Author's Notes: This one is a little more relaxing than the previous one but with hints about our characters' pasts and more worldbuilding. Hope you enjoy it.
"Mommy, why I don't have wings, tails and horns like you and my sisters?" the little girl asked with curiosity to the woman that was reading her a bedtime story. "The only one without them is daddy, is because I'm more like him?"
The woman smiled warmly, her magnificent white wings in her back, her elaborated horns and tale of the same color making her identity unmistakable to the whole world. Lilith watched her beloved with kind red eyes.
"That's because you are human like daddy," the Mamono Lord said slowly. "But monsters can only give birth to monsters"
"I know that, they taught us that in school," Eleni said as she looked at her mother. "But that would mean that I'm adopted"
"There is nothing wrong with that, many monsters adopt human children, and most importantly" the Lilith said as she caressed her daughter's black hair. "You are my beloved daughter after all"
"But…but my sisters have so much that I don't have!" the little girl protested. "They can fly when I can't! They can play with their tails when I can't! I wish to have them!"
Lilith sighed, knowing full well It that one day it would end up in this kind of situation.
"Your sisters love you, I know that you spent a lot of time with Casteria and Polluxia playing games," Lilith mentioned her younger daughters, the twins that were older than Eleni by a few years. "And that Alma loves to give you gifts"
"Is not that I don't like her toys, is just that…is just that," Eleni said as her eyes went puffier, two small tears appeared on the corner of her eyes. "Is that I want to fly with my sisters, on my own, I want my own wings!"
"Is not something you can simply 'have it' on a whim" the Mamono Lord said as she carefully cleared the tears with her fingers, her soft voice having a reassuring effect on her little daughter. "One day I will explain it better and you would understand it, but for now I will say this"
Eleni paid close attention to her mother as she whispered words that would follow her for the rest of her life.
"You are my most beloved one, my little one
Even if you are not of my flesh and blood, I will still love you
From now and forevermore
You are my little star, my precious daughter
I will always love you until the end"
"I love you, mommy" the little girl said as she hugged her mother.
"I love you, Eleni" Lilith said as she returned her hug.
"I love you, mommy, I love so much…"
"Wake up"
"Ah, but I was just sleeping mom, can I stay for two minutes?"
"Wake up"
"A minute…"
"I said…wake up!"
Eleni jumped upon hearing Daiana sudden shout, the Gazer looking at the Human girl with exasperation.
"Are we under attack!?" Eleni asked with urgency.
"We aren't sleepy head, it's breakfast time," the Gazer pointed towards Seela and Ashely as they cooked food, the Kikimora skillfully preparing her food while the Shoggoth used her tentacles to move various tools to help her in the task. "They told me wake you up but you weren't paying attention"
"Did I sleep too much?" the Human girl asked.
"You do sleep too well, at least you weren't snoring like in other occasions," Daiana remembered. "Ashely had to conjure a field of silence spell on those nights so not to attract unwanted attention"
"Did I spoke aloud?" Eleni asked as she blushed. "I sometimes do that on occasion…"
"Yes, you were dreaming about your mom," Daiana said plainly, now her tone suddenly being a little more serious. "I guess it was a nice dream"
"Eh…yeah, it was a nice dream," the Human girl raised as she stretched her body not wanting to add more, knowing that the subject matter was…sensible to Daiana.
The Gazer didn't say anything as she sighed and went towards the other members of the group.
"So what we got?" Eleni asked.
"Boar meat we hunted before, your Highness," Seela explained. "With honey and berries in the mix and seasoned with special herbs, all well preserve thanks to Ashely's magic"
The Shoggoth nodded put a fist on her chest while putting a wide smile of pride.
"That's because I had a great teacher," Ashely said while testing a portion of the meat. "He taught me everything about the principles of magic"
"And much more," Eleni said as she drank from her leather canteen and began to eat. "Your water purification technique is the best I ever saw, and that's telling because I grew up with the Sabbaths, even Greilia would be impress by it"
"Well, that would be excepted for someone tutored by…" Daiana began to say before she was interrupted by Seela, the Kikimora clearing her throat loudly as Eleni stopped eating her portion and looked at the Gazer carefully. "Sorry, sorry, I almost forgot…"
"The vow," Seela pointed out with a somber tone. "You know how it works"
The Gazer, the Human and the Kikimora nodded, as if remembering something incredibly important.
