[Chapter 13: The Double of Thorns]
It's been about a week since they boarded the ship to Firene. Miguel was questioning how it would take two weeks to get to Firene because he had to explain that was where he woke and it took him a month to get to Lythos. Alfred had asked where exactly he had woken up.
"Well, from what I remember...I think. The village was called Corona." Miguel said, scratching his cheek as he leaned back on the rail of the ship, "Okay, Um, I guess I'll start from the top." He said as the group listened, "I woke up in an abandoned house. A woman by the name of Veyle found me. She helped me recover and escorted me to Corona Village. We arrived when Corrupted were attacking and we fought them. From there, I thanked her and the villagers wouldn't stop giving me things..." he sighed, "and took the ship to Lythos. The rest is history from there." He finished.
"Ooohh! So you're the Miguel, Sir Roman was talking about!" Alfred said as Miguel raised an eyebrow but then blinked, remembering the elder knight he met at the first village he stayed in, "Corona was one of the towns that got attacked. My sister thought she arrived too later but she was surprised and happy to see everyone was okay. Sir Roman told us about Miguel and Veyle that helped save the villagers." He explained.
"It would have been nice if you all would have seen him." Sitonia suddenly appeared in a butterfly form and landed on Miguel's shoulder, "Quite the sniper he is. Still, what are you going to do with that M24? I'm surprised you didn't bring it." She said and Miguel pressed his lips together.
"It's a weapon that shouldn't exist in this world. The only reason I had it with me before I arrived in Elyos was that the town where my sisters and I were going to stay for our vacation had a store where I could sell it to get rid of it." Miguel sighed and then blinked a few times, "Wait, you know what an M24 is." The butterflies antenna nodded, "Did you originally come from my world?"
"Who knows."
Miguel scowled but wasn't going to push it but saw the confused looks on Alfred and Alear.
"What a M24?" Alear asked and Miguel sighed before making his arms in a position as if he was holding his sniper gun.
"It's like...this elongated metal tool with a telescope that lets me kill my opponents from about..." he thought for a moment then it blinked, "1,250 meters." He said did a light stomp where he was standing, "Say there are three to five more ships the same size as the one we are currently on and someone was standing at the tip of the jibboom on the very last ship." He then turned to the rail, raised his right leg, and planted his foot on top of it, "I then get in this position, and raise my weapon." Closed one eye and aimed, "Look through the telescope, aim for the head." He pretended he did, "and BAM!" The two looked at him stunned as he turned back to him with arms crossed, "That right there is an instant kill. I was one of the top 100 snipers in my country."
"Okay, I think we kinda understand why you have such a weapon locked away." Alfred said, "But you have to admit, it's incredible. To think such a thing is even possible..." he was awed.
"Technology of The World of Steel is something that is both a blessing and a curse." Sitonia said as they all looked at her, "Many technological advancements have been made to improve and saved life but others were also made to destroy and obliterate them. Elyos is not ready for such a thing but perhaps far, far, in the future, it may reach the same advancements as our old home." She said and flew off, then turned to a little girl, "Humanity in this world has yet to reach the independence of The World of Steel." She turned to them.
"Magic, divine dragons, magical creatures, and such do not exist in The World of Steel. All that is created and made is by humanity alone. But just because the things I mentioned do not exist, does not mean there are not people people who believe in them. Stories of gods, worlds beyond, magic, and such exist. There are even things that are unable to be explained. The World of Steel has no magic yet it's had its spark." Sitonia said as she raised her hand and looked at Alear.
"As a fellow dragon, there will be a day when will step down from our position and let humanity take the reigns. Even the Fell and Divine are not immune to death. Until then, we shall watch over humanity with a guiding hand." She said as they looked at her in awe.
Marth appeared and looked at her with an unreadable gaze before he spoke.
"You believe in humanity that much." He said and Sitonia snorted.
"You make it sound like I don't." She said and again turned to a different form, this time into one of a man that...looked strangely familiar to Marth, "Look, I love and hate humans. I'm half-human myself. What I hate!" She said loudly, "Is feuding! Especially feuds between nations that can be resolved!"
"Okay, I think we need to shift the conversation." Miguel quickly said getting their attention.
He went into his backpack and smiled taking out a thick deck of cards with the back black and the words "UNO" on it.
"Is that what I think it is?" Sitonia said and turned into a cat, waving its tail excitedly.
"Yes, it is." Miguel said and called out to the rest of the group as they gathered around, Lucina and Sigurd also joined them, curious, "This is a card game from my world called Uno. It's been a week since we got on the ship and I'm kinda bored..."
"You find training with me boring?" Vander said and Miguel quickly coughed.
"That is not what I meant!" The soldier said, "I just felt we...needed a bit more action. Besides, a good break from training will do." He said.
"How do we play this game?" Alear asked and Miguel began to explain the rules to the group while Sitonia was internally cackling.
- 30 minutes later -
"I DON'T HAVE A GREEN!" Alfred screamed while Miguel and the twins were laughing and Alear had his cheeks puffed out, trying not to out of respect to his friend.
Marth along with Sigurd and Lucina were watching from a distance to allow the group to enjoy themselves. Somehow seeing them all laugh and get into debates over who had Uno brought forth a sense of familiarity with all three Emblems. Soon, a water cat joined them that was purring in joy.
"Had your fun watching them strangle each other?" Sigurd said as Sitonia sat and let out a happy hum.
"I'm not the one that brought out the game." She said as she looked at them one by one, "But I think at this point you all are feeling it. Fragments of your memories are missing." She said and Lucina sighed, looking away.
"I have...a vague memory of a woman named Sophia and her son, who is my husband. It pains me that I can not remember their faces. What hurts more is that I do not remember his name or the name of my sister-in-law. No...it's much more than that." Lucina said as Sitonia stared at her.
"The situation is the same for me as well." Marth sighed, "A shadow...Someone in my life was a shadow. Someone who was a soldier just like Miguel but I can not remember their name or face." He said and Sigurd sighed.
