Tales of Xalthia
Chapter 19: Encroaching Darkness
Time skips ahead to where everything started. Tsuki had returned to the castle and had a run-in with fellow Royal Eight members, Zero Hisagi and Aya Kazuma. Zero Hisagi was a 25 year old man with brown hair and blue eyes and specialized in spears and various other polearms. He was the commander of the spearmen of Eresseas. Aya Kazuma was a 45 year old woman with long, light pink hair that went past her shoulders with violet eyes. She was Queen Emma's personal bodyguard and specialized in using the standard knight setup, a sword and shield. Tsuki ended up talking to them for a bit before heading out to meet with the royal family. Taichi Tsubasa, the king of Eresseas, was a 46 year old man with dark brown, spiky hair ruby-colored eyes. He specializes in using a long katana known as an Odachi. The length of the blade was almost doubled that of a normal katana and is extremely difficult to wield and master because of its' size. It required the use of two hands in order for someone to be able to use it properly. Emma Tsubasa, the queen of Eresseas, was a 45 year old woman with long, pink hair that went halfway down her back with violet eyes. She specialized in Magical Artes and was deemed a true master in all things Magical. Not only has she reached mastery levels in offense and defense, but also healing as well. There were very few mages like her in the world that was at her level.
Taichi and Emma were both overjoyed that he had finally returned safely. They showed him appreciation for everything that he had done and also expressed their regret for not being able to send him out with the proper help. While Tsuki didn't send out many letters himself, they had heard word of his efforts from Reia, Lucas and Alba. They had full confidence in Tsuki's ability to handle things but deep down, they knew that they should have send him some backup sooner. When some of the people on the council found out that they sent him out on his own, the council ended up scolding them a bit. When things hit their boiling point in Basilwell, they were forced to take action but unfortunately, the fighting was already done by the time reinforcements had arrived. By their orders, Tsuki was given the rest of the day to unwind so he didn't have to worry about making his long report right away. He shared a quick glance with Cheria Tsubasa and made his way over to the area the members of the Royal Eight gather. Cheria Tsubasa is an 18 year old girl, the same age as Tsuki is, who shared many of her mother's traits. She had short, wavy pink hair that went to her shoulders with the same gentle violet-colored eyes. She specializes in archery and marksmanship. She had been taught archery by a number of different people so she's been able to have a variety of subsequent training methods. She is the childhood friend of Tsuki and his much rumored "sweetheart" because of how close the two of them are. After he left the audience chamber, she had soon chased after him.
In the Royal Eight's room, he was reunited with the other members of the Royal Eight. Lydia Stanton, who had long, black hair that went halfway down her back with blue eyes. She was a little older than Zero was and specialized in archery and marksmanship. She was the commander of the various archer units of Eresseas. With her keen, eagle eye, there is no mark that she can't hit. Mike Yote, the oldest member of the Royal Eight at the age of 46. He had yellow, spiky hair with brown eyes and specialized in using heavy weapons such as his signature double-sided axe. He was the commander of Eresseas' heavy forces and was usually first on the frontline. Stahler Tokesu, a 40 year old man with muscles of a juggarnaut. He had dark brown, wavy hair with light brown eyes and specialized in dual-wielding shortswords and hand-to-hand combat. He served as a trainer and instructor for the knights. Xpheria Sykes but everyone just calls her by her nickname, which was Phi, a young 20 year old girl. She had long, violet hair that went slightly past her shoulders with green, emerald-colored eyes. Much llike Stahler, she also specialized in dual-wielding. The only difference was that she used two katanas and was a student in the Twin-Blade Style taught to her by General Georg Tenzin. Finally, there was Jula Haru, a 38 year old woman that served as King Taichi's personal bodyguard. She had blonde, curly hair wrapped in a long ponytail with light blue eyes. She specializes in Magical Artes and while she wasn't nearly as proficient as Queen Emma was, she was one of their best magic users. The only difference is that she was unable to wield Healing Artes.
After reuniting with his fellow knights, Cheria came bursting through the door and tackled Tsuki down onto the ground with both excitement and overwhelming worry for him as she had heard that he was severely injured in Basilwell. She was already sick with worry knowing that he had gotten himself involved in a serious situation and hearing that he could have died was more than she could handle. She ended up scolding him for a bit before she was made aware of the fact that the other members of the Royal Eight were watching her to which Lydia pointed out that her dress had become undone which exposed herself a bit to Tsuki that she had pinned down on the ground. The two ended up having one of their moments which opened them up for teasing. After things settled down, Tsuki and Cheria decided to meet up later to talk since he was free for the remainder of the day. He removed the torn up armor he was wearing and set it aside for it to be discarded and made his way over to his room soon after to get into a change of clothes.
Tsuki and Cheria ended up meeting out one of their favorite spots which was a garden that overlooked the lake. The two of them had a long talk as Tsuki told her some of the things he encountered on his little adventure. Hearing Tsuki talk about things outside of Eresseas made her excited because she had never been outside of the city. She had always dreamed of one day going out to see the countryside. As the future Queen, she would need to know more about her own kingdom before she took the throne. Their talks went into the evening hours when they decided to call it a night. Tsuki had escorted her back to her room and proceeded to return to his own room. Before he could leave though, Cheria walked up to him and gently hugged him from behind, stating that she wished that she could ease the pain from his injury. Tsuki had mostly recovered from his injuries but the one on his chest would take a bit longer to heal than most. While his injury had left a permenant scar that wouldn't heal, he was content with know how she felt. Tsuki reassured her that just by seeing her smile was enough healing for him.
The two eventually parted ways and Tsuki returned to his room to get some sleep. It had been quite a while since he slept in his own bed and while the beds at the various inns and hotels he stayed at were nice, nothing beats the comforts of his own bed. Before drifting off to sleep, he decided to wake up early the next morning so that he could see Ruko and Lynette off as they had planned to leave early in the morning. Unfortunately, when he woke up the next morning and went to see them off, he was told that they had already left which bummed him out. He would of liked to see his friends one more time but it wasn't meant to be. He returned to the castle where he ran into Mike and Stahler who were heading out to deal with bandit activity that was reported along the lake's shoreline. Mike ended up dragging Stahler along, much to his protests as he stated that it was pretty overkill to send members of the Royal Eight to deal with bandits that normal knights would be able to handle just fine. They talked for a bit before going separate ways as Tsuki headed to the audience chamber to give his full debriefing of everything that happened during his mission to the royal family.
Before he could proceed with the debriefing though, he was stopped by King Taichi. Before he began, he had the guards bring in some people from a nearby room. To his surprise, the people that he had brought out were Lynette, Ramza and Ruko. For a brief moment, he didn't understand why they were there but then he realized that he had mentioned to Zero where they were staying at the previous day. It didn't take him long to figure out that Zero most likely pitched the idea to King Taichi and Queen Emma to have them summoned. With the urging of King Taichi and Queen Emma, Tsuki began to tell his story of what happened from the moment he left Eresseas with Lynette, Ramza and Ruko adding in their parts as needed.
Once everything was said and done, Tsuki and the others felt mentally exhausted. A debriefing of what seemed to go on for hours upon hours was finally over and they could finally breathe. By the time they finished explaining everything to the royal family, it was already close to the afternoon. Tsuki felt the most drained because he was the one that mostly did all the talking. Thankfully, with the additional input from Lynette, Ramza and Ruko, he was able to finish his debrief.
Tsuki took in a deep breath and looked up at the royal family. "...And that about does it for my debriefing" he said. After going through that, he had to sit down on the floor to rest.