"It's not that necessary now in these places," Ashely said bashfully. "Is not like anybody would hear us"
But Daiana put a hand on the shoulder of the Shoggoth, all of her eyes, both the one in her head and the ones in her tentacles looking at Ashely seriously.
"Even then, there could be always someone nearby," the Gazer said with a sigh. "Sorry about it, I could put you in a comprising position"
"We made a promise, remember?" Eleni said, suddenly having a very serious expression. "As the Daughter of Lilith, Mamono Lord and Queen of Royal Makai, and her Consort, King Alcides, I swore to never mention the name of your teacher in magic, even towards my own parents, his name forever a secret until there is a time in which it can't bring you no harm"
"We know your past, we know that he was a good man to you," Seela said as she continued cooking. "He was like a father to you but…"
"The rest of the world has quite the different opinion," the Gazer ended what the red haired Kikimora was saying. "But we must end this conversation, we have said more than enough"
With that, the four continued eating their breakfast as they we in deep thoughts of things that happened some weeks ago. When they finished eating, they cleaned up the cooking equipment and prepared for resume their trip.
"So, what are we searching your Highness?" Seela asked.
"According to rumors there is a special meadow that contains all kinds of flowers," Eleni explained as she read her journal while walking. "It seems that it not only contains a great multitude of mundane flowers in vast quantities but also even rare ones, and quite special I must add, growing together in great numbers"
"What kind of rare flowers?" Ashely now asked with barely contain enthusiasm. "Teacher always loved them and I helped him grow many back on my old home"
The Human girl smiled knowing the Shoggoth's preference for flowers. "I know you like them, and these ones are quite special, so I have been refreshing my memory to identify them"
Ashely gave out a wide smile while she unconsciously formed tentacles that wagged with happiness.
However, the only one that didn't seem to interested was the Gazer.
"Flowers are nice and all, but there can't so much special about certain flowers," Daiana simply said as she covered her mouth as she yawned. "The only good thing that they can do so is to relax us after that encounter with the slowclaws, otherwise not very interested"
Eleni sighed, she knew the Gazer well, she wasn't a bad person at heart per se but she had her own set of "quirks" that were difficult to iron out.
"I know it isn't as exiting, but one must appreciate the simple things in life," the Human said with cheerfulness. "Without it, things could become too unbearable to anyone of sound mind, not everything is about serious situations and then waiting the next one in a corner in between"
"Besides, corners are not the best romantic partners," Seela suddenly interjected, giving out a serene smile. "Although, maybe one day one would bring you a bouquet of flowers so it would be good to remember your social skills"
The Gazer stared with all her eyes towards Seela almost as a challenge but didn't say anything.
"Can…can corners be romantic partners?" Ashely asked as she tilted her head innocently. "I didn't know that"
The rest of the group looked at the Shoggoth with bewilderment. While Ashely knew a lot of stuff regarding magical knowledge, some details regarding common sense of everyday life and things like jokes were sometimes lost to her. They couldn't blame her because of her upbringing, but sometimes they were taken aback.
"No Ashely, since when corners could talk? Unless there is one that could, then you could present it to me," Daiana said sarcastically.
"Eh?" the Shoggoth gave out a confused gasp. "But, but I'm not good at conversations with strangers"
"I'm saying that Daiana should be more sociable in public places," Seela pointed out.
"I'm not antisocial, is just that I don't care about what people think of me," the Gazer said defensibly.
"But you should talk with other people a little more, you know," Eleni pointed out. "Not saying you have to become the life of the party but it would be good for yourself to talk to others beside us"
The Gazer ignored the advice and crossed her arms as a showcase of stubbornness.
"Don't worry Daiana, I'm not good with people, especially big crowds," Ashely said, sympathizing with the Gazer. "You were the first people apart from…him that I ever became relaxed to talk with"
"Well, there is a difference, you are simply very shy in general," the red haired Kikimora explained. "While our dear Daiana is just very grumpy"
"I'm not grumpy," the Gazer said hiding her face on her hood, definitely not being grumpy.
"Are you?" the serene smile of the KIkimora intensified as her face went closer and closer to the Gazer's as she tried to ignored her.
"Yes"
"Reaaaaaaally?"
"Really Seela"
"Not a little bit?"
"You like mocking me, aren't you?"
