Chapter 13: Nataraja

Swelling overlong

Seas of blood are a song

And death an afterthought

To those who fight for naught


Titania


Grimoirh didn't normally take the initiative when translating the ancient Avarost language, especially not in public. Yet here she was now, engrossed in reading while the two daemon-blighted swordsmen sparred with each other.

She had only heard bits and pieces of conversations some time ago though it was plain to see that the mood had noticeably soured lately. Velvet and Ragna for the most part was the cause of the gloominess and while they seemed to hide such emotions from the others, it was plain that they were having an impact on the rest of the crew.

*clang!*

She looked up, adjusted her glasses and squinted. Rokurou had disarmed Ragna, his blade forcing the man to let go of that massive sword as it spun in the air and crashed onto the ground a few feet away from her. The impact didn't even faze her as she kept reading. At the very least, the daemon offered up to take Ragna's mind off depressing matters with this spar.

What they brought back from Aball was a curious thing though. The copy of a book transcribed by Velvet's younger brother years ago. A fair bit of information, which required time and effort to sift through to see what they could actually use in regards to Innominat. Along with other pseudo-historical records. But a small section caught her eye.

"Fell Arms?" she wondered, looking down at the page.

"Reading something interesting?" Rokurou called out, though she simply replied with a shrug.

"Don't bother the Normin." Ragna said, picking up his fallen sword.

She snapped the book shut, audible, before reopening it to the page she had been at.

"'The Normin?' I would have expected that you'd have memorized my name by now." She looked up at Ragna.

He scratched the back of his head. "I mean, well… sorry. It's just that, it's weird referring to your name when part of it shares a word with my arm."

"Ah yes, your… Azure Grimoire. The term 'Grimoire' commonly refers to a book. Books hold knowledge. And this name surely implies characteristics of myself relating to that, yes? But what of your arm? It is neither a book, nor does it associate with colors related to the word 'azure.' Does it hold information that we can use?"

"Uhhh…. Maybe? Hell if I know." Ragna shrugged.

"Call me properly by my name, boy." She said, looking back at the page.

"Will do." Ragna answered. But just before he could walk back to the sparring area, Grimoirh called out to him.

"Out of curiousity though. Do any of these names invoke any sense of familiarity?"

"Eh?"

"Blazor Edge – Abyssion

Sand Spear – Zarich

Infernal Angel – Nebilim

Soul Blade – Mercurius

Wrath Bringer – Glasya Labolas

Blade of Sins – Susano'o

Calamity Chain – Ouroborus"

Ragna had twitched at the sounds of the last two though he sighed and shook his head. "Other than a few that give me a bad vibe, not… really? What brought this on?" he asked.

"A section of this book mentioning things known as the Fell Arms. Though I find it unclear if these were weapons… or people. It is only a short mention of their existence during the Age of Darkness. Encountered only briefly by Claudin Asgard before he unified the land."

"Oh! Oh! I know one of them. My clan had a story involving one of them. A children's tale, more cautionary than anything." Rokurou said, walking over to look at the page. Not that he could read it but at least he had some insight.

"Well? Do tell." Grimoirh replied.

"It's been so long though. I think… Susano'o was a warrior cast down from the Heavens due to his revelry. Though apparently he was redeemed after saving someone from a daemon serpent." Rokurou replied. "I doubt it should be taken as a literal account of events."

"Probably not. Especially if it is one of the many names in this book. Though it would be nice to know the origins for the rest of the names on that list." Grimoirh replied.

She returned to the book as the two swordsmen returned to spar with each other, the clashing of metal even causing shockwaves to ripple through puddles of water around them as the waves crashed against the dock. In hindsight, maybe it would be best to take the readings inside instead of here. Grimoirh shrugged and kept gazing at the pages.


Loegres – Fountain Plaza


"Why are we here, Oscar?" Saya frowned as she walked beside him. She had been asked to forego levitation in favor of simply walking, at least in the presence of the public eye. She could have just refused, but Saya capitulated with the request mostly to prevent any further argument.

"Until we receive word of our next mission, I think being able to move about like this and interact with the common folk would do us some good. We have an obligation to help should we find anyone in need." Oscar replied as they stopped by a booth.

She sighed, turning her gaze from Oscar and then towards their one other companion who stood beside him. She was looking at her oddly, and Saya took the moment to stare right back without shifting focus.

"What is it?" Teresa asked.

"Call it curiosity. I never expected you to accompany us out here, mingling amongst commoners." Saya replied, tilting her head at the older woman.

