”We knew we wouldn’t hesitate.” ~Liona Veli

  Xiv spent time in the Forge of his Mind Palace. He had accompanied Frill on her trip to Veli Manor and had suddenly lost consciousness once again the moment he had stepped foot on the establishment. Once was a fluke, but a second had been a warning. Though neither him nor the other persona residing within him understood what was going on.

  “It could be your homesickness interfering with my psyche,” he guessed, talking to Liona. While she wasn’t the real Liona, both of them had agreed that she should still take the name.

  “Sorry…” was all she said. She had joined him in polishing his Armaments before, but she was in no mood to participate currently. He didn’t mind.

  “It’s not a problem,” Xiv said after preparing the whetstone for his weapons. Benovrymm lay on a workbench. The pair of hammers chained to their respective swords awaited their owner.

  The whetstone was different. It was a meiyal-charged material he had acquired a few days ago from a Nightmare. Mother Selfiya had purified it for him.

  “It’s natural to be homesick,” he began, taking one of the blades. The chains extended according to his will, allowing for the hammer to remain on the workbench. “Even if it’s not the cause of the issue, I understand.”

  “Are you not going back to Vyndival?”

  “The odds of that happening are pretty low, yeah.”

  The moment Xiv placed the whetstone at the base of Benovrymm’s blade, the meiyal pressure within the entire Forge escalated dramatically. It wasn’t crushingly so, but it caused their conversation to stop, both of them focused on the blade and the stone.

  “You sure you want to do that?” Liona whispered.

  Without moving his hands, Xiv gave the living alter ego a look of assurance. He smiled, noting her confused look.

  “Didn’t you want to help out more?” he asked. “Everyone’s getting stronger except for us. I’m pretty sure they’ve taken, and are taking, greater risks compared to this little whetstone.”

  “What is it anyway?” Liona asked.

  “Mother Selfiya called it Diamond Edge,” he replied. “Despite its name, I think it’s a pretty common material. Dystro and the others have it. Even Venry got one.”

  “For a common material, the meiyal pressure alone seems too intense,” Liona countered.

  “Maybe. The Void Mother did say she had never seen so many of them at once. And its effects are supposedly pretty strong.”

  “Like?”

  “Well it adds a meiyal resource for me to pull from.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know even Armament practitioners have that too.”

  “We do.”

  At this point, Xiv relaxed and lifted the Diamond Edge from Benovrymm. Right away, the intensity of the meiyal pressure alleviated from the room.

  “We Mine the environmental meiyal, which we now know as Brymeia’s meiyal. Then we Smelt it with our own meiyal. We store Smelted meiyal in meiyal layers, which is equivalent to your meiyal marks. Lastly, we use those to either Forge our Weapons and Armor, or to Reinforce our bodies in different ways.”

  “Oh, so you just add more meiyal resources when you Smelt, like when we Mill.”

  “Yep.”

  Xiv presented the whetstone to Liona. It had a black sheen to it, nothing like a diamond. But when he turned the stone, the light reflected a different hue, a sort of dark shine within the surface. The former maid took the stone and studied it.

  “What else does it do?” she asked.

  “Well, it should improve my Forged Weapons in a way that’s not considered an Embellishment. See those, they sort of combine with the Weapon or the Armor. This diamond, however, can improve multiple Weapons.”

  “But not Armor?”

  “Not Armor, no. It’s a whetstone.”

  “Right.” Liona nodded and returned. “What sort of improvements?”

  At this, Xiv shrugged. “No idea.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re just taking it without knowing first?”

  “What’s the difference?” Xiv asked, taking the whetstone. “It’s in the nature of meiyal-charged materials to be mysterious. Most practitioners don’t get more than one. And only those from the Order usually get special ones like this Diamond Edge.”

  “I guess.” Liona shrugged. “Well, it’s your body…”

  “You’re helping,” Xiv said, narrowing his eyes.

  “How?” she complained.

  “Try to get help if something goes wrong.”

  Liona looked like a child who couldn’t be bothered to do anything her parents told her to do. To be fair, she didn’t want to show herself to anyone. If she had ended up in Frill’s body, she would’ve done her best to hide until the last possible moment.

  “It’s not like it’ll happen,” Xiv began. “But in the worst case scenario, I need you to try and call for help.”

  “I don’t even know how to do that.”

  “You’ll think of something.” The former Lord Knight now turned Royal Knight placed the whetstone in position once again. And once more, the meiyal pressure around the room became heavy.

  “You’re really going to put this on luck?”

  “We need to catch up, Liona,” Xiv said, admitting his weakness. “Your sister is destined for great things. I want us to be beside her when that happens.”

  Without waiting for another word, he ran the Diamond Edge along Benovrymm’s blade.

  The sparks that ignited on that weapon were dark blue and green hues. But before Xiv could assess what improvements he had acquired, his body forced himself to wake up.