Seela didn't said anything but her smile gave out hint of mischievousness as Daiana glared at her now while Eleni held back a chuckle.
"I could always help you by giving you some lessons, maybe you could become a proper maid," Seela said as she went closer to Daiana. "I bet that the uniform would look quite cuuuuuuute on you"
That was the thing that finally broke out the Gazer's thick shell.
"Wha…what the hell are you talking about!?" Daiana said in a rapid blur while blushing furiously. "I'm not going to dress up like a damn servant and clean up dust while saying 'oh dear masteeeer' like in one of those books"
"So you do read those kinds of books," Seela said as her mischievousness was more present in her smile. "And I thought you were not interested in literature in general"
"Aw crap," the Gazer realized too late of her mistake. "Look, it's just that…eh…I like to read serious fantasy stories but sometimes it has those silly maids, for some reason the author had a fetish for them"
"I didn't know that you liked to read fantasy novels," Eleni commented. "Now that's a surprise"
"I can have my hobbies, thank you very much," Daiana simply said as she tried to occult her embarrassment.
"What's a fetish?" Ashely asked, puzzled. "I mean, aren't fetishes a type of magical charm? But for the sounds of it, it seems you are refereeing to a completely different thing"
Both Seela and Eleni tried to contain their laughter while Daiana tried to rapidly end the subject matter.
"It's just another word for…eh, how can I explain it…" the Gazer tried to give a good description without being too explicit. "It's related to something personal to you but you can only reveal it to your special partner!"
"Ah! Do you mean like flowers?" the Shoggoth's yellow eyes shined. "But I don't think flowers as something worthy to withhold as a secret, don't you think?"
The Gazer left out an exasperated sigh and put a palm in her face.
"No Ashely, 'flowers' are not a fetish," Daiana said. "It's just that…never mind, one day I will explain to you better…or maybe Seela would do it"
"Indeed, I have great knowledge on the subject matter," the Kikimora said calmly "I could teach you when we are alone"
"Really?" Ashely said innocently. "I'm always ready to learn new things!"
Daiana could only groan in (metaphorical) pain as the madness unfolded on her very own eye(s)
"Dammit Seela, can you please not try to corrupt her with your…." The Gazer shouted but it was interrupted by Eleni's scream of happiness.
"We found it!" the Human girl said as she ran towards a big clearing in the forest.
Daiana thanked Eleni in her mind as she trotted following her with a quicker pace just to get away from the freaky Kikimora.
When the group finally arrived to the meadow, everyone, even the Gazer, were taken aback by the view. A vast field of flowers of every color was present there, from red to gold, purple and even black covering almost the entirely of the field view under the sun, so much so that for a single moment they all thought that they were transported to a Fairy Kingdom or that even a portion of the legendary gardens of Elysium was put there on the world.
"It's so…wonderful," Ashely could barely contain her happiness. "It reminds me back home"
"Not even many of the green mamono realms that I read about didn't have so much variety," Seela commented, remembering her studies. "It could be there is a strong spiritual presence in the area that we don't know off?"
"It's kind of pretty, I must admit," Daiana simply said as her tentacle-eyes took every detail of the meadow.
"Well, not time to waste, let's see how much there is in here," Eleni said as she walked carefully. While she mentioned to her companions the names of the more mundane species of flowers like roses, jasmines, lavender, etc, she was more interested in the more exotic kind.
"Look, I found Saleria flowers!" Eleni shouted to her companions, pointing out her discovery.
The three Mamono came to the Human's side to see what was about. They saw a peculiar flower that bloomed with two thick petals, and there were many of the same species with different coloration.
"It's incredibly rare to see such variety in a single place," Eleni said as she wrote on her journal. "So Ashely, do you want to know what makes a Saleria flower special?"
The Shoggoth nodded in affirmation, ready to receive new knowledge.
"Very well, so, do you understand how mamono mana works?" Eleni asked, imitating her tutors back on Royal Makai.
"It possess certain transformative qualities upon living beings and even on rare occasions on inanimate objects," Ashely answered with security and without hesitation. "However the ways it can interact with these and the way it can or could transform depends on many circumstances"
"Correct my dear student!" Eleni congratulated Ashely as the Shoggoth clapped her hands in happiness. "Now, that's the most basic fact but there is a whole lot more going as you said; Seela, what's the thing that differentiates mamono mana and the mana of the other living beings, known as spirit energy or essence?"
