The marine green spiral flashed through the orange light that illuminated the room. Arisa rubbed the smooth surface of the spherical pendant. It had been weeks since she last saw that magical item. She had followed her grandparents' advice and locked away the necklace for safety. She would see it again on the day of her journey.
She didn't drop her gaze on the pendant that had most of its surface painted in a silvery-blue color.
Eklipta will help you find the Elements. She remembered her mother's words. Once you find enough members to battle them, it will communicate with you.
Arisa placed the cold metallic chain around her neck. She exhaled, hoping that the friends she had made in the Forbidden Lands would be enough to awaken Eklipta. Counting with her and Kazuya, it would make five Guardians against one Master.
Despite most of her team still being new in this world of Guardians, she had a feeling they would be enough to battle their opponent.
Fighting the Master of Air was the toughest battle we ever had. She remembered her mother's words again.
Arisa squeezed the smooth item and took a deep breath, hoping that luck would be by their side.
"Arisa," called a soft voice. "Everyone is waiting."
Arisa turned around and saw Momo in large pink pajamas and messy hair.
"Good morning, Momo." Arisa placed her bag on her shoulder. "I thought you were still asleep; it's still early in the morning."
Momo shook her head as she rubbed her eyes. "We wanted to say bye to big brother and you. You two don't have a set date to return."
"True," said Arisa as they walked away from her room.
Weak orange light illuminated the bright walls of the small corridor as they strolled around it.
"The quest depends on Eklipta's activity," continued Arisa. "If it doesn't communicate with us as soon as possible, our quest may take a long while."
Arisa touched her pendant. Her fingers fidgeted on its surface as she wondered how long it would take them to find the Elements and fight them.
"I hope it will talk to you soon," Momo said, her voice hoarse. "I don't want to see you and big brother many years later as old people."
Arisa giggled. "I don't think our quest will take that long. But that's sweet of you to sacrifice your sleep to see us go."
Arisa patted Momo's messy head as she smiled at her. As they reached the living room that had a few lamps illuminating its surroundings, they didn't see anyone. The girls rushed to the door, leaving the house.
The chilly morning breeze blew past Arisa's dark cloak as soon as she reached the outdoors. She rubbed her arms and noticed that the morning sun hadn't shown its presence yet. Noticing a group gathered around a black carriage in the vast garden, the girls walked forward to join them.
"Big brother." Momo locked her arms around Kazuya as soon as she caught up to him.
Kazuya patted his sister's back. "I see that Sleeping Beauty sacrificed her sleep today."
"Please be safe and come back soon," said Momo, maintaining her arms wrapped around him.
"Don't worry," Kazuya said. "I'll be here before you know it. In the meantime strengthen your skills; I want to see a stronger you when we spar again."
As Mimi approached Kazuya to have yet another round of provocations, someone patted Arisa's shoulder. When she turned around, her gaze met her grandparents.
Arisa's heart sped, realizing that she wouldn't see those warm smiles for a long time. For a few seconds, they stared at each other as Arisa couldn't find any words to tell them a farewell.
Her grandmother touched Arisa's hair as if she was fixing it. She then rubbed Arisa's shoulders.
"This is it," said her grandmother, her coffee eyes meeting Arisa's. "Starting from today, I will have to be patient and pray that I will see you again safe and healthy."
Arisa took a deep breath and grabbed her grandmother's hand.
"I don't want to hear that you'll spend your days worrying about me." Arisa squeezed her grandmother's hand. "I want to hear that you'll wait for my arrival with a huge smile on your face."
Her grandmother shook her head. "I can't promise you that, my princess. You will be traveling the worlds and you might meet those Guardians who will do anything to rip you away from us. Not to mention that the Masters won't give you an easy battle. There's no way I can relax knowing that you're on a dangerous quest."
Arisa sighed, understanding her grandmother's concern. Putting herself on her grandmother's shoes, she would surely worry about a loved one leaving for such a dangerous quest.
However, looking at her grandmother's age, Arisa was concerned with her health. For a woman who had been working with medicinal plants for most of her life, her grandmother hardly fell ill. But Arisa had heard from her grandmother herself that worries could affect a person's health.
"I'm a Guardian now," said Arisa. "Besides, I have been trained by two skillful people all my life. I'll be fine, grandma. Don't worry."
Her grandmother smiled at her, but Arisa could see that she was doubtful.
"I'll be sure to distract your grandmother, so she won't have time to lose herself in her thoughts." Her grandfather winked at Arisa.
Arisa giggled. "I'm counting on you, grandpa."
