Chapter 46: Keep Your Enemies Close...
Kaiba plunged his hand into the deep cold snow digging with everything he had to uncover what lay hidden. "My dream showed me...that ruin is here...somewhere...and I REFUSE to leave until I find it!" Kaiba exclaimed. "There you are!" Bloom cried as Kaiba watched the redhead slowly make her way over to him. "Yugi said you were at the guild but when I tried to go inside..." Bloom began. "Yeah, they turned me away as well...something about official business..." the CEO scoffed. "Have you found anything yet?" she asked him as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Not a damn thing..." the blue eyed male muttered bitterly as he narrowed his eyes.
"The snow keeps falling piling higher and higher...it makes it nearly impossible to even so much as see parts of the ruin...if it's even here, to begin with..." Kaiba muttered. "Well, Raeger said it's there so it SHOULD be..." Bloom murmured. "It better be...I can almost feel my fingers starting to go numb..." the CEO muttered. "Here give your hands." the redhead murmured before she took his hands in hers and rubbed them to warm his fingers up. "Just exactly how long have you been out here anyway?" the faerie asked him. "Hours..." Kaiba told her bluntly. "Without gloves?! Kaiba that's reckless! I don't care how badly you want to find this place you can't just place your health and safety aside!" Bloom cried before she used her magic to provide him with some.
"Much appreciated," Kaiba told her before he kissed her. Bloom returned his kiss before she hugged him. "They're made with Solaria magic so they'll keep your hands nice a toasty I wouldn't want you freezing out here." she offered a smile. "By the way where is Yugi?" the redhead questioned as she looked around. "Wasn't he supposed to be out here with you?" "Yugi's on the other side further away. We figured if we searched in several different areas we would be more likely to find the ruin. "That makes sense," Bloom admitted. "Yeah except for the fact the runt keeps getting stuck in the snow...he's lucky Atem's there or I'd have to watch Yugi like a hawk...just so he wouldn't suffocate under the snow..." Kaiba muttered."Here I'll help you dig!" Bloom exclaimed as she started to shuffle through the piled on snow. "After all four hands are better than two!" the redhead smiled.
"Phew!" Yugi cried ways away from Kaiba and Bloom. He too had been digging non-stop and was feeling the fatigue in his arms. {Yugi you should rest, you're bound to wear yourself out at this rate...} "NO WAY! Atem!" Yugi exclaimed. "I gotta keep at it!" he huffed. "You should listen to the Pharoah young one..." came a voice from behind him. A man with blonde hair wearing a black cloak outlined with gold and wearing the crest of Elixer slowly approached Yugi. Atem too looked at the stranger with intrigue. {How do you know who I am?} Atem asked. The older man looked towards Yugi.
" As all do by studying the flow of time...and it's essence..." the man uttered. "Yet even great tales are forgotten...burried in the sands of time...still...if one looks hard enough you can still find fragments...left behind...yet some can search endlessly...and recover nothing...sometimes there are treasures...that cannot be seen with the eyes alone...one will not discover what he seeks if he is occupied with looking below...instead of above..." the older man offered a smile towards the end. "Or perhaps it could be nothing more than an old man's ramblings...I bid you, gentlemen, good day..." the man murmured and turned slowly walking away.
"WAIT!" Yugi cried out and ran to catch up with the older man. The man ceased movement and looked behind him for but only a moment. "May I advise you to make haste young man...The Lady Of The Crystal awaits..." the older male mused before he began to walk forward once more. Slowly he eased something from his pocket landing in the snow. Yet he did not stop to retrieve it and continued to his carriage awaiting him. "Lord Loric. Have you concluded your business here?" the driver asked as he opened the door for the older male. Lord Loric entered the carriage closing the door behind him.
"For now...you may proceed..." the lord of Elixer instructed the driver. Steadily they began to make their way towards The Guild. The Lord Loric's head was filled with images of Yugi. A scoff emerged from the Lord's lips. "I must be half mad already...to even entertain the idea..." Lord Loric muttered appalled at himself. "From Ashes, We Rise...To The Sun We Set...this is the creed of the Raya...isn't that right Solomon?...I wonder just what treasures you've uncovered in these days past..." the older man mused.
