out as she searched for the word.
Yukiko supplied it for her, "Grandiose?"
Chie grinned, "Yeah! Like a castle, or something."
Rhysana chuckled, "If you're disappointed, I can assure you that Yvir of a few years ago would have exceeded all your expectations."
Yvir crossed his arms, cocking an eyebrow, "You make it sound so unflattering."
"We say it out of love!" Tirin 'reassured' him with a hearty pat on his back.
"Uh-huh," the man replied flatly.
"There you are!"
Everyone looked ahead just as Cahira pushed her way through one of the windows on the ground floor. Hitching her hip on the base of the two intersecting trunks, she waved to them, "C'mon, what are you just standing out there for?"
"We're coming right now, calm down!" Yvir hollered back. Then, with a touch more force, he added, "And you better not be using my kitchen!"
She cocked her head to the left, as if listening to someone they couldn't hear, then waved once more before disappearing back inside without acknowledging Yvir's shouts. The sylph sighed, "I sometimes wonder how Ylvaria puts up with her."
"Probably the same way Yalathas puts up with you," Rhysana rebuffed, teasing.
Yu turned slightly at the name, interest sparking. He knew by now who it belonged to.
But Tirin was already pushing them along again, overeager to get to the house and probably not because he wanted to show them the interior decorating.
Inside, it would be time to talk.
A sudden onset of nerves gripped him, coiling tight in his stomach. He wasn't sure how exactly to broach the subject in its entirety; from all they had to explain, what they knew, what they'd gone through, it was a pretty wide pallet to cover. Not too mention the last time he'd come clean to someone not in the know . . .
But they weren't exactly in a state of emergency, and where they were headed was nothing like an interrogation room. With that thought in mind, he took a breath and forced himself to relax.
Beside him, Yosuke asked, "So, this place . . . you made it?"
Yvir nodded, a touch of pride entering his voice, "Wasn't easy. But I think it was worth."
"Well no duh, you literally made yourself your own personal world!" Yosuke said, gesticulating to their surroundings, "I mean, sure, maybe its not what I woulda made, but its still pretty freaking awesome!"
"Glad to have your seal of approval," was the sylph's reply, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a smile.
"Can you change it?" Teddie put that question forth, looking intrigued.
"Sure," Yvir replied as if he were talking about changing a light bulb instead of an entire landmass. He could see a few people begin to raise eyebrows of speculation, when, without a cue or a clue, Yvir snapped his fingers.
Yu jolted to a stop as the light suddenly an inexplicably vanished, the land around them plunging into darkness. Startled cries went up around him, and he felt someone thud into his back at the same time, the change so jarring it took time for his eyes to adjust. But when they did, it was too see that the sun hadn't vanished, per say. It had simply been replaced by a field of stars and a single, silver crescent moon.
The sudden starlight glittered across the lake like diamond dust, sharp and scintillating in their cold beauty. The trees were awash with silver light, the dark shadows beneath their branches feeling nonthreatening under the tranquil night sky.
Quiet breaths of awe and wonder rose up from his assembled friends, and he could say without shame that he was one of them.
". . . Okay, that was pretty fucking cool," Kanji said, eyes bugging. The best any one else did was give murmurs of slightly stunned agreement.
"Holy shit . . ." he heard Yosuke breath next to him.
"Do it again! Do it again!" Teddie cheered, eyes sparkling with childlike delight.
Yvir chuckled, "Lights on or off, kid. It does get draining after a while."
"I say keep it like this," Tirin said, skin aglow in the dark, "Its nice.~"
"Daylight," was Teddie's immediate response.
Tirin huffed.
The sorcerer chuckled again, then snapped his fingers. Immediately, faster than he could even blink, the area was flooded again by piercing daylight. Yu winced at the change, eyes watering.
"Ah! Bit of warning next time, please!" Chie yelled, rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry," Yvir said, but the half-smile on his face said 'not very'.
"Erm, if you don't mind me asking, what made you pick this aesthetic?" Yukiko questioned slowly, hands folded in front of her out of respect as they resumed their march to the house.
"Yeah, its a lot more, I don't know . . . country than I would have thought," Chie said, looking around at the display of nature.
"Why does that surprise you?" Yvir asked her. It sounded genuine.
"Um, well, I guess its just . . . Yosuke's a city kid. So I guess I just thought it'd be more like a city."
That got Yvir's attention, and his eyes brightened considerably, "Well, I do like cities, I won't lie!"
