Presea, the Master Smith in the Forest of Silence!
We won't actually be picking up from where we left off with the Magic Knights, but rather, with High Priest Zagato, observing the four teens through his magic mirror. He watched on as the four's ride descended in the Forest of Silence, and a small smile crossed his face.
'They have entered the Forest of Silence...' He mused, pleased at this turn of events. As his mirror's magic lost its connection to the Magic Knights, he turned to observe the briefing that his right hand man, Inouva, was holding.
"There's been an uprising in the town of Bentley! Ascot! Go there and seize control!"
"Right." Ascot agreed from behind the waterfall.
"Caldina. Head to the east. You are to look for any signs of opposition!" Inouva commanded.
"Gotcha." Caldina muttered in affirmation.
"Alcyone-"
"Just a moment." Alcyone interrupted. "You must allow me to follow the Magic Knights!"
"The Magic Knights have entered the Forest of Silence. There is no need to follow them." Inouva said as the waterfall split around Alcyone, revealing her to Zagato and Inouva.
"I beg you, Lord Zagato..."
Inouva held his hand out in an attempt to stop the High Priest from lashing out at the sorceress, but Zagato simply shifted slightly and smiled.
"You cannot use magic in the forest of silence." He explained. "And as they will soon find, the Forest is full of monsters. We don't have to lift a finger." Zagato concluded, his smile dropping as he opened his eyes and made eye contact with Alcyone. "The Forest will take care of them for us."
"Yes, but-" Alcyone started.
"End of discussion." Zagato dismissed, walking away.
"Wait! Lord!" Alcyone begged.
"Alcyone, you are to head to the south." Inouva continued once it was clear to him Zagato had nothing more to say. "And Lafarga, you are to come to the north. That is all."
But Alcyone wasn't content with being written off so shamefully, grimacing in frustration.
After what had felt like hours atop the griffon high in the sky, the four Magic Knights landed in a clearing in what could safely assumed to be the Forest of Silence. The only sign of the forest being inhabited was the giant stone complex in front of the group. Said structure looked almost like a fortress and home, with no windows and doors.
"Huh? Wha? Are we there?" Logan muttered as he woke up from the rather fitful nap he'd taken on the ride.
"It looks like it." Hikaru said, staring at the stone structure. "Is this were we'll find Miss Presea?" She asked, turning to the griffon, which nodded in confirmation. The four teens glanced around at the dark forest surrounding the clearing, huddling up together a bit more
"Is this really the right place?" Umi wondered.
"Maybe-" Logan started, but a single flap caught his attention, and as the four turned, they found that the griffon had vanished without a trace.
"I guess we have no choice but to proceed." Fuu stated. But, as the four glanced around, they finally noticed that the structure in front of them had no entrance.
"It doesn't look like there's an entrance anywhere..." Hikaru muttered, which caused Umi to gasp.
"Then do you mind telling us how we are supposed to enter!?" She demanded.
"Yeah!" Logan agreed.
"Well, how about we try knocking?" Fuu suggested, which only made Umi more frustrated.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? THERE ARE NO DOORS!" She shouted, grabbing Fuu by the shoulders and shaking her. Logan simply walked up, grabbed Umi by the shoulders, and shifted her away from Fuu.
"Okay, looks like someone needs to calm down..." He sighed. "We can probably figure something out through the power of improvising."
Just then, Hikaru walked up to one of the sections of wall and knocked on it lightly. When that didn't do anything, she tried pushing on it, which made it disappear, and she fell right through and onto the ground. "Hey! It's open!" She announced, which just made Umi deadpan.
"See? Improvising!" Logan chuckled, walking towards the revealed doorway.
"This proves that everything is worth a try!" Fuu giggled, bringing Umi along with her as she approached the doorway as well.
"Hello?" Hikaru called into the darkness.
"Excuse us." Fuu added.
"Anyone home?" Logan asked. However, none of the three received a response. "Well, I guess that answers that question."
"Well, we can't just stand here all day. Let's go in." Umi suggested, walking deeper into the structure and waving the others to follow her.
"Are you sure that is a good idea, Miss Umi? If we enter a person's home without permission, we might get ourselves in a lot of trouble." Fuu pointed out.
"Definitely not a good idea, which is why I'm going with her! Come on!" Logan joked, snapping his fingers, as he followed closely behind Umi, the sound echoing throughout the area. Hikaru and Fuu eventually relented and began following as well.
"Pardon us for intruding!" Fuu called as they ventured past the stone walls and into the compound itself, unaware of the shifting ground following behind them. They walked across the yard and towards the home proper, reaching the front door and pushing it open, nearly falling inside, but managing to regain their balance and hide around the corners.
