[Legends of E t e r r a] :: CH. 16 HAS ARRIVED.

[Kazoo_Kazoo]

*settles in to read with some hot tea on a rainy day* mmm heart

[Kazoo_Kazoo]

Thoughts on chapter 3:
I like it! I'm so excited to find out what the deal is here, and why Chousa is being so mysterious. It was really well written. 3nodding

I'm curious though. Is there a good reason that they speak English? Or is it just for convenience's sake? I know this would be a huge change, but if there isn't a reason, I suggest making one, and giving them some kind of accent at least. Or to give them another language entirely and have her learn it over time, but that would be a very tedious rewrite. -_- That's just my idea, but I think it would make the story that much better rather then just having them speak the same language and not explaining why 3nodding

Oh and another thought! When I first read Yggdrisill I had no idea how to pronounce it. I noticed right after it was said, she thought it. Perhaps she could think it phonetically so we can get how it is supposed to sound right after getting the correct spelling. Just thought I'd try it and see how it works.

Quote:

“Faris,” an older woman replied sarcastically – Elle could see her brewing something up in the pot as stirred with a ladle, “Don’t act like you’ve never slept more than 14 hours in your life span. Yggdrisill knows your more than guilty of it.”

I’ve…I’ve been asleep for 14 hours? W-What is Iggdrisihl?

Actually scratch that. Reading it like that just makes it look like one of them is a spelling mistake rofl

Good writing! On to chapter 4. smile

[Kazoo_Kazoo]

I'm enjoying this and I like Chousa! I love how he's both fed up and patient with her at the same time. smile Can't wait to see him in action and find out why he's like this in the first place.

And I take back my earlier comment about the English thing. It would add some realism to the story, true, but I think it's fine without it. 3nodding Heck maybe you already have an answer, in which case good stuff!

[Kazoo_Kazoo]

Chapter 5:
Oh the poor girl! crying I love this Chousa guy. Why does everyone know him? hahaha

[Jellybean Disaster]

Whoa, I should pay attention to this thread!

Thanks for reading~ and if you'd like, there's actually a pronunciation guide in the glossary?

I'm glad you like it so far. : D

[Jellybean Disaster]

WHAT? TWO PEOPLE DISLIKE THIS?

Aw whatever. Ya'll are bitches anyway. >: (

[Jellybean Disaster]

CHAPTER XII: Chancing the Precipice

“Elle? Sweetheart, it’s time to get up. You’re going to be late for school. I know you can hear me, Elle. Get out of bed!”

-

A splash of ice-cold water to her face jolted Elle. Her heart leaped into her throat at the temperature, leaving her in a fit of gasps. The damp wake up call left her speechless, however, when she realized she was staring into Dietrich’s face. She blinked furiously at Dietrich’s amused grin, watching as he drew away and placed the cup back on the table. Behind Dietrich, Chousa was tied to a chair, still unconscious. When she moved to inspect further, she realized she was in the same position. Her eyes wandered over the arbiter standing behind Dietrich, who merely gazed back. His glance was void of any empathy.

“Told you,” he grumbled. Elle looked back to Dietrich. Her eyes flitted back and forth back at Chousa. She watched as Dietrich paced back and forth in front of her.

“You,” he started, “were surprisingly hard to detain. What’s your name, anyway?”

“Elle,” she replied quietly.

“Elle, you said?” he mocked. “That’s an odd name.”

“It’s short for Ellenore,” she added.

“Well, Ellenore,” Dietrich started, “I don’t think you realize how much trouble you’ve caused us. You and this…mirror, anyway.”

At the mention of the mirror, Dietrich withdrew the mirror from his pocket, examining it fondly. Elle looked on helplessly at the mirror in his hands.

“How did you come across this, anyway?” he asked, narrowing his eyes on her small frame.

“I found it.”

“Found it…where?”

“Outside my house.”

Dieitrch cocked an eyebrow.

“Where are you from anyway? Word has it that you’re from some place far, far away. Is that true?”

“I…guess,” she replied quietly. “I don’t really know.”

“Do you always talk so softly? Where’s your nerve?”

“I…don’t know.”

“No confidence,” he sighed. “No confidence, no voice…really, Ellenore, what made you think you’d stand a chance sneaking in here – that’s what you did, isn’t it? You snuck in here hoping to save Chousa,” he finished, gesturing to the unconscious prince in the chair across from her, “only to fail.”

Ellenore cautiously looked at Dietrich and over at Alex, pursing her lips somewhat. When her gaze caught his, he looked at her with a knowing gaze and shifted towards the restless crowd outside of the embassy. The lightning in the arbiter’s room was dull at best; the chandelier hanging from the ceiling made her think of the fond memories with Tyberious almost a few days ago; the walls were the same color as they were downstairs. The door was completely shut; only the tall window showed the outside world to them. The floor was covered with an intricate, extensive area rug.

“Did you honestly think that dumb little plan of yours would work? Do you really think we’re that stupid? I know you must be – you’d have to be, to think you could pull off something so foolish. And now here you are – under our thumbs. Anyone with half a brain would realize what an idiot you are.”

Ellenore said nothing.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Dietrich asked, amused grin turning into an immediate frown as his taunts went seemingly unheard. “Anything at all?”

Ellenore opened her mouth to respond, but she was too focused on the boy tied in the chair across the room.

“Dumb girl,” he muttered, turning back around to inspect the outside through the window. “When is Orion coming, anyway? Didn’t he say he’d be here at the end of the night? It’s almost dawn, for god’s sake. I’ll say, he sure likes to take his sweet time, doesn’t he?”

Alex inwardly sighed.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I hate hearing you talk. I’m convinced you just love hearing yourself,” Alex growled.

“Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it? You’re going to hear a lot more of me, you know, considering my plan worked. We have everything we need to return to Vientialla. I’ll have you know my plan worked flawlessly.”

Alex rolled his eyes.

“I’m proud of you. Truly,” Alex replied. “Except that one,” Alex nodded towards Elle, “didn’t get here because of you. She came here of her own free will. You just said it yourself. That’s called luck, not flawless planning. Did you forget that the other one almost killed you?”

Dietrich gritted his teeth. He narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth at Elle and Alex.

“It doesn’t matter – this success was because of me.”

“Success? Everything fell into your hands, you moron. By that logic, you’ve also successfully pissed off the entire city,” Alex reminded him. “We’ll be lucky if Orion and the others get here in one piece – you know, if the people of Oramedes don’t rip him apart before he gets here.”

“Why do you care so much about what happens here, anyway? It’s as though Orion…”

Silence.

“...Orion assigned you to this mission because of me, didn’t he?”

“I didn’t say that. When the hell did I say that? I just said—“

“That b*****d—“

In the instant that Dietrich was about to rant, a piece of wooden debris shattered the window, pieces of glass falling at Elle’s feet, who screamed at the sudden assault. The wooden piece that shattered the window landed in the middle of the room, under scrutiny by both Alex and Dietrich, who subsequently looked at the wooden piece and back at the now broken window. Alex wandered carefully over, only to see a brief cheering of the crowd that formed below. Elle scooted the chair back from the window, but she was unsuccessful; instead, she fell over with a small yelp. Alex growled and picked up the piece of wood. He held in front of Deitrich’s face menacingly.

“This,” Alex shouted, “This is what’s happening because of you. I don’t blame Orion one ******** bit for sending me to be your goddamn nanny!”

Dietrich, distracted by Elle’s sudden movements, looked back fiercely into Alex’s eyes.

“Oh! So, Orion did send you because he didn’t trust me? Well, he’ll be sorry, won’t he? When he gets here, he’ll realize—“

“--that you,” Alex roared, “are a d**k!”

Elle winced at Alex’s voice. The two of them began to yell back and forth, unaware of their surroundings; Elle felt her heart speed up at that moment. The two were mere inches from each other’s face. She was sure that any moment, Alex would swing the first punch. Amidst her worried thoughts, the light from the chandelier hit a piece of glass that created a slight glimmer. She felt for a moment with her bound hands behind her, coming across a sharp piece of glass and picking it up, biting her lip as the edge cut into her palms mercilessly. She sawed it back and forth against the rope until she felt the rope loosen. Several minutes passed. The yelling continued. Soon, one strand after another came loose, until Elle felt her hands unbind themselves.

She dropped the glass from her bloodied palms and paused for a second.

Alex moved to punch him square in the face, but a flaming bottle of alcohol came flying through the broken window, igniting the carpet instantly. Elle flew to her feet. The ignition caused Deitrich to jump back against the wall, but he didn’t stay stationary for long when four other flaming bottles came flying through the window as well. His eyes flew to Elle, who was now on her feet. He snarled, reaching for his sword as he watched Elle trek across the room.

Elle grabbed another piece of glass and, with the few spare minutes she had until Dietrich came charging at her with his sword, she untied Chousa, who slumped to the carpet. With all of her might, she grabbed the chair that Chousa was pinned to and flung it towards a now charging Dietrich, intent on taking Elle’s head. The chair did little to stop him; it was instantly sliced to pieces. The flames began to lick at the other furniture in the room, climbing the walls and filling the room with smoke. Elle felt herself slam against the wall, bracing herself for the inevitable pain that would soon come within seconds, only to realize that Chousa – sword of Yggdrisil in hand – blocked the blow meant for Elle. His eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched in determination.

“Chousa!” Elle screamed.

“RUN!” he yelled. “GO!”

As the pair of them sparred, she felt the flames licking at her feet as she ran across the room, tripping as she did so, and falling to the floor. Instantly, a rough hand clutched her upper arm and dragged her out of the burning room. She protested, clawing for the door until she came face to face with Alex. Elle focused in on the single, golden eye that starred her down defiantly.

“Listen to me—“

“No! Let go! I have to go back for Ch—“

“Listen to me,” Alex roared again while shaking her. “I will take care of him. You get out of here – there’s a passage down—“

“I already know, that’s the one I came—“

“No, it’s not that one. It’s downstairs, underneath the rug. It’s in the room where you were hiding underneath that table. Lift it up, you find the passage, understand? Go!”

He turned her around and gave her a rough shove. Elle almost tumbled over; she peered back to look the room she was once in. Now a mess of smoke and fire, she could see nothing. A sudden crash made her scream and fumble backwards; the floor of the room collapsed, causing the entire estate to shake violently. Elle put her arm up in front of her, panting all the while as she navigated through the flames and the fire. When she returned to the room where Alex found her, the flames were quick to follow. With one desperate look back to see if Chousa had followed, she knocked the table over. Whipping away the rug, she revealed the door underneath and pulled it open with as much strength as she could muster.

The footsteps leading into depths of darkness were a much better alternative to burning alive, she noted. She took one step in before pausing, turning to look in back of her. She watched as the staircase erupted into flames. Elle winced as debris and other parts came tumbling mercilessly to from the ceiling.

“CHOUSA!” she shouted. Her eyes searched desperately for her companion. Another crash of a wall collapsing in flames only created more disquiet. Her face was covered with soot and ash, greased over by sweat that freshly dripped from the tip of her nose.