"Understatement~," Yu heard Tirin whisper in sing-song.
It didn't take long for Yu to understand what the rogue was going on about. Already, Yvir was getting more animated, going off on a tangent that no one could (or knew how) to stop, "But how couldn't I? The noise, the people, the energy! Rumors and gossip are everywhere, and everything spreads like wildfire! A noble commits a social faux-pas and by midday even the beggars know what happened, who did it, and how! And they're so massive too, you could get lost for hours! It's fantastic!"
Yu exchanged a wondering glance with Yosuke, who looked torn between amusement, fascination, and second-hand embarrassment. Everyone else just looked amused, if a little confused.
"You said you're from a city?" Yvir abruptly turned all of his attention on Yosuke, who took a step back as a volley of questions were suddenly sent his way, "What are they like in your world? Do they have them dedicated to different purposes, like military or trade? What about-ack!"
He cut off with a yelp as Rhysana slyly swept up behind him and gave his ponytail a sharp tug, speaking plainly, "Alright, that's enough. You can drill him afterwards."
With a displeased frown, the man whipped his hand back and pulled his hair free, "Okay, okay! Sheesh . . ."
Yu and his friends traded bemused glances, but it wasn't until Chie's perplexed whisper that the silence broke, "So, does that weird outburst mean Yvir's not from any city?"
"Perhaps," Naoto intoned from the back, shrugging, "Its not as if we shouldn't expect such differences, if that is the case."
"Huh . . ." Yosuke hummed under his breath, brow knitted together in thought, "Honestly, that kinda surprises me more than him being not human."
"We could ask," Yukiko reminded them, glancing in the sorcerer's direction.
Someone cleared their throat, and they all jumped as they found Tirin had stealthily inserted himself into their circle-again-a smile on his face and his hands on his hips as he leaned in close, "Hey, couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about!"
"Eavesdropped, more like . . ." Yosuke grumbled.
"So, I'll just be upfront!" Tirin continued blithely, but there was something about his posture that seemed a bit . . . off, "Yvir was born in a small logging village in the far west of Endrivan. His parents were merchants who moved there to help with exportation of supplies, and he didn't see his first real city until way later. Hope that answers your questions!~"
Chie shot Yosuke a victorious smirk, which the brunette pointedly ignored.
But for Yu, he couldn't ignore that needling sensation of uneasiness at Tirin's rather blatant unloading of information, "Erm, thank you, but why-"
Tirin held up a finger, "Now, in return for my gracious answers, I want you all to do me a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty little favor!~"
He pressed that finger to his still smiling lips, a smile that looked just a little sharper than it had a moment before, "Don't ask Yvir about it."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the house, without any further comment.
Yu's uneasiness had transferred to the rest by now, but no one knew what to say or do about his . . . 'favor'.
"Um . . . okay?" Yosuke mumbled to himself, confused.
"What did he mean?" Teddie was fidgeting, looking between his friends for an answer, which unfortunately was not forthcoming.
"That was kinda creepy . . ." Rise commented under her breath.
"Indeed . . ." Naoto murmured, but her eyes were thoughtful.
Clearly, she suspected there was more to that story than Tirin's quick summarization. He suspected much the same.
By that point they'd arrived at the house, so they couldn't exactly comment on it further. The front door (which really was just a pair of large roots that lay pressed together), opened of its own accord, plying apart until a large hole was open before them, allowing entry. Beyond lay an entire open living room lit by shafts of bright light that fell from the hollows between the trunks, roomy and filled with furniture that seemed to grow from the roots themselves. The open space was dominated by a large circular sitting area impressed into the floor itself, filled with comfortable looking cushions and a simple oaken table where refreshments could be set. Two archways were in the room, one set into the left wall, the other the right, leading to places Yu couldn't quite make out. The mild scent of cedar and cinnamon hung in the air, perhaps a byproduct of the living wood around them, but it was far from an unpleasant smell.
"Hm, I probably should have spaced this out a bit more . . ." Yvir mused to himself as he stepped inside, looking over the seating arrangements, "Not used to having this many people over."
"We'll make do.~" Rhysana said, striding forward with graceful poise so she could seat herself on the plush looking cushions.
No sooner had she sat down, Korval and Nyras appeared in the leftmost archway, the former looking worried and the latter looking mildly annoyed.
"Uh, what's with those faces?" Yvir asked.
Korval spoke first, holding his hands up apologetically as Nyras let out a sigh, "We tried to stop 'em, we swear."