"It is the same here..." Sigurd muttered as Sitonia looked at them sadly.
"The one who can answer all this is Arisa." Sitonia said as the three looked at her, "Even my memories are scrambled but the most I can remember is that Ermos, Francis, Alma, Ruby, Oscar, and Maria did something to all the Emblems to make us forget certain things. I can't even remember the name of The Demon we fought 2,000 years ago and I find that alarming." She sighed and looked back to the group.
They were laughing and cheering, at some point, Boucheron brought them food. Seeing them all laugh, brought the Emblems fond memories of the old days. Alear finally lost and burst out laughing as he was using Miguel as support. Miguel slams down a card on the table and Alfred slams his hand on the table. Eite looked smug as the twins were trying to figure out what to do. Even Vander, despite looking lost, was having fun. It reminded them of the days back when Gardlon was still a lush green land and its people were wild and free.
"Arisa was among the first Outworld Emblems that were created...Even back in my old world..." Sitonia looked down to the ground, "she always hid things. That idiot. Always takes on the burden and puts on a fake smile even when she is in pain. The fool...that damn goodie two shoes. When I get my hands on her, I'm going to give her the slap she deserves!" She hissed, her tail tailing up straight.
"Reminds me of my wife and...whoever was beside side," Sigurd said as the cat nodded.
"The heart of those too kind...always bleed the most."
- Elusia -
"Okay. You do this." Nanami said as she stood near a wooden barrel used for washing clothing and took out her wand, "Encan." She said making the tip glow, and the water in the barrel began to swirl.
Bernadetta was intensely writing down notes in her notepad as Sumia had her chin pinched between her forefinger and thumb. Nanami picked up a small cup of soap, poured it in, then went to pick up a pile of black clothing, putting it into the water. The swirling water foamed up as it continued for quite a while.
"So we now let this swirl for 20 minutes. This motion not only cleans the clothing, but it's also cuts the time so you won't be doing constant scrubbing. This is called the first cycle since it's to get rid of all the dirt and grime. See how the water is getting a bit murky/" She said and they nodded.
"After 20 minutes, I will drain the water. Once the water is drained, I will again cast Encan, this time the barrel will spin and the speed will cause the clothing to stick to the side and the FORCE will drain the water out of the clothing." Again, more notes were written, "This continues for 20 minutes. And then the cycle again repeats but this time no soap in the water. Once again, drain it and then spin it again. The reason we add no soap in the next cycle is that the clean water gets rid of any leftover soap that remains. Once it's drained, we repeat the second cycle to drain the water from the clothing. And when that is done, we hang it up to dry or we use wind magic to dry the clothing!" She said with a grin.
"Oh thank The Fell! I won't have to scrub one at a time!" Sumia said as Bernadetta cried happy tears, "I can finally have some free time!" And the two began dancing in joy, Nanami couldn't help but smile.
It's been now two weeks since she arrived at The Frozen Fortress and a week since her testing to become a maid has started. It was safe to say that she passed with flying colors. Cleaning, cooking, the list kept going on. She had to thank the years of having multiple part-time jobs for her skills.
"Hhhhrrrmmmmmmmmmm..." Hortensia looked intensely from behind a door with Rosado and Goldmary behind her. "She's perfect. Too perfect..." she whispered.
"I have to agree on that. The only thing she lacks is charm." Goldmary said, "She doesn't put on any makeup! Always had her hair in a ponytail and worst of all, she modified the maid unformed to not looks cute at all! She got rid of the frills!" Rosado said.
"I can hear you!" Nanami said as she turned to them with a twitching eye and the trio flinched, "I modified my uniform because it's a hassle to move with a skirt and the frills add an unnecessary weight that becomes annoying. I keep my hair tied up because I don't want it to get tangled or to get in the food I cook. It is also why I wear a hair net when I cook and clean." She said to them with the tone of an older sister scolding her younger siblings for doing something stupid.
"Ufu~" Goldmary chuckled as they all came out, "Even so, a maid of The Royal Family must be poised, charming, and elegant when dealing with any situation." She said and the trio suddenly had a glint in their eyes that made Nanami shiver.
"So!" Rosado suddenly appeared behind her, placing his hands on her shoulder with a cheeky grin, "It's time for the real test to begin! Come on, let's go! Bernie, you too!" Rosado said.
"Nooooo! Bernie is going back to her room!" Bernadetta screeched but was quickly caught by Hortensia.
"We're going to be stealing them for a bit, Nana!" Hortensia said to Sumia, who chuckled.
"Alright! Have fun!"
"Noooooo!"
"Pfft!" Ivy chuckled as she saw Nanami and Bernadetta whisked away by her sister and her retainers, "We just need Cosmos, Cynthia, and Owain to be here. Sigh..." the princess sighed, "I hope they are doing alright in the castle.
Indeed…who is this Cosmos?
- Elusia Castle -
A young boy was silent as Zephia came back with a conflicted expression on her face. In her hands floated three rings yet it wasn't a joyful expression. Marni noticed it as well as Griss but Mauvier shook his head, saying it was better to say nothing. The young boy stood on the right of a man dressed in black robes, pale skin, a golden yet pale ornaments behind his back. They all stood on a throne in the colors of green, giant stone altars with griffins. And standing in front of the throne, the man with white hair, known as King Hyacinth, looked at the dragon with narrowed eyes. And above the throne was a giant eight-pointed star crystal.
"Did something happen, Zephia? You seem dissatisfied with our victory against Lythos." King Haycinth said as the woman scoffed.
"If losing a ring in the process is considered a victory, I think you are mistaken." Zephia said and handed the rings to the king, "Ring of The Instructor, the Azure Twins, and Sage. A pity we lost the Exalted Princess but these will do for now." She said with a smile.
The woman then turned to the boy, who flinched, "Have you seen anything yet, Prince Cosmos?" She asked.
