Here's the next chapter, again, nothing will really change until the next chapter.
Let me know what you guys think in the reviews!
Episode 2- Valkyrie Dawn
A girl dressed in rags ran through a series of dark hallways, gasping for breath as she frantically tried to find the exit. She couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't make it out of here, then she could only hope that the people chasing her would kill her for trying to escape. Death was better than the invasive prodding that was being done to her day by day. One way or another, she was done with this place and the people in it.
The girl rounded another corner and ran right into a series of hanging threads of mana that immediately wrapped tightly around her body, lifting her up into the air despite her frantic struggle to free herself.
"How foolish of you to run," A heavily cloaked woman appeared in front of her floating a few feet away. "Did you really think you'd make it out of here?"
The girl froze, her eyes going wide as sweat trickled down her back. "No," she said, the word barely squeezing past her lips since her throat was constricted with fear. She swallowed thickly. "Are you going to kill me?" She knew that's what happened to people who tried to run; she had seen them be made an example of with their deaths and despite the fear coursing through her veins, she was glad her torment was finally going to be over. But the reaction she got wasn't the one she was expecting... not one bit.
The woman burst out laughing, the threads of mana tightening painfully around the girl's limbs until they cut into her flesh, drawing blood, and causing the girl to whimper in pain.
"You're not dying until I have what I want from you." The woman said, moving closer and gently stroking the girl's face. Her shadowed eyes searching for something.
"I don't have anything I can give you," The scream that tore from the girl's throat surprised them both. Clearly, neither of them had thought that she had it in her to scream at her tormentor. Perhaps it was a mixture of the realization that she'd have to continue to live through this hell as well as her anger that sparked her moment of courage.
That courage didn't last. The moment the last word left the girl's mouth the woman drew her hand back and backhanded the girl's face so hard, the sound of skin hitting skin echoed throughout the hall.
"You act like you want to die, but your spirit says otherwise," As she spoke more threads of mana wove into existence around them. "I won't let you die until I know where that spirit comes from."
"No," The girl said, understanding what was about to happen a moment before she let out an ear-splitting shriek as the threads holding her up lifted her higher so that the new threads of mana could stab into her skin, and bury themselves deeply into her veins, making her body feel as if it was on fire.
Her screams became choked as the threads made their way down her throat and other openings her abused body offered, violating her in every way possible.
The woman watched emotionlessly as her threads cruelly twisted the girl's body, blood dripping onto the ground as her arms and legs were twisted until they broke with sickening cracks.
Finally, the woman sighed with no regret evident, "It looks like you don't have what I'm looking for either." With a flick of her finger, the threads snapped the girl's neck before letting her body fall gracelessly to the ground. "On to the next," She mused walking away without a backward glance, leaving the girl for someone else to clean up.
Date: November 11, X792
Location: Artair, Albion, Valkyrie Dawn Guildhall
CRASH!
A girl with long bright golden hair jerked awake, her breath hitching in panic as her amethyst-colored eyes shot through the room, not recognizing her surroundings. She clearly wasn't in the room where she was normally chained up, instead the room she was in had stone walls, a polished dark wooden floor and a vintage desk and drawer that were set up in the corner of the room. She looked down and saw that she was sitting in a soft bed, a warm blanket covering her legs.
Where the hell was, she? She couldn't even remember a time when she wasn't constantly chained to the floor to stop her from escaping. And now that she thought of it, she wasn't chained either. She looked at her free wrists and saw that they were neatly wrapped in white bandages. It was a simple thing, but to her, having her wrist free felt amazing; to her it was freedom.
She was so focused on her wrists that she jumped when she heard someone clearing their throat. The girl's head snapped to the left to see a boy around her age with short platinum blonde that was styled back and almond shaped gold eyes sitting in a wooden chair a few feet away from her bed.
When he saw that he had her attention he gave her a kind smile, but it quickly faded when she stumbled out of the bed and onto the floor, her eyes wide with fear as she quickly backed away from him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," The man said quickly, holding his hands up in a placating manner and the girl saw that he was dressed rather simply; he was wearing a black bomber jacket over a gray hoodie with tight black pants and white shoes.
"That's what they always say," The girl snapped, glaring at him, trying to find the quickest way out. Now that she was free from the chains, she'd make sure they never chain her up again.
Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on a closed door. Without another thought the girl lunged for it, ignoring the cry from the boy behind her to wait.
She was just about to rip the door open before it opened from the other side, causing her to crash into a wide, broad chest. The girl stumbled back, completely expecting to crash back to the ground when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her from falling.
The girl looked up and met a familiar pair of eyes; they were the eyes of the person who had taken her out of the mountain. And she was realizing that they were in the same position they had been in then: with her against his chest and his arm wrapped securely around her.
Her face burned as she jerked back, looking up at him. "Where'd you bring me?" She demanded; she knew she shouldn't have trusted him. She was hoping he'd leave her in the forest, not bring her to another unknown place.
"This is the Valkyrie Dawn guildhall," It wasn't him who answered and for the first time, the girl realized that he wasn't alone. He had two other people with him: One was a woman who looked like she was in her forties, she had deep olive toned skin, straight, waist length silvery-white hair and reddish-pink eyes. She wore a simple white button-down shirt with sleeves that went to her mid-biceps under a deep tan colored, fur-rimmed vest, dark brown leather pants and black boots that went to her knees.
"And you are?" The girl asked, eyeing the woman with distrust clear in her deep purple eyes. She didn't recognize anyone here besides the guy who saved her, and she wasn't even sure if she could trust him. If she was honest, this situation was almost worse than seeing her tormentors. Almost. But at least they had been familiar.
"I'm Farrah Solberg, Valkyrie Dawn's guild master." She nodded towards the other person who had come into the room: it was a man with a rather soft and feminine face, his pale blonde hair was braided over his shoulder, reaching his waist and his pale gray eyes had a kindness that the girl wasn't used to. In all honestly, she would have thought that he was a girl if it wasn't for the loose green wizard robes the man wore, revealing his flat, muscled chest. "This man here is Gideon, the Sanctuary of Sage's foremost healer. He's the one who helped heal your wounds."
"And how'd I get here?" She asked, needing the question answered before this discussion continued. She couldn't trust these people at least not yet and the longer her first question remained unanswered the larger her anxiety grew.