"A mamono's mana internal production is incredibly low efficient," the Kikimora said calmly. "And while they can store more energy than other species do, they generally have a natural loss of mana in everyday activities, as such it is necessary to consume foods rich on essence…or directly from a male partner, however, with training and using certain charms loss of mana for mamono can be turn into a minimal"
"Correct my dear friend," Eleni said as the Kikimora smiled at her and gave a respectful bow. "Now, what kind of changes mamono mana can bring on humanoids, plants and animals?
"In plant and animals, it can bring certain mutations that makes them healthier and grow exponentially, but they still produce their own essence otherwise but with humanoids…" Seela remembered. "For humanoids, men become 'attuned' with mamono mana, making their essence production greater than normal while human women can transform into a mamono"
"Correct again my friend!" Eleni shouted to Seela. "But there is still more, now Daiana, explain to me what happens when a great amount of mamono mana is concentrated on a particular zone and most importantly why me, a perfectly normal human woman, didn't became a mamono?"
The Gazer simply sighed with disinterest "Why are we doing this? We know what the answer is anyway" Daiana didn't understand why they were reviewing such basic fundamentals that every monster and anyone that study them knew as part of their first lessons. Honestly, she thought for herself, it was a waste of time."
Eleni moved her finger with disapproval "No complaining young lady, it is important to remember the fundamentals before I can explain why these flowers are so special"
"Very well, if you insist," Daiana sighed and then cleared her throat as she adopted a monotone voice. "While mamono possess transformative properties, it requires a great concentrated amount and a direct effort to affect humanoids, that is, Humans, Dwarves and Elves and to transform the land into a Mamono Realm"
"Correct!" Eleni shouted. "Now, there is always certain exceptions, but that's the principle, one monster can't simply grab a human woman and transform into a mamono easily by simply pouring her mana"
"Indeed, it depends if the human is willing or not on the transformation, if the human possesses their own great internal reserve, like with Heroes, then it is far harder to do it," Daiana said. "And the difficulty increases exponentially according to the species it's going to transform into, for the more common ones it could take an hour or two while for the more powerful ones, days or even weeks"
"Correct again Daiana," Eleni said with happiness. "I knew that you took those lessons seriously"
"Two years," the Gazer said as she recalled her life back in Royal Makai. "Two goddamn long, excruciating years of harsh training, meditation and long hours of reading books under that Kunoichi"
"But Inoue-sensei is such an amazing teacher," Eleni remember the Kunoichi with appreciation, a mamono that was part of her mother's personal guard and a wonderful person after you get past the stoic demeanor that she usually had with most people, apart from her husband of course.
"Amazing in making me wish not having been born," Daiana said as Seela gave one of her mischievous smiles while Ashely tilted her head with curiosity. "She even had that stupid policy of the 'swear jar'"
"Swear jar?" Ashely asked.
"Just the manner in which Inoue-sensei tried to correct our dear Daiana's vocabulary," Seela explained. "However it didn't manage to correct her completely"
"At least you don't swear as much as when I found you first," Eleni said, remembering fondly. "In any case, one last question, how does human women can live in mamano realms without becoming monsters themselves"
"Pretty simple," Daiana explained. "In the first place, the monster mana in mamono realms is of the passive type rather than active, which is needed to transform human women, to the point that it dissipates in neutral mana most of the time so human women can live and perform magic without being generally affected by it"
"Generally the mamono mana that is expelled in small quantities doesn't represent a danger of conversion" Eleni added. "However there are some exceptions"
"Indeed, some parts of a mamono realm can possess a higher concentration of mamono mana, forming puddles of pink water, pink fog, fruits with too much residual mamono mana, and in very rare occasions, a Dark Matter can be born," the Gazer explained. "In those cases, it's always better to prevent those sources by using certain charms or tattoos that protect the user from them, except the Dark Matter"
"Indeed, mamono mana of the passive type that has form as mana sediment can affect humans in subtler ways as water and air are fundamentals to all living beings, as such their bodies will not resist as if it was forced active mamono mana, making comparably easier to convert human women in that way," Eleni recalled. "As such, some radical groups have made the strategy of putting cursed books or foods that contained heavier quantities of monster mana, and about Dark Matter, they can instantly convert someone if they catch them"