Taichi was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that they were going to be there for a while before he even started. Thanks to the reports he received from Lucas and Alba, he got the jist of the more major things that happened but he didn't expect so many other minor details that played a part in things. The entire chamber was silent as he struggled process it all. "...My head feels like it's about to explode..." he mumbled
Emma also shared a similar reaction. After hearing bout everything that happened from the person involved, it only made her regret more that they sent him out so ill-prepared. "I can't believe all of that happened. We were too careless. Words can't express how sorry we are for putting you in such a position" she said. She couldn't imagine what he must have gone through by himself. Sure, he managed to find some companions along the way but he practically had no official support aside from the time he called in for backup when going to Prophet Castle.
Tsuki shook his head. No one could have thought that things would turn out the way they did, not even the royal family. In fact, if they hadn't sent him out, then who knows what could have happened. "Don't apologize. All that matters is that we were able to bring these things to light. The only question now is to figure out what to do from here onwards" he said.
Taichi nodded to himself. A foreign king has essentially invaded and killed his people. That alone would be enough to spark all-out war between two kingdoms. However, they didn't have the military might to do such a thing. "We'll discuss this with the council and see what the best course of action is. If King Caius is planning something for Eresseas, then it would be best if we had some sort of contingency plan in place" he said. They needed to be careful with how to proceed going forward. They were in a rather delicate situation. He let out a sigh and then looked down at towards Tsuki's companions. "Now then, I know you guys briefly introduced yourself when you told your side of the story but I would like to hear proper introductions from everyone" he said.
Ramza stepped forward and put his hand to his heart, giving the royal family a bow. "It's a great honor to be here, Your Majesty. My name is Ramza Toketsu, a B-rank mercenary. I was asked by General Maxwell of Briswater to investigate the murders and the person behind them which then led to the subsequent request of joining Tsuki to Basilwell to try and learn more about what's been happening" he said. Compared to before, he had a dignified air around him as if he had dealt with royal families before. He had all the mannerisms and etiquette one should display when meeting royalty.
Lynette, however, was very nervous and anxious. She had never met with royalty before so she was in a slight panic. She tried her best to keep her composure though. "I-I'm Lynette Suzaki, a simple country girl from the village of Crescentia. I decided to accompany Tsuki to not only repay him for saving my life but to gain some actual experience as a Healer" she said.
Ruko was down on one knee with his head hung low and hand over his heart. He's never personally met with the royal family but he knew how to act in front of them as per his training. While he wasn't a knight, Alba taught him everything he had to know if he ever had the chance to meet them. "My name is Ruko Amado. I serve as lieutenant under Commander Alba of Basilwell. By his order, I came here to deliver some cargo we had seized" he said.
Taichi nodded to them as they made proper introductions. "You all have our heartfelt gratitude for assisting Tsuki during his mission. You've all done a fantastic job" he said. He then glanced over at Tsuki and patted his side where Tsuki had the Caliburn strapped to his waist. "And when I said everyone, I meant everyone" he said. It was obvious that he was referring to Allie.
Tsuki nodded and reached down to grab onto the Caliburn. "Allie? You awake?" he asked through mental communication.
Moments later, the Caliburn started to glow faintly as Allie's voice was heard speaking to him telepathically. "Yes Master..." she said drowsily. The glow from the Caliburn soon disappeared as Allie manifested in front of Tsuki. She had her hand over her mouth as she yawned and rubbed her right eye afterwards.
When Allie appeared before them, looks of surprise and intrigue could be seen on the royal family's faces. Taichi and Emma had read up on reports of something resembling a Great Spirit had made a pact with Tsuki but Cheria hadn't heard a word about it. She was the most surprised out of all of them. When they heard that one of the legendary holy swords was discovered, they were excited at the discovery. The added fact that a spirit was tied to the legendary sword only rose that excitement bar further. After all, it was the first time something resembling a Great Spirit had shown itself in centuries.
Emma was most fascinated due to her history with Magical Artes. While Great Spirits are said to be a thing of legend now, all forms of Magical Artes derive from their core elements which were supposedly kept in check by the Great Spirits. She stood up from her chair and walked down the small set of stairs and stopped in front of Allie. She lowered herself so that she was eye level with her to get a better look. "So, this is the spirit we've read about, huh? At first glance, you wouldn't think she was anything else but a normal girl" she said. She then tried to reach her hand out towards her.
Allie saw that Emma was reaching out her hand which caused her to step back a bit and grab onto Tsuki's shirt. She had been half-asleep because of how long the debriefing took so she didn't realize what was going on right away.
Tsuki got down to one knee and put her hand on Allie's shoulder. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry, there were some people that wanted to meet you. There's no need to be shy" he said.
Emma examined Allie closely. She could definitely sense a great deal of power within her which would make sense if she was on the same level of a Great Spirit. However, even though she could be classified as a Great Spirit, it would be best to treat her like a normal young girl. She gave Allie a soft smile, caring smile as she gestured her to come over. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Emma Tsubasa. What's yours?" she asked.
Allie looked up at Tsuki for a moment before shifting her gaze down towards Emma before slowly walking up to her. "Allie..." she said. Based on how Tsuki was acting and by reading the atmosphere, she came to a conclusion of who she was. "You are...Master's mistress?" she asked, tilting her head with her signature innocent expression. It was something only she would say in this situation.
Silence had filled the audience chamber as no one knew what to say or how to react to her comment. Tsuki suddenly felt extremely anxious as he broke out into a cold, nervous sweat.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the silence was broken by loud laughter coming from Taichi as he hit his hand against his chair. "Mistress!? That's a new one!" he said as he could barely control his laughter.
Tsuki was understandably flustered and panicked. For someone to call the Queen of the kingdom such a title right to her face with no remorse or hesitation, it was unthinkable but given her track record for saying and doing certain things, it wasn't all that surprising. Most likely, she learned these types of comments and actions from her previous master. "A-Allie! I'm so sorry, she tends to say some wild things!" he said, bowing to Emma.
Emma was taken aback by her comment. Fundamentally, she wasn't wrong but the term that she had used to describe their relationship wasn't right. If it was anyone else, they would have probably grealy misunderstood her. Thankfully, she knew what she had meant so she wasn't upset or anything. She gently put her right hand on her left shoulder and held a finger up between them. "Not mistress. I am this kingdom's Queen. The man sitting up there laughing is my husband as well as the kingdom's King. The young girl next to him is my daughter and the kingdom's Princess, who is next in line for the throne" she said in a calm voice.
Allie glanced up towards Taichi and Cheria and then back at Emma before giving her a slight nod. "King, Queen and Princess...understood" she said. She didn't know what the difference was but she did know that Tsuki took orders from them.
Taichi soon got his laughter under control and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "She's an oddball, that's for sure. Not quite what I would have expected of someone bearing close resemblence to a Great Spirit" he said.
Cheria was enjoying the fact that everyone was getting along. It helped her feel much more relaxed. She soon stood up from her chair and looked down at the others standing behind Tsuki. "May I say something too? Not as this kingdom's princess but as someone who cares about Tsuki" she asked.
Tsuki looked up towards Cheria and saw a serious look on her face. "Your Highness?" he asked. Since he was in an official setting, he had fallen into the use of proper etiquette that a knight should display. Even though they had deep and close personal ties, he needed to maintain proper etiquette in settings like these.
Cheria soon started to walk down the steps towards the group. "I know you all had your own reasons for helping out Tsuki and while they may not have been necessarily for the kingdom, the fact that you supported him doesn't change" she said. She stepped off the stairs and stood next to Emma. "Tsuki is very precious to me. There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't worry about him and when I heard what happened to him in both Briswater and Basilwell, I was scared to death. You guys helped alleviate some of those worries because I knew that he had gained some support in the field" she said. She then looked over to Lynette and approached her. "If it weren't for you and your Healing Artes, then it was very possible that he wouldn't have returned to me" she said.