"Gian and the others brought you here," Farrah answered, giving her a gentle look before laughing slightly. "I was really surprised when they burst through the guild doors with you in their care."
The girl looked at Gian, "Why don't I remember that?"
"You lost consciousness sometime while we were running," Gian explained. "Once we got here, Master immediately sent word to the Sanctuary, and they sent Gideon to look at your wounds."
"Otto was a lot of help," Gideon said, smiling at the boy who had been staying in the room with her.
"I didn't do much," Otto said, giving her a kind smile, "I could have just as likely poisoned you," He laughed.
The girl flinched away, her eyes going wide, "What?" She asked.
"Oh," Otto turned sheepish as the other three turned to glare at him. "Sorry, it was a joke. I meant to say that all I did was mix the herbs. There's very little chance I'd actually poison you, you know since Gideon was there with me. Now if he accidentally poisoned you then we'd be screwed-"
The girl listened as Otto babbled on nervously, uncertain if she should interrupt him or not.
"-you know what is poisonous? Hemlock. Nightshade is another good one-" Otto finally cut off when Gideon put his hand on his shoulder. Otto met the older man's eyes and grinned sheepishly, running his hand through his hair.
"Otto, why don't you and I get more medicine? I think Farrah wants to talk to her guest."
Otto immediately straightened up, "Right," He gave the girl one more sheepish smile before following Gideon out of the room.
"Do you want to sit down?" Farrah asked once Gideon and Otto were gone.
The girl just looked at her uncertainly and after a moment Farrah sat down on the chair that Otto had been sitting on, looking at her expectantly while Gian positioned himself beside the Master.
The girl looked between the two of them, weighing her options before sighing. With the two of them in here she doubted that she could escape even if she wanted to. And since Gian did save her, she probably did owe them some of her time, even if it did feel like an interrogation.
She took a seat on the bed, looking at the two of them expectantly. "So where do we start?"
"How about your name?" Farrah asked.
The girl opened her mouth but after a moment shut it, coming up with a blank. "I... don't know." She said, alarm forming in her chest. "I don't know my name."
Farrah's brows furrowed, "Do you know where you're from?" The girl shook her head wordlessly, the panic mounting inside her.
Every time she tried to remember her name, or where she was from, she drew a blank. It was the same when she tried to remember her family; she couldn't think of them at all. It was like they never existed. But she had to have had one, right? Didn't everyone?
"I... I honestly don't know..." The girl trailed off, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I can't remember my family either."
"What can you remember?" Gian asked in concern.
"All I remember is being chained in rooms similar to the one you found me in and Hydra's Wroth. I don't remember how long I've been their plaything. It feels like forever sometimes."
"Nothing else at all?" Gian pressed. "What about the other children and teens we found?" He shuddered at the memory of finding the corpses of the children. "What happened to them?"
The girl shivered too, remembering the Madam and the thread thin mana that floated around her. "The Madam happened. She's a cloaked woman who uses some sort of... string magic? I don't know what it is, but she shoved her magic down our throats all the time. She's looking for something from us, but I don't know what. She's also obsessed with life."
"And that's not what she's looking for?" Farrah questioned. She remembered Hilda and Rhys telling her about this woman, remembered how they said that she had somehow ripped the lifeforce from one of her subordinates.
The girl shook her head, "From what I understand, everyone has life, so even though she takes it carelessly, it's not what she's looking for. Or it's not all she's looking for. All I remember is being chained and having her magic force into me..."
"And the Madam did this to everyone?" Gian demanded, wishing that he'd been the one to find her instead of Hilda and Rhys.
He wasn't sure he would have been able to capture her, but he would have died trying. People like her was the reason why he chose to follow the path of Laias, so he could stop wickedness from spreading but it seemed like he still failed.
The girl nodded, she did it to everyone and sometimes she would go until they died but she wasn't the only mage her who enjoyed doing whatever she wanted to our bodies, there were others too. But the one I interacted with the most was the Madam and the Doctor."
"The Doctor?" Farrah asked, her brows furrowing. "Was he in charge of the experiments?"
"Some of them, but unlike the Madame he uses machines and chemicals." The girl said, remembering seeing some of the teens being melted from the inside out as his chemicals were injected into them. She honestly didn't know who had been worse.
Farrah nodded silently, she was silent for what seemed like eternity and it but the girl on edge; silence was never a good thing from what she could remember. Farrah must have sensed her unease since she gave the blonde a kind smile before pushing to her feet. "I'll speak to Gideon about your amnesia and see if we can do anything about it."
"Really?" The girl couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice as her eyes narrowed on the older woman. Yes, she had been cooperating with their questions, but that was more like a survival instinct to her; she had learned quickly that if she answered questions quickly then the torture would stop faster. But she didn't know these people and as far as she could tell, their kindness may fake. They had no reason to be so lenient or patient with her. The mages at Hydra's Wroth certainly hadn't been.
Farrah nodded again before kneeling in front of the girl and even though the girl flinched away Farrah just met her eyes steadily with her own. "I know that you're scared, and I understand that you can't bring yourself to trust us right away. But please trust that we don't mean you any harm. What I want is to make sure that your injuries are healed and if you want to leave any time after, you can. We won't stop you."
The girl stared back at Farrah in silence and the guild master waited patiently for the girl to come to a decision. The girl weighed the sincerity in Farrah's words and while she couldn't trust these people, part of her wanted to believe in the sincerity in Farrah's eyes.
Finally, the girl nodded silently, and Farrah sighed in relief before pushing herself up to her feet. "I'll have someone bring you a change of clothes and some food. Meanwhile, Gian will stay in here with you."
"As a guard?" The girl challenged.
"No, to keep you company. I'll send someone to bring you new clothes soon," Farrah promised before leaving the room and suddenly it was just the girl and Gian.
The two of them sat together in uncomfortable silence. The girl stared down at her lap, but she could feel Gian's heavy gaze on her. It was clear he wanted to say something but just didn't know how to.
"What do you want?!" The girl finally snapped, unable to bare the silence or his gaze anymore, her clear amethyst-colored eyes shooting up to meet his greenish-blue ones.
Gian looked away, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop it.
The girl looked at him, her face blank but the utter confusion clear in her eyes. She may not know her name or have any of her memories but even she knew that it was stupid that he was blaming himself for what had happened to her.
