~Chlad~
Hovering up in the sky, not far from the high buildings of Chlad spied a group of five that sat on the back of a flying beast. Looking divine, they smelt trouble brewing within the capital.
One of them was Izaya with his fiery red hair and golden eyes, he had asked Lea to remain above to observe the current state of the city. Last he remembered, the city was full of people with normal citizens mingling with the soldiers alike. However, below them was a sight anyone with the right mind would like to run away from.
No civilians on any street could be seen. However, soldiers amassed every nook and cranny. Stores were closed. Houses were shut tight. From time to time, a small beast could be seen scurrying about.
"Are you sure there was no trouble before you left?" Raize asked Izaya quietly.
With a frown on his handsome features, Izaya bobbed in agreement. "I was ordered to lookout for any signs of trouble. Remembering back, they didn't allow me to bring more than 6 of my men. I was confused then, but I was used to being given orders abruptly without questions asked." His grave voice resonated with everyone.
"How do we get in now?" Asked Bright, joining the serious conversation.
Silence governed the sky. Then Raize suddenly caught everyone by surprise by his words.
"It seems you are not welcome. It would be strange at this point if you came back out of nowhere. Why do you think they would want you out of the picture?"
"....My rank?" Suggested Izaya looking clueless.
Ulla pondered and she caught Raize's gaze. With a nod, she said. "You received your General title not a long while ago. Right after that, they strangely sent you on a patrol mission when you are supposed to be a General of one of their legions."
"Now that you mention it, that is indeed strange." Raize said. His thoughts running deeper by the minute. "Conspiracy?"
Lea, who was silent all the while opened her mouth to ask, "Why did you get promoted?"
To her question, Bright casually answered. "Isn't it because he has the skills? Isn't that usually what happens?"
"Pardon me, Izaya. You were a slave. Discrimination must run deep amongst your ranks, but is that really all?" Her gaze deeply focused on Izaya's changing expressions. From clueless, to questioning, to bewilderment and to realization.
Before Izaya could respond, Ulla said in response to Lea's inquiry. "He wields an incredible power that can single handedly oppose hundreds of men in a battlefield. What is this power you have, Izaya?"
He could only ask with more bewilderment, "How do you know...?"
"Our tribe produces seers every few hundred years. Ulla here is the last to posses such extraordinary skills." Lea said immediately without batting an eyelash.
Ulla simply nodded in assent. "Yes. I've seen a bit of your past, sorry. But I can't know everything. So tell us, then we might be able to come up with a plan."
"This is all very strange. You guys are an unusual bunch, but in a good way." He said with a wry smile. "I can hear a voice in my head, but I know I am sane. I'm not sure how powerful its usage can be because I have only ever listened to it once."
Ulla nodded in understanding. "A strange voice that could allow you to do what?"
"At that time, I was desperate to save my now ex General. Desperation must have made me crazy and I started hearing a voice telling me to call forth calamity by its word.
"That is exactly what I did. I felt I had no choice. I only had a sword in hand, wounds all over me and I was only barely defending myself from two opponents at the same time. We were at war against the Jugguar Tribe. Although they were considered a tribe, their skills were nothing but breathtakingly----"
"Stop. So what happened when you uttered the words the voice told you to say?" Ulla interrupted.
Waking up from his trance, Izaya gave a soft cough. "The voice said to call forth [Vermilion]. I saw how devastating the damage was before I collapse a short while after. I felt as if I was being pulled forcefully from my consciousness. But I heard later that we had won the skirmish thanks to my backup, and my General then was barely saved."
"A superior capture target indeed, but that voice is questionable." Raize muttered to himself.
"Have you tried talking to that voice since then?" Ulla asked.
To her question, Izaya nodded his head. "Yes, I have. I have asked what her identity was, what was she, how is she able to talk to me, but the answer I got where simply how I'll eventually learn everything soon. She did clarify she is a woman, although I don't know why she was adamant at proving that fact to me."
"So... The owner of the voice could exist somewhere, and a female at that. I wonder why she wants to help you." Pondered Ulla, trying to remember the plot of the game. It seemed as if the game only illustrated Izaya's might as some sort of a powerful General without explaining how and why. Then she was once again reminded that the game was more focused on the romance aspect, thus most information revealed was in accordance to the capture targets' psychological issues. And it seems the voice was not one of them.
"Can you talk to her right now?" Lea asked quietly, looking at Izaya properly.
