The Devil's Tear

Chapter 34- Ixeldra

One day after the Exedras Twins were raised.

Fortuna Exedras flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, sipping from the golden-handled cup. Her sister sat across from her at the small round table. Beatrice fingered the embroidered tablecloth, biting her lower lip.

“Sister,” Beatrice spoke, “What is going on here? This is not our Tytania.”

“This is Tytania,” Fortuna assured, “As Vesta has explained, it has undergone drastic change due to Ixeldra. But the people are the same.”

“What is Ixeldra?” Beatrice groaned, letting her head bow. Her golden ringlets cradled the sides of her face.

“Were you not listening?” Fortuna sighed. “The Devil has ascended twice.”

“I know that,” Beatrice rolled her eyes, almost forcefully slamming her palm on the table. Fortuna sipped the fragrant and hot drink, and continued, “First, it was Ixeldra. Second, it was when Xerxes ruled. The details of how he managed to enter Tytania the second time are unknown.”

“I’m asking about Ixeldra!” Beatrice muttered.

“Be patient,” Fortuna smirked, “Ixeldra occurred after our passing. The citizens blame the two of us for it.”

Beatrice’s button-shaped mouth fell open. “W-why?”

“We are labelled as the Twins of Destruction,” Fortuna revealed bitterly. “Do you remember the day we were crowned?”

The golden-haired queen responded with a slight nod. Fortuna inhaled, “We were gifted two silver stones. Those stones were a ‘reflection of our purity’, as the priests told us. Usually, there would be only one stone, but we were two rulers, so another one had to be crafted.

“The short ritual after the coronation… I’m sure you remember. The priests took our blood. They dipped one stone in my blood, and one in yours. Vesta has revealed to me, that those so-called priests were ridding themselves of a terrible burden.”

Beatrice was engrossed in her sister’s tale. “A burden?”

“Yes. Our father had trusted those very priests with the Devil’s seal. Metaphorically, it would be a line between the Devil’s world and Tytania. Those priests, without our knowledge, transferred the seal’s energy into our stones. When our blood came into contact with the stones, everything was upon our shoulders. We were the protectors of the seal without knowing it.

“The priests failed to realize, that when we passed on, the seal would be undone,” Fortuna concluded. “Our fates, yours and mine, were the same. It’s understandable now, why we died during the same night. You might have died before me, but the unbalance between the stones would have caused my death shortly after.

“After we passed on, the line between the two worlds was shaken. While the seal was dying away completely, past the point of reparation, the citizens, priests, and nobles fought for the throne.”

“I still don’t understand what the term Ixeldra refers to,” Beatrice growled, fazed greatly by the tale.

“It refers to when the seal had broken completely. The Devil ascended, and there was absolutely no one there to come in his way. His world overlapped ours, destroying everything in the way. The fertile land, the numerous resources, and the islands vanished, leaving behind grey space. The population remained, strangely. Probably for the Devil’s entertainment. In other words, Ixeldra is when the Devil’s world overlapped Tytania.”

“So… Tytania became another underworld,” Beatrice exclaimed in disbelief. “Then what?”

“Simple,” Fortuna sighed, “The Devil grew bored. He returned below to his original world.”

“The Tytania today, the one Vesta is ruling over,” Beatrice’s hand clasped over her mouth, “is actually… the grey world left behind by the Devil all those years ago?"

“Yes,” Fortuna realized her drink had finished, and her mouth was dry from all the talking. “But I commend the citizens. They have restored the land almost to its previous beauty.”

“This is unbelievable,” Beatrice ran a hand through her long hair. “Why exactly did the citizens blame the two of us?”

Fortuna smiled. “Remember the two stones’ main purpose was reflecting our purity. The stones had become black after our death. That was actually the result of the seal being broken, but the priests and nobles misinterpreted. They thought it was our ‘impurity’.”

“But that doesn’t mean we caused the Devil’s ascent,” Beatrice folded her arms over her chest, rocking the chair back and forth with her heel.

“Rumours travel quickly,” Fortuna said quietly. “And I’m sure those priests were the ones who started those rumours.”

Beatrice and Fortuna gazed into each others’ eyes for a few moments. It was Beatrice who broke the silence, “So why are we here now?”

“I have bought you two to prove your innocence to the people, and to aid me in intercepting the Devil from ascending again,” Vesta’s voice rung through the two Queens’ ears. “But it is up to you if you want to help."

“We will,” the two sisters replied instantly and simultaneously. Vesta smiled in satisfaction.

“Vesta,” Beatrice furrowed her brow, “Where is your purity stone?”

“With somebody. I wonder if he figured it out yet,” Vesta mused to herself. “Your pet’s vessel.”

“Bahamut?” Fortuna raised an eyebrow. “You mean Alexei Isaura?”

“Yes,” Vesta smiled, pleased that Fortuna had remembered each detail of what Vesta had explained to her before. “After I released him, Alexei was unsure of my motives. He didn’t look like he was going down without a fight. Conveniently, I had imprisoned Cytheria before, and hastily used my stone as the key. I had forgotten the dungeons’ individual keys back in my drawer.

“I gave the stone to Alexei to free Cytheria and leave… and also to return his faith in me. He didn’t notice right away, I am sure. I doubt he noticed even now.” [A/N: You can refer to Chapter 26- Established Lemare, last five lines. :3 ]

“Aside from that, Vesta,” Beatrice waved a hand. “How do we help?”

“As much as I hate to do this, we must find Cornelia,” Vesta muttered, “Her presence is vital.”

“What of young Euphrosyne?” Fortuna said softly.

“We must keep her out of harm’s way,” Vesta said gravely. “My Queens, you two must know how to enter and speak into another’s mind.”

“Yes, we do,” Fortuna assured.

“I request of you to keep an eye on the entire group. Euphrosyne, Arisa, Demetri, Allegra, Artemis, Alexei, Irma, and Cytheria,” Vesta bowed her head.

Fortuna and Beatrice exchanged determined looks. Fortuna cleared her throat, “I’ll take the first four. Beatrice, you take the rest.”

Vesta sighed in relief. Her plan was going well. She would intercept the Devil’s threat, and save Euphrosyne.

“My Queens, I must ask you another favour,” Vesta whispered, “The sanctuary in Magus, BlackOrs, is run by dishonest priests. Will you take it upon yourselves to permanently freeze the Devil’s control within Euphrosyne?”

Beatrice smiled kindly, “Of course.”

A/N: I hope I haven't dumped too much information. I was planning to make it very much longer than this, but my head exploded by getting so much onto Word. T.T If this confused you, tell me, and I will clarify.

Thank you for reading!