CECILIA
It's been right at a week since Grey brought me to Dicathen. I've had so much time to sit and think that I've been driving myself insane. I still have my core restricted with a different artifact, but they removed the mana-restriction cuffs. That was Commander Virion's idea. Apparently even though I'm not his granddaughter, he still hurts at the sight of me in discomfort. Though, of course I'm in discomfort mentally. I've got two sides of a story that are nothing alike. Nico was always there for me. He saved me during my outbursts of ki, killed a man in an alleyway with a rusty nail to protect me, and eventually even asked me to marry him. How can I believe the words of the man who abandoned us to go and work with some hag of a woman just to avenge Headmaster Willbeck?
I missed her too, but I never was going to turn a whole country into ruin like Nico tells me Grey did for her. She gave me a place to sleep, food to eat, and even tried to send me to school, but Grey took it too far. And after all of that, he trained endlessly just to face me in the end of the King's Crown Tournament. Wait... why was I at the tournament in the first place? Why was I facing Grey? Oh right, it was that sponsor of his, Lady Vera. She trained him to be way better than me in terms of sword skill but he could never hold his own against me in a full-on battle. I had way too much ki and could make as many ki weapons as I wanted almost instantly. How did he win?
Is he right?
I need to hear his whole side of the story.
I decide to take a stroll around the Sanctuary seen as I've been deemed harmless by the Council because of my core restrictor. I was looking for Grey, I suppose. He has his side of the story, and I need to determine which one makes more sense. He usually attends a few of the Council's meetings during the day and then trains his sister before bed. I never knew him to be this caring about others. He has genuine smiles when he looks at Commander Virion, Eleanor, and his mother. I don't remember him smiling very often at all on Earth. This makes everything so much more difficult understand.
It took me around ten minutes to reach the other end of the Sanctuary where Grey often trains his sister. I found them sparring, but Eleanor wasn't holding back whatsoever, filling him with mana arrows from the neck down. Is she insane?
I considered jumping out to make them stop, but then my eyes went wide when the holes in his body began to close, leaving only tears in his clothing. What is happening here?
I observed them for around an hour from a nearby alleyway, not wanting to interrupt the rather intense training session. When they finally ended, they shared a short conversation that I couldn't hear due to not being able to enhance my senses. From a couple paces away, he turns around abruptly, noticing me.
Whenever I thought he may end up making his way over to me, he disappears in a bolt of lightning and appears in front of his sister, then seconds later, I see her begin to sprint back into the central area.
Grey looked over his shoulder with a complex expression. I couldn't tell if he was trying to read my intent or ask me a question telepathically. After a few seconds of staring at me, he simply shakes his head and walks in the opposite direction that Eleanor ran. Was he trying to tell me something?
'I think so. He's always very cryptic.'
I jump at the sound of another voice in my head. It still is incredibly unfamiliar. I can't tell if it's my feelings or Tessia's, but there is an overwhelming sense that I can trust Grey with my life. He's very strong, dependable, and he keeps his promises. Wait, he does?
I chose to follow him as stealthily as possible. He probably knows I'm pursuing him, but just in case he's oblivious, I'll try and stay out of sight.
We make it around a quarter of a mile before he comes to a stop, turns around, and looks to the sky. I follow his gaze to see two of the lances that are on the Council. They fly down towards Grey as I begin to hear hundreds of simultaneous footsteps. Panicked, I throw my head back around the corner. Is something happening?
Just as that thought came to my mind, every molecule of air was ripped from my lungs as it felt like the weight of a thousand suns pressed down on my shoulders. The pressure was so heavy that it caused even physical damage to the Sanctuary as the ground beneath my feet began to shake.
I use every ounce of willpower in my body to bring my gaze back to where Grey is and see a terrifying sight: a plethora of heavily armed Alacryan soldiers with a few banners raised into the air. Run! He's going to massacre you all!
As the pressure finally recedes, the lances land a few paces behind Grey but abruptly stop as he says something indiscernible to them. I tilt my head in confusion. Are they not going to help him against that legion of Alacryans?
