"To the north.... Japatu...."
"...Under the lake of Westwoods...."
"Hide, Japatu... Hide yourself."
"Hide yourself with everyone else...."
"....It's all on you now...."
Then the voice faded into the abyss of a forgotten past. Next came a voice that sounded like bells, chiming him awake. "So your name is Japatu?"
As he opened his eyes, crystal-like crimson eyes gazed at him. The white dusts in them continued to sway like snow that never seem to end up anywhere. It was strange for him.
Then he realized where he lay.
Lea was cradling him under the night sky. Her eyes glittered like the stars in the sky. And her pupil was like the moon. He could not help but compare the two.
He thought briefly and frowned his brows, remembering the moments before is collapse. "My kin......" He growled under his breath.
Lea bobbed her head and briefly closed her eyes in agreement.
"It was horrible than I thought."
["You've been running away for far too long, Japatu."]
"Can you hasten your plans?"
["I cannot say that would be easy."]
"....The Spirits in Sabrina could help. And I shall seek help from other places if that is not enough. All to eliminate them."
["If you can gather such might, why wait until now to start?"]
He was silent, but only for a moment. "I thought keeping as many as possible of our kind can hold off the destruction of the world."
["How?"]
"Spirits are not alike humans nor beasts. We are a will of essences that help regulate the life of living things."
["Interesting. Thus you wield such great influence to this world. But helpless in doing harm. How peculiar indeed."]
"...........We exist to keep things safe, away from destruction."
["No such thing."]
".........It is our duty..."
["It is not."]
He was silently gazing into her indifferent eyes, his mind was distracted by her confident replies. Then he briefly wondered about his existence that he learnt from his predecessors. "We ought to create balance."
["Maybe so, but that is arrogant of your kind to think you have to hold responsibility for what others have done."]
"...But we cannot leave things the way they are. Not only will every places be unsafe, but no one will be left alone."
She glanced towards the sky before heaving a gentle sigh. Her eyes reflected the beautiful night sky that only the two of them were lucky to quietly witness.
Without looking down on him, she replied. ["Indeed. The long history of our common enemy is not easy to eliminate, but I know just the way to fight against them."]
"If so, tell me."
["Unfortunately, the path I will choose might not be to your liking."]
He looked at her intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything on her ever expressionless face. Failing at it, he resigned himself in her cradle, as if it was the most common thing to do.
As he rest his head on her bosom, he dropped his eyes in thought. "If my kind will be safe... then please let me hear what you can achieve."
He was feeling weak, as if most of his life was drained from the sudden bout in the white room. He was far too careless, and now he is having a hard time recovering. But it seems being in contact with Lea makes it easier to breath.
As he relaxed, he felt her look down on him, tickling his head with some of her hair that seems to have changed its colour from last he met her.
["Spread everyone of your kind in all the continents that exist. Find a place at each point, and cultivate all life as you see fit."]
"But...--"
["You'll be safe."] She smiled, but it only made him frown.
"I want---"
["No point. You've agreed to comply with my plans."]
"......Sly..."
["Not yet... How long do you need to fully regain your strength?"]
"Going anywhere?"
["Yes."]
"Urrg... You could've lied, you know... I can move now."
["10 minutes."]
He widened his eyes and looked up at Lea's unreadable expression. An amused smile played on his lips, and he buried himself more towards her embrace.
["I'm not your mom."]
"Mom...."
Then a sudden thought engulfed Lea's mind. ["How are Spirits made?"]
He was silent, but as he continued to listen to her rhythmic heartbeats, he escaped a sigh and replied. "From a stronger will of our own."
["How peculiar...."]
"We are. And so is this world."
["Being philosophical now, are we?"]
"You started it.... It has made me wonder what truly we are, and why we posses control that can affect the life of things in this world."
["Your parents?"]
".........Long gone." He could then feel something within him stir, but it affected his whole being. As if whatever he felt coursed through his everything. And Lea did not miss such a strong force engulf the Spirit in her embrace, and thus she frowned.