Prince Cosmos was a young boy with brown hair tried in a ponytail, and pink eyes, and wore a tunic-like black shirt with pants, black boots, and a staff in his hands. Before he spoke, a bright light of dark orange glowed and the group looked above to see the star crystal glow.
"̶̨̓Y̶̖̓ò̸̪u̴̳̓ ̴̠́l̸͇̕o̵̖̊s̶͇̚t̷̞͘.̸̨͐.̶͔̂.̶̭́T̶̲͘h̶͕̍ē̶̘ ̶̬̒È̷̗x̷̨̊ã̷̯l̵̖͐t̶͕̕e̴͍͒ḏ̵̿.̵̛̤.̴͍̄.̸͚̒P̶̦͂r̶̲̅ï̶̟n̸̪̾c̵͖̀e̸͔̊s̸̼̾s̸̮͐.̷͎̇.̸͇͊.̶͉͆"̶̰͝
A voice that was a mixture of hundreds if not thousands of creatures and humans spoke. Zephia's eyes squinted then spoke.
"There is no need to be upset. Even if we lost one ring, we still have four. Did you forget we also have the lady of the planes?" Zephia said and the crystal pulsed.
"̴I̷ ̶s̷e̴n̷s̵e̶.̶.̷.̶L̶y̶c̵i̸n̸t̵h̴.̸.̶.̶"̵ ̵The smile on Zephia dropped in an instant, ,̸ "̶M̷y̸.̷.̴.̸v̴e̸s̷s̶e̶l̵.̸.̸.̷t̷h̴e̷ ̸r̷i̶t̴u̸a̷l̸ ̸f̴r̴o̶m̶ ̴s̶e̵v̶e̷n̸ ̵y̷e̵a̸r̸s̶ ̵a̷g̶o̶.̴.̵.̶w̴a̸s̷ ̸a̵ ̸s̸u̵c̸c̵e̴s̶s̴.̶"̶ Prince Cosmos's blinked.
"Ritual?" Cosmos said and shivered once he felt his father's gaze on him.
"Cosmos's, leave." And the prince bowed before he quickly left but not before whispering a spell.
Once he was gone, the king turned to the crystal and smiled in glee.
"The Starfarer is now in Elyos! Oh, what joy! Their blood will revive Lord Sombron to his full power!" He said but the crystal spoke.
"̶T̸h̸r̶e̴e̷.̸.̴.̶.̴" The crystal said, "̸T̸h̷e̵ ̵S̶t̷a̴r̵f̵a̴r̵e̴r̶.̴.̸.̴T̷h̷e̵ ̴E̵m̶p̷y̸r̷e̷a̸.̷.̷.̷T̸h̵e̴ ̵F̵o̶r̸s̶a̵k̵e̴n̷.̷.̴.̴T̵h̴r̴e̶e̸.̴.̵.̸" it hummed, "̶S̷a̷c̷r̸i̸f̷i̷c̵e̶ ̵T̷h̵e̶ ̷S̵t̷a̵r̴f̵a̸r̶e̸r̸.̵ ̶C̵r̶u̴c̴i̷f̷y̶ ̸t̵h̸e̶ ̴E̴m̶p̶y̸r̸e̷a̶.̵ ̴ ̸D̶e̸s̴t̷r̴o̵y̴ ̷T̷h̶e̸ ̸F̴o̵r̸s̷a̵k̴e̸n̴.̵" And the gem no longer glowed.
"Man, I swear that thing speaks in riddles." Griss grunted and looked over to Zephia, "So, how's Lady Veyle? The wound heal?" He said.
"It was the magic of the first dragons. To think a human was even capable of such fleet is...alarming." Zephia said, "Still, I'll be heading to Firene. It seems we finally located The Necklace of the Shadow. At this point, The Ring of the Caring Princess of just a bonus." She said and walked away.
"Oh, by the way." She stopped and looked at the crystal, "How will I know when I meet The Forsaken?" She asked.
"̵S̷i̷t̸o̵n̶i̵a̷'̵s̶.̸.̴.̷.̷r̸i̸n̴g̴.̸"̸ ̶
That was the only reply she got.
- one week later: Firene -
Miguel never really had a proper view of Firene when he first arrived. Only the grassy fields that looked straight out of a painting, the scent of water and mist, along with the people he saved. Yet, now that he was back in the land he first arrived, he had a different view of it. Firene's lands were lush and green, filled with hills and windmills as far as the eye could see. The air felt refreshing and crystal clear, with flower fields and meadows all around. Flowers of all kinds, all colors and shapes, and the sky so blue it reminded him of a beautiful beach. The breeze felt cool to the touch as they walked, Alfred's and Vander's horses with them as well. The Emblems, Lucina and Marth, narrowed their eyes.
"Marth, is it me or...does Firene feel familiar?" Lucina said as Marth nodded.
"I feel it as well. It feels...as if I am in Altea for some reason." Marth said as Lucina looked around.
For the princess, the place had the familiar air of Ylisse. As for Sigurd, it strangely felt like the Spirit Forest where he first met his wife. Alfred smiled as he walked up and then turned to them with a grin.
"Here we are, the kingdom of Firene!" Alfred said as Alear and Miguel joined him, "It's beautiful." Alear awed.
"Never had a chance to look at the place." Miguel hummed, "Do you...mind if I take some flowers with me after the fight?" He asked.
"Not at all!" Alfred as they all continued to march forward, "Beautiful, isn't it? And no sign of the Corrupted, so that's good. That was quite a trip, crossing the sea from Lythos. I hope you're not worn out." He said as the two men shook their heads.
"I'm used to traveling. So the ship was not too bad. Alear on the other hand," Miguel snickered as Alear gave him a side glare.
During the first week on the ship, Alear looked like he wanted to jump off because of the motions of the ship. It resulted in him getting motion sickness and he could barely move. Everyone was worried and Framme's spell for motion sickness barely had any effect on him. Had time not been for Sitonia's instructions on to handle the motion sickness, Alear would have been a dizzy mess at the moment.