My question is answered almost immediately as the familiar black scales with a golden glow begin to envelop his body. Two onyx horns line his face, and a purple wolf jumps from out of Grey's form.
Grey conjures a purple blade in his right hand, and a ball of purple energy in his left. What kind of energy is that?
The purple ball in his left hand grows to be the height of him as it catapults towards the now few dozen shields that were erected to stop Grey's advance. I watch as over 50 Alacryan soldiers turn into nothing but a memory. My heart sinks. So much wasted life.
I pull my head back from observing the carnage as I hear distant screams and please for help. I tuck my knees into my chest and use my hands to cover my ears while my stomach curdles. This is war. This is Grey's forte. Those soldiers are doomed.
After what was only a minute or two, the shouting and clattering of metal stops. Is it over already?
I turn my head back around the corner, and my jaw instantly goes slack. They're gone? There's not even a remnant of them. No blood, no shields, no armor, no bodies. Nothing. The lances stare out in shock at Grey as the wolf enters his body and the scales dissipate. Grey is... smiling?
I bring myself to my feet and lean against the wall to wretch out my day's rations. The sheer thought of reducing a whole legion of Alacryan soldiers to not even a pile of ash was terrifying. And then to have the audacity to smile after the fact?
I raise my head to see Grey making his way over to me. His smirk falls into the same pained expression he gets every time he sees me in passing.
"You could have been hurt, Cecil. Why did you follow me?" he asks.
"I- I wanted to speak to you about something, but you were busy with Eleanor so I waited. Then, all of this happened, and I couldn't have left if I tried considering the amount of intent you were letting permeate into the air," I reply, trying to regain my composure.
"Sorry about that. Not only did I hurt you but I also made you watch that," he says as he scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Sorry? You just reduced a whole legion to nothing. Literally nothing. I wanted to ask you about Earth, but given the display you put on, I think I may have my answer," I spit out as I turn my back and make my way back to my quarters.
A hand wraps around my arm.
"Wait, Cecilia. I'm sure you're about to go back to the center of the city and contemplate, but listen to me real quick," he says, spinning me to face him. "First, what you saw was a part of war. You may not have noticed since you were cooped up in Taegrin Caelum the whole time, but I've watched more people that I cared about die than the people I just killed. Alacrya would have done the same to all of Sanctuary. Don't look at me like I'm some monster for protecting my family and my people. Second, I want to talk to you about Earth too. In fact I was wanting to ask you about it myself, but I didn't want to talk about it before you were ready. But, third, we can't talk about it now because we need to evacuate the Sanctuary. So, when you do go back to your quarters, pack your things because I'm not leaving you here for two reasons: One, because you're still in Tess' body which I need to bring her back. And two, I'm not going to let you fall back into Agrona's hands. For both of our sakes," he finishes.
"That.... gives me even more to think about, Grey. Okay, I'll go and pack up my few things. When are we leaving?" I ask.
"If I have my way, in a few hours," he replies.
I give him a gentle nod and let him walk away first. I then go back to my quarters that are across the way from the Council building so that they could keep an eye on me. Whenever I approached, I heard a lot of shouting from the Council building itself. I wanted to pry but got a very stern look from the Elven guard at the entrance, so I retreated into my room.
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Just as Grey said, around two hours later, a lot of commotion began to stir outside. I had already packed my very few belongings: A spare set of clothing, a small notebook and quill, some sandals, and my now useless dimension ring.
I hear knocking on the doorframe and turn to see Grey leaning against the opening.
"You ready? We've got a few hours worth of walking to do, and you likely won't be able to come back here ever again," he says.
"I only have what you guys have given me. You've already searched through my dimension ring for any valuable information too. Not that I can use it anyway," I reply, looking at my feet. "Hey, Grey."
"Hm?" he hums.
"Why are you still nice to me?" I ask.
"Because I'm not the Grey that you think I am," he finishes while turning around and walking out of the door.
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We walked the same pathway that we made to get from the chamber Grey first brought me to. It took hours. There was even a portion that instilled unparalleled despair and dread, but Commander Virion ushered everyone through saying that "we" all went through this last time.