“CHOUSA!” she screamed. As though on cue, the silver-haired prince came running through the flames, grabbing Elle by the arm, and thrusting her down the steps. With the mirror and sword in tow, he pulled the iron door shut. Dietrich came flying after him, but he was too late. The smoke overwhelmed his senses, and he cast a desperate look upstairs amidst the flames; Alex was nowhere in sight. He exited the flame-engulfed vicinity, gasping for air. The smoke billowed from every orifice of the establishment. Dietrich fell to his knees. To his curiosity, the angry crowd had dispersed, and only a pair of boots greeted his kneeling form. He looked upwards, but instantly regretted it.

His eyes widened somewhat at the firm, unflinching face of Orion.

-

“Go, come on,” Chousa ushered her down the dark corridor. The pair of them could barely see ahead of them; the corridor was as dimly lit as the ill-fated estate. Chousa’s hand formed an iron grip over hers as he dragged her along behind him.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Elle asked incredulously, “That arbiter said—“

“I know.”

“…How did you—“

“Shut up, I’ll explain later. Just keep running.”

Elle did as she was told. The pair of them stopped after a while. The echoing winds howled through the tunnel, in addition to the sounds that their footsteps made. Elle cast a look in back of her as she withdrew her hand from Chousa. A set of stairs greeted them; without hesitation, Chousa flew down them and jumped off of the third to last step, Elle trailing behind. A ray of light peeked through the darkness. The two of them entered the dim, stone-enclosed chamber.

The ray of light that shined down revealed the sentiment and dust flying in the air. Her eyes fell on Chousa as he searched the wall, hands wandering across the rough surface, shifting clouds of dust as he did so. With one cautious look in back of her, she traveled across the room and stopped behind Chousa. His eyes looked up and down the wall, furrowed, concentrated.

“What are you doing?” she asked softly. Her inquiry went unanswered.

Chousa backed up and looked at the wall as a whole again before reaching forward, palm falling against the wall with grace. He paused there momentarily, and Elle’s jaw dropped slightly at the sight of a small light growing from his hands, and onto his fingers, until it surrounded his entire hand. Forming a perfect circle that jutted outwards, an intricate, illuminated seal appeared before them, characters of foreign language illuminating the floor. Elle gasped, jumping at the lights that appeared before her. She looked back up at Chousa, who walked past her nonchalantly towards a passage appearing in the form of several steps, walls falling into place like dominoes, one after the other.

Elle delicately watched as the characters flashed with an ethereal glow on the ground when she followed Chousa towards the staircase. He stepped up the first two before turning to face Elle. The two stood there in silence until Chousa leaned down, reaching his hand forward.

“Come on. You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

With a swift nod, she joined him and they made the ascension; they were greeted with the familiar surroundings of Oramedes, behind a few tall buildings in the middle of an alleyway. The sky was a deep purple; signaling dawn. However, even with the symptoms of daylight, the streets were far from quiet. The regular hustle and bustle of the city turned into a rampage of violent people down the streets. Chousa’s lips formed a firm line as he watched. Looting, shouting, screaming, running – Oramedes was reduced to chaos. He grabbed Elle’s hand again and moved through the alleyways, keeping stealth behind the buildings. Elle spotted the gate in which they entered previously. When she moved to comment, Chousa was gone.

“Chousa?” she called. “Hey, come on, I don’t want to have to—“

The white horse that accompanied them thus far caught her eye. Chousa lead it over to Elle.

“That’s convenient and all, but what are we supposed to do? We’re not going to charge out there and stampede all of those people, are we?”

Chousa said nothing, only swiftly mounting in one motion and turning to Elle.

“Chousa?”

“Are you coming or not?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” she cautioned.

“Would you rather stay here and become collateral?” he asked coolly.

“What? No, of course not, but—“

“Get on.”

“But Chousa—“

“Now.”

With a defeated sigh, she closed her eyes and clenched her fists.

Dear Yggdrisil, she thought as Chousa helped her climb on in back of him. I don’t know what you’re doing, what you are, or if you even care, but I’ve managed to stay alive so far…

The horse trotted forward. The pair of them looked forwarded at the daunting sea of angry people.

Please…just get us through this!

With one jerk of the horse’s reigns, Chousa joined the stampede of people headed for the gate. Elle clung to Chousa’s waist and sunk her head into his back with eyes squinted shut. The horse’s movements jerked her from side to side, but she was determined to stay on as the horse plowed through the populous. In the distance, he could see the people come in a violent wave and take down the mercenaries guarding the gates. He sped forward, gunning faster towards the now opened gate. With the people pushing the gates open, there was a thunderous roar of cheers. Amidst the celebrations, the horse darted around the detained mercenaries; allowing Elle and Chousa to escape Oramedes.

A few minutes passed before Elle slowly lifted her head, turning in back of her to see the ominous black cloud of smoke rising amidst the cries of thousands of people. With arms locked around Chousa’s waist, her bloodied palms clenched the mirror. The horse’s hooves hit the sand in a flurry of muted thumps. Her head sunk back into Chousa.

Thank you.

-

By dawn, the estate was a smoldering pile of ash and rubble. Though it was one of the many buildings set on fire during the riots, the public outcry left several people dead in the streets and buildings reduced to rubble. The entire city reached a state of inevitable chaos. Orion called in several reinforcements to quell the crowd, which proved to be successful. However, the triumph over the Oramedean riots did little to envelop the reality of a significant failure.

Dietrich and Alex sat quietly on opposites sides of the narrow hallway. A violent storm managed to blow in mere minutes after their return; the vibrations of rumbling of thunder penetrated the walls of the corridor, while another storm raged internally. The two of them starred into the walls on either end. Alex folded his arms and leaned backwards, allowing his head to hit the marble wall gently. With a brief exhale, his head tilted towards the sounds of doors opening abruptly. A pair of angry steps signaled Orion’s arrival. The both of them inwardly sighed and prepared themselves. Orion, however, whizzed past the two.

“On your feet, both of you,” he brusquely commanded. Alex and Dietrich followed suit. Orion led them down the hall and into the end chamber. The pair of them entered and Orion entered last, slamming the doors behind him. Dietrich slumped into the first chair he could find. Orion’s eyes narrowed in at the pale-faced arbiter.

“I don’t recall saying you could sit,” Orion retorted shortly. Dietrich let out a sigh of annoyance, rolled his eyes, and rose to his feet.

“Do either of you,” Orion began, “—either of you—have any idea what you’ve done? Any idea at all?”

His voice, though not raised, held such intensity that Alex was sure one match to his lips would ignite like wildfire. His severe tone beckoned no response, only a scoff from Dietrich, which was close to throwing Orion into a rage.

“I leave the both of you with an important task – a highly imperative assignment—and I come back – after only one night, mind you – to find the Vientiallan estate a pile of flaming rubble in the middle of utter chaos. I have never seen Oramedes so violently disturbed in my life. I don’t know whether to be infuriated or downright shocked, truly,” he spat. “And to think that you not only destroyed Oramedes, you lost everything we came for in the first place. The prince, the girl, both of those talismans – all of it – gone.”

Silence.

“How. Did this happen? I am desperate for answers. I am desperate for some kind of explanation—excuse, rather—so I have something, no matter how measly and idiotic—to brief the counsel and attempt some sort of damage control, which I guarantee you, will not be much.”

Dietrich snorted.

“Avoiding Ashurei, are we?”

“No, Dietrich, I’m giving you both the honor of explaining your incompetence to his majesty in person.”

Dietrich said nothing; the grin from his face quickly disappeared.

“Well, why do I have to do it? Alex was there, you know.”

Alex scoffed.

“Oh!” he laughed, “Yes, as though that will lessen the blow of incredibly brilliant plan, which by the way, was your idea.”

“I came closer than you ever would have,” he hissed.

“You call this mess close?”

“It would’ve worked, but you got in the way—“

“HOW?—“

“You let that dumb girl escape!” Dietrich shouted, “I saw you! You thought I couldn’t see you, didn’t you? You showed her the passageway under the rug. I knew she was in that room, I knew you were hiding—“

“Why the hell would I even do that?”

“ENOUGH,” Orion boomed. “It’s clear to me that a mass disunity among us is the culprit.”

“I did exactly as I was told, Orion, and you know it,” Alex protested. “Dietrich can’t control himself, he’s no better than a wild dog—“

“You were supposed to be the leash,” Orion spat accusingly. “Am I truly to understand, Dietrich, that you murdered a random man—“

“A thief,” Dietrich corrected, “with no right handling the sword. He was hiding information, which constitutes as an act of sedition and is punishable by death, am I wrong?”

“Judgment in favor of the law, you moron,” Alex retorted. “How the hell did you think Oramedes would react? Huh? How?”

“Well, somehow I’m not surprised you’d defend treason.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t recall giving either of you permission to speak. One more word, and I’ll have you explain to the counsel why you deserve your life.”

Silence.

“As you were. I’ll deal with the both of you later. For the time being, you’re both suspended until further notice. Make yourselves at home. You won’t be going anywhere for a while. If you’ll excuse me, I have an urgent meeting with the counsel to discuss your future.”

Orion turned swiftly around and slammed the doors behind him.

-

The desert sands soon faded into the endless expanse of prairie. When night fell, it brought along a cool front that came as a huge relief to Chousa and Elle, who managed to cross the desert without any further complications. Though this came as a surprise to Chousa, he remained stoic throughout their ride into the prairie at nightfall. Only remnants of the desert remained under the dim glow of the full lavender moon, only outshone briefly by it’s red and blue twins on the other side of the sky. A wave of synchronized chirps and buzzes replaced the desolate howling of the desert wind.

Elle sunk her hands into the river, scrubbing the dried blood from her hands. The cuts from the broken glass became visible when the grime, dirt, sweat, and sand washed off into the river’s current. The cuts ran deep and long, past her fingers and delving further just above her wrists. She winced as they stung upon pulling them out of the water. She flung the excess droplets into the river and turned around, only to come face to face with the Chousa’s stern eyes. Elle let out a brief gasp in surprise.

“Chousa,” she breathed.

“I’m sorry. I came to see if you were alright,” he said quietly. Ellenore nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you?”

“Yes.”

Elle nodded in acknowledgment, shifting her weight as she awaited for Chousa to finish his thought.

“You are the stupidest person I have ever known.”

“W-what?”

“Back there, in Oramedes? I have never seen anyone execute a more idiotic plan.”

“Like I had a choice,” Elle retorted.

“And because of that idiotic plan,” Chousa ignored her rebuttal, “I’m alive.”

Elle’s lips parted, nodding ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry about the mirror. I shouldn’t have been so stupid – leaving it there, at the Inn, I mean. I should’ve known--”

“I came to give you my gratitude. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” came Elle’s stoic reply, though her eyes offered a brief twang of shock, if only for a moment. Chousa nodded and turned around to walk back into the clearing.

“Wait,” she called. Chousa stopped, offering only a slight turn of his head.

“How…how did you know where…I mean, the staircase? You weren’t following me, I mean…were you? How did you know there was a passage—“

“That estate belonged to my parents. When I was young, we made frequent trips to Oramedes.”

“…To…that place?”