"You couldn't have known," The girl finally said, feeling that this conversation was ridiculous. "It's not your fault and you're not expected to save everyone."
"It feels like it is," Gian said, looking at her. "I'm one of Laias' Blessed, I should be trying harder to make sure no one suffers. I was chosen after all."
"I don't know what being Blessed means and I don't understand the big deal about Laias," The girl pointed out.
"Of course not," Gian said trying to find the simplest way to explain what being Blessed was to her, "Well I think I mentioned before that Laias is the Goddess of light and creation. Without her, Orcana would have fallen to the demons centuries ago, that's why most people in Orcana follow her teachings. But among those who follow her faith, every few centuries seven individuals are chosen and Blessed by her, giving them access to magic that no other mage may use." He paused, looking down at her hands, "I'm one of those Blessed individuals."
"You don't seem so happy about it." The girl pointed out, noting the down-cast look in his eyes.
"I don't deserve to be one of her Blessed," Gian's fist tightened until his knuckles turned white and the girl scooted away from him, taken aback by the sudden venom in his voice.
Noticing her movement, Gian looked at her. "Sorry," He rubbed the back of his head. "It's just... I don't feel like I earned being Blessed by Laias. How can I be worthy of her blessings when I failed every single time to protect the people who mattered the most to me?"
"You've lost people?" The girl asked, curious. Maybe if she heard about other people's past, it would help her remember her own history.
Gian hesitated a bit before deciding that telling her a bit of his history would probably build some trust, "They all died trying to protect me." And it was in those moments in his life that he regretted the most:
He was only five the last time, he saw his mother: her face was bloodied and covered in soot, her brown hair a tangled mess, but she had looked so brave and unendingly kind as she looked at him one last time, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Gian... be brave... be kind... I-I love you so much" Her words had choked up at the end but those were the last words he ever heard his mother say before light blinded his eyes and he didn't remember anything after that. He later learned that she had somehow sent him away before she was slaughtered alongside the rest of his small town by a horde of demons.
His mentor had been killed because he wasn't strong or brave enough to help him fight off a group of mercenaries that had cornered them.
His mentor had been a seasoned Sentinel of Caelestine, but the mercenaries had outnumbered them two to one. Gian had wanted to fight till the end, but his mentor had pushed him away and told him to run... and in the end... he had.
He ran with the hopes of bringing reinforcements to save his mentor's life, but even as he ran, he had known it would be too late; he hadn't been blind to the injuries that littered his mentor's body or the way the older man had been slowing down with each of his attacks.
His mentor had fully expected to die and to save Gian, he had told Gian to run... running that day was still one of Gian's biggest regrets.
Gian had been too weak again... he had finally reached his dream of being a Sentinel of Caelestine but again... he wasn't strong enough to protect the ones he had loved. He fell limply to his knees, eyes never leaving the body of his childhood friend she lay in front of him, blood already pooling around her body as her fading hazel eyes met his.
"... will you pray with me?" She asked softly. "M-maybe if you do, Laia will hear my last prayer."
"Of course," Gian said, giving her a weak smile, clasping her pale hand with his shaking ones as they prayed together.
In truth, he couldn't remember what she had prayed for, all he had been able to focus on was her hand getting colder and colder in his until it eventually went limp.
It had only been a few months after his friend's death when he was chosen by Laias as one of her Blessed and he hated it. He had failed so many times. He didn't deserve to be chosen by her.
The girl watched Gian, his eyes were distant, clearly lost in his memories, and his fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Her survival instincts screamed at her to get as far away from him as possible but there was another part of her that felt like she couldn't leave him alone.
Slowly, she apprehensively made her way towards him, gently placing her hand over one of his, causing him to flinch and snap back to the present, his greenish-blue eyes meeting hers.
"Are you okay?" She asked brows furrowed warily as she looked at him. He had saved her after all; the least she could do was make sure he wasn't about to suffer a mental breakdown.
Gian blinked a couple of times before taking a shaky breath. "Yes. I'm sorry if I worried you." He said, giving her a weak smile.
The girl shook her head, "I probably shouldn't have asked... I'm sorry."
Now it was Gian's turn to shake his head, "It's fine." The two descended into silence, unsure of what to say to each other. Both knew that it wasn't actually fine; Gian had been scarred by his failures and the girl had no idea how to respond to it so she asked the one thing she shouldn't have.
"How did they die?" She asked, looking up at him with curious eyes.
Thankfully, there was a knock on the door before Gian could respond and he let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he wouldn't have to answer her question. He didn't know if her amnesia was the reason why she was so blunt and tactless or if that was just who she naturally was. He really hoped it was the former. "Come in." He finally said, looking towards the door.
The door opened a moment later to reveal a girl who was a few years older than her with deep olive-toned skin, dark wavy hair that reached down to her hips, and large olive-colored eyes. The older girl was also wearing a sleeveless orange dress that had cream-colored frills at the top of the bodice and hem of the skirt, ankle-high boots, and matching orange bands around her biceps.
The girl eyes the newcomer warily, noting that the darker-haired girl seemed to be holding a white box with a red cross on it and some clothes.
The girl took calming breaths, as she took in the girl opposite her, who was she? She was sure that if she was an enemy Gian would have jumped into action so she must be a friend.
"How are you feeling?" the dark-haired girl asked kindly, there was something soothing about her voice and the girl felt her muscles relax slightly, there was something about her voice that made her feel safe and warm.
"...I'm okay, I guess. Who are you?" The girl asked, unable to help herself. She may not be Gian's enemy, but she may end up hers.
"My name is Mae, I'm a mage of Valkyrie Dawn, just like Gian," The girl said, smiling reassuringly at the blonde before looking at Gian. "Master sent me to get her cleaned up. Can you give us the room?"
Gian wordlessly nodded and stood up from his chair, "I'll see you in a bit." He said to the blonde before moving to leave.
At the thought of Gian leaving the girl panicked slightly, she may have only spoken to him a bit, but at this point, he was the one she recognized the most and she didn't want him to leave. "Don't leave! Can't you stay? I don't even know her!"
At the question, Gian's face turned completely red, for reasons unknown to the girl and he stuttered a response, "I-I can't stay! That would be completely inappropriate!"
