III.
Madoka tensed up from the researcher's question, gripping her sword beneath her robe but felt a hand stop her. Audrey sighed and she sensed the princess was about to lie, but luckily Kanys and Eraziror sat down by them. The giant of a man she nicknamed "Armor" rested a small distance away from them. She wondered if whoever beneath the plates was sleeping.
The murkiness beneath Kanys shifted, and from its darkness the form of the Cherish-man Night Operator rose. The man, named Shadow, simply nodded with a smile and held some things in his hands. The smell of meat came with him, making Madoka's stomach grow. He silently cooked above the fire pit, handing each of the members food. Audrey tried to refuse, but in the end his insistence won.
His gentle eyes held snatches of time within their glimmer, and despite his odd bond with the Sovos girl he seemed to have a much longer history in the world. Audrey perked up at the sight of him. Madoka noticed that Audrey seemed to have a fascination with the Cherish people as a whole, but did not press her for any more information on that subject.
"Hey, lore-man," Audrey addressed him informally. "Give us some more stories!"
Madoka wanted to scold Audrey, but the man simply stroked his beard in thought with a slight smile tugging at his fangs. The common folk, herself included, were always drawn to the princess's innocence and charisma, no matter how rude her manners were. He shook his head, however, and cleared his throat.
"I do not have much more stories to give," he admitted. "But do not be sad, Lady, I have heard news in the tavern on some rumors from Fiara."
"F-Fiara?" Audrey asked, her tone becoming mixed with curiosity and a sudden dark tone in her interest.
"It goes back to the Red Strings, I believe," he leaned back. The many talismans hanging from his cloak jingled as they dangled, clinking together in a calming ensemble. "Monsters, like those goblins, arising from the labyrinths have been seen more often from an evil disturbance. Yet hope is not lost, we adventurers have a lot of work to do and another good sign is showing itself according to several people at the inn."
Hope? That sensation of elation, that perhaps the great risking of their lives for small coins and profit has made an impact upon the world. Did it matter to them, the commoners, while she was still a slave? If she were to be set free, how would her own aura change to those around her? Would she have hope in anyone else besides Audrey?
"Like the great evil that threatens to grow from Fiara, so marks the beginning of the next prophecy," Shadow continued his explaination by leaning closer. The Sovos pair had fallen asleep after eating, so he must have been respecting them by speaking lower. "A Hero from Fiara shall emerge to vanquish it."
The implication left a dry and unsteady spot in Madoka's throat, but she restrained from gulping. If it was someone else's duty to defeat whatever evil from there, then who could it be? Audrey looked amazed and before she could draw closer to the Cherish-man, Madoka stayed her with her hand.
"A Hero, huh?" Audrey seemed to be interested in that rumor. Did she not remember that the gods have spoken to her through those precious talismans? Madoka was afraid to admit it, but given the princess's extraordinary circumstances and otherworldly knowledge, she could be the Hero that returns to destroy the great evil. Madoka noticed that her face twisted in disbelief as she scoffed and changed her mind about the tale. "Poppycock! Hmph! A hero from that place?"
"Yup!" Arudite spoke up. "That's written in the Mansion Wing of the Truth Guild. A fancy hero, rising up to take out the evil lord growing in the center of the land. High ya!"
"It's spoken in the Guild, but it is rumored that an odd, yet powerful adventurer hailing from Fiara is attending Esmeralda's Sword Tournament later this spring."
"Tournament?" Madoka asked.
"You should go attend it!" Eraziror suddenly interrupted them. Madoka was surprised that he was awake still, but the Sovos stood up and struck a pose. Kanys, who was still asleep, simply rolled over on the log they rested against. "Given your tendencies to be, ah, how shall we say it? Quite involved in battles, hmm? I think testing yourselves against other adventurers would be wonderful!"
"Not me," Audrey crossed her arms and shook her head. "PVP isn't my thing."
"I-It's not for a researcher like me neither!" Arudite agreed.
"It's a good way to get your name out there," Eraziror added. "And if you get lucky, it can influence your rank. Higher rank, means less work and more freedom. And if you're famous, even better."
Clashing swords against other people might be a good idea for training, Madoka thought grimly. They were inevitably going to be drawn into conflict with more than just evil Nobles and simple monsters. She pushed her hair back and continued to watch the flames of the campfire dance. Sparks danced to the night sky.
"Have you watched the tournament before?" Arudite asked Eraziror.
"Not yet," he shrugged. "Plan on it when we visit home back in Esmeralda."
"Home, huh," Audrey muttered.
"You're from Esmeralda, right?" Eraziror sat back down, ignoring the squeak from the sleeping Kanys as he pushed her over. "This could count as work in a different country for Gold's requirements..."
"Heh, you think Luxgor would allow that for you?" Arudite teased.
