Voices were drawing her out of the darkness of unconsciousness. Her whole body ached, she could feel it as she slowly became aware of herself and her surroundings. The defeats she suffered at Qilby and Anathar's hands made her reluctant to wake, afraid of what she would witness if she were to open her eyes. More darkness? More pain? More horrific visions? There was talking, whispers and murmurs all around her, the words spoken inaudible. The voices sounded friendly, worried and young… unlike the mass of voices she heard within Shukrute that were cheering and eager for her humiliation and demise. Did the invasion come to an end? Was it over?
"Phae... Phaeris...?" Her eyes slowly opened when she came to after the quiet whispering of the dragon's name rooted her into reality, her sight blurry at first until it focused and revealed many pairs of eyes looking down upon her with worry and intrigue. "What…?" Her voice was weak and hoarse when she didn't finish her question, not recognizing any of the young faces that were gathered around her. Children... Young and full of wonder, their worried expressions changing with glee and excitement. These definitely weren't Shushus, but... where was she this time? Still on the island? What happened after she lost consciousness?
Her body stirred as she tried to sit up, her muscles aching along with her damaged skin as it needed to stretch with the moving of her sore limbs. Small hands pressed and pushed against her shoulders and back when she made the attempt, several of the children backing up to give her some room while others helped her to sit up. The soft whispering returned after Alys hunched forward and ran her trembling hands across her face, feeling disorientated while questions and worries kept plaguing her.
It was then she saw him from between her parted fingers and over the top of several colorful hats the children wore. A battered but familiar boy stood further away, conversing with a chubby but elderly looking dragon. Alys couldn't help but stare while her hands slowly dropped down from her face, her lower lip quivering as she had trouble comprehending if what she saw was real. "Yugo…?"
The soft calling of his name caused the boy and dragon to turn their heads and look to the female Eliatrope, whatever they were discussing interrupted but it didn't appear to bother them as Yugo's serious expression brightened up with a smile. He was shirtless, the remainders and shreds of the orange top and apron hanging down and over the rope belt he wore, his shorts tattered and his skin riddled with signs of injuries. His hat, torn and damaged, was tucked away behind the belt, his Wakfu wings visible for all to see.
It was truly him. Her little brother, safe and sound. Alys pressed her hands down upon the soft grass she sat on to lean forward and keep herself up, a tight feeling wrapping around her throat and chest before she let out a shuddering breath and hung her head, tears stinging behind her eyes. She had no idea what was going on or where she was, but the sense of relief which washed over her was overwhelming. The grass rustled when he approached her, a few of the children moving aside to let the boy through before one of his hands slipped onto her bandaged shoulder and rested there, lightly squeezing it. She clasped her hands before her face when a shudder went through her whole body, softly sobbing into her hands while Yugo wrapped his bruised and scraped arms around her. "Goddess, Yugo…" she uttered as she leaned against the boy who sat knelt beside her, the fight against her own emotions a lost battle with her mind being in disarray by all that had happened," I have been so worried about you..."
Yugo didn't release her when she clamped her arms around him and pulled him close, hiding her tear stained face away against his dirty blond hair while her shoulders shook with her silent crying. Even though he wasn't certain what Alys had gone through, she looked like she had enough bad experiences. Her clothes were torn, her dark blue veil hanging loose around her neck and shoulders with the familiar pin dangling from it, her thick wavy hair and Wakfu wings revealed to the world. The bandages wrapped around her chest were dirtied and though it made him wonder why she was wearing them, it were the more fresh looking injuries she bore which made him bitter. "I'm sorry," he said while his grip on her tightened, uncertain of what more to say while she stroked his hair and the back of his head in a loving and worried manner.
When Qilby sent him out to find his Dofus, he never imagined what grand scheme his so called king had planned. He didn't suspect a thing until it was far too late. When he saw Qilby next to the enormous appearance of Rushu and among the devastation which had befallen the Crimson Claws island, he knew he had been tricked. They all were. It was so very difficult to not grant Qilby a more severe punishment for all he had done after he was beaten into submission, the list of his crimes so very long. Centuries long...
