"I can see a light within you, each bright and strong... The light of courage... The light of kindness... The light of affection... And the light of determination... Your hopes and dreams all turn into light, and give you strength." – Doga
Arc blinked as sight slowly returned to him. Leaves crunched beneath him and moonlight filtered through the leaves above. His torso burned, mostly around the stomach area.
Right, stab wound. Arc hadn't felt anything in the shock, but he remembered the blade sticking out of him and a lot of blood. And it was caused by his father.
Arc groaned and gripped dead leaves in one hand. The air tasted musty in his lungs – Fairy realm. They were still in the forest, with Utan. Ingus sat next to him, head bobbing against what looked like an overwhelming urge to sleep.
Arc struggled into a sitting position. Utan's deep voice rumbled, apparently sensing Arc's shift to consciousness, "Welcome back to the living. You're lucky, little one."
Arc didn't know that "lucky" was the right term. "He-he attacked me." The words felt clunky on his tongue – all this time and his father turned out to be one of the bad guys.
Utan was a shadow in the moonlight, outlined by the soft glow. "I'm afraid something has happened to him."
"But… that was…" Arc tried to stand, but Ingus, now suddenly alert, pushed him back.
"Don't," Ingus said, holding his own wounds. Did Aga get to Ingus, too? Or did he aggravate his old injuries? "You need to rest."
"But you were just saying-"
"He's right," Master Utan said with a sigh. "I hate to do this, but the Crystals agree. Both of you need to rest before you take one step further. I'll take you back to Matataki, and I expect you to accept the help of the villagers there. Pao at least should find you soft beds and warm food."
"He's right," a girl said, stepping into the light.
"Oh!" Utan said, "I don't know if you remember, but this is Monica. She stepped in when… well, when Aga attacked."
Arc didn't recognize the girl. Her hair was a deep, reddish pink and held in a tight braid. She wore tough material, buckled in various places, including boyish shorts and a sleeveless vest. Bruises and scrapes marred her exposed skin.
"Monica?" Arc repeated. The girl nodded.
"It sounds like we're on the same path, here."
"Related path," Ingus corrected her. "There are some key differences."
"Like?" Arc asked.
"It doesn't matter," Monica said, waving a hand. "We're both fighting against the Dark Element and that's what counts."
Arc glanced at Ingus, who said, "The Cloud of Darkness."
"Oh!" Arc blurted, moving to stand again. His stomach throbbed in protest and he quickly settled back down. "How did you know about that?"
"It's a long story," Monica said.
"Sounds like one that might be best related in safe quarters," Utan said. "Let's get you to Matataki and find you some nice, soft beds."
A soft bed did sound nice. Arc didn't resist as Utan picked all three of them up with surprising care and stomped away into the forest. The three stayed quiet; Arc suspected that they felt just as exhausted as he did.
"The Genie has a way of finding people," Utan said softly. "Now that he knows you're here, and injured no less, I think it would be wise to move again in just a few days. But don't go far. Find Brownboo – it's close to here, and though they distrust humans, I'll tell them to take care of you until you can move more freely again."
"Brownboo?" Arc asked, grabbing one of Utan's fingers to pull himself up further though it hurt to do so. "A fae village?"
"Not fae. Moon folk. They're similar in some ways, but I wouldn't recommend calling them fae to their faces. They're an interesting lot and may not strike you as much when you first meet them, but their hearts are in the right place and they have good means of protections. Here we are."
They'd cleared the forest and stepped into Matataki, whose fires were still lit. Some chatted amiably, while others hauled recent kills and pelts around. Some sharpened weapons, others rinsed blood from their clothes.
Arc swallowed, heart sinking to his stomach.. "Um…"
"What's wrong?" Ingus asked.
"Don't they make you nervous?" Arc asked, shuddering as he watched one hunter rip something from inside a dead wolf. "I've read about people like these."
Utan nodded. "They're not cruel, young ones. Wait until you get to know them better before you make judgements."
Arc frowned. "They scare me."
"I'm not scared," Monica said, leaning against Utan's palm, "but I don't like it all the same."
"We don't exactly have much of a choice," Ingus said.
"Pao," Utan said, summoning one of the smaller men. "I found something I was hoping you could take care of for me."
The Cloud of Darkness.
Refia hated leaving the others behind to take it alone. But she had a sneaking suspicion that if she couldn't find the answer to the moons, then keeping the Cloud back wouldn't make that much of a difference. And the Crystals promised that there were "friends" on the way.
But the Cloud of Darkness.
