With the exit of Romeo, Hotaru and Alcyone had been left alone inside their wrecked apartment. At first Hotaru had suggested they would ignore their home invasion and just enjoy the feast Alcyone had cooked for them. They had sat back down and started eating, with Hotaru greatly enjoying the dishes and fruits his lover had prepared. But as they ate, the words of his shadow kept echoing in his mind.
"Hotaru darling, is something wrong?" Alcyone asked, sitting on the opposite end of the table. "Did I add too much salt?"
Having stared at a whole-fried fish in front of him for a while without eating, Hotaru snapped out of thought, "No, no. Your food is delicious, it is just… Look, I just can't stop thinking about what Romeo said."
Alcyone let out a relieved sigh and smiled, "It was quite surprising, wasn't it? Who would have known you were an actual prince this entire time."
Hotaru shook his head, "I still don't know for sure if Romeo's word can be trusted in that regard. He could just be lying or have been given misinformation. Furthermore…"
Staring at his body for a moment, Hotaru couldn't help but feel slightly alien in his own skin. Despite having lived in this body for almost two decades, the possibility of him having truly stolen someone else's body was uncomfortable. The fact that it supposedly belonged to Aston, the son of Zagato and Emeraude, was impossibly shocking to hear if true. And yet…
"You seem to… take the idea of me potentially being Aston relatively well," Hotaru pointed out, staring at Alcyone. "How do you feel about all this?"
Alcyone stared at him quietly for a moment, before leaning back pensively, "Hmmm… I guess it is because I do not care about Zagato and Emeraude that much anymore? I only care that you are happy, Hotaru darling. I love you no matter who you are."
"…I see, thank you," Hotaru smiled awkwardly.
She is probably trying to spare me from getting jealous about being compared to Zagato again. Although it is kind of cold of her to say she doesn't care about her old friends and loved ones. However, I still need answers…
As Hotaru stood up from the table, Alcyone looked at him worriedly, "Where are you going?"
"I am just going to pay Clef a quick visit," Hotaru informed her. "I will ask him directly if he knows anything about this so-called Aston. I will come back right after."
Alcyone looked at him longingly, before eventually nodding, "Very well, I will keep the food warm until then."
"You're a treasure," Hotaru winked at her, before exiting the apartment.
Not wanting to keep Alcyone waiting too long, Hotaru started power walking down the corridors and stairways. He could have used Silver Speed to get downstairs faster, but he had already learned not to do that indoors.
Last time Lafarga walked around the corner when I was going two hundred miles an hour. That was a fun trip to the healers… Had I used Tungsten defense back then I would have been fine, but Lafarga would have been a stain on my armor.
Just as he was thinking about this, a tall armored figure ran around the corner in front of him. Managing to stop in time, they both took a step back, as Hotaru came face to face with Lantis.
"Lantis, what are you in such a rush for?" Hotaru asked, before looking behind him. "Oh, hello Hikaru."
As Hikaru waved at him awkwardly, Lantis spoke in a serious tone, "Hotaru, what was that commotion just a moment ago? We felt your magical power spike."
"Did someone attack you?" Hikaru asked worriedly.
"My shadow paid me a visit," Hotaru answered shortly, still somewhat sore from the battle. "…Wait that was like a quarter of an hour ago, why are you only now coming over?"
Just as Hotaru was wondering if these two love birds had gotten an early start, Lantis answered awkwardly, "We got lost on the way here…"
"Hotaru, did Romeo hurt you and Alcyone?" Hikaru pressed on further. "Did you win or what was the commotion about?"
"We had a fight and it was sort of a tie…?" Hotaru answered while rubbing the back of his head. "But in any case, I need to go see Clef because… Look, if you come with me, I will explain when we get there."
With all three of them in agreement, Hikaru and Lantis followed Hotaru to the throne room a few floors below them. Once they arrived at the golden doors, they automatically opened before them. Inside, they could see Clef, Presea, and Sierra waiting for them. Seeing these three together and the look on their faces, Hotaru wondered if he had come at a bad time.
"Hotaru, Lantis, Hikaru, what brings you here?" Clef asked, seeing Cephiro's greatest fighters together.
"Do you know what caused that tremor earlier?" Presea inquired.
"Has something serious happened?" Sierra asked worriedly.
"Hotaru's shadow Romeo attacked the sanctuary," Lantis answered shortly while standing next to Hikaru. "We are here to hear the details ourselves."
Been given the chance to speak, Hotaru decided to inform his friends first of what he had learnt, "He is one tough opponent with access to all of my spells and the ability to swap them around wordlessly. In addition, he seems capable of growing large black spikes out of his body and using them as weapons. I'm not sure if I would have been able to defeat him, if I hadn't managed to laugh him out of the Sanctuary."
Everyone stared at Hotaru in a confused manner, with Clef raising an eyebrow, "Laugh him out?"
"He told me something so outrageous that I just couldn't believe him at the time," Hotaru answered, realizing the absurdity of the events as well. "In any case, Romeo told me that I am… or at least this body I have, belonged to Zagato's and Princess Emeraude's son, Aston."
A series of gasps erupt across the room, as Hikaru, Presea, and Sierra all placed their hands in front of their mouths. Even Lantis had to take a step back, as his jaw dropped at the light of these news. The suspense was broken however, as they heard Clef start laughing like a little kid.
"Heh-hehe-hehehehehe!" the short mage laughed, almost folding over from laughter.
Hotaru pointed his hand towards the Master Mage, "My honest reaction as well."
"But couldn't it have happened?" Hikaru asked defensively. "Princess Emeraude was Zagato's prisoner… no, with Zagato for a very long time, right?"
"It certainly should be possible," Lantis said, stroking his chin. "As far as I know, there is nothing preventing a Pillar from carrying a child. Even if there is no mention of it happening before."
Hearing Hikaru's and Lantis's concerns, Clef stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "Sorry, I was really in need of a good laughter. In any case, Hotaru, how old were you again?"
"Eighteen," Hotaru answered, before looking up thoughtfully, "…I think? At least I spent eighteen years in Tokyo before I came here. If I was a Cephiroan child, then I have no idea how old I really am."
"In any case, you would still be older than fifteen years," Clef pointed out, walking towards Hotaru calmly with his staff. "That means you were born before Zagato's rebellion."
"So, Clef-san would have been around when Aston would have been born?" Hikaru asked, counting with her fingers.
"That is right," Clef nodded with a smile. "And I can tell with certainty that Princess Emeraude was not at any point carrying a child back then. Nor would she have been capable of with the body she had."
Clef remembered back on the years that preceded the fifteen-year war. It had been a time of peace and prosperity, similar to how things had been for the past four hundred years or so. Granted there had been omens of things to come in the air. Slight increase in the rate of monsters appearing, occasional cloudy weather, or light rain reported in distant lands. But considering that Emeraude had already been struggling with her feelings about Zagato, Clef hadn't been too concerned by the slight turbulence. But other than that, Emeraude had seemed perfectly healthy and her usual youthful self.
Once Clef finished his explanation, Hotaru let out a deep sigh of relief and disappointment, "So it really was just some nonsense Debonair has told him. Pity though, I really would have wanted to know where this body came from. It being Cephiroan would have been a great bonus."
Hikaru patted Hotaru on the shoulder, "I'm sure your parents were good people."
"Good enough people to abandon me at some stranger's house," Hotaru snorted, placing his armored hands in his pockets.
Seeing that Hotaru wasn't too happy with his past being unknown, Clef suggested, "If you want, I can try and figure out who your parents were."
"No, it is best I go back to Alcyone and… I'm sorry, what?" Hotaru's eyes widened, before he blinked in disbelief. "How?"
"You remember that spell I used to check the condition of your armor?" Clef reminded Hotaru calmly. "I have a similar spell that can be used on a person. It can tell me their true age, condition, and more. If I am familiar with or have ever met them before, the spell will even recognize your birth parents."
"So, at best we are reducing the number of possible candidates," Hotaru sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, go ahead. Though I doubt you have ever met anyone on Earth."
Standing right next to Hotaru, Clef pressed his finger against his tunic. The master mage drew a small magical symbol across his chest, before it began to glow bright red. While the process was very familiar to Hotaru, he felt far more nervous than last time.
"Reveal Person!"