The familiar hexagonal room with the dais in the center was still in ruin. I need to ask Grey what happened here. Everyone I've asked has either told me off or blatantly ignored me.
"Alright Everyone, I'm going to start this portal up soon, so everyone get in two single-file lines. Do you all have the artifacts that I gave you?" Grey announces. A plethora of affirmations follow. "Alright in that case, we can begin. Lances in front. You may encounter danger. You'll enter and then I'll begin to send the rest 60 seconds later. Understand?"
"Yes, Lance Godspell," Bairon jests.
"Good to know you still have the energy to joke around. Now get in there," Grey says as the portal begins to hum and glow purple.
The lances enter through the portal, and Grey begins to count to 60. On 61, he gestures for the first in line to enter. It's an Elven couple holding an infant. The infant looks over the shoulder of the mother while chewing on an ivory medallion- the artifacts Grey gave us. Just before the couple enters, the baby drops the "simulet" as Grey called them.
Grey disappears in a flash of lightning and appears in front of the portal.
"Wait!" he shouts, holding his arms out to obstruct the opening as it begins to flicker. The familiar wolf then jumps from Grey's body and powers the portal in Grey's absence. "Your child dropped it's simulet. If you had entered, only you two would have entered and been left without your child."
The couple's eyes widen in shock as the father scurries down to the floor to pic up the medallion and places it inside of the infant's clothing.
"Good. That should be sufficient. Alright, Regis, tag out," he tells the wolf before it jumps into his body. "As I just explained, the ivory medallions you're holding are imperative to all of us emerging in the same place. Now get a move on, the Lances are probably worried, considering the delay.
The line begins to shuffle through the portal two at a time. By the time I get to the front of the line, everyone else had already entered the portal. Grey then abruptly stops me and shakes his head.
"We're not going where they're going. They've entered a safe zone that I only know of because of someone who was very dear to me. It can only be accessed by people who know of its existence," he explains. "We're going elsewhere."
Grey hands me another medallion with a slightly different marking on the front.
"You're abandoning them?" I ask.
"No, I'm stowing them in a place that I know they'll be safe. I can visit any time I want," he says as a metallic orb appears in his hand.
"Okay, then where are we going? I can't use my mana courtesy of you," I say, a scowl forming on my face.
"We're going on an adventure," he says with a massive smile.
I scoff
Grey gestures for me to enter before him and I reluctantly comply.
On the other side I see an endless plain of flowers with a sky of a rich purple.
"It's beautiful," I mutter.
"That it is."
I jump at the voice. It was Grey, but I hadn't heard him enter through the portal. Scary.
I turn to face him, only to notice that the portal is already gone.
"It can only last so long without me powering it. Old Djinn ruins are bound to stop working properly after centuries of disuse," he says.
"Djinn?" I ask.
"The ancient mages that I and Agrona are fascinated by. They built this place, but asuras can't enter due to a specific enchantment the Djinn placed upon it. So, in his place, Agrona sends a bunch of 'ascenders' into here to do all the work for him. They collect 'relics' that are basically magical implements that are activated by aether instead of mana," Grey says as he begins to walk to my right with confidence.
"That's a more detailed explanation than I was expecting, Grey." I say.
"I know. I think I've decided to stop keeping so many secrets," he says solemnly.
"That makes sense. Honesty is a good trait to have. Considering you essentially lead a double life, in a literal and figurative sense. You must think it will be hard for people to accept you," I tell him, attempting to console him. Why am I consoling him?
"It is, Cecil. It really is. Though, now I need to connect the two halves and face my problems. I'd like that to start with us," he says turning back to me with pleading eyes.
"I make no promises, Grey. For all I know you could be lying to me right now and actually be the bad guy in this whole charade," I ask, denying his plea for now until I have more information.
"I understand," he mutters, lowering his gaze and kicking a few pebbles at his feet. "Let's get a move on, there's a large aether signature over there," he nods off in the direction he started walking in earlier.
"I don't have a choice either way since I'm defenseless right now anyway. Better to stay with you and at least be protected." I get out with a conflicted expression.
So much to think about.