Refia followed Ruby through dark overgrowth and tall grass. Ruby insisted they were getting close, but Refia still couldn't see a single soul.
"Isn't this supposed to be a big city?" Refia asked.
Ruby kept trudging ahead. "It was."
Branches and shrubs grabbed at Refia's dress and ripped holes in her sleeves. The air was humid, muggy, and bugs swarmed near her no matter how much she batted them away. Refia grumbled and smacked a fly that landed on her arm.
How could she just leave the others alone to deal with the Cloud by themselves? She still carried scars from that time and they itched at the memory. Sure, they beat it, but how could she feel safe, knowing it could just pop back into existence at any time?
Monica has reached Ingus and Arc, the Crystals whispered. They're safe.
Refia chewed on her lip. It made no sense to turn back now, anyway. It was a small comfort to know that Ingus and Arc weren't alone.
What about Luneth?
He's… distant. We can barely see him.
But?
He's stranded in the ocean.
He – what?
But he accompanies Max and Goro. They should make it to Saronia safely, it appears.
Max and Goro?
Friends.
Refia frowned. That wasn't so reassuring.
"Are we there yet?" Refia asked, feeling suddenly impatient.
"Not yet." Ruby picked up the pace. She was determined, Refia noted bitterly as she swatted another mosquito away. Though "determined" wasn't going to soothe her itching bites when this all was done, nor was it going to save Luneth from starvation.
The forest cleared to show plains beyond the thicket and they finally made it into clear, non-bug-ridden air. Only, now that they were out of the shade, the sun beat down harder than before. Even the ensemble Norune had gifted her with didn't bring any relief.
Ahead of Refia, Ruby broke into a sprint, feet barely lighting atop the ground. Refia ran after her and was surprised by how hard it was to keep to up. Her legs protested against the speed and she couldn't keep it up for long. Ruby leapt into the air and twisted about to see the land.
Refia rolled her eyes. There was nothing here, as evident by the grazing wildlife and the rolling grass and hills. When was Ruby going to give in and announce that?
"What are we looking for?" Refia asked as Ruby glided back down. "Towering structures? Crowds of people? Didn't you say there was a kingdom here?"
"I'm trying to find the ruins. I knew they died out, but a kingdom of that size doesn't just disappear. Let's head east. It might be over there."
They'd already gone quite a ways in that direction, but Refia didn't protest. Surely Ruby would get the point that it wasn't here. Unless they were looking for a good steak, that was.
They ran for another little while before stopping at the edge of a chasm that rolled with mist and forest
Refia sighed, "Still no ruins that I can see."
Ruby fell on the ground with a disgusted groan. "Where is it?"
"Landscapes change over time. You told Ingus that his 'time' was a while ago. How long ago?"
"Four hundred years."
"Maybe it's buried?"
"I was there more recently than that." Ruby jumped to her feet again. "Maybe I missed something. Come on, one more time."
Refia groaned and followed as Ruby ran again.
They ran over the hills and through herds of deer and on, further and further, passing through forests and rivers against a cliff face. Ruby floated sometimes, lifting just a little off the ground. Refia assumed that was to get a better view. Large craters dotted the landscape, some stretching down for miles. Refia gave those edges a wide berth while Ruby would pause and lean over the edge, as if she could find what she was looking for inside.
"No!" Ruby shouted when she finally stopped, about to topple off a cliff. "No, you idiot! You blasted idiot!"
Refia stopped with her, gasping for breath. The wind blasted them both here without having any trees or mountains to break up it up. "It's okay," she managed between breaths. "It's… We all make mistakes-"
"Not me! That blasted king! He-agh! I can't believe it! He's such an idiot!"
Refia gulped some more air down, hands gripping her knees. "The same king you told us about in Queens?"
"Yes. My stupid, stupid son. He never learned!"
"Son?" Refia asked, perking up, forgetting the painful stitch in her side.
Ruby inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, hair whipping about in the wind. "Sort of. He married my daughter. Never knew what he was getting into. She was infatuated, a young half-genie, still discovering her powers, but that's a story for another time. The point is, he took my castle. The jerk!"
They saw a whole valley this time that stretched into what looked like the plains they'd wandered before. "How do you know this was him?"
"He's the only one I know with enough power and enough sheer stupidity to pull this off. There's no other way that there wouldn't be a single wall left of his kingdom otherwise. Even if it was destroyed, there should be at least some overgrown bricks. And these trees are far too young and scarce."
"What did he do?"