"Unfortunately...we dragons have motion sickness when it comes to the sea..." Sitonia grumbled, "Except those who are affiliated with water. So I'm safe. Anyhow, Alfred, does Firene have Permint, Gingers, and chamomile tea?" She asked.
"Yes! But why such a question." Alfred as the butterfly appeared and landed on Alear's shoulder.
"Miguel, make sure to buy a decent amount. I'll have to teach Framme how to make a motion sickness medicine for Alear using those herbs." Sitonia said as Miguel looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Sigh, back to the original subject," Miguel said and looked at Alfred, "do you mind telling us a bit about your home?" he said and they all continued to walk.
Alfred informed them that Firene is one of the five nations of Elyos, in the southwest. It is ruled by his mother, Queen Eve, and is known as the land of plenty and peace. Their mother had to work hard to push for a non-aggression pact with Solm and Brodia. With Solm, the non-aggression back was done quickly because they were an open-minded country and always had a good relationship with Firene. But with Brodia it was more difficult because Brodia was known as a war-mothering nation and The King of Brodia was an ambitious man.
One of the main reasons they were able to get a non-aggression back with Brodia was because of Queen Opal. Unfortunately, Elusia was not a part of it since they cut themselves off from the world seven years ago. Not much was known about the nation of Knowledge, just it was a land of snow and blizzards. But also, their people were Fell Dragon Worshippers. Lastly, Alear and Miguel asked about Firene's Emblem, The Emblem of The Caring Princess, and also...
"The Necklace of The King's Double," Alfred said and Marth was now beside Alear.
"Wait, I thought Emblem were only rings." Alear said as Alfred shook his head.
"I don't know much but Klaus said that there are stories of Emblems in different forms. Other than the rings, Klaus said that in the past, the Emblem of his clan would be in different forms. They say that Francis's was an earring before it took on the form of a necklace so he could entrust it to his children. Klaus and his family as descendants of Francis." He said as they looked ahead.
"The Necklace of The King's Double..." Marth muttered, "A sense of familiarity..."
"I thought Emblems were just legends. That was until I met you, Miguel, Sitonia, and Marth. I can't wait to tell my sister they exist! She'll really be knocked for a loop." Alfred's grinned but his smile fell a bit, "Though...I'm not sure how Klaus is going to feel about it..." Miguel raised an eyebrow.
"You have a sister?" Alear asked and Alfred nodded, "Yeah─the princess of Firene, Céline. She's at the castle with Mother and Klaus right now. I think Klaus's sister maybe with her as well. Those two are best of friends!" He grinned.
"Klaus has a sister?" Miguel said and again the princess nodded, "Her name is Luna. I guess I should explain this. The Lycinth clan of Firene is The Royal Families' double. Luna is Celine's double. Klaus is mine. Their mother was my mine mother's and you get mist of it. Unfortunately, their parents perished seven years ago." He said with a sigh.
There was more to it but for now, they needed to get it the castle.
[—-]
It was safe to say that Flora Mill Town was overrun by Corrupted. Not too far into the village, Alfred spotted his sister, Celine running towards them. The princess panted and gasped, relieved to see her brother.
"Alfred!" The princess yelled as they ran to her side, "Céline? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Mother." The prince said but Celine looked...terrified.
"I was but Klaus and Luna kicked me out! They are currently beside Mother! That's not all, the Elusian army is marching towards the castle! They managed to sneak me out so I can deliver the message to you!" She said, "Before they arrived, Mother sent me to warn you. But then we were ambushed on our way to Florra Port...Louis and Chloé stayed behind so that I might have a chance to escape. Please, we must hurry back to them!" She pleaded and gasped seeing Alear, "Divine One, you are awake!"
"As much as I would like to introduce myself right now we need to get to Firene Castle! Introductions can wait. Princess Celine, do you have Firene's Emblems?" Alear said and the princess nodded, quickly holding them out to him.
The Ring of The Caring Princess was a gold ring with a red gem but it was the second emblem that caught his eyes. It was pendent with a black obsidian stone embedded into silver. The stone had some sort of engraving on it.
"The Ring of The Caring Princess and The Necklace of The King's Double. Please, Divine One. They are yours." Celine said as she handed them to him.
Alear nodded and slipped on the ring of the caring princess. Words filled his mind as a warm sensation came to his hand. Gentle, kind, he raised his fist and shouted the invocations.
"Care for us, Emblem of Echoes!" He yelled.
Crimson light burst from the ring, along with a tune. The light formed together and before them appeared a woman of crimson orange hair and eyes, dressed in a saintly white dress with gold. The woman smiled softly and spoke.
"I am Emblem Celica. I detest violence...but I will always fight to defend the innocent." Emblem Celica said and smiled, "It is good to see you again Divine One."
Alfred and Celine were stunned by the appearance of Celica and awed.
"Thank you for answering my call." Alear said and looked at Celine, "Princess Celine, I entrust Emblem Celica to you. I can tell you wish to fight by her side." He said as Celica floated beside her and nodded.
"Thank you, Divine one! I will not disappoint you!" Celine said and was given the ring.
"Now..." Alear took deep breaths as he put on the necklace, and held the stone in his hand.
He closed his eyes but...he opened them in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Vader said as Alear looked at him worried, "I'm not receiving any invocation."
Alear said.
"Hmm..." Sitonia hummed, "Sigh...looks like we'll have to put this on hold." Sitonia said and everyone turned to look back at the town, "We need to get to the castle."
"Miguel, can you hold onto it for now?"
"Of course."
[—-]
The fight through the town was brutal. The amount of corruption just shocked Miguel. Though Alear was in charge, was thanks to Miguel's instructions that they were able to make on time to Celine's retainers. A woman of blue hair who road pegasus, her name is Chloe, and a man in heavy armor named Louis. But it was also the first time Miguel was using Fujin Yumi. Miguel had never once used a bow in his life but at the moment, he was on top of a fort, using it felt as if he had used it all his life. The knowledge of how to use the legendary relic of the first dragons and how to create an arrow out of thin air as he willed it, his right eye glowed with Sitonia's power, and the ring as well.