Lynette was surprised that Cheria had addressed her personally. She was a little flustered and humbled at the same time. "Oh, I don't know if I helped him out that much. It was my job as not only a Healer but as his friend to keep him safe. If anything, he was the one who helped me out the most" she said, her face slightly red from embarrassment as she scratched the back of her head.
Cheria shook her head and reached out to grab onto her hands. "I read some of the reports. His fight with that Rhino and his encounter with Caius. Things may have been different without you by his side. For that, you have my gratitude" she said. She then took a few steps back and bowed to her. "Thank you for protecting Tsuki and bringing him back to me" she said.
Lynette waved her arms in front of her in a panic when she was bowed to her. "Y-Your Highness, please!" she said. A princess shouldn't bow to a common country girl like her. She had no clue how to handle this situation.
Ramza couldn't help but find this scene familiar to him. "I see that the princess wears her heart on her sleeve. It's a little nostalgic" he said.
Ruko looked over at Ramza. "Oh? Got a special person in mind?" he asked.
Ramza let out a sarcastic laugh while shaking his head. "Ha! Hardly. Just someone who tends to give me a hard time like it's their enjoyment to do so" he said.
Taichi looked over towards Ramza and examined him. "If I understand everything correctly, you're new to Cayhill, right?" he asked.
Ramza looked up at Ramza and nodded. "Yes. I came here from Ersheath. Figured that I could use a change of scenery. I came here looking for mercenary work and I found something entirely different, however" he said.
Emma soon stood up and glanced over at Ramza. "Ersheath, you say? I heard things over there are pretty tense due to unstable relations with Dolothlond. How are things going?" she asked.
Ramza glanced over at Emma. For a queen of a foreign kingdom, he could easily tell that she was genuinely concerned. They weren't even allies so he thought it was strange that she concerned about them. "As you can probably imagine, things are...complicated. A few weeks ago, the northern snow region was seized by Dolothlond forces. No one knows why, specifically, that area was targeted but from what I know, Esseand has yet to retaliate over the abrupt seizure" he said. He scratched the back of his head with a sigh. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure what is going through the king's mind. They could easily retake the northern snow region but have yet to take action" he said.
Taichi shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "If Raiku is the one calling the shots, then he probably has some sort of plan cooking up in his head, knowing him" he said.
Ramza looked up at Taichi with a curious and surprised look. He spoke a name in a tone that seemed like he was familiar with it. "Are you familiar with the king?" he asked. While it wasn't all that rare for royal families to know about each other, the way he spoke about Raiku seemed to suggest that there was something else behind it.
Taichi nodded a bit. "You can say that. Me and Emma used to be old traveling companions of his before ascending to our respective thrones. He's the type of man that thinks three steps forward" he said. They were together for quite a while during their earlier travels so he wasn't all that worried about Ersheath.
Emma turned around and walked back up the steps to sit back down in her chair. "It's hard to tell what he's thinking, exactly. Even we had a hard time figuring out his plans at times. If he wasn't made king, then he could definitely make a brilliant strategist" she said.
Taichi leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath and stretched his legs out. All this talking was starting to wear him down. He needed to get up and moving to get the blood flowing. "We can save that topic for another time. I'm sure everyone here could use a break" he said. He then stood up and looked at Lynette, Ramza and Ruko. "I'm told that you guys had plans already made but if you would, we would like you all to stick around for a while. After everything you've done, we can't just simply send you off without some form of compensation" he said. He then walked down the steps towards them, taking out a flyer from his pocket. It was a colorful flyer that had several pictures of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. "Our annual festival, the Festival of Blossoms, is going to be held tomorrow in the Recreational District. The turnout is suppose to be larger than previous years and hosted by the great people of Crescentia. It would be a real shame for you all to miss out on it. We would also like you all to attend our banquet tonight with you being honored guests" he said.
Lynette had always wanted to go to the Festival of Blossoms especially after hearing all the extra work that Crescentia has been making. The feast, however, was something that she wasn't sure about. "I won't say no to attending the Festival but attending a royal banquet...? I don't know. I'm not good at official settings like that, much less one with royalty involved" she said.
Ramza scratched the back of his head a bit. Normally, he would decline such invitations as they weren't necessary. "Honestly, I don't think it's really necessary for me to attend a banquet. After all, it's not like I did what I did in service of Eresseas" he said. He was simply fulfilling an obligated contract, he didn't seek out any additional rewards or perks outside of what was agreed upon.
Ruko was also a bit unsure of attending. Compared to Lynette and Ramza, he didn't really do all that much as far as contribution since he came into the picture so late. "As for me, I feel like I've done nothing to really earn a spot at a royal banquet" he said.
Taichi looked at the three of them, smiled and thought of another plan. "Despite the different cirumstances that got you all involved in this, it doesn't change the fact that you supported Tsuki in ways that we had failed to do ourselves. That alone is enough for us. My gut tells me that you won't accept superficial things like money so, at the very least, we would like you to attend the banquet as well as the Festival of Blossoms" he said. He wasn't about to let them walk out without giving them the opportunity to repay them. It would be a stain to their reputation.
Emma nodded with what Taichi had to say. "I can personally guarantee that you would approve the quality of the food and the sights of the Festival. Take this time to unwind and relax after a much-deserved ordeal" she said.
Lynette, Ramza and Ruko looked at each other in silence as they thought about their offer. It was obvious to them that they weren't going to back down and were very insistent that they accept. They knew that it was genuinely out of good faith more than it was compensating them for their voluntary actions. Regardless, they still didn't feel like it was all that necessary for them to accept. They were never in it for an ulterior motive or recognition of any kind to begin with.
After about a minute or so of thinking about it, they all gave their collective nods to each other before Ramza looked towards the royal family. "I guess we can't refuse something in good faith like that. We accept your invitation to the banquet and the Festival" he said.
Taichi smiled and gave them a thumbs up. "Excellent. We have rooms available for you to use for the duration of your stay. Feel free to make yourselves at home. Before that, however..." he said. He then glanced over at Tsuki with a serious look. "Aren't you forgetting something to ask?" he asked.
Tsuki was silent for a moment as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He clenched his fist a bit and developed a nervous sweat. There was one that he wanted to know about ever since stepping foot in the castle. "Nagi...how is she?" he asked.
Tsuki hadn't forgotten about Nagi. She was always in the back of his mind. About how she was doing, how her recovery and rehabilitation was going. About how she was adjusting back into a normal life. By his request, she had Phi escort her back to the castle after their business at Prophet Castle concluded. There was a long road of recovery for her and a huge mental and psychological scar that would most likely never be healed. He was almost afraid to ask about how she was doing but now that his mission was over, he could put his focus on her.
Emma was silent for a few moments as she looked down towards the ground. "She's doing much better now compared to when she first came here. However, she's still far from being close to be considered recovered. The damage done to her mental and psychological state is pretty bad" she said. When she saw the state that she was in when Phi first brought her, there wasn't an emotion appropriate enough to measure her level of sadness and anger.
Taichi nodded silently, heading back up to his seat and sat down with a heavy sigh. "At first, she appeared lively despite everything she had been through most likely because she saw that you were one that saved her, a childhood friend who she had believed to have long been dead. However, the full extent of her condition became clear when we had our best look after her. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a tough thing to conquer and it's something that someone her age should never had to go through" he said. He's seen many battles and their respective outcomes. He's seen his fair share of sorrow and despair from those that hurt after those battles. He was even involved in a major conflict back in the past.
Emma leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her legs as she puts her hand up to her chin. "She's opened up to us a little bit about what happened to her recently. Behind all that pain and sorrow, I can see a strong-willed and defiant young lady. She had to have been, being one of the last remaining survivor from Tomoha" she said.
Ramza glanced over at Tsuki. He recalled that he had briefly mentioned everything that happened in Prophet Castle and his origins back when they were traveling from Briswater to Basilwell when they got close to the area where the castle was located. "You talked about all that stuff rather briefly and didn't really go into exact detail. At first, I was curious and wanted to know more but then when you mentioned Tomoha, it became clear" he said.