"He took the place. The whole, fae-forsaken land, from tower to drainage pipe. He must have used a forbidden spell and taken his entire kingdom forward in time. Look at the craters! People who aren't good with magic tend to take ground with them instead of just the buildings. And there's no ruins. They were a political giant just a few hundred years ago, so if they'd died out naturally, they would have left something."
"How do you know it's not backward?" Refia asked. "If he went far enough back, then that would explain the lack of ruins. Again, could be buried."
Ruby shook her head, kicking at the dirt. "There's no point in going back!"
"Why not? What's in the future?"
"Knowledge, technology, atlamillia, resources. The past only has primitive artifacts for historians and museums, not to mention all the added risk of warping reality. Haven't you ever traveled through time?"
Refia paused, racking her brain. "Not that I know of."
"If you're not cautious, you can stop people from existing and sabotage entire timelines." Ruby gathered a spell in her hand. "I was cautious, once, for a while. Like all people should be. Like Seda is not. But there's this thing about remembering other timelines – eventually you see where your actions have consequences, and where they don't. This whole thing, with you, your friends, my friend, it's going to reset. When all the pieces have fallen, I'll probably go straight back to my lamp in Queens, and no one, not even you, will remember that any of this happened. Toan might knock on my door again, he might not. I honestly doubt he will."
"What are you saying?" Refia asked slowly, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.
Ruby stared wistfully into the light of her spell. "There are those who like to meddle. It's for the good of the world as far as they see it, and I realize that, but it really messes things up for the rest of us. I'm going to create a path along the same route Seda used here. It should be accurate within a few years. I want you to—"
"Wait! We're going to the future?"
"Not we, just you. Look for Seda and his kingdom's library or whatever it is they use over there. Find out what happened to Ingus and to all of you. I doubt any of you belong here, and the least he could do for messing things up like this is give you some information."
None of us should have been on that ship. The words played in Refia's head. Arc's voice.
"Although," Ruby said quietly, "you should know that I… did some bad things. Seda may not want to hear from me again, but if you get the chance, try mentioning my name. It'll help him believe you. Are you ready?" Ruby raised her hand, light bursting. "It'll only be open for a few moments."
"Wait," Refia said. "How do I get back?"
Ruby shrugged. "A path always crops up. It's the future."
Refia tripped through the portal as the ground heaved below her and the sky spun in a whirlwind of motion. Stars blinked in and out of view and the moon jumped from its position to somewhere beyond the horizon. Refia felt something rip from inside her, a sense of power dying from her grasp. When she landed on solid ground again, the sky was dark and her head swam from the assault on her senses.
Just an effect from travel, she reminded herself, repeating Ruby's warning. It didn't do anything to relieve her churning stomach, but it provided a small comfort.
"Where am I?" she asked as her vision cleared.
No one answered. Ruby stayed behind. Why was that again? Refia shook her head. Not important. "Information," she reminded herself. "Just get the information."
First things first. What was her landing site like? Refia felt plush carpet under her boots and smelled smoke in the air. Apparently they still used incense in the future, whenever this was.
It was dark in the room, and chill. The electricity used in Queens didn't make it to this side of the world, judging from the cold and the lack of lights. Unlit torches lined stone walls, fire long gone given the lack of smoldering embers.
She reached in her mind for the power of the Thief, for its subtlety and agility. It came up empty and Refia froze. The power that was wrenched from her in the portal – one of the Crystals was out.
And to make matters worse, she landed in what looked like a royal bedroom. Not unlike the ones in Saronia. She turned to see a sheer-draped canopy bed, where a silent figure formed a lump in the sheets.
Silent. Not snoring. They murmured something, unintelligible to Refia's ears. She backed away slowly, a window behind her. The figure rose, eyes blinking in the dim light of the moon. It was a man, with silver hair. The king? Prince? A ward of the king?
Refia moved further, praying he wasn't alert enough to differentiate her from the shadows. He narrowed his eyes in her direction. Don't let him see, don't see—
The man shouted something and Refia silently cursed before making for the window changing to Dragoon—if nothing else she had to survive the fall—and jumped straight through the window.
Glass shattered against the impact of her armor and Refia fell. A cry rang through the castle grounds as bodies gathered and men shouted. How were there so many up at this hour?
On the bright side, if they had a library, it wouldn't be in the main building, so if she could just—
She landed and the squad in charge of the grounds charged. Refia leaped, using the power of the Dragoon to propel herself high enough into the air to allow for a good view of the grounds. Aside from this structure—the royal residence, Refia assumed—there were dozens of connected buildings. Was that a mage tower off in the distance?