"Oh, man..." Hikaru muttered.
"How careless leaving the doors unlocked like that." Fuu noted.
"I don't think whoever lives here expected anything to get past the walls..." Logan said, then looked over to the others as if expecting them to lead. Umi waved her hand and motioned the others to follow her again.
"Good afternoon!" Hikaru called into the darkness, hoping someone would respond.
"Excuse us." Fuu stated, looking around nervously as the halls got darker and darker. Logan shivered at one point, looking around in the darkness.
"U- Uh, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna hurry it up now!" He declared, his voice wavering slightly as he started power-walking, then breaking out suddenly into a full sprint down the hall.
"Hey! Wait up!" Hikaru requested as she and the other two girls ran after Logan. Thankfully, the darkness was broken by a light behind a door that had been left cracked open. The four teens came to a halt, looking at the door.
"Someone's in there..." Umi voiced, and they poked their heads through the door, finding it to be some sort of study. Papers were strewn across the floor, and were even flying about the room from a person in a floating chair, which was currently facing away from them. Assuming this was the Presea they had been sent to find, they walked into the study proper.
"U- Uhm... Are you M- Miss Presea?" Hikaru asked, still unsure of if this was even Presea. "We're here... Because Clef told us to come."
The person in the chair swiveled around, and revealed... A weird, fluffy, ball-like creature with rabbit-like ears and an odd gem on it's forehead. The sudden appearance of this random creature startled the four teens.
"What the hell!?"
"W- woah! U- Um... M- Miss P- Presea...?" Hikaru stammered, still assuming that this creature was Master Smith Presea. The creature chirped a few times, and then the sound of grinding gears filled the study, and as the four teens looked up, they saw a giant cage falling down on top of them, and were too busy bumbling in alarm to get out of the way, and were thus trapped.
"Ha ha ha! You sure fell for it, Mokona!" An unfamiliar female voice cackled as the dust cleared, a woman with strawberry blonde hair done in a high ponytail, orange eyes, a gold tiara with some sort of red gem, white tunic and orange leotard (what was it with the leotards?), tan gloves, a silver shoulder pad, and orange boots stood, a triumphant look on her face. "You always get away with making a mess out of my study! Now, what would be a fitting punishment for you...? Should I pull on your funny ears to see how far I can make them stretch? Or perhaps it would be even better if I hung you upside-down in the front hall~" She sang, clearly not realizing the situation.
Thankfully, the rabbit-eared creature, Mokona, turned and faced the woman who the Magic Knights safely assumed was Presea, letting out some sort of 'puu, puu!' sound as it threw more papers around.
"Uh-! Mookooonaaaa!" Presea groaned, running over to the four teens who, in order from left to right looked: Confused (Fuu), concerned (Hikaru), and unamused (Umi and Logan). The last of which was tapping his foot on the ground like a certain blue hedgehog.
"I always thought something inhabited this old place..." Presea muttered. "Who would've thought it was four mischievous children?"
"Mischievous children?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah! Hikaru's the only mischievous child in this cage!" Logan joked.
"Hey!" Hikaru shouted.
"I won't go easy on them just because they're kids! They made a big mess out of my neat and tidy study every single time! Should I stretch out your cheeks to see how big your mouth can open!? Or maybe it would be better if I boiled the four of you in a big pot~"
While Presea brainstormed ways to punish the four Magic Knights for a crime they didn't commit, Mokona hopped up from its stack of papers and hopped on over to the cage containing said Magic Knights, popping through the bars and bouncing right over to Hikaru.
"Aww! How cute! So you're called Mokona?"
Mokona made more of it's 'puu puu' noises in response.
"This is a problem..." Fuu muttered while Mokona's attention was still on Hikaru. "While we are completely innocent regarding the mess in the study, the fact is we did still enter the home without permission, so she has every right to hold us accountable.
"Hey. It's not our fault the wall opened when Hikaru touched it. If only we were back home..." Logan groaned.
"Hold on, what did you say?" Presea suddenly asked.
"Uh, I said 'if only we were back home'."
"No, before that."
"I said 'it's not our fault hte wall opened when Hikaru touched it'. We weren't originally gonna come in here, but we called out several times and didn't get a response."
'How can this be...?' Presea mused. 'They can't possibly be this young... But Mokona looks so happy with them...' "You four then... You must be the Magic Knights."
"That's right. My name is Hikaru Shidou."
"I am Fuu Hououji."
"I'm Umi Ryuuzaki."