Ruko nodded. "There isn't anyone in the world that wouldn't know about Tomoha. It was one of Draxus' "best" works that caught attention worldwide" he said. Just the mention of their name was enough to strike fear into the peoples' hearts. They were a relatively small group of people when comparing them to the might of a kingdom but because of their small size, they were able to move around easier.
Cheria didn't know all that much about the Draxus cult. She didn't even learn about Tsuki's complete backstory until a few years after he first became a knight and the affiliation he had with them. She was always curious to know more about them but was too afraid to ask him about it. "It's hard knowing that such a vile group has been living within our kingdom right under everyone's noses" she said. When Nagi first arrived at the castle, she thought it was a good chance for her to learn more about them but seeing her condition made her hesitent to bring up anything relating to them. The last thing she wanted to do was cause her to have a mental relapse.
Tsuki sighed heavily. He was relieved to know that she was doing better, at the very least, but he was still concerned about her. "What about the Magister and the other prisoners that we apprehended? Have they talked at all?" he asked.
The room fell silent for a good minute. The vibe and atmosphere was more than enough for Tsuki and the others to understand. Taichi looked at them with a grim expression. "Unfortunately, they all killed themselves before we had a chance to interogate them. We did, however, get a message out of Sarex before it happened" he said.
Emma closed her eyes as she recalled what he had said the day before it all happened. "Our God, Sarex, will one day appear in these lands once again. When that happens, the world can finally be released from its sickness. All will return to zero" she said. She spent many hours thinking about the Magister's final words.
Taichi shook his head, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh. "Even our own researchers are stumped. Granted, our access to the world's history is fairly limited in our current state. We all know the legends and stories of the past but nothing concrete" he said.
Ramza folded his arms in front of him in thought. The topic of Sarex and his demon army has always been a subject of critical debate among many people. Despite having appeared multiple times throughout history and having significant impact on the world each time he's appeared, there are still those who chalk it all up to exaggerated folklore and legends. "I have a friend who's deeply fascinated with history. This is the kind of stuff that she lives for. If anyone would know more about Sarex, and potentially Draxus by extension, it would be her" he said.
Lynette looked over at Ramza with a slight tilt of her head. "Your friend?" she asked.
Ramza shrugged his shoulders a bit. "She's a bit of a history nut. Last I heard, she was trying to piece together how the world used to be 3,000 years ago. According to her, society used to be far more technologically advanced than what we have now" he said.
Cheria tilted her head a bit. The world, as she knew it, was very rural. While they did have basic things like kitchen appliances and basic household needs, there wasn't anything out there that could be considered too advanced. "Isn't that idea a little too far-fetched though? I mean, I can't imagine our world being technologically advanced as they think it used to be" she said.
Taichi shook his head. Given his travel experience, he's seen and heard many things. He's come to learn that there was nothing in the world that shouldn't be discredited. "Well, until more research into our long, forgotten history is done, we won't know the truth of our roots" he said.
Emma nodded before looking towards Tsuki. "Anyways, getting back to the previous topic. As far as the recovery process goes, it's all up to Nagi from here. There's no medicine or Healing Arte out there that can really help her" she said. She then glanced over at Cheria. "The best medicine for her now is companionship. Cheria was very insistent on tending to her needs while you've been gone. She even went as far as allowing her to sleep with her" she said.
Cheria's face turned red with embarrassment when her mother brought up what she's been doing. "W-well, I couldn't just leave her alone in a strange environment all by herself, you know? Since I couldn't support Tsuki, I thought I could try and ease his concerns about her. It was really no big deal..." she said. When Phi brought her to the castle and told them about who she was and what happened at Prophet Castle, she was compelled to do something about it. She wanted to know more about her. Her past. Her childhood with Tsuki. After all, Nagi came long before she did as a childhood friend.
Emma shook her head with a gentle smile on her face. "You give yourself too little credit, dear. It's because of you that she has been able to open up as much as she has. You personally saw to her needs even though the maids tried to get you to stop on multiple occasions" she said.
Taichi sighed heavily, putting his hand up to his forehead. "I swear, watching you butting heads with the maids was almost identical to when you broke off from your escorts as a kid to see Tsuki when he was still a street rat. I suppose I should be glad that you're not running off on your own outside of the castle this time but here I thought you had outgrown that rebellious side of yours" he said. It was like he was experiencing deja-vu all over again and it gave him a headache.
Emma glanced over at Taichi and prodded him with her elbow, sneering. "Oh? And I wonder where she got that from. Maybe a certain king who was pretty rebellious and defiant in his youth?" she asked in a teasing manner. She recalled him being quite independent back when he was just a normal person. He wouldn't listen to anyone and did as he pleased.
Tsuki let out a nervous laugh as the two of them went back and forth with each other. It was pretty refreshing seeing them banter like that again. They may be king and queen but they were still people. He soon turned and faced Cheria who was standing in front of Lynette. "Well, regardless of all that, you still kept your eye on her and gave her support when I couldn't. For that, I'm grateful. I hope that you can continue keeping watch over her in the future" he said. He always knew it from when he was still living on the streets but Cheria was a kind and gentle girl. Much like how she gave him her total support when they were just strangers, she did the same for her. If he was able to make a comeback in life, than he was confident that she could too.
Cheria's face grew more red as the embarrassment grew. "Y-you don't even need to ask. Of course, I'll help keep watch over her. After all, she's my friend now too" she said. Underneath all that pain, she could see a bright, friendly girl. It was her goal to bring that girl out from the shadows and put her back where she belonged.
Taichi let the two of them have their moment for a bit longer before clearing his throat with exaggeration. "With all that said and done, would you like to see her? She should be out in the gardens right about now with Jula. She's been hard at work with her as they try to get her Mana under control though it's been proving to be a little difficult without a proper medium" he said.
Ruko tilted his head and folded his arms in front of him. "What's a medium?" he asked.
Lynette looked at Ruko and held a finger up in the air as if she was getting ready to teach something. "Much like how a warrior must pick their weapon of choice, a mage also needs their medium of choice in order to channel their magic through smoothly. Take Tsuki, for example. You said that swordsmanship was your calling, right?" she asked.
Tsuki nodded at her though was unsure of where she was going with this. "Well, yeah. It was a trait that I inherited from my mother. My father tried to teach me the way of the bow and while I do have some skill with it, it didn't quite land with me the way swordsmanship did" he said. Swordsmanship felt right for him. He couldn't explain it properly so he simply chalked it up to an inherited trait.
Lynette nodded as he made his statement. "Every warrior and mage goes through the process of finding out what best fits them and suits their needs. For mages, it's more essential because with a proper medium that suits their style, they're able to use their Artes more effectively. If one uses a medium that doesn't fit them, then they're going to have a hard time being able to channel their Artes, let alone being able to control them. It's basic knowledge for a growing mage" she said. She couldn't help but think back to which she tried to find what best fits her. She thought about incorporating her Healing Artes into archery skills but that ended up backfiring on her. She tested out special magical bells solely meant to channel Healing Artes but nothing responded to her. However, when she picked up a staff one day, things immediately seemed to click with her. It was from that point onwards that she would use a staff for both Healing and offensive Artes.
Taichi folded his arms in front of him, closing his eyes and nodded as Lynette explained what a medium was. "Sometimes, it naturally comes to the person but there are times where a second factor is added into the equation. This happens quite often with magic users. Not only do they need an appropriate medium but that medium must also associate itself with that person's primary element" he said.