“Oramedes never used to be like that. My father had a close bond with the king of Oramedes. Right up until ten years ago, it became a wasteland, only home to vagrants, criminals, people of the like. Since then, no one’s cared to clean it up.”

“So…that place was kind of like your second home?”

“It was,” Chousa affirmed. “There were tons of passageways hidden around—“

“—so if your family had to escape…”

“Yeah,” Chousa nodded, “but I…haven’t been back in ten years.”

“W-what happened to the king?”

“Murdered. No one knows who did it, exactly. I can only suspect it was political unrest.”

“Unrest because of your brother?”

“Yes.”

“So you knew everything about that place, then?”

“Yes.”

“Was that villa…I mean…does it look like…your home?”

“Very much.”

“I see.”

“Ellenore…”

“Yeah?”

“If we ever…find ourselves in a predicament like we did this morning...please don’t come after me. Try to get out on your own.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t do this without you, and you know it.”

“I don’t want…”

“You don’t want what?”

“I don’t want anyone else to die because of me. I’m giving you permission to abandon me as you see fit.”

“I won’t. The way I see it? I’ll die either way. With or without you. I might as well die trying. I-I didn’t come this far to lose my only chance of going home.”

“Ellenore, I…” Chousa sighed, hanging his head. A few minutes passed because he raised his head to meet her again. “You understand…that what we find in the mountains may not be what you’re looking for. You may never return to your world again. Do you understand?”

Ellenore bit her lips. She felt her stomach drop at his words, but she maintained her composure, only offering a gentle hand over her abdomen to ease her discomfort. Her lips came out from under her teeth and rolled tightly before she answered.

“Well…we won’t know for sure until we get there…huh?” she offered a weak smile.

“You’re right.”

“There isn’t much else I…there isn’t much else we can do, is there? You have to go there, too, don’t you?”

“You don’t have to do this, is what I’m saying. It isn’t too late to back out of this.”

“No,” she replied sharply. “I’m not backing out of this. I want to go home.”

“Ellenore—“

“I’m already aware of the risks.”

Chousa gave a swift nod.

“Okay,” he nodded again. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she repeated. “So…where to from here?”

[Jellybean Disaster]

CHAPTER XIII: Ambiguity


“Another fine example of his majesty’s arbiters. Quite frankly, Orion, I’m embarrassed at this debacle. It’s won more opposition to Vientialla on a scale that I can’t even measure,” an elderly man finished. The exasperation on his face was clear as he looked back and forth at the report on the scroll. “What exactly was the true goal to this operation? All you’ve done is embarrass the kingdom further.”

“I cannot offer enough apologies. I accept full responsibility,” Orion’s solemn reply came. “Neutralizing a threat is our main focus. These criminals happen to have some very sacred parts of our kingdom. Might I add, your grace, that the youngest prince is a person of interest, all things considered? As I’m sure you’d agree, those items must be recovered and the missing prince must be brought before the king.”

“Right. Vientialla’s assets running around where they don’t belong and Chousa – now that his survival has been confirmed-- should be put on trial,” came a sigh.

“Correct, your grace,” Orion nodded.

“Still, toiling in a place as unstable as Oramades was a remarkable lapse in judgment.”

“I understand your grace, but be that as it may, his majesty’s decision still stands.”

“I concur. So, corrective action?”

“Both arbiters are suspended until further notice.”

“For how long?” came a sharp inquiry. Orion cleared his throat.

“Until further notice—“

“You’re suspending both of them at your discretion? What kind of procedure are you running, Orion?”

There was a murmur of agreement before Orion sought to protest.

“Both of them are valuable as arbiters and are incredible at their talents—“

“—and severely,” came the man’s interjection, “lack in their judgment. I’m curious as to why you’re so quick to defend such incompetence. I’m beginning to question your judgment as well.”

“Brilliant planning, you’re grace? Together – when they cooperate, I mean – they create a lethal force. They can create and execute highly effective strategies like they did to secure our borders before we sought to unite any of our surrounding countries.”

Orion’s words did nothing to spark any attention. The mass of dull, glazed eyes gazed absently into Orion’s hardened face, awaiting anything that would alter their conclusions.

“Vennadier is remarkable with negotiations. Rinaldi in particular possesses a unique quality of foresee very subtle problems and prevent them from becoming larger. He’s also quite talented with the sword –along with his uncanny intellect and Vennadier’s cognitive thought processes – when they do work, they’re a dangerous pair, I assure you.”

“When they work together, yes,” the elder replied. “This particular arbiter – Rinaldi, is it? – isn’t he from the desolates?”

“Yes. He became an arbiter to escape a very high debt.”

“His intentions then, were not to protect the king, let alone Vientialla?”

“With all do respect, your grace – the meaning of an arbiter has gone through some significant changes in the past ten years.”

He waved a hand of dismissal. Orion continued.

“There were several boys during that time seeking for a way to escape their mounting debts.”

“I have to ask how one comes about such horrid expenses at such a young age.”

“That, I’m not quite sure of.”

“Very well. So, where are they as we speak?”

“We don’t know, you’re grace. The last we saw of them was their disappearance into underground escape tunnels under the estate. From there, I’d assume they made it out, but…I wouldn’t be surprised if they were killed during the revolution.”

“So, what you’re implying is the items his majesty’s seeks could be…anywhere.”

“Correct, your grace. Cleaning up and re-securing Oramedes was our first order of business in order to continue.”

The affirmation was met with a long, tired sigh.

“What a mess. I don’t think we need to discuss the consequences of neglecting his majesty’s priorities.”

“No, your grace.”

“You may take your leave. In the name of the king of Vientialla and the divine guardian, the king may prosper. Adjourned.”

With a slight bow, Orion turned on his heel and walked out of the council’s room. The panel of councilmen erupted into a flurry of chatters as they removed themselves from their seats, exiting towards the doors behind them. Their conversations faded as he drifted further and further away, his steps echoing from wall to wall across the marble corridor. As he left, the brief feeling of eyes watching him created a nauseous feeling with each passing step. For a moment, he wondered if his two best offensive arbiters would be put to death.

His mind, however, focused to the matter at hand. Ashurei waited for his presence in the grand hall, a room, he mused, that may have certainly passed as his second room. Orion pushed the doors open with great vacillation, revealing Ashurei’s slumped form. At a safe distance stood Dietrich and Alex. Between the two of them was a void at which Orion stepped into. He stopped a short distance behind them, merely surveying the two of them and becoming increasingly goaded. The pair of them only looked forward, at attention, starring blankly into the scarlet curtains that draped carefully behind the throne.

Not one word was spoken.

“So,” piped Ashurei. The tone set Orion on the edge of his nerve. With one leg swung over the other, Ashurei slouched ever further in his seat. “Since neither of you have anything to say about what went wrong last night, maybe I’ll just…throw in a quick opinion. I hope you don’t mind, Orion.”

Orion shook his head. “Not at all, your majesty.”

“I think…the amount of risk taken was quite admirable,” Ashurei boomed, rising to his feet. “But…I have to examine the cause for such risk.”

Ashurei’s movements did little to deter Dietrich’s frozen stance. Alex’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two; he felt Orion’s presence behind him, but he dared not look back. Orion watched Ashurei carefully. His eyes narrowed as he watched his movements, steadily growing closer towards the three of them. His direction shifted towards Dietrich. Mere feet away, Ashurei smiled at the pale blue eyes staring so sternly into his.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You took a life without a second thought. Am I right?”

Dietrich didn’t reply.

“Well, am I?” Ashurei asked. Dietrich cleared his throat.

“Yes, your majesty.”

Orion stepped towards Alex to catch a better glimpse at their interaction. He furrowed his eyebrows with his eyes still narrowed and listened carefully to their dialogue. There was an unmistakable hint of a snarky expression on his lips, one that Ashurei didn’t recognize.

“I have to say, dear arbiter. I admire your courageous risk in my name, but be sincere. What did you think would come of your action?”

“An understanding of our authority, your majesty.”

“I see,” Ashurei nodded. Orion’s eyes grew wide for a brief second. Ashurei’s reaction came as a surprise.

“Instead, they burned my estate down. My estate – not yours, nor Orion’s, nor Alexander’s –mine. How exactly do you plan on remedying this awful loss?” Ashurei asked, “Hmm?”

“I wasn’t anticipating its destruction, your majesty.”

“Ah, anticipating problems. I suppose that’s Alexander’s area of expertise, isn’t it?” Ashurei’s eyes flickered dangerously towards Alex. Alex stiffened, but his gaze remained stern.

“I suppose, your majesty.”

“In addition to a massive, massive breakdown in what you gloated was a brilliant plan, you managed to fail a sanction order and lose my brother and the girl, and by proxy, my mirror and my sword, which – and allow me to remind you all – were stolen from me.”

Dietrich didn’t reply.

“…I need to know, Dietrich. Do you care at all about consequence? It’s not your special talismans that were stolen, so…the effort becomes…careless, wouldn’t you agree?” Ashurei asked dangerously. Dietrich paused for a moment, as though searching for an answer.

“I respectively disagree,” Dietrich replied simply. Ashurei’s face contorted into a thin snarl. His head drew back at the answer.

“…Do explain. I’m curious,” Ashurei flatly replied.

“Your majesty,” Dietrich began, “I think you’re the victim of a misunderstanding. You see, I plan all of my missions carefully. I do the talking, I do the negotiations, and if there’s any hesitation or failure to comply with my demands, I don’t hesitate in taking a life in your name. I think this goes above and beyond your definition of effort—“

“—Point, Dietrich,” Orion interjected sharply. “Make one.”

“—Furthermore, I’m insulted that I’m the one being interrogated when Alexander walked them straight out of the door.”

Ashurei’s head snapped towards Alex’s position.

“I saw the entire thing, your majesty. What arbiter would disrespect the crown so terribly?”

“Through smoke and fire?” Ashurei asked, a mock curious tone evident in his voice. Alex’s eyes flickered to the side.

“He’s lying, your majesty,” Alex interrupted.

“Quiet,” Ashurei barked.

“The girl snuck in to come after Chousa,” Orion clarified.

Ashurei turned around and walked in the opposite direction. He took two steps before stopping and looking upward.

“She came back for him…?” he asked.

“Yes,” Alex said, “I think Dietrich mistook my intentions to detain her, your majesty,” he finished, all the while shooting Dietrich a dirty look.

“She came back for him…” he trailed, “…to rescue him.”

The three of them fell silent. Alex’s attempt to save his name went unheard at seemed.

“Correct, your majesty,” Orion affirmed after a few seconds passed.

Ashurei stayed silent. The wheels in his head were turning. The sly smile didn’t leave his face. Things were lighter than they were before; the tension seemed to melt into the floors. It seemed the Oramedes debacle vanished from his mind completely; his thoughts were elsewhere. Ashurei stopped his train of thought completely; his vanished died in the air. Suddenly, he turned around.

“Where are they now, Orion?”

“We don’t know, your majesty. The riots left us without any leads. They escaped, but they could very well be among the rubble. Nothing has come across anything yet, which leads me to believe they’re still alive and on the move,” Orion explained.