She shook her head and leaned back to be able to look at the young Eliatrope, roughly wiping her own tears away with a trembling hand before she cupped his cheek. "It wasn't your doing, Yugo; nothing was. You only did what you thought was right… Goddess, I thought that-" She stopped herself, not wishing to think about death. Losing Joris was already difficult enough, the thought alone causing more tears to well up. She bit her lip until a soft but stifled sob close by made her inhale deeply and look to where the sound came from, seeing several children were fighting back tears as they watched the reunion.
There were so many… She was too confused, beaten and distraught to have noticed, her relief for Yugo being alive having distracted her from her surroundings. The children varied in age though all of them were young, quite young. Several of them wore hats which were similar to Yugo's and Chibi's while others wore nothing on their crown, their wings glowing bright and strong as they sprouted freely from the sides of their heads. They were all Eliatropes. Some were hurt though nothing too severe from what she could see, yet signs of battle were visible further away, the large grass field with the many yellow flowers showing small craters and torn up soil.
What had happened here, wherever here was?
She carefully reached out to the little girl who stood with eyes clenched shut and hands balled into tiny fists, large tears rolling down her cheeks while she softly sniffled in an attempt to stay strong for reasons Alys could not guess. The other children also seemed to internally struggle with withholding their emotions, their faces a mixture of smiles and grimaces. The girl's eyes snapped open when the tips of Alys' fingers gently caressed her jaw, staring at the female Eliatrope in startle before she let out a loud wail and threw herself at the woman to hug her.
Yugo released Alys when they suddenly got tackled by several children, the crying little girl causing a chain reaction to go off. He laughed as he was hugged by two toddlers before witnessing Alys toppling back into the grass as she was swarmed by crying and sobbing children, the bewildered look upon her face rather priceless after she laid there with her legs slightly held up in the air.
The world was turned upside down for a moment when she fell back by the sudden weight of the children, the girl who pounced her first clinging onto her while her tears stained the bandages Alys wore. Many of the children were talking at the same time. Some shouting, some laughing, others sobbing or whimpering, but she could make out some of the things said. That she was back… that they had missed her. She stared upwards through the haze of confused tears as she let the words sink in, before her eyebrows knitted together into a frown as something began to dawn upon her.
The sky overhead was filled with stars, but not just that. There were oddly shaped planetoids floating about, some glowing like the sun or the moon while others were green with lush grass or brightly colored with flowers. Some were round, others were oval with its center missing. Everywhere she looked, there was a sign of children or small planet-like structures. This was unlike what she had seen before, at least from what she could remember… and yet it felt familiar. It didn't phase her as much as it should. She… she had been here before. "Yugo, you…" she stammered after she looked at him when everything finally fell into place, the affection she was receiving from the children not wavering," you found the children."
His broad smile became wry before it turned completely somber after Alys expressed her realization, saying with a shake of his head," no… Qilby did."
The children's excitement died down after Yugo mentioned the one who had claimed to be their King and caused so much grief, a silence falling over everyone. Alys let her head rest on the grass while she observed the one who willingly accepted her into his peculiar little family, stroking the top of the green hat the girl wore while her other hand rested upon the back of a boy who sat next to her. "What happened here, Yugo…?" she finally asked, giving a voice to her wonders, though she instantly regretted it when Yugo's face distorted with an inner conflict at her question.
"Qilby," was the short answer, though it wasn't Yugo who gave it. The raspy voice came from the elderly dragon who had kept himself in the background, seated upon a tiny pillow as he levitated through the air and came a little closer to make his presence known. "He suddenly appeared with Yugo in this place, the Eliacube having led them here… Qilby wanted to convince the children and Yugo to join him on another journey through the Krosmoz, but they remembered how he was responsible for the deaths of their parents and family... They remembered all too well."
Alys stared up to the white scaled dragon as she slowly sat up, the shock apparent in her eyes though no word left her lips. Deaths...? How was Qilby responsible? What exactly had he done? There were so many children… To be responsible for the deaths of every single parent was difficult to comprehend; it was a massacre if one were to add up all the numbers. "How-?"