The red light spread throughout Hotaru, before eventually condensing into a small orb. The others watched from the side with bated breaths, as the orb flew into Clef's staff's blue gem, causing it to ping.
With the preparations done, Clef looked at his staff, "Hmmm, nearly nineteen years old, perfectly healthy, and… hurk!"
"Master Clef!" Sierra yelled out
"Are you alright?" Presea asked worriedly.
In an instant, Clef's eyes widened and all the color had drained from his face. Looking almost as white as his robes, Master Mage Clef staggered back, dropping his staff as his hands shook too much. Everyone was stunned as they watched Clef slowly look at his own hands, which were shaking nonstop.
"H-How…" Clef stuttered, mental images flying by of times long gone. "W-When did he… When they have the time to do it!?"
As Clef suddenly fell to his knees, Hikaru rushed over to his side, "Clef-san! Are you okay?!"
There was no response. Clef just continued staring forward at the long red carpet in front of him, as his mind raced.
It's impossible… When could Zagato and Emeraude have done it? I was by their side almost all the time! Did Emeraude wish for this? Did she wish to have a child with Zagato? Even if she did then… How could I have not noticed? I was meant to be her attendant and caretaker! How could I have been so blind!
It took a moment for Clef to snap out of his pit of despair, before he clenched his hands into fists.
Getting back up on his feet, he looked at everyone else sharply, "Everyone, I need all of you to leave. I need to speak with Hotaru in private."
As everyone else looked at Clef in shock, Hotaru turned towards Lantis, "I think you are officially an uncle now."
The lead mechanic of NSX, Zazu Torque, was running down the corridors of the battleship as fast as he could. Only mere moments ago he had heard Geo yell for his name via the intercom, sounding extremely alarmed. Normally he would have grabbed his hover scooter to make it faster, but it was parked on the opposite side of the ship.
Nevertheless, he made it to the door of the officer's break room in just ten minutes. The armored metal door slid open before him automatically, revealing the cozy break room.
"Eagle! Geo!" Zazu yelled while panting, not used to running for extended periods of time.
But as he saw inside the room, everything seemed fine. Geo and Eagle were simply standing in the middle of the room, facing away from him, huddled close together. Nothing that seemed to warrant the earlier alarming call. As Geo heard Zazu yell, the over two-meter-tall burly man turned around quickly, clearing his throat. Despite the ship's second in command acting casual, the atmosphere in the room still felt strained.
"What's going on?" Zazu asked Eagle, demanding to know. "I got a call while I was working but it was suddenly cut off…"
"Chief Mechanic!" Geo interrupted him authoritatively, sliding right in front of him.
"What is it now?" Zazu asked annoyedly, cranky from having to work around the clock.
"The commander's FTO will launch as soon as the repairs and upgrades are done," Geo informed his junior officer. "Also, I want you to upgrade my GTO as well and put it on standby."
"You want us to upgrade your robot as well!?" Zazu snapped, gritting his teeth. "We are already overworked as is!"
"I'm not asking for custom upgrades, soldier!" Geo scolded him, looking at his face closely. "Just give me the same basic upgrades you are giving to FTO. Auto Shield, acceleration enhancer, and the energy flex system! Oh, and be sure to equip GTO with a rocket launcher too."
Sighing deeply, Zazu knew he could do nothing but accept Geo's orders, "Yes… Hey, Eagle, is something the matter?"
Keeping his back to Zazu, Eagle did his best not to sound tired, "I'm all right. I just slipped a little."
With such a minor incident hardly asking for an emergency call, Zazu pressed further, "But…"
"Now get to work, Zazu!" Geo interrupted him again. "This time, we're going to invade seriously."
About to blow his fuse out of frustration, Zazu finally realized why they had called him in. If they were actually preparing for the full-scale invasion, then him coming over so quickly was indeed warranted. It also made him less antsy about having to upgrade GTO. For if his upgrades could save the lives of his friends, all the more reason to.
Giving a big thumbs-up and a confident smile, Zazu nodded, "Okay!"
As Zazu took his leave and the door closed with an audible hissing sound, Geo could finally sigh in relief. He straightened his posture and wiped sweat off his brow, as he wasn't used to lying to people. His moment of respite was cut short, as he heard his commander start coughing.
Coughing blood into his hand again, Eagle painfully turned to his subcommander, "Upgrading the GTO will cost us even more time. What if the two Magic Knights return while we wait?"
"They might return even earlier. It is best that we prepare to meet their full force no matter what," Geo pointed out, before placing his hands on Eagle's shoulders. "Also, you need to get as much rest as possible before that."
Realizing the full foresight of his subcommander, Eagle couldn't help but smile while looking into Geo's eyes.
"I'll lend you my bed, so get to sleep," Geo spoke in a deep and stern voice. "After that… I'll follow my commander's orders."
Trying to put up an air of strength, Eagle smiled smugly, "You're a really good person, Geo."
Not wanting Eagle to see him smiling, Geo let go of his shoulders and turned his back on his commander, "I'm upset at you right now. Even if you praise me, you're not getting any sweets."
Seeing Geo's tsundere side, Eagle couldn't help but smile as he walked away. His smile was however cut short by another coughing fit, but this time the pain was far less severe. But as he coughed and thought back on the sweets, his mind wandered back to the short reunion he had had.
Lantis… Hikaru… Please forgive me, but this is the only way I can save our worlds from that cursed monster…
It was a sunny afternoon at the Tokyo Tower. People were smiling and beautiful girls in blue school uniforms could be seen everywhere. Umi was looking out the observation platform's windows, admiring the vast Tokyo skyline with sparkling eyes. She was wearing a bright pink frilly dress and black stockings, and was standing on her tippy toes to see further.
"Look, Umi! Isn't the view beautiful."
"Yes, it's very pretty, mother!"
She was on a trip to the Tokyo Tower with her parents, who had connections with the school that the other girls were from. They were here on a field trip and her parents had thought of bringing Umi here as well, to let her get accustomed to the idea of a private junior high school. The thought of getting to go to a school with so many beautiful and talented looking individuals, was very exciting.
As she desired to graduate sooner from elementary school than having to wait two more years, she heard a loud, familiar voice calling for her.
"Ryuuzaki!"
Looking in the direction of the voice, Umi saw her father walking over to an older boy. He looked cute and she wondered how he knew her name. Though her dad was taller and broader than he was, Umi was able to catch a glimpse of the boy.
He had medium length brown hair, lime-green eyes, fair skin, and looked like a foreigner. The boy looked strong and handsome, but also had a cute side to him. He talked with her father for a bit, after which he called Umi cute. Sensing there was something familiar about him, Umi tried to move around her father to get a closer look.
"Father, get out of the way!"
But the more she tried getting around her father, the broader her father's back seemed to become. As she started getting frustrated with her father, the world around her turned darker and her father redder. Eventually her father was so bulky and muscular, that he ripped his light-red shirt apart. Her father had a deep red skin and muscular upper body and arms.
Frightened by this transformation, Umi froze in place before her father turned around, revealing red pointy ears, a black goatee, and solid yellow eyes. The djinn flexed its arms at her, showing off biceps that were the size of its head.
"No! Get out of the way!" Umi yelled, demanding a better look at the boy. "I just can't stand macho types!"
Screaming out loud, Umi woke up, noticing she was already sitting up on a carpet. As she looked around, she could spot the dark rocky walls of the small cell she had been brought in yesterday. After the battle, she had been carried to the mobile fortress of Bravada by the djinns, while she had acted unconscious. Once inside, she had sent Selece away and let the guards of the fortress carry her to the dungeon.
The cell looked like the dungeon of some major bad guy, but it did come with a nice green carpet and a well-lit ceiling. The barred window and the metal door did give some intimidating vibes, however the guards hadn't been mean to her. She had heard some talking amongst the guards and their superiors while carried. But due to their accents switching back and forth, it had been hard for her to determine what they had said.
Once in her cell, Umi had decided to wait till they would come for her, but this had taken so long she had fallen asleep.
"What was that dream?" Umi rubbed her eyes tiredly. "That boy… I remember having a crush on him for most of the fifth grade, but never met him again."
That brown hair and lime-green eyes… He reminds me of someone... Ascot? No, his eyes are deep green. Hotaru has lime-green eyes but he looks too mean and… and… He knew my name…
As Umi's tired and groggy mind put two and two together, her eyes widened forcefully, causing her eyelids to cramp up a bit. Getting over the pain, Umi slapped her cheeks frustratedly.