Soon the others fell asleep. The researcher retreated into the wagon, leaving just the maid and her princess. Audrey yawned, while Madoka was tempted to close her eyes. Instead, she looked up at the vast night sky that shone through the trees. Even now the stars were bright. One of those shield-sized leaves fluttered from one of the branches above them, landing on Audrey. Some fell like slow comets to the fires, but vanished in the heat. She sputtered, while Madoka silently took the leaf and placed it on the ground beside her.
She began to make a cushion to sit on with them since her bum felt uncomfortable from the crunchy bark and dirt they sat on.
"There is magic in the Stars above," the Night Operator brooded over the orange flames, startling Madoka. She realized that he was quite easy to miss. She wondered if that's why he was called Shadow. Her ears perked up immediately at the mention of stars, however, but she was trained to listen intently to her elders by the Head Maid as he continued. "Streaks of brilliant cyan light, dashing in at five points, but no matter how chaotic they seem they always find a way to meet in their peculiar patterns. In the eyes a star is formed. Fate in the super-black night, waiting to be hewn and fall upon the shoulders of observers."
He drew a talisman hanging off his coat and held it up before them. Strands of light bursted in the darkness as his eyes concentrated. Was this Mansion magic? Madoka recalled that same amount of magic strands was used back in the grotto, as more leaves gathered besides them.
"A... pentagram?" Audrey blurted, but Madoka shushed her. The star shaped cyan strands were somehow more erratic than her Knotting magic, but were true to Shadow's words. They linked together in a star-like pattern. She watched the princess's eyes brighten with excitement as they reflected the tapering strings. Each of the five points twinkled and twisted together in the waves of her irises like stars above a sea. "Say, I heard seances could be possible with this kind of magic. Is it true?"
"So as the divine falls upon the world, wicked and pure, a memory lies. Some magic carries into stones, for staffs and even catalysts, however," Shadow spoke quietly, but sharpened his voice to lower Audrey's expectations. He could not lower Madoka's, because she had none to begin with. She stretched and scooted the leaves she gathered underneath her to sit on.
"Other talismans hold the lasting thoughts of others, evoked from the River. The dead do not speak, but we can remember their thoughts so that we are loved. Our fates are not to be carried alone, but are to withstand what falls upon us together. And what lies below, we shall uncover so that we may not forsake those who came before."
He withdrew something from his robe. It was a small ornate jar containing water, capped at the top by a tight lid, and unscrewed it. Audrey watched intently, while Madoka saw him take out a pouch that held glittering dust. The pentagram shrunk and the strands contained themselves back into the jar. Each strands' tones plucked in rhythm, with a pleasant and peaceful vibration, yet the maid noticed the subtle irregularities in their every pulse. There was reason within those tiny fibers, beyond her intuition and detection. The fate was out in the cosmos, not quite within her expertise.
"So," Shadow chuckled at the sight of Madoka's mesmerized face. "Shall we speak to a memory? Of loss, each of us have plenty, for this I am sure. But, we can unify our beats together. Twist the key of time upon each others' clockwork so that we can keep going."
"What are we, some kind of machine?" Audrey eyed the jar with a scrutinized suspicion. "You try it, Madoka."
"M-Me?" Madoka stammered.
She had no memory of her parents. If they were ever alive, they certainly were not anymore. Fiara was no longer peaceful if the reports were true. Even if a supposed Hero emerged from where the great evil started growing, it was still a land of war and devastation. Shadow placed the jar of water down on a log meant to be sat upon.
"Come child, tears and all," he invited her. "The Mansion of Ul'Linia shall guide you to the memories you seek. Let it all out while you're inside its doors."
Madoka did not realize it at first, but she felt a tear slip down her cheek. Audrey nodded to her and squeezed her hand. Why must she do this, alone reaching out to a silent goddess for parents she never met before? Upon kneeling before the jar on the log, she noticed that Audrey scooted over and sat on her makeshift cushion of leaves. Could she refuse this offer? Audrey was looking at her with a gaze full of wonder. Damn it all, Madoka resigned herself. She could not resist that face.
"There, there, focus upon the water and not on me," Shadow sprinkled dust in his pouch into the water. The cyan strands danced once more as the water glowed, spreading out in a magical wave that washed over her, seemingly connecting with her eyes. Despite the cold feeling she expected to feel, she was dry and alone in the dark. She heard the priest's voice whisper softly to her. "Take comfort in the super-black, the solace of the universe's vastness and stars await you."
Super black? She felt her eyes wander to the stars above, but noticed quickly everything around her was fading away even if she kept them open the whole time. All that ran through her mind were the dead Noble mother and father who shared her same hair color in that first town they found. Were those her parents?
Suddenly, the Night Operator's voice disappeared, and so did the pentagram of glowing cyan strands that marked the ground beneath her and her pupils. A rush of cold wind blasted her face and as the light faded she heard a loud slam like a door closing behind her. She tried to whirl around, but she was being pushed by the wind as if she was being guided in a gentle stream. She knew this feeling— she felt this dream-like state many times before. So this was Mansion magic?
