Chapter 8
"You're awake." Roxanne said walking around the cot and grabbing Varen's hand. She put her fingers near the inside of his wrist measuring his pulse for a few moments before setting it back down.
"Roxanne?" He asked looking around. He was in a tent large enough for the single bed he was in. Some salvaged medical equipment hummed quietly nearby attached to a portable generator. Amelia stood at a table nearby writing a few notes down with her back to him.
"I'm glad you are ok." The red haired Pandora said pulling a chair over. Lights were setup in the tent to illuminate the interior and he could tell that it was dark outside of the flaps.
"What time is it?" Varen asked and Roxanne looked over at a small clock on the nearby table.
"A little after one in the morning." Roxanne answered.
"So late…why are you here?" He asked as Amelia flipped her page of paper and continued writing.
"You seem to have recovered very well. That's good. We've spent all day and night making sure your vitals didn't drop. Also, I think we should talk." Roxanne answered.
"What about?" He asked. Amelia brought a chair next to Roxanne and sat beside her.
"About everything. We talked to the head of the medical department here, Elise Schmitz. There's a lot of information about you that needs answers or at the very least your input." Roxanne explained.
"We're with you, but we need to know what we're up against." Amelia added.
"You both sound nervous." Varen said.
"We are. Amelia and I have both been talking for the last few hours about the things we know compared to the things we do not. We need to know everything you know. Royal Blood attacked you and Arnette in a way unheard of before. Chevalier will be back to finish what they started." Roxanne said.
"We want to help, and together we might be able to piece things together." Amelia said. Varen took a deep breath and laid back staring at the ceiling of the tent nodding.
"Alright, where do you want to begin?" He asked. Amelia got her paper and pen preparing a fresh page. Roxanne grabbed a stack of papers and flipped through them stopping on one of the pages.
"Novaborn. Varen Askiligar and Rin Askiligar, the only two naturally born Novaborn to two non-genetically modified humans. Rin was your sister right?" Roxanne began.
"She was, yes. She died in a Nova attack some years ago before she could begin training as a Pandora." Varen answered. Amelia scratched on the paper writing notes down as the two talked.
"Chiffon Fairchild was another Novaborn. Born to Maria Lancelot and Aoi Gengo. You were her Limiter and still carry her stigmata in your back. What do you know about Maria Lancelot?" Roxanne asked looking up at him.
"I assume there is a point to this questioning?" Varen asked slightly irritated that he had just awoken and felt like he was being interrogated. Roxanne looked over at Amelia who stopped writing.
"Chiffon left you something, but you don't know what it is. I believe that even after she died Chiffon has and still does find ways to talk to you. More than the fact that I trust you, when the incident in Spireach occurred I saw her as well. The short time her and I spoke was within our minds and yet we could physically see one another. That alone makes me believe that although you said it is your inability to let go that keeps her here, I think she chooses to hang on." Amelia explained.
"She told me that unless I let go my sister and her can never truly rest." Varen responded.
"Yes, and yet she made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loved. Her friends are still in danger and I believe she knew this was coming. Whatever she did for you in her last moments is the key to everything. Until you can unravel that mystery I don't think she can rest." Amelia continued. Varen took a deep breath and shifted in the bed.
"I don't have any clue as to what she left. Not a thing. Chiffon was unique in many ways. She even made you into a real Pandora while simultaneously reversing your novalization. I don't feel any different physically nor does anything seem amiss mentally." Varen explained.
"So let's focus on what we already know. Before Chiffon died you were able to use the same abilities as Pandora. You can manipulate nova energy to create energy shields much like higher trained Pandora like Charles can do. You can summon a volt weapon of your own and so far have also been able to wield Arnette's. She said you can form connections with Pandora similar to what Amelia was describing Chiffon could do." Roxanne said and Varen nodded.
"Yeah, because my body is made up of a large quantity of Nova cells. That's what allows me to do the things I do." He answered.
"Dr. Aoi has stated in the past that there are laws governing the stigma material present in humans. He does not strike me as someone who would bend the truth or leave key details out of anything he reports." Roxanne stated.