"Why was Hotaru at the Tokyo Tower already!? Oh, I can't believe I had a crush on him back then!" Umi cringed while getting up. "If he ever finds out I'm going to have to bury myself…"
To try and clear her head, Umi walked over to the barred window and looked outside. From the window of her cell, she could only see gray clouds as far as the eye could see, as well as two huge golden protrusions. Trying to remember the path the guards had taken her, she remembered being carried downwards. As she couldn't see the large forest or the cliffs atop the fortress, Umi figured she was underneath the landmass.
"Now that just isn't fair," she moaned annoyedly. "I had hoped to get a closer look at those forests."
Despite all the complaints, Umi couldn't help but sigh in relief, before sitting down on the floor of her cell. After the battle yesterday, she had been lucky to not see nightmares about Luna again. In addition, she felt safer inside the Bravada than outside, as Luna's Mashin, Saquada, couldn't get in.
Umi massaged her elbows that had been pierced by Luna's attack yesterday. The pain had been excruciating and she had been close to dying, but had thankfully been saved by Hotaru and Fuu. Remembering back to her nightmares, Umi didn't have to guess twice.
"That sea monster I saw… It must have been Saquada. Where did that beast come from…" Umi shivered, until a voice surprised her.
"It came from the enormous evil power that chokes Cephiro," an ancient and wise voice spoke out.
"Selece?" Umi gasped, looking up.
Standing in front of her at the center of her cell, Umi could see the see-through projection of her Mashin. The blue armored dragon warrior stood tall and proud, still as impressive and imposing as the day she had first seen it.
"Girl from another world," Selece addressed Umi in a joyless voice. "I apologize for not being able to protect thou properly. That great leviathan, it was unknown to me."
"It was not your fault," Umi shook her head, while smiling uneasily. "Hotaru told us about how Hikaru's shadow already had one as powerful as Saquada. It is my fault for not being strong enough to defeat Luna, but I would have been even worse off without you."
"If danger besets thee, please, call my name once more," Selece requested formally.
"I will," Umi nodded with a smile.
As Selece's projection continued standing before her awkwardly, Umi decided that this would be a good time to get to know them better.
"Hey… Selece…" she started awkwardly, not sure how to casually address the Sea God of Cephiro.
"What?" Selece addressed her politely.
"I once thought that you were pretty scary, Selece…" Umi admitted, slightly ashamed of her past self, "but you're kind."
As the Mashin didn't seem to add anything to this, Umi continued speaking, "You should tell me about yourself sometime. About how you spent all those eons… Tell me your memories."
Selece was quiet, as he was unsure how to respond to this request. For eons he had fought alongside many Magic Knights of past eras. And yet, none of them before had asked about him or his history. But at the same time, this girl from another world, had fought alongside him longer than most of them put together.
"As you wish, girl from another world," Selece answered with respect.
"I'm Umi. I call you by name, Selece, so I want you to call me by my name too," Umi informed her friend with a smile.
"…Umi."
"Thank you, Selece," she looked at her Mashin with bright eyes. "If I'm ever in danger again, I'll be sure to call your name."
Without another word, Selece's projection began to fade. At first Umi thought that the Mashin just didn't have anything to add to the conversation, until she heard a heavy metal latch open up. Staring at the door, she could see it open and four figures walk in.
The four were all tanned women who looked almost exactly alike. They had red hair with cream-colored turbans covering most of it, as well as pointy golden sunglasses with purple lenses. They wore armbands, harem pants, boots, chokers, and tops that only covered their breasts, all of which matched their turbans. The women were all quite tall and seemed of robust physique, and carried curved daggers on their hips.
As they approached her, Umi requested bravely, "Please, take me to your leaders."
As the women grabbed hold of her arms and started escorting her out of her cell, Umi did not resist. Come hell or high water, Umi knew what she would have to do, and wouldn't let her friends down.
The royal quarters of Bravada were a serene and opulent sight with its vast indoor garden, tall golden pillars, and large indoor swimming pool. And yet, another two new items of opulence had been added to the already larger-than-life room. A huge, golden, gem encrusted statue that resembled an elephant had been positioned off center on the walkways that spanned over the swimming pool. The other was a large golden bird-cage with an orange and purple silken cloth over the top, with—
"Hold on! Hold on! What do you think you are doing!?"
…a beautiful prisoner inside of it.
"What's with this weird outfit?" Umi asked her captors. "And the cage?"
She had been dressed like a dancer straight out of Arabian nights. Her legs were almost completely bare, with only golden ankle bands and blue slippers. Her hips were only covered by a light, white, knee-length skirt, with a blue loin-cloth at the front, and a black band around her hips that held it all together. She also had been given a small blue and gold crop top that left her midriff and lower ribs exposed. As for accessories, she had been given a blue head scarf and some golden jewelry, but they didn't make her outfit any less breezy.
"Why are you just standing there?" Umi yelled at the two guards next to her cage. "I demand to talk to princesses Tatra and Tarta! Let me out of there!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" A pompous laughter echoed from behind her, catching her breath from time to time. "Ask and thou shall receive! We have you right where we want you, the one who controls the Mashin of Cephiro!"
Turning around, Umi could see a young woman with green eyes and red hair that was pulled into a thick braid at the top of her head. She had a toned tanned body and wore plenty of regal looking jewelry. Her expression was haughty and serious, looking at Umi like a hardened criminal.
"I am the younger princess of Chizeta, Tarta!"
Tarta was forced to step aside a little, as her sister walked closer, "I am the elder sister, Tatra. Pleased to meet you."
Next to her stood another, slightly older and taller woman, with also green eyes and long, wavy red hair. While very similar to her sister, her expression was far friendlier and her demeanor far more hospitable.
Both women wore outfits just as revealing as Umi's, with the greatest differences being their necklaces and forehead jewelry.
Umi sighed deeply in relief, seeing the two women, "Oh finally! It feels like I had to wait forever to talk with you two."
"Ara-ara? You wished to talk with us?" Tatra asked in a surprised tone, but was cut off by her little sister.
"Hey, you!" Tarta addressed her prisoner loudly. "What's your name?"
A nerve started ticking on the side of Umi's forehead, as she was being addressed in such an insulting manner. However, knowing her mission was to try and gain these two as allies, she knew now wasn't the time to lose her temper.
"My name is Umi Ryuuzaki," she introduced herself, trying to remain calm.
Before Tarta could start interrogating her prisoner, Tatra stepped in front of her, "It is nice to meet you, Umi Ryuuzaki. May you please tell us why you wanted to meet with us two?"
Realizing the elder sister was the one with the brains, Umi sighed in relief before smiling, "I've come to talk with you about matters of great urgency. Cephiro is in great danger and we need your help."
"Oh? You need our help?" Tarta butted in again, smiling at Umi smugly. "Then all you need to do is allow us to take over Cephiro."
Staring at Tarta Venomously, Umi was ready to throw hands, until she instead took a step back from the bars.
"Impossible," Umi refused, crossing her arms. "As if I would have the authority to do something like that."
Seeing her prisoner was giving her the cold shoulder, Tarta turned around and shrugged, "Well in that case you just need to put in a good word for us. Tell the people who are in charge that we will take care of Cephiro and make it a prospering vassal state.
"Impossible," Umi repeated coldly.
"Look here!" Tarta snapped, grabbing hold of the bars of the cage. "Your country is breaking apart as we speak! You need one of us to become the new pillar anyway!"
"No, we don't!" Umi yelled, grabbing hold of the bars as well. "Neither of you even wants to become the next pillar!"
"Yes, we do!" Tarta yelled, literally butting heads with her prisoner. "It is in our best interest to become the next Pillar of Cephiro!"
"No, it isn't!" Umi pressed back, staring furiously at Tarta. "I doubt either of you are even suitable for becoming the next pillar!"
"Yes, we are! And I'll gladly show ya, ya freakin' jackass!"
Listening to her sister arguing from the side, Tatra sighed on the inside for barely getting a chance to speak. She already had a hunch as to what Umi meant by wanting help, but she needed a better understanding of her as a person. As the argument continued, she put on her usual warm, sisterly smile.
"Once again, Tarta…" she interrupted the two, before wagging her finger. "Mind, your, language."