"I won't hurt you," Mae said, seeming to read her thoughts, or maybe her fear was clear for them both to see.
The girl still eyed Mae warily before looking back at Gian. He caught her gaze and gave her a kind smile. "It'll be alright," He said, "I trust Mae with my life."
And that meant she was supposed to trust her? She wondered silently, but she guessed she had no choice; Gian's face was still red for some reason and if she wanted their help, she did have to try and trust others.
"... alright," The girl said, watching Gian nod one more time before leaving her with Mae.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Mae said, leading the girl to the bathroom, filling a bucket with warm soapy water before producing a soft-looking cloth and that's when it finally clicked in the girl's head what was happening.
"You don't have to help me get cleaned up, I can do it myself." It was true, she didn't have many memories, but she did faintly remember cleaning herself with a rough brush and ice-cold water every once in a while, in Hydra's Wroth care.
"Nonsense, you're our guest and hurt." Mae objected. "I'll be done before you know it." And she meant it because before the girl could even blink Mae had her out of her nightgown and was working on cleaning her up.
Mae worked quickly and efficiently, scrubbing at the girl's pale skin, and washing her thick golden hair with gentle hands before cleaning her wounds and wrapping new clean bandages around her limbs. She then helped the girl into the new clothes that she had brought with her and now Mae was combing the girl's thick bright gold hair out so she could braid it.
"Thank you," The girl finally said, they were back in the main bedroom, and she was seated in a chair facing away from the mirror so that she couldn't see herself. Apparently, Mae wanted her to be surprised by her new makeover as she called it.
"Oh, it's no problem," Mae said, as she worked on the braid. "I wanted to help, but I am sorry if I did come off a bit pushy." She laughed.
Only a bit? The girl couldn't help the small smile that formed on her own face. The hospitality was maybe a bit much, but she couldn't deny that it was nice to have someone looking out for her for a change even if she didn't get the reason why. "Why are you guys... being so helpful?"
Mae hummed, "Because you needed help, that's all the reason we need."
"Even if you didn't know me?" The girl asked.
Mae nodded, "It doesn't matter if we know you or not. If a person is in need, we'll help them."
"Because you have to?" The girl asked.
"Because we want to," Mae said as she finally finished braiding the girl's thick blonde hair away from her face. "Or at least I do. There's nothing I want more than to see others happy."
The girl was quiet for a bit, "I... don't think I understand that." She confessed, she had been surrounded by so much pain and suffering for so long that she wasn't sure if she could ever find joy in others' happiness. Not when she couldn't even find her own.
"Maybe you will one day," Mae said, tying a bow around the end of the girl's braid before taking a step back to admire her work. "Done. Why don't you take a look at yourself?"
Part of her was honestly scared to see her own reflection after being scrubbed clean, the last time she had seen herself in a mirror, her skin had been caked with dirt and her a tangled mess; what would she look like now? Slowly she turned to face the mirror and gasped at what she saw:
Her skin was clear of any dirt and was pale and smooth, and her bright golden hair was combed and pulled back into a thick, braid that ended at her waist, with strands framing either side of her face and leaving her large, clear, amethyst-colored eyes for all to see.
Clothing wise, she was wearing a black, high-collared shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows, blue and yellow lines running along the hem of the sleeves, and over the shirt she wore an iris blue dress with thin straps, a heart-shaped bodice, the skirt of the dress going down to just pass her knees, the hem of the dress being lined with yellow. Finally, she had also been given light brown mid-calf high boots. It was simple but she looked...
"I look human..." She breathed out, unable to look away from her reflection as she felt her eyes start to sting but she pushed back the tears. It wouldn't be good to let someone she didn't know see her cry.
"You look like you," Mae corrected, unable to hide the large, joyful smile that was forming on her face. "Do you like it?" She asked eagerly.
"It's... more than I could have ever asked for." The girl said, turning to look at Mae. "... thank you." She said sincerely.
Mae looked taken aback for a moment before she shook her head, a kind smile on her face. "There's no need to thank me, I've only given you what was already your right to have."
The girl looked at her in awe before slowly going back to look at her reflection, not knowing what to say to that.
Mae let the girl look herself over a bit longer before speaking, "Now that you're cleaned up, do you feel like eating anything?"
The girl turned to Mae, opening her mouth to speak but before she could her stomach let out a loud growl, causing her face to redden as Mae burst out laughing.
"I'll take that as a yes," Mae laughed, and after a while, the girl just smiled at her sheepishly.
Once she had calmed down, Mae looked at her, contemplation in her olive-colored eyes. "Do you want to eat in the room, or do you want to try venturing outside and eating in the dining area of our guild?"
The girl gulped at the thought of leaving the room. But she also knew she had to eventually and if everyone was like Gian and Mae, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But on the other hand, it would probably be best to pace herself.
"Would it be alright if I just ate in here today?" The girl asked.
Mae smiled, "Of course, stay here and I'll bring you back something nutritious, your body needs it."
"Thanks," The girl said.
Mae nodded and headed out of the room, closing the door gently behind her and finally leaving the girl alone for the first time since she had woken up.
Now that she was alone the girl settled back onto her bed and thought. So much had happened in such a short time. Could she really trust these people? They seemed trustworthy, but she couldn't be sure. There was no one she could remember outside of being tortured and experimented on by Hydra's Wroth, so in all honesty, she wasn't the best judge of character. She knew she at least hoped that she could trust them. She had nowhere else to go if she couldn't; with her luck, she'd probably run right back into the clutches of another dark guild. In their clutches and once again chained and tortured... or worse: killed.
She was jolted from her admittedly dark thoughts by the knock on her door. That was quick. "What do you want?" She didn't know what else to say.
"Can we come in?" The voice surprised her, it wasn't Mae like she had thought, but Gian. Maybe he was with Mae?
"Come in...?" The girl winced with how her voice came out, but she wasn't used to having people wait for her invitation, when she was a captive, the dark mages just came and went as they pleased.
Gian pushed open the door and like she had guessed, he wasn't alone, but what surprised her was that he wasn't with Mae like she had thought but with three other people who looked vaguely familiar.
"Sorry," Gian said, catching the surprise on her face, he walked into the room with a tray of food in his hands, "I didn't mean to blindside you, but they wanted to see if you were okay."