The brilliance of many stars and worlds once again surrounded her in an array of colors, and bejeweled specks of distant lights dotted across the canvas of darkness as far as she could see. Huge bodies of sparkling dust, space, and enormous planets near her stretched above her and below her. The void she floated within did not seem to choke her like the last time she found herself here. If memory served her, a strange being existed within this realm and called her a name she has never heard of before. Kate? What kind of name was that?
Two bright orbs of lights drew closer to her, but they still seemed distant as they stopped under the light of a massive violet world above her. Questions invaded Madoka's head as she pondered why she could even see them beyond this chaotically bright and impossibly huge void she was in. Were those her parents? What did Shadow say again? Let the emotions flow, and take comfort within the blackness? Forget that!
Madoka decided scream instead.
"How could you leave me!?" Madoka yelled up at them. "I am hopelessly lost because of you two! Left with no answers or I don't even have a hint of any memory with you! How could you abandon me, even if you are just stupid rocks? To live like this!"
Her hands were shaking, and now more than ever she felt every scar on her body. The two stars simply remained silent. One was crimson and bright, the other was sapphire and cold. If she was a Child of Stars, did that mean that those two flaming rocks above were her parents? What does that even mean?
"If I could settle in your arms, weep as I am now for only a small moment together in your supposed love," Madoka weeped beneath the two distant and silent lights. She was not standing, so she just covered her eyes as she wiped her tears. "It would not be enough to forgive you. This damn silence is killing me! You knew that and yet you two left me without a care! If only you two were down here so I could scream at you for everything you gave up on me for!"
Madoka's hair on her arms rose in a titanic wave of goosebumps as a chill rolled over her.
In the silent starless cut out of subspace, Madoka noticed the orbs were closing on her. That violet world was further away, and she was moving all along while she cried. A storm was approaching her in the blackness, or she was approaching it. Two soft voices came in the night to her and all she could garner in the bare moments alone was a stupid pair of red and blue lights.
"We are so proud of you, Daughter," they spoke to her. Lies, Madoka scowled and her thoughts felt so loud that she shook her head. She was suspended in weightlessness and felt the storm surround her, but all she could feel is anger. LIES! "Rage, weep, tear apart the sky and search for us. In this moment, we do not ask for forgiveness. We shall listen to you in this moment."
"Why don't you come down here? To where I stand now?" Madoka begged the glowing spheres. Her voice wavered in the implicit insanity that she must have been falling in. The crimson orb began to glow into a deeper red. She faltered, but a part of her wanted to smash whatever pathetic excuse for the parents they were.
"Because, Child," they explained in unison. "We are Stars. One day, you shall become one of us. You are loved, Child. Look upon the night sky when Tomorrow comes."
"Make. Sense!" Madoka growled. Her body was moving with the current of wind, towards a dark outline of what she presumed was the Mansion's exit. Whatever seance spell Shadow put her under was quickly running out of time.
Dammit all, she thought. Her breath was becoming thinner as she struggled to keep herself together as the winds grew stronger. She was drowning in a pool of murky blackness. Some kind of comfort this is! A rush blasted her face, like a splash of cold water and she sputtered.
"Madoka?" A voice called out to her, concerned.
Her vision suddenly restored and the feeling of drowning vanished almost immediately. Madoka was hanging over the campfire, while Shadow and Audrey watched expectantly. The disorientation immediately faded, but her mind did not feel at ease.
"W-What was that vision?" Madoka choke out, coughing. "D-Did any of you see any of that?"
"You did it!" Shadow nearly exclaimed, much to her confusion.
"He said you would go on a trip— I mean see things for 10 minutes," Audrey still looked at her with an odd expression. "I didn't expect it to actually work."
"What worked?" Madoka growled, but quieted herself down. Armor's heavy plates were drawing near, but even he managed to be silent around the sleeping Sovos and the researcher.
"The Mansion opened up for you!" Shadow took her hand. She nearly recoiled, but noticed her hand was trembling and glowing cyan. Another rune? Madoka stared at it as of it was not attached to her. "You saw from this plane into the Divine, and the magic courses through you now."
"Eh?" Madoka felt her other hand be taken by Audrey's own soft ones. The girl's eyes were brimming with curiosity, so Madoka tried to explain. "I saw... stars. And then I fell into a black river."
"Ul'Linia's blessings..." Shadow continued to gawk, but eventually his quivering began to darken. Madoka flinched as strange murkiness gurgled out of his mouth, like smoke exhausting out of a furnace. He regained his composure and cleared his throat. "My apologies, young ladies, but it seems this form requires rest. I shall see you in Gladeban."
"What?" Audrey stood up. "What about my magical acid trip? Aaaaand he's gone."
It was useless, so Madoka sat her pouting princess back down as the Cherish man sank into the sleeping Kanys's shadow. A large leaf fell on the pile that she sat on, so Madoka leaned back on the log and unfolded her legs. A blanket folded on top of her and she felt a small form of warmth snuggle up on her arm. There were so many things to talk about, but all she could do is stare up at the twin moons in the night sky, wondering which stars up there were her so-called parents.