"Now, you also be careful out there," said her grandfather. "I'm sure you can handle the obstacles you'll meet along the way, so I'm not worried. But always keep your guard raised. No matter what."
Arisa nodded. With the Guardians possibly on the run to find her and the Masters being tough opponents, Arisa was sure that lowering her guard was out of the question.
"And if you meet that boy again," her grandfather added, caressing her dark head, "don't hesitate to protect yourself; always remember that he's your enemy."
Upon hearing her grandfather's advice, Arisa felt as if her heart was tightened with sharp chains. She knew that her grandfather's words were a civil way of telling her to kill Zen.
Arisa curled her fingers that were hidden under her dark cloak. She tried not to show her grandfather a hesitant expression. Despite what happened back in the Forbidden Lands, she couldn't imagine herself killing Zen. They had spent so many years together that her heart still couldn't bear to engage with him in a battle of life and death.
"Don't worry, Mr. Sorano," said Kazuya, breaking the short silence. "I won't allow him to approach her. He'll have to bring me down to reach her."
Arisa's gaze froze on the grassy ground. She knew what expression Kazuya displayed as he said those words.
Her hands trembled as she tried to understand why everything ended this way. She remembered how their friends were amazed by the strong bonds the three of them had. They always told them that nothing could break them apart. Yet here they were, planning to take each other down.
"Don't you dare die, Stupid Brother," said Mimi. "Promise us you will come back."
Hearing Mimi's voice, Arisa turned around. She saw that the little girl had trapped her brother in an embrace.
Kazuya chuckled. "Of course I'll come back. And I won't die since that would mean you will surpass me by default. I can't let that happen."
As Mimi stared at her brother with a challenging look, Arisa heard a gentle voice calling her.
"There are moments where fate puts us in troubling situations." Her grandmother moved Arisa's hair to her ear. "Whatever happens in this journey, always believe in yourself. And remember, despite us not being there with you, we will always support you and wait for your return."
As the morning sky slowly brightened, Arisa could see her grandparents' gentle smiles.
"Have a safe quest, our dear granddaughter," said her grandmother.
"We will be waiting for you," her grandfather added.
Failing to hold back her tears, Arisa wrapped her arms around them.
"Thank you, grandpa, grandma," Arisa said, her voice cracking. "Please be safe in these times that we won't see each other."
Her grandparents patted her back. "We will."
"You better go," said Elise. "It's better to leave this region while most of the inhabitants are still asleep."
With a little hesitation, Arisa released her grandparents from her embrace.
"Take care, my little warrior." Elise's voice filled the quick silence.
Arisa gazed at her right side and saw that Elise was patting Kazuya's snow-white head as she glanced up at him with a smile. Kazuya smiled back and nodded at her before he hopped in the black carriage.
As Arisa walked to join him, she glanced over her shoulder. Her grandparents were still smiling as they timidly waved at her.
Entering the carriage, Arisa sat on the seat opposite to Kazuya and noticed that he was already activating the rune. Several seconds later, marine blue streams covered the brownish surface and the carriage started to move.
Arisa examined the small window. Behind the thin glass, she saw that the family was following the carriage, chanting the words 'goodbye' and 'have a safe quest'. As their transportation increased its pace, the family lost track of it.
Her heart tightened when the carriage entered the woods and she could no longer see her grandparents or Kazuya's family. She touched the transparent glass, exhaling.
For a moment, the atmosphere was filled with the grating sound of the carriage's wheels. Despite still being dark, Arisa could see the green vegetation of the woods.
"How are you feeling?"
Arisa dropped her gaze from the window to face Kazuya.
"I feel divided." She curled her fingers. "Part of me is sad because I don't really know when I'll see them again."
For the whole month, she had spent with her family in this region, Arisa always looked forward to starting her journey. She never thought of the unknown time she would spend away from her grandparents. Their farewells and warm smiles tightened her heart as she realized it would take a long time before she would see them again.
"I hope that until then," she said, "they will be safe and healthy when we return."
"Don't worry," said Kazuya cheerfully. "This quest will end soon. Besides, my mother will be by their side. If anyone messes with them, they'll be messing with her. You already know what happens when someone messes with a Prox."
Arisa's lips curved up as she replied his question with a nod. "The time I spent training with her, showed me that she's not a woman to mess with."
The memories of Elise's teachings and training flashed in Arisa's mind. For years she had been wondering if her teacher was a former member of a special force as she was too skilled to be an ordinary housewife. She then remembered the day Elise told her the truth. In the end, she really was part of an elite force working for the previous Royal Family. Her biological family.