Now Yvir (and everyone else) started to grow wary, "What do you mean?"
Before either could answer, there was movement up in the interlocked wooden boughs that made up the ceiling, and suddenly Aife was flying down, wings flaring out in prismatic splendor as he alighted on Yvir's head. He warbled into his ear, viridian eyes flashing with warning.
All at once, Yu was blasted in the face by a forceful wind, as strong as a stormy gale, hair whipping up in a frenzy along with the cushions and the small knickknacks hanging from the ceiling. At the same time, Yvir flew-quite literally-through the archway, vanishing around the corner, voice rising, "Cahiraaaaaa!"
There was a thud of what may have been a door slamming open, followed by a shout that was so loud Yu could quite easily make out the words, "What did I tell you about using my kitchen?!"
Cahira rose her voice in kind, something heavy giving a muted clang as it was unceremoniously dropped, "Well, we just thought it would be nice to make some snacks, what's so wrong with that?!"
Korval awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, lips pursed.
"What's wrong with it is that I have a policy of not poisoning my guests, now get out!"
Tirin placed a hand over his mouth and giggled, face filled with unabashed delight. Beside him, Rhysana closed her eyes and shook her head.
"We aren't going to poison anyone! You're overreacting!"
Nyras pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"No, I am not! Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you two tried to cook something?"
There was a pause. Another, more muted voice spoke up, probably Ylvaria, but the words weren't as clear.
Then, "W-well, no one was poisoned that time, and we've practiced since then!"
A scoff, "Yeah, because you dropped it and killed half my trees! I have no idea how you managed to mix up grimroot with sage, but I am not taking any chances!" His voice rose like he was cutting someone off before they could speak, "And I don't care how much you've practiced! Now out!"
The noise abated to muted grumbling and clanging, leaving an awkward silence hanging over the group left in the living room.
Then Nyras cleared her throat, "Well, I'll be the first of polite company and apologize for that display."
Yu scratched the back of his head, and a few others began to shuffle on their feet in hushed silence, but Yosuke was the first to speak up, ". . . I don't think you have to, cause it sounds like Yvir just saved our lives."
"Yosuke!" Chie snapped, face flushing.
"Well, its true! If they're cooking is even half as bad as yours, then we just dodged a bullet!"
The girl's face a was mix of indignation and embarrassed anger, "Sh-shut up, okay, it was an honest mistake!"
"What about the second time? The third?"
"Shut up!"
"Well, I've been practicing," Yukiko cut into the conversation, fiddling with her frock. Then she smiled, "Yu-kun's even been taste-testing what I make, just to be sure I'm improving!"
Yu internally cringed when Rise's head shot up, "What?!"
"Wow . . . you are a brave man," Yosuke mumbled, but he looked more pitying rather than impressed.
Kanji made a motion with his hands like he was casting out the evil spirits, "S'kinda incredible that you didn't get sent to the hospital . . ."
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad!" Chie shouted over them all.
"Senpai, you were offering yourself to be a taste-tester for young ladies, and you didn't think to ask me?" Rise pout lasted for only a few seconds before she straightened and sauntered towards him, smiling sweetly, "Well, if you're being so considerate, you wouldn't mind trying some of my food once in a while, right Senpai?"
Oh god . . . taste-testing for one culinary disaster, however much she had improved, was one thing, but setting his taste buds on fire in conjunction with that . . .
" . . . I refrain from making any new obligations, culinary or otherwise, while we're here."
Rise's shoulders slumped in disappointment, "Oh . . ."
"Yeah, don't tempt fate, man," Yosuke added.
Chie looked this close to kicking him again, and Yosuke seemed aware of this, as he'd conveniently positioned the seating area between himself and her.
" . . .Well, at least this sort of behavior can be expected on your behalf," Nyras commented softly, arms crossed.
"Erm, well . . ." Yosuke trailed off, cheeks turning a little red.
There was a flurry of activity by the archway, and Korval and Nyras stepped to the side as Yvir reentered, wind licking at his heels and face flushed with annoyance. Aife sat on his shoulders, a soft chatter clicking between his fangs as he held on.
Cahira and Ylvaria followed right after, the former looking just as annoyed while the latter merely looked apologetic.
The two sat on the 'couch', essentially, while Yvir took instead to hovering behind them, quite literally sitting on air with one leg crossed over the other.
Rhysana was the first to break the silence, urging everyone's eyes away from the floating man and onto her with a brisk clap of her hands, "Well, now that we're all gathered, how about a song?"