Emma made a fist with her right hand as it started to give off a faint, warm light glow as she brought it up to her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment before extending her arm out when moments later, a staff appeared hovering in front of her in a flash of light. "I'll use myself as an example. My primary element, as you can see, is Light. If this staff were to be associated with, let's say the element of Water, then the energy output from me would be significantly lower as opposed to using a staff associated with Light" she said.
Ruko couldn't help but grumble as he scratched his head. When it came to the magical side of things, he was about as ignorant as a babe. "I...didn't realize there was a complex system behind it all. I always just thought that it was natural when it comes to choosing your weapon" he said.
Ramza shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "In a general sense of things, it really is once you get your head wrapped around it all. Well, unlike Tsuki who was, quite literally, chosen by the Caliburn itself rather than through a natural instinct" he said.
Even Tsuki wasn't entirely sure just why the Caliburn, or rather, Allie chose him to be the next wielder. Detached as she was and lacking her memories, it wasn't exactly easy to learn anything from Allie. "I would like to think that had more to do with Allie rather than some ancient relic. Even I haven't quite figured out what makes me so special" he said.
Allie, who had been silent this whole time, was standing in front of Tsuki as she tilted her head back to look up at him, giving him her signature, innocent stare. "There's something special about Master. I'm not sure what it is but I feel like it's something very important" she said. She then looked down a bit, putting her hand up to her heart. "Maybe I just want to be with Master. Is...that not enough?" she asked.
Tsuki shook his head and gently patted her on the head. "I didn't meant to make it sound bad or anything. I'm sorry. Just knowing that you want to be with me, for whatever reason that may be, is good enough" he said.
Allie closed her eyes as he gave her a headpat as she almost leaned into it. She had a look of content on her face. Meanwhile, at the same time, he was receiving looks from everyone around the room which made him let out an audible and exaggerated cough.
Lynette sighed, shaking her head. "There he goes again, babying her. I swear, sometimes, it's hard to think that she's supposedly on the same level of a Great Spirit" she said.
Allie glanced over at Lynette and pointed her finger at her. "You're just jealous" she said
Lynette got a bit fired up from her remark towards her as she put her hands on her hips and leaned down towards her. "Of what!?" she asked.
Tsuki let out another nervous laugh before clearing his throat. "Alright guys, no fighting in front of royalty. Anyway, I would very much like to see how she's doing. Would it be alright if I excused myself?" he asked.
Emma nodded at him. "Of course. Besides, I think we should all take a much deserved break after such a long talk, wouldn't you agree?" she asked as she looked at Taichi.
Taichi was in agreement. Not only has he heard enough for one day, but he was starting to get anxious and needed to actually move around for some fresh air. "Yeah. We cam talk more later" he said. He then glanced over at Lynette, Ruko and Ramza. "As mentioned before, speak to the guard by the doors behind you when you're ready to go to your rooms" he said. He then stood up and stretched his arms and legs as he yawned. "I'm going to go out for a small walk to stretch my muscles. All this sitting around is bad for my back, after all. Mind holding down the fort for me, Emma?" he asked.
Emma gave him a smile as he waved him off. "Sure. Besides, Elle should be coming by soon to give her report" she said. She then looked over at the others. "You're all free to come and go from the castle as you please. I'll make sure the guards know. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask" she said.
Ramza shrugged his shoulders a bit. "If I'm going to stay in town for a while longer, I should go let the Guild Branch here know" he said.
Taichi walked down the steps and approached Ramza, patting him on the back. "Allow me to walk you out to the main entrance then. I'm going that way anyway plus I would like to know more about recent events in Ersheath" he said.
Ramza really had no reason to refuse his offer. He gave him a nod. "I appreciate it, Your Majesty. I'm not sure how my meager knowledge would be of use to you but if it's information you want, I'll do my best to give it" he said.
With that said, Taichi and Ramza both walked out of the audience chamber as the guards opened up the doors to let them leave.
Lynette thought about what she wanted to do to pass the time. Since she was going to stick around for a while, it probably would be best for her to learn her surroundings. "I think I'm going to take a little walk around the castle so I can learn where everything is" she said.
Ruko patted his chest as he faced her. "Since Tsuki has other plans, I can show you around. I've been here a few times with the Commander so I know my way around" he said.
Lynette put her hands together in delight when Ruko offered to show her around, giving him a warm smile. "That would be great! You sure you don't mind?" she asked.
Ruko bowed to her and offered his hand to her. "It would be my pleasure. I still owe you for patching me up, after all" he said. While that was true, he just wanted an excuse to spend some time with her.
Lynette reached for his hand, her cheeks slightly red with her warm smile. "Lead the way" she said.
Ruko soon walked out of the audience chamber with Lynette next to him, leaving just Tsuki, Emma, Cheria and Allie behind.
Tsuki couldn't help but noticed something happening between the two of them as he scratched his cheek with his finger. "Is it just me or are those two quite friendly with each other?" he asked himself. He shook his head as their relationship was none of his business. "Well, I better not keep Nagi waiting" he said.
Cheria walked up to him and grabbed onto his sleeve, giving it a slight tug."Um...mind if I come with you?"she asked.
Tsuki looked at Cheria and nodded. "Of course you can come. You're the one keeping an eye on her, after all" he said.
Allie let out a loud, audible yawn as she rubbed her left eye. "If it's alright with Master, can I go back to sleep now?" she asked, dozing off,
Tsuki gave her one last pat on the head. "Sure. Get as much sleep as you need" he said.
Allie closed her eyes with a nod before she disappeared in a burst of light, retreating back into the Caliburn to resume her sleep.
Emma sat back in her chair as everyone started to make their way out of the audience chamber. "Pass along a message for me to Nagi, would you? Tell her that she shouldn't rush her recovery. She's been putting herself out there a little too much these past few days" she said. She hopes that if Tsuki were to tell her to take it easy, she would listen to him.
Tsuki nodded. He couldn't help but feel a little happy and relieved at the fact that she was trying her best to readjust to normal life. "Will do" he said. He then looked at Cheria. "Shall we go then?" he asked.
Cheria nodded at him and they both soon made their way out of the audience chamber. They made their way through the various hallways, stopping to talk to some of the knights that passed by them. A lot of them had heard of what Tsuki had been through and wanted to welcome him back and that they were relieved to see that he made it back safely. Word of what happened in Basilwell was far-reaching so it was no surprise that people would be all excited when talking about it especially when the people that were directly involved with stopping it were nearby.
It took them about 20 minutes to get to the garden where Nagi and Jula were suppose to be. The garden wasn't just a nice place to relax, it was also a quiet spot to do some basic training. A lot of knights come out here to meditate and clear their minds. The views of the lake and being surrounded by a gorgeous scenery had more uses than one would think.
As they made their way through the garden, they approached the far end where there was an open view of the lake. Standing near the hedges that divided the sheer drop-off into the lake, they could see Nagi and Jula standing apart from each other as if they were having a showdown. Jula was standing with her arms folded in front of her, watching Nagi as she was down on one knee with a variety of weapons on the ground around her. There were a number of different staves and spellbooks scattered around. It looked like Nagi had worn herself out trying a bunch of different weapons that could possible serve as a medium for her. Unfortunately, by the looks of things, they have been unsuccessful.
Jula let out a sigh as she shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "No good either, huh?" she asked. They've already been through so many weapons and they still have had little to no success.
Nagi shook her head as she was breathing heavily and sweating a bit. She was feeling exhausted after trying to attune to so many weapons. "...I'm sorry" she said apologetically.
Jula shook her head, scratching the back of her head. "No no, don't apologize. It's not your fault but I wonder if there's something else affecting your Mana flow" she said. She's done many examinations of her since she's been recovering but didn't find anything out of the ordinary.
Cheria soon walked up to them and waved. "Hello there. I guess things still haven't worked out, huh?" she asked.