"Has your mother ever told you her tales as a member of the Royal Force of Celestia?"
"She brags about it all the time," Kazuya replied with a sigh. "Especially when I disappoint her."
Arisa gazed at him. She wondered how difficult it was being the child of a woman who used to be a member of such a prestigious team. For sure one of the difficulties was not to shame her by showing any weaknesses in a battle.
"Before he passed away, my father used to tell me stories about her in her young days," said Kazuya. "He used to tell me that her fierce attitude would scare him sometimes. But that was one of the reasons he had fallen for her."
"Fierce," Arisa repeated, remembering her teacher's toughness during training.
Arisa gazed at the window again, understanding Shin, Kazuya's father. Elise really looked scary when fighting.
As the silence was filled with the sound of wheels moving against the wet ground, Arisa admired the blue vegetation of the forest.
"And how does the other side of you feel?" Kazuya asked.
Arisa turned around. "Hm?"
"You said you felt divided," Kazuya clarified. "One side of you is sad. What about the other half?"
"Oh," Arisa realized. "The other side of me is excited. After all, we're going to explore many worlds. I never thought I would ever have this chance one day."
Kazuya grinned as Arisa couldn't hide her excitement.
"It's definitely a once in a lifetime experience unless you're a Researcher." Kazuya folded his arms. "But first, we'll have to leave Celestia without anyone noticing us."
Arisa groaned as he killed the positive atmosphere with that reminder.
"I'm just reminding you, so you won't let your guard down." He folded his arms.
Arisa stared at him with narrowed eyes.
Kazuya let escape a quick chuckle. "And remember, if we see anyone in trouble, we can't interfere until we leave this world."
Arisa glanced sideways, not sure if she could succeed to follow that rule. When she was told about that order from her grandfather and Elise, she set in her mind that she couldn't let her compassion get the better of her for the sake of the worlds.
She sighed, hoping that they wouldn't meet anyone in trouble, at least until they reached Aurora City.
---♐♑♓---
The carriage explored the land as the morning sun brightened the skies even more. During their trip, Arisa and Kazuya tried to kill time by chatting and testing their elements. Hours passed and heaviness struck Arisa's eyelids as her sleep returned. She had only slept for a few hours last night since she couldn't find any sleep until the last moments.
Knowing that it would take a day to reach Aurora City, a little nap wouldn't be bad to shorten the long trip. Arisa leaned her head close to the cold window. The last thing she saw was the green vegetation before she shut her eyes and fell in a deep slumber.
"Wake up, sleepy head," a voice echoed in her sleep.
"Hm?" Arisa struggled to open her eyes as they were heavy with sleep.
A cold finger poked her head. "Arisa, wake up."
As she complained internally, Arisa opened her eyes and saw Kazuya staring at her.
She blinked and slowly had a seat while she examined her surroundings. She saw the brown interior of the carriage. Her forehead wrinkled as she wondered how she ended up lying on the soft seat.
She rubbed her eyes, still sleepy. "Are we in trouble for you to wake me up?"
"No." Kazuya shook his head. "You've been sleeping for long; I thought it would be better to wake you up since you didn't eat anything since morning. It's lunchtime now."
"Sorry," said Arisa, thinking how lonely he must have been with her sleeping. "I didn't sleep much yesterday."
Kazuya smiled. "I guess your excitement was to blame for that."
Arisa replied with a nod. She remembered spending most of the night thinking of the worlds they would explore and how she couldn't wait to meet her companions again.
"You should eat something or you'll pass out before we reach Aurora City," continued Kazuya.
Arisa was still recovering from her sleep to notice that she was hungry, but she agreed with him. Several hours had passed since her last meal. If they crossed paths with an unfriendly visitor from another world and she hadn't fed herself, for sure she would have trouble protecting herself.
A warm hand curled around hers before she could open her bright bag and grab the available store cards. Her gaze followed the arm and met Kazuya's eyes.
"How about we have our meal in the outdoors?" he asked. "We've been sitting here for a few hours; some fresh air wouldn't be bad."
A smile spread across Arisa's face. "You're right. Besides, I need to stretch myself since I've been sitting for so long. I'll write the rune to stop the carriage."
"If you look at the window," said Kazuya before Arisa could grab her pen, "you'll notice that the carriage has stopped."
Arisa's brows raised and she examined the window. She saw an environment filled with green vegetation. She concluded that they had stopped in a forest.
"Alright, then let's go." Arisa grabbed her bag and followed Kazuya as he hopped off their transportation.