Vander with Framme and Clanne on his side managed to obliterate a group of Corrupted Wyvern Riders that were about to become reinforcements. Eite and Boucheron backed up their senses before Eite launched her arrows at a mage and the knight ripped to pieces the ones with swords. Chole and Louis did their jobs as well, both on the ground and sky. For Miguel, it felt like all his five senses became sharper or as if he gained a sixth or seventh sense. His right eye, it was if it had before a telescope, could see far in the distance that Alear, Celine, and Alfred were fighting with their Emblems against the Elusian General.
Miguel raised Fujin Yumi, his eye zoomed and locked on the enemy General. It felt like he was using his gun again. The sensation of coldness, calmness, holding his breath and stilling his heart. He waited and waited, and finally, the opening he needed, he released.
[—]
Celine gritted her teeth as she flew back and launched Fire at the Elusian General. The man was laughing as if waiting for ages to have a real battle. The Elusian general smirked as he swung his axe and then managed to par his shield with Alfred but then his face morphed to confusion seeing The Princess and Prince of Firene.
"Wait...weren't you two beside The Queen?!" He yelled as the two royals gritted their teeth, "Dammit! Now I g—!" It happened all of a sudden.
They only saw something blue when they blinked and the general went silent, with his axe raised. But then he fell to the ground, blood pouring from between his eyes, a small hole of blood. The trio was stunned but they saw another flash of blue, if they had blinked, they would have missed it. They quickly turned to look and saw Miguel on the fort, bow raised as the corrupted that was about to strike Chloe fell to the ground and the berserker that Clanne got cornered by, turned to dust. They watched as he released another arrow, no sound, only the sound of something falling behind Alear. It was another corrupted that fell to the ground and turned to dust.
Alear slowly looked back at Miguel, whose's expression was calm yet with no emotion in his eyes. For a moment, Alear felt he was looking at someone he knew. Someone with silver hair and eyes.
Everyone had quickly gathered together but not before Miguel noticed something. Alear also noticed something and followed him but suddenly a corrupted appeared out of nowhere and ran at him.
"Alear!" Miguel was suddenly in front of him with his dagger but a blast of fire came from somewhere and obliterated the monster.
The two were shocked by the event and looked over to the direction the fire had come from. From behind the tree, slowly stepped out someone Miguel never thought he sees again. Veyle looked at the two shyly before she approached them. But Miguel beat her to the punch.
"Veyle!" Miguel ran up to her and suddenly hugged her, picking her up.
"W-Whoa!" Veyle squeaked as she was spun then put down, "It's been so long! I'm so happy to see you again!" Miguel said and then quickly let go of her, the poor girl turning crimson, "S-Sorry. A habit of mine. That's how we...greet friends and family from where I come from." He coughed as the girl chuckled.
"Thank you. You saved our lives." Alear said as he walked up.
"It was nothing, really! I only did what anyone else would do." Veyle said and Miguel spoke.
"Alear, this Veyle. She's the one that helped me and also the first friend I made here in Elyos when I arrived!" Miguel grinned but looked at her concern, "Wait, why are you here?"
"I saw you all fighting so I fought off as many corrupted I could." Veyle explained, "I also helped evacuate some of the people." She explained.
But Miguel studied Veyle as she and Alear started to talk to one another. Introducing themselves. There were dark circles under her eyes, meaning she hadn't gotten much sleep. He thought he should ask but the sudden appearance of Sitonia on his shoulder as the girl turned to him...Veyle suddenly jumped back. The sight of the butterfly sent her entire body screaming to get away, to run.
"Veyle?" Alear said and noticed Sitonia appeared, "It's alright. The butterfly is not dangerous." He noticed the fear in her eyes but Sitonia spoke.
"So you're Bloom's daughter." Sitonia's voice rang, making Veyle look at her shocked, "You've grown...Little Dove." She said.
"H-How do you know my mother's name?! A-And...do I know you?" Veyle said and before anyone could speak.
"Might I interrupt?" Marth said as they turned to him, "Even with the Corrupted gone, it may not be safe for her out here. Perhaps we should escort her home or to an inn." He said as Miguel nodded.
"Veyle, do wan—What the?" Miguel said the group was stunned that she was gone.
Unfortunately, they did not have the time to look for her. They had to get to the castle. Even so, Miguel hoped that Veyle was okay and that they would meet again. This time, he hopes he could convince her to join them.
[—-]
They arrived at Firene Castle, with no soldiers, enemies, or allies in sight. When Celine left, she said they were marching towards the castle but they were most likely now inside. And sure enough, at the throne room, stood Queen Eve, silent and with a cold expression as Alfred and Celine stood by her side. The two siblings, Alfred had a calm expression while Celine looked like she was on the verge of breaking into tears at any moment.
"Hate to break it to ya, Queenie, Princeling, and Princess, but our forces have taken the castle. This is the part where you tell me where you've got the ring stashed in here." A man with green hair dressed as a bandit, Nelucce, spat at her but the queen only glared.
"Who's to say?" Eve said coldly as Celine stood closer to her.
"Is it inside the castle? Out on the grounds? I'm asking all polite-like─c'mon!" Nelucce said but Alfred stood in front of the queen.
"Silence, you beast. You shall have no answers." Alfred said coldly making the bandit jump back in fear.
"Enough, Nelucce."
Nelucce quickly stood straight as Zephia entered. The sound of her heels clicking reverted yet Alfred only narrowed his eyes at the witch. Zephia did as well.
"I heard some interesting news. One of our soldiers says he spotted the princess fleeing before we arrived." Celine stood closer to the queen, "How curious. If they spotted the princess running, you wouldn't be here." Zephia narrowed her eyes as they turned to slits, "I'm guessing you sent out a double looking like the princess with the ring...didn't you?" She said.
"I have nothing to say to you." Queen Eve said coldly.