Jula looked over towards Cheria when she heard her voice. She then bowed to her and shook her head. "Your Highness! Unfortunately, no. From the magical side of things, there should be nothing wrong with her. Her Mana has stabilized so there should be nothing that could cause some sort of blockage. Unless, there's something else that preventing her from connecting with her Mana" she said. She was about to say something to Tsuki but she saw that Cheria had held up a finger to her lips, silently telling her to not say anything.
Cheria looked over at Nagi and put her hand up to her chin as she tilted her head slightly. "Hmm...maybe it's not a magic problem. Perhaps it's more psychological? I mean, she was forced to witness events and sights that a normal person shouldn't see" she said.
Jula nodded to herself. It would make sense if it was more of a psychological problem. If that was the case, however, then there was nothing that they could do for her. It would be something that only she can conquer. "That's what I was afraid of..." she said.
Cheria rubbed her chin in thought for a moment before glancing over at Tsuki who was standing back near the fountain. "What do you thinhk, Tsuki?" she asked.
Nagi was trying to gather herself and settle down after failing to attune to the weapons around her. She remained silent as he was catching her breath as the two of them were talking. However, once she heard Tsuki's name being called out, she let out a slight gasp that only she could hear as she slowly looked up
Tsuki walked up to them, folding his arms in front of him and looked over at Nagi. "It's quite possible. I can't imagine what she could have possibly seen but from what I saw in that castle, it would have been enough to drive anyone mad before long" she said. Being forced to live in such poor, inhumane conditions like those would cause irreparable just on that fact alone.
Nagi slowly pulled herself up to her feet, stumbling back a bit from being exhausted and stared at Tsuki for what felt like the longest time. "Tsuki...?" she said. At first, she thought that her exhaustion was playing tricks on her. She stumbled towards him but ended up falling forward due to loss of balance.
Tsuki ran over to her and grabbed her to stop her fall. "Whoa, easy there. You'll hurt yourself" he said. He knew that she would be both happy and excited to see him but he didn't want to work herself up.
Nagi felt his grip on her and his warmth and knew that this wasn't just her mind tricking her. While she hasn't been kept up to date on what he's beein doing, she was relieved that he was back and that she could see him again. "S-sorry. I just got a little excited to see you again..." she said.
Tsuki gave her a warm smile with a pat on the shoulder. "At least, you look a lot better than when I last saw you" he said. It had been a few weeks since the events at Prophet Castle at this point. He could tell that she's gotten a lot better in terms of recovery. She wasn't as thin and malnourished and he could see that life had fully returned to her eyes. She didn't have that look where she was dead to the world.
Jula walked up beside them and put her hand on Nagi's shoulder. "You can thank Her Highness for that. She and her maids have been giving her priority attention ever since she got here" she said. Cheria was the main reason why her recovery has been proceeding quite well and rapidly. There wasn't a day that went by where she wasn't trying to fulfill her needs.
Cheria's cheeks had a light flush of red as she put her arms behinhd her, holding onto her left arm with a slight nervous laugh. "All I've done was give her a warm bed to sleep in and some much needed food. I haven't done anything all that special" she said.
Jula shook her head at her, holding a finger up in the air. "You've done more than just that, Your Highness. Don't sell yourself so short. You've tried to lend a hand in her Mana problem on several occasions even though you have little experience in magic yourself. You're constantly by her side when she goes out on her own to make sure she will be okay. You sleep together with her so that she could have a peaceful nights' sleep. You even bathe together" she said.
Cheria shook her head as her face turned more red, waving her hands in front of her. "You didn't need to say that last part!" she shouted in embarrassment.
Nagi looked over at Cheria and fidgeted with her hands a bit before putting a hand up to her heart. "It's all true, though. You've given me a sense of safety and security. Something I thought I had lost. For that, I am eternally grateful to you. That's why, I want to improve myself and get better so I can better fulfill my role to you as your personal handmaid" she said
Tsuki tilted his head a bit at her last comment. Something about being a personal handmaid. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" he asked.
Jula looked at Tsuki and saw the confused look on his face, most likely from her last comment. "What, no one told you? Her Highness appointed her as her own personal handmaid. Obviously, this caused her to butt heads with several other people since she basically threw procedure out the window but she used her position as princess as leverage so no one could rightly refuse especially when her rebellious side comes out" she said, glancing over at Cheria with a smug look.
Cheria was getting frantic when Jula was bringing up something that she had planned to tell Tsuki later amongst other things. She felt panicked as her emotions were all over the place. "T-that's...! Well..." she said. She couldn't get the words to come out of her mouth.
Tsuki soon made the connection on why Taichi had said that she was butting heads with the other maids, accompanied with a mental flashback to their earlier discussion. "So, that's why His Majesty said that" he said.
Jula shrugged her shoulders a bit, shaking her head. "Procedures aside, you can probably see why other maids having been giving her some difficulty. Not only was she a complete stranger, but she also allowed the same complete stranger to sleep with and even bathe with her. Ordinarily, this shouldn't be allowed to happen but you know as well as I do how she gets" she said. It was honestly a struggle to deal with Cheria. It made her wonder just how Tsuki has been able to manage her.
Cheria got to the point where she was literally stomping her feet to try and change the conversation, her face red from embarrassment. "C-can we stop talking about this, please!?" she asked. She may be a princess but she was still, at heart, a normal girl and even she had her limits to what she can handle.
Tsuki scratched the back of his head. Knowing how she is, this wasn't that much of a surprise to him. "Well, at least she's in good hands. That's all that matters to me" he said. He then glanced over at Jula. "Mind if she takes a break for a little while?" he asked.
Jula nodded at him and went around to gather the weapons up that were on the ground. "That's fine. I was thinking about wrapping things up for today, anyway. It's clear that we need a different approach" she said. She bundled the weapons together and tied them together with a rope before picking them up. "I'll take these back to the armoury. You guys have a nice chat!" she said. She then made her way through the garden and back towards the main part of the castle.
Tsuki, Cheria and Nagi moved over to a nearby bench that had a great view of the lake. Nagi and Cheria sat down on the bench while Tsuki leaned back against the railing that lined the outer edge of the garden, folding his arms. Tsuki spent the next hour or so talking about his mission with Nagi to fill her in on everything that's been happening while keeping the details to a minimum so he wouldn't drag things out. He told her about his friends, the encounters with Caius, who Allie was since she was currently sleeping and other things.
Nagi was understandably concerned with everything that Tsuki had told her. She may not have a whole lot of knowledge about world events but she didn't think things were this bad. She was relieved that Tsuki was able to come back alive though and that's all that matters. "It's crazy just how much can change at a moments' notice" she said.
Cheria leaned back against the bench, looking up at the sky. "Honestly, I didn't things could get much worse for him after Prophet Castle. Then again, I suppose it was a blessing in disguise things happened the way they did. They were able to rescue you" she said.
Nagi shook her head a bit. "It's funny how fate works out that way. If you guys didn't show up when you did, I wouldn't be here right now. If only she was still alive to see this..." she said, looking towards the ground and cupping her hands together.
Tsuki looked at Nagi, tilting his head a bit. "She? Who's she?" he asked.
Cheria knew that it was still a sore subject for her to talk about so she decided to take over. "Her friend. You see-" she said. She was about to explain things to Tsuki but she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Nagi had fallen silent for a bit when Tsuki asked about who she was talking about. When Cheria was about to explain things, she had put her hand on her shoulder. "No...I should be the one to explain things" she said. She took several deep breaths before locking eyes with Tsuki. "I...made a friend while I was held prisoner. A teenage girl 2 years younger than me. Her name was Meghan Takanashi and she had been recently captured by Draxus" she said. It was a tough story for her to talk about. She could already feel herself start to clam up but decided to tough it out. "Before that, I had tried on multiple occasions to kill myself or to get myself killed so I could escape the nightmare. All my attempts had ended in failure. When Meghan came into the picture, things started to change. She was defiant and determined to escape one day. She kept pushing me to keep going and not give up. As the days and weeks went by, we ended up becoming quite close. We promised to each other that we would escape one day and support each other since we had nothing left" she said. She was fidgeting around restlessly as her body started to shake slightly. Memories of Meghan and her flashed in her mind which were both nostalgic and painful.