"...Well, that was certainly...something..." Yugi murmured as he watched the carriage disappear into the snow. {Yes I sense a very powerful aura from that man...} Atem muttered. "Hmmm..." Yugi pondered over the older man's words as he paced back and forth. "Seeing with your eyes is not enough...if you are occupied looking below...instead of of looking above...but what exactly does THAT mean?" Yugi questioned as he ran over the words inside of his head. "If you close your eyes you can't see anything at all...but looking up OR down I STILL can't see anything...hmmm what do YOU think Atem?" Yugi questioned as he looked towards the Pharoah.
{Well Yugi MY tomb was protected by the Pharoah's tablet...perhaps there is something similar to be found...} Atem suggested. "If only Bloom or the girls were here...but if it was ME that guy was speaking to then he must think that I can unlock whatever is keeping the ruin from our sight..." Yugi concluded. Carefully he looked around before he noticed something in the snow. Yugi slowly bent down and picked up the object in question. It was a pendant with a golden sun. "Woah..." Yugi's eyes widened. He could feel its warmth in his hands. Warming them to the touch. It was almost like there was a connection between him and it. Yugi hummed as he heard a melody enter his thoughts. A woman carrying a child in her arms. She was humming as the woman climbed up to a castle up on a hill of black grass. {It's alright little one...I promise...I'll protect you...} she whispered. Around the child's neck. Was the pendant.
"Atem come look at this." Yugi murmured before the Pharoah walked over to Yugi and gazed at the Sun pendant. His eyes widened. Why did this object look so familiar? It was as if when he tried to recall something it was blocked from his sight. "...Atem?" Yugi questioned concerned. {Sorry Yugi...I feel like...I know this item...however...the memory is being blocked...I cannot recall...even though I should have recovered all of my memories...} Atem apologized. {As if it's...missing...} "...Is that even possible Atem?" Yugi questioned. {I do not know...however that in itself concerns me...} "I'd imagine it would..." Yugi murmured as he looked back down at the pendant. After all. He felt like he knew it as well.
Bloom paused as she felt a strange energy. "Are you alright? You should go back to the cabin if you're tired." Kaiba told her. "I'm ok...I just thought...I sensed something...nearby..." "...UGH, THIS IS UTTERLY REDICULOUS! I'm about THIS close to using my mini dynamite to BLOW my way right to the entrance!" Kaiba cursed angrily. "B-BUT KAIBA! If you do that you'll cause an avalanche!" Bloom cried alarmed by his threat. "AND I DON'T CARE!" the CEO spat. "I KNOW the ruins are HERE! So why haven't we even seen so much as a trace of their existence!? Kaiba exploded. "Hmm...well I COULD try a spell." "...Sure why the hell not..." he muttered as he crossed his arms before a girl's voice interrupted them.
"It won't work the way you want it to" a girl murmured appearing in a burst of flames. Her hair was fire red and her eyes were an amber. She wore a small laced dress made out of flames along with woven black ribbons around her arms and legs her feet bare. Bloom and Kaiba both turned to look at the girl. "This particular ruin is special. It won't reveal its true colors to just ANYONE. If it did then just any old someone could waltz right in there." the girl mused. "...Oh great, it's a LITTLE girl..." Kaiba muttered with a scoff. "Why don't you do us a favor and run along and go play with your dollies..." the CEO muttered.
"Hickory Dickery Dock...two morons are running the clock...try to find the entrance as they may...They're never going to stop..." the flame headed girl smirked smugly. "Why you little..." Kaiba snarled. "Kaiba try and calm down!" Bloom pleaded as he was about ready to, hit the upstart. "Your boyfriend?" the little girl mused. "No, he's my Fiance." "Oh...my condolences...you know I COULD melt the snow away for you IF you ask me nicely. However to get inside you're on your own," she told them. "...You've got A LOT of nerve...but melting the snow away IS a tempting ...alright I'll take you up on that offer." Kaiba muttered.