At those words, their faces clicked in her mind, even if their faces were hazy, the three with Gian now were the same people that were with him when he first saved her.
"It's... okay." The girl said, looking down at her hands, unsure what to do. The reason she had wanted to eat in the room was, so she didn't have to meet anyone else, but she guessed that she did owe them some gratitude for saving her. "I'm glad to meet you again and I should be thanking you for saving me."
"No need to thank us beautiful," The guy with orange eyes said, "We were just doing our job, and being able to see your pretty face is reward enough."
The girl with the reddish-pink eyes smacked him on the back of the head, "Hold your tongue Idiot. She's dealing with enough, she doesn't need your idiocy to add to her troubles."
"Harsh Hilda," The guy winced, rubbing his head where Hilda had hit him before looking back at the girl, only to freeze. His brows immediately furrowed, and all the playfulness left his eyes as he gazed at her intensely.
"W-what is it?" The girl asked, her body stiffening at the look he was giving her.
"What did you say your name was?" Rhys asked.
"She doesn't have one," The girl who had been with Gian when he first found her reminded him. What was her name again?
"My name is Cress," she said, her plum-colored eyes meeting her amethyst ones. Had she asked that out loud?
"I'm sure I have a name; I just can't remember it." The girl said, looking at Cress before looking back at Rhys. There was still some intensity in his gaze but now he looked more like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I'm sorry about that."
Rhys blinked, the intensity leaving his eyes as an easy smile appeared on his lips. "No need to apologize, you just looked familiar, my mistake." He shrugged.
The girl looked back at him, she was no one to judge, but it seemed like he was forcing his nonchalance.
"Anyways..." Gian cut in, pulling a small table in front of where she was sitting and setting her food tray in front of her. "About a name, I was thinking we could call you Jeanne."
"Jeanne?" The girl asked, blinking stunned at him. Did he just name her?
"Yeah," Gian looked sheepish, "I was thinking, and even if you leave the guild as soon as you fully recover, you can't go around without a name. Right now... you're like a blank slate, this is a new beginning for you, isn't it?"
"I guess..." The girl said thinking. The name had a nice ring to it... she pulled the tray of food to her and saw that it was a type of stew with bread.
She took a bite and couldn't stifle the moan that left her lips. She couldn't remember tasting anything so good before; she honestly didn't think she'd ever tasted anything besides the gray slop that Hydra's Wroth force-fed them. She quickly took another bite and completely missed the looks of amusement her guests shared.
"Jeanne? Cress asked, tilting her head in thought, watching with slight amusement as the girl took another bite. "After Jehanne?"
Hilda nodded her head in agreement, "That's a good name. I think it would fit."
"Whose Jehanne?" The girl asked, swallowing her food. To be honest, she was barely paying attention to their conversation, most of her focus being on her food.
"She was a Valkyrie who fought alongside King Liam five hundred years ago. Jehanne the Protector. Legends say that she gave her life to create an ark that transported civilians out of a kingdom that was being overrun with demons."
"And... you want to name me after this person?" the girl asked.
"I think it's a good name," Cress said, looking at her, "She's seen as a figure of new beginnings and Jeanne is the simplified version of her name, so it fits."
"I like it." The girl asked, a smile forming on her face. It did feel like it fit. "Jeanne." She felt warmth shoot through her. It was a little thing, but the idea of having a name felt good.
"I'm glad," Gian said returning her smile.
"Hmmm..." Jeanne happily finished the rest of her food in a few quick bites, stuffing the bread into her mouth unceremoniously. A new beginning indeed.
The four others in the room just stared at her, stunned at how fast she had eaten, and she shrugged. It was a rule of survival to eat as fast as you could otherwise your food would be stolen.
Jeanne gazed back at them until her eyes landed on Hilda. "Are you related to Farrah?" She asked suddenly, she had the same facial features, hair, and eyes as the older woman she had met earlier; the only difference was their skin color.
Hilda looked taken aback by the question but nodded. "Yes, she's, my mother."
"It must be nice to be related to the person in charge," Jeanne mused.
Hilda shook her head, "She doesn't give me any special attention if that's what you're implying. She treats me equally and expects a lot from me, but" a small smile formed on her lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
There was no hiding the awe in her voice as she spoke and her eyes which had been passive before were burning bright with admiration, "I'm grateful to be the daughter of such a strong and amazing person, I can only hope to live up to her expectations."
"What are the expectations?" Jeanne asked curious.
"To heal Valkyrie Dawn's reputation. My mother played a large part in why the guild is still around and now it's my job to raise the guild back to the top."
"What happened to the guild?" Jeanne asked curious. She hadn't met everyone, but the ones she had met seemed good.
"That's a story for another day I think," Jeanne jumped and swung around to face the door to see Farrah and Gideon standing at the opening.
Farrah moved into the room, Gideon moving behind her, "How are you feeling?" She asked kindly.
"Okay. I feel better at least," she said, she paused, thinking for a bit before glancing at Gian. "And... do you think you can call me Jeanne?"
"Jeanne?" Both Farrah and Gideon echoed in surprise.
She nodded, "Gian suggested that I couldn't go without a name, and they told me that Jeanne came from Jehanne, a figure that signified a new beginning."
"I thought it would suit her," Gian said looking slightly embarrassed.
"It has a nice ring to it," Farrah agreed. She smiled at the blonde girl, "It's nice to meet you, Jeanne."
"It's nice to meet you too," Jeanne replied, the more others used her name, the more she was finding that she liked it. Well, she liked having a name in general.
"Well... Jeanne," Gideon stepped further into the room past Farrah, testing her name. "How are you feeling?" He took in her new appearance and the empty tray of food in front of her, glad that she already looked much better than the last time he had seen her.
"I feel okay." Jeanne said, it was true, she wasn't a hundred percent yet, but she felt better than she had in a long time."
"That's good," Gideon said, giving her a relieved smile, only this time, Jeanne noticed a strange intensity in his eyes, it was similar to the look Rhys had given her earlier and it put her a bit on edge. "Farrah told me you have no memories of the time before your captivity in Hydra's Wroth."
Jeanne nodded, "Do you think it's because of magic?" She asked, wondering if it could be reversed. She was so curious about her past, she wanted to know who she was.