Tsuki was starting to see where the story was going due to the use of past tense. "...She didn't make it out, did she?" he asked.
Nagi shook her head slowly. "It happened a few hours before you and your friend appeared to save me. We both saw an opportunity to escape and we seized it. We were halfway down the mountain path when she was shot in the back with poisonous arrows. She told me to live and never give up. She...died in my arms. This caused my latent magic abilties to awaken which went out of control" she said. She had seen many people killed by Draxus to the point where she was desensitized to the sight of death. However, because of her close bond with Meghan, witnessing her death practically shattered her world and spirit.
Tsuki recalled seeing several explosions coming from the mountains when he and Lynette were in the area. "So, that's what those explosions were. I'm so sorry..." he said.
Cheria choked up when Nagi told her the same story. She had no words to share. Having your last small bit of hope snatched away from you before your eyes must have been incredibly painful. "From what I understand though, you only investigated Prophet Castle because you saw those explosions and you were able to able to be rescued in the end. Unfortunately, it came at a great cost..." she said.
Nagi took a big deep breath as she tried to calm herself down before looking up at Tsuki. She looked like she was about to cry but did her best to tough it out. "I've convinced myself that it was her helping me. That you were guided to me because of her. She lives on inside of me and I have to see our the promise we made to the end" she said.
Tsuki closed his eyes, lowering his head down a bit with a small smile on his face. "I'm sure she's just as happy that you're free from Draxus" he said. He hadn't thought about it until Cheria had pointed it. If it wasn't for the explosions in the mountains, they wouldn't have gone into the forest to investigate and continued on their way to Briswater. He never would have known that she was nearby and on the verge of death. "It makes me wonder where Elize could be. If you were right under my nose, then she has to be as well. At least, that's what I'd like to hope for" he said.
Cheria had known that one of the main reasons Tsuki decided to become a knight was because it would allow him to search for his little sister. "I'm sure she's out there somewhere and when you do find her, she will be most welcomed here just as much as Nagi is. On that, you have my word as the kingdom's Princess" she said.
The three of them continued to talk amongst themselves about different things for the next two hours. They talked about their childhood which fascinated Cheria. She had always read about Tomoha and its surrounding area that were filled with exotic flowers that stretched for miles up to the cliffs that over looked the ocean. They also talked a little bit about the Tribes since they were on Tribal Land. Talks soon stretched into future plans, to which, no one had a clear answer to give. With the looming darkness left behind by Caius, their future was uncertain.
It was in the late afternoon when their talk started to wind down. Nagi, already feeling exhausted from her training session with Jula, had fallen asleep. Cheria had gently laid her down on the bench so that she could rest comfortably and moved over next to Tsuki, who was sitting on the ground with his back up against the railing. He was almost in no better shape as he had been doing nothing but talking all day and was feeling mentally drained because of it. It didn't help the fact that the relaxing atmosphere of the garden was also putting him to sleep. Since they were the only ones in the garden, it was nice and quiet which added to the atmosphere even more.
Cheria had her head tilted up towards the sky with her eyes closed as she felt the breeze blow past her. She heard birds chirping in the garden amongst the running water fountains. "This is nice, isn't it? It feels like it's been ages since we've done this. Just sitting here and absorbing nature" she said.
Tsuki felt his body relax which made him feel even more tired. He knew he was going to fall asleep if they stayed there. "Yeah...sure feels that way, doesn't it?" he said with a yawn.
Cheria looked over at him. It was pretty obvious that he was trying to stay awake. After all the talking he's been doing, it's no surprise that he was tired. "You can rest too, you know. No need to force yourself to stay awake" she said.
Tsuki was not only feeling mentally drained. He was also probably feeling the same effects as Allie. He recalled Caius saying something about how a human and a spirit share a bond once contracted. If one felt the effects of something, then the other would as well. If the difference in Mana between human and spirit were too great, the spirit would be the one to suffer. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired" he said.
Cheria shook her head before reaching over to him and pulling him down so that his head was resting on her lap. "You had a long day. Take this chance to rest and build up your energy again" she said as she gently stroked his hair.
Tsuki was pulled down and had his head rest up against her lap. Normally, he would fight back because of the potentially embarrassing sight but he had no energy to argue or push back. His vision started to become blurred as he felt his consciousness quickly slipping. "Then, don't mind if I...do..." he said. It didn't take him long at all before he fell asleep.
Cheria watched him as she smiled gently. She was surprised at just how he fell asleep almost instantly. She ran her hand through his hair as she looked at his sleeping face. "It's been so long..." she said.
Moments later, she heard metalic footsteps walking along the grass. She soon looked up and saw that Elle had came to visit the garden.
Cheria waved at her with her other hand and spoke in a low voice so she didn't wake Tsuki up. "Hello, Elle. What brings you here?" she asked.
Elle glanced over at Cheria and bowed to her. "Your Highness, so you are still here. I figured that you would be long gone by now" she said. When she saw the sight of Tsuki, she couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Honestly, how can he fall asleep like that in a place like this? It's unbefitting a knight, let alone someone from the Royal Eight. Using Her Highness' lap as a pillow, no less" she said.
Cheria let out a quiet, nervous laugh but it didn't bother her. She was the one who made him lay down, after all. "Personally, I don't see a problem with it" she said.
Elle shook her head with another sigh. "Of course, you wouldn't see a problem with it. You two tend to become oblivious to the world when you have your intimate moments" she said. She then walked over to them and stood next to them, putting her arms on the railing and leaning over it as she gazed out at the lake.
Cheria looked down towards Tsuki as she stroked his hair gently as he slept peacefully. There was a brief silence between the two of them before she spoke up. "You know, I have to thank you the most" she said.
Elle closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow past her. "For what?" she asked.
Cheria continued to stare down at Tsuki, resting her other hand over his chest. "You saved him not once but twice. I know that his companions played a role in his return but you played the biggest part. You saved him from Fenrir's rampage and again from Caius. You're the real reason he made it back safely. Made it back to me. I can't thank you enough" she said. She wouldn't know what she would have done if Tsuki had died during his mission. "I was scared and worried sick about him since he can be pretty reckless sometimes" she said.
Elle shook her head a bit. "You don't have to thank me for anything. I just happened to be around at the right time" she said. She then glanced over at the two of them. She could see just how much he meant to her. It was a sight that was almost a little nostalgic for her. They cared about each other quite deeply and yet were both completely oblivious at the same time. Seeing them brought a slight smile to her face. "I can relate to that though" she mumbled to herself as she stared down at Tsuki. She said it in such a low tone that only she was able to hear it.
Cheria looked up at Elle when she thought she heard her mumble something. "What did you say?" she asked.
Elle shook her head. "Just talking to myself. Don't mind me" she said.
Cheria tilted her head a bit before realizing something. "When did you start removing your helmet? I thought you kept it on to hide your heritage" she said.
Elle hesitated a bit before responding to her. "It ended up breaking during the chaos in Basilwell. I just haven't had a chance to repair it yet" she said.
Cheria couldn't help but stare at Elle. She was almost mesmerized by her hair. She had always known that she was a High Elf. She had been serving under her family for a few years. She was still a kid when Elle was first brought to the royal family. Apparently, Georg had found her with terrible injuries while he was out on a mission and brought her back to the castle. Upon regaining consciousness, she didn't really speak much of what happened to her but with her being a High Elf, Taichi couldn't just leave her alone so he offered her a place to stay in the castle. These days, not many people are aware of Elle's heritage. If her ears weren't covered by her long hair, they were covered up with her helmet.