"Logan Handley. Clef sent us here to find Presea. That's you, isn't it?" But Logan's question would go unanswered as a giant monster that looked like it was made of clay burst down the door, roaring in fury. "OH HOLY SHIT!"
The monster attempted to crush Presea underfoot, but she easily rolled out of the way, grunting slightly.
"Presea! Let us out of this cage!" Hikaru pleaded.
"Hikaru, are you insane!?" Logan asked.
"Open it!"
The monster turned to face Presea, and once again attempted to slice her with its claws. But, as the dust from the attack cleared, it was revealed that Presea was fine, hanging above the monster by a chain, which she promptly pulled down to allow the Magic Knights out of their cage.
Hikaru glared at the monster, a fiery determination in her eyes. She raised her hand, and took a deep breath.
"Flame Arrow!" She called, putting her hand out just like she did against Alcyone, but nothing happened. "Flame Arrow!" She called again, and still nothing.
"CURSE YOU BEGINNER'S LUCK!" Logan shouted as Umi and Fuu huddled up against Hikaru while he ran to find something to potentially distract the monster. However, before there was a need for that, Presea got in between the three girls, sword at the ready, and sliced the monster's head clean off.
"Didn't Clef teach you anything?" She asked. "Magic doesn't work here. This is the Forest of Silence."
"Oh... So that's why Big Bird vanished..." Logan muttered, a bit of a crazed look in his eye. "Fffffucking lovely."
"Clef... He couldn't tell us everything. While we were talking, one of Zagato's minions showed up. We haven't heard from him since." Hikaru explained.
"Clef..." Presea muttered. "Did you foresee this? Is this why you left Mokona with me?" She went silent for a moment. "Come with me. There is something I'd like to show the four of you." And she left the study, motioning the Magic Knights along. They began to follow her, when Mokona's chirps filled the air, and it flew across the room and into Hikaru's arms before they left the study proper, unaware of the monster's severed head emitting a red glow from its eyes...
The four teens found themselves at a sort of vault, and as Presea turned the valve and opened the door, it was revealed to be a giant armory, filled to the brim with all sorts of weapons.
"There! Choose any weapon you like!" Presea insisted, a bit proud of her work.
"Oh, yeah, if this didn't feel like some sort of fantasy RPG before..." Logan muttered, a grin on his face. "These free?"
"Nope."
Logan sighed in disappointment. "God dammit..."
"You misunderstand, I don't need money."
"But didn't you say-"
"You may chose any weapon you like, but these are not yours to keep. I am merely loaning them to you. Every weapon I make is forged for one specific person. I have not yet begun to make weapons for the four of you."
"Only us...?"
"So, choose any weapon you like! It would be far too dangerous to head to the legendary Spring of Eterna without weapons."
"Legendary spring?" Hikaru asked.
"Didn't I tell you? I will make special weapons for each of you. Special weapons that can only be used by each of you in order for you to become true Magic Knights and fulfill the destiny of battle."
"Yeah, that makes sen-" Logan started.
"That's why I need you to go and get the raw materials yourselves!" Presea announced, making all four Magic Knights fall to the ground in disbelief.
"Raw materials?" Umi wondered.
"As in the legends, the four of you will travel to Eterna. There, you will gather a precious ore called Escudo. I will then use this ore to create your weapons."
"Escudo?" All four teens pondered.
"That's right. Escudo is the only ore found in Cephiro that can be made into weapons that evolve."
"Weapons that evolve? How does that work?" Logan questioned.
"Weapons forged from Escudo will grow and evolve based on the specific skills and mental strength of the ones who possess them. However, if the owner does not learn and grow, neither will the sword."
"So basically a leveling system. Honestly, I might have been more inclined to just get new weapons over time..."
"Actually, I must tell you each something."
"What is it?" Hikaru asked.
"One of you... Will not be receiving a sword made of Escudo."
"WHAAAAAAA!?"
(I'm sorry MKR purists, but) "In the legends, it is said that one Magic Knight will be slated to wield the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane in place of a sword made of Escudo. However, it is unclear who that may be. That is why all four of you must venture to the Spring of Eterna and obtain Escudo, it would not do for us to guess incorrectly and have one of you be defenseless!"
"Ooohhh..."
"And besides, the legendary blade and swords made of Escudo are the keys to reviving the Rune God." Presea explained.
"All this talk about a 'Rune God'." Logan sighed. "What's up with it anyway?"
"Even I am not entirely sure. But I do know that without the protection of the Rune God and its limitless power, none of you will stand a chance against Zagato. As for awakening it, the Magic Knights will know what to do." There was a moment of silence as a low growl filled the room, and as the four Magic Knights turned to face the source, they found the giant monster from before, back for round two. "Outta the way!"