"Alright. I'll do it just say Oh pretty please Nanala most beautiful Pyre Faerie in all the known worlds...won't you PLEASE melt the big bad snow away for me..." Nanala told Kaiba. "...You're joking right..." the CEO deadpanned. "Nope! Nuh uh!" the pyre Faerie told him."...This isn't going to end well..." Bloom murmured as she watched Kaiba turn three shades of red. "...Will...you...PLEASE...melt the damned snow...pretty Pyre...Faerie..."the blue eyed male struggled ready to implode from sheer embarrassment. She was making a COMPLETE fool out of him! Oh, he would get her for this. "...Kaiba...breathe..." Bloom told him.
"See now was THAT so hard?" Nanala giggled amused "Well I'll give you an A for effort at least...a deal's a deal!" the pyre Faerie exclaimed and snapped her fingers. In but a moment all of the snow covering the ruins melted away. Bloom and Kaiba both looked upwards a large ancient structure towering over them all. "Thanks, Na-..." Bloom paused as she looked around. "She's gone..." "Good riddance...let's climb up these stairs and see what's at the top." "Uh right!" Bloom exclaimed and followed Kaiba upwards. Once they reached the top Kaiba hurried over to the center. At the center of the ruin's surface, there was an emblem of the Sun and Moon intertwined. "HEY!" Yugi shouted from down below with a smile on his face as he tried to catch his breath. Nearby concealed in the snow fall Froste watched the party as Nanala came his way.
"Well, that was pretty generous of you..." Froste muttered as Nanala ceased nearly passing him. "Someone has to watch out for idiots like them...no matter how futile they keep trying to find a way to do the impossible...like I said...idiots..." Nanala muttered. "Is red the one who's to become the new Summoner? I can sense a strong flame that burns within her...The Dragon Fire...The Light Of Hope that was foretold by Artemis Moon before he died..." "Miss Faragonda seems to think so...she thinks that she can accomplish what her sister failed to..." the ice spirit told the Pyre Faerie. "Well will find out soon enough won't we...?" Nanala mused before she walked away. "Yep..." Froste sighed as he looked upwards towards the hill. The ground trembled as the ruin awoke startling everyone nearby.
"Joey look!" Flora exclaimed as the blonde's eyes widened. "WOAH! Dat huge ting just appeared from outta nowhere! Dats gotta be da ruin Yug and da others were talking bout!" Joey exclaimed. "Let's go and have a closer look!" the faerie of nature murmured. "Yeah good call!" the blonde nodded before Flora and Joey both hurried down the hill. Marik and Layla soon met up with them along with Duke everyone nearly out of breath. "DID YOU SEE THAT GUYS!?" Duke exclaimed. "The whole place started shaking in the castle! Then when I walked outside I saw this gigantic structure emerge from down below the mountains!" the dice master exclaimed. "I know very well we all can't be seeing things..." Marik muttered. "Let's all go together since we're here and check it out. Maybe Bloom and the others found the ruin." Layla suggested. "However we should proceed with caution...especially if the wizards found the ruin first..." Marik warned. "Aw, man don't even joke about that..." Joey cringe as they all moved towards the large structure together. Suddenly they saw something hovering over them.
Meanwhile At The Guild...
The lord and ladies were gathered all together in the conference room. There was a large wooden table with chairs that were adorned with red satin. Set upon the table was a red silk cloth to match. Candles were lit to light up the darkness in the room. The flame's reflection glistening on the walls. Some of the houses had their own hand maidens or knights that accompanied them. Raeger looked around the room whom sat at the head of the table with Roxy at his side. Just one glance and you could feel the tension within. Raeger cleared his throat as he nervously tugged at his collar. "It's come to my attention that The Angels Of Justice's leader has appeared in Covenant. However according to Arthur's testimony and a male witness whom aided him...it was not the leader whom attacked him but those known as The Wizards Of The Black Circle..." Raeger began. "This young lady you see before you has accompanied me here today due to the fact that she knows of the threat of which I speak..." Roxy slowly rose to her feet and bowed respectfully.
"H-Hello my name is Roxy...a...and I'm the Faerie of animals...a princess from Tir-Nan-Og isle...on e-earth..." the pink haired faerie studdered as she shook like a leaf. She was SO nervous she couldn't even speak properly. She nearly tripped as she went to sit back down. "W-Woah!" she cried and quickly grabbed the table. Flustered the Faerie smiled apologetically and finally made it to her seat. In exchange, Roxy was gazed at with most a critical eye. A woman with long blonde hair stood with a bright red ruby dress wearing blood diamonds on her neck, wrists, and ears. Her nails were ruby red along with her lipstick. The woman's eyes onyx colored irises.