Elle glanced over at Cheria who had been staring at her for a good while. "What? Something you want to say?" she asked.
Cheria soon shook her head. "It's nothing important. It's just a shame that you have to hide your looks. You look so young but, at the same time, you're not because of your Elf age" she said. While she wasn't sure how old she was exactly, she has a strong instinct that she was far older than she was. It would be rude of her to ask what her age was.
Elle chuckled a bit, turning around and and leaned against the railing. "Maybe someday, I won't have to hide who I am" she said.
Cheria tilted her head a bit and looked down at Tsuki for a moment when she realized something. He had mentioned Elle in his report earlier and stated that she was a High Elf when they first met. "But you revealed your heritage to Tsuki, didn't you?" she asked.
Elle was silent for a moment when a flashback ran through her head when Tsuki had regained consciousness after his fight with Caius. It didn't take him long to point out that she was a High Elf. "He was the one that pointed it out. I suppose living with Elize during the brief years of his childhood made it easy for him to spot a High Elf" she said. She then looked down at Tsuki for a brief moment. "He's the type of person who's always on his guard but when you look at him now, you wouldn't think that. He looks so defenseless" she said.
Cheria shrugged her shoulders a bit. "I'd say that's a good thing. Always having one's guard up can be pretty exhausting and taxing. Everyone needs a break from it now and then and he is no exception. Trust me, I do my best to try and reign him in" she said.
Elle soon glanced over the bench where Nagi had been sleeping on. She couldn't help but stare at her with a look of familiarity. She then approached the bench and knelt down in front of it to get a closer look at her face as she gently pushed the hair that covered her face. As she stared at Nagi, she was silent the whole time.
Cheria watched her as she approached Nagi in total silence. Her demeanor seemed a little strange. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Elle shook her head after about another minute of silence. "It's incredible that she survived this long in captivity. Perhaps this was fate" she said.
Cheria tilted her head a bit. "Maybe. It was by total coincidence that they found her, after all" she said.
Elle continued to stare at her for a few moments before slowly sitting her up to put her on her back. Once she was secure, she slowly stood up. "She's staying in your room, right? I'll take her back. It wouldn't be good if she caught a cold sleeping out here" she said.
Cheria watched her as she stood up with Nagi and nodded. "Thank you. I didn't want to wake her up so I wasn't sure what to do" she said.
Elle looked at Tsuki and Cheria one more time and couldn't help but smile a bit at them with a soft chuckle. She felt something come over her at the sight of them. "At least he has a good handler. You keep that boy reigned in with a tight leash. For both our sakes. Don't stay out here too long, you hear?" she asked. She walked off towards the garden and soon disappeared around the hedges as she left the area.
Cheria tilted her heads at her last words. They didn't make sense to her. Unfortunately, she had left before she could even try to ask her what she meant. "For both our sakes...?" she asked herself.
Her last words ran through her mind as she tried to figure out what they meant. With peace and quiet coming back to the garden, Tsuki and Cheria remained in the garden as they were absorbed in their own little world. She soon felt a strong breeze blow past her as she looked out over towards the lake. She wasn't sure what it was but she had felt a sudden chill down her spine.
Off in the far distance on the outskirts of Eresseas, there were several mobile structures that resembled parade floats hidden amongst the treets. There were dozens of people all gathered around the float, all wearing foreign-looking armor. They had a total of four large parade floats that were decorated to look like something you'd see at a festival of sorts.
Standing around one of the campfires were three people who stood out among the rest of the rank and file. Two men and one femaile. One of the men carried a scythe and wore an eyepatch over their right eye. He appeared to be muscular and had the look of a cold-blooded killer. The other man carried a katana and wore armor that befitted a samurai. The female wielded a bow with a shortsword strapped to the back of her waist. She had small pouches hanging from her side and several vials of strange liquid strapped across her torso. They all stood around the campfire in silence when they heard footsteps coming from the treeline behind them. They turned and faced someone as they appeared from the treeline, mostly shrouded by the brush. The person wore familiar-looking armor and was quite muscular, wielding two shortswords on each side of their waist.
The man with the eyepatch looked over at the man that appeared to them through the brush, giving him a cold look. "So, I take it that preparations are ready?" he asked in a deep, rough voice.
The other man nodded at them with a slight wave. "Of course. Preparations are good to go. The crystal shards have been delivered as planned. All that's left is to wait for the bell to strike" he said in a familiar tone.
The woman took her bow and pulled back the string a bit as if she was about to let loose an arrow. "Have the patrols been dealt with?" she asked.
The man looked towards the woman and gave her nod. "By morning time, the Royal Eight should receive reports of a number of dead Eresseas solders lined up along the pathway nearby. They will be forced to dispatch a few to investigate as a precaution" he said.
The man with the katana had his weapon drawn as he ran his fingers across the blade, looking at his own reflection. "Which will provide us our signal to begin phase two" he said.
The other man glanced over at him. "Of course but keep in mind of our timing. Try not to cause too much attention to yourselves before it is time to execute the plan" he said.
The man wielding the scythe scoffed at him, shaking his head. "We don't need you to remind us. It's just a shame that His Majesty will not be joining us as he had planned" he said.
The woman sighed, scratching the back of her head as she lowered her bow. "It can't be helped. The injuries he sustained back in Basilwell turned out to be more severe to his body than what we had thought" she said.
The man that was hidden amongst the brush shifted his gaze over to the woman. "Yes, that was rather...unexpected. It would seem I've underestimated the boy but it won't happen again. However, the plan moves forward regardless. We'll just have to double our efforts" he said.
The man with the katana struck it into the ground and left it standing upright. "By the end of tomorrow, Cayhill will be under our control. Mark my words" he said.
The shrouded man nodded and shifted his gaze to one of the parade floats. He could see some type of crystal embeded on top of a decorated tree. "I trust that the device is primed and ready?" he asked.
The woman walked over to the parade float and tapped on it with her fist. "Naturally. With this on our side, those knights won't stand a chance against us. Not even the Royal Eight" she said with a smug attitude.
Tha man with the scythe leaned up against a nearby tree and fell into thought for a moment. "Our biggest concern is King Taichi and Queen Emma. Even with this device active, it may not be enough to bring someone of their caliber down especially if they're together" he said.
The shrouded man tapped his chest, giving them a confident grin. "Leave that to us. We'll handle the royal family" he said.
The man with the scythe glanced over at the shrouded man. "Just remember to capture the princess alive. We can use her as an example. Feel free to do whatever you want with the rest" he said.
The shrouded man had an evil grin on his face with a faint chuckle. "Don't you worry. She may get roughed up a bit but I'll make sure she doesn't escape. Once her pillar of strength falls, so will she" he said.
As the group of evil, unknown men talked amongst themselves, they had no idea that further off into the forest, a figure shrouded in the brush and hidden from sight was watching them. It was difficult to make out but it had a feminine figure with violet-coloered eyes. She wore purple armor and wielded a spear that had a unique shape of a dragon. She had a scar that went across her left cheek with dark brown hair wrapped in a ponytail. It was clear that she had been watching them for quite some time.
The figure continued to spy on the men while making sure she doesn't expose herself. "Tai...Em...they're in danger. I may need to call in for a little backup..." she whispered to herself in a low voice.
While all this was going down to what could potentially be a huge disaster, no one in Eresseas was aware of the encroaching darkness that was converging on them. The seemingly peaceful days that everyone had wished for were soon about to come crashing down on them like a building collapsing. A plot to overthrow Eresseas and seize control of Cayhill was about to be put into effect and no one was none the wiser. Dark days await Eresseas as the future of Cayhill as a whole starts to look bleak.
To be continued...