"Aw, well, isn't this tragic? We'd simply hate to resort to violence. You leave us no choice." Zephia raised her hands and grinned, "By virtue of your silence, we will now kill every living soul in this castle, one by one."
"YOU BITCH!" Alfred roared but then...
"MOTHER!"
"What?" Zephia quickly turned, her eyes went wide seeing Prince Alfred and Princess Celine beside...
"It can't be..." Zephyr said as his eyes landed on Miguel, "How are you still alive, Ermos?!" The woman unleashed a wrathful growl and then her eyes on Alear, "And you...you look familiar. And..." at Celine and Alfred, "What in the?"
"Am I crazy or am seeing doubles?" Nelucce said, rubbing his eyes.
Alear and Miguel were shocked as well. Standing beside Queen Eve, were two perfect replicas of Alfred and Celine.
"Wait." Zephia narrowed her eyes, "If those two are them then wh—?!"
SHING!
The Elusian knights screamed as they were sent flying away. Zephia was barely able to bend back as Princess Celine that stood next to the queen, had tears in her eyes but an enraged expression. Nelucce screamed as he was sent flying out of the castle by the other Alfred. The sound of SPLAT made many sick. Instead of a lance, he wielded a scythe in the colors of red and black, with darkness surrounding him.
"Who are you?!" Zephia snarled as the two smirked and stood by each other.
Their bodies glowed and then cracked like dust before revealing two individuals with golden eyes with black specks and silver hair with porcelain white skin. The man had his hair spiky, with a black thorn-like crown. He wore a gray armor of an assassin with a strange scorpion tail on his back and the same with the short woman. Her hair was tied in two pigtails, her armor was black and both had a flower crest symbol on their chest armor.
"Luna, take Queen Eve to safety. I'll take care of things here." The white-haired man said as Luna nodded and quickly disappeared with the queen.
He waved his hand and shadows and thorns went at Zephia, who jumped back.
"Thorns and shadows belong to me." The man said as Zephia gritted her teeth and he looked down at her calmly yet his eyes were closed, "You were a fool, child of the dragon mages, trying to take the Ring of The Caring Princess." He opened his eyes, revealing they were gold with black specks.
"Ha! I should have known...Lycinth." Her teeth came sharper and snarled, "Foolish human, how dare you stand in my way?"
"Oh, that's easy." The man smiled and summoned a strange whip in his hands.
Its chains looked like they were made of bone and its end was some sort of hook. Zephia chuckled darkly as the weapon twitched.
"I don't recall Hero Relics, existing in this world." She said and the man smiled.
"They don't. I just used whatever materials I had to create my version of a relic of legend." The man said with a slick smile, "If I created a weapon of bones, that would be a complete disrespect to all dragons. Even you, a mage dragon who is my enemy, have my respect to some degree." He said as they circled one another.
"Hmm," Zephia hummed, "I like you. It's not every day a human is capable of withstanding my aura. Especially a dragon." They stopped, "Very well, what is your name? I at least like to know the name of the man who I will behead."
"It's Klaus. Court Mage of Firene and the last thing you'll see when I rip your head off your shoulders and hang it at the gates of Firene!" He yelled and charged.
"Everyone attack! Get them out of here!" Alear yelled and the army charged.
Firene and Elyos soldiers clashed against the Elusians. Alear, Miguel, and Alfred fought together as Celine and Vander took the reigns in command. Miguel gritted his teeth as he unleashed another lightning arrow at the soldier but...
"Get me to Klaus."
Miguel nearly froze hearing a deep voice speak in his mind. He paused for a moment and looked over to Klaus, who was fighting Zephia. The fight between the two looked vicious and he didn't even want to go near them but the emblem necklace in his pocket...it was vibrating and warm. He gulped and made a choice.
"Alfred! Alear!" Miguel yelled at the two, "I need to get to Klaus." He said and pulled out the Emblem, they saw it was glowing.
"Got it." Alear nodded firmly and they charged.
The number of soldiers fighting kept cutting down Elusian soldiers as they made their way forward. They could see Klaus was starting to struggle with Zephia. She was a powerful mage dragon after all. Miguel needed to get to him. He needed to!
"Go." Sitonia's voice rang in his ears as his right eye began to glow, "Take control of this land..." a ghostly hand was placed on his, "and shape it as you will."
Miguel ran ahead and jumped right in front of Klause right when Zephia was about to impale him. And slammed his hands onto the ground. Zephia screamed, the blinding light and the force sent her flying away. When Miguel opened his eyes, he was shocked by the sight of seeing flowers, crystals, and vines sprouting from the ground, trapping enemy soldiers, or getting tangled.
"RETREAT! RETREAT!" An Elusian General roared and they did.
The soldiers began to retreat and the ones that were entangled or trapped were left behind. The Lythos and Firene soldiers erupted into cheers, victory had come strangely and unexpectedly.
Miguel let out a sigh of relief as his weapon dissolved and those in Engage form turned back to their normal selves. But the feeling of joy he felt was short-lived when a cold voice spoke.
"Who the hell are you?"
Miguel turned and finally had a close-up look at Klaus. An Albino man with gold eyes and black specks in them. He coughed and spoke.
"The name is Miguel. I came with the Divine Dragon and saved your life." Miguel said and Klaus looked at him with narrowed eyes and then they went wide when Miguel held up the pendent, "I'm to return this." He held up the pendent and...Klaus scowled.
"Thank you for saving my life. But keep that...thing. I do not need that scam of a necklace." Klaus spat and walked past him.
Miguel was just stunned as he stared at the man.
"What the hell is his problem?"
[—-]
About an hour passed after the battle. Soldiers wounded were taken to the infirmary as mages worked to heal and patch them up. Elusian soldiers that were left behind were apprehended and taken to the dungeons. At that moment, the Lythos and Firene group all gathered in the throne room where Queen Eve was waiting for them. Beside her were her children as well as Klaus and Luna.
"Wwwhhhaaaaa! Celine, you're home! Brother Alfred!" Luna wailed as she was hugging the two siblings, who chuckled and hugged her back, "I-I thought we lost you!"