Blushing furiously, the highly agitated Tarta covered her mouth, as her uncouth side was starting to show.
Umi blinked confusedly, until she realized what the older sister meant, "I-I see… The Osaka dialect, just like Caldina."
"Eeeeeh! Hush up! Hush up! Hush up!" Tarta snapped, throwing a tantrum before pointing at Umi. "You cheeky gal, come out here and I'll show you I can become the Pillar of Cephiro!"
Still holding onto the bars of her golden cage, Umi yelled, "How do you expect me to get out in this situation? I swear, Hotaru never told me how unreasonable you guys… huh?"
With a simple clap of Tarta's hands, the golden cage around Umi popped out of existence. With her now completely free, Umi slowly looked around, before bright sparks between Tarta's hands caught her attention. There was a bright flash of light, before the younger of the princesses stood before her armed with a buckler and a large saber. The buckler was golden in color and had a six-pointed symbol of the sun on it. The saber had a golden handle and a cross guard with a red gem on it, as well as a long, sharp, and thin curved blade.
As Tarta pointed her sword at her, Umi realized that her diplomatic mission had just turned serious. She was unarmed and hadn't exactly made the best impression on the two sisters. Hotaru had mentioned to her that she and the sisters would fight, but Umi had thought he meant their spirits.
"Take a weapon! Equip armor!" Tarta commanded her.
Think… What would Hotaru do in this situation? …Beat everyone up bare handed. Bad example… What would Caldina do…?
"You know…" Umi spoke out confidently, placing her hands on her hips. "You were the ones who took my clothes, including my armor!"
Before she had been shoved in a cage, Umi's armor and glove had been taken away from her. With her glove removed, all of her clothes had disappeared into the gem on it, aside from her underwear. The guards had then given her the clothes she was wearing now, but this still left her unarmed.
"We didn't mean to strip you," Tarta admitted snootily, trying to hide her flustering. "When we were checking to see if you had anything suspicious, all your clothes disappeared on their own into this glove."
As Tarta spoke, one of the guards brought Umi's glove over to her, which she accepted with gratitude.
"So we dressed you in clothes from our country," Tarta finished explaining, before staring at Umi sharply. "You should be grateful!"
"If possible, I would have preferred clothes that didn't show my midriff. I'm not some middle-aged ice sorceress who likes to show off…" Umi muttered annoyedly while putting on her glove, before seeing it on her hand again and cringing. "I look really weird wearing the glove with this outfit!"
Despite her outcry, Umi quickly sharpened up and summoned her sword. With her trusty rapier in hand, she gave it a few quick swings, getting herself in the fighting stance.
When in Bravada, do as the Chizetans do!
"I'm Umi, Ryuuzaki Umi," she reintroduced herself confidently. "And I will show you, you are a thousand years too early to try and become the pillar!"
"Tarta of Chizeta," Tarta returned the introduction. "I will show you my true strength!"
As there was no stopping them at this point, Tatra summoned a pair of small cymbals and clapped them together; initiating the fight.
"Prepare yourself!" Tarta yelled out, taking the initiative.
Umi only had a fraction of a second to block, as Tarta quickly aimed her curved sword at her legs. Due to the angle of the attack, she was forced to block in an awkward angle that strained her shoulder muscles. Her red headed foe however didn't see fit to let her rest and quickly attacked again, forcing Umi to dodge out of the way. The assault continued, but this time she was able to parry with her blue, dragon-shaped cross guard.
Seeing that single handed attacks couldn't get past Umi's defenses, Tarta grabbed hold of her saber with both hands. Using her golden buckler as extra mass, she brought her sword down in a wide over the head attack. This bold move prompted Umi to move out of the way, but as she did, she fell right into Tarta's trap.
Unfamiliar with the battle ground, Umi had dodged straight into the staircase leading up to the upper platform. She lost her balance, but with quick reflexes and thinking, managed to grab hold of the stair railing. She quickly rushed up the stairs, thrusting her rapier at her opponent, but was met by Tarta's slash. With Tarta's two handed attack, Umi was also forced to use both hands to block, their blades only inches away from their faces.
"Not bad," Tarta admitted with a strained voice, tightening her grip on her sword.
"Neither are you," Umi smiled, enjoying her first duel in Cephiro against a human opponent.
As neither of the women were able to break out of their clash with force, they both took a quick back step to create some distance. Tarta jumped up the staircase while Umi jumped down. While this gave her opponent the high ground, Umi knew that her best bet was to get back on level ground. As their swords clashed over and over again, Umi slowly made her way down the staircase, to the wide-open platform above the swimming pool.
However, just as her and her opponent were both down on level ground once more, Umi found herself cornered. Something large and golden was standing behind her, its many protrusions blocking her exit from all sides but one.
Seeing that Umi was cornered by the statue, Tarta rushed over to her and jumped up into the air, slashing her saber down. Familiar with this move from watching Hikaru fight over and over again, Umi prepared a sideways counter, when there was a loud metal clang.
Having misjudged her trajectory, instead of hitting Umi, Tarta had struck the statue. Its left golden tusk was sent flying, before hitting the floor beneath and shattering to pieces. Seeing the fragments on the ground, terror overtook Tarta.
"AAaaaaaaaaaah!" the younger princess screamed in tears.
The golden statue of the elephant may have been a recent addition to the royal quarters, but its significance was immense to Tarta. Tarta and Tatra had received the elephant as a delivery only yesterday, soon after the fight against the Mashins. It was a gift from their mother, the queen of Chizeta. While it didn't serve any other purpose than look opulent, it had been sent to them as a token of their parents' faith in their mission. A good luck charm that had now been shattered.
Taking this moment to take a better look at the statue, Umi blinked confusedly at it, "What is this? L-Looking at it this closely, it has a weird face."
Hearing Umi criticize the statue their mother gave them, Tarta couldn't help but snap, "How dare you destroy that statue!"
"You were the one who destroyed it!" Umi yelled back, her eyes glowing with anger, refusing to take blame for what she hadn't done.
Ignoring Umi's words, Tarta continued slashing at the blue-haired girl, "Ain't no way you'll get away with it now!
"Hold on… Would you…" Umi panted, dodging and parrying the wild swings, "…stop it already!"
Thrusting forward at full force, Umi aimed for the base of Tarta's saber, the tip of her Escudo rapier piercing right through the metal. The shock of the attack was enough to knock Tarta back, causing her to let go of her weapon. The snapped off blade was sent soaring, embedding itself in the blue ceiling of the royal quarters. As the hilt of the weapon and its owner hit the ground, Umi stood over her defeated enemy, placing her rapier's tip over their throat.
With Tarta gasping in fear and frustration, Umi looked down at her confidently, "Looks like the match is over. Now will you listen to what I have to say?"
Although she was feeling quite confident, the taste of victory quickly left Umi's tongue as she heard hundreds of footsteps. Before she could react, she was surrounded by over two dozen Chizetan guards, all of them brandishing longswords, sabers, and daggers. They were keeping a respectable distance from Umi, as she still had their princess under the blade.
This is bad. I can only keep one of them at bay without the use of magic, but that might hurt them for real. If I kill any of the guards, then it will surely make it harder for Chizeta to become Cephiro's ally! …I also cannot keep their princess as a hostage, for that same reason.
Drawing her sword away from Tarta, the younger princess slowly stood back up, staggering slightly. Despite lowering her sword, the guards were still pointing their weapons at Umi. She wondered if she had made the right choice, when an authoritative voice spoke out.
"Stop it!" Tatra yelled out from the raised platform, earning the attention of everyone in the room. "Tarta challenged her to a match. This person cannot be blamed. Stand back!"
By the wave of her hand, the guards quickly lowered their weapons and bowed their heads. Umi watched in amazement as the guards all backed away in unison, leaving the princesses unguarded. As soon as the guards left, Umi could see Tatra's stern expression quickly dissolve into her regular smiling self.
Clapping her hands together cheerfully, Tatra suggested, "Now, if you'd come over here. Let's have some tea after all that exercise and talk more about that help you wanted."
Staring up at the elder sister, Umi couldn't help but wonder; what kind of a person was hiding behind that ditzy smile?
With the battle over, Umi and Tarta returned to the raised platform and sat down on a luxurious pink, green, and blue carpet with gold trims. The carpet was surrounded by large pillows as well as decorative orbs made out of braided cloth. Just like her sister before with her weapons, Tatra summoned a tea set as well as tea leaves and water.