"Yeah, those can be a headache," Seela interjected. "Past year a whole sector in a province of Royal Makai had to be isolated when a Dark Matter appeared suddenly but thankfully those are incredibly rare and there are always signs of one being nearby"
"And there are others exception too," Ashely remembered. "I think there were a race called Cursed Swords that could transform a human woman instantly if activated, my teacher told me that"
"And those are also far more dangerous than Dark Matters, at least you see one from a distance and you know what it is," Daiana added. "A Cursed Sword just looks like a regular sword and people could pick them without knowing it's true purpose until it's too late"
"Now, let me explain why Saleria flowers are so special, "Eleni said. "Is one of the few species of flowers that can directly convert mamono mana into essence"
"Really? Is that even possible?" Ashely asked now intrigued. "I mean, I heard about it before from my teacher but the idea seemed too ludicrous even for me, he told me that it was really sought after by members of the Order and that entire expeditions were formed just to search them"
"Well, it exists and is also a very popular flower in mamono realms for many reasons," Eleni explained. "It can absorb excess mamono mana from the ambient, preventing the heaviest concentrations, obviously there is always a limit but they make a fantastic work on their own"
"Another important element is that their seed can produce a special oil that possess the same properties as the plant itself," Seela explained. "It can be used to prepare special medicines and potions that on its own can work as an excellent supplement for the equivalent of consuming the essence of a male that normal food doesn't generally do, but the flavor is still not the same"
"Correct again," Eleni said. "Another special property is that is able to 'clean' up a human girl's system of any mamono mana she has consumed, even in high quantities, and to prevent monsterization but it can't reverse a newly converted back to human again"
"And, eh," Daiana tried to add but it seemed a little nervous, especially in front of Ashely. "And when a male consumes such potions, it can make their innate essence acquire a special…flavor"
"Really?" Ashely asked. "I never knew that a simple flower could change someone's own mana like that way"
"This one it can," Eleni said pointing out the different colored flowers. "For example, yellow Saleria flowers can make a male's essence taste like vanilla, red is spicy-sweet and purple makes spiritual energy have a honey like flavor and texture"
"And green can make essence acquire a peculiar mint like taste," Seela said. "Pink in the other hand intensifies the original flavor of one's own essence"
"These ones are quite special, even among Saleria flowers," Eleni said as she looked upon a group of white and black flowers with two petals. "White ones can augment the natural production of mana for a period of time, so it is sought after by sorcerers"
"And black ones are capable of 'intensifying' the properties of one's own mana," Seela said to Ashely. "If white ones are about quantity, then black ones are about quality"
"And that means…?" Ashely asked. While the Shoggoth understood many of the bodily functions of living beings, she still didn't know about the..."deeper" fundamentals, like reproduction. Which made certain conversations even more awkward, with Eleni, Seela and Daina postponing the moment in which they had to give the "talk".
"Oh, it means many things," Seela said as she gave out a serene smile. "When a human-monster couple is involved when using a black Saleria flower, things can become very intense"
"Intense?" Ashely tilted her head.
"It means that they get very tired afterwards!" Daiana shouted as she blushed furiously, her tentacle-eyes moving in a nervous wave. Then the Gazer realized that she screwed herself up upon seeing the teasing smiles of both the Human and the Kikimora.
"You know that Ashely is nineteen years old, two years younger than us" Eleni said. "And as a mamono, she needs to now some important stuff, is for her own good"
"I know, I know, but when we are in a town, alright?" the Gazer said as Ashely looked at her.
"Are you going to explain to me about how couples love each other?" Ashely asked while her eyes shined with excitement. "Teacher never told much about, he always looked so nervous despite having such vast amount of knowledge on magic"
"Is not exactly the same as magic" Daiana began to say but was interrupted. "I don't think I…."
"Of course she will explain it, and very gladly," Seela said. "Is that so, dear Daiana?"
"And it would be the best to form a relationship of trust with her," Eleni explained with a calm smile. "She is the newest member of our group and we all need to put our efforts on it, including you"
The Gazer looked back at the Kikimora and the Human but sighed in resignation.
"Yeah, I will explain to you the intricacies of human-monster relationships," Daiana said as she lowered her shoulders. "Goddamnit…" she cursed with a barely hearable whisper.
"Well done, now there is another group of flowers that I need to see," Eleni commented as she walked towards another patch of multicolored flora.