"It could be," Gideon nodded, "They may have erased or suppressed your memories of a life before being experimented on in some way, making sure all you knew was your time in Hydra's Wroth and only knowing what they wanted you to... or," He trailed off, clearly hesitant to continue.
"Or what?" Jeanne pressed, dread filling her.
"Or... alternatively you were either born in captivity from the beginning or you may have just been too young to remember a life before Hydra's Wroth took you." Gideon finished, his words causing Jeanne to shudder.
"There's no way!" Jeanne protested vehemently. "I know I wasn't always there." She didn't know why, but she was certain of it.
"Didn't you say you had no memories?" Cress asked, "How can you be sure you weren't?"
Jeanne looked down at her lap, noting that her hands were clenched tightly. "A feeling. I can't explain it, but I know I had a life before Hydra's Wroth even if I can't remember it." The certainty in her voice stopped them from questioning her further.
Gideon looked at Jeanne silently before pulling out a small bottle from his cloak. The bottle itself was clear, showing the blue liquid in it. He shook the bottle gently, allowing the liquid to slush around, and to make sure Jeanne saw it before putting it on the table before her.
"What's that?" Jeanne asked curiosity and apprehension in her voice. Potions never meant anything good in her world.
"A memory potion," Gideon said simply, meeting her eyes reassuringly. "Being a Healer has taught me to always be prepared for any scenario. I always carry a bit of everything with me."
"If I drink it, will it bring my memories back?" Jeanne asked, feeling a bubble of hope rise in her chest before it was promptly crushed by Gideon.
"It won't. Or at least it won't completely. It'll help draw memories out if they are there, just flickers of memories but at least it'll be something. This way, it'll help me to see if you have no memories or if they were suppressed or erased, and then we can proceed with the right medicine."
"What if they're erased? How would I get my memories back?" Jeanne asked, her stress building in her. If she had memories but they were erased wouldn't the end result still be no memories?
"Memories are never truly gone," Gideon said soothingly, kindness in his gray eyes as he gazed at her, "Memories don't just reside in your brain, but in your body, heart, and soul as well. As long as you have those, the memories you make will never truly be gone."
Jeanne pondered his words, it didn't make sense to her, but as long as he was certain, she'd try to believe her memories would come back. "Do you want me to take it now?" Jeanne asked.
Gideon nodded, "I think now is a good time, the potion won't kick in right away, but I believe the sooner the better."
Jeanne nodded and even though she still had some hesitation about putting an unknown substance into her body, she uncorked the bottle and downed the liquid; being pleasantly surprised by how it tasted like nothing, unlike the disgusting potions that were forced down her throat in Hydra's Wroth.
Gideon watched as she emptied the bottle before a surprised look appeared on his face. He started to rummage through his bag while talking, "I'm so sorry, I should have asked this before you drank the potion but is it okay if I take a sample of your blood? If I do it now, the potion shouldn't interfere with your blood results." He rummaged through the bag that he had with him, pulling out a needle. It wasn't even that long, but the sight of it caused panic and fear to surge through Jeanne's body and she acted before she could even think.
She shoved the table away from her, sending it crashing to the floor, and bolted for the farthest wall away from Gideon, pressing her back to it as much as she could; the cries of alarm from everyone around her sounded muffled. Part of her knew that she was being irrational, but the sight of the needle immediately reminded her of Hydra's Wroth and all the experiments she had to endure while she had been held by them. She just couldn't handle those memories; of the agonizing and burning sensation of unknown chemicals being pushed into her body by needles that were ruthlessly and carelessly jammed into her body. She would not let it happen again.
"No, no, no, no, no. NO!" She snapped, her eyes not leaving Gideon's face as thought after thought ran through her mind; the most distinct one being that he could not be near her. She felt something powerful and warm surge through her body as she thrust her hands out at him, sending Gideon stumbling back as shimmering panels of what looked like glass seemed to form around him until he was surrounded by that shimmer. The glass-like shimmer brightened momentarily before disappearing and strangely enough, Gideon disappeared too.
And the room descended into chaos, once again, reminding Jeanne that she wasn't alone in the room:
"Shit!"
"What the hell?!"
"Reverse it at once!"
Rhys, Cress, and Hilda's voices overlapped each other's as Jeanne looked numbly at each of them, not sure what she had just done, but it felt familiar somehow, like what she had just done, she had done before.
"Jeanne?" Her eyes snapped to the front, and she saw Gian standing in front of her, clearly trying to remain calm. "What did you just do?" His voice was soft, but she could tell by his eyes, that he was wary.
"I made sure he couldn't hurt me," Jeanne said simply as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"He would never hurt you," Gian told her soothingly sighing at her disbelieving look. "I know you've been through a lot, but Gideon's not the same as the people who experimented on you."
"He was going to draw my blood. How is that not different?" Jeanne demanded, once again remembering how the mages in Hydra's Wroth had jammed needles deep into her skin and drawn large amounts of her blood. She never knew what they had needed it for, and it disturbed her.
"Only to make sure there was nothing dangerous in your blood that could harm you," Gian insisted.
"If that's the case why didn't he do it while I was unconscious?" Jeanne demanded, thinking it would have been easier for him.
"He felt it would have been wrong to take your blood without your permission," It was Farrah who spoke now.
She was surprisingly calm for someone who had just seen something indescribable happen to her friend. Actually, she didn't seem that worried at all.
Jeanne jumped at her voice but looked up past Gian's shoulder to look at her, noting in the back of her mind that Rhys, Cress, and Hilda had all left the room, probably at Farrah's orders.
"... that's nice of him," Jeanne reluctantly conceded, calming down now that her initial panic had subsided and realizing that what she did was probably wrong, even if she still felt justified in her action.
Farrah nodded, "It was. And I understand that you're wary, but I need you to bring him back."
"Bring him back?" Jeanne looked at Farrah in confusion. "I don't even know what I did!" She felt her panic start to rise again because of course, they wanted her to reverse what she did. But how could she if she didn't have a single clue to what she'd done?!
Gian saw her panic and gently put his hands on her shoulders, meeting her eyes confidently with his. "I'm sure you can do it. You sent him away so you can bring him back. Do you remember how you felt when you first activated your magic?"
"I just felt warmth as the air started to shimmer and close around him... what did I do actually?" Jeanne asked.