The dragon hummed softly in thought, a grumbling sound while he focused on the two Eliatropes who had fought Qilby in an attempt to stop him, though only one succeeded. "Most of the stories Qilby told you were not true, or so Baltazar reckons. The reasons behind the anger of the Mechasms and the Eliatropes being forced to travel the Krosmoz were all Qilby's doing. He was the one who took something from the Mechasms to create the cube… and he knew of the devastation we left in our wake every time we would leave another world, while we remained in ignorant and unknowing bliss about it all. His deeds weren't discovered until Qilby took the Eliacube and turned against his brothers and sisters in the midst of Orgonax's invasion… the final invasion we experienced and exterminated most of our kin."
"But… but why? Why did he do all this?"
"Boredom… madness…" the dragon summed up, having had the years to ponder and form an understanding as to why Qilby did what he had done. Several things were still inconclusive, the puzzle incomplete, but one could form a general idea after centuries of thinking in a place where time did not exist," Qilby was cursed with an eternal memory. No matter the amount of times he would reincarnate through his Dofus, he remembered all his previous lives while others forgot… Because he had seen and experienced so much without being able to rediscover it anew, there was nothing left to entice him. Life steadily became a pointless cycle and there was no escaping it. He had to witness his loved ones dying, only to be reborn and not remember him. He believed to be alone and misunderstood, and it made him bitter... " He glanced towards something one of the children close by him held in her arms, a pinkish red colored Dofus which shone in the natural light," he believed his sister Shinonome was the only one who understood his misery and suffering, and that he had her full support when others refused to give theirs, but… she could no longer bear witnessing all the sacrifices he made to find his own happiness. She intervened and cut the connection between Qilby and the Eliacube, stripping him from the cube's power while sacrificing her own Wakfu in turn."
Alys eyed the Dofus after she shuffled onto her knees and reached out for Yugo to hold him, asking quietly and with obvious reluctance," Qilby is dead…?" She felt Yugo twitch at her question, but kept his head down to not show the remorse and guilt he felt for what he had to do.
"No." Baltazar sighed through his nose, having witnessed the retaliation of Yugo and the children against Qilby the Traitor. "Qilby returned to his prison within the White Dimension… the one Yugo accidentally freed him from when he resonated with the Eliacube in the hopes to find his people. It was the very same prison Yugo locked Qilby away in when his treachery came to light during the Orgonax's invasion, so many years ago…"
Yugo. Alys' hands moved towards the boy's shoulders to bring him upright and look him in the eye, having to tilt her head and bend her neck to gaze upon his face as he deliberately kept it averted from her. He was ashamed and she could only guess as to why he felt such. Her nails almost dug into his skin while she had to bite back her anger and frustration, asking with a strain in her voice," was it Yugo who made certain Qilby returned to his prison…?"
"It was."
She bared her teeth with a disapproving scowl, the thought that a child as young as Yugo was forced to deal with a madman making her sick to her stomach. All these children… they had suffered and because of what? Because one man couldn't find peace with himself. What sort of madness justified this? Whatever could possibly make this right? "Why…?" she asked," why did it have to be Yugo? Why a child…? Couldn't you, or anyone…?" She didn't finish her question as she reminded herself that she wasn't at Yugo's side when he needed her; she was elsewhere biting the dust. She tried to stop Qilby on her own, but she was no match for him and the Eliacube and she therefore paid the price. But Yugo…
"Because Yugo is our King," Baltazar answered with a solemn yet proud demeanor," it was his fate."
"King…?" Her question sounded genuinely surprised, if not tainted with disbelief and her lingering frustration. Alys' eyes narrowed with a shake of her head, the revelation refusing to sink in until she noticed most of the children were smiling as they looked to the boy who sat with his head held low and his wings folded back.
"Baltazar knows how much you care about children, Alys," the dragon said with a light tilt of his head before he rose himself up from the small pillow to step off it and make his way over towards her and Yugo," we have spent many years watching over them here in Emrub together, but the Council of Six members are not like the children you see here and cared for. Yugo is part of an endless cycle, along with his brothers and sisters… they have destinies they need to answer to and for Yugo it was to put an end to the Traitor's madness and bring peace to his people. He truly is our King."