As the four Magic Knights dove out of the way, Presea turned and aimed a cannon at the monster, firing the weapon to send the creature sprawling to the ground, giving her enough time to grab the armory door and slam it shut.
"What's going on!?" Umi demanded. "I thought Presea got rid of that monster already!"
"Guess not!" Logan stated.
"Quick! You must choose your weapons now! Before the monster breaks down the door!" Presea shouted, still trying to hold the monster back.
"But there's so many! How are we supposed to know which ones to choose?" Umi asked.
"You don't know anything, do you!? Just close your eyes and think real hard! Do it now!"
The four Magic Knights looked at each other in confusion, but eventually agreed. They all closed their eyes and focused on the weapon they each wanted. As they did so, a broadsword with a red and gold handle, a rapier with a blue handle, a golden bow with green accents and a green quiver, and a brown-hilted broadsword with a round wood/steel shield all levitated over, held by a red, blue, green, and white aura respectively. Hikaru was given the first broadsword, Umi got the rapier, Fuu was gifted the bow, and Logan donned the second broadsword and shield.
This was good, because as their weapons floated into their hands, there was a loud crash as the monster finally broke down the door. Presea stepped back to be in line with the Magic Knights, brandishing her sword.
"Why do we have to start out with a battle?!" Umi questioned as the monster roared.
"I will go first!" Fuu declared, drawing her bowstring back. The arrow flew with pinpoint accuracy, striking the monster square in the chest. It recoiled slightly as the arrow sunk in. But the arrow then started going backwards, and was tossed out of the monster, startling Fuu.
"Let's go!" Presea announced, stepping forward, sword at the ready.
"Yeah!" Hikaru agreed.
"Let's go!" Logan nodded, advancing a bit slower, keeping the shield held up in front of him. He stepped to the side briefly as Umi screamed and barreled past him, her sword held out. It ran the monster through, giving Presea enough time to chop off one of its arms. Hikaru sliced along the legs, bringing it down to ground level and allowing Logan to come in and slice it in half, seemingly killing it.
Hikaru and Umi looked at each other, and high-fived in celebration. But Fuu and Logan weren't quite convinced it was that easy. The two of them cautiously approached the monster's corpse, weapons drawn. The latter lightly tapped his foot against it to test for a reaction. The beast moved slightly, and he instinctively stabbed it again, but it simply melted around his blade and began to reform.
"God dammit! Just what the hell is this thing?"
"It breaks down easy, and then regains its shape." Fuu noted, prepping another arrow. "Somehow, it reminds me of mud..."
"Mud...?" Hikaru muttered, and both hers and Logan's eyes met briefly, an understanding passing between them.
"This is not the time to be complimenting it!" Umi shouted, raising her sword defensively.
Just then, Hikaru rushed forward, letting out some sort of battle cry.
"While she's doing that, Presea, is there a pond or anything nearby!?" Logan asked, setting the plan into motion. In the meantime, Hikaru succesfully sliced the monster in half at the waist, buying some valuable time.
"A- A pond?" Presea wondered. "There's one outside in the front yard!"
"Then lead the way, dammit!"
Presea nodded, and as the monster began reforming, she and the Magic Knights all ran past it and out of the armory. They followed Presea's lead as they ran for the front yard. At one point, the five of them ended up passing some sort of dining room, and Logan easily snatched the tablecloth off the table. "We'll need this, you'll see!" Was all he had to say in explanation, turning briefly and shoving the tablecloth into Fuu's hands.
Once Presea and the Magic Knights were outside, Hikaru ended up hanging a hard left and hiding behind a pillar, sword at the ready while Presea and the others backed up towards the pond.
"You guys! Get it to change its direction!" Hikaru requested.
"Do what!?" Umi asked.
"I get it!" Fuu said, finally catching on, setting her bow down to position the tablecloth for easy grabbing as Logan stabbed his sword into the ground and snapped his fingers, the unique sound catching the monster's attention.
"Hey! Slowpoke! Get your ass over here! I dare you to just try and kill us! Bet you won't!"
"Is he always this rude?" Presea wondered, turning to Umi.
"I don't know." Umi responded. "It's kind of hard to get a read on him..."
The monster quickly approached the group, and as it lowered itself down to attack, Logan simply blew a quick raspberry at it, snatched the tablecloth from Fuu, shouted "Think fast!" and tossed it over the monster's head, blinding it. "Everyone, out of the way! Hikaru! Now!"