Gian blinked before pulling away to look at Farrah, clearly, he wasn't quite sure what she'd done either, but by the knowing look in her eyes, Farrah did.
"You essentially sealed him in a pocket dimension," Farrah explained. "Do you remember what was happening when you felt warm?"
Jeanne nodded slowly, it would be hard for her to forget, it had been beautiful to see. "It looked like panels of glass were circling around Gideon until he was completely surrounded, one more flash of light, and then it was gone... Gideon was too." She stated lamely, starting to feel genuine guilt; besides the needle, Gideon had been nothing but kind to her. "How do you think I can reverse what I did?"
"Imagine that circle of glass again, I need you to really focus," Farrah instructed calmly. "Then try to think of those panels retracting and collapsing on top of one another until Gideon is able to get out."
Jeanne did as she was told, focusing on the air in front of her and trying to bring that ring of panels back into existence. She stared at the air around her until she was sure her eyes were about to pop out of her head, but finally, she saw the air start to ripple, the hint of light coming through.
Slowly, panels of what looked like glowing glass started to ripple through the air, but the more that they appeared, the paler she became, sweat forming on her brow; it was harder than she thought, trying to undo what she had done to Gideon.
"You can do it!" Gian cheered her on and Jeanne gasped as all the panels of glowing glass-like light finally appeared and burst open just as Gian's words once again echoed around her head, but this time the words of encouragement seemed far away, and the voice much younger:
"You can do it!" The encouragement came from a young girl with bright orange hair the color of flames, but that was the only detail that she could focus on, the rest of her features, especially her face was blurred out.
"I-I can't!" The voice that replied was a bit younger and from a girl who looked like a child version of Jeanne. The younger Jeanne's eyes were focused on a stack of boxes in front of her and the shimmering glass-like panels of light that were trying to surround the boxes.
"You're so close," The orange-haired girl said, coming closer, but her face remained blurred, revealing no details. "You just have to close the space."
"Don't you think I'm trying?" Jeanne snapped back, losing focus on what she was doing and, in the process, losing control of her already poorly controlled spell. Instead of just closing up, the spell burst outwards, sending a shock of magic towards the girls and knocking them both off their feet.
"Look what you did!" Little Jeanne snapped in distress, noticing that not only had she messed up but that the stack of boxes was shredded beyond repair.
"I was trying to help!" The older girl shot back, pulling a twig out of her flame-colored curls.
"Girls!" A new, older voice interrupted them before they could argue and both looked up to see a woman with midnight black hair braided loosely over her right shoulder, but like the flame-haired girl, the woman's face was also blurred out, blocking all her features. "How many times do I have to tell you not to fight?"
"But it's _ fault!" Jeanne cried pointing at the other girl who huffed in annoyance. "She distracted me on purpose!"
"I did not! I was only trying to help! _ She's lying!" The other girl said, shooting Jeanne a look.
"_ you shouldn't have been talking while Jeanne was trying to cast her spell, even to help. And Jeanne, you shouldn't get distracted so easily, what if you'd been in a real fight?" The woman asked patiently.
Both girls looked down glumly, "Sorry, _," they said.
The woman sighed, "Follow me." She said, leading both girls to the edge of the island that they were on. But this island wasn't in the water, instead, it was floating in the air, surrounded by the vastness of the azure sky.
"What do you two see?" The woman asked.
"The sky. We're not blind, _." The orange-haired girl said, sounding slightly annoyed.
The woman gently tapped her knuckles against the older girl's head, causing her to wince and pull away. "Don't be smart with me, _."
"Yeah." Jeanne quickly agreed, clearly thrilled that the other girl had gotten a physical reprimand.
"You were right, _." The woman said quickly before the two could argue, "It's how clear and undisturbed the sky is. When you're casting the spell, think of it like a cloud that quickly passes through, disrupting the clear sky for a bit, but once done, the sky should be clear once more." She paused, a smile forming on her face. "And who would want to block this view?"
"It is pretty nice."
"Jeanne!"
"Jeanne!"
Jeanne gasped as she came back to her senses. She found herself on the floor and saw Gian kneeling over her worriedly, trying to shake her back to the present.
"I'm okay," she said, but winced at the hoarseness of her voice. "Was I able to bring Gideon back?"
"You were." She looked up and saw Gideon standing behind Gian, the intense look back in his eyes, he was looking at her as if he was searching for something and while it did make her a bit wary, she didn't sense any malice behind his stare.
"I'm sorry I did that to you," Jeanne said looking away.
Much to her surprise, Gideon laughed, the intense look previously on his face disappearing completely. "Believe it or not, that's not the first time that's happened to me. I'm familiar with that type of spatial magic. It's actually refreshing to see someone else do it." He added.
"Spatial magic?" Jeanne looked at him confused before gasping, remembering the scene that just went through her head; it must have been a memory. Jumping to her feet despite Gian's protest she latched onto Gideon's arms in excitement, catching him off guard.
"I remembered something!" She said, excitement practically flowing from her body.
"You remembered something?" Gideon looked at her like she'd gone crazy and maybe she had. "That's impossible."
"No, it's not!" Jeanne said harshly, the memory had felt genuine. She pulled away from Gideon to give him room before telling him in detail the memory she had just recalled, faintly aware that Farrah and Gian were listening too. "The thing that bothers me is that I can't recall their faces." She finished in frustration, remembering their blurred-out faces.
Now Gideon's face was completely unreadable, and Jeanne was finally starting to realize that he may know more than he was letting on, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "So... you remembered a girl whose hair was the color of fire, a woman with dark hair and a floating island?"
Jeanne nodded, "Your potion works like a charm! Can I have more?" She was eager to have more flashes of memory; maybe the face would become unblurred.
Gideon shook his head, "I don't think it was the potion that triggered the spell, it shouldn't have worked that fast. I think it was the spell."
"Huh?" Jeanne looked at him in confusion.
"The memory you remembered, it was of you trying to do the spell you just did on me," Gideon said, and Jeanne nodded. "I think using that spell triggered the memory,"
"Will I remember more?" Jeanne asked she was desperate to see the faces of the two people in her memory.
"I'm sure you will. But only time will tell how fast you recover them. Maybe you'll keep seeing things that'll trigger memories or maybe you were just lucky this time. But don't rush things, Jeanne. The mind can only handle so much at a time." Gideon cautioned.