More importantly, a gate marked the entrance to the castle and the surrounding buildings like the barracks and mage tower. When Refia landed, she prompted the guards to chase again since their aerial weapons apparently weren't available yet. She leaped again, this time launching at an angle so that she fell again just outside those gates. The squad hesitated.
And arrows thudded into the ground near Refia. She took the hint and changed to Ninja.
The city outside of the castle was more up to date, technologically-speaking. Odd, that the more sensitive, "important" part of the city that housed their king would be so primitive and yet the common peasants would enjoy the luxury of electric lights and fires. Refia pursed her lips as said peasants woke up to the commotion, curious heads peeking out their windows and looking for the cause of alarm.
Refia disappeared into the dark as soldiers filled the streets, hunting for the armor-clad figure from before. Refia feigned confusion, occasionally stopping to pull down her mask and ask a guard what was happening.
Eventually she ducked into an alleyway and collapsed against the wall, exhaustion hitting her like a brick. That leap through time took its toll and she was missing a key source of energy on top of that. She listened now, finally having time to discern the whisperings of the Crystals.
It's been years. Hundreds of years.
Refia closed her eyes, welcoming the familiarity of their voices. What's happened?
Seda is king again and has been for some time now. The Floating Continent drops further every day and the people evacuate.
The Wind Crystal? Refia thought, Where's Wind?
… Gone. We…
The link stuttered, words muting and unmuting, syllables tripping over each other. Refia blinked. She'd never felt that before.
Any other information you might need is inside King Seda's library.
Refia thumped her head against the wall. Getting back in there wasn't an option now.
Then there's another who might answer your questions. We'll guide you there.
Arc glared at the offensive journal in his hands. It had grown more battered in the time he carried it to the point where the covers threatened to fall off. He tried in vain to secure them, fingers coaxing up the corners to sit just a little straighter. He only succeeded in taking both off completely
His torso still hurt, despite the Crystal light inside of him being restored and Arc frowned, tears of frustration heating his face. He'd dragged Luneth, Ingus, and Refia into this, gotten one of them killed—even if Ingus was shortly revived by the Crystals—and lost the others. He even managed to hurt Monica and her friends in the process. All for the sake of this silly notion that he might have a "real" family somewhere in the world.
Fifteen years – Renee was a total stranger, and his brother would be no better. And then, worst of all, Aga, his father, may have been the cause of all this trouble in the first place.
The covers slid off the journal and Arc gave a sigh of disgust before throwing the blasted thing at the wall, causing it to burst in a shower of loose papers that scattered and blew across the ground. He'd regret that later.
Crystal voices murmured in his head, but he tune in. If it was important, Ingus would probably listen.
It felt like there something pulling on him and yanked at his nerves, a different pain from the hurt of his stomach. Something inside him ached, almost like it did when the other kids at Ur would tease him. Not because they hid insects in his shoes and dumped ice water on him in his sleep, but because they said he was different.
And because Arc knew they were right.
The door creaked open and Monica entered, looking a little worse for wear. In the midmorning light, he made out healing gashes and cuts he didn't notice before.
"I heard something," Monica said, darting suspicious glances around the room and lingering on the destroyed journal. "Did someone come in here? Are you okay?"
Arc slumped. "Yes."
"Yes as in someone came in to assault you, or yes as in you're okay?"
"I'm okay. It's just-… that man is-… Aga is… "
"A traitor," Monica said at the same time that Arc finished with, "My father."
They stared at each other for a moment.
Monica took a seat beside Arc's bed, jaw lax. "Your father?"
Arc sighed and nodded, pulling the covers up closer to his chin. Mumbled, "Yeah," and sunk further into the blankets. "I want to go home."
"Not much of an option, I'm afraid. I doubt the forces, fate, space, whatever thing it is that enjoys this twisted game is going to let us leave any time soon."
Arc paused. "It's not a twisted game."
"Isn't it?"
He wasn't sure what it was. It just was. He peeked out from behind the blankets. Life was hard sometimes. The Crystals didn't change any of that, for better or for worse. "Maybe it's life."
In the distance, someone screamed.
Arc started, shooting a look at Monica. "What was that?"
She furrowed her brow. "What?"
"That scream – someone's in trouble!"
"I didn't hear anything."
Arc frowned, settling back. "Sure?"
The pain from before worsened and something tore inside. He moaned and burrowed deeper into his blanket. Why did it hurt so much?