"With all due respect...Guild Master...I don't approve of an outsider attending this sacred gathering...after all, we know very little about her or her companions...oddly suspicious how the A.O.J leader appeared as THEY arrived...now isn't it?" the woman mused as she held out her wine glass to her hand maiden whom had red hair and wore an emerald green satin dress. The hand maiden poured her mistress a cup of fine red wine. "Surely I can't be the only one to notice..." she muttered. A young woman with lilac hair wearing flowers braided within it adorned in a knight's uniform looked towards the blonde woman as her emerald green eyes glistened narrowed.
"With all due respect, Lady Derrith of BriarBlood Roxy and her friends have done no harm," she spoke up. "If they have reason to be in our world then I the Princess of Twilight wish to hear them out!" The blonde male beside her with blue eyes also wearing a Knight's uniform of blue added his own insight to the matter at hand. "As Prince of Aura, I Bright see no reason to deny this request...I am foremost a Knight first and a Prince second my duty is to protect my people. This girl and her allies may prove a valuable asset if given the chance." Bright muttered before everyone paused as they heard snoring. A long brown haired male wearing black and red was asleep with a purple haired young woman beside in shaking him. "Oh no..." Raeger groaned. "Not again..." "...Is...he sleeping?" Roxy questioned hardly able to believe it.
An elf with gray and black hair wearing green and gray with the emblem of Emerald upon his chest cleared his throat narrowing his eyes. "Princess Abigail...for Phoenix sakes wake up your brother..." the elf muttered as he held his head. "R-Right away Lord Emerus!" the purple haired female squeaked and shook the brown haired male as hard as she could. "D-Daunte wake up! You're supposed to be the representative for The Black Family NOT me!" Abigail pleaded in a loud whisper. "...Back to the subject at hand...I'm with Derrith on this one...we haven't any reason to trust this wench or those accompanying her...as the lord of Emerald I suggest we apprehend her and the others and learn just what knowledge they TRULY possess..." Emerus muttered. "I too believe it is not wise to allow them to linger here freely...who knows what kind of havoc they'll bring about..." a man with bright golden hair and cat like eyes muttered wearing all white with the emblem of Draconia. The leader of Dawnshire remained silent as Lord Loric rose from his seat.
"Deciding the verdict without so much as a single amount of evidence to back it up...you all are a pitiful bunch the lot of you..." Lord Loric muttered. "Sour grapes tainting the finest wine..." A young male with black hair and a small amount of a beard wearing all black with red woven into it. His eyes were a deep blood red and sat next to Derrith at the table clapping his hands together breaking the tension in the room "WELL! It certainly sounds like YOU Lord Loric thinks OTHERWISE! Doesn't he, my DEAR sister!?" the black haired male grinned mischievously. "...Lord Weldon please..." Raeger tried to get a hold on those that were talking. "Go ahead my dear...you have the floor..." Lord Loric assured her as Roxy looked at Raeger. Raeger simply nodded before the faerie stood up and looked around the table.
"I come from a world known as Magix. It is different from your world I'm sure but then again I've only seen Covenant...so far...anyway...um but really I and my friends don't mean ANYONE any harm! But The Wizards Of The Black Circle do! We followed them here to stop them once and for all! We were told to see out the ruin here in Covenant to undergo The Trial Of The Gems Of Destiny...I know that it sounds TOTALLY crazy! But it's the truth..." Roxy told the lords and ladies with utmost earnestly. "...And you believe her Raeger dear...?" Lady Derrith mused as she took a sip from her cup placing it to her ruby lips.
"Yes, I do," Raeger answered as he narrowed his eyes. "I and Granny opened up our home to them and they've done nothing but treat us with kindness...yet if you STILL doubt my word then in the WORSE case I accept FULL responsibility..." the Guild Master told them all. "Raeger..." Roxy murmured as she felt her heart warmed by the faith he had in her and the others. She just couldn't let him down now! Silently all of those present exchanged glances. "...Very well...now the reason that brought us here...the leader of the A.O.J..." the Guild Master muttered before everyone's gaze hardened.
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