That caught Yu off gaurd, "But, weren't we going to-?"
Rhysana waved a hand at him, eyes twinkling, "Come on, make yourselves comfortable! This is one of my favorites!"
Everyone shared puzzled stares, unsure of where this was going. But, after a brief hesitation, they all began to take seats.
Unfortunately, there was only so much room, and in the end, it was Yosuke, Teddie, Yukiko, Chie, and himself along with the other champions who'd already sat down. Everyone else was left to take spots around the circumference of the sitting area.
The atmosphere was a little . . . odd. One, there was the argument, which left a subtle tension between the sorcerer and monk despite the yelling having long since ended. Chie and Yosuke weren't doing much better. Besides that, there was the inevitability of their discussion; the whole reason they were here to begin with. He was still nervous about it, and he knew full well the others felt the same as they waited for it to start.
Except apparently, Rhysana had other plans. Plans that none of the other champions were protesting too, either, he noticed.
"So, you know we talked about legends, the stories and the myths?" she questioned, leaning in with a bright smile.
"Uh, yeah, but what does this-?"
Yosuke didn't get to finish, as Rhysana was already undoing her harp and strumming the strings in tuneful harmony. Yu gave an inquisitive glance to the ones across from him, hoping to be supplied some answers, but they were focused on Rhysana.
Naoto cleared her throat, "Um, I understand your music is important to you, but I was under the impression we were going to-"
"Oh sweetheart, this is important!" Rhysana grinned, the notes her fingers played beginning to merge together into a melody, "Just trust me.~"
Yu could only give Naoto a helpless shrug. He had no idea what her intentions were, but it seemed there was no stopping her now.
So instead, he sat back to listen.
The melody was soft at first, the string instrument responding beautiful under it's master's graceful fingers. And before long, Rhysana was singing;
A long time ago now
I saw him.
Blood of angel divine
brings light to our story tonight.
Her voice was as melodious as ever, plucking and pulling at their heartstrings and commanding there attention as her voice rose to fill the entire room;
Demon's cry,
Split the night
Warden's crown
Did fall.
Silver flame
Unknown name
Here our hope is born.
Yu felt himself getting drawn in deeper as Rhysana slipped into another instrumental refrain, finding himself involuntarily swaying along to the music, his friends falling into a similar trance as the music swelled;
Cry out, cry out
Into the clouds
Lift our spirits and souls
Into the light that he shown
He wondered at the song's story. Who it was about, what transpired in its wake;
Demon's cry
Fell at light
Traitor's scheme
Is shorn.
Silver blade
Ends our pain
Here our hope takes form
Why was it one of Rhysana's favorites?
Cry out, cry out
Into the clouds
Blood of angel divine
Salvation in silver eyes
Rhysana played out the final notes on her harp, the music coming to a slow and fading ending that ended on a timber rather than a crescendo, but Yu didn't find that a problem. It was, after all, a very nice song.
"Hm, that was nice," Rise said after a moment of basking in the moment, "Did you write that?"
Rhysana nodded, looking pleased, "I did! I think it's one of my best works."
"It is a very lovely song, Rhys," Nyras informed her.
"Aw, thank you!"
"What was it about?" Yu asked, interest now thoroughly piqued even though he could sense Naoto's growing discomfort. No doubt she wanted to get this underway.
Sorry, Naoto . . . he thought. Idly, he wondered if he was subconsciously procrastinating.
"Well . . ." Rhysana sent him another smile as she strummed her harp, then quietly nodded her head to the door, "Why don't you ask him?"
Yu froze. For one second, he froze, even when he felt the others turn around.
Then, in a moment that passed in an eternity, he turned to look as well.
The door was wide open, and in their oblivious trance, they hadn't noticed the man who walked inside. A man who now stood silhouetted in sunlight and shadow, but even still, one could easily discern the mop of dove-grey hair, the smooth jaw line, the pale skin . . .
Eyes of sterling silver met eyes of muted grey, and Yu sucked in a breath between clenched teeth as he came face to face with his very own counterpart.
Yalathas.
SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKAH!
Yeeeah . . . I did just do that.
Anyway, now that the trickeries are out of the way, I promise, PROMISE, we will get to the discussion proper next chapter.
But hey, did you seriously think the Champions would have such an important discussion without their noble leader present? ;)
Btw, song is set to the tune of 'Our Hero' by BrunahVille and Sharm. (Note: these two songs have different lyrics with very, VERY different meanings, so take that into consideration)
See you next chapter!~