"I'm allowed to keep an eye on things. You two had me worried sick given your previous mission."

"Sister, please. I told you, it's alright. We just need to relax for now. It's a rarity given the work we do." Oscar said as they took seats around a small stage.

Saya shrugged, legs crossed underneath her robes as she looked forward unblinkingly at the stage. The performance was something that easily moved the crowd. A play of kings and knights, dramatic re-enactments that may or may not be historical fact. And after all of it, an elegant dance by a young woman with a stern-looking old teacher off to the side.

"Though the drama starts off in tragedy, the finale culminating in this dance provides a lesson in hope triumphing over despair. Majelu's Troupe has really outdone themselves this time." Oscar nodded his head.

"A dance of hope? I only know of one dance and it isn't anything at all like this." Saya replied.

"Shhh!" Teresa hushed them as the dance slowed and finally finished. The members of the troupe gathered in front of the stage and bowed down as one, to the applause of the audience. Most of them… other than herself that is, though she found herself half-heartedly following suit to keep up appearances.

Before they could all disperse however, someone was making an announcement up on the stage. She barely listened this time, eyes closed and meditating in her own way. Unfortunately, she didn't have long to rest before Oscar nudged her lightly.

"What?!" she hissed at him, a little louder than expected causing a few people to look at her.

"They're asking if anyone would like to dance with the great Majelu. I figured since you apparently know dances of your own, it would be a delight to watch you perform." Oscar replied with a smile.

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Teresa's gaze, more focused than expected though she turned away soon after.

"What's this I hear? A dancer in our midst?" one of the troupe members walked over in front of them. "Whether beginner or expert, we accept all to join us. Even temporarily. And learning new things is always a welcome sight." The man said, looking down at Saya.

He looked so happy that she couldn't help but cringe from his optimism. She looked from him then to Oscar, almost as if to ask for help before being resolved to just get this over with.

"So be it. A single dance I know of, that's all." She sighed as she was led up the stage. She didn't care too much about being under the scrutiny of others but it wasn't something she expected to do regularly if at all. Oscar owed her after all this. She looked at him again, conversing with his sister.

Even now, Saya was only barely listening to the troupe as they attempted to converse with her. She simply shrugged and nodded her head before coming face to face with their main dancer. The young woman, Majelu, was only slightly taller than her. Her teacher, an older man was asking if Saya would prefer to dance with Majelu as a partner, or if she had her own dance to perform. To which, Saya replied "Alone." She knew of no other dance after all.

Time passed by and she found herself performing her dance in tandem with the more graceful Majelu. Like Oscar said, Majelu was a vision of elegance and fluid movements, flowing like water with turns and spins that made it look like she was always on the move.

For Saya herself though, it didn't take long before many of the onlookers seemed fascinated well enough by her own dance. She moved, rigidly but with purpose, her hands constantly moving and pausing from one position to the next as if consuming one position and replacing it with the next. If Majelu was water, then she was a flame that threatened to engulf all. Focused steps could be heard tapping everytime she brought a foot down, though her dance didn't seem to let her linger on both feet on the ground.

When she finished, her left arm was raised up, a purple flame conjured and burning bright above her. Her right hand was held out, elbows bent with her palm held close to her, almost as if warding any who would dare come close. One foot rested on the floor of the stage, raised up as if she were on her toes and balanced perfectly even with her left leg uplifted and bent at the knee.

The crowd was clapping loudly when all is finished though her gaze was on a prideful-looking Oscar. She smirked, bowing with the rest of the group. Though she received praises, her eyes remained distant even until she stood back with Oscar and Teresa, placing herself to stand in between the two of them.

"A Malak learning a dance all by herself. When did you have the time to learn such a hobby?" Teresa wondered.

"You seem surprised. Much of my knowledge is innate and instinctive. That was simply a memory I've since remembered." Saya explained. "The dance of an old god that is meant to signal the end of the world…" she continued, a look of concern on Teresa's face.

"Not a dance anyone has seen before that's for certain." Oscar said, leading the way forward.

Though greeted by more people, Saya simply let the two siblings handle the conversations. That's not to say that she wasn't listening though. She constantly observed and took notice of anything out of the ordinary. At least, anything that goes beyond the basic groups of people walking about. Like the feline humanoid being entering one of the buildings to the side.

"Hmmm?" she wondered, taking the initiative in following where it was headed off to. When she opened the door, she came upon a rather mundane sight. A bar, a stocky man conversing with the cat-like being, and an old woman in black who turned her attention towards Saya.