  Xiv shot up awake to see Frill looking at a tear in space. He turned to the window to see that the moons had already risen.

  “How long have you been trying?” he asked, skipping all the preamble, and going straight to the Spatiera in front of them.

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  “Hours,” Frill replied, not even bothering to check on him. At this point, both of them were already used to his sudden blackouts. He trusted she would check up on him while she trusted he would eventually wake up. “After I made sure you’re alright, I went straight to work.”

  “Am I in your room?”

  An awkward pause gave Xiv a moment to observe his environment.

  It was definitely a lady’s bedroom, hoisting a harmony of light colors. Plushies of different animals filled the rose pink bed. The smell was nice. And everything was organized. Too organized, actually.

  “It’s my room,” Liona said.

  “It’s Liona’s room,” Frill said, not knowing anything about the alter ego residing within Xiv. She held Liona’s crystalized meiyal. The Spatiera in front of them had stabilized and the Aria’s intentions were clear.

  “Promise me you’re not going to laugh,” Liona said, sounding nervous all of a sudden. Xiv was too curious to reply.

  Frill stretched out a hand and carefully pulled out her sister’s personal effects. She started with common wardrobes, some long dresses, oversized casual attire, slippers, and more assortments of clothes. She carefully placed them on the floor and categorized them by type. On a few items or so, she would stop to look, tracing her fingers on the object. Liona, then, would proceed to explain in Xiv’s head.

  “That’s a sunhat she gave to me on my ninth birthday,” she started. “It was the first time she ever learned how to make handicrafts and sew clothes. She really got into it.”

  After a while, Frill started pulling out undergarments.

  “Spatiera’s pretty handy, huh?” Xiv said internally, trying to stifle a laugh. The Aria noticed and shot a death glare, then positioned herself to make sure that he wouldn’t see the rest of the garments.

  That didn’t work. Men had their ways.

  “Shut up!” Liona’s voice turned to squeals as the garments turned skimpier than the previous ones. “If we had known a man as lecherous as you would be looking at our underwear after the real me died, we would’ve hidden those things somewhere else! Don’t laugh at a girl’s fashion sense!”

  “That’s it for the clothes.” Frill gave a soft sigh as she continued to rummage through the Spatiera. “Can you give me a hand?”

  “Sure,” Xiv said, ignoring the rampaging Liona inside his head.

  Frill started pulling out various tools for different purposes. Some were for housecleaning, others were for gardening, while some still were for the kitchen. None were too big, but they numbered quite a few too many.

  “Alright, I really have to say it this time. This Meiyal Art is really handy,” he said as he carried some meiyal-crafted power tools, organizing them by purpose and size. He was extra careful with the fragile looking ones. The clutter was proving to be too much for the room, so they decided to place them outside.

  “They’re really convenient, especially for things that don’t involve meiyal. As long as they still fit within your Worldspace.”

  “Ah, so there’s a limit?”

  “Well, we can’t fit living creatures, as far as I know.”

  Frill pulled out books this time, old and new with varying thickness. She held one particularly old-looking book.

  “That’s my favorite,” Liona said. “Tell her to open it.”

  “Open it.” Xiv said it so monotonously, without thought or motive, that Frill followed it unquestioned.

  A piece of paper slipped out as the pages fluttered. Frill took it and read. Her eyes moved faster on each line and she began to cry. By the end of it, she was kneeling on the bedside, weeping soft sobs.

  Xiv gently took the note from her hand. Just judging from the handwriting, he was sure it hadn’t come from the Letterman.

  

  To my dearest sister, Frill

  If you’re reading this note, then I’m no longer around. I’m sorry for leaving you behind. I love you and Mother and Brother. Please send my love to them. I will be with Father now.

  The times we share together are the most precious to me. Please remind the Princess to always take her days off, even though we both know she wouldn’t listen. If Lady Katherine should ever return, please tell her that I miss her so much. And if it’s not too much to ask, can I ask you to take care of Fittey, too?

  Send my love to Minaveil as well. I’ve grown to love this province, and I wish we can stay here forever.

  My sister, please don’t cry for me. A part of me will always be with you.

  With most love,

  Liona

  “You did know you were going to die,” Xiv said, his eyes starting to ache.

  “We knew we wouldn’t hesitate.”

  Xiv’s jaw began to shake as he forced his emotions to keep still. He was a Vyndivalian knight, his training alone could keep confusion and fear at bay. And yet, this feeling was too difficult for him to withstand. A single tear forced itself out of his eye.

  “Do you want to talk to her?” he asked.

  There was no response. Not right away.

  “No,” Liona answered. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “Just let me know when you change your mind.” Xiv looked at Frill, and he decided that he, too, wouldn’t hesitate.

  They spent the rest of that night clearing everything from Liona’s Spatiera.