"Amazing… How are you doing that?" Umi asked, staring at the golden tea set. "I thought only Cephiro had magic?"
"That is correct," Tatra smiled while heating the water. "However, the spirits of Chizeta are capable of doing things that look like magic. Our djinns for example are able to conjure objects out of thin air for a short amount of time when we ask them to."
Trying not to let the memory of the buff genies get her to hurl, Umi swallowed deeply, "…So they can understand you without words… I didn't know they were still listening."
"Rakoon and Rasheen are always by our side," Tarta answered with her arms crossed, still sore from her defeat. "They would be terrible guardians if they did."
They have names? Umi raised an eyebrow.
Before Umi could ask for further questions, Tatra offered her and Tarta two golden tea sets, "Here."
The tea was deep amber in color and warm clouds of steam floated from the cups. Without even looking at her sister, Tarta grabbed the tea set with one hand while leaning against the other. With the plate in hand, she picked up the golden cup and started drinking the tea in large gulps. Umi watched from the side, wondering how she wasn't burning herself on the hot tea, before staring at her own cup.
Seeing Umi's uncertainty, Tatra informed her gently, "There's no poison in it."
To put her money where her mouth is, Tatra also took a drink of the tea, before placing the cup down gracefully, "We are the proud princesses of Chizeta. We Tatra and Tarta would not defeat even the worst of our enemies with underhanded tactics."
Seeing the elder sister's serious expression, Umi waved her hand embarrassedly, "Oh I'm not worried about that! I already know you two are good people."
To show she wasn't thinking ill of them, Umi quickly took a sip of the steaming tea, finding it surprisingly the perfect temperature. The tea was somewhat bitter in taste but had a bold and mellow fragrance that reminded her of apricots and cinnamon. To top it all off, it had a refreshing, minty aftertaste.
"It's delicious," Umi complimented, putting the cup down.
"I'm glad," Tatra clapped her hands together.
"Say… If you already know we are good people, why did you make such a big deal about us becoming the next Pillar?" Tarta asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at Umi.
With things having calmed down, Umi decided that now would be the time for her to try and be diplomatic. "Well… I mostly know that because of the… intel of our commander, can't believe I just called him that... I also know you want to expand your borders. But do you really need to do that?"
Understanding Umi's confusion, Tatra turned to her sister, "Go ahead and show her."
Tarta looked at her sister for a moment, before eventually nodding and standing up. Turning towards the large screen on the front wall of the royal quarters, she clapped her hands sharply. Much like back at the Sanctuary's throne room's roof, the image on the monitor first displayed dark clouds, before showing an image of Chizeta. A world consisting of a golden sphere covered in hexagons, flanked by two massive, golden halves of a prolate spheroid.
"Chizeta is, well…" Tarta hesitated, trying to find the right word, "…cramped,"
Staring at the planet, Umi blinked confusedly, "It doesn't look that way…"
"Not all of that is Chizeta's territory," Tatra corrected her with a smile.
Picking up a feather that looked like it had belonged to a peacock, Tarta waved at the map, "The land governed by Chizeta is…"
As the small spheroid between the two cones blinked, Tatra continued, "…just this part."
"I-I guess that could be a bit cramped…" Umi chuckled awkwardly, realizing their situation, but this led to another question. "So… who do those other two pieces belong to then?"
"No one, really, but…" Tatra admitted, before pausing quietly. "They're not suitable for supporting life."
"They're just two giant hunks of rock," Tarta blurted out bluntly. "There is no water or vegetation on them, so one cannot colonize them. Sure, they have plenty of minerals, but they are also inhabited by large quantities of monsters."
"How can there be monsters if there is no water?" Umi asked, getting even more confused.
"Great question!" Tarta yelled out sarcastically. "Hundreds of years of expeditions and we still do not know. Those cones are only good for the people crazy enough to travel there to try and mine on them."
"Because of this, Tarta felt the need to extend our borders by turning Cephiro into our colony," Tatra explained while placing her hands together. "She promises to treat the people of Cephiro fairly, as we're sure we can all benefit greatly from one another."
While the idea of Cephiro becoming Chizeta's colony didn't sound like the most appealing idea, it was clear the princesses meant no harm. They had proven their trustworthiness already, and Umi couldn't say that the people of Cephiro would be in danger if one of them were the Pillar. No, the ones in danger were them…
Umi stared at the sisters before sighing, "You truly are good people. But it is because you are good people that I do not want you to become the next Pillar of Cephiro. The position of the Pillar is not something to be desired."
"What's that!?" Tarta gasped, offended by such a notion. "There's nothing the Pillar of Cephiro can't do! With enough willpower, there's no wish she cannot grant—"
"That's not true!" Umi interrupted her.
Her sad tone of voice earned the attention of both sisters. As they looked at Umi, they couldn't see the same lively or happy girl they had just gotten to know. Instead, she bore the sad eyes of a veteran of many battles, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Even though the memories of Emeraude hurt her greatly, Umi had to let the princesses know, "The Pillar… can't do anything for herself. Not even a wish as simple as, 'I want to be happy with the one I love'. She must continue praying only for the stability of the world."
Tarta and Tatra stared at Umi in disbelief and sympathy, taken aback by her sad words. They had a mission to carry out, but did the completion of it truly demand such a great price?
With Umi's tears falling into her glove, she continued, "She had to die just because she fell in love. Do you really want to become someone like that!? To be separated from all of your family and loved ones!?"
Tarta looked down at her lap, thinking about what Umi had told them. While also worried by their guest's words, Tatra was more worried about how Tarta took the news of this. Seeing the two sisters both reconsidering their approach, Umi couldn't help but smile a bit.
Looks like Hotaru was right, they really don't mean harm for Cephiro, nor are they willing to sacrifice their lives to become the Pillar. Alright, time to reel them in!
Just as Umi was clearing her throat and trying to suppress her enthusiasm, Tatra spoke out, "So tell me, Umi Ryuuzaki, you said you needed our help, right?"
"T-That's right…" Umi nodded slowly, feeling she had been found out.
"I feel like it has something to do with those monsters that attack us all," Tatra continued, sitting up straight with her legs crossed. "I don't know what they were, but even Rasheen was frightened by them."
"…I didn't even know those two could feel fear," Tarta admitted, having not sensed similar feelings from Rakoon.
Taken aback by Tatra's insight, it took Umi a moment to find the right words, "It's exactly as you say. Those monsters were the evil Mashins that belong to our true enemy. ALL of our true enemy."
"True enemy?" Tarta asked, staring at Umi in disbelief.
"Who are they?" Tatra asked. "And what can we do to help?"
As Umi tried to answer, she realized just how little she understood about the enemy. She had only half paid attention to Hotaru's explanation while being annoyed at him, and only heard a second-hand account from Hikaru. Even remembering all of their names was slightly difficult, but she knew she couldn't leave the princesses hanging. As such she needed to share whatever information she remembered.
"They are monsters that prey upon our fears, becoming stronger the more we fear them," Umi explained, generalizing to sound coherent. "Their leader was created by the fear all the people of Cephiro felt when the previous Pillar, Princess Emeraude died. She is incredibly powerful and wishes to destroy Cephiro and all other worlds."
"That does sound horrifying…" Tatra admitted, placing her hand on her mouth while furrowing her brow.
"Almost too scary to be true," Tarta looked at Umi skeptically. "Any way you can prove that these enemies exist and that this isn't just some elaborate ploy? AH—!"
Tarta was quickly silenced as Umi forcefully pressed her finger against her small forehead gem, "You saw them with your own eyes yesterday! I got my arms pierced by one of them and almost bled dry like a pig! You think that was a ploy!?"
As Umi moved close and closer to Tarta, the pressure on her forehead grew more and more, "Sorry! Sorry Sorry! That hurts!"
"'One of them?' That sounds awfully impersonal."
Umi, Tatra, and Tarta all tensed up as they heard a disembodied voice echo throughout the royal quarters. As they looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, there was a loud splash in the swimming pool.
A tall and wide geyser of water erupted near the broken elephant statue that almost reached the ceiling. It sprayed water all over the walkways and almost drained the swimming pool, before breaking apart and dispersing. As the geyser split like a cocoon, a beautiful young woman with a grayish blue fish tail emerged from it.