Her shoulders sunk a little when the truth came to light, another revelation she couldn't possibly have prepared for. To think that she would have known Yugo was the rightful king of the Eliatropes if she hadn't lost her memories… that knowledge alone could have prevented many terrible things from happening. It was still much to absorb, memories or not. Her little brother was truly not her brother, not by blood ties at least, and he was king she presumably once served. It felt peculiar, but she felt no objection other than that she believed him to be too young to wear that crown fate bestowed him.
Yugo took a deep breath, his chest and shoulders heaving with the filling of his lungs before he exhaled and said with a nod and a stern expression which gradually grew softer," Qilby is gone, hopefully for good. As long as the Eliacube remains in good hands, he will not have a chance to escape. It is over… and that is what matters." He glanced to Alys from the corner of his eyes before he turned his face to her, giving her a small smile. "I really thought you were safe in Sadida with Papa Alibert, Chibi, Grougal and Adamaï, but when I saw Adamaï with Qilby and Anathar, I became very worried about everyone."
"Qilby took Adamaï and Grougaloragran with him shortly after I denied him," Alys said quietly, bringing forth the memories of her rejection to his proposal, the trial which followed, the terrifying sight she had to witness in the throne room before it made way for Shukrute, the Shushus and Anathar hunting her down," he came for me and spirited me away to Shukrute. I… I don't recall how I ended up on the island. I was unconscious during the transition, having been beaten by Qilby when I tried to stop him from launching the Shushu invasion on the World of Twelve. I woke up in the presence of a dragon named Phaeris. He tried to watch after me but Anathar… Adamaï…" Her voice wavered when she thought about the torment the young dragon was put through. She hurt him during the attempts to save herself, even though she knew full well that it wasn't Adamaï who attacked her; it was Anathar who was in control.
Feeling her tremble after she lost her words, Yugo gave Alys a little nudge with his shoulder before he took her hands and said with a light shrug," Phaeris told me you were on the island, that he left you somewhere safe…" Alys blinked when Yugo brought up Phaeris but didn't interrupt him so he could continue to tell her how exactly she got to this dimension, holding his hand while she remained knelt before him," he didn't tell me how you got to Crimson Claws, there was so much going on at the time. But… after we defeated Qilby here and I locked him away, Baltazar told me he could use the Eliacube to make a portal to anywhere on the World of Twelve and while I thought of returning to Adamaï and Grougaloragran, I… I figured you may have wanted to come here, if you had the chance." He smiled down to her when she let out a quivering breath before squeezing his hand, her eyes glazing over with the appreciation," so I asked of Baltazar to try and find you on the island with the aid of the cube and… well, here you are."
During his own struggle, he thought of her… Goddess, how selfless could one possibly be? Alys let go of the boy's hand to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug, whispering to him as she held him against her," thank you…" This was something she wanted but never thought or expected to happen. To see their people, all these children safe and sound after all they had gone through, it made almost everything worth it. Almost… nothing could make up for the losses. "But what happens now?" she asked as she stroked his back with a thoughtful expression, her mind wandering to many places; Sadida, Emrub, Crimson Claws. With Qilby gone, what was to happen? The Shushus, the Council of Twelve, the Eliacube and all these children… what about them?
Baltazar sat himself down by the two Eliatropes before several of the children climbed onto his back or took a seat between his legs to join them. The old dragon had longed to see the female Eliatrope again, her presence dearly missed by both him and the children ever since she was mysteriously taken away from Emrub and into the World of Twelve. To hear her voice and see her smile was like a bandage on the wounds Qilby had raked open, giving off a sense that nothing had truly changed even though she didn't remember them. "Yugo will return to the World of Twelve to free Grougaloragran from Qilby's laboratory within the Zinit and reunite with his friends, while the Eliacube remains here with Baltazar and the children."
"Wait, the children are staying here…?" Alys asked baffled. Surely not? After all this time, the whole purpose of it all was to find other Eliatropes and build a new home for them in the World of Twelve. To hear such wouldn't happen was like a slap in the face, especially after all that had happened to make it come true.
"The World of Twelve isn't ready for our people, child… not after what has happened. Yugo still has much to learn, but once he is ready to be a true king for the Eliatropes, we will leave Emrub and make the World of Twelve our new home. Until that time, we stay here..."