"What it is?" Ashely asked.
"This, is another special kind of flower, these are Miemo ones," Eleni explained, pointing out a group of flowers that had eight petals each, forming a beautiful symmetrical pattern.
"They have very important properties and has a symbolic value for various religious groups," Seela said.
"Now, Miemo plants are also called "the flower of the 'aspects'" because of their eight petals, the same number of the main metaphysical aspects that holds reality in place"
"I know that, teacher told me everything about them," Ashely said, remembering her lessons.
"And these flowers have incredible properties," Eleni said. "When used to make incense, it can make one's own mana to 'relax' and makes circulation flow much better, it can be used as an alternative cure for certain mana related illnesses that can affect even monsters, like mana obstruction and mana disruption"
"More importantly, each color is used for religious ceremonies for particular deities," Seela interjected.
"Exactly," Eleni nodded as she began to point out. "For example, white Miemo symbolizes a new beginning, a sort of blank state, so it is used for ceremonies for initiates in a religion or cult, red ones are used for followers of Ares, god of Fighting and Hephaestus, god of Blacksmiths"
"For the cult to Ares, red Miemo flowers represent blood and bravery, a reminder of what the battlefield represents, and of the code of conduct they must follow," Seela said. "While for Hephaestus it symbolizes the fire of one's forge during their own works"
"And there are the pinks," Eleni said. "Soft Pink is the favored color for followers of Eros, the goddess of love" the Human girl remembered her theological lessons. "She not only represents romantic love, but also familial love and friendships, indeed, she represents all kind of positive relationships"
"And there are the Deep Pink ones," Seela said with a strange expression on her face, a combination of between being amused, exasperated and even a little ashamed.
"Yeah, I could explain that to you Ashely, after Daiana gives you the talk," the Human said with a nervous smile. "It would make more sense with added context"
Both the Shoggoth and the Gazer gave confused expression towards Eleni. She didn't blame them for their lack of knowledge, the Human girl didn't want to explain the…eccentricities of the god Mara, a rather obscure deity with "peculiar" tastes.
"Now, let's continue with these ones," Eleni said she looked. "Here they are, purple Miemo flowers, they are sought after by the followers of Bacchus, god of wine, and the gods of knowledge and creativity and even sorcerers too"
"And here there are deep blue ones," Seela said as she pointed out a Miemo flower. "These ones are sought by followers of Poseidon, and it represents the deep mysteries of the sea, many saying that life first came from the waters and that it also has the same metaphysical importance as the Void between the Stars, as both it and the ocean have similar property in a cosmic level"
Ashely played close attention to this explanation which made sense to Eleni, as the Shoggoth belonged to a species that originated from the deepest parts of the ocean.
"And here there are black Miemo ones," Eleni said. "These ones are sought after by followers of Hel, the god of death and life, it represents not only death but new life, and to always remember that death is not the end but a new beginning and that the memory of those that passed away will always remain in our hearts"
Daiana didn't say anything except to move her head and tentacles eyes away, averting her view from the black flower in an expression of apparent disinterest but Eleni understood the true meaning of it, but didn't commented out of respect for the Gazer.
"It is also said that these black flowers are used by followers of Hypnos, god of sleep," Eleni added. "Interestingly enough, many philosophers and theologizes have associated sleep with death and even there are some theories of Hypnos himself being Hel's consort but that's just pure speculation"
"Now we have golden ones," Seela said as she showed a brilliant golden flower. "This is quite obvious which is sought after"
"The Chief God's followers," Daiana said, almost spitting her words while Ashely put a more serious expression.
"Correct," Eleni said. "For them, it represents the golden radiance of the heavens, like the rays of the sun, that clears any doubts and brings vigor to all living beings"
"And the splendid blessing of torches and pitchforks for us," Daiana made a snide comment full of sarcasm. "With an added flavor of bloodthirsty Heroes"
"I know that they teach them to consider monsters as the ultimate evil," Eleni sighed. "But you must understand that most Humans living under the Order simply want to live a life of peace and quiet and aren't just simple rabid fanatics, they are like you and me, just people"
"Whatever you say," the Gazer commented. "It doesn't change the fact that they hate us on principle"
"Well, is not like they…oh my," Seela was beginning to argue when something caught her attention.