Hikaru nodded and ran from her position behind the monster while everyone stepped to the side. Hikaru held her blade out in front of her and slashed through the tablecloth and the monster's head. Said monster roared in pain and fell backwards into the pond with a mighty splash, where it began to panic and dissolve in the water. In seconds, there was only a torn and stained tablecloth indicating that the monster had ever been there.
Everyone was out of breath from the harrowing ordeal, but they were alive and unscathed.
"So..." Logan muttered between breaths. "That was fun."
Everyone gave him a disappointed or offended look. Umi walked up and slapped him right across the face.
"Miss Umi!" Fuu shouted in shock.
"How can you be cracking jokes at a time like this!?"
"Ouch, yeah, I kinda deserved that, heh heh..." Logan chuckled, rubbing his cheek and wincing.
"That doesn't change the fact that you and Hikaru were able to figure out the monster's weaknesses." Presea remarked.
"Oh, we didn't do much." Logan chuckled. "It's all thanks to Fuu here." He explained, smiling at Fuu, which just made her smile back. "Hikaru and I just made the same conclusion when she said it reminded her of mud."
"A-ha! How clever!" Presea said.
"Sorry about the tablecloth. I can try to pay you back later..."
"Oh, don't worry about that. What you did saved all of us! Don't give it another thought!" Presea assured him, wrapping both him and Hikaru in a hug. Once they broke from it, the gems on their gloves started to glow their respective colors, and their weapons vanished completely, much to their shock. "It's okay!" Presea stated calmly. "Your weapons are stored safely inside the ornaments on your gloves. They will reappear in your hand whenever you need them, if you will it so."
"Almost like an inventory system?" Fuu wondered.
"Yes, pretty much. Now, how about you four finally make yourselves at home? You've had a long day. You can begin your journey to the legendary Spring of Eterna tomorrow morning."
Late that night, the four Magic Knights found themselves at least attempting to sleep within the guest bedroom in Presea's home. While Hikaru was out like a light, Umi was having troubles.
"After such a terrifying ordeal today, how can she sleep so peacefully...?" Umi wondered, glancing at Hikaru. But she jumped slightly in alarm as a new voice spoke out.
"I know what you mean." Fuu said quietly, not wanting to wake up the other two. "Following Mr. Clef's guidance has turned out to be pretty tough. We have to consider that we might not make out so well with monsters like that in the future."
"Oh for crying out loud..." Logan muttered, revealing that he too was still awake. "Some of us actually want to sleep, Fuu."
"I'm sorry." Fuu apologized. "Did we wake you?"
"No. I don't... I don't sleep well anywhere that isn't home. I haven't gotten my usual rest in the past week since coming to Japan on vacation."
"That's rich coming from the guy who doesn't seem to be scared of anything." Umi remarked.
"I... Well. I am scared, Umi. That fast-talking personality I have? It's just a mask to hide how terrified I am. It's a coping mechanism. I feel... I feel that if I ended up losing it, you guys would fall apart just as quickly. I don't want that. Heh, I'm kind of glad Hikaru can't hear this right now."
"I figured something like that was happening..." Fuu sighed. "You feel burdened to hide your fear behind a false persona of reckless confidence. But you should not do that. Not only is it unhealthy, but it may end up running you into danger sooner or later."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Although, I must say, I respect that confidence you and Miss Hikaru both have. Your fighting styles are simply incredible. I highly doubt I have what it takes, but I believe both you and Hikaru can become the Magic Knights that Mr. Clef spoke of."
"You better stick around, Fuu. Prove yourself wrong."
"Hm. Maybe we will." Umi agreed. "Besides, I have to admit, Hikaru is pretty cool, even if she looks like she's still in grade school."
Soft chuckling from the three Magic Knights as they all turned to face Hikaru, sleeping peacefully with Mokona in her arms.
In the morning, the four Magic Knights were set to depart for the Spring of Eterna, to obtain the magic ore, Escudo, and potentially the legendary sword as well.
"Mokona knows the best route to Eterna." Presea explained. "He also has everything you might need on your journey."
"Okay." Hikaru nodded.
"Make sure you come back with an ample supply of Escudo, and I'll make the most amazing weapons for three of you. As for the fourth, I hope they can show the proof that the legendary blade does exist. Now, be on your way, the quicker you become the Magic Knights and save Cephiro, the better."
"Right." Logan agreed, turning and waving while walking away. "We'll be back soon!"
"See ya!" Hikaru said, following Logan.
"Hey! Wait up!" Umi demanded, running after the two. Fuu simply bowed in respect, and then followed behind the others, leaving Presea there to watch them head into the Forest of Silence proper.
'Somehow, some way, I hope that Princess Emeraude is watching over them from wherever she is...'
Word count: 4,589
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