“Whatever, just find them,” Ashurei dismissed. “Separate them, and capture the girl.”

The sentence was catastrophic. Alex and Dietrich’s heads bobbed forward in sync. Not a single thing, it seemed, could ruin his new-attained eccentric mood. The rubble that the estate was reduced to, the mass destruction and riots – everything seemed to dissipate. Alex looked over at Orion, eyebrows still furrowed.

“What the hell…?” he mouthed. Orion shook his head sternly and motioned for Alex to fall back into attention.

“Your majesty, clarification?” Orion asked.

Ashurei’s smile turned into a grin as cocked his head.

“If what these arbiters are saying is true, then the reverse must be true, am I wrong?”

“Forgive me, your majesty. I do not follow.”

“Capture the girl, and Chousa will come back home,” Ashurei smiled. His smile turned into a full-blown, childish laugh. “Of course! Chousa has a soul, doesn’t he, Orion?”

“I can only imagine, your majesty.”

Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

“They’ve formed a pact, it seems,” Ashurei observed. “A pact, some sort of covenant. I wonder what he’ll do with her when he realizes he won’t be able to send her back to where she came from? Do you think he’ll keep her around, Orion? For entertainment’s sake, or for a shield?”

Through his ponderings, Dietrich cast an annoyed look at Orion.

“Won’t that just break is pathetic little heart, Orion? Maybe he’ll this time he’ll understand heartbreak. It’s perfect,” he hissed. His musings came to a stop at the sight of his arbiters still standing in front of him. “Go, go find them. Bring that dumb girl back alive. Form a plan, do whatever, I don’t care. Go, I said.”

Alex and Dietrich left immediately, passing through the doors. In a strange sense of relief, Orion breathed heavily. Everyone, to Orion’s relief and by some sick miracle, managed to keep their limbs.

“Incredible, isn’t? How can he care about her more than his kingdom? More than me?” Ashurei mused again.

“Your majesty, I think it’s a bit more complicated—“

Orion stopped at the sight of Ashurei collapsing to the floor. His breaths were heavy, labored. Orion fell helplessly into panic as he thrust himself forward to aid his king. An arm shot out from under Ashurei shoved Orion away roughly. Orion fell back with a grunt at the impact of the plunge backward. Confused, he stood up again, watching as Ashurei spat blood on the marble floor.

“Leave me alone,” he growled viciously. “If you come near me again, I’ll kill you. Understand?”

Orion froze.

“Your majesty—“

He was stopped mid-sentence as Ashurei fell into a coughing fit. On all fours, starring at the ground, robes slipping lazily to the floor, Ashurei’s fists balled tightly as they grounded him. Strands of white were stained with blood with each passing cough.

“Get out, damnit!”

Orion let out an inward sigh and did as he was told. Only a few steps from the doorway, he paused, hands clinging to the threshold as he waited, listening to Ashurei’s violent breathing. He turned his head to his side, in anticipation.

“Wait, come back,” he rasped. “Orion…please…wait.”

Orion rolled his eyes.

Without any hesitation, he whirled back around to help Ashurei from the floor. He knelt to his level and waited for Ashurei to finish his fit. At Orion's movements, Ashurei looked at the arbiter with bloodshot, blank eyes, glazed over with a mixture of insecurity and rage.

“Of course, your majesty,” Orion nodded. “I made a promise to your father.”

-

The familiar clammy feeling of the Rowenwood returned. Elle’s eyes fluttered open from the confines of sleep. Instantly, she became aware of the sticky feeling as she sat up, stringy, loose strands of blonde falling in front of her grimy, grease-ridden face. She swept it away and pulled herself to her feet. Nightfall still had its steady grip on Eterra. Elle ventured to guess that night entered the hours of early morning. Regardless, she found herself side awake. Reaching her hands skyward, she allowed herself a much-needed stretch before tiptoeing towards the lake again, leaving Chousa in slumber.

She climbed through the foliage and the brush, and stopped just before the river’s lazy current met the land. Elle stuck on toe with caution into the river and jerked back with a quick gasp.

“Cold,” she whispered. Though she couldn’t deny the relief, however small, it brought to her. Elle reached for the bottom of her top and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the ground. With one warming glance behind her, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. It crumpled to the ground with ease after release. Half bare, she was eager to disappear into the river to escape any prying eyes. With one swift motion, she freed herself of her lower garments and descended into the river.

Goosebumps spread over her skin like a plague, making Elle chatter her teeth as she allowed herself to sink further into the river’s depths. The current pushed her body weakly. She reached forward to grab a grounded limb, deterring herself from flowing with the river’s pull. With a content sigh, she sunk her head back into the river and immersed herself completely into the ice-cold confines, dunking herself and coming upwards to wipe her face clean.

Her hair clung to her face and to the back of her neck, while the tips of her hair floated at the rivers surface. The water cleansed the dirt away from her limbs and penetrated every orifice of her body. The sooth bath of the river brought a much-needed smile to her face. The night sky was littered with clusters of glowing specs, all varying degrees of orange, purple, and red pastels.

They glittered in patterns, created distant paths to the unknown. The sky was missing its trio of moons, leaving only the faded, distant ring of the other planet, which hung peacefully over the sky. It was a mere ghostly arch cutting across the expanse of space, ending only on either side of Eterra’s horizon. The normal chirping and buzzing of the surrounding insects was replaced by the morning lullabies of distant avian life forms. Elle closed her eyes as she absently clung to the stray tree branch. As time moved past at a lethargic pace, Elle found her breathing moving in time and matching the elements, allowing her limbs to disappear into the depths.

For a moment, Elle discovered a brief glimpse of a dream in an otherwise nightmarish world.

“What are you doing?”

Elle yelped and swam awkwardly behind the tree climb. She put a hand over her now disturbed heart rhythm and glared at the source of the voice. Chousa’s silhouette, framed in darkness, stood stiffly, awaiting a reply to his question. He looked around at Elle’s garments, curiously eyeing their haphazard arrangement on the ground, and then looked again at the wet, pale head behind the tree limb.

“What are you doing!?” Elle retorted. Chousa took a few steps forward, causing Elle to sink further behind the branches.

“I was going to soak in the river, but I guess you had the same idea,” Chousa observed. He paused for a moment and remembered Elle’s clothes sprawled about on the ground in disarray.

“Ellenore…are you naked…?” he asked with genuine interest.

“Y-yes! Do you mind?”
“Oh, apologies. If it’s any consolation, I can’t see a thing,” he offered, pulling his shirt over his head. Through the darkness, Elle could only see his silhouette moving, but the shuffling noises of clothing made gap.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

“…jumping into the river?” Chousa answered.

“You can’t do that!”

“Why?”

“I…I’m naked, you jerk!”

“Well, if it bothers you so, you’re free to leave.”

“I’m not leaving! I got here first!”

“Suit yourself.”

“Chousa!” Elle whined.

“Just stay behind that branch,” he passed over his shoulder, all the while with trousers dropping to the floor. The crumple of his under garments made her hiss in disapproval. She eased herself behind the limbs and sunk further into the river and Chousa entered the river, dipping under and wading as he looked upwards.

“I can see everything,” he breathed.

“I thought you said it was dark!”

“I was talking about sky, Ellenore,” Chousa huffed.

“I can’t see if you’re looking up or down! I can’t see you! Just….just stay over there,” she grumbled.

“Don’t look at me. Look at the sky,” he replied. Elle wrinkled her nose but looked upwards anyway. The sounds of their wading bodies were the only disruption; the stars hypnotized the pair. Elle caught a quick glimpse of a star whizzing past the sky, only to disappear the moment it became visible.

“Did you see that? Just now?” Chousa asked. Elle smiled.

“Yeah, it was a shooting star!”

“A what?”

“A shooting star,” Elle repeated. “It’s a star falling across the sky. Well, it’s not really a star, it’s just—there’s a another one!”

Elle jerked her finger out of the river’s depths and into the sky. Like the last, the shooting star she spotted disappeared the moment she spotted it.

“Moving stars,” Chousa observed flatly.

“They aren’t really stars, they’re just rock.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s just rock burning up as it enters Earth’s…uh, Eterra’s atmosphere.”

“…Atmosphere…?”

“Nevermind,” Elle shook her head. The two of them watched in silence as the balls of light became more frequent. Soon, the entire sky was lit with shooting stars, falling indiscriminately across the sky. They lit the ground in the absence of the moons and created a flickering, ethereal glow on the surface of the river.

“How strange,” Chousa whispered. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“We get them all the time back home. Back home, we used to have cook outs for this kind of stuff.”

“…Cook out?”

“Yeah, you know, where friends and family get together, and everything brings food over and we just sit and watch. Not to say it’s the only thing we do that for, but…it’s just nice watching something special with people you care about. You know, being together and enjoying the company, I mean.”

“Do you have mother and a father, Ellenore?”

“Yeah,” she answered.

“No brothers or sisters?”

“Just me and my dog, Max.”

“I see,” Chousa nodded. “What do you…do back home?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you…work?”

“No, I’m a student.”

“You go to school, you mean?” Chousa turned to face her. Elle was still looking into the sky.

“Yeah. In fact, before I came here, I…I was going to continue my education.”

“What do you learn about?”

“I don’t know yet,” Elle replied. Chousa furrowed his eyebrows.

“You don’t know what you’re learning about? How is that possible?”

“Back home, going to school means that you’ll have work.”

“You go to school…and have work afterwards?” Chousa asked.

“Kind of. What you learn about…it qualifies you for a job,” Elle explained. “But…I don’t know what I want to do.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know…” Elle trailed off. “I’m scared just thinking about it.”

“What is it that scares you?” he asked.

“Because someday I’ll…have to survive and be on my own. I’ll have to earn an income and buy everything myself. I know I’m being childish, but I can’t help but think about…what if I fail? What if I drop out? What if I can’t feed myself? What if I can’t find work? I…I don’t like thinking about it. It’s scary.”

“Security is something we must create for ourselves, in the end, it seems,” Chousa commented.

“I don’t want to leave home,” Elle’s voice wavered. “I’m too afraid of what will happen.”

“I’m fascinated,” Chousa said suddenly, leaning back into the river.

“What do you mean?” Elle asked.

“For someone who claims such little confidence…I just don’t believe it.”

“It’s true,” Elle replied. “I’m too much of a baby to do anything myself.”

“But I don’t see that,” Chousa commented. Elle grunted.

“You barely know me,” she mumbled.

“The same could be said for myself, yet…somehow you charged right into that estate, faced two arbiters that could’ve very well taken your life, and…”

Elle fell silent.

“…somehow, you made it through. You had no plan, no means of escape. It was stupid, but…I’m baffled as to how you can look me in the eye and tell me you’re scared.”

“I’m scared,” Elle firmly replied.

“You’re lying,” Chousa replied. Elle’s eyes fell downcast.

“I can’t do anything myself. That’s the only reason I went in there.”

“What was your plan? After you entered, how did you think you’d get out? Did you meticulously lay everything on the ground and decide and debate with yourself?”

“N-no, I just…I just—“

“You risked your life for another with no plans, yet your own life requires a plan?”