"I told you they were fine." Klaus said as he had his arms crossed, "Shut up! At least I have hope!" Luna yelled at him.
"Now, now." Queen Eve said and turned back to there others, "Thank you, all of you, for rescuing me. My children, you're safe. What a relief. Come!" She spread her arms and the two siblings jumped into her arms, beyond happy to see her, "Klaus and Luna! You as well!" Luna happily joined in.
Klaus on the other hand, kept his distance, arms crossed. He looked the same age as Alfred.
"Klaus." Queen Eve said and he just looked away before she sighed.
They all let go, of her and Alfred cleared his throat.
"Mother, we have a guest from Lythos." Alfred said as Alear walked up and bowed politely to the queen, "Oh goodness! The Divine Dragon Alear!"
"Queen Eve, it is an honor to meet you. I am glad you are alright." Alear smiled, "I come here by invitation of Prince Alfred." He said.
"Oh! Just look at you! Awake at long last. I am Ève, the queen of Firene. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you." Queen Eve said with a grin, "You already met my children but allow me to introduce you two more." She said as the two walked up.
"This is Luna, who is like a second daughter to me. As you saw earlier, she is Celine's double but she is also a powerful warrior." Luna waved with a grin, "And this is Klaus, Firene's court mage and like a second son to me."
Queen Eve smiled softly, "These are all my children." Alfred did mention ahead of time that the queen took in Klaus and Luna after their parents passed away. She and her husband were friends of the royal family.
Klaus let out a sigh and walked, bowing politely.
"Welcome Divine One. As Queen Eve said, I am Firene's Court Mage and also The Head of the Lycinth Clan of Firene." Klaus said and then spotted Miguel, holding the necklace, "So the so call Emblem did not respond. Tch. Stupid thing. I knew the damn thing was fake." He said coldly as he glared at it.
"Klaus!" Alfred, "The Emblems are real! Look!" He held up his hand to show Sigurd's ring.
"Alfred, I already told you, the Emblems are nothing but—"
WHOOOOOOSSSHHH!
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Miguel screamed as he stumbled back as Sitonia's rings burst with power and water began to take shape.
Sigurd's, Marth's, Celica's, and Lucina's quickly glowed and all of them appeared in front of Klaus, protecting him from the blast of water that was about to hit the man. The Court mage was stunned, and everyone else as well.
"Sitonia!" Marth yelled and they only heard a giggle as the water took on its butterfly form again, "Did you just try to attack Francis's descendent?!" He said and then...
"No..."
Klaus took a step back and then another, looking at the Emblems in terror.
"Brother?" Luna said, "No! No! The Emblem, they are fake!" Klaus said and before anyone could move, the man warped away.
"Klaus!" Alfred yelled but the man was gone.
No one knew what to say or do but all the Emblem's did was look at each other worried before Sitonia spoke.
"I thought so." Her voice rang, "No wonder you could not call forth the one in the pendant." She said as she walked up to Alear and handed him the necklace, "The Court Mage has no faith."
"No faith?" Alear said and it looked like the woman was...mourning.
"When faced with tragedy after tragedy..."
Klaus warped into his magic lab and began scrambling all over the room and frantically going through his shelves of books, searching for a specific book. He kept throwing things onto the floor, not giving a damn about the mess he was making.
"One loses faith and hope. They begin to give up on the world. No longer believing in anything or anyone. Only in themselves."
He finally found the book and his hands trembled as he opened it. Written in it were the stories of the emblems and that they would awaken once more when the….
Divine one would awaken but also...when The Silent Seer stirs the waves. When The Dark Saint takes everyone's pain. When The Tactician of Reflects plays her game. When the Lord of Everlasting Winter brings forth her rage. When the Lone Jaguar goes after their prey. When the Damsels of Devastation pray. And when The Shadow of The King no longer hides...
"Only by making him see we are real, will he understand the true meaning of reality."
"When the Holy Magus sings her final song...the Three Stars will fall from the sky and to the earth when the bells ring trice. The war against the demon and fell begins." Klaus gritted his teeth and then Miguel came into his mind, "The prophecy..." Klaus let out a bitter laugh.
"Son of a bitch..."
- A Few Days later -
It was decided they would stay for a few days in Firene before heading back to Lythos. Honestly, it was a good opportunity for Alear to get to know the people as well as help. Celine and Alfred were happy to be back with their mother and immediately went on to aid the people and finish up the paperwork that would have piled up. That was until Luna told them they had no paperwork, that Klaus completed them all for them.
"He did what?!" The two siblings were shocked by the revaluation as Miguel was busy following Sitonia's instructions on how to manipulate the dragon veins to get rid of the crystals and vines to clean up the place.
"You know how Klaus is." Luna said as she crossed her arms, she was now wearing a gothic style Lolita dress that was knee length, "Brother didn't want you guys to be burdened with the amount of paperwork that would be piled up when you came back. So the bastard took it upon himself to do it all despite Queen Eve and me trying to get him to stop." She said.
"I swear...that Klaus!" Celine wasn't one to grind her teeth but at the moment, she was ready to skin the man alive.
"Alright, enough."
Said the man who appeared and walked towards them, wearing a black button short sleeve shirt and calvary pants with boots. His hair was straight and tied in a high ponytail. But what was most noticeable was the scythe on his back that he made disappear in a blink of an eye. Klaus looked at them all before back to the siblings, he was about the same height as Miguel.
"You already had enough dealing with running to get away from the Elusian army. This was the least I could do to lessen the workload. Other than that," he turned to Alear and bowed, "I owe you an apology Divine One. My behavior from yesterday was unacceptable. But..." he glanced at Marth that was beside Alear, "I hope you understand I...find it difficult at the moment to accept that the Emblems are... real." He said.
Before Alear could say anything, the group turned hearing, "Fuck!" And saw Miguel crouching with his hands on his knees, panting and smirking like an idiot looking at the place.
