Chapter 8: Oracle-like Issues When Albel stepped out of the room again, he didn't look too happy. The first thing he did, though, was grab Lymle. "What?" she asked. "You said you were a symbologist?" Lymle nodded. "Anyone else?" "Myurie and Edgie." "Get them." Albel said. "There's a little matter Faize needs to ask you three about." Lymle didn't like the tone Albel used, but she hurried away. "Edgie!" she yelled, getting the blonde's attention. "Lym! What is it?" Edge asked as the girl grabbed his arm. "Albel said Faize wants to talk to you and Myurie and me, because we're symbologists." Lymle said. "Come on." Myuria strutted over, little Mia trying to mimic her. "Well, then. We shouldn't keep him waiting, should we?" Lymle led them back to Faize's room, where Albel was waiting. "I brought them." she said. "Why's the kid there, maggot?" Albel asked. "Mia's my daughter." Muria returned. "Well, he didn't ask for the kid, he wanted the adults, bitch." Albel looked them over. "Inside." He let them in, following after and leaning on the door to keep it closed. Faize was sitting up in his bed, leaning on the headboard, and the blanket was pulled up around his shoulders. He looked over at them and smiled slightly. "Good, he brought all of you." Faize moved one very shaky hand and pointed to a set of clay pots. "I was curious about something and figured it would be best to find out early on. We'll start with Myuria, since she's older than I am. Try hitting the center pot with an attack symbol." Myuria shrugged. "I don't get why, but alright, boy." She cast a lightning symbol, but instead of hitting the center pot, it struck all of them. "What? But I aimed strait for the one pot." Faize nodded, and Albel set up another set of pots. "Your turn, Edge. Same thing." Edge didn't get where Faize was going with this, but cast anyway, this time with ice. Again, all the pots broke. "I don't get it, Faize. I was aiming for the pot on the end." "Lymle, why don't you try?" Faize suggested. "Why? It's all just going to break, like it did for Myurie and Edgie." Lymle replied. "What makes you say that?" Edge asked. "Because, Faize's symbology got stronger when he came, and so did yours and Myurie's. So mine would, too." Faize nodded. "She's right, but it'll only happen with the adults. I've watched Mia, and her symbology stayed the same, right?" Myuria nodded. "So, what do we do because of this?" she asked. "You have to re-train." Albel retorted. "Practice." "A question." said Myuria. "Why does Faize keep himself covered up?" Faize looked at her. "I was wondering when one of you was going to ask." Faize let the blanket slip from his shoulders, showing markings inscribed all across his arms and upper torso. "I had to put markings over my entire body in order to keep control of my power." he said. "It may also happen to you and Lymle, and possibly Edge as well. Unless something is done soon to teach you control, the villagers will come to fear you as well." Edge saw the sad look on Faize's face. Just what had happened? "Well, I guess we start training, then." He looked at Lymle, then at Myuria. "Is there somewhere safe we can start practicing?" "The yard." said Albel. "The only fools there are from the Black Brigade, and a good scare will put the maggots in line." "Is something wrong with him?" Edga asked. "He seems cranky." Faize pulled the blanket up over his shoulders again, blushing slightly. "The Black Brigade is his military group, and they do not listen well." "Let's go, Edgie." said Lymle. "Faize needs to get dressed, kay." "Alright. Will you join us in the yard for practice?" Faize nodded. "I'd better inform Arumat as well, since he can also use symbols." "Oh, yeah." said Lymle. "I forgot, since he doesn't use them very much." The small group met out in the yard, Faize wearing something a little different this time: an outfit similar to Albel's. He had a small pot with him, and inside it was a brush. "What's that for?" Myuria asked. "Channeling marks." Faize replied. He put his hand out and cast Ice Needles at a pot, cracking it. As he did this, though, several symbols on his arm lit up. "See?" Edge took his arm guard off and put his hand out, trying to cast a simple fire spell. What erupted was almost like a volcano from his hand. Faize just smiled and nodded to the red-haired girl that had been standing nearby. "I'm Nel Zelpher." the woman said. "Here." She carefully marked a few runes to Edge's arm and hand. "Now try." Edge repeated the exercise, and this time a singular fireball hit the pot. "Woah. But, why did my symbology get so strong?" "We're not sure why." Nel replied. "All I do know is that it happened with Faize, and it seems to be happening to you as well. There are some things we don't really understand, but one thing is for sure, we can't leave your symbology, or runeology as we called it, unchecked." Lymle looked at Faize as he carefully marked a few runes to her arm. "Faize, do you like Albel?" Faize looked at her. "Where did that come from?" he asked. "You have a bruise on your neck." Lymle replied. "Just like when Baccus and Milly are being noisy in their room." Faize snickered. "So, even Baccus can be loving?" he asked. Lymle nodded. "So, what's this supposed to do?" "It's supposed to help channel your symbology and allow you to make it stronger or weaker, depending on what you need." Faize replied. "There." Lymle looked at the marks. "Mine are different than yours or Edgie's. Why?" "You're a different kind of symbologist than me or Edge." Faize sighed, stepping back and leaning on the wall. Things were going to get interesting. A.N. - Another interesting note. In the Crdianon Mothership, any time there is an explosion or something that could harm Lymle, Faize is the one to shield her. When they had to run through the one closing door, Faize is literally pushing Lymle to go faster so she won't be left behind, and he shields her when Baccus blasts through the wall to meet them. Then, when they have to drag Baccus out of the ship, he's pulling on the same side as Lymle. Before any of the really fun PAs even start, you can see there is some kind of protectiveness between the two.