“…I…” Elle rolled her lips.

“You baffle me. Simply baffle me.”

“…Well, what about you? What are you doing to do when you meet your brother? Are you going to kill him? Don’t you have a plan?”

“No,” Chousa answered simply. “Because I can’t predict the future. I can’t predict if I’ll die. I won’t know anything until I’m there, in the moment, looking into his eyes.”

“That…doesn’t bother you?”

“Even if it did unnerve me, it doesn’t change anything. The future will happen, and even the future is uncertain about what will unfold. The plan forms as the future comes closer.”

Silence.

“Chousa?”

“Yes, Ellenore?”

“Are you really going to kill your brother when you see him again?”

“…When I first left the Rowenwood, I would have said yes. But now…I don’t know. I don’t know, Ellenore.”

Elle rested her elbows on the tree limb and rested her head on them as she looked at Chousa.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, Ellenore,” Chousa whispered. “I know that I have to return to Vientialla somehow, and that these talismans must be disposed of. And you,” he lifted his head up to face her, “must go home.”

“Yeah,” Elle agreed.

She swam over to the ledge and placed her hands on the ground, pulling herself, but stopping short. She cast a look to Chousa.

“Don’t look over here,” she said.

“Why?” he asked as he turned to look. His eyes met her bare back, just as she ascended onto the ground. Elle looked back for a brief second to find his eyes on her.

“Uh…” Chousa stammered.

“Chousa!” she screamed, “I said not to look over here!” She grabbed her clothes and haphazardly covered herself, all the while kicking the water in frustration, splashing his face.

“What the—“

He shook his head in response and splashed her back. The resulting shower drenched her clothes, causing Elle stomp her foot childishly.

“Look at what you did!” she huffed. Chousa snickered at her reaction. “Stop looking at me!”

Elle made an uncomfortable face as she stepped backward. Chousa’s silhouette was still outlined above the water, but it slowly faded from Elle’s vision. When she was sure she was invisible to his eye, she turned and grumbled as she held her now damp clothes to her chest. She fumbled with her top as she fit it back over herself.

Upon returning to the clearing, Elle let out a horrified gasp.

Their belongings were ripped to shreds; Elle’s things were strewn about on the ground and the firewood looked as though it had exploded. Her bag was dumped completely upside down. Elle ran over to it and looked through it, fearing the worst.

The mirror was gone.

[Jellybean Disaster]

CHAPTER XIV: Labyrinth

"It's gone," Elle's heart sunk. "The mirror is gone!"

"The sword's gone, too," Chousa breathed, looking behind him.

There was no denying – all of their belongings were ransacked; both talismans were nowhere to be found. Elle fell backwards, curling upwards and biting her lips.

"I didn't even hear anyone when I was in the river!" she said. Her dumbfounded expression mirrored Chousa's, who looked around for any evidence of the culprit. He walked forward, feet crunching the foliage below him. His head jerked to the side, as though catching an animal escaping from plain sight. He furrowed his eyebrows. Elle craned her neck.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly. "Chousa, what—"

"Shut up," he hissed. Elle fell silent.

As Chousa crept closer to the bush, Elle found herself shrinking into the ground, anxiety growing with each passing second. With each step, branches and twigs snapped and cracked beneath his weight, making his stealth approach all the less subtle. He stopped at the shuffling noises from behind the brush. The brush in question was nestled underneath a crowded canopy of trees, some feet away from the clearing. As he crept closer the shuffling noises came to a stop.

Not a second later, Chousa was ambushed; a silhouette of a person came flying out from the shadows, sword off Yggdrisil in hand. Elle spotted the mirror hanging around his neck. She scampered backwards until her back hit the tree trunk. She guided herself with trunk to her feet, only watching Chousa yank the sheath off of the sword as the assailant swung it forward. Using the sheath to defend himself, he blocked another oncoming slice.

It was pitch black; only the outline of two men engaged in a battle, their grunts and cries the only indication of their survival. Chousa delivered a quick punch to the assailant's face. He dropped the sword to the ground, and Chousa flew forward to grab it before the other could regain his composure. He spun around and kicked him to the ground, all the while tearing the pendant from his chest. In his rapid movements, he lost his balance. Elle came to his side, pulling him up through the blinding darkness. When Chousa was on his feet again, however, the man came at him with a cry, tackling both him and Elle.

Elle landed with a yelp, but managed to roll out of the way. Chousa rolled to the opposite direction just as the man came down with his knife, plunging it into the earth. Jumping behind him, Chousa pushed him down, reaching forward in the darkness to find the hand that possessed the knife. He wrestled for the man's weapon in addition to keeping him grounded. He succeeded, and in one swoop, he pull the man's head back by his hair and slit his throat.

Chousa dropped the knife. Elle turned to her side to vomit.

The man fell with it as he let out sickening gagging noises. He rolled to his side, eyes wide with nothingness. Chousa backed up and waited for the man to return to his feet, but he stayed there.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Elle whispered. She bit her lip, but the tears didn't hesitate to fall. The sight of a man falling to the floor, the life draining from his face was something she hoped she'd never see again. However, after all this time, she felt as though her wishes would be unheard. She couldn't seem to take her eyes away from the body beneath Chousa, starring at him as though willing him to move again. Though he didn't, it didn't seem to deter Elle. Chousa knelt to her level and placed a hand on her arm.

"Hey," he breathed. "Look at me. Are you okay?"

At his touch, Elle jumped. Her eyes shifted from the body to Chousa, silver eyes penetrating the darkness. Elle nodded vigorously again. He continued to stare at her through her vigorous nods until he shook his head at her. Elle mirrored his movements and began to shake her head, a brief sob escaping her as she did so. She folded her arms over curled up knees.

"…I'm sorry," Chousa apologized quietly. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Elle nodded after a few minutes of crying. A few breaths and minor gasps later, he rose to his feet, extending a hand to help her up. Elle rose to her feet and followed Chousa to the horse.

"So much for resting," he sighed. Elle followed a somber pace, picking up her things and pulling her bag over the saddle. When she mounted, Chousa didn't hear here say another word for the rest of their ride.

To Elle's disappointment, the river's path did not follow theirs. Instead, their northern direction led them to a great canyon; a divide filled with a rushing river below, unlike the one they found themselves in a few hours prior. With no signs of a way to pass and only the ominous echoes of waters below, Chousa hopped off of the horse to investigate. The canyon was a far stretch, and the river down below looked as though it was even farther down than he previous thought; if Elle and Chousa wanted to ride the river to a safe area, they'd die trying. Chousa grunted as he tried to think. To his surprise, Elle interrupted his thoughts.

"What if we keep following the river's path? Maybe there's something further down on this side?"

Chousa turned to Elle.

"Yeah, it's worth a try."

He mounted again and rode further down, where the prairie turned to dry, dusty dirt. The hooves of the horse kicked up a dusty cloud in it's wake. Chousa came to a stop when he realized the path they were on led through a tunnel.

"I don't know if I like the looks of that," Elle murmured.

"But it's safe. It'll provide a place to hide," Chousa replied. Elle clung to his backside as he cautiously rode forward into the tunnel of the unknown. There was no echo and not a single comment from Elle, who only looked upwards at the large fang like rocks that hung from the cave's ceiling. As they descended into the depths of further darkness, Elle found herself yearning for what little light the night had to offer. A soft glow emanated at the end of the tunnel, which caused Chousa to trot forward slightly. As he rounded the corner, there was a torch by a door that spanned the entire wall. Chousa furrowed his brows and hopped off the horse, pushing against the intricately carved door. After a few strained attempts, he gave up.

"It won't budge," he sighed, kicking the door. Elle's eyes traced the colors of the carvings on the door. Her mind reeled back to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The paintings, she noted, continued down another pathway. All of it was colorful and vibrant in nature; she couldn't help herself but wonder if only for a brief moment that her world and this one were connected. As her eyes trailed down the pathway, she turned her attention to Chousa.

"Chousa, what if we keep following the pathway?" Elle asked. Chousa pulled the torch off of the wall.

"Looks like that's the only way to go."

He took the reigns and led the horse down the path, tunnel now illuminated at the presence of the torch. They walked into a significantly larger area. On either side, two doors, taking up the entire expanse of the wall like the previous, trapped them. Chousa walked over to the door on the left and tried to move it. Elle dismounted and walked over to the one adjacent. Neither of them were successful in their attempts to clear a path.

They stepped back in sync, looking at the door frame.

"This one won't budge," Chousa commented. Elle nodded.

"This one won't, either."

Elle reached her hand out. Her palm grazed over the elaborately painted walls. She took a few steps back in hopes of seeing a large picture. Her eyes couldn't seem to focus on a single point of the paintings. Every color, every stroke seemed to tell some story, but Elle couldn't seem to figure out the beginning. Though both doors were locked, she turned her head towards the path that was still clear.

"Let's just keep going," she said. Chousa nodded and moved to take the horse with them.

As they journeyed down the path, the paintings rode along with them, telling stories of extravagant wars and depicting creatures Elle couldn't have pictured in her wildest imagination.

"What are these pictures…?" she asked aloud.

"They tell the story of the old war."

"Old war?"

"Yeah," Chousa explained. "Thousands of years ago, every single country in Eterra – Vientialla included – were engaged in conflicts. No one was allied; everyone was against each other. It's a popular story told to young children who live in Vientialla actually."

"Was it told to you when you were little?"

"Yes," Chousa replied. "They were especially important."

"How come?"

"Vientialla was the only country strong enough to stop all of the fighting. They harnessed the power of Yggdrisil and created world without conflict, through their simple wish."

"Because Vientialla had all three of the items, right?"

Chousa nodded. "Yeah. It's an important part of our history. It's why Vientialla is known as the holy kingdom or the sacred kingdom of Eterra. We stopped the bloodiest war and brought Eterra into a time of peace."

"And now Vientialla is engaging Eterra into a war. That's kind of ironic, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Chousa replied. "It's hard to believe. Vientialla has always been the one to quell any conflicts, even if it's not involved. They maintained the balance."

"So these pictures…these paintings tell the story of Vientialla, right?"

"Sort of. They seem like they go on forever, but there are paintings here that I recognize."

"Who painted them?"

"I'm not sure," Chousa shook his head. "These tunnels have been here for a while, though. Some of these tunnels store treasures."

"Wow, really?" Elle turned to face Chousa. "You think we'll find some down here?"

"We're more likely to find tombs."

"…Wait, there's dead people down here?"

"More often than not, yes."

Elle looked at Chousa with uneasiness. However, her thoughts turned back to the great war as they continued through the passages.

"So, Vientialla stopped the war all of those years ago? And they've maintained the balance all of these years?" she asked.

"That's correct," Chousa nodded. "I was brought up to believe that Vientialla was the heart of Eterra. Our family protected this world for generations. And to think, my own brother would justify such mindless fighting…" he trailed. Elle cocked her head.

"But Ashurei is dying," Elle said. Chousa looked her with a fierce gaze.

"It matters," he replied in a stern voice, staring her down with dangerous eyes, "not."

Elle stammered.

"Yeah, but-"

"This conversation is over."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Your conception of justice is misconstrued, then."