Saya was undeterred though, and she walked over to the bar, her own eyes fixated on the cat-like being.

"You're a new face around here." The old woman said. "Why would the dancer be interested in a place like this?"

"The dancer… I'd rather not be remembered solely as that. But it would seem you have knowledge outside this place if you were able to see my…performance." She replied. "Still, my curiosity led me here, especially in regards to…that." She looked at the cat-like being.

"The Katz?" the old woman wondered.

"Ah, a helpful soul? Fi-nya-lly?" the small creature said, turning her attention towards Saya.

The words chilled her and Saya took a step back for a moment.

The sound of the entrance opened up somewhere behind her and she looked back to see a sigh of relief on Oscar's face. "There you are," the Praetor said as he joined them, followed soon by Teresa.

"What is this place?" Teresa wondered, looking around the area.

"Very rare to have guests from the Abbey here at this establishment. Rare enough for them to be of great renown." The old woman said, taking a seat besides Saya.

"You know of us?" Oscar wondered.

"Oh yes, why wouldn't we? There's not a soul in Loegres who doesn't know about the accomplishments of the great Oscar Dragonia. We are… humbled by your presence here." She lowered her head, almost in a bow.

"More than that. Does this mean you are willing to help out?" the Katz said, eagerly turning her attention from Saya then to Oscar.

"You have yet to explain what is so important that you would assume we could be of any help." Saya replied.

"Though that's not to say we'd be adverse to solving the plight of others. Our duty is still to the people… errr, Katz in this case." Oscar nodded his head.

"Oscar wait-"

"Yay! Then I can send all of us to where the problem might be, meow!" the Katz raised a hand, a bright light expanding upwards and engulfed them. When it disappeared, The Katz, Saya, Oscar and Teresa had vanished, leaving the bar empty save for its original inhabitants.

"This event is something to ponder over." The old woman murmured. "Get a sylphjay ready. Our friends may find this intriguing." She said.


Mount Killaraus


"Send us back." Saya glared at the Katz.

Whatever magics the Katz had performed, that didn't change the fact that they were now far from their original destination. This was not Loegres. No, this was the interior of a volcano!

The teleportation had disoriented her two companions, though Teresa recovered more swiftly and took a look around her surroundings. "This is… Mount Killaraus? Why are we here?"

"Meow… four at once is difficult to transport. I'm tired, meow."

Oscar raised a hand, blocking Saya's way from just walking forward to do something violent to the Katz. He looked at her and shook his head, before staring back at the tired-looking Katz.

It took a moment to compose itself before looking back up at the group.

"Meow, it had only been a minor distortion at first but a few weeks ago, something violent occurred in the land surrounding this place. A great battle, excess malevolence pouring out like a torrent traveling North all the way here. Meow. Normally, such malevolence disperses but as it did so, it broke a seal. Dormant for now, but it will likely become more trouble in the future. Some of my fellow Katz expressed interest in exploring, though they haven't started yet, meow."

"Malevolence travelling North. I don't recall any such report even during my stay at Hellawes." Teresa. "It would have to been after… wait," she looked back at Oscar. "Brother, I don't suppose it meant…?"

"It is possible." Oscar murmured. "Could you elaborate more on this battle?"

"Meow, I've only heard of it. They say there was an intense conflict between The Abbey and a Reaper of Souls. The malevolence released in the struggle attempted to penetrate the land itself, but was rejected and kept on heading north, meow. Unable to disperse, it kept on going until it could finally be absorbed into the heart of the volcano. But not before it broke the seal, meow."

It didn't take a wild guess to figure out what event this was talking about. This was Saya and Oscar's battle with Ragna. A battle they lost and were lucky to escape with their lives. The memory should have been irritating yet it filled her with a sense of calm as she listened in.

"It was that grave?" Teresa asked, newfound concern in her voice.

"To a point. We were not as prepared as we expected." Oscar replied, "But if our actions there brought this new problem here, then I guess we have an obligation to help solve it if possible. Now, where is this seal that you say was broken?"

"Meow, good question! It's close by, but that's all I know."

"So we don't even have a lead." Teresa said, "But maybe…" she paused and brought her staff down on the ground. "Number One, I have a mission for you."

Saya watched as a ball of light emerged from Teresa, taking the form of an impassive boy who nodded his head and raised a hand high. She almost forgot that they all had tethered Malakhim, though given the information that she and Oscar were privy, there was some pride to be had in knowing their link was more unique…untethered as they are right now.