Jeanne nodded, taking his warning to heart. The room was silent for the next few minutes, all of them absorbing what had just happened when there was a knock on the door.
"What is it?" Farrah asked, straightening up and opening the door to reveal Rhys on the other side.
He peered in cautiously, a grin breaking out across his face when he saw Gideon standing next to Jeanne. "Thought we lost you for a moment, man!"
Jeanne looked at the floor guiltily when Farrah butt in, "She didn't mean to Rhys. What did you need?" She asked again.
Rhys turned his attention back towards Farrah, "There's a girl who wants to join the guild, will you come meet her?"
"Of course," Farrah said, a smile forming on her own face, before she left, she quickly looked back at Jeanne. "And of course, if you'd like to join, let me know any time." She reminded the blonde.
"I still need a bit more time to think it over," Jeanne said, unconsciously following Farrah to the door, "Can I see how a person joins Valkyrie Dawn?"
"That would mean leaving the room," Gian warned her, subtly reminding her that she hadn't left the room all day because she didn't want the eyes of the guild on her.
Jeanne froze, debating with herself; she had decided not to eat in the common area since she hadn't wanted to meet new people, but after remembering that one bit of memory, she felt more confident. Who knew? Maybe she'd see something else that would spark a memory. "I want to go out. I have to leave this room sometime, right?"
"You shouldn't push yourself," Gideon cautioned. "A lot has happened today already."
"If she wants to see, let her," Surprisingly it was Rhys who spoke up and he was looking at her with the same intense look as before. What was with him and Gideon giving her those looks? It was almost like-
Her train of thought was cut off by Farrah, "Rhys is right. If she wants to come, I don't think there's much harm." She then met Jeanne's eyes sternly, "But after, I want you back in bed and resting."
Jeanne nodded, that she understood, and cautiously left the room behind Farrah, keeping her head down. She noticed that Gian was walking protectively by her side, and she was grateful, at least she had him as a shield.
As she walked, Jeanne started to peer around curiously, taking in the large room and long or round tables surrounded by chairs. She also noted a bar area and when she looked up, she was stunned to see that the building went up three additional levels.
"Bigger than you'd think huh?" Gian said, "I remember being surprised too when I first got here."
"Yeah," Jeanne said, feeling the curious stares that she was getting, but thankfully, she only had half of the stares, the other stares were directed towards a girl who was partially hidden from Jeanne's view by Cress and Hilda who appeared to be talking to the newcomer.
When they were a few steps away, both girls turned around and Jeanne stopped short upon seeing something that made her heart skip a beat: bright orange hair.
"Mother," Hilda greeted, "I'd like you to meet-" she never got a chance to finish her sentence since Jeanne shot past her and towards the newcomer, her eyes planted solely on her straight, shoulder-length bright orange hair that was framed by short twin braids and bangs that brushed against her eyes. She was the one who had all her focus; no one else.
"Do I know you?!" Jeanne demanded desperately, gripping the girl's shoulders so that she couldn't back away while looking the girl's features over. Besides the bright orange hair, the girl had dark blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, with a bandage covering the bridge of her nose and one across her left cheek.
"I don't think so," The girl pulled herself out of Jeanne's grip, allowing the blonde to get a better view of her. She was wearing a white poet shirt tucked into loose dark red trousers, while tied around her waist was a wide, red linen and lastly, she was wearing black leather cavalier boots.
"Are you sure?" Jeanne narrowed her eyes, inspecting every last inch of the girl. But even she had to admit, something felt off... especially the eyes. The face of the girl from her memory may have been blurred, but for some reason, Jeanne didn't think they were blue. "What's your name?"
"What is going on here?!" Hilda cut in, looking like she was about to shove her way between the two, but the girl held up her hand to stop her. She didn't look bothered in the least that some strange girl had literally attached herself to her a moment ago.
"Adelaide von Hevring," she said confidently, a friendly smile on her face. "We really haven't met before; can I ask you your name?"
"I go by Jeanne," she said, not nearly as confident and realizing for the first time that all eyes were on her now.
"Jeanne, nice name. I love it." Adelaide said, "You can call me Addie. Why did you think we knew each other? It must be someone amazing if you mixed me up with her." She teased, gently bumping her shoulder against the blonde in a friendly manner.
"Um... it's the hair," Jeanne explained, her face reddening a bit at Addie's actions. She was acting a lot more cordial than she had expected. "I know someone else with bright orange hair."
"What's her name?" Addie asked, truly curious and honestly, a bit distracted from her goal of joining the guild.
"... I don't know," Jeanne confessed. "All I know is that I probably knew her from when we were kids, that she has bright orange hair, and that we were on an island in the sky. There was also an older woman with dark hair in a braid."
"Bright orange hair? Dark-haired older woman?" Again, Rhys unexpectedly spoke, drawing the group's attention towards him. "Island in the sky?"
"Yeah..." Jeanne definitely didn't miss the way Rhys was looking at Gideon. Or the way Rhys was paling. Her attention moved from the extremely confused Addie and towards the two who had been giving her intense looks all day. "Why?"
Instead of answering Rhys sighed, a look of dread appearing on his face. "... you don't think she's talking about... her, do you?"
Gideon nodded solemnly. "Jeanne already remembered something and from what she told me it adds up." He paused, "You also can't deny the magic she used. She also looks just like-"
Rhys cut him off with a loud sigh, "I was hoping it was all coincidence," He looked at Jeanne again, his expression a mix of dread and disbelief. "You know what this means..."
Gideon nodded, amusement glinting in his eyes, "Crimson is going to kill you."
"Us! She's going to kill us!" Rhys snapped, knowing that Gideon was already planning to leave him to face her wrath alone.
Jeanne watched their exchange in growing confusion, and so was the rest of the guild. "Who?" She asked, eyes shooting between Rhys and Gideon.
Rhys turned to her in defeat, "Crimson, the most terrifying mage from Sanctuary."
As he spoke, he thought of her; the silhouette of a girl with bright orange hair appeared behind him, flames surrounding her body. She definitely was going to kill him.
Next chapter we'll have interactions with some of the other OCS before we meet Crimson!
OCs that appear:
Adelaide von Hevring by Sempi