She had fair skin, deep blue eyes and long, pastel blue, wavy hair that cascaded elegantly down her back, shoulders, and chest. Her tail was covered in fine scales with a metallic sheen to them and had a crescent tailfin with sharp bony barbs. Her outfit consisted of white scarves wrapped around her body, creating a toga-like swimsuit. Around her neck, hung a necklace of red, different sized pearls that reached her abdomen.
Despite having no legs, the siren remained standing, held up by currents of water that encircled her. Her expression was both cruel and smug, with a hint of alluring elegance.
"L-Luna!" Umi yelled in fear.
"In the flesh!" Luna chuckled. "I know I expected you to be a more radiant person, but I didn't think you would go so bold with your wardrobe. Bravo!"
As her shadow started applauding at her, Umi covered up while cringing and shaking her head, "Noooooo! I don't want to hear that from you!"
"How did she get in here!" Tarta asked, getting up on her feet.
Tatra, who had been following the events analytically, thought out loud, "She came from our pool, so… maybe through the sewers?"
"Do I look like someone who would be crawling around in the sewers!?" Luna screamed insulted. "You lowbrow concubine!"
"Guards!" Tarta yelled annoyedly.
"Don't—!"
But before Umi could stop her, dozens of guards swarmed the royal quarters, already wielding their weapons. Although the sight of a hovering mermaid was unusual, the sunglasses-wearing guards didn't seem concerned by this. However, the blue-haired siren didn't seem concerned by the guards either.
"Fufu, is this it? How droll," Luna smiled sadistically, before summoning five blue orbs above her.
"Everyone, RUN!" Umi yelled down at the guards, but too late.
Five high-pressure beams of water fired from Luna's water orbs, one at a time, in rapid succession. The first beam pierced two guards where their hearts and lungs were, the second piercing the abdomens of three others. The third took off the arm of another guard, while the last two caused several deep wounds, as the remaining guards tried to evade them. Just as the blood of the wounded guards was about to touch the white walkways, they vanished.
One by one, in flashes of light, the struck down guards disappeared before Umi's and Luna's eyes. For a minute Umi thought that the guards had been illusions all this time that had just popped out of existence. But then she saw the terror upon the faces of the remaining guards, who were all shaking in fear and gasping in horror.
Remembering that Luna was the shadow created by her heart specifically, Umi's chest ached with remorse. She was completely frozen by guilt, before she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Turning around, she saw Tatra staring at her reassuringly, "Do not worry. Those wounded are sent directly to Bravada's infirmary."
"But what about the ones who were shot through the—"
"Do not worry," Tatra repeated with a far sterner voice.
"What a disappointment," Luna clicked her tongue. "I had hoped to see the water be dyed a nice shade of red.
Stepping in front of Umi and her sister, Tatra addressed her subjects in a proud and powerful voice, "Guards! This is not a foe that you can face! Retreat and let us take care of her."
As the guards started evacuating, Tatra brought her hands together, at which point a bolt of lightning struck between them. A glowing white orb appeared between her hands, before forming into a foot-long, golden scepter with a ruby centered flower ornament on top.
"Tatra…" Umi gasped, seeing how serious the older sister was getting.
"My sister is strong," Tarta said, getting ready for battle as well. "Nobody in Chizeta can win against her."
"Am I supposed to be intimidated by a princess with a magic wand?" Luna asked smugly, summoning more orbs above her.
Before Luna could fire her second volley, Tatra grabbed hold of her clothes, tearing them off. At first Umi was about to cover her eyes, until she noticed Tatra's body. With the princess now only wearing her yellow top and a matching thong, her lean yet athletic body was in full view. Tatra's bronze skin and toned muscles glistened like a suit of natural armor, showing her true colors as a warrior.
"Oh my," Luna giggled, seeing her foe strip down. "You have gathered yourself even more interesting paramours, little Umi."
"Para-what?" Umi tilted her head in confusion, but was interrupted as Luna fired.
Five high-pressure water jets shot directly towards the three women at a blinding speed. As the beams of water were about to reach the upper platform, they were suddenly dispersed. The jets spread out into harmless sprays of water, soaking the three women, but leaving them unharmed. Brushing her wet hair off her face, Umi was surprised to see a strand of light extending out of Tatras' staff.
In the blink of an eye, Tatra had swung her whip through the five water jets in a single motion. Seeing her attack had been parried, Luna clicked her tongue again angrily.
"You think you can beat me with that stand of spaghetti?" Luna asked annoyedly, before summoning her weapon.
Clapping her hands together, Luna summoned a bolt of blue energy between them. The bolt of lightning stretched out and solidified, forming a black trident with light-blue tips. Twirling the polearm in her hand gracefully, Luna pointed the trident towards the three women menacingly.
"Too bad for you, I have a fork," she smiled smugly.
"But can you use it?" Tatra asked imposingly. "Or do you only feel safe firing attacks from afar?"
Hearing the nearly naked woman's taunt, Luna smiled smugly, before her eyes sharpened. Without a warning, the currents of water that held the siren up launched her across the room. Extending her black trident forward simultaneously, Luna aimed straight for Tatra, who jumped out of the way gracefully.
As Luna splashed onto the scene, Tarta and Umi attacked the siren from the sides with their swords. Trying to flank their enemy, they were surprised as the water currents that surrounded Luna swung in their directions. Like tendrils of water, the currents blocked and pushed their swords back like a living barrier.
Turning quickly on the spot, using her long hair and tail to distract her foes, Luna thrusted her trident at Tatra once more. Using the golden handle of her whip, Tatra blocked the trident by shoving it between the prongs. Despite avoiding impalement, Tatra was pushed back by the force of the thrust, her toes gripping the wet carpet.
Before the three women could mount a counter attack, five more orbs appeared above Luna. The siren grinned victoriously, before firing all five shots at once, one at Umi, one at Tarta, and three at Tatra. One aimed at her arm, one at her leg, and one straight at her face.
Inspired by Tatra, Umi swung her rapier down against the water jet, cutting it in half. Tarta in turn dashed out of the way of her beam, while using her round shield to deflect the jet aimed at Tatra's arm. Her older sister on the other hand converted her whip of light into a thin blade, splitting the jet aimed for her face. At the same time, she evaded the fifth and final jet that had been aimed at her legs.
Despite being saved from the worst of it, Tatra was still hit badly. The jet she split cut the tops of her shoulders and the one aimed lower scraped her thigh. Despite the wounds, Luna could tell that the eldest of the three women wasn't perturbed by her injuries. While Luna was distracted by her sister's conviction, Tarta swung her saber in an upwards slash from the siren's unarmed side. Luna only managed to barely move out of the way of the sword, avoiding a deep cut across her torso. But as she leaned back quickly, her string of red pearls was cut by the sword.
"NO!" Luna screamed in panic.
Ignoring her foes completely, Luna grabbed the pearl string with her free hand, preventing it from unraveling further. The crimson pearls that had already fallen off the necklace, she picked up with her water currents. As Tarta, Tatra, and Umi were all taken aback by this, Luna quickly dashed back to the remnants of the elephant statue. Once at a safe distance, Luna stared at the pearls in her hand desperately.
"No no no no no no no no!" she repeated under her breath, while fixing her pearl string meticulously.
"What's up with her?" Tarta asked, catching her breath from the earlier clash.
Staring at the usually confident Luna having a panic-attack, Umi admitted, "I-I don't know…"
Once finished, Luna's light blue aura started flaring as she stared at her three foes angrily, "How… dare you… How dare you attack my preciouses!"
"…Preciouses?" Tatra asked, trying to understand her foe.
Without giving an answer, Luna used her water currents to lift herself up near the ceiling. From there, she pointed her trident down towards her enemies, before yelling out.
"Water Dragon!"
A large three-pronged geyser of water erupted from the tips of the trident, straight towards Umi and the princesses. The three jets twisted around one another, before splitting open like the maw of a three jawed dragon with six burning red eyes. Seeing the monstrous dragon approach and ready to swallow them, Umi quickly countered.
"Water Dragon!"
Summoning her own, deeper blue geyser of water, Umi launched her dragon at her shadow's spell. The two water spells collided with Luna's seeming to have the upper hand, but Umi's spell managed to hold out long enough to dispel it. As the two massive geysers dispersed, the water from them flooded the swimming pool and the walkways below them.