"You brought your brother up first!" she retorted in a whine.

"What's there to know?"

"A-a lot!" she stammered again. "For someone who's bent on revenge, you sure don't talk a lot about it."

Her incessant inquiries caused him to growl in frustration. Chousa's face turned into a scowl as they walked along the cave's pathway.

"Chousa…" Elle sighed.

"Why are you fixated? It's not as though you'll be around to see the results."

Ellenore paused. What was meant to be a callous remark held a glimmer of hope. The mountains held a chance of sending Elle home. She couldn't control the smile form growing on her face. Elle's smile turned into a grin that spread across her face. Chousa furrowed his eyebrows at her reaction.

"What is with the grin?" he asked.

"you really think I'll go home? That soon!" she replied, hands balling into fists under her chin. Chousa gaped.

"Well, not exactly. I didn't say-"

"-so, you really think there's a chance up there? You think they can send me home, right?"

"Forgive me. I spoke too quickly."

"Nope, you think I'll go home! You are hopeful, aren't you? I can see right past that scowling face of yours!" she challenged.

"Stop it."

"Stop what? This whole serious talk you gave me earlier was all just pessimism, wasn't it?" she grinned slyly. "I knew there was something behind that tough guy charade."

"Whatever you say, Ellenore," he sighed. "I said nothing."

Chousa knocked twice on the wall, looking thoughtfully at the tunnel. "Let's keep moving down the path. One of these doors is bound to open."

Forward down the path they walked, the great war stories following them as they explored the tunnels. Their movements provoked multiple echoes that bounced from wall to wall. Elle began to lose interest in the painted stories on the wall as time furthered ahead. Their search for an open pathway was failing after coming across several locked doors. As they delved deeper with the caves, droplets of water fell from the ceiling, forming puddles beneath them as they continued deeper. The monotonous search for a way out turned into a search for anything above ground. An exasperated sigh escaped the pair when they came upon a dead end; all three passages blocked off by intricately decorated doors.

"What now?" Elle asked. Chousa shook his head.

"Let's go back. We can't go any further."

"Yeah," Elle agreed, hand leaving the door. They turned around and began the direction they came. Casting a disappointed look in back of her. The dead end faded into darkness as Chousa's torch lit the way, bringing them back through the tunnel. When they came to the area they crossed only moments ago, the open path forked in two directions. They were dark voids, standing ominously side-by-side.

"Why way did we come from?" Elle asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "The pathway went downhill, right? Maybe we should take that one," she pointed to the tunnel on the right. Chousa stepped forward to investigate.

"That tunnel looks like it'll go uphill, right?" she observed. Chousa nodded.

"Yeah. Let's take this path."

The two of them, with horse in tow, began to climb upwards, leaving the area to enter the next clearing. The area was fairly large, presenting a total of four circular doors and the open path that continued further down into darkness. Chousa stopped, looking around.

"Wasn't there…three locked passageways? Or was there four?"

"No," Elle's immediate answered came as she shook her head. "The only time we saw three doors was the dead end, remember? Up until now, there's only been two."

"Except for the first area we came to. There was only one."

"Let's keep going forward. This is the only path that's open."

Elle shrugged and followed him through the path. For the remainder of their exploration, they came across a pair of locked doors with each cleaning. The paintings, however, were different. Elle began to focus on the walls. With each passing step, she started to notice a significant change with the stories illustrated on the cave's walls.

"This isn't the right direction," Elle stopped, shifting her while one hand rested on the wall. Chousa turned around.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Look at the walls. Are they still talking about the great war?" Elle looked at the walls, standing back as she inquired about the walls. Chousa frowned. He took his eyes off of Elle for a moment to inspect the walls behind her. He moved to stand next to her though his continued study of the paintings, eyes drifting across the intricately drawn illustrations.

"No, but…" Chousa hesitated, pointing to the wall and tracing the air with his finger, "when you asked me about it last, that was near the entrance. It's possible that the paintings ended the story and started a new one."

Elle looked at him skeptically.

"No," she shook her head. "These are definitely different. I've never seen them before."

"How do you know?" he asked defiantly.

"I just…know. These aren't the same drawings we saw earlier."

"What do you suggest we do?" he asked in a flat tone.

"We should turn around and take that other path."

"That goes further down. We want to ascend, not descend."

"Maybe we descend before we ascend," she offered.

"We're bound to find the entrance. Let's just keep going," Chousa dragged the horse forward before Elle could stop him. She shuffled after him until she jumped in front of him.

"But Chousa-"

"Stay here if you want. I have no problems continuing alone."

Elle gave a childish pout. She reluctantly stepped out of his way and allowed him to pass. Elle resorted to simply shuffling behind him as they continued through the tunnel for the next hour. She couldn't, however, keep from thinking about the time they spent entering the cave. She was growing antsy with each passing minute. It had taken a mere half-hour to reach the dead end, but the two of them were walking for well over that time, still searching for a way out. She cast an anxious look in back of her into the darkness.

"Don't you think this is taking too long?" she asked quietly. "It didn't take this long to get to the end. We're going the wrong-"

"Just be patient," he snapped. "there's bound to be an opening. These tunnels have to lead to the surface-"

No sooner did he finish his thought, they stumbled into a dead end. No locked doors, no open passageways - only the series of paintings that erupted into a final portrait of a gleaming sun against a stone wall.

"Oh no," Elle whispered. Chousa walked forward, placing a hand against a painting of a large tree, presumably Yggdrisil.

"This doesn't make any sense."

"Let's turn around. I told you this wasn't the right way!" Elle sighed impatiently. Chousa scoffed.

"Fine," he dismissed, mumbling as he started in the opposite direction.

The pair began to walk back through the darkened tunnels. They passed the familiar pair of doors and entered through the open passages. Elle looked upward at the dripping ceiling. Each droplet echoed thoroughly through the tunnel, creating an eerie sense of abandonment. She shivered and folded her arms. Chousa stopped short. Almost running into him, she let out a small gasp and she turned to face him. He stared forward in total disbelief. Elle looked in the direction Chousa was looking, though Chousa stepped forward to shine his torch over the path.

However, it wasn't a single path. The tunnel was split into three separate passageways. Elle gasped.

"This…this wasn't here before. Chousa, what's going on?"

Chousa took a few more cautious steps forward, examining all three of the passages. Elle shook her head. Her suspicions about the paintings were proving to be more truthful by the second.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Elle asked voice wavering as she spoke. "We're lost."

"We aren't lost," Chousa hissed in retaliation. "We just got turned around. Let's keep moving back to where we saw the original fork."

"What original fork? We've seen at least two them of now. It wasn't like this when we first entered," came Elle's panicked reply. Chousa shook his head.

"Calm down," he told her. "We'll just rest here for a moment and think about what to do."

Minutes turned into hours.

Elle and Chousa stared blankly at the wall on either side of the chamber, hearing only the distance drips and drops of water falling from the ceiling into the puddles along the insides of the tunnels. As time rolled forward, the two of them couldn't shake the feeling of fear creeping into the air. It must've been daylight by now on the surface, but not a single shred of light was shining through. They were immersed in darkness, and the only light illuminating the way was a Chousa's torch, which he had picked up a long the way. Not a single door opened, and the more they moved, the further they lost themselves in the stone labyrinth. Elle sat on the ground, leaning up against a wall with her legs folded inward. Her head was buried downward with blonde locks shrouding her head. When her head drew upward, Chousa was staring into the wall, like he had been for the past hour.

"Chousa," she said quietly. Chousa's head immediately moved to focus on Elle.

"Yes?"

"I didn't mean to pry about your family. Your brother, I mean," she said quietly. Elle caught the subtle shake of his head.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," he dismissed.

Elle nodded slightly, but didn't deter from the subject. Before she could move further in, however, she was surprised when Chousa continued himself.

"My parents loved Ashurei. He was never without endless praises or compliments, when they were around, anyway."

"Were they gone a lot?"

"Yeah. We had nannies but…it was usually just Ashurei and I."

"I don't understand how he could do something so terrible to your family."

"When we were younger, Ashurei excelled at almost everything he set out to do. Studies, physical activities, weaponry…everything," Chousa explained. "There was nothing he couldn't do. In my eyes, anyway. When I was younger, I idolized him. It was like he was invincible. He was so much stronger than I was, so much bigger, tougher. I was no match. I wasn't meant to be the king."

"But then he…"

"…one day, he just…got sick," Chousa said absently. "He just…stayed in his bed one day. He couldn't move, couldn't get up…it was like Yggdrisil was playing a cruel game with him. In one day, everything he did, everything he accomplished was taken away in one moment. When our doctor told us he would die soon, everything ended."

"What do you mean?"

"I remember when he realized he would lose his right to the throne."

"What happened?"

"A lot of screaming. A lot of shouting. He was mostly angry with my parents. I should have paid attention to him, then. I should've realized he'd…"

"How would you ever known he'd flip like that, though?"

"That's just it, Elle. He didn't…"flip"."

"What do you mean?"

"He's always shouting at something. More importantly, he was always…"

"…What?"

"…physically…" he whispered, but his didn't finish his sentence. Chousa's gaze became a hard stare into the ground.

"What?" Elle asked again, but Chousa didn't respond. "Physically what?"

"I wasn't that strong," Chousa began. "When I was born, they didn't think I'd live past my fourth year. My mother treated me like glass. She thought if I tripped, I'd shatter into a million pieces, so she kept me close by. I was such a…frail, scrawny thing. I couldn't really do much when I was younger because running around and being a child was too hard on me."

"Why were you so weak? What happened to you?"

"I don't know, Ellenore. It was just the way I was born. I wasn't that smart, either. I didn't have enough wit or thought to keep up with standard academia, so my mother used to teach me by herself. It was my favorite part of the day. She kind so to me."

"What was she like?"

"Beautiful. Kind. Smart. Thoughtful. She thought she could help everyone, so when she couldn't help Ashurei…"

"I can't imagine how helpless she must've felt."

"Ashurei was so much stronger than I was, then…before he got sick, anyway. He was the best, and he made sure everyone else knew it. I was no exception."

Elle stayed silent.

"This one time, I…" Chousa paused, chuckling slightly, "…when I was eight, I was going through his things. I was just a kid, so I didn't understand how he could be so strong. Somehow, I…figured that if I…if I wore his clothes, maybe some of his strength would pass on to me. Like suddenly, I'd be cured, and my bones would be stronger, I'd grow taller and I'd have enough stamina to run as fast as he could. I remember how his robes just drooped the floor and I'd stare into his mirror. This bony, gaunt, wide-eyed child staring helplessly in a sea of fabric, just looking for anything."

"Didn't Ashurei ever find out?"

"Yeah. He walked in on me."

"Did you tell him what you were doing?"

"Yeah. He said he knew how to help, so he…"

Chousa fell silent. Elle jarred her head forward.

"…he…?" Elle offered.

"…He took me to the garden behind our palace and dunked me into the fountain. He held me under water until I passed out."

Elle felt the feeling in her arms and legs grow numb. Her stomach twisted and churned as it struggled to untie itself from a knot it formed. She placed an uneasy hand over her abdomen in an attempt to settle it, but to no avail. She shifted uncomfortably as her lips formed a firm line.