["You appear human, but not at all......"]
"Right.... I don't feel what humans would usually feel when they are alive, but I am alive."
["I can tell. You are fragile............."]
"That hurts...."
["10 minutes up. I'll talk to you soon."]
And as she said so, she was gone in an instant. The Spirit was left laying by himself on the ground, gazing up the night sky as if he was pondering about life itself. Then he heard a voice from the past he can never forget for millennium.
"....Japatu.... Hide..."
He closed his eyes, remembering his creator's face; his mother's face.
"What do you mean by hide...?"
His golden eyes expressed ire the next they opened. A certain resolution engulfed his being, and a will so strong was starting to bud within.
⚜ Eden Kingdom ⚜
"This is preposterous......"
"................"
"Such beings exist along side us? So close?! And yet the Apostles have only been taking advantage of them like they were nothing?!"
"Hard to believe, Your Majesty. But it makes a whole lot of sense with the beast, gods and goddesses. The truth cannot be ignored, and it is stated in this secret diary of the late King of Wern."
"The legendary King of Ingrid that almost always won the wars, but lost and perished in the Great War. The goddesses that were believed to be against one another was once on the same side... But both lost as well against the might of the Apostles.... So whatever that had occurred were buried by the lies of the Apostles, leaving the rest with what they know today."
"Yes. People in Ingrid believe that the twin Goddess brought about blessings to the world after their disappearance, but what truly happened was that the Apostles obstructed the path to a bright future. Only writing about fantasies, completely hiding their history and making use of the face of the twin goddesses to fabricate what people can believe without looking too much into context or the truth."
"Much like the words of the King. If the gods say it is what it is, we would follow suit, for gods are beings that cannot be explained by mere rationality."
"You are a wise King, Your Highness."
"May I hold on to his diary for a while longer? I want to read everything he had written."
To his words, Duran backed away.
"Settlements first. The first condition of the bargain."
The King sighed. "You drive a hard bargain, truly... Why not join my council?"
"I shall take that as a compliment." He replied, tucking away the thick journal underneath his robe.
"Agreed. Your wishes in exchange for the truth. Is this what she meant....?"
Duran appeared confused, but he felt the King was referring to Lea by the way he looked. "Maybe so, but she never once read King Wern's journal."
".......What other truths did she mean?" The King said, barely audible to human ears. He was starting to feel greedy to know what truly was happening. If he was not a King, he would be an eager historian.
Duran kept his silence. His mind busy about the future.
Then came a familiar resounding voice of the girl they both felt compelled to notice.
"Good job, Duran."
Her words made him gape, but he recovered himself almost instantaneously. "You knew?"
"No. But now I do." She smiled briefly, glancing to the King. "Protect your nation. Tomorrow, devastation shall befall on all of you."
Her words much like a prophecy, the King became nervous. "W-what do you mean?!"
"Trust me... You wouldn't want to know."
He frowned at her words. "All the more reason I should learn about tomorrow!"
"But it's no good if you do.... Keep your people safe, especially those you care about."
Next moment, she was gone. And so was the man with long black hair.
Duran and the King frowned at Lea's riddle-like intentions. They could not grasp what was to come. And they could only hope their plans wouldn't be impeded.
"Are you sure she is your ally....?" The King queried in the silence.
Duran looked thoughtful, and never answered the King's query. It was questionable if he heard his words or not.
"To protect....?" Was all Duran muttered under his breath. Then he looked up to the King of Eden. "Today, I shall bring my people. Command your cavalries to be vigilant tonight."
The King was surprised. His grey features more apparent. His eyes appeared tired, but he felt the seriousness of Duran's voice. "Understood."
It was sad. The King of the mighty Eden listening to a mere youth in his 20's. But in their current predicament, none of them could have thought such a thing. Their future was leaning towards a wall of bricks and they need to execute proper actions to prevent their advance to a collision that they may never recover from.