While she had to agree with the dragon's reasoning as she had witnessed the objections and distrust from the representatives of the Twelve towards the Eliatropes after Qilby's betrayal, it didn't feel right. The female Eliatrope glanced to her young king, seeing him glance back at her with a silence that proved he wasn't standing fully behind the decision but knew it was for the best. One day soon, hopefully...
Alys rose a brow when someone took her hand, seeing two of the children had stepped forward while they loosely and with a certain reluctance held her hand or touched her arm. "Are you staying with us, Alys? Like before?"
The question took her by surprise, causing her to recline a little as she wasn't certain what to answer the boy. "I…"
"Please stay," another child urged before others joined in to express their plea, causing the female Eliatrope to look uncomfortable as she gently pulled her hand loose from the several small hands which took a hold of her.
Alys rose to her feet when the question and plea were repeated by the many children, her eyes large as she was overwhelmed by the sudden realization that these were the children she had cared for. She couldn't remember but she knew… all the faces she saw, all the voices she heard; she had been like a mother to all of them after they were sent into this dimension. She closed her eyes with a sinking of her shoulders as she mourned the lost memories, guessing she knew most of these children by name before the Eliacube tore her mentally apart and stole what was so precious to her. They had missed her and had been waiting for her return, now hoping she wouldn't leave them again.
"Alys…" Yugo's voice drew her out of her internal misery before he rose to a standing and gave her a small smile, saying with hesitance," you can stay if you want. This was your home and family… it only seems right." It was her choice, he knew that. These children had obviously missed her, their desire to have her stay with them like before hanging thick in the air. He didn't wish to pressure Alys into doing something she would regret, but it felt like she belonged here… no matter that those she came to know in the World of Twelve would miss her just as much.
Was he trying to encourage her? Alys looked from Yugo to Baltazar as the dragon was silent, saying softly to be honest about the situation," I don't know… but, this may be where I belong." Her past was in the eyes of these children. They could tell her so much, perhaps have her remember a few things while she could retake her role of watching over them. It was a future she could choose if she were willing.
"The choice is yours, child," the dragon said after noticing her struggle," but goodbyes must be said. Yugo needs to take his leave. Time does not pass here like it does in the World of Twelve and Grougaloragran remains trapped within the Zinit. He cannot linger any longer than he already has."
"I understand," she whispered, appearing to be torn about what to do. Grougaloragran needed to be freed and so she wouldn't try and make up excuses to not have to make a decision. She laid her hands on Yugo's shoulders as she stood tall before him, giving him a warm and caring smile. Her king and little brother… she would miss him dearly. "I am so proud of you…" She bent forward to place a tender kiss on his forehead after brushing his bangs aside, causing the boy to blush while a sadness was present in his brown eyes; he knew he would make the journey back to the World of Twelve alone. "This isn't goodbye… We will see each other again soon."
It was no definite answer. Soon could be this day or the next, or perhaps years from now, but she was going to stay and that was enough of an answer to him. Yugo slowly nodded before he threw himself against Alys to hug her tight, causing her wince in mild pain as she was still incredibly sore before she wrapped her arms around him to hug him back. It was never easy to say goodbye...
His apprehension did't go by unnoticed after he released her and turned away, saying quietly to Baltazar as he walked over towards the dragon," I am ready…" He gathered his courage to be strong when the dragon nodded and took the Eliacube between his claws after beckoning it towards him, using his own Wakfu to tear a rift through the fabrics of Emrub. Yugo wove goodbye to the children and Alys as he stood before the forming portal, not wishing to leave but knowing he had to. His life was in the World of Twelve and so was his future. Others needed him... At least it wasn't a farewell; he would see his people again, Alys included.
The portal didn't linger as it closed behind him the moment the young Eliatrope king made his way through it, reappearing within the belly of the Zinit while Emrub was sealed off once more. Baltazar flexed his stumpy claws after the Eliacube came to rest, humming softly in thought before he focused on the female Eliatrope who remained surrounded by the children that were happy she stayed. "Come child," he said while climbing back onto the small cushion to have a seat and levitate," while Baltazar has greatly missed you, we have much to discuss…"
To be continued