  Lynera forced her own spit down her throat. Her travels had been tiring. Although not fully welcomed by the people of Irista Nation, Minaveil Province specifically, a short respite after being through the harsh Desolate Lands and the long, winding Flat Lands was more than welcome.

  The mere beauty of Minaveil Province, its simplicity and liveliness, differed almost too unbearably when compared to the situation of the Vyndival Kingdom. Despite the wary glances of the common folk, Lynera appreciated their way of living and had wished the same for Urzic’s people.

  She, along with her companions, Tristan and Dylan, spent a number of evenings under the care of a young and pretty-looking girl by the name of Bennie. She had seemed reluctant at first, but after a short discussion with Mayor Midan Goldes, the young girl had conceded and had allowed them to stay in her inn. She had provided food and rest along with all sorts of hospitality.

  Lynera had spent each evening trying to talk to Bennie. Though there would be nights when the young girl wouldn’t return to the inn, every time she had, the Vyndivalian’s ambassador had always made an effort to befriend her.

  After some time, they finally got word that the Monarch had called for them. And with the summons, Mayor Midan had instructed Bennie to accompany them. Lynera appreciated that gesture. It meant that a local Iristan could vouch personally for their good behavior. Whether that young girl could protect them from potential harm was another matter, but this was as good as any sort of protection.

  A couple of days passed, and soon they landed on Central.

  There, they were immediately met by Sky Knights and were escorted to the High Palace, causing them to miss the opportunity to fully appreciate the capital city of Irista Nation. Bennie had promised them to give her and her companions a tour some other time.

  The mere view of the dragon head in the sky was enough to take Lynera’s breath away. Procedures were meticulous, and therefore slow, but she was too busy taking in the environment to even care about it.

  Spectators, politicians, and other military men and women sent suspicious glances at her and her companions as they slowly walked past the gates. She ignored them to the best of her abilities.

  With Bennie’s help, along with Mayor Midan’s letter of recommendation, they were able to pass without issue.

  Then there was one woman. Her hair boasted a black shine with dog-ears perked up in excitement. Another woman stood beside her, glacial white hair flowing down her waist and eyes of ruby red. The canintine issued the escorts and guards to step aside and they finally met eye to eye.

  “Lynera?” asked the canintine.

  The felintine ambassador couldn’t believe her eyes. And the next word she said were trembling, as if to say it towards a ghost she had longed to see again.

  “Selfiya?”

  Their shocked expressions gradually turned to wide smiles, and Mother Selfiya almost threw herself that Lynera barely caught the weight.

  “I’ve been so worried! What happened to you?” Selfiya’s eyes examined her from head to toe, and her gaze was magnetized to Lynera’s chest. “You bear the mark of Vyndival. Just like they said…”

  The felintine couldn’t hide her own excitement. “It’s a long story, sis. I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. I must speak with the Monarch right away.”

  “She’s waiting in the palace,” said the woman with red eyes. The memory hit Lynera, and she finally recognized Katherine.

  “Katherine!” she almost jumped. “I almost didn’t recognize you!”

  “New hair,” said the Lady of the Void. “Let’s go. With me around, no knight should bother you anymore.”

  “Umm…” Bennie, who had been quiet during the entire reunion finally stepped forward. “I’ll wait here, if that’s okay?”

  “Find somewhere to relax, or something to eat,” Katherine said. “My treat. They’ll recognize Enza. We’ll come look for you after we’re done.”

  Suddenly, a huge yuma appeared beside the young girl. She yelped in a panic, but eventually went her own way.

  As they entered the palace, Lynera commanded her escorts to remain a fair distance from the throne as she approached the female Monarch by herself. There, her eyes affixed to no one else but to the small girl, her felintine senses detecting a charisma and presence worthy of a leader. She found a comfortable distance and bent both knees to the ground, paying her respects to the one sitting on the elevated throne at the end of the hall.

  “Hail Kristel Irista, Monarch of the Irista Nation.”

  “State your name,” said the girl, her voice commanding, cautious, and yet exhausted.

  “I am Lynera Lunasensia. I bear word from the King of Vyndival, Urzic Lasterfol.”

  Monarch Kristel made a quick glance over to Selfiya, who sent confirmation of her last time with a bow.

  “She is my sister, Your Highness. A Mother of the Void in training. Our Sanctum was destroyed before she could accomplish her pilgrimage.”

  The Monarch nodded and turned her eyes back to Lynera. They were piercing, observant, and yet somehow, they lack sleep.

  “What does Urzic have to say?”

  Lynera directly met the Monarch’s eyes. There was only one word to save Vyndival, and in turn prevent Irista nation from becoming the Nightmare Land’s next victim. One word to start the wheels spinning. One word to fight the Nightmare Lands, with or without the Visitor.

  “Peace.”

  See you on the next release!

  Shall Allren

  Eternal Wrath!