With a nod, Izaya called for the voice in his mind.
As they waited, Bright gently nudged Lea. "Hey, don't frown."
"......" She gave a glance at Bright's smiley face. "I didn't know."
"Right." He said simply before looking around the sky.
♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠
Several minutes later, Izaya gave the rest of them the news.
"She wanted to let you guys know that she knows everything about you and where you all come from." He said looking rather confused at what the voice meant.
(R) "....................."
(U) "..........."
(L) "......."
(R) ".........."
(L) "........"
"SAY SOMETHING, PEOPLE!!!" Bright finally exclaimed after watching his classmates looking at one another as if they were talking with their eyes. But he couldn't understand what they were communicating about.
"Anything else?" Ignoring Bright's frustrated groan, Lea asked.
"She explained to me that if we want to meet her, we have to...." He trailed his words.
"What?" Asked Ulla impatiently.
"She said something about ending the game without causing the war to happen. I know a little of my ex General's concerns, but I didn't think it would progress so soon..."
At his words, everyone remained silent.
"Was there anything else? Tell us everything, Izaya. We need every information she could give us if we are going to consider her words." Raize said, his dark obsidian eyes restless.
"Okay, sorry. I am in jumbles myself, since she mentioned some foreign terms." As he said so, he cleared his throat and said.
"She said she can only appear after the otome -sort of- game's ending. A sort of a sequel. But it can only be accomplished if all important figures of the prequel remain alive by the end. She also mentioned how all of you should stay alive until the end, especially Ulla." He then glanced towards Ulla's direction with a questioning gaze.
"......Why me especially?" She asked. Suddenly, her heart grew restless.
"Because she needs you to be." Was all Izaya said, relaying the exact message the voice told him.
"Important figures? Did she elaborate on that part?" Lea asked. In her head, she was already simulating sequences.
"Capture targets, hidden characters, heroine and uuhh.. I forgot the word." They remained quiet until Izaya finished remembering the word he forgot. A sigh of relief could be heard from the three; Raize, Ulla and Lea.
"The goddess Ingrid, she said." After his revelation, everyone was even more lost.
"Is she trying to make us do errands that are too troublesome for her to do?" Ulla couldn't help but say.
"Maybe, but she certainly knows a few terms concerning this world in relation to our's. Do you think we need to confirm more stuffs?" Raize asked, glancing towards Lea's unreadable features.
"If she wants to appear, she will. What do we get from doing what she wants aside from meeting her when we don't really know about her?" Lea simply said.
Realization struck Raize, regaining bits of composure. "You are right. Izaya." He called.
"Hm?"
"Tell her we won't do it."
"......Although I'd like it if something can be done with war, but I'll let her know." And as soon as he said so, he was once again in a trance.
"So like.... do you think she came from our world?" Ulla asked, cutting the silence.
"Sounds like it, but since she can talk in Izaya's head in particular, there must be a limit to what she can do. And that's also probably why she is luring us to end the plot the way she wants." Replied Raize.
"She mentioned I was important..... What does that mean...?" She muttered to herself, thinking of one particular person.
"Remind me once again guys why we remain in the sky instead of landing on the ground, discussing serious business?" Inquired Bright. His face contorted.
"Don't tell me you are feeling sick?" Asked Raize with a rather flabbergasted expression.
".....What if I am...? We've been hovering here for more than half an hour now. I repeat, WE HAVE YET TO MOVE AT ALL. Look at those tiny objects below... I feel sick...."
"His mind was lost somewhere along the line and couldn't help but notice what was below huh...." Muttered Ulla, gazing at Bright pitifully.
"I'll have Hamsphant land after Izaya finishes his talk with the voice. Cool with that, Bright?" Said Lea quietly.
With an "OK" sign, Bright forced a twisted smile.
In an attempt to comfort Bright, Lea ruffled his hair gently. "Better?"
"................" He was left stunned. "...Yea"
She continued to stroke his head, gently caressing his soft black hair. Her expression remained placid. "It's soft, but not as soft as fur." She offhandedly said. But Bright was no longer at present, he was too absorbed at being caress.
"..I'm kind of feeling envious now..." Ulla muttered, looking at Lea and Bright longingly.
"....." Raize remained silent as he joined Ulla at watching the strange spectacle.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the fox's aquamarine eyes glowed a taint of red as it glared at the scene.