"I struggled, kicked, and thrashed. I tried so hard to get above the water, but I just couldn't. I was too weak. I just gave up. I couldn't do anything to save myself, so I just gave up."

Elle rolled her lips.

"Why didn't…why didn't you tell anyone?" her voice cracked.

"I was sacred. I assumed it was my own fault for being too weak," he explained. "If I couldn't help myself, then how could anyone else?"

The tips of Elle's hands covered her lips slightly.

"When I came to, the first face I saw was Orion. He pulled me out of the fountain after Ashurei left me there. When he asked me what I was doing there in the first place, I…I just didn't say anything. But I think Orion knew what happened. For a long time, I blamed myself for being so weak. I used to think my father thought the same thing. Ashurei was his favorite, I think. When he got sick, though…"

"Yeah?"

"…I don't think I'll ever forget the way he looked at me when he said he hated me."

"Why did he hate you so much?"

"I don't know," Chousa shook his head. "The loathing turned hatred came when he realized he wouldn't be the king. I was taking his dream away from him, so…"

Elle sniffled slightly. She rubbed the tip of her nose and chuckled to herself.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked," she laughed. "I just…"

Chousa smiled.

"Sorry, it's a little more than what you wanted to know, I suppose."

"But I'm glad I know," Elle smiled. "It's strange. Somehow, I just feel better knowing that even though those things happened to you, you're alive. It's like nothing can stand in your way."

Chousa laughed.

"I never thought of it that way," he smiled. "I guess you're right. If I survived those attempts on my life, I suppose the hard part is over."

"Chousa, I…"

"Hm?"

"…I hope you make the right decision. When you finally meet Ashurei again, I mean."

The pair sat in silence. There was a sudden rumbling noise that caught both of their attention. Chousa and Elle both looked to the source and then back at each other. Chousa rose to his feet and motioned for Elle to stay seated with an outstretched palm. Elle looked anxiously in the direction of the rumbling, which became a series of hurried footsteps. The drips of water were hidden under the oncoming, echoing roar of footsteps that grew louder. Elle stumbled to her feet and leaped behind Chousa as he drew his sword.

Cutting through the darkness and pouring out of each tunnel were several dark-skinned people dressed not so modestly, whine lines painted vertically on their fierce, angry faces. Each of them shared the same weapons; a long, sharp spear that stood well past their height. In the mere second they appeared from the darkness, they pointed the tips of their weapons at Elle and Chousa, surrounding them completely.

"Wonderful," mumbled Chousa.

The pair was back-to-back, hands raised in fear. The horse settled back with a few neighs and shuffles, being hustled away by a few more members of the group.

"We aren't here to harm you or initiate any sort of battle or contest," Chousa announced. His disclaimer went unheard. A single man walked forward, his face fiercely gazing into Chousa's silver orbs.

"You are trespassing. The canyon of the dead belongs to the Thuluz," came his gruff reply.

"We're lost," Elle offered. "We didn't mean to trespass. We just wanted to find a way past the canyon and continue on-"

"You escape from clan member of ours. You spilled his blood."

"He stole our stuff!" Elle shouted. "And he attacked us, too!"

"Ellenore, please," Chousa hushed her.

"You hand over talismans. You had them over now."

"Why do you need them?"

"We keep them safe. We don't want them in soiled hands such this Vientiallan rat. Yggdrisil belongs to people who know the spirits of the dead."

Elle looked anxiously around at the amount of sharp objects pointed in her face. She turned her head to whisper in Chousa's ear as they stood, backs still pressed up against one another.

"What do you we do?"

"Just shut up. Let me take care of this," he replied.

"Vientialla knows nothing of peace. They create balance. They ruin balance. Evil spirits possess them. We are the remedy for their fighting. We take care of talismans, not you."

"How do you know who I am?" Chousa asked.

"Your appearance is nothing short of Vientiallan. You are the prince who murdered his own parents. A rat that should be put to death."

"Hey, wait a minute! Chousa didn't kill anyone-"

"Ellenore," Chousa raised his voice.

A few of the spears jutted at Elle, to which she flinched and pressed into Chousa even further.

"We can come to an agreement," Chousa said. "Please allow me to talk to your leader."

"We cannot allow such disrespect to befall our Anuki."

"Who?" Elle stammered.

"That's their leader," Chousa whispered in back of him. "Just shut up, I'll handle this."

Elle furrowed her brows with her hands still raised.

"Your Anuki doesn't know the half of what's going on. If you allow me to see him, I can share with him valuable information and we can talk about the-"

"You come with us now."

Elle squinted, balling her fists as her arms whipped to her side. She was yanked by one of the dark-skinned people and pushed forward. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Chousa struggling as several people swarmed him. He jutted forward at the thread of spears in his back. Elle found herself with the pointed objects at her back to as they pushed them forward, through the middle passageway. Helplessly, she looked at Chousa's face, but he was sternly staring forward. The group traveled in silence; not a single word escaped any mouth. The sounds of their bare soles hitting the dirt covered floor of the tunnels reverberated to the ends of the tunnel.

When they rounded a corner, they entered a giant room illuminated with torches along the walls. As they entered, several more of the strange people who lived underground greeted them, heads turned, glares abundant. Elle did her best not to look at them, but it was clear that the two of them stuck out like sore thumbs. As they were brought before the Anuki, Elle had a chance to glimpse at his appearance before she was shoved down into a kneel, alongside Chousa.

The Anuki was much older. He wore a perpetual glare that seemed to match his wrinkled, withered face. His upper lip protruded slightly outward as his gaze focused in the pair of trespassers brought before him. Two of the dark-skinned people handed the mirror and the sword to him, to which he gracefully accepted, looking at each of them carefully. Elle could tell what was happening, only by mere audio; she didn't dare lift her head up unless she was told. The command came sooner than she anticipated.

"Stand."

Chousa and Elle were ushered to their feet. The elderly man brandished the sword of Yggdrisil like it was glass. His eyes were alive with interested as his reflection proudly shined back at him. With one hand on the sword and mirror in the other, he handed it off to another beside his seat. A girl, no older than Elle, accepted them gracefully and bowed to her father. She cast one strange look at the two of them before stepping down to join the people now gathered around the altar where the Anuki sat, stroking his chin in consideration at the pair brought before him.

Chousa lowered his head as though signaling his oncoming speech.

"My name is-"

"Silence. Your name matters not to me."

Chousa stopped abruptly. The authority the leader demanded was unlike anything Chousa had ever seen. Not a single soul dared to speak.

"Your kingdom has managed to induce mass suffering across our lands."

The single sentence stung Chousa, but he stood, still unwavering. As uneasy as he was, his eyes did not leave the Anuki's.

"You stand with such arrogance, prince of Vientialla. Have you nothing to say?"

"I come with nothing but peaceful intentions. My companion and I wish to cross through your tunnels in order to reach the other side of the canyon that divides your prairie. Upon exploring your tunnels, we found ourselves lost. Please, we ask for your forgiveness."

Elle's head was still hanging down. Her eyes were boring a hole into the ground, in between her toes. It served as a focal point to aid her focus as the wheels in her head turned.

"Your apologies come as an insult to the Thuluz. Your arbiters have killed many."

At the mention of the Vientiallan arbiters, Chousa stifled an inward growl.

"I am afraid, great Anuki, that you are mistaken. The arbiters are far from my reach of command. I was exiled long ago from Vientialla and only seek a peaceful resolution and a safe home for the talismans we hold."

The Anuki sat on his words and thought carefully before replying.

"These treasures will be safe with the Thuluz. We no longer trust Vientialla to guard Eterra or Yggdrisil. Over and over, we hear the dead crying out for redemption. We hear and are connected with Yggdrisil, but the souls of the ones who have passed on our are guiding light. They seek to protect to talismans, and it is our duty to fulfill their wishes."

"The only way Eterra is going to see peace is if we get rid of them," Chousa spat sharply. "Every second you waste attempting to steal the talismans for yourself, we could spend trying to keep them safe."

"I trust no Vientiallan."

"Then I see this is going to be a difficult conversation, great Anuki. My apologies," he growled.

"Lock them away," the Anuki announced. "I see no reason to further discuss their fate."

As the members of the tribe moved to handle Elle, she looked frantically back at Chousa, who avoided resistance. She felt her arms being pulled in another direction, that is, until she shouted.

"WAIT!"

The tribe members froze. Chousa's head found Elle. The Anuki raised his eyebrows. Elle possessed the attention of every single being in the room. With a quick intake of breath, she began to speak.

"How dare you-you…treat the divine…goddess of another world with…such…" Elle stammered, "…d-disrespect!"

The room went dead silent. The Anuki's face turned to astonishment and then bewilderment.

"Y-yes! The, um…I am the…uh, divine goddess!" she spoke awkwardly. She made eye contact with Chousa briefly. His eyes narrowed while he wore a puzzle expression. More importantly, the attention of the Anuki was hers for the next few minutes.

"I have…heard and seen great and terrible things from the dead! I can, uh…" Elle hesitated, speaking in a deeper tone this time, "…see their discomfort in the treatment of your people by the Vientiallan kingdom!"

She turned stiffly and pointed an accusing finger at Chousa, who looked at her with a hint of confusion. The confusion formed into frustrated sigh in response to Elle's ridiculous charade.

"Forever shame, prince! I have seen the…the, uh, terror! The terror you have put these poor, poor people through! I have come to-to-to…to delivery my…uh, blessing! Yes! A blessing to these people!"

"What are you doing? Enough already," he grumbled.

"Silence! You shall not speak in the presence of the…uh…divine goddess!"

Her frantic face communicated her haphazard plan, but all Chousa could do was let out an exasperated sigh. However, he caught a glimpse of the Anuki. He was on his feet, face in pure shock and horror as he made eye contact with the members of his clan. Immediately, he dropped to his knees. The members followed suit.

"How foolish of us," the Anuki's voice rang clear. "How foolish! It is you, of course! The divine goddess! Here to deliver a blessing to the Thuluz! A great honor," he humbly announced, still on his knees.

"Uh, yes! You are foolish! Very foolish!" she announced in her mock, deep tone. Her eyes flickered back to Chousa, who looked at her with pure annoyance.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed quietly.

"Just shut up, okay? I'm on to something," she hissed back. "Technically, I'm telling the truth!"

"Some goddess you are," he grumbled.

"I demand that you allow me to execute judgment of the prince of Vientialla myself to…uh…repay the…uh…disgraceful and um, disrespectful way you have…treated…me!" she announced.

The Anuki looked upward.

"If you are truly who you say you are," he boomed back, "then you will allow us to execute him ourselves."

Ellenore looked back at Chousa and back at the Anuki. She bit her lip as she watched Chousa's eyes burn into hers with anticipation, but she whipped them away to face the Anuki again, half-breathless.

"It is done," she announced. She looked back at Chousa, but he was already to his boiling point.