Duran felt for the book within his robe, only to discover it was gone. A deep furrow creased his brow. ".........................." His shock nulled his mind. But whatever he wanted to say, he kept his silence in front of the King he could still use.
Thus, with a glance, he bowed to take his leave. "I expect results, Your Highness."
At his words, the King of Eden could only sigh. "This King gave his word. It shall all be done in time."
And with that, the secret conference ended without the instigator present. But Duran gained his future prospect, and the King of Eden learnt a bit of what the King of Wern knew about and witnessed. It was not a loss for both. Especially for Lea, the instigator.
⚜ In-between Eden and Yastohara ⚜
It was after midnight when she arrived. What welcomed her was a small encampment with all the familiar faces she had gathered.
"You are back, finally. Victor has been making trouble for being restless all day!" Bright exclaimed. He was sitting by the fire, heating up some food for her arrival like it was the most normal thing to do. Like a wife doing whatever that the husband would need after a day's work as the latter comes back to their home.
She smiled, and looked towards the mentioned fox who twitched his ears at the sight of her. And in an instant, he had traveled from where he was to her side. His bushy tail wagged energetically, and his aquamarine eyes glittered with delight. She could not help but caress his ears, and as she did so, she heard him moan with pleasure.
"Sorry for keeping you wait. Where is my brother?"
To her query, Ashe who just got out of a tent made of all sorts of clothes replied. "Inside. It seems the women are slow to recover. I've tried what I can, but a human's body is complicated."
She nodded her head in understanding. "Thank you."
He nodded in return, giving her a small smile. His golden eyes was relieved to see her back with the group. "How was the King?"
She was walking towards the tent when he asked, stopping her on her tracks. Then she looked up to him with a triumphant smile. Her ruby eyes spoke thousands of words that he was able to grasp. Then, without a word, he smiled in understanding.
"Once you are ready Lea, your food is ready." Bright called. "Victor, stop! Stay out of the tent." He nagged. He was sure Lea would have wanted to have the tent for herself with the people inside, without distraction.
Victor looked towards Lea with his pitiful eyes, but backed away as he also understood what Bright meant. Thus, with his droopy ears and tail, he moved to where he previously was before Lea's arrival. On top of a huge rock. It has the perfect view to see quite a distance of the grassland.
["Sorry, Vic... And thank you."]
'Come out soon... I want to rest with you....'
[".....Hm."]
She noticed Victor was becoming more and more honest with his affection for her. But she was fine with that due to the recent happenings. His father was recently found to be dead, and the rest of his family members seemed to have just vanished.
As she glanced to where he was, her ruby eyes expressed melancholy. Bright did not miss her sadness, but he chose to keep his silence. Then she turned to enter the tent, where her brother sat on the ground, his face pale. Beside him, a woman with a deathly complexion was in hard labor to breathe.
When he looked up, she noticed how much worry he had been put through in just a day. And she knew what exactly she needed to do to bring back her brother's wits.
"She'll be fine, brother. And so is your father." A small smile expressed on her face, and a brief heartache at the mention of her brother's new family.
He was the only family she had, and now he had gained more than just a family. Lea looked to a youthful woman who lay at the side. She has beautiful wavy hair, and her clothes suited her noble lineage. Then she looked back to her brother who expressed surprise on his face.
"I'm saying... Don't worry too much."
Outside of the tent, Bright and Ashe realized there was someone else that came with Lea. His hair was dark as the night, and his clothes a shade of black. He was inconspicuous.
With well intentions, Bright walked in approach, a bowl of soup in his hand.
"Are you hungry? Here... It's just a few herbs, but it tastes quite alright."
His voice kind and accommodating, the mysterious man clad in black looked to Bright with curiosity. Silently, he took the bowl and gulped the contents in a few seconds. Bright appeared bewildered. ".......Want some more?"
The man clad in black nodded his head, but his face remained forlorn. Ashe was amused at the sight. A small smile playing his lips.
And the night resumed its silence, only whispers sang along with the crickets.