"What it is Seela? It seems that you have saw a…oh," Eleni was saying when she realized what was the thing that the Kikimora saw.
"Is something wrong?" Ashely said as she saw a peculiar flower, rather than having one single color, it had a pattern of three, gold at its beginning, a blueish-purple at the middle and pitch black on its end point. "How strange, is not typical of flowers to have so many notable colors on them"
Daiana noticed something strange on Eleni's attitude, the characteristically cheerful Human girl that put on her nerves so many times had suddenly got tense, as if she remembered something unpleasant.
"This one is…my least favorite," Eleni explained, letting out a sigh of resignation. "As it is sought after by followers of the Fallen God"
Now everyone else in the group was tense, the mere mention of the Fallen God souring the mood of everyone, even in such a beautiful day. Even Ashely had heard about the infamy of that deity, although Daiana suspected she only knew the surface level and not the whole picture.
"For the followers of the Fallen, it represents the three stages in which…" Eleni began to explain slowly, her words having difficulty leaving her mouth. "…in which someone 'awakens'"
Seela put a hand on Eleni's left should as the Human girl pointed the meaning behind the colors.
"Gold represents naivety, the ignorance of the great revelations; then dark blue, which represents the fall of one into the 'great pleasures' the followers of the Fallen love so much," Eleni commented, remembering how her mother and elder sisters (specially Druella) always ranted about the deity and her acolytes in some family reunions.
"Damn degenerates," Daiana said as she actually spitted out to the ground, knowing full well what the 'great pleasures' entailed for the followers of the Fallen. Things that made her shudder in disgust, thinks that would make her puke in revulsion. "Every single one of them"
"And finally black represents the final stage, the welcoming to Pandemonium, the realm in which the Fallen, her servants and followers live," Eleni finished.
"Our Majesty, Queen Lilith, banned all worship towards the Fallen among her first commands," Seela remembered her history lessons. "Is one of the few religions, indeed technically the only one, that is completely forbidden on the threat of arrest…or execution"
"And rightfully so," Daiana added. "I would prefer to be alone with a group of Order fanatics than to be near one of the Fallen's"
Ashely didn't say anything as she simply heard in silence, too nervous to add anything to the subject.
"Mother knew best that the Fallen, and not the Order, was the biggest obstacle towards the coexistence between Humans and Monsters," Eleni said, and then she remember certain secrets, esoteric knowledge that the Mamono Lord imparted to her and that nobody else in the group knew, secrets that would make their opinion of the Fallen to sink even lower, if it was even possible. "While the Order simply thinks that they are fighting for a just cause and they have made great progresses in various fields in many of their territories, the cult of the Fallen only follow their selfish desires…betrayal is something that they consider perfectly normal and acceptable, for not saying that they would gladly kill innocent people if it further their goals"
There was an awkward pause as Eleni wrote on her journal of her findings on the special meadow, only a gentle breeze that rustled the grass was the only thing they heard apart from the writing.
"Well, that was a downer," Daiana said as she stretched her arms and tentacles. "So, what next?"
"According to the information I gathered, there is not much to do," Eleni said she prepared herself. "We must simply walk in the same direction as before and we will be outside of these unoccupied territories towards the neutral nation of Oreira"
And with that the four women prepared themselves to resume their travelling, but as they entered to the other side of the forest, Daiana stopped for a moment to look at the trees.
"Is there something wrong?" Seela asked, stopping too for a moment.
"No…it's nothing," the Gazer simply said.
The Kikimora shrugged and began to walk again towards the other two.
But Daiana didn't followed still as her eyes saw over every tree, even if there was nothing out of the ordinary, the Gazer had the strange sensation of something being somewhat...off
Maybe it was the experiences of her own past before her encounter with Eleni and Seela that was playing tricks on her. In any case she resumed her walk and soon enough she positioned very near Eleni as a way to cover her flank.
Even if it was mere paranoia, the Gazer didn't want to gamble things up. After all, it didn't hurt to always be on guard in such strange lands.
Author's Notes: Now that was quite the amount of info, this chapter was an excuse to plant seeds (pun somewhat intended) for further worldbuilding apart from the one seeing here. The flowers, their uses, the eight metaphysical aspects (I would explain them in later chapters) that hold the world (universe) and their involvement with magic, and the God Hypnos and Elysium are 100% full inventions of mine. Hope you have enjoyed this chapter.