"Detect the closest source of malevolence. Ignore any that comes from living beings." Teresa ordered, her Malak complying as he seemed to focus.

Minutes later, number two turned and began walking. The rest followed until they came upon the a cliff overlooking a lava stream. There, near the edge, was a glowing mass that seemed to tunnel into the air itself.

"Number One, enough. Return." Teresa waved her staff, the Malak disappearing in a flash of light once more. "You should return too. If we're going to head into a place with a high concentration of malevolence, you'd be in danger of its exposure," she looked at Saya.

"You underestimate me, dear Sister," Saya said.

"Sister?"

"Your Lord once called me a Malak of Malevolence. And I thrive on simply devouring said Malevolence, as Oscar can attest." She looked at him briefly before turning back towards the portal.

The praetor chuckled to himself and nodded at Teresa immediately.

"Now, before we continue wasting time, I would have us solve this issue as soon as possible. I am owed much and more for being made to wander about these kinds of locations." said Saya, stepping through and disappearing within the light.

"She's great isn't she?" Oscar said, passing by his sister and following suit.

"As long as she can protect you…" Teresa said quietly as Oscar vanished. She turned towards the Katz. "You, will you stay here until we resolve this? We will need a way back to Loegres and you did bring us here in the first place."

"No problem, meow!" the Katz replied. "I will pawsitively wait until you are done. By then, I'll have recovered enough to bring everyone back if you need it."

"Alright then." Teresa said, breathing in deep and then sighing. "Here goes."


? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?


She waited until both Oscar and Teresa arrived before taking another step in this new location. Not a long wait, but there was a presence here that felt familiar. She was unsure of what it was however, but they had time to unravel these secrets.

"A temple? Here?" Oscar said. "The place is so pristine though. A seal may have been broken, but I feel like all it did was just reveal this place."

"I had no idea such a place even existed here. This isn't Mount Killaraus anymore, that's for certain." Teresa said.

Saya said nothing at first, though she turned back towards the portal and held her hand out to it. "No, it's still connected to that Volcano. Something about this area is distorting reality, and it feels like it connects to so much more…"

"I wonder if Lord Artorius knows about this place?" Oscar wondered.

"Turn back…" a voice echoed around them and the three looked up as an orb of bright light descended in front of them. "I am one who understands the way the world works. "It would be futile to proceed. Naught but despair awaits you within. Go back to your world and you may live a long-"

The voice was interrupted as a sharp projectile flew past the praetors' heads, passing harmlessly through the orb of light, but enough to cause it to stop. Saya floated forwards, her weapons spinning meanacingly behind her, robes having disappeared once more.

"The way the world works? And you dare ask us to return to our world?" she said, "I would have answers from thee." She said, her expression suddenly intimidating.

"Lady Saya…?" Oscar wondered.

There was a pause. The voice said nothing for a while but eventually relented.

"I see… you are not a Malakhim of this world. My apologies for assuming as such." The voice continued. "But this is not the place to hold a discussion. Head further inside, and I will strive to answer what I can. The defences of the Heavenly Steppes are not yet fully awakened, so you should have little to fear… if you are Malakhim. I cannot say the same for your human companions."

The orb of light disappeared and Saya clenched a fist while staring at the empty space. Oscar soon placed a hand on her shoulder, and she soon relaxed her fingers.

"You heard it." She said quietly, "We'll need to confront it for more answers."

"When we're ready." Oscar told her.

"A Malakhim from beyond this world. Is that true?" Teresa wondered.

Saya nodded her head though she didn't turn towards her. "I will understand if none of this concerns you. If you desire to go back, feel free to do so. I will find my own answers if I must."

"It plainly does," Teresa said, standing besides her before kneeling down on her level. "While I still find you strange, that's not necessarily a bad thing. You still helped Oscar out did you not? And I know he wouldn't dare abandon you even if you are to pursue your own desires."

"She speaks the truth." Oscar said and Saya looked up at him.

"It's settled then." Teresa nodded her head and stood up. "I think I have a good grasp on what you yourself desire. Answers about your past I assume?"

"For the most part." Saya replied.

"Then we will find a way to confront the owner of that voice." Said Teresa. "We did say we have an obligation to help anyone in need. And if that includes a Malakhim from beyond this world like you, then it is our duty to see it through regardless."

"You two…" Saya closed her eyes before a deep chuckle escaped her lips. "Very well then. We shall see what secrets are being kept in this place. These…. Heavenly Steppes. My… Our curiosity will grant us something useful, I am certain."