As her feet touched the brown ground that had a mixture of green, Arisa saw that there were a small number of orange colored trees in between the green environment.
"I wonder if there's a town close by," said Arisa as they walked a few meters away from the carriage.
Kazuya then stopped and spread the purple fabric on the green ground.
"I saw a really small town before we entered this forest," he said, inviting her to have a seat. "It had a friendly environment; I even thought we could have lunch there. But as our country's most wanted person, we couldn't risk going there."
Arisa's heart sank upon hearing those words, still hurt that the King was spreading lies about her throughout the kingdom. She was a bit frustrated that she couldn't visit new places around Celestia, thanks to him. She had always wanted to see other regions of her country besides exploring worlds.
She grabbed the spell cards in her bag, trying to calm herself. Examining the cream colored card, Arisa's gaze met the 'store' rune containing eight strokes to form its symbol. She placed the card on the ground, wondering what kind of meal her grandmother had stored in it.
"You sure you want to release the meal in that card?" asked Kazuya before Arisa could draw the rune on her palm. "With your incredible ability to draw runes, you might burn several meals before getting the spell right."
Arisa glared at him and looked away. "I've released many meals when I was in the Forbidden Lands. None of them were burnt."
"That must have been a fluke," teased Kazuya, chuckling.
"Humph." Arisa drew the spell on her palm, ignoring his provocations.
Despite the symbol of the rune of 'release' looking like a complicated character, Arisa had no difficulty drawing its eight strokes.
Arisa placed her hand close by the cream colored card. She shot Kazuya a challenging look before she focused her magical energy on her palm. It didn't take long for her to feel the warmth gathering on her hand. A few seconds later, her hand developed a color between orange and red. The 'store' rune on the card burned and shifted into the rune of 'release'.
Bright light forced her to close her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them again, Arisa saw a tray with their meal ready to be consumed.
"I guess you've mastered this rune after all," teased Kazuya, grabbing his plate.
Arisa glared at him. "I've mastered this spell long ago."
The seasoned aroma of the meal awakened Arisa's appetite. She quickly grabbed her plate and served her food. She didn't hesitate to attack her dish.
"Woah," said Kazuya. "Calm down, Arisa."
Arisa glanced at him as she had another spoon of her food.
"Be more ladylike."
"I haven't eaten since morning," said Arisa, glaring at him. "I can eat however I want."
Kazuya laughed and focused on his meal. Arisa ate her food, wondering if she really wasn't eating normally or Kazuya was exaggerating to annoy her.
For several minutes, their chatting and laughter filled the atmosphere. After eating and chatting for a bit more, the duo resumed their trip on their way to Aurora City.
The afternoon sun illuminated the land as the carriage continued its journey. It would take them several hours before they reached their hometown. As the clock ticked, the duo practiced their skills with runes. In some moments, they would end up reading a book to kill time as their destination was still far away.
Throughout their trip, they stopped along the way to have a little break and stretch their body.
When the two moons replaced the sun in the starry sky, the duo found a place to camp in a small cave by a hill.
The cool breeze swayed Arisa's dark hair as she once again attempted to summon her special ability. Even though she had succeeded in releasing the Crimson Flame at will, she still had to practice to master the ability fully.
Sounds of nocturnal animals invaded her ears as she focused her element on her left hand. It took her a minute to summon an orange-red flame with thin streams of crimson fire.
She sighed, not believing that that was all she could summon, after succeeding in releasing the special power a few days ago.
"You're getting better," said Kazuya. "Usually, you would take longer to summon a flame with those streams."
Arisa gazed at the other side of the bonfire. "It's not a crimson flame yet. This thing won't seal or unseal anything. If we only had an opponent to fight, maybe I would summon that flame completely."
"True," said Kazuya, folding his arms. "But you have to learn to summon it willingly and not under pressure. What if we find the Masters without the Guardians on our tail? Will you need one of us to threaten you in order to use it?"
The flames went back to Arisa's palm as if they were being absorbed. She glanced at the brown soil, thinking that Kazuya was right yet again.
Although she was sure the Guardians wouldn't rest until they hunted her down, she tried picturing herself in a situation where they wouldn't be there and she was trying to summon her special ability. For sure she would fail multiple times unsealing the Elements.
"Don't feel down." Kazuya broke the brief silence. "You'll get better before Eklipta communicates with us."
"I hope so," said Arisa.
She instinctively touched her necklace and gazed at the starry sky, thinking of the day when Eklipta would start its first communication.