"I'm sorry," Monica said. Arc could barely hear her. He tried tuning into the Crystals, but their voices blended together into an incoherent mess of distorted cries. "I guess I got a little carried away."
Then the world stopped. A force hit Arc's chest, knocking the breath from his lungs. The Crystals' voices died in his ears and it something cracked inside of him.
Strong hands grabbed him and yanked him up.
Couldn't feel his limbs – he hit the bed again and didn't move. Sound muffled in his ears. He tried to move and barely managed to loll his head toward Monica, whose mouth moved without words.
He tried to speak, but his jaw didn't move like it should.
Monica moved toward the door and Arc cried out. She couldn't leave him like this!
She stopped and glanced his way.
"Don't-…" The numbess faded. "Don't go."
Fear in the lines on her face. "You don't need help?" The words sounded distant, but he could hear again.
Feeling returned in a dizzying surge, like blood rushing to the head only all throughout him. Like he went too long without eating. "'M… better. It's…"
The Crystals. That was the Crystals. One of-
Near the tower, they murmured. He came. He took its power, our brother, he drained it and-
Monica said something, a question that Arc didn't hear in the panic of realization.
"The Crystals!" He struggled to his feet and stumbled past Monica, towards the door. "They're-!"
"Wait!" Monica grabbed his shoulder. "What Crystals?"
"It's dead!" Arc reached helplessly for the door. "It's gone!"
Monica tightened her grip and her fingers dug into his skin. "What are you saying?"
"Ingus!" Arc yanked away from Monica and she followed him outside.
Ingus. He had to talk to Ingus. Thankfully Pao had ramps instead of ladders, and Arc didn't need to maneuver a wind spell to get down. Though, as it was, he almost tripped on the way across the swinging ramp. He felt really weak. His legs wobbled beneath him, and he felt a lot like he was trying to walk with stilts with no food in his stomach.
He pressed on and gritted his teeth against the pain flaring up in his back. He skipped past several hunters that exclaimed in worry at the sight of him, talking about things like "bedrest" and "healing."
He comes for us, the Crystals murmured. We need your help, Warriors. Come!
"Ingus!" Arc shouted. "Ingus!" If that man drained the Crystals, if he cut off their power, if their enemy offset the balance-
Ingus was there, leaning over a grinding stone near someone's home, gripping his spear for support. "I felt it," he hissed as Arc rushed over. "Fire."
Arc stopped and groaned as his back throbbed. Did he reopen the wound? "Fire…" He felt inside him for those jobs, for Geomancer, Scholar… "You're right. It's gone."
"By the Ancients," Ingus cursed softly, lifting himself to his feet. "We haven't time to rest, then."
"Wait," Monica said. "What are these crystals that I keep hearing about?"
"Protectors," Ingus said. "They take care of this world. Or, the equilibrium of it."
"They're the source of our power," Arc said. "But more than that, they guard the balance of darkness and light because if that balance is destroyed then time stops for everyone and the world is returned to the void."
"If the man with the gun drains all four Crystals," Ingus said, "The effects might even reach this continent. Our power ceases. The world, as we know it, is destroyed."
Monica pulled at one of her bags. "I still don't follow. You'll have to repeat that in more detail as we move."
"Ingus," Arc pressed, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder. "You have to leave me. I'm no good to you like this."
"I won't you behind."
"It won't help to bring me. Time is precious and I can't keep weighing you down like this!"
"Arc."
"No! Ingus, I'm tired of causing problems! Let me help you by staying and not interfering for once!"
Ingus grabbed Arc's shoulder and startled him. "If we have to," he said, "then we shall sit and wait in this same village until you stop thinking that."
"But-"
Ingus gripped Arc's shoulder harder, fingers digging through his coat. Arc winced. "No," Ingus whispered. "It would be quite imbecilic to leave a man behind. This is the Cloud of Darkness, who appears to be enacting much of the same plot as before. You think we should risk splitting up any further? They chose four warriors for a reason."
Arc looked at Monica, objections dying on his tongue. Crystals, but Ingus was right. They didn't have enough men.
"Can you move?" Ingus asked. "Speak honestly."
Arc hesitated. Moving hurt his back and he still felt weak. "We'll have to go slowly," he said at length.
Monica looked between the two and a look of concern crossed her face. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" she asked. "Even with this healing power of yours, I don't know that anyone should travel after taking a hit like that."
Before Arc could answer, Ingus said, "As long as he can still cast, it will be fine."
"Sounds like we should get going, then."