[Stapling Scotty]

I just feel like reaching out and Pinching Chousa's cheeks and goind
"Such an angwee wittle princy!!" 4laugh
Love it! heart
Read it all! Cannot wait for the rest! 3nodding

[Dark Gantz]

You made a fantasy world? This has definitely caught my interest. I'll start reading soon.

[Jellybean Disaster]

Thanks, guys~ I'm glad you like it. : ) <3

Also, I realize it's painfully slow/shitty in the beginning, but this is what first drafts are for! XD

[Jellybean Disaster]

Le siiiigh

[Jellybean Disaster]

CHAPTER XV: Valley of the Departed


Elle fidgeted with her hands in her lap nervously. Her eyes flickered around the room and back to the center, clearly unable to stay in one place. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure it would jump through her throat and out of her mouth at any second had she made the wrong move. Still far below Eterra’s surface in a desolate cave with no clear exits, Elle found it hard to focus as she sat quietly on a red, suede pillow. She sat before a lowered, glass table; something completely unexpected in a place like this. Exotic plants seemed to be the norm as well; a strange occurrence given that plants needed sunlight to survive. Ditching the thought, she replaced it with her logic of never questioning anything on this planet – ever.

An hour passed before the Anuki, a worn, dark-skinned man, made his appearance again, smiling brightly at Elle’s stiff presence. He passed through the threshold of the entrance, combing the thin, gauze-like fabric that hung in the way of the passage. He nodded at his fellow members to leave them. Elle saw them exit the room. The tribe’s leader took a seat opposite of Elle. In response, her posture stiffened.

“You seem anxious, divine one,” came his withered voice. Elle let out a nervous chuckle.

“Heh…heh,” Elle nervously looked to the side. His gaze, however, didn’t leave her. It heightened in interest, much to Elle’s dislike. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear sheepishly and sunk her head low.

“What was it like…traveling here from the heavens?”

“…Long,” Elle nodded slowly. “Um…”

“Do explain. I want very much to hear your stories of divinity.”

To call her trip to Eterra divine was laughable at best. Explaining her side of the story sounded like a fairy tale to begin with; there was no use making an elaborate story. A tornado carrying her halfway across the universe sounded ridiculous in itself.

“…A large storm took me and family by surprise,” she nodded. “We were shocked at the storm. But see, our crops were dying because we didn’t have any rain,” she continued.

“A goddess…harvests food like the common man? What manner of world do you come from?”

“Um…I’m not really sure,” Elle replied. The Anuki’s puzzled face worried Elle, so she was quick to continue, “…see, this storm came and swept me up. I was called here to help your…um,” Elle stopped.

“Our people, of course,” he nodded eagerly.

“Yes, exactly,” Elle nodded vigorously. “I was sent here to help you fight...yeah,” Elle trailed off.

“And what help we’ve needed,” he said quietly, reaching for the pot of tea in front of him and pouring her a cup, “we refuse to give up.”

“You’ve lost?”

“Several times…we are not strong enough.”

“The arbiters…?” Elle offered. The Anuki nodded.

“They tore through our people like paper. Mercilessly killing as we defended our friends above ground. We tried to hold them back, but…we lost many of our people. Now that you’re here, it seems we have a new wind behind us, to push us forward to victory.”

“…Yeah,” Elle’s eyes shifted to the side. “You know…I’d like to look around, if you don’t mind? I noticed some of the doors in your tunnels are locked and...well, to secure you’re victory, I think it would be a good idea to familiarize myself with your tunnels. You wouldn’t mind…?”

The Anuki looked blank for a moment. However, a firm nod gave Elle much relief.

“Of course.”

“I’d like to start with looking the Vientiallian prince in the eye before he dies. I think that would be best. What do you think?”

“You have my blessing.”

-

With keys in hand, Elle nodded at the people she passed, one by one, they nodded and gave proper respects. She was beyond floored that simply asking for something – for once – was all she needed to do to attain something. With an anxious look in back of her, she rounded a corner and followed a staircase to a far more dingy layer. These tunnels ceased to fascinate Elle; they simply knew no boundaries or depth. Behind a locked door in a cavity with no lighting, sat Chousa, back facing the doorway, head sunken. When the door opened, he looked back in surprise at Elle standing at the threshold. His surprised features quickly became that of disdain.

“Is this a game to you?” he hissed viciously.

“What do you mean? And keep your voice down, someone’ll hear you,” she scolded defiantly, stepping into the chamber and closing the door no more than to allow just a crack.

“How did you even find me?”

“I…just asked?”

“You…”

Chousa let out an exasperated sigh and buried his hands in his face. He looked at her again and pulled himself to his feet. In the darkness, the faint light peeking through the door outlined his silhouette, Elle’s shadow casting briefly over him.

“Nevermind. What now?” he said in a hushed tone.

“I’ve got an idea. Look,” she grinned. In her hands were the mirror and the sword.

-

Elle looked in front of her at all times. The tunnels were desolate; there wasn’t a soul to be spotted. There was a brief wind that shuffled through the tunnels, all the while creating an eriee howl. Chousa looked in back of him.

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yes, the Anuki said it was here somewhere. If we keep going this way, we’ll find the passage out of here. Can’t you feel the draft? That means we’re close.”

Chousa decided against commenting further. The sword hung at his side again, and Elle looked at down at the mirror. Her hands clutched the item as it pulsated somewhat. She stopped in her tracks to look at the mirror. An anxious face gazed back at her at the pulsating feeling grew stronger with each passing second. Chousa stopped behind her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Chousa…the mirror, it’s—“

Before Elle could finish, the mirror began to give off a faint glow.

“We should keep going this way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, I just…”

Elle wandered over to a slab without any paintings. The faint glowing turned into a bright illumination.

“It’s…through this…wall,” she commented.

“How do you know?”

“I think the mirror is trying to—“

The two of them jerked their heads back at a scuffle. A lone, dark-skinned man, much like the tribe they encountered before, looked at them with pure horror before yelling in protest. Elle ran over to protest, but Chousa knocked her back before whipping his sword over the man’s head. He crumpled to the ground in a heap of dust.

“Well, now they’re on to us.”

Elle turned back around and put her hand on the slab. Before their eyes, it disappeared.

“Then we’d better hurry.”

The slab reappeared behind them as they stepped through the makeshift threshold. A large room, unlike anything they had been walking through the past few hours, appeared to have completely black, marble walls. Pillars signifying a path lit with torches served as their only guide as they cautiously walked forward. A pillar of white light was shining down on a pair of caskets, placed in front of stone statues holding piercing gazes.

“What is this place…?” Elle lingered, still clutching the mirror.

“This is a tomb.”

“W-what?” Elle asked incredously. She shivered and twirled, looking anxiously around her. Lining the walls were other caskets as well, each accompanied with various statues.

He passed a hand over the coffins lying in the pillar of light. Above, he spotted an opening.

“Maybe that’s what the mirror was trying to tell us,” Elle mumbled.

“Yes, but how do we get up there?”

The two stood in silence. Elle found herself looking at the statutes.

“This place is creepy.”

“My ancestors are buried here, actually.”

“…What?”

“This place…this is resting place of the monarchs that fought in the great war. They were the ones who united Eterra in a time of turmoil.”

“Kind of like they’re doing now, huh?”

“The reverse, actually,” Chousa grumbled.

“If Vientialla is at the center, why are your ancestors buried there?”

“We have to keep their bodies safe. If they aren’t safe, we can’t be sure that Yggdrisil will take their spirit.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here – these caves, I mean – and the tribes we encountered here, the Thuluz? They are the guardians of the dead. When monarchs – like those that rule Vientialla – die, they’re buried here, where they can be looked after. At least, that’s what we’ve been raised to believe here. I can’t blame the Thuluz for wanting to keep the talismans safe, but…”

He walked away from the altar and scanned the dimly lit room. In the same moment that he drifted away, the mirror began its resonating, cycling glow. It was pulsating slightly as Elle drew it upwards. The soft glow emanated by the talisman caught Chousa’s attention as well. He turned to watch Elle descend from the altar as well. The glowing grew in brightness as she walked towards Chousa’s frame.

“Why is it glowing again…?” he pondered out loud. Elle shook her head, only following the path it seemed to take her on. As she drew closer to the blank wall behind the altar, the mirror increased it’s illumination, only ceasing after Elle raised her hand to the wall. When she did so, the wall vanished. There, in front of them, was a pathway to the surface. The two of them breath a sigh of relief, but not before a thunderous roar came from in back of them. The pair jerked around, coming face to face with the Anuki, backed by several of the Thuluz.

“Run. Now.”

Elle headed the warning. The two of them sprinted down the corridor, the faint light of dawn drawing near as they rushed to reach it. The angry shouting of the horde massing behind them drew closer, only drawing back slightly when they reached the a steep staircase. Gasping for breath, Chousa clung to Elle’s wrist and dragged her along up the staircase, running out of the caves and into the surface. Elle gasped as the cliff that was waiting for them. Chousa stole a glimpse in back of him, and with only a few seconds to make a decision, jerked Elle forward and threw her off of the cliff and into the ocean below, following her into the depths.

-

Albion, Oklahoma, October 2nd, 1992

Elle stared blankly into the ceiling of her room.

With blonde hair sprawled across a pillow, she rolled her lips, all the while turning to face Max, who sat eagerly, wagging his tail upon making eye contact.

“What are you looking at?” Elle grumbled. Max whined and laid his head down on the ground. Her eyes rolled lazily to the unfinished college application on her desk. She closed her eyes, but not before she found herself crying.

I don’t want to leave here.

Going to college is like being…being sent to another world.

-

When Chousa awoke, he found himself at the other end of several blunt objects. When he realized they were tree branches held by small children who stood on either side of him, he rolled over. The children, surprised, jumped back and dropped the twigs. They stood in awe at the pale-faced prince, who lifted himself, but not before coughing up water and falling to his side. His side was covered in wet sand, the ocean’s current was relentless in it’s ripples, splashing Chousa time after time, waiting only a few seconds between each tide.

“You okay, mister?” a small voice asked. Chousa stared at the one who asked, but out of the corner of his eye, spotted another body washed up on the shore. Lying on her side in the sand was Elle. Chousa scampered to his feet, falling beside Elle and scooping her up into her arms, lightly patting her face.

“Hey,” Chousa breathed. “Ellenore. Ellenore!”

No response. Chousa shook her damp figure roughly.

“Come on, wake up! Wake up! Elle!”

Elle’s head lulled to the side. In the midst of Chousa’s efforts to wake her, Elle’s eyes snapped open and she lurched forward, coughing heavily. She leaned forward and steadied herself with her palms, the waves splashing against her arms. Chousa guided her form and placed a hand on the small of her back.

“Are you okay?”

Through coughing, Elle was able to muster a nod. When she composed herself, she cast an angry glare at Chousa.

“What was that, back there? Throwing me into the ocean like that?”

“You’d rather fight off an angry horde of heavily armed—“

“Excuse me?”

The two of them stopped short to look at an older man standing above them. The children with twigs stood sheepishly behind him as he held the sword and mirror in his hands.

“Are these yours? My kids…they found them lying in the sand. Are you two all right? What happened to you?”

[lovemelater39]

I really like this!