"Finally! All the crystals and vines are gone!" Miguel cheered, "My god...that...took a lot more effort than I imagined." And the man just collapsed on the floor.
"...Friend?" Klaus said and Alear chuckled and nodded.
"Yes. His name is Miguel and a member of the Lycinth clan like you." Alear said and Luna and Klaus were shocked.
"Really?!" Luna gasped, "I thought every one of the Lycinth clan of Lythos was dead!" She said but got an instant glare from her brother.
"Let me properly introduce you to him," Alear said and soon enough, Miguel joined them.
"Introductions again because we didn't have a proper meeting." Miguel said as he looked at Celine, Luna, and Klaus, "The name's Miguel. I arrived in Elyos three months ago and have been living in Lythos for a while. Nice to meet you all." He said and extended his hand out.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miguel." Celine smiled and shook his hand, "Thank you for taking down that Elusian general from a week ago. I must admit...that was...shocking just how far you were." She said and Miguel knew that wary gaze as she let go of his hand.
"You're a sniper?!" Luna said excitedly, "Oh and I'm Luna! Nice to meet you! So, where exactly did you come from?" She asked as Miguel chuckled a bit nervously.
"I've been told you guys call me on Outworlder. Someone that came from the Outrealms." He said and the smile on Luna slowly fell as Klaus's eyes widened.
"That's..." Klaus said but quickly shut his mouth, "Sorry, but I'm going to change the subject." Miguel said "Rude" in his mind, "Divine One, as the court mage it is my job to help you activate The Divine Warp Tile. All those with...Emblems are to also participate in the ritual." He said and bowed and looked at Miguel, "You, come with me. Luna, this involves you too."
And away Klaus walked without saying anything.
"I want to punch him." Miguel blurted out and quickly covered his mouth before Luna burst out laughing and the royal siblings let out tired sighs.
"I apologize on Klaus's behalf. He's a bit...on the tough side." Alfred said.
"It's alright." Alear said, "I'm sure he has his reasons for acting such a way."
"Divine one, you shouldn't excuse his actions." Celine said, "Still, I have never seen him act such a way..." she said, "Perhaps it's because..." She went quiet.
Still, Miguel wondered if the man had a traumatic event in the past. One that involved the Emblem in his pocket.
[—-]
Only Alear, Alfred, Celine, Vander, and Miguel were allowed to join Klaus and Luna at a secret location. A location that led deep into the woods to the shrine that was overrun by plants. Yet, not a single soul could be seen, and the place felt safe. The sight of the shrine sent a calming and welcoming sensation as if welcoming them home. Klaus spoke in a soft tone.
"This is The Temple of The Shadow, the place where...The necklace originally was. But also, the location of Firene's Dragon Crystal." Klaus said and saw the look of confusion on Alear's and Miguel's faces, "Please don't tell me Queen Lumera has told you nothing..."
"Young Klaus," Vander spoke up, "The Divine One has only recently awakened. Queen Lumera has yet to inform us of what exactly is your role as well as the Dragon Crystals. I believe you were informed of the recent attack in Lythos." The knight said and Klaus nodded.
"How could I not? Rumba was the one that contacted me about it because Martha would not shut up about it either." Klaus said and sighed, "Enough. Let's get this over with."
"Stop being rude, Klaus." Luna hissed as the man waved his hand to open the door of the shrine.
A stone stairway led under, and torches lit up as they made their way down. The scent of water, moss, and dust was all around and after what felt like an eternity they finally arrived at a place. The group minus the Lycinth siblings, were amazed by the sight. Hundreds of crystals in the colors of green and purple were all over the walls along with what looked like stone tablets with cravings in writing no one understood. Miguel stopped in front of one, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
"This is...French." He muttered as his fingers grazed the words of one, "These are...names and short summaries of people." He said.
"You understand what it says." The man jumped a bit as Klaus was suddenly behind him with a puzzled looked, "I didn't think anyone but I and my sister could understand."
"I can't read it." Miguel sighed, "But..." he looked at another tablet, Russian or what looked like German was craved in it, "But I know what these languages are because of people I knew showed me how they would write it." He said as Klaus's stared at him.
They continued on the head till they reached...a behemoth of a giant crystal. The crystal was in the colors of purple and green with the crest of the kingdoms of Firene and what looked like a lily flower, were craved on it. But it was also surrounded by etchings of thorns and flowers.
BUBUMP!
"Oh...? How long...has it been...?"
"Ugh!" Alear grunted in pain, suddenly clutching his chest.
"Alear, are you alright?!" Miguel said as the group went up to him but Klaus only glanced his way, "I-I...I heard a voice."
"A voice?" Everyone looked at him puzzled but then the crystal burst with light, making everyone cover their eyes in protection.
Once the light went away, everyone blinked for their eyesight to adjust most of all...
"Yyaawwwwwwnnn! Ooohhh my! It's been so long since a fellow divine dragon has come!"
Floating in front of the dragon crystal was a translucent woman with long curly green hair, and purple eyes, and wore a white tunic with a red scarf that flowed beautifully in the wind. The woman also had pointy ears but what was noticeable were the dear-like horns on her head. It was as if they were all looking at a goddess but the woman hummed and looked down at them then her eyes landed on Alear.
"What do you know? A divine dragon." The woman smiled warmly and floated down, "Ara, Ara, that shine of blue I recognize anywhere as well as that power of light," her ghost hands gently caressed Alear's cheeks, "You must be a descendant of Melusine or at least, someone who inherited her power." She said and looked at Alfred and Celine,
"Ah! You two must be Arthur's descendants! And I sense Sigurd, Lucina, Marth, Celica and..." The woman then looked at Miguel and then this ring, "Sitonia it's been so long!" The woman squealed and then looked over to the two others, "How odd...I sense The Shadow is here but he has yet to make an appearance." The woman said as she smiled.
"I-I'm sorry, who are you?" Alear said and the woman grinned as she flew back to him.
"My name is Noa. I am The Divine Dragon of Thorns and original ruler of this land."