"Look out!" Tarta yelled, as the water reached all the way to the upper platform.
Due to the open walls of the royal quarters, most of the flood waters flowed into the indoor garden surrounding it. Only the ankles of the three women were soaked by the sudden flooding. Soon after, the water started draining through the doorways of the royal quarters and the sewers of the swimming pool. But this didn't seem to bother Luna. In fact, the siren seemed quite pleased despite her earlier outrage.
"Why didn't I think of this before?" she asked in a calm voice, before smiling maniacally. "I'll just drown you little rats!"
Summoning five orbs once more above her head, the high-flying siren shot the water jets at the pillars near the entrances. The golden pillars broke apart and crumbled down, their rubble blocking the exits and the drainage ways.
"Wait, no!" Tatra gasped, trying to reason with Luna.
"Don't go breaking our stuff!" Tarta yelled angrily.
Ignoring their pleas, Luna yelled, "Water Dragon!"
Having completely given up on fighting gracefully, the siren started spamming her spells at a rapid pace. Dragons of water, whirlpools, and water jets peppered the royal quarters, quickly filling the opulent and vast room. Although the flooding wasn't fast enough to threaten Umi and the Chizetan royalty, it came with another problem. While all three of them were fast, strong, and agile fighters, none of them were used to fighting while treading water. Especially not in strong currents.
"Tarta! …Tatra!" Umi yelled while coughing water, being flung around by the currents.
"We're fine!" Tatra yelled back, clinging onto Tarta. "Stay safe yourself!"
Once the water had risen high enough to rob her foes of the last of their footing, Luna gracefully dove down into the water herself. Diving all the way to where the walkways were, Luna looked up at the surface through the crystal-clear waters. Spotting three pairs of long, shapely legs kicking water, she was spoiled for choice.
Hmmm, should I drag Umi down under first and finish her off right away? Or should I go for her new lady friends and let her despair grow with each bubble that surfaces? Decisions, decisions…
Eventually the water currents died down, allowing for the three women to catch their breath. But this calm brought forth with it its own dread. Realizing that their foe was in her element, Umi, Tatra and Tarta all looked around nervously, trying to spot a glimpse of the red pearls in the water.
"Can't you have those disgus-… djinns suck up all this water?!" Umi asked the sisters.
"It takes a while to summon them in a physical form!" Tarta yelled, panicking.
"We've never tried synchronized swimming before," Tatra confessed, intrigued by the idea. "Let's give it a shot!"
"Big siiiis!" Tarta wriggled nervously, before almost jumping out of the water in fright.
Having expected something to grab her, Tarta was even more frightened as a loud thud echoed throughout the room.
"What was that?" Umi asked, staring down at the water while blinking.
Under the surface, Luna was even more confused, as another thud rang through the waters. Due to being underwater, she heard the thuds loudest, as they echoed through her entire body. Eventually she located the source of the sound, realizing something outside was tapping against the eastern wall. Staring at the wall, she could see it slowly cracking up, her eyes widening in dread, before a large horn burst through the stone.
As the horn pulled back out, the water in the room started quickly flowing through the hole. While the current was weak, Luna stabbed her trident into the walkway below her, bracing herself. With one last loud thud, a three horned, armor plated, and dirty green head smashed through the wall. With a gaping hole in the outer wall, the weight and the flow of the water inside caused the rest of the wall to come crumbling down.
With the water quickly starting to flow out, all four women inside screamed in terror, as the current carried them outside. With all of them getting close together, Tatra reached out for Umi and Tarta.
"Hold onto me, quickly!" she yelled, wrapping her left arm around Tarta.
With Umi grabbing hold of her leg, Tatra extended her whip, wrapping its glowing line around one of the intact pillars. Pulled by the current ever stronger, Tatra tried her best to support the weight of three people. But while she had a tight grip on her whip and Tarta, the same could not be said for Umi's grip on her smooth leg.
Umi held onto her dear life, until a piece of rubble, carried by the current, struck her chest, "Aaaaaah!"
"Umi!" Tarta and Tatra yelled.
Taken by the current, Umi quickly found herself thrown out of Bravada's castle section and in a freefall. Seeing the stars above her, she squeezed her eyes shut and was about to call for Selece, when something caught her. Feeling soft baggy cloth against the backs of her arms and legs, she opened her eyes and was met by a brunette young man.
"Hota… no, Ascot?" Umi gasped, while held up in a princess carry.
"Ah, Umi, how uhh…" Ascot tried to sound cool, but was blushing too hard, "…nice of you to drop by?"
As the two teenagers looked at each other awkwardly, Ascot gently placed Umi down, onto the back of a flying beast. Two wyvern-esque monsters were flying around them, roaring and screeching. One of them was skinny and brownish red, with a single forward-facing horn, and a yellow bird-like beak. The other one was more muscular, dirty green, had multiple forward-facing horns, and an ogre-like face. But despite these two mighty monsters, Umi was more interested in the one they stood upon. Seeing the large feathered wings and the brown fur, Umi instantly recognized is as the gryphon she had met on her first day in Cephiro.
"This gryphon…" Umi gasped.
"That's right," Ascot nodded. "Master Mage Clef let me borrow it. Figured we might need something stronger."
As Ascot and Umi flew back up to the hole the monsters had created, they could instantly spot movement on the other side of the room. Still clinging to her trident, Luna was staring at them all with murderous intent.
"So… round two!" She gripped her trident angrily.
[Eight hours before Umi woke up]
After a long and arduous discussion with Clef about the Cephiroan version of the birds and the bees (which wasn't that different from the Earth version) Hotaru was finally allowed to leave. The Master Mage had been incredibly dismayed about the implications behind his true identity as Aston, the son of Emeraude and Zagato.
Hotaru had told Clef that he had seen Emeraude take an adult form before the final battle, one that was even more "mature" looking than Alcyone. While this had somewhat reduced the potential ickiness of the whole thing, Clef had never before seen the form Hotaru described. Furthermore, Emeraude would have had to have stayed in her adult form for nine months. Eventually Hotaru pointed out that Emeraude could potentially have used her Pillar powers to warp people's memories of perception.
Not that I am too happy with that explanation myself, he thought to himself while walking back to his apartment. But at the very least it gave Clef enough to think to let me go home. Still, I have no idea why Aston's body was sent over to Earth? And how did I end up in his body!?
Opening the door of his apartment, Hotaru was welcomed by the sight of the mess he had left behind. There were still cracks on the floor and walls of the apartment left from his battle with Romeo. However, the broken crystal shards and fallen over candles had mostly been picked up already. The feast on the dinner table was covered by silver cloches, while Alcyone was picking up the debris and rearranging furniture.
She was still wearing only her pajamas and seemed to have kept herself busy while Hotaru had been visiting Clef. While this was a pleasant surprise, it also hurt Hotaru's consciousness to see her toil like this.
"Welcome home, darling," Alcyone smiled, picking up a full dustpan before taking it to the kitchen. "How was your talk with Clef?"
"He managed to confirm that this body did in fact belong to Emeraude and Zagato's child," Hotaru answered, following after Alcyone. "Sorry I took so long; he was having a mental breakdown."
"That is fine," Alcyone smiled, emptying the dust pan into a disposal shoot, before returning to the living room. "It gave me some time to clean up afterwards."
Before Alcyone could continue cleaning, Hotaru stopped her by grabbing onto her upper arms firmly. With Alcyone gasping lightly, he leaned his head over her shoulder, and pressed his chest against her ankle-length black hair. Before whispering gently into her ear, Hotaru's nose picked up a strange smell. At first, he figured it was from the foods, but then realized it was from Alcyone.
She had never before used perfume, but it wasn't her usual scent of sweat either. He had heard she had taken a bath from Umi and Fuu earlier today, but she had also cooked and cleaned afterwards. Nevertheless, he decided to ignore it.
"You have done enough for tonight," Hotaru said softly, before gently taking the dustpan from her hand. "You cooked a wonderful meal for us and I caused a huge mess. Let us both go to bed, rest up, and I will take care of cleaning tomorrow morning."
"I-It's really fine, Hotaru," Alcyone smiled awkwardly, blushing from his intimacy. "You do so much for us all, this is the least I can do for you."