"What laws?" Varen asked.
"A male possessing stigma material cannot wield nor summon their own volt weapon. Their abilities granted by a matured stigmata are that of a supportive role. They are granted the ability to control the freezing fields." Roxanne finished and Varen scrunched his face up.
"Yet, here I am as proof that his laws are wrong."
"What if they're not?" Amelia asked.
"I can summon a volt weapon and can use the same abilities you can. I'm the only male Novaborn so I'm an anomaly." He said, but Roxanne shook her head.
"His own daughter was a Novaborn. His lover was Maria Lancelot, the mother of Pandora. He would know more than anyone how a Novaborn would function. He never said anything about males being unable to use Pandora powers. True, standard Limiters cannot, but you can. The only thing he said as an absolute impossibility is a Limiter cannot summon their own volt weapon." Roxanne said. Varen tried to remain calm and not lose his composure as she spoke.
"Then why can I do it? You are repeating yourself, but it's no secret that I not only can summon my own volt weapon, but also wield Arnette's." He answered slightly irritated.
"He must have known that a male Novaborn could use Pandora powers so he never made the statement that male Limiters could not. I believe that the answers we seek are in the weapon you wield. A weapon that is impossible for you to have." Amelia said.
"I know it sounds like we're arguing with you about something that seems so obvious, but just try to consider what we're saying. What we're getting at is if a Limiter cannot summon his own volt weapon, then perhaps a male Limiter could wield someone else's. Most likely not even a normal Limiter, but a Novaborn Limiter could." Roxanne said. Varen sighed and closed his eyes nodding once.
"Ok, that would explain how I could wield Arnette's scythe, but I couldn't wield Ticy's sword. We tried. It also doesn't explain how I can call the sword I use." He said.
"A Limiter and his abilities have always been given by a Pandora. Everything about a Limiter deals directly through the Pandora and his strength comes from the bond he shares with a Pandora. As a Novaborn you can connect to any Pandora and draw from them regardless of a baptism. Can you say that when you tested it with Ticy that you were as close to her as you were to Arnette?" Roxanne asked.
"The first time I held her scythe we weren't close at all. She hated me and wanted me dead." Varen argued and Roxanne nodded.
"I read the reports. Perhaps she felt that way before, but the moment you moved to stand between her and the leader of the Novitiates she gave up her pride and entrusted you with her life. Do you understand? Implicit, non-conditional, and complete trust." Roxanne said.
"You were able to wield Scythe Machina because she trusted in you completely Varen. Maybe it was delusion from her injuries, but in that moment your hand took her weapon she trusted you to save her life. When you worked with Ticy was there the same level of trust?" Amelia asked.
"No…" Varen answered thinking back on the day. His mind started racing trying to find a counterpoint to their theories, but he found it hard to come up with anything.
"The weapon you wield is a sword with an auxiliary blade you can use in your offhand correct?" Roxanne asked.
"Correct, so explain that one to me." He said and Roxanne looked at Amelia before looking back at him.
"I can't. The only thing I'm almost positive about is that your sword is a Pandora's weapon. A Pandora who trusts you completely." She answered. They all fell silent for a few minutes letting that sink in. Varen stared back up at the roof of the tent contemplating everything they had discussed.
"So, how does this help?" He asked at last.
"Royal Blood can attack you in your mind if you open connections to Pandora. We also know that the only weapons that can seemingly harm them are Novaborn weapons. The one you wield is a Novaborn weapon and as Dr. Aoi said it proved effective now that you are paired with Arnette. You have wielded her scythe giving it the same properties as your sword. When the two are close to one another their strength increases." Amelia explained.
"Right, but based off what you said the sword I use isn't mine. Yet, it's a Novaborn weapon. Are you saying there's another Novaborn out there that trusts me or what?" He asked and Roxanne leaned forward in her chair putting her hand on his arm.
"There's one Novaborn who never wielded a volt weapon. She never had the chance to. That doesn't mean she didn't have one. I'm sure she trusted in you more than any other person in this world." The red haired Pandora answered. Varen turned and looked her in the eyes.
"Rin…"