"No buts," Hotaru said sternly, while gently guiding Alcyone towards the bedroom. "I may actually be a prince, but in this relationship we are equals, and I will take care of my own messes."
"V-Very well…" Alcyone nodded nervously, walking ahead of Hotaru.
Getting to the bedroom door, Alcyone held the door open for Hotaru, letting him go in first. Once inside, Hotaru removed his gauntlets and started removing his Cephiroan clothes and putting them inside the drawer. Sitting down on the king-sized bed, he could see Alcyone fidget nervously at the doorway.
"Is there… Is there something you intend to do with me today?" Alcyone asked, blushing bright red.
Hotaru thought about Alcyone's offer, before looking around the room. Remembering Romeo making his exit through the bedroom mirror and the talks he had had with Clef, really spoiled his mood. Added with his tiredness, he eventually shook his head.
"Not tonight, sorry. I am… just too tired," Hotaru yawned before laying down.
To Hotaru's surprise, Alcyone didn't seem disappointed by this, but rather relieved, "Is that so… Then let us rest well."
Seeing Alcyone approach the bed, Hotaru started slowly regretting his decision, until suddenly, something caught his attention. As Alcyone laid next to him on the bed, Hotaru couldn't help but stare at her intently.
"Is something wrong, my darling?" Alcyone asked, looking at him innocently.
Taking a bit of distance from her, Hotaru asked, in a stern voice, "Who are you?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Hotaru dear?" she blinked at him confused.
Getting up from the bed and taking as much distance from her as possible, Hotaru re-equipped his gauntlets. For a while now, Alcyone's behavior had been strange to say the least, as she was far too agreeable and passive. Having Alcyone cook for him was one thing, but clean after him? And, as he had laid down on the bed, he had smelled Alcyone's scent on the sheets, which differed greatly from this other woman. But maybe the most condemning piece of evidence of them all…
"Did… did I do something wrong, Hotaru darling?" The woman asked, almost in tears.
While seeing Alcyone in tears ached his heart, Hotaru stuck to his guns, "Alcyone would never wear clothes to bed."
At first, the woman's expression looked almost insulted, but eventually she closed her eyes and sighed, "…You would know her the best."
Without further protests, she got up off the bed and stood up straight, before spreading her arms slightly. Her light turquoise pajama dress spread out and opened, forming into a grey frilly ballroom gown and thigh high boots. Her skin turned equally as grey, her ears pointier, and red streaks ran down the full length of her hair. Finally, a red forehead gem and earrings appeared on her, before she opened her blood red eyes.
Seeing her pointy fangs, Hotaru swallowed nervously, "So… we again, Ms. Doppelganger."
"Please Hotaru, call me Stella," the vampiric woman requested, bowing politely. "I am truly sorry for fooling you in this manner…"
"It's f—" Hotaru started, almost forgiving her, before equipping his full armor, "forget that! Just tell me, where is Alcyone!? Did you and rest of Debonair's ilk kidnap her?"
Shaking her head vehemently, the vampiric woman looked him straight in the eye, "That's not it! I could never hurt you in such a way, Hotaru!"
"Then answer me!" Hotaru roared, starting to get impatient with worry. "Where is my Alcyone!"
Almost tearing up, Stella closed her eyes, before reaching for her forehead gem. It glowed for a moment, before a white envelope appeared in her hand.
Handing it over to Hotaru, Stella spoke in a heartbroken voice, "She left you a message…"
Looking at her in confusion for a moment, Hotaru eventually grabbed the envelope and pulled out a twice-folded piece of paper. As he unfolded it, instead of text, the paper had a small, blue, and round gem attached to it. Before he had time to ask Stella what this was all about, the blue gem began to glow, before projecting a small glowing image of Alcyone above it.
This version of Alcyone, Hotaru could immediately recognize as his own. She wore the familiar black leotard with a long opening in the front, the headdress that looked like a pair of black horns, and a white triple layered cape. Her jewelry was still purple and her lips red as blood. As the picture came into full focus, the image began to speak.
"Hotaru… this really isn't easy to say…" the recording muttered under its breath. "…If you are hearing this, it means that you have found out that Stella has taken my place. Before you blame her, I want you to know that I am the one who requested this of her."
"W-What?" Hotaru stuttered, unable to believe his ears.
"I-I know you find this hard to believe," Alcyone stuttered, before taking a moment to continue her message, "but the truth is that Stella was born from my wish to be able to love you while not be burdened by my past. But as I have come to realize… that is impossible. Wherever I go, my past will always haunt me and those who I care about."
"But I don't care—!" Hotaru blurted, unable to hold it back, until he noticed the tears running down Alcyone's cheek.
"…This is why I died in all of those stories you told me about," Alcyone's image cried out, her voice doing its best to stay audible. "It is the fate that I deserve. I deserve death…"
"…No," Hotaru's eyes widened, fearing for the worst.
"But just like you said… I will keep clinging to life, no matter what," Alcyone continued, before her image dried her tears. "I am… unable to face the final judgement for my crimes. As such, I am going to run away."
Feeling a weight lift off his heart, Hotaru sighed in relief. Realizing the image was just a recording, he still wanted to yell that he would follow her, but the message continued.
"I know you will try to follow me, but… please, don't do it," Alcyone requested while bowing her head. "I want you to stay with Stella instead and be happy with her. She is everything I am but without the baggage of my past sins and grudges. Let her be my final act of love to you, along with the meal that we cooked together for you. I have hurt enough people and I don't want you to hurt because of my crimes."
As the projection didn't fade, Hotaru continued staring at the now somber looking Alcyone, until she finally added, "I lo-… I will miss you."
Once the message ended and the gem stopped glowing, Stella watched Hotaru with great anticipation. She almost jumped, as Hotaru suddenly grumbled the piece of paper around the blue gem, before turning around.
Seeing him walking to the bedroom door, Stella yelled, "Where are you going?"
"To find Alcyone," Hotaru answered shortly, opening the door.
Before he could go any further, he felt two delicate hands wrap around his left arm. Stella's grip was strong but despite Hotaru wearing armor, gentle. Unable to move further without Steel Strength, Hotaru turned around, planning to tell her to let go, before being stopped by the determination in Stella's eyes.
"Please! You must understand!" Stella pleaded. "She is doing this for your own good. If you knew the crimes she has committed, not even you could love her anymore!"
Hearing those words jab into his pride, Hotaru snapped. He pulled his arm away from Stella's grip with force, before turning and glaring at her angrily, causing the vampiric woman to shirk away.
"Then TELL me!" Hotaru roared; his heart aflame. "What grand atrocity has she committed that haunts her so!?"
Being yelled at by Hotaru, Stella's lip trembled for a moment, before she swallowed, "She… She killed her own family…"
Afraid of what the brunette man she loved would do next, Stella's heart froze for a moment as she saw Hotaru's eyes widen. The thought of him abandoning both her and Alcyone now that the truth was out, was heartbreaking. As the moment of silence stretched, Stella would have given anything to have Hotaru yell at her some more, if it meant to keep him by her side a moment longer. But eventually, the man in silver armor (and very little else) turned around on the spot, and walked out the door.
"I'm going after her…"
Author's Afterword: Well, the truth about Hotaru's body is now all set in stone. However, I will be the first to admit this revelation raises more questions than answers, but I promise they will all be answered in time. A very LONG time but still.
With the five shadows of our main cast now properly introduced, now would be a good time to share some details about them. I have received some questions on what kind of a creature Terra is meant to be, and she is in fact a peri. A winged woman from middle-eastern mythologies. The rest of the five are Luna the siren, Romeo the demon, Stella the vampire, and Nova as an elf.
Another neat detail are the names of the five. Nova, Luna, Terra, and Stella stand for the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and the stars. Romeo and Aston on the other hand are named after Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin, both of which have been car brands that Zagato coachbuilding company has worked on. This was a bit of foreshadowing to their connection.
Now the timeline of this chapter and the two next ones, isn't exactly 100% linear. The scenes will change and hop around to keep the different story beats progressing, so I will be including small time stamps to help you all to keep on track. For our next chapter, we will mostly be focusing on Fuu and Aska.
As always, reviews and speculations are welcomed and appreciated. This time my thanks go to James Birdsong for your review on the last chapter! Just so you all know, it doesn't matter when or what chapter you leave a review on, I will mention you on the next chapter's Author's Afterword!